1

CURRENT AFFAIRS
JANUARY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT
BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) The Health Ministry of Japan on 1
January 2014 estimated that a quarter of
the population is currently aged over 65
and the figure is expected to reach nearly
40 percent by ?
Ans:- 2060
2) Which government recently announced
to build a new sanctuary to save Worlds
rarest Javan rhinos?
Ans:- Indonesia
3) Parliamentary elections in North Korea,
creating the 13th Supreme Peoples
Assembly, will be held on - ?
Ans:- 9 March 2014
4) The Parliament of Europe on 14
January 2014 signed a new carbon dioxide
restriction treaty which seeks to slash
emissions for a segment of transport
across the European Union (EU) by 28%
from year 2020. The treaty focuses on
which transport segment?
Ans:- Commercial Vans
5) The term Euromaidan came to news
recently, which stands for a huge spat of
civil unrest and anti-government protests in
a country.Which country is associated with
these protests?
Ans:- Ukraine
INDIA & WORLD
1) India on 1 January 2014 decided to
send a team of senior officials to assess
the political and security situation in
- ?
Ans:- South Sudan

2014?
Ans:- China
5) Which country and India on on 18
January 2014 agreed to promote
cooperation in renewable energy,
especially in areas of solar energy and
wind power ?
Ans:- United Arab Emirates (UAE)

4) Which state on 9 January 2014 became

the first State in India to provide Universal
Health Coverage to its population ?
Ans:- Karnataka
5) The pilot project of Amuls first Any
Time Milk (ATM) vending machine to
dispense milk on 24X7 basis was on 19
January 2014 installed at - ?
Ans:- Anand, Gujarat

NATIONAL
CONFERENCES
1) Pranab Mukherjee, the President of
India on 1 January 2014 gave his assent to
which bill which aims at regulating
corruption in public domain?
Ans:- Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013
2) The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs has approved the proposal for
construction of a 220kV Transmission
system from on 2 January 2014 ?
Ans:- Alusteng (Srinagar) to Leh
3) The Government of India on 10 January
2014 notified the new natural gas pricing
formula.This new price mechanism would
come into effect from which date?
Ans:- From 1 April 2014
4) Name the programme for young persons
of Overseas Indians introduced by
Government of India in Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) on 8 January 2014?
Ans:- Know India programme
5) Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural
Gas launched LPG Connection Portability
Scheme across the country on 22 January
2014. Name the present Union Minister for
Petroleum & Natural Gas?
Ans:- M Veerappa Moily

1) International Petroleum Conference

2014 (PETROTECH-2014) was held from
12th 15th January 2014 at which place ?
Ans:- New Delhi
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) Which film has been adjudged Best
Motion Picture at 71st annual Golden
Globe Awards ?
Ans:- 12 Years a Slave
2) Who has won the DSC prize 2014 for
South Asian literature for his book
Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer on 18
January 2014?
Ans:- Cyrus Mistry
3) Name the Indian Noted author and
journalist has been awarded a Fellowship
of Kings College London, the British
institutions highest honour on 16 January
2014 ? Ans:- Khushwant Singh
4) Which state bagged 3rd Krishi Karman
Award for 2012-13 for being the best
performing state in overall agricultural
production in the country on 18 January
2014?
Ans:- West Bengal

STATES

2)Which country and India on 2 January

2014 signed an agreement on labour
cooperation for domestic service workers
recruitment ?
Ans:- Saudi Arabia

1) Union Ministry of Development of North

Eastern Region (DoNER) officially
launched the North Eastern Region
Community Resource Management Project
(NERCORMP) at on 6 January 2014
?
Ans:- Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh )

3) Which country and India on 13 January

2014 signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for cooperation in Iron and Steel Sector ?
Ans:- Canada

2) Which state will launch its adult

vaccination drive against Japanese
Encephalitis (JE) from 22 February 2014 ?
Ans:- Assam

4) Which country decided to be one of the

partners in the proposed National
Investment and Manufacturing Zones
(NIMZ) in Andhra Pradesh on 6 January

3) Which state Government on 15 January

2014 decided to increase the reservation of
Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 19.5
percent to 27 percent ?
Ans:- Goa

5) Name the Indian born Scientist and

Professor (Emeritus) at Stanford University
on 21 January 2014 was awarded with
prestigious 2014 Marconi Society Prize
for developing the theory and application of
MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)
antennas ?
Ans:- Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj
SPORTS & GAMES
1) Corey Anderson ,who hit the fastest
century in one-day international history on
1 January 2014 , belongs to which country
?
Ans:- New Zealand

2
2) Which player was awarded the Order of
Prince Henry, one of the Portugals highest
honours, by the Portugals president office
on 3 January 2014?
Ans:- Cristiano Ronaldo
3) Who won the Sydney International
Tennis Tournament Womens singles title
on 10 January 2014 ?
Ans:- Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria
4) Who retained the Volvo Golf Champions
title at the Durban Country Club held on 12
January 2014?
Ans:- South Africas Louis Oosthuizen
5) Which Australian cricketer won the
coveted Allan Border medal 2014 on 20
January 2014?
Ans:- Mitchell Johnson
ECONOMY
1) Which entity was on 6 January 2014
selected by the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) to act as a local operating unit for
issuing globally compatible Legal Entity
Identifiers (LEIs) in India?
Ans:- The Clearing Corporation of India
Limited CCIL
2) According to data provided by the
Marine Products Export Development
Authority (MPEDA) and Seafood Exporters
Association of India on 9 January 2014,
which country has recently overtaken
South East Asia as the largest market for
Indian seafood exports?
Ans:- The United States
3) POSCO, the South Korean steel maker
giant on 10 January 2014 received
environment clearance from the Union
Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)
in which state ?
Ans:- Odisha
4) What is the name of world first Bitcoin
storage service that insures deposits of the
digital currency against hackers and
accidental loss, which was opened on
London on 12 January 2013?
Ans:- Elliptic Vault

Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

recently?
Ans:- Monitoring Climate Change (Moclic)

away on 15 January 2014 was a famous

poet in which language?
Ans:- Marathi

2) Which Meteorological Data Processing

System was dedicated to the nation on 15
January 2014 on the occasion of 139th
Foundation Day of India Meteorological
Department (IMD)?
Ans:- INSAT 3D

D) VISITORS

3) What is the name of Indias satellitebased flight navigation system which has
been certified by aviation regulator DGCA,
recently ?
Ans:- GAGAN
4) Which country has recently carried out
another successful test of its advanced
missile defense system named Arrow 3
designed to intercept long range missiles
?
Ans:- Israel
5) Name Indias supercomputer rated 1st in
India, 9th in the Asia Pacific Region and
44th in the world among the most power
efficient computer systems as per the
Green500 List?
Ans:- Param Yuva-II

1) Name the South Korean President

visited India from 15 18 January 2014 ?
Ans:- Park Geun-Hye
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) Who retired as Deputy Governor of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 20 January
2014?
Ans:- Anand Sinha
PLACES IN NEWS
1) Which Indian railway stations platform
number one has become the worlds
longest platform as announced by Limca
Book of Records on 11 January 2014?
Ans:- Gorakhpur railway station, Uttar
Pradesh
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

PERSONS IN NEWS

1) What is the full form of NASSCOM ?

Ans:- National Association of Software and
Services Companies

A) APPOINTMENTS

BOOKS IN NEWS

1) Who has been elected as the Speaker

of the Delhi Assembly on 3 January 2014?
Ans:- M.S. Dhir

1) Driven, a book released recently, has

been written by a former a Civil Servant
Turned Entrepreneur. Who is he?
Ans:- Jagdish Khattar

2) Who was appointed as the new Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) of Uninor on 8
January 2014 ?
Ans:- Morten Karlsen Sorby
3) Who has been appointed as the
Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of private insurer Future Generali
India Life Insurance on 7 January 2014?
Ans:- Munish Sharda

COMMITTEES IN NEWS
1) Who was the head of RBIs committee
on strengthening monetary policy
framework, which in its recommendations
has suggested that the target for inflation
should be set at 4% with a band of +/- 2%
around it ?
Ans:- Urjit Patel, Deputy Governor of the
RBI

B)RESIGNS
DAYS & DATES

5) Which state became the first state to

withdraw FDI in Multibrand Retail on 13
January 2013?
Ans:- Delhi

1) Garry Kenneth Toomey on 16 January

2014 resigned as the CEO of a prominent
Indian airline company.Which airline is
this?
Ans:- Jet Airways

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

C) DEATHS

1) Name the software to predict weather

developed by researchers from National

1) Namdeo Dhasal, the firebrand writer and

fierce fighter for Dalit rights who passed

1)

National Girl Child Day is

observed on ?
Ans:- January24

FEBRUARY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS

BIT BANK
INTERNATIONAL

3
1) Which two countries have on 5 February
2014 agreed to hold reunions of families
separated since the Korean War ?
Ans:- North Korea and South Korea
2) Which country has topped in terms of
intellectual property (IP) environment in the
list of 25 countries released recently?
Ans:- US
3) In the month of February 2014 South
African president Jacob Zuma announced
the general elections will be held on
- ?
Ans:- 2014 May 7
4) In the month of February 2014 which
country has agreed to develop biggest
cargo airport in Afghanistan on Herat
airport that is located in Western part of the
country ?
Ans:- Italy
5) Which countrys Parliament on 19
February 2014 passed a law that made it
mandatory to put graphic warning on
cigarette packs?
Ans:- Sri Lanka

NATIONAL
1) On 7 February 2014 the Supreme Court
of India upheld recommendations made by
the Justice Majithia wage board. The
Majithia wage board is related to hiking
salaries for ____?
Ans:- Journalists and non-journalists
2) Indias anti-corruption watchdog Central
Vigilance Commission (CVC) completed
how many years of its establishment on 11
February 2014?
Ans:- 50 years
3) Which railway on 9 February 2014
launched a new android-based
smartphone app named HYLITES, which
is claimed to be the first of its kind of app
on Indian Railways offering most of the
enquiry needs of city-based passengers?
Ans:- South Central Railway SCR

INDIA & WORLD

4) India Post (Dept. of Posts) on 13

February 2014 launched electronic Indian
Postal Order (e-IPO) for Indian Citizens
living in India. e-IPO facilitates paying
online fee for which purpose?
Ans:- For seeking information under the
RTI

1) Which two countries have signed two

umbrella agreements for financial and
technical co-operation on 5 February 2014
?
Ans:- India and Germany

5) Which major port of the country was

renamed Kamarajar Port as announced by
the Union Government on 20 February
2014?
Ans:- Ennore Port in Chennai

2) Which country and India on 11 February

2014 signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) as part of their efforts
to intensify bilateral cooperation in the area
of renewable energy ?
Ans:- Netherlands

STATES

3) India was ranked in the list of ten

countries in terms of digital governance on
11 February 2014 ?
Ans:- 8th
4) Which insurgent group from India
ranked fourth among the top ten most
active non-state armed groups in 2013,
according to the IHS Janes latest Global
Terrorism and Insurgency Attack Index,
a major defence and business risk thinktank?
Ans:- The Communist Party of India
5) What was Indias rank among 180
countries in the World Press Freedom
Index 2014 released on 12 February 2014?
Ans:- 140

1) Indias first monorail Mumbai Monorail

was opened for the general public on 2
February 2014 after being inaugurated on
1 February.Which authority owns and
operates this monorail project?
Ans:- Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA)
2) Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of
Communications & Information Technology
on 4 February 2014 launched a special
service of the Speed Post for booking and
delivery of Notices/ Summons of which
High Court with Proof of Delivery (PoD)
facility?
Ans:- Delhi High Court
3) Which State Police on 6 February 2014
launched a helpline number +918750871111 for foreign nationals in
distress ?
Ans:- Delhi

4) Union Cabinet approved the Telangana

Bill on 7 February 2014. As per the bill
which will be the joint capital of Telangana
and Andhra Pradesh?
Ans:- Hyderabad
5) The Union Ministry of Urban
Development gave an in-principle approval
to the Phase I of the - Metro Rail
Project on 12 February 2014 ?
Ans:- Pune
CONFERENCES
1) The 2014 G20 Finance Ministers and
Central Bank Governors meeting was held
from 22-23 February 2014 at - ?
Ans:- Sydney, Australia
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) Name the director of Research Centre
Imarat (RCI), the avionics hub of DRDOs
missile complex, on 3 February 2014
received Indian Science Congress
Associations Homi J. Bhabha Memorial
Award for 2013-14 ?
Ans:- G. Satheesh Reddy
2) Who was conferred Award of Honour by
Ron Burton, President of Rotary
International on 11 February 2014 in New
Delhi ?
Ans:- President Pranab Mukherjee
3) Malala Yousafzai has been nominated
for the World Childrens Prize on 7
February 2014. In which year World
Childrens Prize, also known as the
Childrens Nobel Prize was founded?
Ans:- 2000
4) Who were received the International
Gandhi Award for the year 2013 on 15
February 2014 ?
Ans:- Dr. Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre and
Prof. Guocheng Zhang
SPORTS & GAMES
1) Who won the Winnipeg Winter Club
Open trophy on 3 February 2014 ?
Ans:- Indias Squash player Joshna
Chinappa
2) Who became the youngest Russian
athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter
Olympics 2014 at Sochi, Russia on 9
February 2014 in free skating in the team
figure skating competition ?
Ans:- Yulia Lipnitskaya

4
3) International Olympic Committee (IOC)
revoked ban on Indian Olympic Association
(IOA) after how many months on 11
February 2014?
Ans:- 14 months

3) Which country scientist have recently

discovered a pre-leukemic stem cell that
may be at the root of acute myeloid
leukemia ?
Ans:- Canada

4) The 2014 Winter Olympics was held

from 7 23 February 2014 at ?
Ans:- Sochi, Russia

4) Indias Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM),

also called Mangalyaan, completed 100
days in space on - ?
Ans:- 12 February 2014

5) Which player came out as the most

expensive player for the 7th edition of IPL,
auction for which was held on 12 February
2014?
Ans:- Yuvraj Singh
ECONOMY
1) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) on 6 February 2014 approved
100% FDI in which mobile company thus
making it the countrys first telecom player
to be fully owned by a foreign company?
Ans:- Vodafone
2) Which two Northeastern states are set
to come on rail map as part of Railways
extension of network in the Northeastern
States as announced in the interim Railway
Budget for 2014-15, which was presented
in the Lok Sabha on 12 February 2014?
Ans:- Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh
3) What is the name of Indias first public
sector unit (PSU), the revival plan for which
was approved by the Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 13
February 2014?
Ans:- ITI Limited
4) Reserve Bank on 4 February 2014 has
issued certificate of authorisation to four
non-bank entities to set up White Label
ATMs (WLAs) in the country. Which among
the following was not in that list of nonbank entities?
Ans:- Varkeys Ventures
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1) What is the name of the supersonic
cruise missile was successfully fired on 6
February 2014 from a naval warship INS
Trikand in salvo mode in the Arabian Sea ?
Ans:- BrahMos
2) Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare launched third-line drug therapy
for people living with on 12
February 2014 ?
Ans:- HIV/AIDS

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who took over as Asian Development
Banks new Country Director for India on 3
February 2014?
Ans:- Teresa Kho
2) Who was appointed as the new CEO
and Managing Director of MCX Stock
Exchange (MCX-SX), the countrys newest
full-fledged stock exchange on 2 February
2014?
Ans:- Saurabh Sarkar
3) John Thompson was appointed as the
Chairman of which tech giant on 5
February 2014?
Ans:- Microsoft )
4) Who was selected as the new President
of the Institute of Company Secretaries of
India (ICSI) on 7 February 2014?
Ans:- R Sridharan
B)RESIGNS
1) Who resigned as the Director General
of Cricket in the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) on 15 February 2014?
Ans:- Javed Miandad

1) Which cricketer joined hands with an

NGO Navbharat Sewa Samiti to roll out a
campaign named Cancer Mukt Purvi Dilli
focussing on awareness, education and
early detection of the disease on 10
February 2014?
Ans:- Yuvraj Singh
PLACES IN NEWS
1) Which country on 14 February 2014
announced a plan to build the longest
underwater tunnel of the World ?
Ans:- China
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
1) What is the full form of PFRDA ?
Ans:- PFRDA Pension Fund Regulatory
and Development Authority
BOOKS IN NEWS
1) What is the name of second book
written by celebrated writer JK Rowling
under pseudonym which will be released
during June 2014?
Ans:- The Silkworm
COMMITTEES IN NEWS
1) The committee which investigated
allegations of spot-fixing and betting in the
Indian Premier League (IPL) submitted its
report to the Supreme Court on 10
February 2014.Who headed this
committee?
Ans:- Justice Mukul Mudgal
DAYS & DATES
1) International Mother Language Day
(Bhasha Divas) was observed on- ?
Ans:- 21 February 2014

C) DEATHS
1) Balu Mahendra, who passed away on
13 February 2014 at Chennai , was
associated with which field?
Ans:- Films
D) VISITORS
1) Name the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz
Republic visited India from 13 to 15
February 2014 ?
Ans:- Erlan Abdyldaev
E) MISCELLANEOUS

MARCH 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT

BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) Which country announced on 11 March
2014 a plan to lease Himalayan peaks to
private companies to ease traffic on Mount
Everest and to boost tourism ?
Ans:- Nepal
2) The Supreme Court of - on 9 March
2014 sacked the Election Commissioner
Fuwad Thowfeek and his deputy Ahmad
Fayaz ?
Ans:- Maldives

5
3) Who won the El Salvadors presidential
election on 17 March 2014 ?
Ans:- Salvador Sanchez Ceren

named as ?
Ans:- U and ME against Dengue

held from 1 4 March 2014 at ?

Ans:- Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

3) Election Commission on 5 March 2014

announced the dates for Lok Sabha polls.
Over 814 million voters constituting the
biggest electorate in the world will
exercise their franchise to elect 543
members to the 16 th Lok Sabha in how
many phases?
Ans:- 9

AWARDS & HONOURS

4) Which country Forces on 17 March 2014

handed over its two important military
bases in southern Helmand province to
Afghan security forces and closed down
another base ?
Ans:- Britain
5) Which country and New Zealand
announced a landmark deal on 18 March
2014 that allows the direct trading of the
two countries currencies ?
Ans:- China
INDIA & WORLD
1) India, Sri Lanka and Maldives on 6
March 2014 held national security advisorlevel meet on maritime security
cooperation in - ?
Ans:- New Delhi

4) The Government of India (GoI) recently

announced to build how many low cost
airports in the next 20 years ?
Ans:- 200
5) In the month of March 2014 government
has approved to set up countrys second
nuclear f uel complex to reprocess atomic
fuel in ?
Ans:- Rajasthan
STATES

2) According to the latest data from the

National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC)
released on 5 March 2014, which country
has turned out to be the third most
dangerous country in the world in terms of
bomb blasts cases (per year) only ?
Ans:- India

1) The government has recently approved

the National Mission for Sustaining the
Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) to sustain
the Himalayan ecosystem, continuously
assess it s health status.The NMSHE
covers how many states of India?
Ans:- Twelve

3) What was Indias rank in the recently

released report of the global anti-money
laundering body Financial Action Task
Force (FATF) pertaining to progress in
combating money laundering in the world ?
Ans:- 34

2) Name the new health scheme launched

on 6 March 2014 by North Delhi Municipal
Corporation (NDMC) for women?
Ans:- Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna

4) Which country was recenlty ranked

fourth in a Microsoft report in the list of the
countries sending out spam e-mails ?
Ans:- India
5) Which country and India have signed on
18 March 2014 an agreement to work
together in software, information
technology and infrastructure ?
Ans:- China
NATIONAL
1) The Union government has on 4 March
2014 launched the Maulana Azad Sehat
Scheme a health scheme for ____?
Ans:- Minority Students

3) Which state government on 3 March

2014 launched a novel scheme Dial a
doctor which will enable the public to seek
health-related advice over phone roundthe-clock from doctors by dialling a toll-free
number ?
Ans:- Kerala

2) Who won the 2014 Templeton Prize ?

Ans:- Tomas Halik
3) Who has been selected for the 17th
Gollapudi Srinivas National Award 2013 for
his debut film as a director, The Good
Road in Gujarati ?
Ans:- Gyan Correa
4) What is the name of the Indian journalist
who won the prestigious Google Digital
Activism Award for 2014 beating likes of
Edward Snowden?
Ans:- Shubhranshu Choudhary
5) Which water-based initiative from India
won the 2014 UN-Water Water for Life
Best Practices Award as announced on 21
March 2014?
Ans:- International Water Management
Institute (IWMI)-Tata Water Policy
Programme
SPORTS & GAMES
1) Who won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis
Championship doubles title on 1 March
2014 ?
Ans:- Indo-Pak duo Rohan Bopanna and
Aihsan ul Haq Qureshi
2) Which club won the Capital One football
Cup in the final held at Wembley on 2
March 2014 ?
Ans:- Manchester City

4) Which state approved the Backward

Class (BC) status for the Jat and Jat Sikhs
of the State on 5 March 2014 ?
Ans:- Punjab

3) Name the Indian shuttler won the

German Open Grand Prix Mens singles
title on 2 March 2014 ?
Ans:- Arvind Bhat

5) For how many years, Hyderabad is

envisaged as the common capital for
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as per
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014?
Ans:- 10 years

4) Which country won the Asia Cup 2014

title after defeated Pakistan by five wickets
in the final at the Shere Bangla National
Stadium Mirpur, Bangladesh on 8 March
2014 ?
Ans:- Sri Lanka

CONFERENCES
2) Recently, Union government has
launched a nation-wide campaign
awareness campaign to curb the spread of
dengue disease.The campaign has been

1) Alfonso Cuaron won the Best director

award in Oscars 2014 for which movie?
Ans:- Gravity

1) The 3rd Summit meet of Bengal

Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was

5) Which country won the ICC Under-19

Cricket World Cup 2014 ?
Ans:- South Africa
ECONOMY

6
1) Who is the Worlds top richest Billionaire
with worth of 76 billion dollars according to
Forbes magazines 28th Annual World
billionaires list released on 3 March 2014?
Ans:- Bill Gates
2) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13
March 2014 hiked the trade related
remittance limit from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5
lakh per transaction.What was the reason
for this increase?
Ans:- Increase in the number of
transactions handled by exchange houses
3) Bharti Airtel and which international
telecom giant signed a pact on 4 March
2014 to set up a multi-service regional
network infrastructure node in India?
Ans:- Etisalat
4) Government of India on 4 March 2014
hiked the interest rates on fixed deposit
scheme that is offered by post offices by
up to - percent?
Ans:- 0.2 %

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who assumed charge as the new
Secretary General of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) on 3 March 2014?
Ans:- Arjun Bahadur Thapa

1) What is the name of another book

written by Wendy Doniger, whose
publisher on 10 March 2014 announced it
will not reprint this book until an acceptable
resolution pertaining to the alleged
controversies in this book are found?
Ans:- On Hinduism
COMMITTEES IN NEWS

2) Who was appointed as the Chairman of

Financial Planning Standards Board India
(FPSB) on 11 March 2014 ?
Ans:- Justice (Retd.) BN Srikrishna

1) Which committee has recently

recommended an anti-discrimination law
for Muslims on lines of SC/ST law?
Ans:- Amitabh Kundu Committee

B)RESIGNS

DAYS & DATES

1) Nandan Nilekani on 13 March 2014

resigned as Chairman of Unique
Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI).When he took charge as the first
Chairman of UIDAI?
Ans:- In 2007

1)

World Water Day was observed

on - ?
Ans:- 22 March

April 2014 Current Affairs Bit Bank

INTERNATIONAL

C) DEATHS
5) Which state scored the highest in
monthly per capita consumer expenditure
(MPCE) for urban areas in the recently
released ranking by the by the National
Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)?
Ans:- Haryana

1) Name the the author of the Fatal Vision

died on 10 March 2014 at UMass Memorial
Medical Center in Worcester,
Massachusetts, US ?
Ans:- Joe McGinniss

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

D) VISITORS

1) In the month of March 2014 World

Longest aircraft Airlander or HAV304 was
unveiled at - ?
Ans:- Cardington in Bedfordshire, Britain

1) Name the United Nations General

Assembly (UNGA) President visited India
from 19 22 March 2014 ?
Ans:- John Ashe

2) Name the Indian-American scientist on 6

March 2014 developed the first 3D model
of a human fingerprint called Phantom ?
Ans:- Anil Jain

E) MISCELLANEOUS

3) Scientists in the - community

discovered a way to rebuild ears and
noses using stem cells from body fat on 4
March 2014 ?
Ans:- British
4) Which seemingly impoverished country
recently made a surprising entry into the
high-tech world with its own manufactured
Android tablet named Surtab?
Ans:- Haiti
5) Name the student of Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) on 17 March
2014 developed a robot that can swim like
fish ?
Ans:- Andrew Marchese

1) Misao Okawa, the oldest woman in the

world, turned 116 on 6 March 2014. She is
from which country?
Ans:- Japan
PLACES IN NEWS
1) What is the name of the proposed 70storey temple, billed to be the tallest shrine
in the world, which was inaugurated on 16
March 2014 at Vrindavan in UP?
Ans:- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir

1) In which country the Multilateral

Humanitarian Assistance / disaster relief
(HA/DR) Exercise, KOMODO was
conducted from March 28th to 3 April 2014
?
Ans:- Indonesia
2) What is the name of the biblical epic
movie which was banned by Malaysia and
Indonesia on 7 April 2014 for its visual
depiction of the prophet?
Ans:- Noah
3) Which country Parliament on 8 April
2014 voted to reject the request by the
Catalan authorities to hold a referendum
on independence on 9 November 2014 ?
Ans:- Spain
4) Which country on 9 April 2014 taking a
novel approach to protecting doctors from
growing levels of violence from angry
patients: volunteer Guardian Angels ?
Ans:- China
5) A comprehensive legislation on Internet
privacy for both service providers and
Internet Users was on 23 April 2014
passed by which country ?
Ans:- Brazil

ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
INDIA & WORLD
1) What is the full form of IBRD ?
Ans:- International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development
BOOKS IN NEWS

1) Recently, India and which country have

reached an agreement to include a new
cross-boundary landscape in the Hindu

7
Kush Himalayan Region ?
Ans:- Nepal and Bhutan
2) As per the latest data released by
SIPRI, country with highest military
expenditure in 2013 is ?
Ans:- USA
3) Which country and India on 22 April
2014 signed an agreement for the
development of joint hydropower projects
in a bid to further strengthen their bilateral
strategic partnership ?
Ans:- Bhutan
4) Which country was rated lowest for
average internet speed in the Asia Pacific
region in a recently conducted study done
by US firm Akamai?
Ans:- India
5) Which country President and Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 25 April
2014 issued a Joint Statement
emphasizing robust trilateral relation with
India ?
Ans:- US
NATIONAL
1) Government on 13 April 2014 sanctions
the recruitment of women as combat
officers in ?
Ans:- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
2) Name the programme was launched by
Election Commission of India (ECI) on 15
April 2014 ?
Ans:- Election VIsitors Programme (EVP)
2014
3) Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 2 April
2014 approved the Tata and Singapore
Airlines (SIA) joint venture called?
Ans:- Tata SIA Airlines Ltd
4) The Election Commission has launched
on 17 April its own internet-based media
arm called ?
Ans:- Voter Education Channel
STATES
1) Which North-eastern state capital on 7
April 2014 became the second in the
region to have rail-connectivity?
Ans:- Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal
Pradesh

conditions) to the expansion of

Bhubaneshwari opencast project in which
state ?
Ans:- Odisha

1) Who won the India Super Series

Badminton tournament womens Singles
title on 6 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Shixian Wang (China)

3) Name the stone-age tribes of Andaman

& Nicobar (A&N) islands who for the first
time casted their votes in Great Nicobar on
10 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Shompens

2) Which team won the 4th Hockey India

Junior Men National Championship 2014
(Division A) on 6 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Punjab

4) Which state has achieved the highest

rate of increase in the number of electors
in the country in the past five years as
stated in the electoral data released early
this year?
Ans:- Tamil Nadu
5) Which state has recorded the highest
growth rate of milk production and per
capita availability during the five year
period of 2006-10, according to Assocham
study ?
Ans:- Andhra Pradesh

3) Which country on 6 April 2014 won the

T20 cricket world cup 2014 ?
Ans:- Sri Lanka
4) Which English Premier League club was
denied the permission to change its name
by the Football Association Council (FAC)
on 9 April 2014?
Ans:- Hull City
5) Which team won the National T20 title
for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on 14
April 2014?
Ans:- Baroda

CONFERENCES

ECONOMY

1) In which country the International Hindi

Conference was held from 25 27 April
2014 ?
Ans:- US

1) The Reserve Bank of India on 2 April

2014 granted in-principle approval of bank
licences to which two entitites?
Ans:- IDFC Limited and Bandhan
Financial Services Private Limited

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Renowned poet-lyricist and filmmaker
Gulzar was on 12 April 2014 selected for
the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award
for 2013.What is the real name of Gulzar?
Ans:- Sampooran Singh Kalra

2) What is the proposed additional tax on

those earning over Rs 1 crore through
dividend income in the draft of the Direct
Taxes Code (DTC), which was released on
1 April 2014?
Ans:- 10%

2) Which film was selected as the Best

Film for 61st National Film Awards
announced on 16 April 2014?
Ans:- Ship of Theseus

3) Reserve Bank of India on 1 April 2014

adopted which index as the key measure
of Inflation?
Ans :- Consumer Price Index (CPI)

3) Who won special jury award of Times

Now NRI Awards 2014?
Ans:- Zubin Mehta

4) Which firm became the first Indian retail

e-commerce to file for an initial public
offering (IPO) on NASDAQ and to be listed
on this US stock exchange?
Ans:- HomeShop18

4) ) Randstad Awards 2014 for most

attractive employer in India goes to for the 4th consecutive year ?
Ans:- Microsoft
5) The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-2014 has
been awarded to Donna Tartt, for her novel
?
Ans:- The Goldfinch

5) India retained the top spot in the world in

foreign exchange remittances from its
migratory workforce during 2013. How
much remittance was received by India
during the year?
Ans:- $70 billion
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2) Recently the Union Ministry of

Environment and Forest accorded
environmental clearance (with some

SPORTS & GAMES

1) A vast liquid ocean was found on which
moon of Saturn by NASAs Cassini probe

8
as published by Science magazine on 3
April 2014?
Ans:- Enceladus
2) After its ten and half years service in
orbit, on 1st April 2014 ISRO
decommissioned which Communication
Satellite?
Ans:- INSAT-3E
3) What is the name of the deadly virus for
which the Computer Emergency Response
Team of India (CERT-In) issued an
advisory on 11 April 2014 to all Internet
users in the country?
Ans:- Heartbleed
4) Name the professor at Stanford
University alongwith his students, invents a
dirt cheap microscope named Foldscope
on 15 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Manu Prakash
5) Which country Scientists on 17 April
2014 created a 3D model of the human
malaria parasite genome for the first time ?
Ans:- US

D) VISITORS
1) Name the Namibian Prime Minister
visited China on 8 9 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Hage Geingob
E) MISCELLANEOUS
Which two former Popes were declared
Saints by the Pope Francis at the Vatican
on 27 April 2014?
Ans:- John XXIII and John Paul II
PLACES IN NEWS
1) In the month of April Archaeologists
discovered a 3500-year-old inscription on a
stone block in which country and claimed
that it is the oldest weather report of the
world ?
Ans:- Egypt
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

video-sharing website YouTube.YouTube

has been banned in Pakistan for how many
times?
Ans:- Three times
2) Which country President Salva Kiir and
rebel leader Riek Machar on 9 May 2014
agreed on a peace deal that proposes to
end five months of conflict ?
Ans:- South Sudan
3) Which Afro-Arabian country on 1 May
2014 adopted a landmark new electoral
law, which requires party lists for legislative
elections to be half women and half men?
Ans:- Tunisia
4) China on 19 May 2014 set up a 1.6
billion dollars (10 billion Yuan) fund that will
support projects related to ?
Ans:- Maritime Silk Road development of
China

1) What is the full form of IRNSS ?

Ans:- Indian Regional Navigational Satellite
System

5) Which country on 22 May 2014

suspended the 12th bull fight festival after
matadors got injured by bulls ?
Ans:- Spain

BOOKS IN NEWS

INDIA & WORLD

1) What is the title of the book written by

former Coal Secretary P.C. Parakh in
which he claimed that Prime Minister
Manmohan Singhs inability to take on
vested interests led to the coal block row?
Ans:- Crusader or Conspirator : Coalgate
and other truths

1) The new protocol Declaration on

Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax
Matters on tax data exchanges has been
signed on 6 May 2014 in ?
Ans:- Paris

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who was named as the captain of the
ICC World T20 team on 7 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Mahendra Singh Dhoni
2) Name the Indian-American was on 5
April 2014 nominated by President Barack
Obama to a key post as US Alternate
Executive Director at the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) ?
Ans:- Sunil Sabharwal
B)RESIGNS
1) Which country Prime Minister Serik
Akhmetov, has announced his resignation
on 2 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Kazakhstan
C) DEATHS
1) Name the Nobel prize-winning
Colombian author died on 17 April 2014 ?
Ans:- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2) Name the Former Liberian President,
who led a peacetime government after two
ruinous back-to-back civil wars, died on 16
April 2014 ?
Ans:- Gyude Bryant

COMMITTEES IN NEWS
1) Who is the Chairman of the committee
appointed by Supreme Court on 22 April
2014 to monitor the steps taken by the
centre and state government to ensure
road safety and curb growing number of
accidents ?
Ans:- Justice Radhakrishnan
DAYS & DATES
1) World Malaria Day (WMD) was
observed on across the world ?
(Ans:- 25 April 2014 )
MAY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT
BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) Pakistans National Assembly on 6 May
2014 approved a resolution to lift a ban on

2) Recently, which country has imposed

ban on import of chilli pepper from India?
Ans:- Saudi Arabia
3) Which country has topped the list of
World Mothers Index-2014?
Ans:- Finland
4) To pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian
cinema, which country on 5 May 2014
released two postage stamps designed by
an Indian graphic designer ?
Ans:- Brazil
NATIONAL
1) The Union Cabinet on 1 May 2014
approved the proposal for setting up of the
?
Ans:- Polavaram Project Authority (PPA)
2) Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) on 7 May 2014 issued guidelines
to operastors for ?
Ans:- Real Time Tracking of Aircrafts

9
3) The Constitution Bench of Supreme
Court of India on 6 May 2014 upheld the
Constitutional validity of the ?
Ans:- Right to Education (RTE) Act
4) Revised norms of National Capital
Region (NCR) Planning Board on 14 May
2014 restricted tourism in in NCR ?
Ans:- Green Zones
5) The Union Home Ministry on 14 May
2014 extended the ban imposed on the
in India for five more years ?
Ans:- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE)
STATES
1) The Supreme Court on 6 May 2014 held
that the government cannot impose mother
tongue on linguistic minority for imparting
primary education. A bench of the apex
court gave this order while hearing the
government orders of which state
pertaining to this issue?
Ans:- Karnataka
2) Election Queue Management System, a
first of its kind initiative was introduced in
India recently in which state?
Ans:- West Bengal
3) BHEL commissions first of the two unit
of 600 MW capacity for Jindal Thermal
Power Project at Angul in which state ?
Ans:- Odisha
4) According to latest report, which state
has reported highest tiger mortality rate in
the country?
Ans:- Tamil Nadu

3) Caparo Group won the International

Business of the Year award 2014 at the
Asian Business Awards Midlands in
Birmingham on 9 May 2014. This group is
founded by which industrialist of Indian
origin?
Ans:- Lord Swaraj Paul
4) Pranab Mukherjee, the President of
India on 12 May 2014 conferred
on 35 nursing personnel from across the
country for their meritorious services ?
Ans:- National Florence Nighangle Awards
2014

4) According to the Sunday Times Rich List

published on 11 May 2014, who edged out
steel-baron Lakshmi Niwas Mittal to
emerge the richest people in the United
Kingdom?
Ans:- Hinduja Brothers

5) Arabian travel Market (ATM) awarded

India with on 8 May 2014 ?
Ans:- New Frontiers Award 2014

5) Which country was ranked as the

cheapest among the major world
economies in a latest report by Germanys
Deutsche Bank?
Ans:- India

SPORTS & GAMES

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games are

to be held from 16th to 28th August 2014 in
- ?
Ans:- Nanjing, China

1) Recently Indian scientists have found 14

new species of Dancing Frogs in the
- ?
Ans:- Western Ghats

2) What was the ranking of India in the ICC

Test rankings annual updated list issued
on 1 May 2014?
Ans:- 5th

2) Researchers at The have

succeeded in replicating deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) which contained artificially
inserted synthetic pair of DNA letters, or
bases, not found in nature ?
Ans:- Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)

3) Who won the womens doubles title at

the WTA Portugal Open 2014 held in
Portugal on 3 May 2014 ?
Ans:- Sania Mirza of India and Cara Black
of Zimbabwe
4) Who was crowned World Snookers
Player of the Year at the sports annual
awards ceremony in London on 8 may
2014 ?
Ans:- Ronnie OSullivan

CONFERENCES
1) Group of 77 developing countries plus
China (G77+China) summit to be held on
14 and 15 June 2014 in ?
Ans:- Santa Cruz ( Bolivia )

5) Which team on 12 May 2014 won the

20th Senior National Womens Football
Championships title at the Golaghat
Stadium in Assam ?
Ans:- Manipur

AWARDS & HONOURS

ECONOMY

1) Which film was on 3 May 2014 given

award for the Best Popular Film Providing
Wholesome Entertainment in National Film
Awards 2014 ?
Ans:- Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

1) Which airline became the newest to

have won an operating permit for airline
services in India?
Ans:- AirAsia India

2) Name the Indian american cardiologist

was recently won Gregory Bradeb
Memorial Fellow of the Year Award 2014 ?
Ans:- Mitul Kadakia

3) IPL franchisee Delhi Daredevils recently

launched a co-branded cricket credit card
in partnership with which commercial
bank?
Ans:- The Ratnakar Bank Ltd

3) What is the name of Worlds first ever

electric aircraft that has successfully taken
its maiden voyage on 12 May 2014 ?
Ans:- E-Fan
4) Astronomers led Dr Mark Vogelsberger
of MIT/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics on 8 May 2014 created the
first realistic virtual Universe using a
computer simulation called ?
Ans:- Illustris
5) Which country Scientists had recently
developed Silver nanowires-based
nanoscale fingerprints ?
Ans:- South Korea
PERSONS IN NEWS

2) Indias Adani Group got approval for a

$15.46 billion coal mine development
project in which state of Australia recently?
Ans:- Queensland

A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who becomes the Wholetime Member
(Finance) of the Pension Fund Regulatory
and Development Authority (PFRDA) ?
Ans:- RV Verma
2) Who was elected as the President of the
Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) on 6

10
May 2014?
Ans:- Lalit Modi
3) Who was appointed as the President of
International Technology Law Association
on 14 May 2014 ?
Ans:- Sajai singh
B) RESIGNS
1) Who was resigned as MD and CEO of
MCX on 1 May 2014 ?
Ans:- Manoj Vaish
C) DEATHS
1) Actor Bob Hoskins, whose varied career
ranged from Mona Lisa to Who Framed
Roger Rabbit, who died recently was from
which country ?
Ans:- Britain
D) VISITORS
1) Name the Turkmenistan President
visited China from 11 14 May 2014 ?
Ans:- Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) What is the name of the first-ever
woman Additional Director of the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who was
restrained from discharging her duties by
the Supreme Court on 9 May 2014?
Ans:- Archana Ramasundaram
PLACES IN NEWS
1) Archaeologists have recently discovered
a granary with walls of mud-bricks during
just-concluded excavation at Rakhigarhi
village a Harappan civilisation site, in which
state ?
Ans:- Haryana
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
1) What is the full form of UNESCO ?
Ans:- United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
BOOKS IN NEWS
1) A book entitled A Stamp is Born
authored by was released on 6 May
2014 by Vice President of India, M Hamid
Ansari ?
Ans:- C. R. Pakrashi
COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) A high-level committee recommended

recasting of the Index of Industrial
Production and (IIP) Wholesale Price Index
(WPI) with an objective to present a more
realistic picture of the economy. Who is
heading this high-level committee which
recently submitted its report?
Ans:- Saumitra Chaudhuri
DAYS & DATES
1)

World Press Freedom Day was

observed on ?
Ans:- 3 May 2014

JUNE 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT

BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) Which country on 2 June 2014
announced a series of resolutions against
the new Palestinian Unity government ?
Ans:- Israel
2) Quebec province of which country on 5
June 2014 adopted legislation Right-to-Die
that allows terminally ill patients to kill
themselves with a doctors help ? Ans:Canada
3) Which country Queen on 5 June 2014
announced to introduce a new legislation
bill Recall of Member of Parliament (M.P.)
Bill ?
Ans:- Britain
4) Who was elected as the new Prime
Minister of Finland on 14 June 2014 to
replace outgoing Prime Minister Jyrki
Katainen?
Ans:- Alexander Stubb
5) What is the name given to a major
operation started by the Pakistani military
from 15 June 2014 to flush insurgents out
of the volatile region of North Waziristan
bordering Afghanistan?
Ans:- Zarb-e-Azb
INDIA & WORLD
1) Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta
Samiti (BMVSS) will provide Jaipur Foot to
1000 amputees in which country free of
cost ?
Ans:- Afghanistan
2) Last US Prisoner of War in Afghanistan
Bowe Bergdahl was freed on 1 June 2014
in swap deal with ?
Ans:- Taliban

3) Which state Government on 10 June

2014 announced that it will donate one
crore rupees for restoration of Tolstoy
Farm in South Africa, the place where
Mahatma Gandhi first began his
Satyagraha ?
Ans:- Madhya Pradesh
4) Which country on 13 June 2014 became
a permanent signatory to Washington
Accord ?
Ans:- India
5) Recently which country has been
elected to the Intergovernmental
Committee for Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage for the next
four years (2014-18) ?
Ans:- India
NATIONAL
1) Central Information Commission on 4
June 2014 ruled that the private schools
which were governed by a law such as the
Delhi Education Act come under the
provisions of ?
Ans:- Right to Information (RTI) Act
2) Name the Portal was launched by Indian
Army on 5 June 2014 ?
Ans:- Army Veterans Grievance Handling
(AVGH)
3) Union Health Minister Harshvardhan on
17 June 2014 gave consent for setting up
of the Regional Institute of Paramedical
Sciences in - ?
Ans:- AIIMS Bhopal
4) Project Seabird Phase II in - on 9
June 2014 got environment clearance by
the Union Ministry of Environment and
Forests ?
Ans:- Karwar, Karnataka
5) Name the Union Water Resources
Minister was on 17 June 2014 launched a
nationwide tree plantation drive and public
awareness programme to save rivers ?
Ans:- Uma Bharti
STATES
1) Which state Government on 5 June
2014 notified to provide 12 percent
horizontal reservation for below poverty
line (BPL) candidates in all state
government jobs and posts in public sector
undertakings ?
Ans:- Sikkim

11
2) Which project was in news due to its
approval by the Delhis Lt. Governor
Najeeb Jung on 11 June 2014 ?
Ans:- Regional Rapid Transit System
(RRTS)
3) Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
on 13 June 2014 commissioned 68 MW
Unit at the Rampur Hydro Electric Project
in - ?
Ans:- Himachal Pradesh

1) Who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2014

for scoring highest number of runs?
Ans:- Robin Uthappa
2) Which city would host the World Chess
Championship rematch between Indian
chess veteran Viswanathan Anand and
title-holder Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
during November 2014?
Ans:- Sochi, Russia

4) Which state government on 12 June

2014 clears Bill to put a complete ban on
dance bars across the State ?
Ans:- Maharashtra

3) India ended its campaign at the FIH

Hockey World Cup on 14 June 2014 by
playing their last classification match. India
finished at which place in this World Cup?
Ans:- Ninth

5) Which two state governments have

recently signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to ensure
identification and repatriation of women
and children who are victims of trafficking ?
Ans:- West Bengal and Maharashtra

4) The goal-line technology, introduced for

the first time in the FIFA World Cup,
awarded the first international goal in its
history on 15 June 2014.This goal was
awarded to which country?
Ans:- France

CONFERENCES

5) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12

June 2014 released commemorative
postage stamps on the 2014 FIFA World
Cup.What is the slogan of FIFA World Cup
2014?
Ans:- All In One Rhytm

1) The 18th SAARC Summit will be held at

- in November 2014 ?
Ans:- Kathmandu, Nepal
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) UN General Assembly on 7 June 2014
announced an award in honour of ?
Ans:- Nelson Mandela
2) Who was conferred with the prestigious
Bharat Ratna JRD Tata Award for 2013 by
the Aeronautical Society of India (ASI) on 9
June 2014?
Ans:- Somasundaram of Airports Authority
of India (AAI)
3) Name the leading NRI industrial was
honoured with the Lifetime Achievement
Award by a UK-based business
association on 13 June 2014 ?
Ans:- Lord Swraj Paul

ECONOMY
1) Which mobile phone operator signed a
two-year agreement with Indian Oil
Corporation Ltd (IOC) to deploy its
enterprise mobility platform to companys
LPG customers?
Ans:- Idea Cellular
2) In its second bi monthly policy review on
3 June 2014, RBI has slashed Statutory
Liquidity Ratio by basis points to
make it 22.5 per cent of deposits? Ans:50bps

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) What is the name of NASAs
Spectrograph launched recently to study
birthplace of stars?
Ans:- CHESS
2) What is the name of the Worlds first
supersonic car which can run at 1,609
kmph (1,000 mph), which was unveiled on
13 June 2014 in Bristol (UK)?
Ans:- Bloodhound SSC
3) Who was on 14 June 2014 dedicated
INS Vikramaditya to the nation ?
Ans:- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
4) New titanium Oxide tiles were recently
developed by the research team from
- to fight against Air Pollution ?
Ans:- University of California
PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who took over the charge of Western
Naval Command (WNC) as Commanderin-Chief on 6 June 2014 ?
Ans:- Vice Admiral Anil Chopra
2) Name the Indian-origin judge was on 25
June 2014 appointed as 8th AttorneyGeneral of Singapore ?
Ans:- V K Rajah
B) RESIGNS

4) Name the Indian-origin businessman

has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II
on 14 June 2014 ?
Ans:- Hari Dutt Seth

3) The World Bank lowered its growth

forecast for developing countries during
2014 in its Global Economic Prospects
(GEP) report which was released on 11
June 2014. The growth forecast was
lowered from the January estimate of 5.3%
to ?
Ans:- 4.8%

5) Which Airport recently won the Airport

Service Quality (ASQ) Award by Airport
Council International (ACI) in the category
of the best improved airport in Asia Pacific
Region ?
Ans:- Kolkata Airport

4) With over 3 lakh employees Indian IT

company TCS has become the worlds
third largest employer in the technology
sector. Which is the leading employer in
this segment?
Ans:- IBM

SPORTS & GAMES

5) The railway passenger fare was

increased by 14.2% in all classes while
freight charge was hiked by 6.5% on 20
June 2014 by the union govt.This hike
comes into effect from which date ?
Ans:- 25 June 2014, i.e., post midnight of
24 June 2014

1) Renowned journalist Shekhar Gupta

was heading which newspaper as its
Editor-in-Chief, from which he officially
resigned on 15 June 2014?
Ans:- Indian Express
C) DEATHS
1) Alexander Shulgin, who passed away
recently, was popularly known as_____?
Ans:- Godfather of ecstasy
D) VISITORS

12
1) Name the Deputy Prime Minister of
Russia visited India from 18 June to 19
June 2014 ?
Ans:- Dmitry O Rogozin

3) 15-member United Nations Security

Council (UNSC) uanimously adopted the
in New York on 14 July 2014?
Ans:- Resolution 2165

minimum broadband speed in the country

has been raised to kilo bit per second
(kbps)?
Ans:- 512 kbps

E) MISCELLANEOUS

4) Which country on 17 July 2014 became

worlds first developed nation to repeal
carbon laws that put a price on
greenhouse-gas emissions?
Ans:- Australia

4) Air India on 11 July 2014 formally joined

the airline group Star Alliance as its
member?
Ans:- 27th

1) According to the latest survey report

released by a US travel website
whichairline.com, which airline emerged
as the cheapest in the World?
Ans:- Firefly of Malaysia
PLACES IN NEWS
1) What is the name assigned to a tropical
cyclone which initiated in the east-central
Arabian Sea on 11 June 2014?
Ans:- Nanauk
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
1) What is the full form of FIPB ?
Ans:- Foreign Investment Promotion Board
BOOKS IN NEWS
1) Name the autobiography of iconic
Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar has been
released in Mumbai on 10 May 2014 ?
Ans:- The Substance and the Shadow

5) Diplomats from Iran and five permanent

members of the UN Security Council plus
Germany (P5+1) on 18 July 2014 reached
an agreement to extend the Iran nuclear
talks till which date?
Ans:- 24 November 2014
INDIA & WORLD
1) Recently, India has been developing
Maitri missile programme with which
country ?
Ans:- France
2) Recently, India and which country has
signed an agreement on cooperation in the
field of environment?
Ans:- Brazil

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

3) Which country and India on 8 July 2014

decided to launch negotiations for civil
nuclear cooperation ?
Ans:- UK

1) Which former Indian cricketer joined the

Supreme Court-appointed Mudgal
committee as a member on 8 June 2014?
Ans:- Sourav Ganguly

4) Which country has recently decided to

Honour Mahatma Gandhis memory with
Statue in front of its Parliament?
Ans:- UK

DAYS & DATES

5) Which country was placed at first place

in a list of countries with the highest
prevalence of child marriages in the world
released by the UNICEF on 22 July 2014?
Ans:- Niger

1) World Blood Donor Day was observed

across the world on -?
Ans:- 14 June

5) In the month of July 2014 Nagoya

Protocol has received necessary
ratifications, it is related to ?
Ans:- Conservation of Biodiversity
STATES
1) According to State of Forest report2013, which state has lost maximum forest
cover in the country?
Ans:- Andhra Pradesh
2) The Jayaprakash Narayan National
Centre for Excellence in Humanities, that
was proposed in the Union Budget 201415, would be established in which state?
Ans:- Madhya Pradesh
3) Which state has decided to setup 320
Mahila Suraksha Dals for women safety on
14 July 2014?
Ans:- Delhi
4) Parliament has passed a bill related to
Polavaram Project on 14 July 2014.On
which of the following rivers Polavaram
Project is established ?
Ans:- Godavari
5) Recently, it was reported in the
newspaper that over 670 large dams
across the country fall under high-intensit y
seismic zones.Which state has highest
number of dams falls under high-intensity
seismic zone?
Ans:- Gujarat

NATIONAL
JULY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT
BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) Which country has recently banned use
of Burqa in the country ?
Ans:- France
2) Recently, which country has launched
the Operation Barkhane a counter
terrorism operation in against Islamist
militant in Northern Africa?
Ans:- France

CONFERENCES
1) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) on 2 July 2014 approved the
inclusion of onion and potato under the
purview of Essential Commodities Act, ?
Ans:- 1955
2) Recently, the union government has
given in-principle approval for the creation
of two new tiger reserves at ?
Ans:- Ratapani and Sunabeda
3) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) has recently notified that the

1) 7th India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA)

summit will be held in in 2015?
Ans:- New Delhi, India
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) Which Bank was conferred Best Bank
Public Sector award in BFSI Awards2014 by World HRD Congress recently?
Ans:- Bank of Maharashtra

13
2) Who has been honoured with Gandhi
Peace Prize 2013 on 15 July 2014 ?
Ans:- Chandi Prasad Bhatt
3) Name the Eminent Carnatic musician
and acclaimed mridangam exponent has
been chosen for the Sangita Kalanidhi
award of the Music Academy for 2014?
Ans:- T V Gopalakrishnan
4) Who has won Prem Bhatia Award for
2014 ?
Ans:- Smita Gupta
5) Name the Rajya Sabha MP has been
felicitated with One of the Best Indian in
the World for a Social cause award at the
Global Excellence Summit held in London
recently?
Ans:- K D Singh
SPORTS & GAMES
1) Name the Germanys football team
captain has announced his retirement on
18 July 2014 ?
Ans:- Philipp Lahm
2) Who has won German Grand Prix 2014
?
Ans:- Nico Rosberg of Germany
3) Name the two new technologies used
for the first time at a World Cup in 2014?
Ans:- Goal-line technology and vanishing
foam for free kicks
4) Miroslav Klose who recently became the
all-time leading scorer in the history of
FIFA World Cup -2014 with 16 goals is
from which country?
Ans:- Germany
5) Who won the first gold medal for India at
the 20th Commonwealth Games being
held at Glasgow, Scotland?
Ans:- K. Sanjita Chanu, woman weightlifter

commemorate 50 years of its journey in the

Indian financial sector? Ans:- IDBI Bank
3) What is the name given to the ambitious
high speed rail network that has been
proposed in the Rail Budget of 2014-15?
Ans:- Diamond Quadrilateral

B) RESIGNS
1) Vakkom B. Purushothaman, who
resigned on 11 July 2014, was the
Governor of which state?
Ans:- Mizoram
C) DEATHS

4) How many sectors for proposed highspeed trains were proposed in the Rail
Budget 2014-15?
Ans:- Nine
5) What is the proposed name of a new
24X7 channel for northeast region that was
announced in the Union Budget 2014-15?
Ans:- Arun Prabha
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1) What is the measure of the smallest
force detected by researchers with the
Lawrence Berkely National Laboratoary
and the University of California Berkely,
using a combination of lasers and a unique
optical trapping system?
Ans:- 42 yoctonewtons
2) Recently, NASA has launched worlds
first flying observatory SOFIA to study
____?
Ans:- Stars
3) Name the countrys first indigenously
built warship, that has been handed over to
the Indian Army, on 12 July 2014 ?
Ans:- INS Kamorta
4) INS Kamrota has been handed over to
Navy on 12 July 2014, it is a ?
Ans:- Anti-Submarine Warship (ASW
5) Recently, NASA has launched ShipAircraft Bio-Optical Research (SABOR)
experiment to probe ____?
Ans:- Ocean Ecology and Carbon Cycle
PERSONS IN NEWS

1) Eduard Shevardnadze, the last Foreign

Minister of the erstwhile Soviet Union
(USSR), who passed away on 7 July 2014,
was the former President of which former
Soviet Republic?
Ans:- Georgia
D) VISITORS
1) Name the Facebook Chief Operating
Officer (COO) visited India from 1 5 July
2014 ?
Ans:- Sheryl Sandberg
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) Name the Taiwanese poet who
translated 1330 couplets of Tirukkural (one
of the collection of sangam literature) and
the poems of poet Subramanya Bharathi in
Mandarin recently?
Ans:- Yushi
PLACES IN NEWS
1) An Air Algerie passenger aircraft enroute from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso
to Algiers crashed on 24 July 2014 killing
116 people on-board. This crash took
place in deserts of which country?
Ans:- Mali
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
1) What is the fullform of CRAC ?
Ans:- Cyber Regulation Advisory Council
BOOKS IN NEWS

ECONOMY
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) The minimum export price (MEP) on
onion was raised to $500 per tonne on 2
July 2014 as the price of onion in the
domestic market continues to rise. What
was the present MEP on onion which was
announced by the Union Govt. on 17 June
2014?
Ans:- $300 per tonne
2) Which bank on 1 July 2014 introduced
mobile banking service for its customers, to

1) Who took charge as Chairman of Indian

Oil Corporation (IOC), the Indias largest oil
firm on 17 July 2014?
Ans:- B Ashok
2) Which former Indian sportsman has
been elected as the newest member of
Laureus World Sports Academy, becoming
the 47th member of the elite panel?
Ans:- Rahul Dravid

1) Who is the author of the book Economic

Nightmare of India?
Ans:- Charan Singh
COMMITTEES IN NEWS
1) The revival of the Kisan Vikas Patra
(KVP) was announced in the Union Budget
2014-15 on 10 July 2014.The KVP was
discontinued from November 2011 on the
recommendation of which committees
recommendations?
Ans:- The Shyamala Gopinath Committee

14
DAYS & DATES
1) World Population Day was observed
across the world on ?
Ans:- 11 July
AUGUST 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT
BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) The World Health Organisation (WHO)
has issued an International Health
Emergency on 8 August 2014 over Ebola
outbreak. Ebola virus was first discovered
in which country?
Ans:- Democratic Republic of Congo
(1976)

Ans:- signing Trade Facilitation Agreement

(TFA)
4) Which country and India on 19 August
2014 signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) on technical
cooperation in railway sector ?
Ans:- Czech Republic
5) According to Renewables 2014 Global
Status Report, India ranked 5th among top
ten wind power producers in world. Which
country is the leading wind power producer
in world ?
Ans:- China
NATIONAL

2) Which Project has been unveild in

Britain on 4 August 2014 to commemorate
100 years of first World War ?
Ans:- Lights Out

1) The Union government has recently

launched a new scheme Padho Pardesh
to provide interest subsidy on educational
loans for overseas studies for student
belongs to ____?
Ans:- Minority communities

3) Mexicos Congress on 6 August 2014

gave final approval to a historic reform that
would open up an important statecontrolled sector to foreign investment for
the first time since 1938. Which sector is
this?
Ans:- Energy Sector (comprising of oil and
natural gas)

2) Indian Railways recently launched a

contact-less smart card enabling
passengers to pay for reserved as well as
unreserved travelling train tickets as part of
a pilot project. What is the name of this
smart card with lifetime validity?
Ans Go-India

4) Which country has destroyed Syrian

chemical weapons on 7 August 2014?
Ans:- UK
5) What is the name of the newly
constituted act which was signed into law
by the U.S. President Barack Obama on 8
August 2014 and which authorises the
President to appoint a Special Envoy in the
near East and South Central Asia?
Ans:- Near East and South Central Asia
Religious Freedom Act
INDIA & WORLD
1) Defence procurements from which
Italian company were put on hold by the
Union Government on 5 August 2014?
Ans:- Finmeccanica

3) The Parliament has recently cleared a

constitution amendment bill that will
facilitate setting up of National Judicial
Appointment Commission (NJAC) for
appointment of judges. The NJAC will
comprise of how many members?
Ans:- Six
4) The major objective of newly announced
Pradhanmantri Jan-Dhan Yojana is _?
(Ans:- To provide a bank account to every
poor in the country )
5) Swach Bharat Mission is targetted to
complete by 2019. It plan to celebrate
150th anniversary of whom ?
Ans:- Mahatma Gandhi
STATES

2) Recently, India has agreed to lend $69

million grant to supply iodated salt to curb
iodine deficiency disease in which country?
Ans:- Nepal

1) Palghar became the 36th and the

newest district of Maharashtra on 1 August
2014. It was carved out from which district,
which was Indias most populous district?

3) Recently India rejected World Trade

Organization (WTO) offer. What was it
related with?

Ans:- Thane
2) What is the name of the 45 megawatt
hydro-electricity project in J&K that was

dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on 12 August 2014?
Ans:- Nimoo Bazgo Hydroelectric Project
3) What is the name of the controversial
survey conducted by the Telangana
Government throughout the state on 19
August 2014 and due to which various
sections of the state were scared and
apprehensive?
Ans:- Samagra Kutumbh Survey or
Intensive Household Survey
4) Which state government on 21 August
2014 announced proposal to clamp
complete prohibition on liquor in various
phases?
Ans:- Kerala
5) What is the name of the new initiative by
IDBI and UNICEF in Uttar Pradesh to
provide safe drinking water,sanitation and
hygiene ?
Ans:- WASH Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene
CONFERENCES
1) The 18th BASIC (Brazil, South Africa,
India and China) Ministerial Meeting on
Climate Change was held on 7-8 August
2014 in?
Ans:- New Delhi, India
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) 55 gallantry awards (peacetime) were
announced on the eve of 68th
Independence Day on 14 August 2014.
Who was conferred the lone Ashok
Chakra, Indias highest peacetime gallantry
award?
Ans:- Late Maj. Mukund Varadarajan
2) Which Iranian-born professor became
the first woman ever to win the Fields
Medal of the International Mathematical
Union (IMU), which is considered the top
prize in the field of mathematics?
Ans:- Dr. Maryam Mirzakhani
3) Name the Carnatic vocalist has been
chosen for the fifth Indira Sivasailam
Endowment Medal and Concert on 25
August 2014 ?
Ans:- T. M. Krishna
4) Who was honoured on 25 August 2014
with Institute of Company Secretaries of
India (ICSI) Life Time Achievement Award
2013 for Excellence in Corporate
Governance?

15
Ans:- Shiv Nadar, Founder & Chairman,
HCL
5) 19th Rajiv Gandhi National Quality
Awards for the year 2012 were announced
by the Union Government on 26 August
2014. Which organisation has won the
highest prize under this Award category?
Ans:- Rail Wheel factory (Ministry of
Railways), Bangalore

4) How many Indian companies were listed

among Forbes list of the Worlds 100 Most
Innovative Companies released on 20
August 2014?
Ans:- Five
5) Which of the India Company will
implement the Eastern India Energy
Highway ?
Ans:- Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL)

SPORTS & GAMES

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) Which was the venue of the closing

ceremony of 20th Commonwealth Games
held on 3 August 2014?
Ans:- Hampden Park

1) What is the name of NASAs vintage

spacecraft which successfully completed a
return visit to the earth-moon system
during August 2014?
Ans:- ISEE-3

2) What was the motto of 20th

Commonwealth Games ?
Ans:- People, Place, Passion
3)Which batsman on 9 August 2014 broke
cricketing-great Sir Don Bradmans 66year-old record for most scores of 190
plus?
Ans:- Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka
4) Jacques Kallis, who announced his
retirement from all formats of international
cricket recently, is a greatest all rounder of
all times, belongs to which country?
Ans:- South Africa
5) The 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games
was held from 16 to 28 August 2014 in ?
Ans:- Nanjing, China
ECONOMY
1) Name the anytime anywhere bill
payment system for which Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) on 7 August 2014 issued
draft guidelines?
Ans:- Bharat Bill Payment System (BPPS)
2) Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines joint
venture on 11 August 2014 unveiled the
brand name of its new airline as -?
Ans:- Vistara
3) Which international finance entity
launched a $2.5-billion onshore Indian
rupee bond programme on 20 August 2014
so as to strengthen the capital market and
support infrastructure development in
India?
Ans:- International Finance Corporation
(IFC)

2) Recently, it was reported in newspaper

that use of antibiotics in poultry industry
might be strongly linked to growing
antibiotic resistance in Indians. What
purpose antibiotics have been used in
poultry industry?
Ans:- Growth promotion
3) Recently, the Rosetta spacecraft made
history as it became the first probe to
rendezvous with a comet on it s journey
around the sun.Rosetta spacecraft
was launched by ____?
Ans:- European Space Agency
4) Under the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants, India had
agreed to phase out use of Endosulfan by
the year ?
Ans:- 2017
5) Recently, which country has launched a
mission to map the Arctic seabed to
support it s bid to extend it s territory up to
the North Pole?
Ans:- Canada

Bank Ltd on 14 August 2014?

Ans:- SM Swathi
4) Who was was appointed as Chairman of
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on 20
August 2014?
Ans:- Senior Congress leader KV Thomas
B) RESIGNS
1) Sheila Dikshit tendered her resignation
on 26 August 2014 as the Governor of
which state?
Ans:- Kerala
C) DEATHS
1) Actor Richard Attenborough died on 24
August 2014.How is related to India?
Ans:- Director and Producer for Gandhi
Movie
D) VISITORS
1) Name the Britain Deputy Prime Minister
visited India from 25 27 August 2014?
Ans:- Nick Clegg
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) Which country has announced 3 year
residence for Edward Snowden on 7
August 2014 ?
Ans:- Russia
PLACES IN NEWS
1) Which of the Chinas province has been
affected by earthquake of magnitude 6.1 ?
Ans:- Yunnan
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

PERSONS IN NEWS

1) What is the fullform of ICBM ?

Ans:- Inter Continental Ballistic Missile

A) APPOINTMENTS

BOOKS IN NEWS

1) Vishal Sikka, who took charge as CEO

and MD of Infosys on 1 August 2014, is the
-head of the company?
Ans:- Fifth

1) Munger Through The Ages book has

been written by ?
Ans:- Devendra Prasad Yadav
COMMITTEES IN NEWS

2) Who took charge as the fourth Deputy

Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) recently?
Ans:- Subhash Sheoratan Mundra
3) Who was assumed charge as the new
Executive Director of Bharatiya Mahila

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 18

August 2014 constituted a 15-member
inter-regulatory committee to monitor the
growing phenomenon of shadow banking.
Who has been appointed as the Chairman
of this committee?

16
Ans:- P. Vijaya Bhaskar (Executive
Director, RBI)
DAYS & DATES
1) World Humanitarian Day was observed
across the world on?
Ans:- 19 August 2014
SEPTEMBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
BIT BANK
INTERNATIONAL

4) What was the percentage drop in

mortality rates for children under-five years
worldwide as stated in the pertaining report
released by the United Nations
Organisation on 16 September 2014?
Ans:- 49%
5) Which country would be the partner
nation for the Delhi International Book Fair
2016?
Ans:- China
NATIONAL

1) Which parliament reappointed Abdullah

al-Thinni as the Prime Minister on 1
September 2014?
Ans:- Libya

1) Government of India has named a new

programme Neeranchal with an initial
outlay of Rs.2142 crores. What does the
programme aim to achieve?
Ans:- To give impetus to watershed
development

2) Boko Haram-the deadly terror group in

Nigeria has recently declared an Islamic
Caliphate in a small town in the country
which has been wrestled backby the armed
forces. What is the name of the place?
Ans:- Gwoza town

2) According to a recent Supreme Court

verdict what quota has been alloted to
disabled persons in all government jobs?
Ans:- 3%

3) Which country Parliament on 16

September 2014 approved a new antiterror bill aimed at preventing jihadists from
travelling to Iraq, Syria or elsewhere by
confiscating their passports?
Ans:- French
4) Which country has decided to have
Referendum for changing its National Flag
on 21 September 2014?
Ans:- New Zealand
5) How much per cent reduction in salt
intake was recommended by the World
Health Organisation (WHO) in an official
communiqu to all countries released on
the occasion of World Heart Day (29
September)?
Ans:- 30%
INDIA & WORLD
1) What is the name of a new branch of AlQaeda that was announced by the group
on 4 September 2014 to wage jihad in the
Indian subcontinent?
Ans:- Qaedat al-Jihad in the Indian
Subcontinent
2) According to recent WHO report, Which
country reported highest suicides in world?
Ans:- India
3) India and Vietnam has signed MOU on
exploration of oil fields in which sea?
Ans:- South China Sea

3) Under which brand name Union

Government is going to launch Electronic
Toll Collection in India?
Ans:- FASTag
4) Which act associated with setting up of
a tribunal was struck down by the Supreme
Court through its order delivered on 25
September 2014?
Ans:- National Tax Tribunal Act NTTA
5) The Indian Railways has begun the trial
run of booking meals through phone or
SMS also known as E-Catering on how
many trains?
Ans:- Six
STATES
1) An indigenously made nuclear plant unit
of India recently made history by running
continuously for a period 765 days, or a
little over two years. This unit is associated
with which power plant of India?
Ans:- Rawatbhata Nuclear Power Plant in
Rajasthan
2) Recently, which state has launched
need based development plan for
villagers?
Ans:- Delhi
3) The integration of Border Security Force
(BSF) with which state level geoinformatics agency of Gujarat was done on
11 September 2014?

Ans:- Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space

Applications and Geo informatics (BISAG)
4) The new project Sech-Bandhu Prakalpa
launched by the Government of West
Bengal is a great gift to farmers in the state
which will increase yields.What does the
project provide to farmers?
Ans:- Better irrigation
5) Which railway station of India on 26
September 2014 became the first one to
offer free Wi-Fi Internet access?
Ans:- Chennai Central
CONFERENCES
1) The 13th edition of the Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will be held from
January 7-9 January 2015 at ?
Ans:- Gandhinagar, Gujarat
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) Mumbais Esplanade House, which
recently bagged the UNESCO Asia Pacific
Heritage Awards, once served as
residence of?
Ans:- Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
2) Which two countries have been
honoured on 10 September 2014 by World
Health Organisation (WHO) for excellence
in public health?
Ans:- Bangladesh and Timor Leste
3) Which Organistaion has received Indira
Gandhi Rajbhasha Award on 14
September 2014?
Ans:- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)
4) Which film was selected as Indias
official entry for OSCAR film awards 2015?
Ans:- Liars Dice
5) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award is
given in the field of?
Ans:- Science
SPORTS & GAMES
1) Who won the Italian F1 Grand Prix on 7
September 2014?
Ans:- Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes team
2) Which doubles duo created history by
claiming their 100th doubles title after they
won the U.S. Open mens doubles title on
7 September 2014?
Ans:- Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan

17
3) Which Indian player has been selected
by International Tennis Federation for
Davis Cup Commitment Award?
Ans:- Rohan Bopanna

3) Recently scientist gave Ikrandraco

avatar name to an ancient creature. It is
inspired from which movie?
Ans:- Avatar

4) The 2018 Asian Games will be the 18th

staging of the regional, multi-sport event to
be hosted by ?
Ans:- Jakarta, Indonesia

4) Worlds first water-based nuclear battery

was developed by Jae W. Kwons research
group at the ?
Ans:- University of Missouri (MU)

5) Which Indian snooker player has

recently announced his retirement from
professional snooker ?
Ans:- Pankaj Advani

5) What is the name of the recently

discovered dinosaur who is now said to be
more aquatic than terrestrial?
Ans:- Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

ECONOMY

PERSONS IN NEWS

1) Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah on

12 September 2014 released his
autobiography.What is the name of this
book?
Ans:- And then One Day: A Memoir

1) Nifty, the 50-scrip benchmark index of

the National Stock Exchange (NSE)
crossed which milestone mark for the first
time on 1 September 2014?
Ans:- 8,000 mark

A) APPOINTMENTS

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) Who was elected as the new Chairman

of the Advertising Standards Council of
India (ASCI) on 12 September 2014?
Ans:- Narendra Ambwani

1) Which committee was on 8 September

2014 submitted its report on the status of
deemed universities in India?
Ans:- H Devaraj Committee

2) Who was appointed as the first women

Chairperson of Indian Institute of Advanced
Study (IIAS) on 4 September 2014?
Ans:- Chandrakala Padia

DAYS & DATES

which place?
Ans:- Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir, about
100 km from Patna
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

2) Recently which industry major

announced that it will accept Bitcoins
henceforth?
Ans:- Paypal
3) What was Indias rank in the latest
Creative Productivity Index prepared by
Asian Development Bank in collaboration
with Economist Intelligence Unit?
Ans:- 14 out of 24 countries
4) What amount did Chinese e-commerce
giant Alibabas IPO fetch to make it the
worlds largest such event?
Ans:- 25 Billion USD
5) What is the new name of MCX Stock
Exchange (MCX-SX) that was approved by
capital market regulator Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently?
Ans:- Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India
(MSXI))

B) RESIGNS
1) Name the Co-founder and leader of
Oracle Corporation on 18 September 2014
stepped down as Chief Executive Officer
(CEO)?
Ans:- Larry Ellison
C) DEATHS
1) International Personality Bala Thampoe
has died on 1 September 2014, he was
associated with which field?
Ans:- Trade Unionist
D) VISITORS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) Which method has been developed on 2
September 2014 by Japan Researchers to
detect Ebola virus in 30 minutes?
Ans:- RT-LAMP
2) Scientific Assessment of Ozone
Depletion 2014 report has been released
on 10 September 2014 by which
Organisation?
Ans:- United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) )

1) Name the German Foreign Minister

visited India from 6-8 September 2014?
Ans:- Frank-Walter Steinmeier
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) The leader associated with scotland
independence movement was ?
Ans:- Alex Salmond

1) What is the full form of NATO ?

Ans:- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
BOOKS IN NEWS

1) World Tourism Day (WTD) was

observed on?
Ans:- 27 September
OCTOBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS BIT
BANK
INTERNATIONAL
1) USA has lifted 40 year ban on arm sales
to which country for boosting defence in
south china sea?
Ans:- Vietnam
2) As per the World Health Organization
(WHO), which country accounts for 80%
for polio cases globally?
Ans:- Pakistan
3) Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa
on 13 October 2014 flagged off which train
from Palai after 25 years?
Ans:- Yal Devi Express
4) What is the name of the Syrian town
which has become the centre of the Syrian
Civil War, with the ongoing siege between
the militants of Islamic State (IS) and
Syrian Kurds?
Ans:- Kobani

PLACES IN NEWS
1) The revived Nalanda University on 1
September 2014 started its first session
with 15 students in its makeshift campus at

5) Recently state emergency was declared

in Sinai Peninsula. In which country it is
located?
Ans:- Egypt

18
INDIA & WORLD

STATES

1) India has launched Container Service on

7 October 2014 with which country to
increase trade?
Ans:- Myanmar

1) Which party opened its account in

Maharashtra Assembly by winning two
seats for the first time?
Ans:- The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul
Muslimeen (AIMIM)

2) Which country on 12 October 2014

pledged 4 million US dollar aid for
reconstruction of Gaza Strip that was
destroyed during the Palestine and Israel
conflict which started in June 2014?
Ans:- India
3) Which country has launched the Gandhi
Inspired Tourist Attraction project on 18
October 2014?
Ans:- South Africa
4) Which country has agreed to provide 4
million Euros and services of international
experts to help in effective implementation
of sanitation programmes in urban areas of
India?
Ans:- Germany
5) Recently, India offered to help which
Polio affected country?
Ans:- Pakistan
NATIONAL
1) What is the minimum monthly pension
notified recently by Labour Ministry for
subscribers of the Employees Pension
Scheme?
Ans:- Rs.1000
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3
October 2014 addressed the nation over
radio for the first time in his programme
named?
Ans:- Mann Ki Baat
3) Under which government scheme the
power ministry has decided to provide
bulbs using LED technology to
households?
Ans:- Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyuthikaran
Yojana (RGGVY)
4) Name the website launched by Union
Government on 7 October 2014 to monitor
attendance of government employees in
real time?
Ans:- attendance.gov.in
5) By what percent Union Government has
increased the fellowship amount of
research scholars?
Ans:- Up to 50%

2) Recently, Which state Chief Minister has

declared year 2015 as the Tourism Year in
the State?
Ans:- Madhya Pradesh
3) In which state the Arogya Gram Yojna
Organic Farming scheme was launched on
18 October 2014?
Ans:- Jammu & Kashmir
4) Which state government has decided
recently to set up a commission on the line
of Right to Information Commission, to
ensure time bound delivery of public
services to citizen?
Ans:- West Bengal
5) Manipur and Nagaland were cut-off from
the rest of the country from 27 October
2014 due to the 1000-hour district
blockade called in a district of Assam from
5 am. Which district is this?
Ans:- Karbi Along district
CONFERENCES
1) The state govt. of Madhya Pradesh on 9
October 2014 organised Global Investors
Summit 2014 (GIS 2014), a huge summit
of top corporate houses. This meet is held
at which city of MP?
Ans:- Indore

4) Who became the first Indian woman to

win prestigious Wildscreen Panda Award
on 24 October 2014?
Ans:- Ashwika Kapur
5) Who was honoured with the National
Kishore Kumar Award for the year 201213?
Ans:- Noted lyricist Sameer
SPORTS & GAMES
1) Which Indian player refused to accept
Medal at the podium to protest the loss of
semi-finals at Incheon Asian Games?
Ans:- Sarita Devi
2) Who was chosen as the Most Valuable
Player (MVP) of Indias Incheon Asian
Games campaign at a felicitation of the
medal winners by contingent sponsors,
Samsung India on 13 October 2014?
Ans:- MC Mary Kom
3) International Cricket Council (ICC) on 10
October 2014 awarded the global
broadcast agreement rights for ICC Events
from 2015 to 2023 to?
Ans:- Star India and Star Middle East
4) Sania Mirza along with Cara Black
clinched the WTA finals doubles title on 26
October 2014. Cara Black is from which
country?
Ans:- Zimbabwe
5) Name the Indian Boxer was suspended
by International Boxing Association (AIBA)
for protesting at ASIAN GAMES 2014?
Ans:- Sarita Devi

AWARDS & HONOURS

ECONOMY

1) Who was conferred with Euromoneys

Central Bank Governor of the Year Award
2014 in Washington 10 October 2014?
Ans:- RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan

1) What is the name of the new global

service launched by the World Bank on 9
October 2014 which aims at mobilising the
private sector to help tackle the massive
infrastructure deficit facing developing
countries?
Ans:- Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF)

2) Who has been awarded with Americas

Top Young Scientist award on 22 October
2014 for his innovative design of an ecofriendly device that will reduce carbon
footprint while offering power for household
usage?
Ans:- Sahil Doshi
3) Name the ministry that has been
awarded with the ISO 9001:2008 certificate
on 22 October 2014?
Ans:- Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises

2) Which is the only Indian-owned entity to

have its brand in an elite annual club of
worlds 100 most valuable brands list for
2014 compiled by leading brand
consultancy Interbrand?
Ans:- Tata Group
3) What is the new price of domestically
produced natural gas fixed by the Union
Government as announced on 18 October
2014?
Ans:- $5.61 a unit

19
4) Which bank on 14 October 2014
launched Facebook-based funds transfer
platform KayPay?
Ans:- Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB)
5) Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba
Group Holding Ltd changed the name of its
Alipay financial services unit as announced
on 16 October 2014. What is the new
name of this financial services unit?
Ans:- Ant Financial Services Group
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1) Which Earth observing Instrument has
been installed on 1 October 2014 by NASA
on International Space Station (ISS)?
Ans:- ISS-RapidScat (ISS Rapid
Scatterometer)
2) India on 7 October launched an
Indigenous Microscope that uses
peacocks feather technology.What are the
features of microscope?
Ans:- It generates 3D Images of Objects
3) How many pollutants the recently
launched National Air Quality Index will
track?
Ans:- 8
4) Worlds first womb-transplant baby was
born to a 36-year-old woman from which
country recently?
Ans:- Sweden
5) What is the theme of the Living Planet
Report 2014 released by World Wildlife
Fund (WWF)?
Ans:- Species and Spaces, People and
Places

1) Name the Minister of Economy, Trade

and Industry of Japan on 20 October 2014
resigned from her position following the
allegations that her support groups
misused political funds?
Ans:- Yuko Obuchi
C) DEATHS
1) Benjamin Bradlee died recently. He was
associated with which of the following
newspapers?
Ans:- The Washington Post

1) Name the Vietnam Prime Minister

visited India on 27-28 October 2014?
Ans:- Nguyen Tan Dung
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) What is the name of the revamped
version of Googles Android software that
was unveiled by the company on 15
October 2014?
Ans:- Lollipop
PLACES IN NEWS
1) Indias largest ferris wheel was
inaugurated on 2 October 2014 at Kalindi
Kunj in Delhi. What is the name given to
this giant wheel?
Ans:- Delhi Eye
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
1) What is the fullform of WIPO ?
Ans:- World Intellectual Property
Organisation
BOOKS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

2) Who has been appointed as the head of

Future Earth Engagement Committee a
global research platform panel on
sustainable development on 26 October
2014?
Ans:- Former Union Minister Jairam
Ramesh)
B) RESIGNS

INTERNATIONAL
1) Under the new NATO mission Resolute
Support, US Army will give training and
support to which countrys army to fight
extremism?
Ans:- Afghanistan
2) Which Country formally ends 13 year
War in Afghanistan?
Ans:- Britain

D) VISITORS

PERSONS IN NEWS

1) Who has been appointed has first Hindu

Priest of GeorgeTown University USA on 1
October 2014?
Ans:- Pratima Dharm

NOVEMBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS

BIT BANK

1) A book titled Syntheism Creating God

in The Internet Age authored by ?
Ans:- Alexander Bard
COMMITTEES IN NEWS
1) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently
released which report on Capacity Building
in banks and non-banks?
Ans:- Gopalakrishna Committee report
DAYS & DATES
1) World Food Day was observed across
the world on ?
Ans:- 16 October

3) Which nation was in news for scrapping

a much controversial proposed legislation
to introduce Internet Tax?
Ans:- Hungary
4) Which countrys parliament has passed
a law on 4 November 2014 that could block
the release of Palestinian prisoners
convicted for murder, in any future peace
negotiations?
Ans:- Israel
5) Which country and Australia on 18
November 2014 signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) on bilateral Antarctic
cooperation?
Ans:- China
INDIA & WORLD
1) Indias first Bio-refinery is to be
established with the support of ?
Ans:- Norway
2) The Trilateral Coast Guard exercise
Dosti-XII involved which three nations?
Ans:- India, Maldives, Srilanka
3) UNESCO recently collaborated with
Ministry of Urban Development for which
scheme?
Ans:- Heritage Development and
Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)
4) With which country, the Union Cabinet
gave its approval for cooperation in the
field of oil and gas for a period of five
years?
Ans:- Mozambique
5) Name the country that has banned its
senior government officials from higher
studies in mainland China, citing national
security reasons?
Ans:- Taiwan
NATIONAL

20
1) Saksham and Pragati are newly
launched initiatives of the Ministry of HRD.
What kind of schemes are they?
Ans:- Scholarship Scheme

1) In which country the 83rd INTERPOL

General Assembly was held from 3 7
November 2014?
Ans:- Monaco

2) Union Health Minister has launched a

new mission in line with governments
vision to eliminate Tuberculosis from India.
What is the name of mission?
Ans:- TB-Mission 2020

2) 6th World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya

Expo was held from 6-9 November 2014 in
-?
Ans:- New Delhi

3) Government on 18 November 2014

relaunched the Kisan Vikas Patras, to tap
household savings for funding
infrastructure development in the country.
To begin with, KVP will be sold through?
Ans:- Post Offices

Federer withdrew from the title clash due to

a back injury?
Ans:- Novak Djokovic
5) The World Chess Championship 2014
was held from 7 28 November 2014 at
?
Ans:- Sochi, Russia
ECONOMY

3) Which country will host the G-20 Summit

in 2015?
Ans:- Turkey
AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Which bank became the first Listed

Indian Company in the list of 30 companies
having more than 75% shareholding by
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs)?
Ans:- HDFC

4) What is purpose of recently launched

Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana?
Ans:- Welfare of Tribals

1) Who was formally conferred the title of

Honorary Professor by the Peking
University, one of the oldest Chinese
universities on 5 November 2014?
Ans:- Former President of India Dr.APJ
Abdul Kalam

2) Which private-sector bank got the RBI

approval on 25 November 2014 to form a
subsidiary to enter the General Insurance
business?
Ans:- Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB)

5) The Rajya Sabha on 27 November 2014

passed the Delhi Special Police
Establishment (Amendment) Act.It is
concerned with the appointment process
of?
Ans:- CBI Director

2) Name the Indian NGO won United

Nations Lighthouse Activities award for the
year 2014 on 25 November 2014?
Ans:- Aaranyak

3) Which private bank has on 20

November 2014 announced its plan to
acquire ING Vysya Bank?
Ans:- Kotak Mahindra Bank

3) Who has won the Shanti Swarup

Bhatnagar Award 2014 for Biological
Science?
Ans:- Roop Mallik

4) Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd (BMB) on 19

November 2014 launched its internet
banking facility by the name?
Ans:- BMBSmartBanking

4) Name the child has been selected for

the first-ever bravery award given by
Assam government on 17 November
2014?
Ans:- Gunjan Sharma

5) From which date are RBI guidelines

pertaining to levying of penal charges for
non-maintenance of minimum balance
coming into effect?
Ans:- 1 April 2015

5) Name the Boxer was received the

Arjuna Award on 26 November 2014?
Ans:- Manoj Kumar

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

STATES
1) Name the company that bagged the
work order recently by Gujarat government
for construction of the 182-metre-tall
Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel?
Ans:- Larsen &Toubro Company
2) Namsai on 25 November 2014 became
the 18th district of which state?
Ans:- Arunachal Pradesh
3) Union Cabinet on 4 November 2014
approved dissolution of legislative
assembly of which state?
Ans:- Delhi
4) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was
on 13 November 2014 elected unopposed
to Rajya Sabha from which state?
Ans:- Uttar Pradesh
5) The International Film Festival of India
(IFFI) was held on 20 30 November 2014
at Goa, which is the permanent venue for
hosting the IFFI. This is which edition of
IFFI?
Ans:- 45th
CONFERENCES

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Where the Commonwealth Games 2018
are going to be held?
Ans:- The Gold Coast, Australia
2) Which player received his 2013-14
European Golden Boot award on 5
November 2014?
Ans:- Cristiano Ronaldo
3) Which football player on 22 November
2014 became the all-time highest scorer in
the history of La Liga the Spanish
Football League?
Ans:- Lionel Messi
4) Who won this years ATP World Tour
finals on 16 November 2014 after Roger

1) Name the Institute of India that became

the first to be made a full member of the
CMS collaboration of CERN, the European
Organization for Nuclear Research?
Ans:- IIT Madras
2) The Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft
(FGFA) being jointly developed by India
and which other nation ?
Ans:- Russia
3) The first zero gravity 3D printer has
been installed by?
Ans:- NASA
4) Name the Migratory Bird whose route
has been tracked for the first time by the
scientists?
Ans:- Amur Falcon

21
5) What proportion of the Global
Greenhouse gas burden does India emit?
Ans:- 6%

inventions of 2014?
Ans:- Times Magazine

DECEMBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS

BIT BANK

PLACES IN NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

1) Ashtamudi Estuarys short neck clam

fishery on 5 Nov 2014 became the first
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
certified fishery in India. It is in which
state?
Ans:- Kerala

1) Name the group declared as a terrorist

organization by the Egypt Court recently?
Ans:- Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who was appointed as the new
Chairman of National Chemical Weapon
Convention (NCWA) on 3 November
2014?
Ans:- GS Sandhu
2) Name the Former Uttar Pradesh chief
secretary was appointed as new Secretary
General of the 16th Lok Sabhaon 26
November 2014?
Ans:- Anoop Mishra
B) RESIGNS
1) What is the full name of Manohar
Parikar who resigned as CM of Goa and
became Defence Minister on 9 November
2014?
Ans:- Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu
Parrikar
2) Name the US Defence Secretary was
resigned from his post on 24 November
2014?
Ans:- Chuck Hagel
C) DEATHS
1) What was the real name of noted
Bollywood actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar who
passed away on 3 November 2014?
Ans:- Ganesh Kumar Narwode

2) Name the tallest building in the US

which was reopened for business thirteen
years after the original twin towers were
destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attack?
Ans:- World Trade Center
ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS
1) What is the Full form of CDRI ?
Ans:- Central Drug Research Institute
2) What is the Full form of AAFI ?
Ans:- Amateur Athletics Federation of India
BOOKS IN NEWS
1) Who is the author of the Book Art &
Railways A Bangalore Saga, launched
on 4 November 2014?
Ans:- Mr.S.Mani & Ms.Lily Pandeya,
Railway Officers
2) The book titled Black Tornado: The
Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 was
released on 23 November 2014.Who is the
author of the book?
Ans:- Sandeep Unnithan
COMMITTEES IN NEWS

2) M.S.S. Pandian passed away on 10

November 2014. He was a famous ?
Ans:- Social Scientist
D) VISITORS
1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited in
which country on 19 November 2014?
Ans:- Fiji
E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) Currently, Tianhe-2 is fastest
supercomputer in world. It belongs to
which country?
Ans:- China
2) Which magazine has been named
Mangalyaan among the 25 best

1) The Goverment set up a committee to

assess compensation for Coal Blocks that
were running or ready to produce from
April 2015.It is headed by ?
Ans:- Pratyush Sinha
2) Recently, U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon has set up a 14-member
committee to ?
Ans:- Review peacekeeping operations
worldwide
DAYS & DATES
1) National Education Day (NED) was
observed on -?
Ans:- 11 November 2014

2) Which country and Maldives on 2

December 2014 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for a preliminary
study of a proposed bridge connecting the
international airport to Maldives capital
Male?
Ans:- China
3) Which country was recently hit by acute
water crisis after a fire broke out in the
countrys water treatment plant, causing
extensive damage leading to disconnection
of water supply?
Ans:- Maldives
4) Name the Kenyan President on whom
the International Criminal Court has
withdrawn charges against humanity?
Ans:- Uhuru Kenyatta
5) Name the country that has become most
dangerous country in the world as per the
report published on 9 December 2014 by
Intel Center, a Washington-based
company working for intelligence
agencies?
Ans:- Iraq
INDIA & WORLD
1) Recently, India was re-elected to
ECOSOC along with 13 other new
members. ECOSOC is a primary organ of
__?
Ans:- United Nations
2) The recently announced NewtonBhabha Fund is a collaboration between
India and which country?
Ans:- United Kingdom
3) Which country and Russia on 5
December 2014 signed an InterGovernmental Agreement for designing,
developing and producing the Multi Role
Fighter Aircraft?
Ans:- India
4) United Nations Organisation (UNO) on
11 December 2014 declared which day as
World Yoga Day?
Ans:- June 21

22
5) The theme of the 2013 Travel & Tourism
Competitiveness Index is?
Ans:- Reducing Barriers to Economic
Growth and Job Creation

on 8 December 2014?
Ans:- Karnataka Mobile One

NATIONAL

1) Who will host the 19th South Asian

Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) summit in 2016?
Ans:- Islamabad ,Pakistan

1) Supreme Court on 3 December 2014 set

up a special Social Justice Bench to
exclusively hear cases concerning social
issues particularly those related to women,
children and underprivileged.The bench
will assemble every week on?
Ans:- Friday
2) Round the clock all India Security
helpline 1800-111-322 was recently
launched by?
Ans:- Indian Railways
3) Which leaders birthday was observed
as National Good Governance Day on 25
November 2014?
Ans:- Atal Behari Vajpayee
4) The Supreme Court on 3 December
2014 directed the Union to complete
prosecution of black money hoarders
abroad under the Income Tax Act, 1961 by
?
Ans:- 31 March 2015
5) What is the lock-in period in the
revamped Kisan Vikas Patra scheme?
Ans:- 2.5 years
STATES
1) The recently banned militant outfit
Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO)
operates in __?
Ans:- West Bengal and Assam
2) Name the village adopted by the
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in
his parliamentary constituency Amethi in
Uttar Pradesh on 3 December 2014 under
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna (SAGY)?
Ans:- Jagdishpur Village
3) Union Cabinet on 5 December 2014
relaxed norms for e-rickshaw drivers in
which state?
Ans:- Delhi
4) Name the district of Uttar Pradesh
whose name has changed to Bhadohi by
U.P. Cabinet on 6 December 2014?
Ans:- Sant Ravidas Nagar
5) Name the Indias first e-governance
project launched by the President of India

CONFERENCES

2) Where was the World Diamond

Conference 2014 held on 11 December
2014?
Ans:- New Delhi
AWARDS & HONOURS
1) Which movie has won top honours at
the New York Film Critics awards on 1
December 2014?
Ans:- Boyhood
2) The 2014 Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha
Award has been given to __?
Ans:- Rubber Board
3) Name the film artist who has won 2014
Turner Prize for a video that reflects on
African art and includes a dance sequence
inspired by Karl Marx?
Ans:- Duncan Campbell
4) Kailash Satyarthi of India and Malala
Yousafzai from Pakistan on 10 December
2014 received the Nobel Peace Prize for
2014. At which city of Norway, Nobel
Peace Prize is presented?
Ans:- Oslo
5) Who was named Time Magazines
Person of the Year for 2014 on 10
December 2014?
Ans:- Ebola Fighters
SPORTS & GAMES

4) Name the chess player who won his

maiden London Classic title after defeating
British Grandmaster Michael Adams on 15
December 2014?
Ans:- Vishwananthan Anand
5) The 2014 Mens Champions Trophy was
held on 6 14 December 2014 in Odishas
capital Bhubaneswar.This is which edition
of Champions Trophy?
Ans:- 35th
6) Name the Sri Lanka batsman on 3
December 2014 became the fourth
batsman to complete 13000 One-Day
Internationals (ODI) runs?
Ans:- Kumar Sangakkara
ECONOMY
1) World e-commerce leader Amazon was
in news for its plan to acquire which Indian
e-commerce player?
Ans:- Jabong
2) RBI recently doubled the Pre-Paid Card
limit to Rs-?
Ans:- 1 lakh
3) According to the SEBI, what is the
minimum asset size for a Real Estate
Investment Trust (REIT)___?
Ans:- Rs.500 Crore
4) Subsidiary of the investment banking
arm of which bank recently launched an
online Will creation service, the first of its
kind in the country?
Ans:- State Bank of India ( SBICap Trustee
is the name of the subsidiary) )
5) Reserve Bank of India, on 4 December
2014, asked banks to make the registration
process for which banking service easy?
Ans:- Mobile Banking

1) Who became the oldest player to score

a century in the One-Day International
(ODI) cricket?
Ans:- Khurram Khan, UAE Captain

6) According to the recently released

Global Wealth Databook 2014 by Swiss
banking entity Credit Suisse, how much of
Indias wealth is held by countrys 10% rich
people?
Ans:- Around 75%

2) Which state recently won the 30th

National Junior Athletics Championship
2014, for the third time in a row?
Ans:- Kerala

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

3) What are the name of mascots of the

2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympics
Games?
Ans:- Vinicius and Tom

1) Indias Drug Technical Advisory

Committee has recently waived-off the
clinical tests of two drugs Aflibercept and
Trastuzumab emtansine.These drugs are
used for the treatment of __?
Ans:- Cancer

23
2) The 67P/ ChuryumovGerasimenko,
which was recently making news is a __?
Ans:- Comet
3) Which nations have agreed to build a
new-generation rocket to maintain their
lead in the market for satellite launches as
per the agreement made on 3 December
2014?
Ans:- European Nations

E) MISCELLANEOUS
1) Which university was ranked no.1 in
Times Higher Education BRICS &
Emerging Economies Rankings 2015,
covering 18 countries, that was released
on 4 December 2014? Ans:- Peking
University, China
PLACES IN NEWS

4) How many frames per second can be

captured by worlds fastest 2D camera
developed by the researchers?
Ans:- 100 billion frames per second

1) The recent nuclear power plant accident

took place at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power
Plant. It is situated in which country? (Ans:Ukraine )

5) Name the mission set to launch on 4

December 2014 postponed by the NASA
due to some technical issues?
Ans:- Orion Mars capsule test mission

ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
1) Who took charge as the new Director of
CBI on 3 December 2014?
Ans:- Anil Kumar Sinha
2) Who has been appointed as the new
Chief of Intelligence Bureau ( IB ), India?
Ans:- Dineshwar Sharma
B) RESIGNS
1) Name the Prime Minister of Haiti who
resigned on 13 December 2014 following
anti-government protests over delayed
elections and calls for elections?
Ans:- Laurent Lamothe
C) DEATHS
1) Name the Former Union minister and
Maharashtras first Muslim Chief Minister
was died on 2 December 2014 in Mumbai?
Ans:- AR Antulay
2) Eminent jurist V R Krishna Iyer who
passed away on 4 December 2014
belongs to which state?
Ans:- Kerala
D) VISITORS
1) Which northeastern state signed
agreement with a Russian power company
for collaborating in hydropower projects in
the state on the sidelines of Russian
President Vladimir Putins visit to India
during December 2014?
Ans:- Arunachal Pradesh

1) What is the fullform of ECIL? (Ans:Electronics Corporation of India Limited)

BOOKS IN NEWS
1) Book titled Prince of Gujarat: The
Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas
Desai (1887-1951) was released recently.
Who is the author of the book?
Ans:- Rajmohan Gandhi
COMMITTEES IN NEWS
1) What is NOT a purpose of Bank
Transaction Tax proposed on cash
withdrawals by Shome committe?
Ans:- Increase financial inclusion

eliminates the threat of another

government shutdown at least until
October 2014 and puts conditions on
Pakistan for continuation of aid. Passed by
the House of Representatives on 16
January, the bill now goes to the White
House for President Barack Obama to sign
it into law, thus preventing another
shutdown.
Bolivian President Evo Morales
Assumes G77 Chairmanship
Bolivian president Evo Morales has
assumed the Chairmanship of the Group
of 77 nations.Bolivia was chosen head of
the G-77, which actually groups 133
developing nations, by consensus, and
Morales was at the United nations on 8
January to take over the chairmanship
from outgoing Fiji. The organization was
created in June 1964 with the purpose of
formulating and promoting the new
economic interests of southern countries
within the United Nations system.
South Sudan Government and Rebels
Signed Ceasefire Agreement
South Sudans Government and Rebels
have signed a ceasefire agreement .The
agreement was signed in the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa by representatives of
South Sudans President Salva Kiir and
rebel delegates loyal to ousted vice
president Riek Machar on 23 January . As
per the deal, the government has agreed to
release 11 officials close to Machar, who
were detained after the fighting broke in
the country.

DAYS & DATES

1) World Aids Day was observed on ?
Ans:- December 1
JANUARY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
Colorado Becomes First US state To
Allow Marijuana Sale
Colorado has on 1 January become the
first U.S. state to license the sale of the
drug for recreational use. In November
2012, Colorado voters approved the sale of
recreational marijuana, as did voters in
Washington state. Under the new state
law, residents are now able to buy
marijuana like alcohol.
US Senate Passed USD 1.1 Trillion
Spending Bill
The US Senate has passed the USD 1.1
trillion omnibus spending bill that

INDIA & WORLD

India and Maldives Signed 3 MoUs
India and the Maldives on 2 January
agreed to amicably resolve all differences,
including over cancellation of Indian
company GMRs contract to run Male
International Airport. Maldivian President
Abdulla Yameen held talks in New Delhi
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
the two sides signed three Memorandum of
Understanding (MoUs).Two agreements
are related to health and human resource
development and one on the diplomatic
front.
India and Canada Signed LOI for Cooperation in Iron and Steel Sector
India and Canada have signed a Letter of
Intent (LOI) for co-operation in Iron and
Steel Sector. The letters were signed on 13
January in New Delhi by Beni Prasad
Verma, the Union Minister of Steel and

24
Minister of Natural Resources,
Government of Canada, Joe Oliver.
India and South Korea Signed Nine
Agreements
India and South Korea have signed 9
agreements in different areas to boost
bilateral ties between the two
countries.The agreements were signed on
16 January after delegation level talks
between Manmohan Singh, the Prime
Minister of India and Park Geun-hye, the
President of South Korea in New Delhi.
India and Japan Signed 8 Agreements
India and Japan have agreed to boost
defence ties and signed eight agreements
with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
pledging another tranche of infrastructure
loans worth 200 billion yen, during his talks
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in
New Delhi on 25 January.
Pakistan and India Ranked 97th In
Global Food Index 2014
According to the Global Food Index 2014
released on 17 January , Pakistan ranked
97th in a list of 125 countries with regard to
availability, quality and affordability of food
and dietary health.The listing means
Pakistan is one of the countries with the
most unhealthy and scarce food. India got
the same rank as Pakistan.The
Netherlands emerges as the country with
the most nutritious, plentiful and healthy
food leaving France and Switzerland
behind at the joint second place.The Index
namely Good Enough to Eat has been
compiled by the UK-based international
relief and development organization
Oxfam.

NATIONAL
Government Launched Indias First
Comprehensive Adolescent Health
Programme
Union Minister for Health and Family
Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on 7 January
launched the nations first comprehensive
adolescent health programme named
Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram
(RKSK) in New Delhi.The programme will
include a sharp focus on adolescents
sexual health.The RKSK defines an
adolescent as a person within 10-19 years
of age, in urban and rural areas, includes
both girls and boys, married and
unmarried, poor and affluent, whether they
are in school or out of school.

Government Notified New Natural Gas

Pricing Formula
The Government of India on 10 January
notified the new natural gas pricing
formula, which will be in effect from 1 April
2014. As per the newly issued notification,
the rate of all domestically produced fuel
will be almost doubled to 8.2 to 8.4 dollar
per unit.
Government Grants CBI greater
Financial Autonomy
The Central Government on 14 January
relaxed its control over the Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) and granted the CBI
director a rank equal to a Secretary.
Ghulam Nabi Azad Launches National
Urban Health Mission
Union Minister of Health and Family
Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on 20 January
launched the National Urban Health
Mission (NUHM) in Bangalore to provide
timely quality health services to the urban
poor.The scheme will now be introduced
as a sub-mission under the National Health
Mission (NHM).The mission will be
implemented in 779 cities and towns, each
with a population of more than 50,000, and
cover over 7.75 crore people.

STATES
Manmohan Singh Launched Total Eliteracy Project In Kerala
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has
launched the total E-literacy project
implemented by PN Panicker Vigyan Vikas
Kendra in Thiruvanathpuram on 4
January.This would act as the corner-stone
of the Kerala model of development.The
programme was aimed at achieving total eliteracy in the state in 33 months, marching
from total literacy to complete-literacy.
Maharashtra Govt. Launched Unique
Blood On Call Scheme
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj
Chavan on 7 January rolled out Jeevan
Amrut Yojana (blood-on-call scheme)
across the state.The ambitious plan is
aimed at facilitating blood supply to
patients scheduled to undergo surgeries
and medical procedures, at cheaper rate
by dialling a dedicated helpline number
104. Under the scheme, the request for
blood will have to be placed by hospitals.
Chhattisgarh Govt. Launched Toll Free
Number 1100 For Graft Complaints
Chhattisgarh government has on 7 January
launched a toll free helpline number 1100

where people could lodge graft-related

complaints against the state government
officials.The facility will help provide better
governance to the people.Now, the people
can just dial 1100 to lodge complaints
regarding corruption.
Anu Vidyut Pariyojana Launched In
Haryana
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the
foundation of 2,800 Megawatt nuclear
power plant in Fatehabad district of
Haryana on 13 January.The project named
as Anu Vidyut Pariyojna, will have four
units of 700 MWes each and it will be built
at a cost 23502 crore rupees. The Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) will build these reactors. This is
the first time Haryana will have a nuclear
project.

CONFERENCES
12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Held in
New Delhi
The 12th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) was held in New Delhi from 7
9 January 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan, New
Delhi. The theme of the event was
Engaging Diaspora Connecting across
Generations .The convention was
inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh on 7 January. Malaysias Minister of
Natural Resources and Environment Y B
Datuk Seri Palanivel ,was the Chief Guest.
On 9 January President Pranab Mukherjee
conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Awards and addressed the closing session
of the Convention.

AWARDS & HONOURS

President Pranab Mukherjee Conferred
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards on 9
January during the 12th edition of the
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD). Peace
activist Ela Gandhi, who is a granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, was among
the 13 non-resident Indians (NRIs),
persons of Indian origin (PIOs) and
organizations honoured with the
prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Awards. Ela Gandhi was given the award
for public service and for enhancing Indias
image and for promoting ties between India
and South Africa. Lisa Maria Singh is the
first member of Australian Parliament of
South Asian descent and has held several

25
ministerial portfolios in the past. She is a
senator from Tasmania. Singh was given
the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for public
service and fostering friendly relations
between India and Australia. Ramkrishna
Mission, serving in Fiji since 1937, was
honoured for community service and
philanthropic activities and enhancing
Indias prestige abroad.
Three Security Personnel Selected For
Kirti Chakra Award
Three personnel of the armed forces have
been selected for the year 2014 Kirti
Chakra award , the second highest peace
time gallantry award, for their acts of
bravery on the Line of Control (LoC), antimaoist operation and relief operation in
flood-hit Uttarakhand, respectively. The
three are among 368 gallantry award
winners this year including 10 Shaurya
Chakra awardees.
Indian-American Wins Top US Teaching
Award
India-born Meera Chandrasekhar,
professor of physics and astronomy and
Curators Teaching Professor of Physics at
the University of Missouri, has on 18
January won Baylor Universitys 2014
Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great
Teaching.
Mohinder Singh , Radhakrishnan
Selected For Communal Harmony
Awards
National Communal Harmony Award for
Mohinder Singh for his work done in
restoring peace after the 1984 anti-Sikh
riots and noted academician N
Radhakrishnan for his promotion of
Gandhian values were announced on 25
January. Singh, along with Gandhian
Radhakrishnan of Kerala, have been
selected for the coveted award in the
individual category while the Centre for
Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai
has been selected in the organisation
category.

Womens Singles :- Serena Williams of

the U.S. on 4 January won the Brisbane
International Tennis Tournament Womens
Singles title after defeated Victoria
Azarenka of Belarus in the final in
Brisbane, Australia. Williams has now won
58 tour singles titles.
Mens Singles :- Australias Lleyton Hewitt
won the Mens Singles Title. He defeated
Roger Federer of Switzerland in the
Brisbane International final. It was Hewitts
29th title on the ATP tour but his first since
2010, when he also beat Federer in the
final at Halle.
Ana Ivanovic Won Auckland Open
Tennis Title
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia won the Auckland
Open Tennis Title on 4 January. She
defeated Venus Williams (U.S) in the final
at Auckland, New Zealand.It is the 12th
title for the Ivanovic and second seed but
her first success since victory in Bali in
2011.
Anju Bobby George Declared World
Athletics Gold Medalist For 2005
Indian Long jumper Anju Bobby George on
13 January became the first Indian track
and field athlete to win a gold medal in a
major world event after international
governing body International Association of
Athletics Federation (IAAF) upgraded her
second place finish at the 2005 Monaco
World Athletics Championships final to the
top spot , following a dope violation by a
Russian competitor Tatyana Kotova.Anjus
fifth place finish at the 2005 Helsinki World
Championships long jump event was also
upgraded to fourth.
Netherlands Won Hockey World League
2014
The Netherlands on 18 January won the
first ever Hockey World League final after
defeating New Zealand by 7-2 in New
Delhi. Belgium retained his fifth place ,
while India secured sixth place.

ECONOMY
SPORTS & GAMES
Rafael Nadal Won Qatar ExxonMobil
Open Title
Rafael Nadal of Spain won the Qatar
ExxonMobil Open title on 4 January.He
defeated Frances Gael Monfils in the
Mens Singles final at Doha.It was his 61st
ATP title.
Brisbane International Tennis
Tournament Winners 2014

Government Retains 100 Per cent FDI in

Existing Pharma Units
Government of India on 8 January decided
to retain the policy of allowing 100 per cent
foreign investments in the existing pharma
firms, brushing aside concerns about non
availability of affordable drugs in view of
MNCs takeovers.India permits 100 per
cent FDI in pharma through automatic
approval route in the greenfield, or new
projects.

Indias Growth Projected To Rise To 7.1

Percent By 2016-17
According to the World Banks Global
Economic Prospects (GEP) report released
on 16 January , Indias growth is projected
to rise to over six percent in fiscal 2014-15,
increasing to 7.1 percent by fiscal 2016-17
with the world economy expected to
strengthen this year.
Indian Economy Projected To Grow At
5.35% In 2014
According to the UN World Economic
Situation and Prospects 2014 (WESP)
report released on 24 January , Indias
economy is projected to grow at a slowerthan-expected rate of 5.3 per cent in 2014.
Full-year growth decelerated to 4.8 per
cent in 2013 from 5.1 per cent in the
calendar year 2012.
RBI raised Repo Rate By 25 Basis
Points To 8 Percent
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the
Repo rate under Liquidity Adjustment
Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 7.75
percent to 8 percent. Besides, it kept the
cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled
banks unchanged at 4 percent of net
demand and time liability (NDTL). The
decision to raise the repo rate and keep
the CRR unchanged was announced by
the RBI in its Third Quarter Monetary
Policy Review on 28 January. As a result,
the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands
adjusted at 7 percent, and the marginal
standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank
Rate at 9.0 percent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

GSLV-D5 Rocket Carrying
Communication Satellite GSAT-14
Successfully Launched
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on 5 January successfully launched
its heavy-duty rocket Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle-Development 5
(GSLV-D5) having indigeneous cryogenic
engine that placed a 1,982 kg GSAT-14
communication satellite into the orbit. The
49.13-metre tall rocket GSLV-D5 lifted off
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at
Sriharikota , Andhra Pradesh .The launch
vehicle successfully injected the GSAT-14
communication satellite into the intended
orbit.With the successful launch of GSLVD5 flight India has now become the sixth
nation to possess the cryogenic engine
technology, and has joined the elite club of
the United States, Russia, France, Japan
and China.

26
India Successfully Test Fired Nuclear
Capable Prithvi II Missile
India on 7 January successfully test-fired
its indigenously developed nuclear capable
surface to surface Prithvi II missile , which
is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of
warheads and has a strike range of 350
km, from a test range at Chandipur near
Balasore (Odisha).The launch was part of
a user trial by the Army.Prithvi-II missile is
already inducted into the Indian Armed
forces.The last trial of Prithvi-II was
successfully carried out from the same
base on 3 December 2013.
Astronomers Discovered Two New
Exoplanets
In the month of January 2014 A team of
Astronomers from Harvard-Smithsonian
Center for Astrophysics (CfA), have
discovered two new extrasolar planets
circling a dim, red dwarf star about 200
light-years away from our planet.One of the
planets, dubbed KOI-314c, weighs the
same as Earth, but around 60 percent
larger in diameter.The second planet,
named KOI-314b, is about the same size
as KOI-314c but significantly denser,
weighing about 4 times as much as
Earth.The team discovered the planet
using data from NASAs Kepler spacecraft.
Worlds Fastest Organic Transistor
Developed
In the month of January 2014 Scientists
claim to have developed the worlds fastest
thin-film organic transistor that could
operate more than five times faster than
previous examples of this
technology.Researchers from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and
Stanford University explained that this
experimental technology has the potential
to achieve the performance needed for
high-resolution television screens and
similar electronic devices. Engineers
created the thin-film organic transistors that
could operate more than five times faster
than previous examples of this
experimental technology.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
R Chandrashekhar is new NASSCOM
President
Former Telecom Secretary (Government of
India), R Chandrashekhar on 5 January
took over as the President of Information
Technology trade body Nasscom (National
Association of Software and Services

Companies).He succeeds Som Mittal, who

served as President from 2007-2013.This
is the first time that NASSCOM has
appointed a former bureaucrat as the
president.
US Senate Confirmed Janet Yellen as
new Federal Reserve Chairperson
The US Senate has on 6 January
confirmed Janet Yellen as new leader of
the Federal Reserve. She is the first
woman to lead the central bank in its 100year history. She succeeds the Chairman
Ben Bernanke as the next head of
Americas central bank.
Sheikh Hasina Sworn In As Bangladesh
Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina was on 12 January sworn in
as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the
third time. She had won an overwhelming
majority in the Bangladesh general election
held on 5 January 2014 by defeating
opposition party, Jatiya party.The Awami
League has secured absolute majority in
the 10th Parliament elections by bagging
232 seats 105 contested and 127
uncontested.
B)RESIGNS
Tunisia Prime Minister Ali Larayedh
Resigned
Tunisias Islamist Prime Minister Ali
Larayedh has resigned from his office on 9
January . With his resignation, the country
will be led by the caretaker Government of
technocrats led by led by new Prime
Minister Mehdi Jomaa. He resigned
following a deal between the Islamist
Ennahda Party of Ali Larayedh and the
secular opposition for a transition to the
democracy in the country.
C)DEATHS
Israels Former Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon Died
Israels former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
died on 11 January .The former general of
Israeli Army had been in coma since 4
January 2006. He served as the 11th
Prime Minister of Israel until he was
incapacitated by a stroke. Sharon was a
commander in the Israeli Army from its
creation in 1948.Nicknamed The
Bulldozer, the veteran soldier fought in all
of Israels major wars before beginning a
turbulent political career in 1973.

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel

Wangchuck Visited India from 6 10
January 2014. During his visit , Bhutan
King held extensive talks with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.
The two leaders exchanged views on
bilateral relations and on regional and
international issues of mutual interest. The
prime minister and other Indian leaders
reiterated their full commitment and
support to Bhutans socio-economic
development and to further development of
Bhutans hydropower resources. This is
King Wangchucks second visit in 12
months. He was also the chief guest at
Indias Republic Day celebrations in
January 2013.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Sachin Tendulkar 5th Most Admired
Person In The World
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has been
named as the most admired person on the
planet with cricketing legend Sachin
Tendulkar fifth on a list of 30 people
compiled after a poll in 13 countries,
including India.The Worlds most admired
people poll was conducted by YouGov for
The Times by surveying almost 14,000
people.

PLACES IN NEWS
Odishas Chilika Lagoon Named
Destination Flyways By UNWTO
Chilika lagoon in Odisha was named
Destination Flyways by the United Nations
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on
21 January .The lagoon was named so for
its sustainable and resilient destination for
migratory birds. Chilika is the only site to
be selected from Asia by the UNWTO and
was included in a list of eight such sites.
The Destination Flyways initiative of
UNWTO aims at promotion of sustainable
tourism.

ABBREVIATIONS
GPS Global Positioning System
TCS Tata Consultancy Services

D)VISITORS

NASSCOM National Association of

Software and Services Companies

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel

Wangchuck Visited India

GSLV Geosynchronous Satellite Launch

Vehicle

27
FSLRC Financial Sector Legislative
Reforms Commission
NBFC Non Banking Finance Companies

BOOKS IN NEWS
Incredible Opportunities Back Home
Book Released
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
released the book entitled Incredible
Opportunities Back Home on 8 January
during the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in
New Delhi .This book will provide access to
credible information, essential for
meaningful engagement.

COMMITTEES
Nachiket Mor Committees Report on
Financial Inclusion
The committee constituted by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBIs) on 23 September
2013 to suggest steps for promoting
financial inclusion headed by veteran
banker and ex-ICICI Bank executive
director Nachiket Mor. The committee on 7
January 2014 suggested setting up of
specialised banks to cater to low income
households to ensure that all citizens have
bank accounts by January 1, 2016.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

World Braille Day was Observed on
4th January
World Braille Day is celebrated today (4th
January) across the world to observe the
Birthday of Louis Braille. Louis Braille, born
in 1809, was the inventor of braille, a
system of reading and writing used by
people who are blind or visually impaired.
Braille became blind after an accident at
the age of three. He created a language
based on the patterns of raised dots on
paper, which could be felt and one can
read anything that is unable to see. He did
this to have an access to works of
literature.
National Girl Child Day Observed on 24
January
National Girl Child Day observed on 24
January 2014 across India by the
Government. This day is observed every
year to raise awareness and
consciousness of the society towards girl

children. The day is being observed every

year on 24 January since 2008.
Government of India has started National
Girl Child Day as a national girls
development mission. The mission raises
the awareness among people all over the
country about the importance of girls
promotion. It helps in enhancing girls
meaningful contribution in decision making
processes by active support of the parents
and the community members.
FEBRUARY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
Libya Destroyed All Chemical Weapons
Libya has completely destroyed the
chemical arsenal it inherited from Moamer
Kadhafi, 10 years after the now slain
dictator signed the Chemical Weapons
Convention, Foreign Minister Mohamed
Abdelaziz announced on 5 February.Now
the Libya has become totally free of usable
chemical weapons that might present a
potential threat to the security of local
communities, the environment and
neighbouring areas.
Matteo Renzi Named new Italian Prime
Minister
The leader of Italys centre-left Democratic
Party (PD), Matteo Renzi, was appointed
as the countrys new prime minister on 17
February. Renzi, who at 39 would be the
countrys youngest-ever prime minister,
was summoned by Italian President
Giorgio Napolitano at Quirinale presidential
palace and given a mandate to try to form
a new cabinet after the resignation of
Enrico Letta as prime minister on 14
February.
Ugandan President Signed Anti Gay
Law
Ugandas President Yoweri-Museveni has
signed a controversial anti-gay bill on 24
February that allows harsh penalties for
homosexual offences, calling them
mercenaries and prostitutes.Yoweri
Museveni signed the bill, which holds that
homosexuals be jailed for long terms,
outlaws the promotion of homosexuality
and requires people to denounce gays.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk Elected As Ukrain
Interim PM
The Ukrainian parliament has on 27
February elected former opposition leader
Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the countrys Interim
Prime Minister.He was backed by 371 of
417 participating deputies in the
Parliament.

INDIA & WORLD

India and Germany Signed Two
Agreements On Financial and
Technical Co-operation
India and Germany have signed two
umbrella agreements for financial and
technical co-operation under Indo German
bilateral Development Cooperation
framework.The Umbrella Agreements were
signed by Finance Minister P
Chidambaram and German Federal
Minister for Economic Cooperation and
Development Gerd Mueller during their
bilateral meeting on 5 February in New
Delhi.
India and China Held 17th Round Of
Border Talks
India and China held their 17th round of
border talks on 10 11 February 2014
.Special representatives National
Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and
Chinese State Councillor and top diplomat
Yang Jiechi met in New Delhi on 10
February and 11 February for talks on the
boundary question.The talks between both
sides have crossed the first stage on
agreeing to settlement of the boundary
question. The second stage talks on the
framework for resolution of the boundary
question has been continuing for the past
eight years.
India and Canada Signed Three MoUs
India and Canada have signed three MoUs
for cooperation in health sector, audiovisual co-production and skill
development.The MoUs were signed after
talks between Prime Minister Dr
Manmohan Singh and Govenor General of
Canada David Johnston in New Delhi on
24 February.
India and Israel Signed Homeland
Security Agreement
India and Israel have on 27 February
signed a slew of agreements on
cooperation in legal assistance and public
and homeland security.These agreements
were signed by Additional Secretary
(Home Ministry) Rajiv Sharma and Israeli
Ambassador Alon Ushpiz.

NATIONAL
Union Cabinet Approved National Policy
On Agroforestry
The Union Cabinet on 6 February
approved National Policy to promote

28
Agroforestry by facilitating credit and
insurance to farmers, besides
strengthening market access.The national
policy assumes importance as the sector is
currently affected by adverse policies, legal
constraints, inadequate investments, weak
markets and a dearth of institutional
finance.
Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan
Scheme Launched
Minister of State for HRD, Dr Shashi
Tharoor on 18 February launched
Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan under
Sakshar Bharat at New Delhi.The
programme aims to impart functional
literacy, vocational skill development and
continuing education to one crore Muslim
adults with an outlay of Rs 600 crore.
CCEA approved Green India Mission
The National Mission for Green India has
received approval from the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on
20 February as a Centrally-sponsored
scheme.The project, which has a planned
investment of about Rs.13,000 crore during
the 12th Plan Period.
Parliament Passed Whistleblower
Protection Bill
Whistleblower Protection Bill was passed
by Parliament on 21 February.The bill aims
to provide a regular mechanism to
encourage persons to disclose information
on corruption or willful misuse of power by
public servants and ministers.The bill was
passed by Lok Sabha in 2011 and was
taken up by the Upper House in 2012 for
consideration.

has provisions similar to that of the Central

Act which was passed in Parliament in
December, 2013.
Presidents Rule Imposed in Delhi
President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed
Presidents rule in Delhi and accepted the
Arvind Kejriwal governments
resignation.This information was on 17
February published in a press release by Lt
Governor Najeeb Jungs office.With this
imposition of the President Rule, the Delhi
Assembly will be kept under suspended
animation.
Chhattisgarh Government To Set Up A
Law Commission
Raman Singh, the Chief Minister of
Chhattisgarh on 25 February announced
that a new Law Commission will be set-up
in the state to suggest changes in laws as
per the geographical and social
requirements of the state. This
announcement was made in the state
Assembly.

CONFERENCES
101st Session of Indian Science
Congress
101st Session of Indian Science Congress
(ISC) held at Jammu University, Jammu
from 3-7 February 2014. The theme of ISC
2014 is Innovations in Science and
Technology for Inclusive Development.
Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan
Singh inaugurated the session on 3
February.This was the tenth time
Manmohan Singh had the privilege to
address the inaugural address at the
Indian Science Congress.

STATES
Indias First Monorail Service
Inaugurated In Mumbai
Indias first monorail service was
inaugurated by the Maharashtra Chief
Minister Prithviraj chavan on 1 February in
Mumbai.The monorail service that will link
the city to major stations will begin its first
phase of 8.93 km between Wadala and
Chembur in the eastern fringes of the
Commercial Capital.
Odisha Lokayukta Bill 2014 Passed In
Assembly
Odisha Legislative Assembly on 14
February passed the Odisha Lokayukta Bill
2014, with provision of keeping Chief
Minister, ex-Chief Ministers, other ministers
and public servants under the purview of a
six-member anti-corruption panel. The Bill

AWARDS & HONOURS

Sachin Tendulkar and CNR Rao
Received Bharat Ratna
Renowned scientist C.N.R. Rao and former
cricketer Sachin Tendulkar were on 4
February conferred the Bharat Ratna, the
highest civilian award of the country for
exceptional contribution in any field of
human endeavour.The award was
presented by President Pranab Mukherjee
at a brief ceremony in the historic Durbar
Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Malala Nominated For Childrens Nobel
Prize
Pakistani teenage rights activist Malala

Yousafzai is among three persons

nominated for an award known as the
Childrens Nobel Prize.Malala Yousafzai
has been nominated for the 2014 Worlds
Childrens Prize with John Wood from the
US and Nepalese child rights worker Indira
Ranamagar.
VV Dongre and Guocheng Zhang Won
International Gandhi Award 2013
Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India
on 15 February presented the International
Gandhi Award for the year 2013 to Dr.
Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre (VV Dongre)
and Prof. Guocheng Zhang at Rashtrapati
Bhawan, New Delhi. They were awarded
for making outstanding contributions in the
field of leprosy to eradicate the disease
through treatment, training and research.
Sikkim Won National Tourism Award
2012-13
Sikkim has been declared as best state in
the country in implementation of Rural
Tourism Projects by Ministry of Tourism
Govt of India .Union Minister for Human
Resource Development Dr. Shashi
Tharoor,presented the National Tourism
Award 2012-13 to Sikkim tourism minister
Sh Bhim Dhungel in a function at Vigyan
Bhawan in New Delhi on 18 February.

SPORTS & GAMES

Vijay Amritraj Honoured with Davis Cup
Commitment Award
Vijay Amritraj, a former Indian tennis player
was on 1 February presented the Davis
Cup Commitment Award .Previously Four
Indian tennis icons Ramanathan
Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, Anand
Amritraj and Mahesh Bhupathi were
honoured with the Davis Cup Commitment
awards.The award was instituted by the
International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Joshna Chinappa Won Winnipeg Open
Title
Indias Squash player Joshna Chinappa
won the Winnipeg Winter Club Open
trophy on 3 February. She defeated Heba
El Torky of Egypt in the final.The triumph of
Chinappa marked the second consecutive
year of an Indian winning the trophy with
Dipika Pallikal being the first to clinch it
before her in 2013.
Deepika Kumari Named FICCI
Sportsperson Of The Year
Indias top archer Deepika Kumari was on
13 February named the Sportsperson of
the Year at the India Sports Awards,

29
presented by Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI). Former India captain Rahul Dravid
was conferred with the Lifetime
Achievement award. P.V Sindhu, bronze
medallist at the badminton World
Championships, was named the
Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year ,
while cricketer Yuvraj Singh was named
the Most Inspiring Sportsperson of the
Year .
Delhi Waveriders Won Hockey India
League Title
Delhi Waveriders defeated Jaypee Punjab
Warriors in the penalty shoot-out to
emerge as the champions in the second
edition of Hero Hockey India League (HIL)
at the packed Astroturf Hockey Stadium at
Ranchi on 23 February.
Somdev Devvarman Won Delhi Open
ATP Challenger Title
Indias Somdev Devvarman won his third
ATP Challengers title as he defeated
Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Russia in the
Delhi Open ATP Challenger Mens singles
final on 23 February at New Delhi .Somdev
last won a Challenger level title in 2010 at
the Izmir event in Turkey.

ECONOMY
Rajasthan Bans FDI in Multi-brand
Retail
Rajasthan on 1 February cancelled its
approval for the foreign direct investment in
multi-brand retailing.The approval was
given earlier by the previous Congress
state government led by former Chief
Minister, Ashok Gehlot.With this decision
of cancelling the approval over FDI made
Rajasthan the second state after Delhi to
withdraw approval for FDI in multi-brand
retail.
Indian Economy To Grow At 4.9 Percent
In 2013-14
Central Statistics Office (CSO) in its
release on 7 February estimated that
Indias economic growth in the current
(2013-14) fiscal will be 4.9 percent as
compared to the growth rate of 4.5 percent
in 2012-13.The countrys Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) at factor cost at constant
(2004-05) prices in 2013-14 is likely to be
Rs.57.5 lakh crore as compared to Rs.54.8
lakh crore in the previous year, registering
year-on-year increase of 4.9 percent.
Tata Group Indias Most Valuable Brand
According to the list released on 18

February of worlds 500 most valued

brand, Brand Finance Global 500 , Tata
group was declared Indias most valuable
brand with a value of US$ 21.1 billion,
while US-based technology giant Apple
has retained its top position globally with
about US$ 105 billion.Apple is followed by
Samsung (US$ 79 billion) at second place
globally.Tata has retained its top place
among Indian brands and its global ranking
has also improved from 39th in 2013 to
34th now.
Indias First Post Office Savings Bank
ATM Inaugurated In Chennai
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram
on 27 February inaugurated the countrys
first post office savings bank ATM at the
Head Post Office in Thyagaraya Nagar in
Chennai.The ATM was part of an
Information Technology (IT) modernisation
project of the Department of Posts.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

BrahMos Missile Successfully Test
Fired In Salvo Mode
The 290km-range BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile was successfully fired on 6
February from a naval warship INS Trikand
in salvo mode in the Arabian Sea.For the
first time, the BrahMos cruise missile was
fired in salvo mode off the Russian-built
warship off the coast of Karnataka with an
interval of three seconds off the coast of
Goa.
Australian Astronomers Discovered
Oldest Known Star In Universe
A team of scientists at the Australian
National University has on 11 February
discovered the oldest known star in the
Universe.The star known as SMSS
J031300.36-670839.3, is in the Milky Way
galaxy and some 6000 light years from the
Earth. The star was formed shortly after
the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.The
star was discovered using the ANU
SkyMapper telescope at the Siding Spring
Observatory.
Indian-origin Boy Shubham Banerjee
Invents Braille Printer Using Lego Set
A 12-year-old boy of Indian Origin
Shubham Banerjee has on 23 February
designed a low-cost Braille printer using
toy construction Lego pieces.Banerjee
developed the Braille printer called Braigo,
which is short for Braille with Lego.It was
created from the Lego Mindstorms EV3
set, which retails for USD 349.

India Successfully Test Fired Akash

Missile
India on 26 February successfully test-fired
its Akash medium-range surface-to-air
missile from a defence base in Odisha, for
the third time. Akash was earlier
successfully tested from the same defence
base on 21st and 24th February 2014. The
indigenously-developed missile, with a 27km range and an effective ceiling of 15 km,
was test-fired from the Integrated Test
Range of Chandipur in the coastal district
of Balasore, 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
N. Ramachandran Elected IOA president
World Squash Federation (WSF) chief N.
Ramachandran was elected unopposed as
the president of the Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) on 9 February.Kho Kho
Federation of India (KKFI) president
Rajeev Mehta and All India Tennis
Association (AITA) president Anil Khanna
were also elected unopposed respectively
as the secretary general and treasurer.
R.K.Tiwari Appointed as new Chairman
of CBDT
R.K.Tiwari has been appointed as the as
the new chairman of Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 9 February.He will
succeed Chairperson Sudha Sharma who
is scheduled to retire on 28 February
2014.Tiwari is a 1976-batch Indian
Revenue Service (IRS) officer. He is
currently working as the Member of
Legislation and Computerisation
Department in the CBDT.
B)RESIGNS
Jammu and Kashmir Minister Shabir
Ahmad Khan Resigned
Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for
Health Shabir Ahmad Khan on 7 February
resigned as Minister from the Omar
Abdullahs cabinet in an alleged
molestation case while the Governor N N
Vohra has accepted the resignation.
C)DEATHS
Noted Hindi Writer Amar Kant Died
Noted Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award
winner Amar Kant died on 17 February
.Kants prominent novels are Inhin
Hathiyaron Se, Katili Raah ke Phool,
Sookha Patta, Kale Ujle and Beech ki

30
Deewar.He received several awards,
including Jnanpith award in 2009, Sahitya
Acdemy Award in 2007, Uttar Pradesh
Hindi Sansthan Award, Maithli Sharan
Gupta Award, Amarkant Keerti Samman
from Madhya Pradesh government among
others.
D)VISITORS
Bahrains King Hamad Al Khalifa Visited
India
The King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al
Khalifa visited India from 18 20 February
2014.During his three day visit, King
Hamad met Indian President Pranab
Mukherjee , Vice-president Hamid Ansari
and held delegation-level discussions with
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on
bilateral, regional and global issues. After
delegation-level talks between the two
leaders , both nations signed three
agreements to boost bilateral ties between
the two countries.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Indra Nooyi and Chanda Kochhar In
Fortunes Most Powerful
Businesswomen List
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and ICICI Bank
Managing Director Chanda Kochhar are
among Fortune magazines list of 50 most
powerful women in business: Global
edition.The list, which was released on 7
February, has been topped by General
Motors CEO Mary Barra, the first woman to
run a global automaker.

PLACES IN NEWS
Delhi Ranked 22nd In Global Fashion
Capital List
New York has topped the list of global
fashion capitals leaving Paris and London
behind. In an annual ranking survey report
by Global Language Monitor (GLM)
released on 19 February, Delhi stands at
the 22th spot and Mumbai at 45th.

IAEA International Atomic Energy

Agency
BCSBI Banking Codes and Standards
Board of India
TARC Tax Administration Reform
Commission
CBDT Central Board of Direct Taxes

BOOKS IN NEWS
Penguin Decided To withdraw a Book
entitled The Hindus: An Alternative
History
Penguin India, the publisher of book
entitled The Hindus: An Alternative
History on 11 February agreed to
withdraw the book from the Indian market.
This book is written by Wendy Doniger, an
American Scholar and Indologist. The
decision was made by the publisher
following a legal wrangle against it.The
decision was made between the publisher
and Delhi based complainant organisation
called Shiksha Bachao Andolan, who
moved to court alleging distortion aimed at
denigrating Hindu traditions. The
organisation has found that the book is
insulting Hindus.

COMMITTEES
Bimal Jalan Committee On Bank
Licences Submits Recommendations
To RBI
The Bimal Jalan committee which is
scrutinising applications for new bank
licences submitted its report to the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) on 25 February.The
committee led by former Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) Governor Dr Jalan held its third
and final meeting before submitting its
recommendations to the central bank.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

ABBREVIATIONS
ASEAN - Association of South East
Asian Nations
NAFDAC National Agency for Food &
Drug Administration and Control

International Mother Language Day

Observed Across The World
International Mother Language Day
(Bhasha Divas) was observed across the
world, with Bangladesh leading on 21
February 2014. This day is observed with
an aim to promote awareness of linguistic,
multilingualism and cultural

diversity.International Mother Language

Day was announced by UNESCO on 17
November 1999 and was formally
recognised by the United Nations General
Assembly in its resolution establishing
2008 as the International Year of
Languages.
National Science Day Observed Across
India On 28 February
India on 28 February 2014 observed
National Science Day to mark the
discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian
physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman
(CV Raman).In 2014, the theme of the day
is Fostering Scientific Temper and Energy
conservation. This day is celebrated every
year on this day to spread a message
about the significance of scientific
applications in the daily life of the
people.The National Council for Science
and Technology Communication (NCSTC)
in 1986 asked the Government of India to
designate 28 February as National Day.
MARCH 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
World Bank Pledges $3Bln Loan To
Ukraine For Reforms
The World Bank announced on 11 March
that it will provide up to $3 billion to support
reforms in Ukraine, which is struggling to
put its economy back on track amid
political turbulence.The lender explained
that restoring economic stability,
strengthening the banking sector,
reforming the energy sector, tackling
corruption, enhancing investment and
improving social assistance were key
priorities for Ukraine.The pledged
assistance comes on top of existing
cooperation between Ukraine and the
bank.
Sanchez Ceren Elected As El Salvadors
President
Former leftist rebel commander Salvador
Sanchez Ceren has won El Salvadors
presidential election by a razor-thin margin.
His conservative opponent, Norman
Quijano, has vowed to challenge the
official results.The El Salvadors Supreme
Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on 17 March 2014
officially declared Sanchez Ceren the
winner of the Central American nations
presidential election by a margin of just
7,000 votes. He secured 50.1 percent of
the ballot compared to 49.9 percent for
Quijano.

31
Russia Recognizes Crimea As A
Sovereign State
President Vladimir Putin signed a decree
on 17 March recognizing Crimea as a
sovereign state after the Ukrainian region
declared itself independent and applied to
join Russia following a weekend
referendum .The decree posted on the
Kremlins website appeared to be a first
step toward integrating Crimea as a part of
the Russian Federation.G-8 nations (Group
of the eight Countries) on 18 March 2014
suspended Russia from elite club of world
powers. It has been suspended amid
heightened tensions over its incursion in
Crimea of Ukraine.

refrained from voting against its neighbour,

the resolution was passed with the support
of 23 nations.

EU signed Landmark Political Deal with

Ukraine
The European Union and Ukraine signed
the core elements of a political association
agreement on 21 March 2014.Ukrainian
Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, EU
leaders Herman Van Rompuy and Jose
Manuel Barroso, and the leaders of the
blocs 28 nations signed the core chapters
of the Association Agreement on the
sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.

NATIONAL

INDIA & WORLD

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs

Launched Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme
Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched
a new initiative Maulana Azad Sehat
Scheme on 4 March for the benefits and
welfare of minorities of India.Under the
scheme, Sehat Card will be issued to every
student of the Institution financially aided
by Maulana Azad Education Foundation
(MAEF).

USAID To Provide USD 2.7 million For

Clean Energy To India
Nisha Desai Biswal, US Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central
Asian Affairs, on 4 March announced that
the United States Agency for International
Aid (USAID) will provide USD 2.7 million
for increasing clean energy access to
India. USAID awarded a USD 200,000
grant for SELCO Foundation to help
establish six innovation labs that will
develop and test sustainable energy
solutions. The agency is also supporting a
USD 2.5 million loan guarantee to Orb
Energy, a clean energy service provider.
China And India Signed Agreement For
Greater Cooperation In IT And Software
India and China have signed an agreement
to work together in software, information
technology and infrastructure.The
agreement was signed during the Strategic
and Economic Dialogue in Beijing on 18
March.
India Abstains From Voting Against Sri
Lanka at UNHRC
India on 27 March abstained from voting
on the US-backed resolution seeking probe
into Sri Lankan war crimes at the UN
Human Rights Council. Even as India

India Officially Declared Polio Free

India was officially declared Polio Free by
the World Health Organisation (WHO).
India is one of the 11 countries in the
South East Asian region which have been
certified as being free of the wild polio
virus.The Union Health Minister, Ghulam
Nabi Azad received the official certificate at
a function in New Delhi on 27 March.

Union Cabinet Cleared Reservation For

Jats Under OBC category
The Union Cabinet on 2 March cleared
reservation for Jat community under the
central list of OBC (other backward castes
quota) category in nine northern states.The
decision would pave the way for the
community members to avail benefits of
reservation in central government jobs and
central education institutions as per the
existing norms.

EC creates Intelligence Grid To Curb

Black Money In Polls
The Election Commission has on 11 March
created a multi-agency grid of revenue and
security intelligence agencies to regularly
update it about suspected financial
movements as part of measures to curb
use of blackmoney in Lok Sabha and
assembly polls.

through a transformation in terms of

industrialisation and generation of
employment. This is because Uttar
Pradesh is the meeting point of the Eastern
and the Western Corridors.
Kerala Govt. Launched Dial a Doctor
Project
Kerala government on 3 March launched a
novel scheme Dial a doctor which will
enable the public to seek health-related
advice over phone round-the-clock from
doctors by dialling a toll-free number.Under
the programme, a person can dial 1056
and avail the advice of doctors especially
regarding first aid, vaccination and health
problems.
GVKs Srinagar Hydel Power Plant
Inaugurated
Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh on 4 March inaugurated the
Srinagar hydroelectric power project of
GVK Power & Infrastructure, in
Uttarakhand.The project, with 330 MW
capacity, has been developed across river
Alaknanda in the Tehri Garhwal and Pauri
Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand. The
company has invested Rs 4,192 crore in
the project.Of the total power generated
from the project, 88 per cent will go to Uttar
Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL), as
per the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
The remaining 12 per cent is expected to
be allotted to the government of
Uttarakhand free of cost.
Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Passed
Lokayukta Bill 2014
The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly on 5
March passed the Lokayukta Bill 2014 by
voice vote after a long discussion, paving
the way for constitution of Lokayukta on
the lines of the Central Act, with the
provision of keeping the Chief Minister,
other Ministers, MLAs, heads of
Panchayats and Municipalities, Trusts and
public servants under the purview of a sixmember anti-corruption panel.

CONFERENCES
STATES
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
Launched In UP
The Union Ministry of Commerce and
Industry and Uttar Pradesh Government
launched the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial
Corridor (DMIC) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
on 2 March.With the launch of DMIC in
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh is poised to go

Third BIMSTEC summit 2014 Held In

Myanmar
The Third BIMSTEC (Bay of Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical Economic
Cooperation ) summit was held from 1 4
March 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, capital of
Myanmar.The Summit was attended by
leaders of the BIMSTEC Member
Countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and

32
Special Envoy from Thailand.The Summit
issued a five-page declaration, seeking
cooperation and collaboration among
themselves in the sectors of trade, energy,
health, climate change among others.The
declaration has noted that the Summit
decided to move forward towards
finalisation of the draft Agreement on
Trade in Goods with agreed General Rules
of Origin and Product Specific Rules.

AWARDS & HONOURS

86th Annual Academy Oscar Awards
2014
The 86th Annual Academy Oscar Awards
2014, presented by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS),
honored the actors, technical
achievements, and films of 2013 and took
place on 2 March 2014, at the Dolby
Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
List of Winners at 86th annual Academy
Awards :Best Picture :- 12 Years a Slave.
Best Actor :- Matthew McConaughey,
Dallas Buyers Club.
Best Actress :- Cate Blanchett, Blue
Jasmine.
Best Supporting Actor :- Jared Leto,
Dallas Buyers Club.
Best Supporting Actress :- Lupita
Nyongo, 12 Years a Slave.
Best Directing :- Alfonso Cuaron,
Gravity.
Best Foreign Language Film :- The
Great Beauty, Italy.
Best Adapted Screenplay :- John Ridley,
12 Years a Slave.
Best Original Screenplay :- Spike Jonze,
Her.
Best Animated Feature Film :- Frozen.
Production Design :- The Great Gatsby.
Best Cinematography :- Gravity.
Best Sound Mixing :- Gravity.
Best Sound Editing :- Gravity.
Best Original Score :- Gravity, Steven
Price.
Best Original Song :- Let It Go from
Frozen.
Best Costume :- The Great Gatsby.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling :- Dallas
Buyers Club.
Best Animated Short Film :- Mr. Hublot.
Best Documentary Feature :- 20 Feet
from Stardom.
Best Documentary (short subject) :The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My
Life.
Best Film Editing :- Gravity.
Best Live Action Short Film :- Helium.
Best Visual Effects :- Gravity.

Indian Author Pankaj Mishra Won

Windham Campbell Literature Prize
Award-winning Indian author Pankaj
Mishra is among eight writers from seven
countries who have won a $1,50,000 Yale
University prize each in recognition of their
literary achievements.Essayist and novelist
Mishra has been selected on 9 March for
the prestigious Windham Campbell
Literature prize in the non-fiction category.
German Honours Three Indians with
Cross of the Order of Merit
Germany has conferred three Indians with
its Cross of the Order of Merit award for
their contribution in strengthening IndoGerman relations over the past
decades.The awards were bestowed on
Anand Singh Bawa, Kalyan Sachdev and
Syed Hasnain by German Ambassador
Michael Steiner in New Delhi at a function
on 11 March.
Tomas Halik Won 2014 Templeton Prize
Tomas Halik, a Roman Catholic priest and
philosopher, onetime Czech political
activist and an advocate for religious
freedom and interfaith dialogue, won the
2014 Templeton Prize on 13 March for
religious and spiritual progress.The prize,
valued at about $1.8 million, is one of the
largest awards given annually to a single
individual. Founded in 1972.

Pankaj Advani Won National Snooker

Title
World champion Pankaj Advani (PSPB)
won his sixth Mens National Snooker title
after defeated Kamal Chawla of Railways
in the 81st national snooker championship,
in Lucknow on 7 March.This was Advanis
overall 24th national snooker title.
Mizoram Won Santosh Trophy 2014
Mizoram won the 68th edition of National
Football Championship of Santosh Trophy
after defeated Railways 3-0 in the final on
9 March in Siliguri, West Bengal.This is the
maiden Santosh Trophy for Mizoram also
this was the first appearance for them in
the final match.
Nico Rosberg Won Australian Grand
Prix
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany
won the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March
at Melbourne in Australia.Kevin
Magnussen of Denmark (McLaren) was
declared second after Red Bulls Daniel
Ricciardo was disqualified after finishing
second in the race. Ricciardo was
disqualified for breach of fuel regulations.
Jenson Button of Great Britain also
representing McLaren finished the podium
with third place.

ECONOMY
SPORTS & GAMES
Mexican Open Tennis Tournament
Winners 2014
Womens Singles :- Dominika Cibulkova
of Slovakia won the Mexican Open Tennis
tournament Womens Singles title.She
defeated American Christina McHale in the
final at Mexico on 1 March. It was her
fourth career title and first since Stanford in
2013.
Mens Singles :- Bulgarias Grigor
Dimitrov won the Mens Singles title after
defeated South African Kevin Anderson in
the final.
South Africa Captain Graeme Smith
Announced Retirement
South African captain Graeme Smith has
announced on 4 March that he will retire
from international cricket . Smith is the
longest serving captain for South Africa in
international cricket. He has played 117
test matches as an opener of which 109
was as a captain too. His total 109 test
captaincies is 16 more than the previous
record held by Allan Border of Australia.

Mukesh Tops List of Indias 70

Billionaires
According to China-based research firm
Huruns 2014 global rich list released on 3
March, India is home to the fifth largest
group of billionaires in the world and
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance
Industries , is the countrys richest man
with a personal fortune of $18
billion.Mukesh Ambani was ranked 41st in
the list that was topped by Bill Gates,
whose personal networth stood at a
whopping $68 billion.In the global rich list,
Bill Gates was followed by Berkshire
Hathaways Warren Buffett (2nd) with a
personal wealth of $64 billion .
Bill Gates Tops Forbes Billionaire List
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has
regained the title of the worlds richest man
in the Forbes magazines annual billionaire
list released on 3 March that includes 56
India based billionaires led by RIL
chairman Mukesh Ambani.With a net worth
of $76 billion, Bill Gates reclaimed the top
spot after a four-year hiatus, toppling
Mexicos telecommunications mogul Carlos
Slim Helu, who placed second at $72

33
billion.With a networth of $18.6 billion,
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chief Mukesh
Ambani leads the pack of 56 billionaires
based in India featured on the list.
India To Have 4th Highest Number Of
Billionaires By 2023
According to the 2014 Wealth Report , an
annual global perspective on prime
property and wealth by property
management firm Knight Frank released
on 6 March, India is projected to be home
to the fourth highest number of billionaires
in the world by 2023.As per the report,
projected that the number of billionaires in
India will grow by an exponential 98 per
cent to 119 in the year 2023 from 60
billionaires last year.India will rank fourth
after US, China and Russia in 2023 and
will have more billionaires than the UK,
Germany and France.
SBI Launches SBIePay To Facilitate
Electronic Transactions
State Bank of India (SBI), the largest bank
in the country has on 13 March launched
SBIePay a payment aggregator service to
facilitate electronic (e-commerce /mcommerce) transactions between
merchants, customers and various
financial institutions in the country. Indias
largest lender is the first bank in India to
start its own online aggregator services.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Navy Inducted Offshore Patrol
Vessel INS Sumedha
The Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel INS
Sumedha was formally commissioned into
the Indian Navy at Goa on 7 March
.Sumedha is the third ship of the
indigenous Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel
(NOPV) Project to be inducted into the
Indian Navy.The ship has been designed
and built by Goa Shipyard Limited.
Astronomers Discovered Hypergiant
Star 1300 Times The Size of Our Sun
In the month of March 2014 A hypergaint
star which is 1300 times wider than wider
than the sun has discovered. This is the
biggest yellow star ever spotted. It is
named as HR 5171. This star is 12,000
light years away. The star was studied by a
team lead by Oliver Chesneau of the Cote
dAzur Observatory in Nice, France with
the Very Large Telescope in Atacama,
Chile. This star can be about one million
times brighter than the Sun.

Ludhian and Kanpur Among Worlds

Top 10 Most Polluted Cities
According to a 2011 World Health
Organisation (WHO) report on World Most
Polluted Cities, released on 17 March,
Ludhiana and Kanpur are among the 10
most polluted cities in the world.Ludhiana
made it to the fourth position along with
Quetta in Pakistan.Kanpur made it to the
ninth position. The most polluted city in the
world was Ahvaz in Iran.
India Successfully Tested Nuclear
Capable Prithvi-II Missile
India successfully test-fired its nuclearcapable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile
from a military base in Odisha on 28
March.The indigenously-developed ballistic
missile with a maximum range of 350 km
was fired from the Integrated Test Range
at Chandipur in Balasore district, about 230
km from Bhubaneswar.The Strategic
Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian
Army conducted the test as part of a
regular training exercise.Prithvi is Indias
first indigenously-built ballistic missile.

Nandan Nilekani Resigned as UIDAI

chairman
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani
resigned as Chairman of Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on
13 March. Nilekani joined the Congress
Party on 10 March 2014 and he is
contesting from the Bangalore South
constituency in Lok Sabha polls. After his
exit as CEO of Bangalore headquartered
Infosys in 2007, Nilekani had taken charge
as head of UIDAI, Aadhar programme.
C)DEATHS
Noted Indian Author Khushwant Singh
Died
Noted English author and journalist
Khushwant Singh died on 20 March in New
Delhi at the age of 99. He was the foundereditor of Yojana and editor of the Illustrated
Weekly of India, the National Herald and
the Hindustan Times. Khushwant Singh
was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974
but returned it in 1984 to protest the
storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar
by the Indian Army. In 2007, he was
awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the
second highest Indian recognition.

PERSONS IN NEWS
D)VISITORS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Sheila Dikshit Sworn In As Kerala
Governor
Veteran Congress leader and former Delhi
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was sworn in
as Kerala Governor on 11 March. Kerala
High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur
administered the oath of office. She was
appointed as the 22nd Governor of Kerala
on 4 March. She has succeeded Nikhil
Kumar, who in the past has served as the
Police Chief of Delhi. Her appointment to
the post came following resignation of
Nikhil Kumar. Dikshit has served Delhi
three times, as its Chief Minister from 1998
to 2013.She had represented the Kannauj
Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar
Pradesh during 1984 to 1989.
Former SC Judge Srikrishna Appointed
as FPSB chairman
Justice (Retd.) BN Srikrishna has been
appointed as the Chairman of Financial
Planning Standards Board India (FPSB) on
11 March. He takes over from Dhirendra
Swarup, who was the chairman of the
Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA).
B)RESIGNS

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Visited

Myanmar
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
visited Myanmar on 3 4 March 2014.
During his two day visit, Manmohan Sing
attended the third BIMSTEC summit in Nay
Pyi-Taw, the capital of Myanmar. In the
visit, Myanmar President U Thein Sein met
with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh at the president office, agreeing
further cooperation between the two
countries.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
14 Indians In WEFs Young Global
Leaders Class of 2014
World Economic Forum (WEF) on 11
March released Young Global Leaders
2014 list .The WEF recognised 214 Young
Global Leaders (YGLs). Among them 109
are woman who were recognised for
leadership and service to society.There
were 17 young global leaders in South
Asia, out of which 14 were from India.

PLACES IN NEWS

34
Tata HQ Becomes First Heritage
Building To Get Gold Rating
Bombay House, the Headquarters of the
Tata group in Mumbai, has become Indias
first heritage building to get gold rating by
Indian Green Building Council(IGBC) on 3
March . Built in 1923, Bombay House has
been given the rating for implementing
measures for energy savings of over 20
per cent, use of renewable energy,
occupant well being and comfort, use of
car pools and public transport, and
contribution to the maintenance of
neighbouring areas.

Governor Shyamala Gopinath

Committee.As per the Shyamala Gopinath
Committees recommendations - The
interest rate on fixed deposits for one and
two years has been increased to 8.4%
from the present 8.2%. Fixed deposits of
three and five years will earn 0.1% higher
rate at 8.4% and 8.5%. The rate on
National Savings Scheme (NSC) with 5
and 10 year maturities also remain
unchanged at 8.5 % and 8.8 %. The new
interest rates on small savings schemes
will come into effect from April 1, 2014.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

ABBREVIATIONS
APEDA - Agricultural and Processed
Food Products Exports Development
Authority
BIMSTEC Bay of Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical Economic Cooperation
ECOWAS Economic Community of
West African States
FIFA Federation Internationale de
Football Association
CSIR - Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research

BOOKS IN NEWS
Jaswant Singh Released His Book
India at Risk
Jaswant Singh, Former Minister in the NDA
government on 3 March released a book
entitled India at Risk Mistakes
Misconceptions and Misadventures of
security policy. In his book, he had
discussed the issues, the conflicts and the
consequences of the security related policy
of India.

World Poetry Day Observed Across The

World
World Poetry Day was observed across the
world on 21 March 2014. The day was
observed to support linguistic diversity
through poetic expression and to offer
endangered languages the opportunity to
be heard within their communities.The
decision to observe 21 March as World
Poetry Day was adopted at the 30th
session of UNESCO held in Paris in 1999.
World Water Day Observed Across The
World
World Water Day was observed on 22
March 2014 with the theme Water and
Energy to raise awareness of the interlinkages between water and energy. World
Water Day is observed to preserve and
ration consumption of water.The United
Nation is observed annually on 22 March
to draw attention on the importance of
freshwater and advocating for the
sustainable management of fresh water
resources.
UN observed International Day of Forest
International Day of Forests was observed
across the world on 21 March 2014. The
theme of the International Forest Day was
Celebrating Forests for Sustainable
Development.
APRIL 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS STUDY
MATERIAL

COMMITTEES

INTERNATIONAL

Shyamala Gopinath Committee

Recommendations
The Union Government on 4 March 2014
decided to hike interest rates on fixed
deposit schemes offered by post offices by
up to 0.2 %. The decision to hike interest
rates is taken on the recommendations of
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy

Karim Massimov Named as new PrimeMinister of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan President Nursultan
Nazarbayev named his chief of staff Karim
Massimov as the new prime minister on 2
April. His appointment came following the
resignation of Serik Akhmetov from the

post, which was accepted by the President

as per the Constitutional provision.
Viktor Orban Re-elected As Prime
Minister of Hungary
Viktor Orban was re-elected to a third term
as Prime Minister of Hungary .The results
of general elections were announced on 8
April 2014. The General parliamentary
elections were held on 6 April 2014.Out of
the total votes casted, Orbans Fidesz
party won 133 of 199 parliament seats.
China Recruits Guardian Angels To
Protect Embattled Doctors
Chinas capital Beijing is on 9 April taking a
novel approach to protecting doctors from
growing levels of violence from angry
patients: volunteer Guardian Angels.The
campaign will recruit students, medical
workers and other patients to act as
middlemen between doctors and those in
their care to defuse disagreements and
smooth over tensions.
Sale of HIV Self-Testing Kits Legalised
In The UK
A new law legalizing sale of self-testing kits
for HIV came into force in United Kingdom
(UK) on 6 April 2014. The new law allows
individuals to buy the self-testing kits
available on shops and self-diagnose for
HIV at home itself.

INDIA & WORLD

Bangladesh To Provide Transit Facility
For Indian Power Line
Bangladesh on 3 April agreed to provide
transit facility for a 6000 megawatt Indian
power transmission line. This decision was
taken in a joint steering committee meeting
on India-Bangladesh power sector
cooperation.
Canada Suspends Voluntary
Commonwealth Funds Over Sri Lanka
Issue
The Government of Canada on 14 April
announced that the country will suspend its
voluntary funds to the Commonwealth
Secretariat and reallocate the funds for the
next two years.The Commonwealth of
Nations is an intergovernmental
organisation of 53 member states that
were mostly territories of the former British
Empire. The most populous
Commonwealth country is India, with
nearly 1.1 billion people.
India and Bhutan Signed Agreement For
Developing Hydropower Projects

35
India and Bhutan on 22 April signed an
agreement for the development of joint
hydropower projects in a bid to further
strengthen their bilateral strategic
partnership.The framework InterGovernmental Agreement between Bhutan
and India for the development of Joint
Venture Hydropower Projects through the
Public Sector Undertakings of the two
governments was signed in Thimphu,
capital of Bhutan.
Indian-Americans Form 3rd Largest
Asian Population In US
According to the report on demographics of
the Asian-American population released on
24 April by the Center for American
Progress, Indian-Americans numbering
3.34 million is the third largest Asian
community in the United States, after
China and Philippines.The IndianAmerican population shot up 76 per cent in
the first 12 years of the 21st century.While
the Chinese-Americans form the largest
group of Asian-American population with 4.

NATIONAL
Women To Be Inducted As Officers In
SSB for First Time
The Union Home Ministry on 13 April for
the first time approved the recruitment of
young women as combat officers in
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Young
women under and up to the age of 25
years will be recruited as direct entry
officers in the rank of assistant
commandants (ACs). SSB is the second
largest border guarding force.
IMA appeals Doctors To Give 25 per
cent Discount On Fees For Voters
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has
on 11 April appealed to its 2.75 lac doctormembers across India to give 25 per cent
discount in doctors fees for one week to all
patients who visit them with their fingers
bearing the voting ink mark.
India Supreme Court Recognizes
Transgender As Third Gender
Indias Supreme Court in a landmark
judgment on 15 April 2014, created the
third gender status for transgenders. In its
judgment the Apex Court claimed
transgenders as socially and economically
backward.The court also directed union &
states government to adopt measures for
bringing the community into the
mainstream by providing adequate
healthcare, education and employment.

Election Commission Launched Online

Media Channel
The Election Commission has launched on
17 April its own internet-based media arm
called Voter Education Channel for
voter awareness . Numerous video clips
featuring iconic personalities urging
citizens to vote have been uploaded on the
channel and can be viewed on social
media platform YouTube.This is the
official channel of the Election Commission
of India.

STATES
Shompens of A & N islands Casted
Votes For The First Time For Lok Sabha
Shompens of Andaman & Nicobar (A&N)
islands for the first time casted their votes
in Great Nicobar on 10 April. Shompens
one of the stone-age tribes casted the
votes for the Lok Sabha constituency of
Bay Islands for Lok Sabaha election 2014.
Mizoram Government Refused To
Repatriate Bru Refugees Within 3
Months
Mizoram Government on 12 April refused
to repatriate all the Bru refugees lodged in
six Tripura relief camps within three
months.Earlier on 8 April 2014, the state
government had agreed to the demand of
the NGO Coordination Committee to
repatriate the Bru refugees within three
month. It agreed that they would repatriate
all the Bru refugees after the end of the
ongoing election process. The Bru
Refugees also called Reang refugees are
the original inhabitants of Mammit SubDivision of Aizawl District of Mizoram. They
started arriving in North Tripuras
Kanchanpur sub division since 29 October
1997.
High Content of Manganese Detected In
Selaulim Reservoir of Goa
High content of manganese was detected
by the State Public Works Department
(PWD) in Selaulin reservoir of Goa on 19
April .The level of manganese detected in
the reservoir was 0.1 mg. This is less than
the level of manganese content detected
earlier and is within safe limit.The reservoir
has production capacity of 214 MLD of
water, which is supplied to entire South
Goa and some parts of North district.
Supreme Court Lifts Mining Ban In Goa
The Supreme Court (SC) on 21 April lifted
a 19 month old ban on mining in Goa.The
iron ore mining will be restricted to 20
million tonnes annually.The ban was

imposed in September 2012 as part of a

drive to curb illegal mining in Goa.

CONFERENCES
World Green Economy Summit-2014
Held In Dubai
The World Green Economy Summit
(WGES) -2014 was held in Dubai from
15th and 16th of April 2014. The theme of
the summit was Global Partnership,
Sustainable Future .The World Green
Economy Summit (WGES), the first
Summit focused on green business in the
region, concluded on 16 April , with a
closing session which provided a platform
for determining the way for Dubai to
become capital of the worlds green
economy in line with the goals of the UAEs
Vision 2021.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Veteran Film Lyricist and Director
Gulzar Selected For Dadasaheb Phalke
Award 2013
Veteran film lyricist, director, screen writer,
producer and poet Gulzar has been
conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for
the year 2013. He is the 45th Dada Saheb
Phalke Award Winner.The ministry of
information and broadcasting announced
on 12 April. The Dadsaheb Phalke award
is Indias highest award for an individual for
their contribution towards Indian cinema. It
is annually given by the Government of
India.He was born in 1934 in Punjab in preindependence India. Sampooran Singh
Kalra was his original name and he took
the pen name of Gulzar Deenvi after
becoming an author.
61st National Film Awards
The 61st National Film Awards for 2013
was announced in New Delhi on 16 April
by the Directorate of Film Festivals. Ship
of Theseus directed by Anand Gandhi has
won the Golden Lotus for Best Feature
Film. The Best Actor award is shared
between Shahid star Rajkummar Rao and
Malayalam actor Suraj Venjaramudu.
Geetanjali Thapa won Best Actress for
Liars Dice.
Following is the listing of Winners for
important Categories :* Best Feature Film Ship of Theseus
(Anand Gandhi)
* Best Director Hansal Mehta for
Shahid
* Best Actor Raj Kumar for Shahid in

36
hindi and Suraj Venjaramoodu for
Perariyathavar in Malyalam
* Best Actress Geetanjali Thapa for
Hindi film Liars Dice
* Best Non Feature Film Rangbhoomi
(Hindi film by Kamal Swaroop)
* Best Film on Social Issues Tuhya
Dharma Koncha (Marathi)
* Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature
Film on National Integration
Thalaimuraigal (Tamil)
* Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut
Film Nagraj Manjule for Fandry
(Marathi)
* Best Non Feature Film on Social
Issues Gulabi Gang
* Best Popular Film Providing
Wholesome Entertainment Bhaag
Milka Bhaag (Rakeysh Omprakash
Mehra)
Indian-American Rajendra Singh Named
White Houses Solar Champions Of
Change
Indian-American professor Rajendra Singh
was on 18 April named by the White House
as the Solar Champions of Change in
recognition of his immense contribution
towards developing alternate source of
energy and promoting solar deployment in
residential, commercial and industrial
sectors.
Indian Activist Honoured with Goldman
Environmental Prize 2014
Indian environment activist Ramesh
Agrawal has on 28 April won the
prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize
2014 for helping villagers fight coal mining
in Chhattisgarh and success in shutting
down one of the largest planned coal
mines in the area.

SPORTS & GAMES

MS Dhoni Won United Kingdoms 2014
Asian Award
Indian Cricket Captain MS Dhoni has won
United Kingdoms 2014 Asian award for
outstanding achievement in sports.The
award was announced on 4 April at
Londons at The Grosvenor House
Hotel.Dhoni is widely regarded as one of
the greatest finishers in limited over cricket
tournament and in 2013 he emerged as the
first captain to win all three ICC trophies.
Punjab Won Junior National Hockey
Title 2014
Punjab won the 4th Hockey India Junior
Men National Championship 2014 (Division
A) by defeating Hockey Odisha 6-2 in the

finals on 6 April at Chennai, Tamil

Nadu.With this win, Punjab had retained
the championship title.
Sri Lanka Won ICC Twenty20 World Cup
2014
Sri Lanka won the fifth edition of the ICC
Twenty20 World Cup 2014 title after
defeated India by six wickets in the finals
on 6 April at the Sher-e-Bangla National
Stadium, Dhaka. Earlier, Sri Lanka last
won the first world title in the World Cup
(50-over tournament) in 1996.
Andrea Petkovic Won Family Circle Cup
Title
Andrea Petkovic of Germay won the
Family Circle Cup tennis tournament
title.She defeated Jana Cepelova
(Slovakia) in the final on 6 April in
Charleston, United States.It was her first
WTA title in last three years.Overall, this is
the third WTA title for Petkovic and first
since her come back from the string of
injuries in recent years. Petkovic last won
in Strasbourg in 2011 and her first title
came in 2009 in Bad Gastein.
Nour El Sherbini Won Texas Open
Squash Title
Indias Dipika Pallikal was defeated by
Egyptian Nour El Sherbini in the title clash
of the Womens Champion Fiberlass Texas
Open squash tournament on 14 April at
Houston, United States.

ECONOMY
Election Commission Allows RBI to
Issue new Bank Licences
The Election Commission (EC) on 1 April
allowed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to
issue licences for setting up new
banks.The approval came after the RBI
missed the March-end deadline for issuing
the first bank licence in almost a
decade.The RBI on 12 March 2014
approached the Election Commission (EC)
seeking its approval for granting bank
lincences as the model code of conduct
had come in place after the general
elections announcement on 5 March 2014.
RBIs First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy
Statement 2014-15
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 1 April
released it first Bi-monthly Monetary Policy
statement 2014-15 .According to the
statement , RBI has kept the policy repo
rate unchanged at 8.0%.Other policy
instruments such as cash reserve ratio
(CRR) also remain unchanged at 4%.

RBI grants in-principle Approval To

IDFC, Bandhan For Bank Licences
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 2 April
granted in-principle approvals to IDFC Ltd
and Bandhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd to
start new banks in India.These approvals
have been granted under the guidelines on
licensing of new banks in the private
sector. The two have been granted the
permission to set-up banks from a field of
25 aspirants.
Dilip Shanghvi Among Asias Top 10
Richest Self-made Billionaires
The Wealth-X Asias top ten wealthiest
self-made billionaires list released on 30
April. According to the list, Dilip Shanghvi,
founder and managing director of Sun
Pharmaceuticals Industries, has been
named in the list , topped by Hong Kong
business tycoon Li Ka-Shing. Shanghvi,
ranked seventh, is the only Indian on the
list with a net worth of $13.5 billion, while Li
Ka-Shing topped the chart with a fortune of
$29.4 billion.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISROs PSLV-C24 Successfully
Launched Indias Second Navigation
Satellite IRNSS-1B
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) successfully launched Indias
second navigation satellite, Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System 1B
( IRNSS-1B), into the space. The satellite
was launched through ISROs Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle-C24 (PSLV-C24)
rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on
4 April 2014. PSLV-C24 injected the
IRNSS-1B into a preliminary orbit.
Scientists Discovered Gene Behind
Brain Development
Key gene for the development of human
brain has been discovered by Scientists
from the University of Adelaide on 6
April.The study shows how mutations in
the gene called USP9X are linked to
intellectual disability.
Solar Impulse 2 Plane Unveiled In
Switzerland
The upgraded solar-powered plane Solar
Impulse 2 was unveiled on 13 April at
Payerne Air Force Base of Switzerland.
The solar plane can fly around the world
for five consecutive days without using any
fuel. Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and
Bertrand Piccard have developed the solar
powered aircraft

37
Unique Pair of Super-Massive Black
Holes Found
Scientists have discovered on 23 April the
first pair of super-massive black holes in
orbit around one another in a non-active
galaxy. The European Space Agencys Xray Multi Mirror Mission, XMM Newton had
discovered these black holes.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
N B Singh Assumes Charge As BDL
director
Air Vice Marshal N B Singh, AVSM, VSM
(retd) on 1 April assumed charge as
Director (technical) of Bharat Dynamics
Limited, a Hyderabad-based Mini-ratna
category-1 company under the Ministry of
Defence.Prior to this appointment, AVM
Singh served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff
(communication) in the Indian Air Force.
Justice RM Lodha Sworn In As 41st
Chief Justice of India
Justice Rajendra Mal Lodh was on 27 April
sworn in as the 41st Chief Justice of India
(CJI) on 27 April. He was administered the
oath of office by President Pranab
Mukherjee.Chief Justice Lodha succeeds
Chief Justice P Sathasivam who demitted
office on completion of his term on 26 April
2014.Justice Lodha will have a brief tenure
of five months as the Chief Justice as he
will retire on 27 September 2014.
Former IAF chief Appointed Indias
Ambassador To Norway
Former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief
Norman Anil Kumar Browne has been
appointed Indias next Ambassador to
Norway on 29 April.He will succeed R. K.
Tyagi as Indias envoy in Norway.Browne
had served as IAF chief between 31 July
2011 and 31 December 2013.

C)DEATHS
Renowned Cinematographer VK Murthy
Died
Renowned cinematographer and Dada
Saheb Phalke awardee V K Murthy,died on
7 April in Shankarapuram. He was 91 and
was famous for his camera work in Guru
Dutts classics like Pyaasa and Sahib, Bibi
Aur Ghulam. He was the first
cinematographer to be chosen for the
prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for
2008. He received the hounour on 19
January 2010. For his contribution to
Indian cinema, he received the
International Indian Film Academy Lifetime
Achievement Award in 2005.In 1959, he
won the Filmfare Best Cinematographer
award.
D)VISITORS
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Visited
Ukraine
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited
Ukraine on 21 22 April 2014. In the most
high-level visit of a U.S. official since crisis
erupted in Ukraine, Biden met privately
with acting Ukrainian Prime Minister
Yatsenyuk and acting Ukrainian President
Oleksandr Turchynov, as well as with
democracy activists.In the visit, Biden also
announced the United States will provide
an additional $50 million to help Ukraines
beleaguered government with political and
economic reforms.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Koyal Rana Won Miss India 2014 Title
Koyal Rana was crowned as the new Miss
India in the 51st Femina Miss India 2014
contest on 5 April at Mumbai.The winner
will represent India at Miss World 2014
while 19 year old Jhataleka Malhotra was
first runner up who will represent India at
Miss Earth and second runner up Gail
Nicole Da Silva at Miss Supranational.

B)RESIGNS
Kazakhstan Prime-Minister Serik
Akhmetov Resigned
Kazakhstans Prime Minister Serik
Akhmetov, has announced his resignation
on 2 April, a development that will lead to
the dissolution of the government.The
resignation was accepted by the President
as per the Constitutional
provision.Akhmetov was appointed as the
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan in
September 2012.

PLACES IN NEWS
Google Launches 360 Degree Online
View Of Angkor Wat In Cambodia
Google on 3 April launched 360 degree
online view of Angkor Wat in Cambodia
under Streetview project. The Angkor Wat
project was developed with the help of the
Apsara Authority of the Kingdom of
Cambodia. APSARA National Authority is
an organisation created for the protection
and maintenance of Angkor. In Angkor
Wat, arguably the largest temple complex

in the world, Streetview has been used to

patch together over 90,000 high resolution
360-degree images of the monument.

ABBREVIATIONS
IABF - Indian Amatuer Boxing
Federation
NATO North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
BSF Border Security Force
IMF International Monetary Fund
IRNSS Indian Regional Navigational
Satellite System
CITU Centre of Indian Trade Unions

BOOKS IN NEWS
The Accidental Prime Minister The
Making and Unmaking Of Manmohan
Singh Book Released
A book entitled The Accidental Prime
Minister The Making and Unmaking Of
Manmohan Singh written by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singhs former media
advisor Sanjaya Baru was released on 11
April .

COMMITTEES
Anand Sinha Committee Recommends
Benchmark For Floating Interest Rate
A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee
headed by former RBI Deputy Governor
Anand Sinha suggested a benchmark
floating interest rate, especially for home
loans, to bring greater transparency in the
pricing of credit.The committee on 10 April
released Draft Report on Working Group
on Pricing of Credit. As per the report, the
Indian Banks Association (IBA) may
develop a new benchmark for floating
interest rate products, namely, the Indian
Banks Base Rate (IBBR), which may be
collated and published by IBA on a periodic
basis.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

38
World Health Day 2014 Observed
Across The World
World Health Day 2014 was observed
across the world on 7 April 2014. The day
provides an opportunity for individuals to
get involved in activities that can lead to
better health. The theme for World Health
Day 2014 is vector-borne diseases. World
Health Organisation (WHO) is highlighting
the serious and increasing threat of vectorborne diseases with the slogan Small bite,
big threat.
World Malaria Day Observed Across
The World
World Malaria Day (WMD) was observed
on 25 April 2014 across the world. The day
was observed to highlight the need for
continued investment and sustained
political commitment for malaria prevention
and control.The theme for 2013-2015 is:
Invest in the future. Defeat malaria.
MAY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS STUDY
MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa
Re-elected For Second Term
South Africa President, Jacob Zuma of
African National Congress (ANC) was reelected for second term. African National
Congress (ANC) won the elections held on
7 May for the National Assembly. Results
for the same were announced on 9 May.
African National Congress (ANC) won 63%
of the votes while the Democratic Alliance
(DA) fell behind with 22% of the votes.This
victory is ANCs 5th consecutive win in
national elections.
Swiss Voters Rejected Worlds Highest
Minimum Wage
Swiss voters rejected the Minimum Wage
Initiative on 18 May.The initiative was
rejected by 77 percent of the Swiss
voters.The Minimum Wage Initiative, if
passed, would have introduced highest
minimum wage in the world at 25 US
dollars for an hour (or 22 francs an
hour).Twenty-five dollars an hour seems
like a lot, but Switzerland is one of the
most expensive countries in the world.
Petro Poroshenko Elected As Ukraine
President
Petro Poroshenko was elected as the new
President of Ukraine in Presidential
Elections held on 25 May 2014.
Poroshenko won a convincing victory after
winning around 54.7% of the votes from 21
candidates on the ballot. His closest

competitor was Yulia Tymoshenko, who

emerged with 12.81% of the votes.
Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus Signed
Treaty Creating Economic Union
Presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and
Belarus Vladimir Putin, Nursultan
Nazarbayev and Alexander Lukashenko
have on 29 May signed a treaty on setting
up the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

INDIA & WORLD

India Ranked 83rd In Networked
Readiness Index
A World Economic Forum (WEF) on 5 May
released its 13th edition of Global
Information Technology Report. In the
reports networked readiness index
Scandinavian countries dominated the top
10, with Finland grabbing the top spot,
followed by Singapore, Sweden, the
Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the
United States, Hong Kong, Great Britain
and the Republic of Korea. In the
developing world, China fell four spots to
No. 62, Brazil fell nine spots to No. 69 and
India dropped 15 spots to No. 83 in terms
of leveraging information and
communications technologies for growth
and well being.
Switzerland Among 47 Nations To
Agree On Tax Data Exchange
47 nations including Switzerland and India,
have agreed upon automatic exchange of
information on tax matters.The
endorsement of the Declaration on
Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax
Matters by 47 countries under the aegis of
Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) on 6 May will
come as a boost for India, which is
stepping up pressure on Switzerland to
share details on alleged illicit funds
stashed away by Indians there.
Indians Form 2nd Largest Group of
International Students In US
According to the report released by US
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) on 7 May, India accounts for second
largest number of international students in
this country. China with 290,133 students
is at the top in the report on international
students.
Odisha Signed MoU with TiE Silicon
Valley
The Odisha government has on 14 May
signed an agreement with the TiE Silicon
Valley as part of its efforts to develop the

state as an IT hub and attract US

investment. Under the agreement, Odisha
government would have a professional
stationed at the headquarters of Silicon
Valley in Santa Clara, California.

NATIONAL
SC upheld Validity of Right To
Education Act
The Supreme Court on 6 May upheld the
Constitutional validity of the Right to
Education (RTE) Act. In its decision, the
apex court explained that the Act is not
applied to unaided minority institutions.
The five-judge Constitutional Bench of the
Supreme Court in its decision also upheld
the provisions of the Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009
and the Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Rules, 2010.
Govt Extends Ban On LTTE by 5 Years
The government has extended by five
years the ban imposed on LTTE, a terror
group that was behind the assassination of
Rajiv Gandhi and was decimated by the Sri
Lanka military in 2009. India had banned
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
after the assassination of Gandhi in 1991.
The declaration of LTTE as an Unlawful
Association has been extended for a
further period of five years with effect from
14 May 2014.
16th Lok Sabha Elections Results
Declared
The Indian general election of 2014 was
held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha,
electing members of parliament to all 543
parliamentary constituencies of India.
Running in nine phases from 7 April to 12
May 2014, this was the longest election in
the countrys history. The results of the
2014 Lok Sabha election were declared on
16 May 2014. In the Elections 2014, The
National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won a
sweeping victory, taking 336 seats. The
BJP itself won 282 seats, the first time
since Rajiv Gandhis landslide victory in
1984 that an Indian party has won enough
seats to govern without the support of
other parties. The United Progressive
Alliance (UPA), led by the Indian National
Congress (INC), won 59 seats, 44 of which
were won by the Congress.
President Pranab Mukherjee Dissolves
15th Lok Sabha
President Pranab Mukherjee dissolved the
15th Lok Sabha on 18 May. President

39
dissolved the Lok Sabha on the advice of
outgoing Union Cabinet led by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh who resigned
on 17 May 2014. Union Cabinet
recommended the President to dissolve
the 15th Lok Sabha as a follow up to the
election results of 16th Lok Sabha election.
This will make way to the formation of new
government.

STATES
Supreme Court Bans Tamil Nadus
Bullfight Game Jallikattu
The Supreme Court has on 7 May banned
centuries-old Jallikattu- bullfights and
bullock-cart racing- organised during
festivals in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring
states.Significantly, the bench headed by
Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan favoured
elevating the rights of the animals to
constitutional rights.
BJD won Odisha Assembly Elections
2014
The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha
under the leadership of Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik established a landslide
victory in the 2014 election leaving
opposition Congress and BJP reduced to a
miniscule. The results for the elections
were announced on 16 May 2014 in which
BJD claimed more than two-third majority
by winning 117 of the total 147 seats.
Congress Party Won Arunachal
Pradesh Assembly Elections 2014
Congress had won a clear majority in the
Assembly elections by winning 42 of the
total 60 seats. BJP won 11 seats and was
followed by Peoples Party of Arunachal
(PPA) with 5 seats. Remaining seats were
shared by independent candidates. The
results for states Assembly elections were
announced on 16 May 2014.
SDF won Sikkim 2014 Assembly
Elections Fifth Time
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling -led
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) won 18 of
the 22 seats in the 32-member state
assembly.The assembly election results
were declared on 16 May. SDF won its fifth
consecutive term in the assembly
elections. The Opposition, Sikkim
Krantikari Morcha, has got the remaining
10 seats.

CONFERENCES

47th Annual Meeting of the Board of

Governors of ADB
The 47th Annual Meeting of Asian
Development Bank (ADB) Board of
Governors was held from 2-5 May 2014 in
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The
meeting was attended by Finance
Ministers/their representatives of 67
Member Countries. Discussions were
conducted on economic development
forecasts of the Asia-Pacific region, new
economic challenges for the region and
other issues, and significance of interaction
in solution of problems important for the
continent was emphasized at the event.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Indian Scientist Ravinder Dahiya Won
British Research Fellowship
Ravinder Dahiya, an Indian scientist in
Britain, has been granted a prestigious
fellowship worth 1,068,000 pounds (around
$1.8 million) on 2 May by a top British
agency that funds research in engineering
and the physical sciences.
Two Indian-American Chefs Won James
Beard Food Awards 2014
Two Indian-origin chefs Vikram Sunderam
and Vishwesh Bhatt have been conferred
with the prestigious James Beard Food
Awards for 2014, considered as the Oscars
of the US food and beverage industry.
Sunderam and Bhatt were awarded the
Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic and Best
Chef in South respectively. The James
Beard Food Awards, which were presented
during a ceremony at the Lincoln Centre at
the James Beard Foundations annual
awards ceremony in New York on 5 May,
are widely considered the top honours in
American cooking.
Six Indo-Americans Felicitated with Ellis
Island Medal of Honor
Six Indian Americans have been felicitated
on 10 May with the prestigious Ellis Island
Medal of Honor for the year 2014.The Ellis
Island Medals of Honor by the National
Ethnic Coalition of Organization is given
annually to US citizens who have
distinguished themselves within their own
ethnic groups while exemplifying the
values of the American way of life. Among
the recipients of the award are Yash Paul
Soi , Narpat Bhandari , Samir Desai , Arun
Kumar Pramanik , Ketki Sharadkumar
Shah , Abdul M Suleman, were also
felicitated with the prestigious award.

Winter Sleep Won Palme dOr Award At

67th Cannes Film Festival
Winter Sleep, a film by Turkish director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, was honoured with
Palme dOr Award at the 67th Cannes Film
Festival held in Cannes from 16 May to 25
May 2014. Julianne Moore won the Best
Actress prize for Maps to the Stars , while
Turner star Timothy Spall was named
Best Actor.

SPORTS & GAMES

Sania Mirza and Cara Black Won
Portugal Open Title
Indias Sania Mirza and her Zimbabwean
partner Cara Black won their first WTA title
of the season beating Eva Hrdinova
(Czech) and Valeria Solovyeva (Russia) in
the womens doubles final of the Portugal
Open in Oeiras (Portugal) on 3 May 2014.
Lewis Hamilton Won Spanish Grand
Prix 2014
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Great
Britain won the Spanish Grand Prix on 11
May. This was Lewis Hamiltons fourth
consecutive victory in 2014 F1 season for
his team Mercedes.
Italian Open Tennis Tournament
Winners 2014
Mens Singles :- Novak Djokovic of
Serbia won the Italian Open mens singles
tennis title (Rome Open Tennis) on 18 May
in Rome, Italy. He defeated Rafael Nadal
of Spain in the final. It was his third Italian
Open title.
Womens Singles :- Serena Williams of
US won the womens singles title after
defeated Sara Errani of Italy in the final. It
was her 3rd Italian Open title.
China Won Uber Cup 2014
China won the Badmintons Uber Cup
2014 on 24 May. China successfully
defended its title by scoring an emphatic 31 win over Japan. It was Chinas 13th Uber
Cup title, the most by any team.Uber Cup
is often known as the World team
championship for womens badminton.

ECONOMY
RBI Allowed Minors Above 10 years To
Open Savings Bank Accounts
Minors above 10 years of age can open
and operate independently savings bank
account and use other facilities like ATM

40
and cheque books. The Reserve Bank on
6 May issued the guidelines allowing
minors to operate bank accounts
independently with a view to promote
financial inclusion and bring uniformity in
opening of such accounts in banks.
India Has 54 of Worlds Largest and
Most Powerful Public Companies
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries
Ltd (RIL) leads the pack of 54 Indian
companies on Forbes 11th annual list of
the worlds 2000 largest and most powerful
public companies. The list was released on
7 May. India has 54 of the worlds biggest
companies. RIL is ranked 135, with a
market value of $50.9 billion and $72.8
billion in sales as of May.
President of India Dedicates RUPAY
To The Nation
President Pranab Mukherjee has dedicated
RuPay Indias own card payment network
to the nation on 8 May. The system has
been developed by National Payment
Corporation Ltd (NPCL). RuPay is Indias
own card payment network just like Visa
and Master Card and provides an
alternative system for banks to provide
debit card service.
Nine Indian Firms In Forbes Most
Innovative Growth Companies List
Nine Indian firms have made it into the
Forbes list of the Worlds 100 most
innovative growth companies. New
Zealand software accounting firm Xero
topped the list. Among the nine Indian
companies, Godrej Consumer Products
leads the pack and was ranked 31st
globally with an enterprise value of $4.25
billion. The list was released on 22 May
2014.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India Successfully Test Fired Astra
Missile
India on 4 May successfully test-fired its
first indigenously-developed air-to-air
missile Astra from a Russian-built Sukhoi
Su-30MKI fighter jet over the Arabian Sea
off Goa. Astra is Indias first Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) Air-to-Air missile. It was
designed and developed indigenously by
the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) .
Shanthas Paediatric Pentavalent
Vaccine Prequalified By WHO
Paediatric pentavalent vaccine Shan5,
developed and manufactured by

Hyderabad based Shantha Biotechnics,

an affiliate of French pharmaceutical
company Sanofi, has regained
prequalification (PQ) status on 5 May from
the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This status qualifies the vaccine, which
provides protection for children against
diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib and
hepatitis B, for purchase by United Nations
agencies, governments and other
organisations.
Indian-Origin Scientist Vivek Reddy
Developed Leadless Pacemaker
The worlds first wireless pacemaker,
developed by Indian-origin scientist Dr
Vivek Reddy, Director of Arrhythmia
Services at The Mount Sinai Hospital in
New York. The device is only a few
centimeters in length, making it less than
ten per cent the size of a traditional
pacemaker.
Green Jet Fuel From Sunlight
Developed
A research project named Solar-Jet
funded by the European Union has
produced the worlds first jet fuel from
water and carbon dioxide.In the Solar-Jet
Project, researchers used concentrated
light-stimulated sunlight-to convert
carbondioxide and water to synthesis Gas
in a high temperature solar reactor
containing metal-oxide based material
developed at ETH Zurich.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Nabam Tuki Sworn In As CM of
Arunachal Pradesh For Second Term
Veteran Congress leader Nabam Tuk was
sworn in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal
Pradesh for the second consecutive term
at the Raj Bhavan in Itanagar on 18 May.
He is the 8th (seventh as person) Chief
Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
Jitan Ram Manjhi Sworn In As Bihar CM
Janata Dal (United) leader Jitan Ram
Manjhi was on 20 May sworn in as Bihars
23rd Chief Minister. Manjhi was SC/ST
welfare minister under former CM Nitish
Kumar who resigned owning responsibility
for the poor performance of JD (U) in the
parliamentary polls.
Naveen Patnaik Sworn In As 4th Time
CM in Odisha
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen
Patnaik was on 21 May sworn in as Odisha

chief minister for the fourth straight term.

He is the 14th Chief Minister of Odisha.
Naveen Patnaik won a huge victory in both
the 2014 Indian General Elections and the
Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections in
2014.
Anandiben Patel Sworn In As First
Woman Chief Minister of Gujarat
Anandiben Patel was sworn-in on 22 May
as Gujarats first woman and overall 15th
Chief Minister in a ceremony chaired by
state Governor Kamala Beniwal.
Anandiben Patel was appointed as the new
Chief Minister of Gujarat after Narendra
Modi resigned from the office on 21 May
2014.
Narendra Modi Sworn In As Indias 15th
Prime Minister
Narendra Damodardas Modi was sworn-in
as the 15th Prime Minister of India on 26
May 2014.The swearing-in ceremony was
held in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati
Bhawan and President Pranab Mukherjee
administered the oath of office and secrecy
to Modi and his council of ministers. 23
cabinet ministers, 10 Ministers of State
(MoS) with independent charge and 12
MoS took oath along with Narendra Modi.
With this Narendra Modis council of
ministers presently comprises of 45
ministers.
B)RESIGNS
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio
Resigned
Three-time Chief Minister of Nagaland
Neiphiu Rio on 23 May resigned from the
chair along with his council of ministers.
Neiphiu Rio, who has been chief minister
of Nagaland for over 11 years, tendered
his resignation following his landslide
victory in the 16th Lok Sabha polls.
C)DEATHS
Nobel Laureate Economist Gary Becker
Died
Gary Becker, whose work applying the
principles of economics to a wide range of
human behavior won the Nobel Prize in
1992, has died on 3 May in Chicago. He
was professor of economics and sociology
at the University of Chicago. American
economist, Becker received the Nobel
Prize in 1992 in economics for using
economics to analyse human behaviour
and interaction topics such as crime (why
people commit it), discrimination against
minorities and family life.
D)VISITORS

41
Turkmenistan President
Berdymukhamedov Visited China
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhamedov visited China from 11
14 May 2014. During his four day visit,
Berdymukhamedov met China Prime
Minister Li Keqiang in Beijing, capital of
China. Both nations signed a number of
deals to develop a stronger strategic
partnership. The two heads of states also
witnessed the signing of several
cooperation agreements in areas such as
natural gas, agriculture, transportation,
finance, culture and local exchanges.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
11 Year Old Boy In UK with Higher IQ
Than Einstein Joins Mensa
An 11-year-old boy in the UK has achieved
the highest possible score of 162 on a
Mensa IQ test, making him brainier than
physicist Albert Einstein. Ramarni Wilfred,
of Loom Grove, Romford, took the Mensa
IQ test at Birbeck University and achieved
a score of 162. Although Einstein never
took an IQ test as none of the modern
intelligence tests existed during the course
of his life, experts believe he had an IQ of
around 160.

PLACES IN NEWS
Worlds Highest Railway Tunnel Opens
In China
The worlds highest tunnel for high-speed
trains in northwest China at an altitude of
3,607.4 metres became operational on 1
May. The 16.3-km-long was completely
linked up, operationalising the line linking
Gansu Province and Xinjiang provinces.
With altitudes of up to 3,607.4 metres, the
tunnel passes through the Qilian
Mountains with two sections and a bridge.
The construction of the highest tunnel
started in 2009.

ABBREVIATIONS
AGOC - Asian Games Organisation
Committee
FIPB - Foreign Investment
Promotion Board
UNESCO United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization

AAPI - Asian Americans and Pacific

Islanders

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

COMMITTEES
P. J Nayak Committee For Diluting Govt
Stake In Public Sector Banks To Below
50 percent
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
committee report has recommended on 13
May that the government should divest its
stake in state-owned banks to less than
50%, allow private equity houses to own
40% in distressed banks, and strip
managers of private sector banks of their
bonuses and Esops if they are caught
ever-greening sticky loans. The report
covers 27 state-controlled lenders. The
committee was led by P. Jayendra Nayak,
the former chief executive of Axis Bank
Ltd. and former India country head of
Morgan Stanley.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

Anti-Terrorism Day Observed Across
India On 21 May
Anti-Terrorism Day observed Across India
on 21 May 2014. The day is celebrated as
23rd Death Anniversary of former Prime
Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.The day is
marked by a pledge taking ceremony
among other activities.The objective
behind the observance of Anti-Terrorism
Day is to wean away the people from
terrorism and violence. On the occasion,
debates, discussions, symposia, seminars,
lectures, etc. are held in schools, colleges
and universities on the dangers of
terrorism and violence.The Day is
observed to generate awareness in the

country among all sections of people,

about the danger of terrorism.
World Press Freedom Day Observed
Across The World
World Press Freedom Day was observed
on 3 May 2014 across the world. The
theme of 2014 year is: Media Freedom for
a Better Future: Shaping the post-2015
Development Agenda.The focus this year
is on three inter-related themes: the
medias importance in development; the
safety of journalists and the rule of law;
and the sustainability and integrity of
journalism.
JUNE 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS STUDY
MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
US President Proposed 1 billion dollar
Plan For Eastern Europe
The US President Barack Obama on 3
June proposed a 1 billion US dollar (about
730 million Euros) US security plan for
Eastern Europe to finance extra US troop
and military deployments to new allies in
Eastern Europe.
Reuven Rivlin Is Elected Israels 10th
President
Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin, Knesset member of
Likud Party, was on 10 June 2014 elected
as 10th president of Israel. Reuven Rivlin
has defeated a long-time MP Meir Sheetrit
by 63 to 53 in a secret run-off ballot. He will
succeed Shimon Peres. Rivlin will sworn-in
on 24 July 2014.
Russia Cuts Off Gas Supplies To
Ukraine
Russia on 16 June cut off all gas supplies
to Ukraine over the due payment. Energy
Minister of Ukraine Yuri Prodan confirmed
that the Gas supplies to Ukraine have been
reduced to zero.After a while, both
Gazprom and Naftogaz filed lawsuits
against each other at the International
Council Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) in
Stockholm.
Sri Lanka and Seychelles Signed Six
Agreements
Sri Lanka and Seychelles on 28 June
signed six Memoranda of Understanding
(MoUs) with a view of further integrating
and deepening the existing relationship
between the two countries.The six
agreements were signed between Sri
Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and
President of Seychelles, James Michael in
the capital, Victoria.

42

INDIA & WORLD

EU lifts Drug Export Ban From
Ranbaxys Toansa Plant
The European health regulator, on 5 June,
lifted the suspension imposed on export of
drugs produced at the Ranbaxys Toansa
plant to the EU, stating medicines
produced at the site posed no risk to public
health despite having a number of
manufacturing deficiencies. The European
Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that
assessment of reported non-compliance
with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)
at Ranbaxy Laboratories at Toansa, India
has been finalised by the European
regulatory authorities.
India Becomes Permanent Signatory To
Washington Accord
India has on 13 June become a permanent
Signatory to Washington Accord (WA),
which will enable global recognition of
Indian degrees in engineering and
technical education. With India becoming
the permanent signatory, India joined a
select group of 17 countries who are
permanent signatories of the Washington
Accord (WA).
India and Russia Bilateral Talks
In the first high-level interaction between
India and Russia after Narendra Modi
Government took over at the Centre,
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry
O Rogozin on 18 June discussed crucial
bilateral issues, including matters related to
trade and energy security. Besides issues
related to economic cooperation and
energy security, the deal for the third and
fourth reactors of Koodankulam Nuclear
Power Plant (KNPP) also figured in the
talks.
India Relaxes Visa Norms For
Bangladeshi Nationals
India has relaxed visa rules for a category
of Bangladeshi nationals planning to cross
into its borders.This was decided in a
meeting between Indias external affairs
minister Sushma Swaraj and her
Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan
Mahmood Ali in Dhaka on 26 June 2014.

NATIONAL
Narendra Modi Scrapped Four Standing
Committees of Cabinet
Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India

on 10 June decided to discontinue four

Standing Committees of the Cabinet. The
discontinued standing committees included
Cabinet Committee on Management of
Natural Calamities, Cabinet Committee on
Prices, Cabinet Committee on World Trade
Organisation Matters and Cabinet
Committee on Unique Identification
Authority of India related issues.
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojana To
Be Launched
To boost agricultural yield, the Union
Agriculture Ministry is going to launch
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojana in
the country. The statement was announced
by Union Agriculture Minister Radha
Mohan Singh on 14 June . The motive of
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sinchai Yojana will
be to take irrigation water to each and
every agricultural field in the country.
Union Government Reconstituted Six
Cabinet Committees
Union Government on 19 June
reconstituted six important Cabinet
Committees of these four will be headed by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
remaining two by Home Minister Rajnath
Singh. The six Cabinet Committees include
Security, Political Affairs, Parliamentary
Affairs, Economic Affairs, Accommodation
and Appointments.
India To Be Land Degradation Neutral
By 2030
Government of India on 17 June
announced an ambitious programme to
combat the challenge and make the
country Land Degradation Neutral by
2030.Environment Minister Prakash
Javadekar explained that the objective of
the land degradation neutrality is to
maintain or improve the condition of land
resources through the sustainable
management of soil, water and
biodiversity.

years.The cabinet also raised the upper

age limit for youths to obtain government
jobs from 37 to 40 years.
Tamilnadu Chief Minister Launched
Amma Salt
Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil
Nadu on 11 June launched Amma Salt, a
product of Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation
limited (TNSC) under the State Industries
Department.
Gujarat CM Announces 33 Percent
Quota For Women In Police Force
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on
24 June announced 33 percent reservation
for women in the police force. With this
announcement, the women of the state can
enjoy 33 percent reservation in new
recruitment in the police force.

CONFERENCES
G77 plus China Summit Held In Bolivia
The Group of 77 (G77) plus China summit
was held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on 15
June 2014. More than 100 delegations of
the G77 block attended the summit,
presided over by Bolivian President Evo
Morales. The summit concluded with the
adoption of a declaration calling for a new
world order that is equitable, stable and
peaceful. With the theme of New World
Order for Living Well, the two-day summit
also marks the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the G77, which has grown
into a coalition of 133 UN developing
member states.The G77, the largest
intergovernmental organization of
developing countries, is aimed at
promoting collective economic interests
and gaining leverage within the
international community.

AWARDS & HONOURS

STATES
Telangana Becomes Indias 29th State
Telangana became the 29th State of India
with Hyderabad as its capital on 2 June
2014. With this formation, ten districts of
the then Andhra Pradesh will now become
a part of the Telangana.
Retirement Age of J&K Govt.
Employees Raised To 60
The Jammu & Kashmir government on 3
June enhanced the retirement age of
government employees from 58 to 60

RGIA gets ACI award

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
(RGIA), operated and managed by GMR
Group, has become the first Indian airport
to be awarded the ACI Director Generals
Roll of Excellence accolade. The award
recognises the airports ranking among the
worlds top three airports for five
consecutive years in the ACI Airport
Service Quality (ASQ) survey.
IGI Named Worlds Second Best Airport
For Service Quality

43
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) of
Delhi was ranked as second best airport in
the world in service quality among airports
that handle 25 to 40 million passengers per
annum (MPPA). For this achievement, IGI
received Airport Service Quality (ASQ)
Award by Airport Council International
(ACI) in South Korea. IGI received the
ASQ award for third time in row. Apart from
this, IGI was placed at sixth position
among the best airport in the world against
fourth in 2013.
Indian-Origin Physicist Tejinder Virdee
Awarded Honorary Knighthood
Indian-origin physicist Tejinder Virdee has
been awarded with an honorary knighthood
by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 June. He was
awarded for his work on the Higgs Boson
theory. Professor Virdee is one of the
creators of the Compact Muon Solenoid
(CMS) Experiment. The CMS experiment
is a part of the Large Hadron Collider at
CERN in Geneva.

Open on 8 June 2014 by defeating

Serbias Novak Djokovic in the final. This
was Nadals 9th singles title win at the
French Open .

the report , India had 1.75 lakh millionaire

households in 2013 which ranks it as the
15th in the world in terms of countries with
highest number of millionaire households.

Daniel Ricciardo Won The Canadian

Formula One Grand Prix
Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo of
Australia won the Canadian Grand Prix on
8 June in Montreal. This was the first GP
win for Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and
Mercedes was beaten for the first time in
this season.

World Bank Lowered Growth Forecast

For Developing World To 4.8 percent
The World Bank on 11 June released
Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report
and revised down the economic growth
forecast for developing world in 2014 to 4.8
percent from 5.3 percent estimated in
January 2014. It also highlighted that the
growth in 2015 and 2016 at 5.4 and 5.5
percent, respectively.

Netherlands Won Womens Hockey

World Cup 2014
Netherlands won the 2014 edition of
Womens Hockey World Cup after
defeating Australia 2-0 in the final at the
Kyocera Stadium in The Hague
(Netherlands) on 14 June. This is
Netherlands seventh title.

Noted Hindi Poet Kedar Nath Singh

Selected For Jnanpith Award 2013
Noted Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh on 20
June 2014 was chosen for the prestigious
Jnanpith award for 2013. He is the 10th
Hindi writer to receive the honour and joins
the likes of Sumitra Nandan Pant,
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar among others. He
will be the recipient of 49th Jnanpith award.

Pankaj Advani Won IBSF 6-Red World

Snooker Championship
Indian player Pankaj Advani created
history by becoming the first player in the
world to win world titles in the long and
shorter formats of both billiards and
snooker by pocketing the IBSF World 6Red snooker Championship on 29 June in
Sharm el-Sheikh, Eygpt. Advani defeated
Polands Kacper Flilpiak in the final to win
his first 6-Red World title and ninth overall.

SPORTS & GAMES

ECONOMY

Kolkata Knight Riders Won IPL 2014

Title
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 1
June 2014 won the seventh edition of
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 by
defeating Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by three
wickets in the final played at Chinnaswamy
Stadium, Bangalore. This is the second
title triumph for KKR after their maiden win
back in 2012. Chennai Super Kings Mohit
Sharma won the Purple Cap while KXIPs
Akshar Patel took the Emerging Player
honour.

RBI Announced Second Bi-Monthly

Monetary Policy Statement
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
announced second Bi-Monthly Monetary
Policy Statement on 3 June. RBI in its
second bi-monthly monetary policy
statement has kept the policy rates
unchanged. RBI Governor Raghuram G
Rajan announced that the apex bank has
kept the policy repo rate under the liquidity
adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 8.0
per cent. The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of
scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 percent
of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
The reverse repo rate under the LAF
remained unchanged at 7.0 percent and
the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate
and the Bank Rate at 9.0 percent.

French Open Tennis Tournament

Winners 2014
Womens Singles :- Maria Sharapova of
Russia won womens singles title of French
Open 2014. She defeated Romanias
Simona Halep in the final at Roland
Garros, Paris on 7 June 2014. This was
Sharapovas second French Open singles
title and fifth grand slam singles title.
Mens Singles :- Spains Rafael Nadal
won the mens singles title of 2014 French

India Ranks 15th with 175,000

Millionaire Households
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) latest
report titled 14th Annual Study of the
Global Wealth-Management Industry was
released on 10 June 2014. According to

India Became Home To 1.56 lakh

Millionaires In 2013
According to the World Wealth Report
2014, released by Capgemini and RBC
Wealth Management on 20 June, India
became home to 1.56 lakh millionaires with
3,000 more joining the elite club in 2013,
making the country 16th most populous in
terms of population of super-rich people
worldwide.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Astronomers Discovered New Planet
Mega-Earth
US Astronomers from HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA)
have discovered a new type of rocky planet
beyond the solar system that weighs more
than 17 times as much as Earth while
being just over twice the size. The socalled mega-Earth circles a very old star
called Kepler-10, which is located about
560 light-years away from Earth in the
constellation Draco.
Two New Planets Orbiting Ancient Star
Discovered
Scientists have discovered two new
planets orbiting an ancient star near our
Sun and one of them may have liquid
water on its surface, a key ingredient to
support life. Researchers explained one of
the planets, called Kapteyn b, is orbiting
the star at the right distance to allow liquid
water to exist on its surface.The second
planet, Kapteyn c is a more massive superEarth in comparison. Kapteyns Star is the
25th nearest star to the Sun only 13 light
years away from Earth.
PM Narendra Modi Dedicates INS
Vikramaditya To The Nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 June
dedicated Indias largest warship aircraft
carrie INS Vikramaditya to the nation.

44
During his visit to warship INS Vikramadtya
off Goa coast in Arabian Sea, the Prime
Minister was given a ceremonial guard of
honour by the Navy and was briefed about
the warship.

India.BL Joshi a retired Indian Police

Service (IPS) officer was serving Uttar
Pradesh as governor since 2009.

ISRO Successfully Launches PSLV-C23

Rocket carrying Five Foreign Satellites
ISRO(Indian Space Research
Organisation)s Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV)-C23 was launched on 30
June 2014 from Satish Dhawan Space
Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The PSLV C23 carried five satellites
belonging to four countries namely France,
Germany, Canada and Singapore.All these
five satellites were launched under
commercial arrangements that ANTRIX
(ISROs commercial arm) has entered with
the respective foreign agencies.

Union Rural Development Minister

Gopitnath Munde Died
Union Rural Development Minister,
Gopinath Munde died in a road accident in
Delhi. Munde was sworn-in as the Cabinet
Minister for Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water
and Sanitation and Rural Development on
26 May 2014.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Sumitra Mahajan Elected As Speaker Of
16th Lok Sabha
Veteran BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan was
6 June unanimously elected Speaker of the
16th Lok Sabha, becoming the second
woman to occupy the prestigious position
after her predecessor Meira Kumar.

C)DEATHS
ABBREVIATIONS

D)VISITORS
China Foreign Minister Wang Yi Visited
India
China Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited
India from 8 9 June 2014. During his two
day visit, he met Union External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi and
discussed a wide range of issues related to
trade, economy, border and people to
people exchanges. In the visit Wang also
met President Pranab Mukherjee and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 June
2014. This was the first contact between
the two governments after the Indian
general election and after the Narendra
Modi-led National Democratic Alliance
government assumed office.
E)MISCELLANEOUS

Ranjit Kumar Takes Charge As Solicitor

General of India
Senior Supreme Court advocate Ranjit
Kumar took charge as Solicitor-General of
India on 9 June. He replaced senior
advocate Mohan Parasaran, who had
tendered his resignation in May 2014 after
the formation of a new government at the
Centre.
Mukul Rohatgi Is New Attorney General
of India
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi on 19 June
took charge as the new Attorney General
(AG) of India and will have a tenure of
three years. Rohatgi had also served as an
Additional Solicitor General during previous
NDA regime.

Dhoni Only Indian In Forbes List Of

Worlds 100 Highest Paid Athletes
Indian cricket team captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni is the lone Indian sportsman
to figure on Forbes list of worlds 100
highest paid athletes. The list is being been
topped by American boxer Floyd
Mayweather and includes golfer Tiger
Woods and tennis stars Roger Federer and
Rafael Nadal. Dhoni is ranked 22nd on the
list with total earnings of USD 30 million
and endorsements worth USD 26
million.His salary and winnings total USD
four million as of June 2014.

PLACES IN NEWS
B)RESIGNS
Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi
Resigned
Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi was
resigned from his post on 17 June. Joshi
who was serving the state as its Governor
for second term sent his resignation to
Pranab Mukherjee, the President of

paints a grim picture for the rest of the

state as well.

Mumbai Is Noisiest City In The World

Mumbai is hostage to air and water
pollution at dangerous levels, and is
probably the noisiest city in the world,
ahead of Delhi and Kolkata. Maharashtras
economic survey, released a day before
World Environment Day (On June 5 2014),

FIFA Federation International de

Football Association
RGIA Rajiv Gandhi International
Airport
UNEP United Nations Environment
Programme
KNPP Kundankulam Nuclear Power
Plant
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India

BOOKS IN NEWS
Prime Minister Modi Launches Book
Titled Getting India Back on Track An
Action Agenda For Reform
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 June
released a book titled Getting India Back
on Track An Action Agenda For Reform
edited by Bibek Debroy, Ashley J. Tellis &
Reece Trevor .

COMMITTEES
Saumitra Chaudhuri Committee
Suggest Cess Levy On Petrol and
Diesel
A Government panel headed by former
Planning Commission member Saumitra
Chaudhuri has suggested levying cess
amounting to 75 paise a litre on petrol and
diesel in order to cover the cost of
upgrading refineries across the country to
produce higher grade of auto fuel for the
future in other words achieve Bharat
Stage (BS) V level norms by the year 2020
which comes to around Rs 80,000 crore.
The Chaudhuri panel had recently
submitted its report titled Auto Fuel Vision
and Policy 2025 to the MoPNG.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

45
World Blood Donor Day Observed On
14 June 2014
World Blood Donor Day was observed
across the world on 14 June 2014. Theme
for the years World Blood Day campaign is
Safe blood for saving mothers.The goal of
the campaign is to increase awareness
about why timely access to safe blood and
blood related products is essential for all
countries as part of a comprehensive
approach to prevent maternal deaths.
According to World Health Organization,
every year around 800 women dies due to
pregnancy or childbirth-related
complications. The major cause for
mortality, morbidity and long-term disability
is severe bleeding during delivery and after
childbirth.
World Day Against Child Labour
Observed On 12 June 2014
World Day Against Child Labour was
observed across the world on 12 June
2014. For the year 2014 the theme is
Extend social protection: combat child
labour.Each year on 12 June, this Day
brings together governments, employers
and workers organizations, civil society, as
well as millions of people from around the
world to highlight the plight of child
labourers and what can be done to help
them.
JULY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS STUDY
MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
Pakistans Approves Protection of
Pakistan Bill 2014
Pakistans National Assembly on 2 July
passed the Protection of Pakistan Bill
(PPB) 2014. Following the National
Assemblys approval, the PPB will now be
applicable for a period of two years.
Japan Eased Sanctions Against North
Korea
The Japanese government has decided to
eased several sanctions against North
Korea on 3 July.The decision was taken in
response to North Korea reopening the
investigation to probe decades-old
kidnappings of Japanese nationals.
U.S and E.U Announced Tougher
Sanctions Against Russia
The United States and the European Union
(EU) have significantly strengthened
sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, with
Washington for the first time directly
targeting Russias banking, military, and
energy sectors.U.S. President Barack

Obama announced the new sanctions on

16 July.
Bolivia Becomes First Nation To
Legalise Child Labour
Bolivia has become the first country to
legalise child labour after a law was signed
by Vice- President Alvaro Garcia Linera on
17 July 2014.The bill was approved by
Bolivian Congress in June 2014.

INDIA & WORLD

India and Canada Signed Audiovisual
Co-production Treaty
India and Canada have signed an IndiaCanada Audiovisual Co-production Treaty
that aims to create jobs in both countries
and boost tourism.This audiovisual treaty is
the first of its kind for India and was signed
in Delhi.The treaty came into force on 1
July 2014.
India Becomes Worlds Largest
Consumer of Antibiotics
According to the Global Trends in
Antibiotic Consumption, 2000-2010,study
report released on 14 July, India has
emerged as the worlds largest consumer
of antibiotics with a 62% increase in
popping habits over the last decade.
India Slips 10 Positions On Global
Innovation Index 2014
India slipped 10 notches on the Global
Innovation Index (GII) 2014. India fell from
the 66th position to the 76th on the index.
Switzerland topped the GII rankings like
2013 while the UK took the second
position. The annual rankings are jointly
published by Cornell University, INSEAD,
and the World Intellectual Property
Organisation on 18 July 2014.
India Ranked 135 In Human
Development Index 2014
The United Nations Development
Programmes (UNDP) 2014 Human
Development Report was released on 24
July in Tokyo. A UN study ranked India at
135 out of 187 countries in terms of Human
Development Index (HDI). Indias HDI
value for 2013 is 0.586 . Between 1980 to
2013, Indias HDI value increased from
0.369 to 0.586 .

NATIONAL

CCEA Approved Inclusion Of Onion and

Potato Under Essential Commodities
Act, 1955
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) on 2 July 2014 approved
the inclusion of onion and potato under the
purview of stock holding limits under the
Essential Commodities Act 1955. The
inclusion will remain in force for a year.
Number of Child Labourers In India Has
Declined
The Union government on 7 July
announced the number of working children
in the age group of 5-14 has declined in
the country. The total number of working
children in the country has declined from
1.26 crore as per Census 2001 to 43.53
lakh as per Census 2011.
President Gave Assent To National
Institute of Design Bill- 2014
The National Institute of Design Bill, which
will permit the institute to award degrees to
students, has now become an Act with
President Pranab Mukherjee giving his
assent. The President gave his assent to
the National Institute of Design Bill, 2014,
on 17 July 2014. The bill was passed by
the Rajya Sabha on 7 July 2014, it was
vetted by the Lok Sabha on 9 July 2014.
The Ahmedabad-based institute, which has
a branch in Gandhinagar and also a
satellite centre in Bangalore, will now be an
institute of national importance.
Employment Rises 34% To 12.7 crore In
8 years To 2013
According to the Sixth Economic Census
report released on 30 July, the number of
employed persons in the country grew by
34.35 percent to 12.77 crore in eight years
to 2013.

STATES
PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates 240 MW
Uri-II Hydropower Project In J&K
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 July
inaugurated the 240 megawatt Uri-II
hydropower project in the mountains of
Jammu and Kashmir. The Uri-II project is
the second power project on the Jhelum
River in Uri area and is close to the Line of
Control (LoC) in Baramullah district of the
state.
Assam Decided To Implement National
Food Security Act
Assam Government has decided to
implement National Food Security Act from
1 September 2014. The decision to

46
implement the Act in the state was taken
on 14 July at a meeting of senior officials of
Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer
Affairs Department convened by Chief
Minister Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati. During
the meeting, the state government also
decided to bring onions and potatoes in the
list of essential commodities to curb
hoarding.
CMSA Scheme Launched In Meghalaya
For Widows and Pensioners
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma
on 23 July launched a mass enrolment
drive under the Chief Ministers Social
Assistance (CMSA) Scheme for widows
and persons with disabilities at
Patharkhmah in Ri Bhoi District in
Meghalaya. Each beneficiary shall be
given a financial assistance of 500 rupees
per month under the scheme.
Tamil Nadu Govt To Issue Industrial
Licences Online
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on
23 July announced that the process of
issuing licenses to the new industries will
be done online henceforth. The step was
taken in order to simplify the process
involved for registration of new industries in
the state.

CONFERENCES
Sixth BRICS Summit 2014 Held In
Brazil
The 6th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa) summit was held
in Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 16 July 2014.
The theme of the summit was Inclusive
growth: sustainable solutions . At the end
of the summit, the participating countries
jointly issued the Fortaleza Declaration.
The $100 billion development bank
launched during the summit in Fortaleza is
aimed at funding infrastructure projects in
developing nations. The bank will be called
the New Development Bank (NDB), a
name suggested by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Shah Rukh Khan Received Knight Of
The Legion Of Honor
Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan was
conferred with top French civilian award
Knight of the Legion of Honor (National
Order of the Legion of Honour) on 1 July

for his outstanding contribution to cultural

diversity across the world.
Indian Mathematician Named Joint
Winner Of 2014 George Polya Prize
Nikhil Srivastava, a young Indian
mathematician, on 10 July became the first
joint winner of the prestigious 2014
George Polya Prize for finding a solution
to a problem that had eluded
mathematicians for more than half a
century.
Environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt
Received Gandhi Peace Prize 2013
Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist
Chandi Prasad Bhatt on 15 July was
awarded with the prestigious Gandhi
Peace prize for 2013. He was awarded by
the President of India Pranab Mukherjee at
a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New
Delhi.
2014 Ramon Magsaysay Awards
Announced
The prestigious Ramon Magsaysay
Awards for year 2014 were announced on
31 July and it included six winners.
Education is a big theme in this years
awards, with two individuals who have
dedicated their lives to educating
indigenous communities a Filipino and an
Indonesian and a Pakistani organization
that builds schools for girls, among the 6
awardees. The 2014 Awardees are:i) Saur Marlina Manurung (Indonesia)
ii) Randy Halasan (The Philippines)
iii) Hu Shuli (China) iv) Omara Khan
Masoudi (Afghanistan)
v) Wang Canfa (China)
vi) The Citizen Foundation (Pakistan)

SPORTS & GAMES

Russian Federation Friendship Order
Awards To Anand and Gelfand
Chess greats Viswanathan Anand (India)
and Boris Gelfand (Israel) have been
selected for the Russian Federations
Order of Friendship award, according to a
FIDE release on 4 July.
Lewis Hamilton Won British Grand Prix
2014
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of British
has won the British Grand Prix 2014 title
on 6 July.This was Hamiltons 27th career
victory, his fifth of the season.
Germany Won 2014 FIFA Football World
Cup
Germany created history by winning the

FIFA World Cup 2014 on 13 July 2014 at

the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Germany defeated Argentina by 10. With this win, Germany lifted the trophy
for the fourth time in the history of FIFA
world Cup and first since 1990. The
following awards were given at the
conclusion of the tournament :* Golden Ball Lionel Messi of Argentina
* Golden Boot James Rodriguez of
Colombia
* Golden Glove Manuel Neuer of
Germany
* Best Young Player Paul Pogba of
France
* FIFA Fair Play Trophy Colombia
Daniel Ricciardo Won 2014 Hungarian
F1 Grand Prix 2014
Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo of Australia
won the Hungarian Formula One (F1)
Grand Prix on 27 July. Fernando Alonso
(Spain) claimed the second spot for his
Ferrari team while Mercedes Lewis
Hamilton (Great Britain) won the third
place.

ECONOMY
Bill Gates Is Wealthiest Living US
Entrepreneur
According to the Wealth-x, Microsoft
founder Bill Gates is the wealthiest living
US entrepreneur, with an estimated net
worth of US$ 80.2 billion.The list of 10
billionaires was released on 2 July
dominated by technopreneurs as six of
them made their fortunes from technology
or technology-related businesses.
Eight Indian Companies In Fortune 500
List
Eight Indian companies, led by state-run
IOC, have made it to the latest Fortune
Global 500 list of worlds biggest firms
which has been topped by US-based
retailer Wal-Mart after a gap of two years.
Union Railway Budget 2014-15
Union Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda
Gowda on 8 July 2014 presented his first
Railway Budget in Parliament.This is the
first rail budget presented by any Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) minister and it is also
Sadanand Gowdas first rail budget.
Highlights From Railway Budget 201415 :* No new increase in passenger fares and
freight charges.
* Next generation e-Ticketing system,
capable of supporting 7200 tickets per
minute as against 2000 tickets per minute

47
and allow 1,20,000 simultaneous users at
any point in time, will help in the revamp of
railway reservation System.
* Railway Ministry will develop 10 major
stations in the country to global
standards.It will provide Wi-Fi in A-1 and A
category stations and in select trains.
* Office-on-wheels: Internet and
workstation facilities on select trains
* Paperless office of Indian railways in 5
years. Digital reservation charts at stations
* Women RPF Constables to escort ladies
coaches; 4,000 women constables to be
inducted
* 17000 Railway Protection Force (RPF)
constables to provide safety to passengers
* Setting up of Railway University for
technical and non-technical subjects, tie-up
with technical institutions
* Indian Railways need around Rs 40,000
crore improving rail safety. Rs 1785 crore
will be provided for road under bridges and
over bridges.Ultra sonic devices to detect
rail fractures and automatic closing of
doors both in mainline & suburban coaches
are being considered.
* Cleanliness budget up by 40 pc over last
year
* Private investment in Rail Infrastructure
through Domestic and Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI)
* FDI in railway projects, except in
operations
* FDI, domestic investments in rail
infrastructure
* Per capita contribution to Staff Benefit
Fund increased from Rs.500 to Rs.800.
* Loss per passenger per kilometre up from
10% in 2000-01 to 23% in 2012-13
High Speed Rail Network and Bullet
Trains:* Bullet trains will be introduced in the
Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector.
* Diamond Quadrilateral network of high
speed rail linking major metros and growth
centres is being worked out.
* Increasing train speeds between several
cities to 160-200 km/hour. Railways will
spend Rs 100 crore for high speed trains
between metros.The government needs Rs
9 lakh crore for funding Diamond
Quadrilateral.
New Trains In Rail Budget:- 5
Jansadharan Trains, 5 Premium Trains, 6
AC express trains, 27 express trains, 8
passenger trains, 2 MEMU services and 5
DEMU will be introduced this year. Special
trains to meet the holiday and festival rush
would continue to operate.
Economic Survey of India 2013-14
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on 9
July presented Economic Survey of India
2013-14 in the Lok Sabha.
Following are the highlights of the
Economic Survey Report 2013-14 :-

* Economy to grow in the range of 5.4

5.9 per cent in 2014-15 overcoming sub-5
percent growth.
* Aided by favourable monsoons,
agricultural and allied sector registered a
growth of 4.7 per cent in 2013-14.
* The Indias balance-of-payments position
improved dramatically in 2013-14 with
current account deficit at US $ 32.4 billion
as against US$ 88.2 billion in 2012-13.
* Indias foreign exchange reserves
increased from US$ 292.0 billion at end
March 2013 to US$ 304.2 billion at end
march 2014.
* World trade volume which decelerated to
2.8 per cent in 2012 has shown signs of
recovery in 2013, albeit slow with a 3.0 per
cent growth.
* The sharp fall in imports and moderate
export growth in 2013-14 resulted in a
sharp fall in India`s trade deficit by 27.8 per
cent.
* Record food grains and oilseeds
production of 264.4 million tonnes (mt) and
32.4 mt is estimated in 2013-14.
* The latest gross domestic product (GDP)
estimates show that industry grew by just
1.0 per cent in 2012-13 and slowed further
in 2013-14, posting a modest increase of
0.4 per cent.
* India ranked 12th in terms of services
GDP in 2012 among the worlds top 15
countries in terms of GDP (at current
prices).
* In 2013-14, FDI inflows to the services
sector (top five sectors including
construction) declined sharply by 37.6 per
cent to US$ 6.4 billion compared to an
overall growth in FDI inflows at 6.1 per cent
resulting in the share of the top five
services in total FDI falling to nearly onesixth.
* According to HDR 2013, India has
slipped down in HDI with its overall global
ranking at 136 (out of the 186 countries) as
against 134 (out of 187 countries) as per
HDR 2012. It is still in the medium human
development category.
Union Budget 2014-15
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on 10
July 2014 presented Union Budget 201415.
Highlights of the Union Budget 201415:* The tax bracket has been increased to
2.5 lakh rupees from previous 2 lakh
rupees, whereas, for senior citizen it has
been raised to 3 lakh rupees from previous
2.5 lakh rupees
* Tax relief for interest on housing loan
rose from 1.5 lakh rupees to 2 lakh rupees
* Deduction under 80C increased from 1
lakh rupees to 1.5 lakh rupees
* 1000 crore rupees proposed for
Pradhanmantri Krishi Seechai Yojana to

improve irrigation facility

* 14389 crore rupees announced for
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna,
PMGSY
* 100 crore rupees allotted for Beti bachaobeti padhao yojna
* Minimum pension of 1000 rupees to meet
the expenditure to all subscribers of EPFO
scheme
* 50000 crore rupees for SC/ST schemes
* FDI cap in Defence sector has been
raised to 49 percent
* The finance minister in the budget
announced steps for sustained growth of 78 percent within the next three-four years
* PSU 247944 crore capex to create
industrial cycle
* Shyama Prassad Mukherjee Rozgar
mission to be launched
* Excise duty on footwear reduced from 12
percent to 6 percent
* Excise duty concessions to continue till
31 December 2014
* No change in surcharge
* No change in Direct Tax rates
* War Memorial will be set up at Princess
Park, New Delhi
* Composite cap on FDI in insurance
proposed to be raised to 49 percent from
26 percent
* 15 Model Rural Health Research centers
for rural health issues.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NASA Launched Orbiting Carbon
Observatory-2 Satellite
U.S. space agency NASA on 2 July
launched Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
(OCO-2),a satellite designed to track
carbon dioxide (CO2) which is responsible
for global warming. The satellite was
launched aboard Delta 2 rocket from
Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California.OCO-2 is the first of its kind
mission of NASA dedicated to study the
atmospheric carbon dioxide over several
seasons.
Indias First Indigenous Anti-Submarine
Warship INS Kamrota Handed Over To
Indian Navy
Indias first indigenous anti-submarine
warship (ASW) Indian Naval Ship (INS)
Kamorta was handed over to Indian Navy
on 12 July. INS Kamrota is the first in its
class of four ASW corvettes being built by
GRSE under Project-28 for the Navy.
Indias Indigenously Built Research
Ship Sindhu Sadhna Launched
Indias first ever indigenously built research
ship Sindhu Sadhna was launched and

48
dedicated to the nation on 13 July. Minister
of State in the Prime Ministers Office
Jitendra Singh dedicated Sindhu Sadhana
to the nation at Marmugao Harbour of Goa.

irregularities in the purchase of 12

helicopters meant for VVIP use from
AgustaWestland, an Anglo-Italian defence
manufacturer.

Worlds Largest Aquatic Insect

Discovered In China
In the month of July 2014 the worlds
largest flying aquatic insect has been
discovered in China.This was found in the
the mountains of Chengdu in Chinas
Sichuan province.It boasts a wingspan of
8.3 inches.That breaks the previous record
held by a species of South American
helicopter damselfly, with a wingspan of
7.5 inches.

C)DEATHS
Veteran Actress Zohra Sehgal Died
Veteran actor Zohra Sehgal, who acted in
Bollywood classics and Doctor Who
adventures, died on 10 July in New
Delhi.She was called as the grand old
lady of Bollywood. In 2010, Zohra was
awarded with the Padma Vibhshan. She
was also a recipient of other two of Indias
four civilian awards Padma Shri (1998),
Padma Bhushan (2002).

BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China And

South Africa
NASA National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
AIIMS All India Institute of Medical
Sciences
CRAC Cyber Regulation Advisory
Council
FIPB Foreign Investment Promotion
Board
NABARD National Bank for Agricultural
and Rural Development

D)VISITORS
PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Sujit Choudhry Became The First
Indian-American Dean of Top US Law
School
Sujit Choudhry, an international
constitutional law expert, has become the
first Indian- American Dean of the Berkeley
School of Law of the University of
California , one of the major law schools in
the US.
Om Prakash Kohli Sworn In As Gujarat
Governor
Om Prakash Kohli took oath of office as
Governor of Gujarat on 16 July.His oath of
the office and secrecy was administered by
Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court
Bhaskar Bhattacharya.
Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya
Sworn In As Nagaland Governor
Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya was
sworn in as the 19th governor of Nagaland
on 19 July. Acharya has been given the
additional charge of Tripura also.
Ram Naik Sworn-In As UP Governor
Senior BJP leader and former Union
Minister Ram Naik was sworn-in as the
27th Governor of Uttar Pradesh on 22 July.
Ram Naik was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan
by Allahabad High Court Chief Justice D.Y.
Chandrachud.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Visited Brazil
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Visited Brazil to attend the 6th BRICS
Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil from 15 16
July 2014. During the visit , Prime Minister
Narendra modi met with other leaders of
BRICS nation. In the visit, India and Brazil
decided to expand trade and investment
flows while deepening collaboration in the
fields of renewable energy, defence and
cyber security as they signed three pacts
including one on cooperation in the
environment sector.

Coffee-Table Book On President Titled

First Citizen : Pranab Mukherjee In
Rashtrapati Bhavan Released
A coffee-table book titled First Citizen:
Pranab Mukherjee in Rashtrapati Bhavan
was released on 2 July at a function in
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The
books first copy was received by Pranab
Mukherjee, the President of India. The
book has been published by The Week
Magazine.

E)MISCELLANEOUS
Mahatma Gandhis Bust Unveiled In
South Korean City
The first ever bust of Mahatma Gandhi, the
apostle of non-violence, has been
inaugurated in the South Korean
metropolis of Busan on 21 July.

PLACES IN NEWS
Pakistan Declares Dilip Kumars
Ancestral Home as National Heritage
Pakistan on 11 July declares the ancestral
home of veteran Bollywood actor Dilip
Kumar as National Heritage. The house,
located in Peshawars Qisa Khawani
Bazaar area, will be converted into a
museum.

B)RESIGNS
Goa Governor B V Wanchoo Resigned
Goa Governor BV Wanchoo resigned from
his post on 4 July. He was questioned by
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
as a witness in connection with alleged

BOOKS IN NEWS

ABBREVIATIONS

COMMITTEES
Rangarajan Committee Submits Report
On Poverty To Planning Commission
C Rangarajan, former chief of the Prime
Ministers Economic Advisory Council
(PMEAC), has submitted a report on
Tendulkar Committee methodology for
estimating poverty to Planning Minister
Rao Inderjit Singh on 1 July. According to
an expert panel headed by C Rangarajan
those spending over Rs 32 a day in rural
areas and Rs 47 in towns and cities should
not be considered poor. The panels
recommendation, however results in an
increase in the below poverty line
population, which is estimated at 363
million in 2011-12, compared to the 270
million estimate based on the Tendulkar
formula. This means 29.5% of the India
population lives below the poverty line as
defined by the panel against 21.9%
according to Tendulkar.

49
IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES
World Population Day Observed Across
The World
World Population Day was observed
across the world on 11 July 2014. The
theme of World Population Day 2014 was
Investing in Young People.World
Population Day is observed to bring
awareness to people about importance of
small families and living healthy lives. The
day is celebrated with several programs
that are initiated to educate people about
family planning methods.
International Tiger Day Observed
Across The World
The World on 29 July 2014 observed the
International Tiger Day. The day is
celebrated as an awareness day. The goal
of the Tiger Day is to promote protection
and expansion of the wild tiger habitats
and also to gain support awareness for
tiger conservation.
AUGUST 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
China Decided To Ban All Coal Use In
Beijing By 2020
Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection
Bureau on 4 August announced the plans
to ban coal use in Beijing and five other
districts by the end of 2020. The purpose
of the ban is to fight increasing levels of air
pollution in Chinas major cities.
Russia Bans U.S.,European Union Food
and Agricultural Imports
Russian President Vladimir Putin on 6
August signed a decree that bans imports
of agricultural products from all countries
that have imposed sanctions on Russia
over the crisis in Ukraine. Major sanctions
were made by the US and European Union
(EU). Ban on the food imports, should
continue for up to one year.
Haider al-Abadi Named As New Iraqi
Prime Minister
Iraqi President Mohammed Fuad Masum
named Haider al-Abadi as the new Iraqi
Prime Minister on 11 August 2014. Before
being nominated for the post of Iraqi Prime
Minister, Haider al-Abadi was deputy
parliament speaker.
Ukrainian President Dissolved
Parliament
Ukraines president Petro Poroshenko on
25 August dissolved parliament. A snap
election to the Ukraine will be held on 26

October 2014.The date of the election was

announced by President Petro
Poroshenko.

INDIA & WORLD

India and Nepal Signed 3 Agreements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3 August
met Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala in
Kathmandhu, the captital of Nepal. Later,
three agreements were signed between
India and Nepal, in the presence of the two
Prime Ministers. Under the first agreement,
India will provide a grant assistance worth
NRs 69 million to supply iodated salt to
curb goitre and other diseases related with
iodine deficiency. The second agreement
was regarding the amendment of Articles
17 and 18 of the Pancheswor Multiple
Project. The third agreement is about
cooperation between Nepal Television and
Doordarshan, the state-owned television
stations of both the countries.
India Ranked 5th Amongst Top 10 Wind
Power Producers
The Renewables 2014 Global Status
Report released on 18 August. According
to the report, India ranked fifth amongst top
ten wind power producers in the world by
adding 1,700 MW capacity in 2013. With
16,100 MW wind power produced in 2013,
China was ranked World top wind power
producing country.
India and Czech Republic Signed MoU
On Technical Cooperation In Railways
India and Czech Republic on 19 August
2014 signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) on technical
cooperation in railway sector. This MoU
was signed between the Union Ministry of
Railways and Czech Railways (Ceske
Drahy) of the Czech Republic and
Association of Czech Railway Industry
(ACRI) of the Czech Republic.
Indo-Nepal Joint Military Training
Exercise Concluded
The militaries of India and Nepal was
jointly conducted a Combined Training
Exercise, known as Surya Kiran-VII, from
18 31 August 2014 near Pithoragarh
district in Uttarakhand.

NATIONAL
Union Cabinet Approves Amendments
To Juvenile Justice Act

The Union Cabinet on 6 August approved

the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Bill, 2014 to amend the
Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2000. The bill will
place minors above the age of 16, accused
of heinous crimes like rape and murder, in
the adults category.
PM Narendra Modi Announced Pradhan
Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19
August announced the Pradhan Mantri
Krishi Seenchayi Yojana to meet the
irrigation needs of all farmers across the
country. Sum of 1000 crore rupees has
been allocated for implementation of the
scheme.
Union Cabinet Approved Rs 1 lakh crore
Digital India Project
The Union Cabinet has approved the
Digital India project on 20 August. The
project, which has a total overlay of Rs 1
lakh crore, aims to ensure that government
services are available to citizens
electronically and help people gain benefits
from the latest information and
communication technology.
PM Narendra Modi Launched Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28
August launched Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in New Delhi. The
scheme intends to accomplish the
objective of housing for all by providing
basic banking accounts with a debit card
with inbuilt accident insurance. The
government aims to open as many as 1
crore bank accounts on the first day itself.

STATES
Uttarkhand Govt Constituted Committee
On Industries Using Silica Dust
A high level committee has been
constituted by the Uttarakhand government
on 8 August with a view to conduct a
detailed survey of the industries using
silica dust in the state. The panel would
conduct its study and submit its report
within 2 months. The health examination of
those working in industries using silica dust
would be carried out to find out if they are
suffering from silicosis or other respiratory
diseases caused due to coming in contact
of silicia dust.
Delhi Police Launched Whatsapp
Helpline To Curb Corruption
Delhi Police on 10 August launched
Whatsapp helpline to curb corruption.

50
Under the facility, a person can just call
and register the complaint and also send a
recorded audio or video clips if any
policeman harasses or a person demands
bribe.
Tamilnadu Chief Minister Announced
Amma Baby Care Kit Scheme
Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on
12 August announced ambitious welfare
scheme called Amma Baby Care Kit. It is
aimed at new born infants. This scheme
only applies to the infants born in
government hospitals.
Uttarakhand Govt Launched Food
Security Scheme
The Uttarakhand government on 16 August
introduced a food security scheme on the
pattern of the National Food Security Act.
This was decided at the Cabinet meeting.
The scheme will cater to the Below Poverty
Line and Above Poverty Line families
across the State.
Kerala Cabinet Ratified New Liquor
Policy
Kerala state cabinet cabinet on 27 August
2014 ratified the new liquor policy. The
policy was contemplated to shut down bars
attached to hotels below the five-star
category .It was a part of governments plan
to reduce availability of liquor.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley ( for 2010),

Congress leader Karan Singh (2011) and
JD(U) President Sharad Yadav (2012) are
conferred with Outstanding
Parliamentarian Awards by the President
Pranab Mukherjee on 12 August in New
Delhi. The awards were given for their
invaluable contribution in discharge of their
parliamentary duties.
Indian-origin Professor Manjul
Bhargava Won Nobel Prize of Maths
Two Indian-origin professors have won
global prizes in the field of mathematics
with one of them being awarded the Fields
Medal, known as the Nobel Prize of
mathematics. Manjul Bhargava won the
Fields Medal while Subhash Khot won the
Rolf Nevanlinna Prize, awarded by the
International Mathematical Union (IMU), at
the International Congress of
Mathematicians 2014 held in Seoul on 13
August.
Army Major Mukund Varadarajan
Honoured with Ashok Chakra
Indias highest peacetime gallantry award
Ashoka Chakra has been awarded
posthumously to Major Mukund
Varadarajan of 44th Battalion of the
Rastriya Rifles (22 Rajput). 55 gallantry
awards (peacetime) were announced on
the eve of 68th Independence Day on 14
August 2014. There have been one
Ashoka Chakra, 12 Shaurya Chakras, 39
Sena Medal, one Nao Sena Medal and two
Vayu Sena Medal this year.

CONFERENCES
47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
Held In Nay Pyi Taw
The 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers
Meeting (AMM) was held on 8 August 2014
in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar under the theme
Moving forward in Unity to a Peaceful and
Prosperous Community. The Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement
urging the issues of Korea Peninsular and
Ukraine including seven points that
concerned the international affairs and
South China Dispute. ASEAN comprises
ten member countries Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Jaitley, Karan Singh, Sharad Yadav
Conferred with Outstanding
Parliamentarian Awards

Pakistani Journalist Asma Shirazi Won

2014 Peter Mackler Award
Asma Shirazi, Pakistans first female war
correspondent and host of popular TV talk
shows, was named 2014 Winner of Peter
Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical
Journalism on 22 August. Shirazi is the
second woman to win the award since its
creation in 2008, after Honduran radio
news editor Karla Rivas won in 2011.

Australia was on second position, Canada

on third and Scotland was on 4th position.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games (officially
the XX Commonwealth Games) were held
in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3
August 2014. Its the 3rd time that Scotland
is hosting this event; the previous two
being in Edinburgh (1970 & 1986). The
21st Commonwealth Games will be held in
Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia
between 4 to 15 April 2018.
Katie Ledecky Sets World Record In
1,500-Meter Freestyle
Katie Ledecky, an American distance
swimmer on 23 August created a World
Record in Womens 1500 Meter Freestyle
at the 2014 Pan Pac Championships on
the Gold Coast, Australia. To create the
new record Ledecky swam the distance in
15 minutes 28.36 seconds. She crushed
her own previous 1500-metre freestyle
record of swimming the distance in 15
minutes 34.23 seconds at an untaqpered
meet in The Woodlands, Texas in June
2014. Ledecky won her fifth gold medal at
the Gold Coast meet after defeating
Lauren Boyle of New Zealand by more
than 27 seconds.
Jammu and Kashmir To Host Football
Federation Cup In August 2015
The All India Football Federation (AIFF)
announced on 18 August that Jammu and
Kashmir will host Football Federation Cup
in August 2015.
Himachal To Host First Paragliding
World Cup In India
Indias northern state of Himachal Pradesh
has been selected as venue to host
Paragliding World Cup 2015. This will be
the first para-gliding World Cup to be
hosted in India. The tournament will be
organized under the auspices of Paragliding World Cup Association, France.The
World Cup will be hosted in Kangra district
of Himachal Pradesh from 24 October
2015 and will see around 150 top ranked
pilots of the world besides 500 free flying
pilots as participants.

SPORTS & GAMES

India Finishes Fifth At 20th
Commonwealth Games
India finishes 5th with 64 medals (15 gold,
30 silver and 19 bronze) at the 20th
Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2014.
Indias total medal tally was thus 64, which
is far less than the 19th Commonwealth
Games of 2010 at New Delhi, where India
won a total of 101 medals. England topped
the medal table for the first time in 28 years
with 58 golds, 59 silvers and 57 bronzes.

ECONOMY
RBI Third Bi-monthly Monetary Policy
Statement 2014-15
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its third Bimonthly Monetary Policy statement 201415 announced on 5 August, has kept the
Short-term lending (repo) rate unchanged
at 8%. The Reverse Repo rate has also
been left unchanged at 7% and the Cash

51
Reserve Ratio (CRR) is also the same at
4%. The only major change is in Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR) which has been
slashed by 50 basis points (bps) to 22%
from previous 22.50%.Estimates GDP
growth at 5.5% for current fiscal(2014-15).
Union Cabinet Approves FDI in Defence
and Railways
The Union Cabinet on 6 August allowed
foreign investment in the Railways for the
first time and raised limit for such
investment in the defence sector, steps
intended to raise funds for expansion of the
Railways and encourage domestic
manufacture of arms. Under this proposal
the government is to increase the FDI limit
in the defence industry to 49% from 26%
and from nil to 100% in railway
infrastructure of the country.
RBI issued Draft Guidelines For
Anytime Anywhere BBPS
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 7
August issued draft guidelines for the
implementation of Bharat Bill Payment
System (BPPS), an anytime anywhere bill
payment system.The draft mentions the
requirements and the basic framework of
operating the BBPS, and stipulates the
eligibility criteria, standards for settlement
model and customer grievance redressal,
roles and responsibilities and scope for
entities seeking to be part of BBPS.
Mukesh Ambani Is Indias Richest Man
The wealth research firm Wealth-X of
Indias richest individuals latest study
report released on 13 August. According to
the report, the top five Indian billionaires
led by Reliance Industries Chairman
Mukesh Ambani collectively control $85.5
billion (about Rs 5,23,897 crore) in
personal wealth, accounting for nearly half
of the countrys total billionaire wealth.
Mukesh Ambani remains the richest man in
the country with an estimated net worth of
$24.4 billion (about Rs 1,49,474 crore).

launch marked the 190th mission for the

nations long march rocket family.
IBM Develops A New Chip That
Functions Like A Brain
IBM researchers have announced on 9
August the development of a new
computer chip that is inspired by the brain,
mimicking the way that the mind can
recognize patterns utilizing a web of
interconnected transistors to simulate
neural networks. The chip or processor is
named TrueNorth, and it contains more
than 5.4 billion transistors, yet requires no
more power to function than a hearing aid
(just 70 milliwatts of power versus the
minimum of 35 watts required by current
Intel processors, with have 1.4 billion
transistors).
PM Narendra Modi Dedicates INS
Kolkata To The Nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16
August dedicated Indias indigenously
designed warship INS Kolkata to the
nation. With this, INS Kolkata was
commissioned in Indian Navy at the Naval
Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The
6800-tonne Kolkata class warship has
been constructed by the Mazagon Docks
Ltd, Mumbai and designed by the Navys
Design Bureau.
NASAs Scientists Developed SMAP
Satellite To Combat Drought
NASA scientists, including one of Indianorigin, developed Soil Moisture Active
Passive (SMAP) satellite that can predict
the severity of droughts worldwide and
help farmers maximize the crop yield.The
mission is scheduled to launch in
November 2014 and will collect the local
data of agricultural and water managers
that are needed worldwide.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China Successfully Launched Remote
Sensing Satellite
China on 9 August successfully launched
the Yaogan XX a remote-sensing satellite
to carry out scientific experiments and
provide early alerts natural disasters. The
Yaogan XX satellite blasted off on the back
of a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the
countrys northwestern Gobi desert. The

K V Chowdary is new CBDT chairman

Senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
officer K V Chowdary (full name Kosaraju
Veeraiah Chowdary) has been appointed
as the new Chairman of the Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the top policy
making body of the Income Tax
department. K.V. Chowdary, a 1978-batch
officer, on 1 August took charge of his
office. He will have tenure of three
months.He succeed R K Tewari. He retired
on 31 July 2014.

President Appointed New Governors of

Four States
President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on
26 August appointed new Governors of
four states, namely Maharashtra, Goa ,
Karnataka and Rajasthan.
The Governors names are:1) Kalyan Singh Rajasthan Governor
2) Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala Karnataka
Governor
3) Ch. Vidyasagar Rao Maharashtra
Governor
4) Mridula Sinha Goa Governor
B)RESIGNS
Maharashtra Governor K
Sankaranarayanan Resigned
Maharashtra governor K
Sankaranarayanan resigned from his office
on 24 August.He tendered his resignation
in the backdrop of being transferred to
Mizoram. He refused to take charge of his
new assignment.
C)DEATHS
Legendary Cartoonist Pran Kumar
Sharma Died
Legendary cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma,
popularly known as Pran, who created the
comic book character like Chacha
Chaudhary and Sabu, died on 5 August in
Gurgaon at the age of 75. He was 75. He
was born on 15 August 1938 in Kasur near
Lahore (now Pakistan). He created the
character Dabbu for a Delhi-based
newspaper Milap.
D)VISITORS
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Visited Nepal
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
visited Nepal on 3-4 August 2014. During
the visit, Narendra Modi met Nepal Prime
Minister Sushil Koirala in Kathmandhu, the
captital of Nepal. The two leaders
discussed various issues including Nepals
peace process and constitution-drafting
process as well as economic issues. After
the talks, Modi and Koirala witnessed the
signing of three agreements.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Edward Snowden Granted Three-year
Residence Permit In Russia
Former US intelligence contractor Edward
Snowden has received a residence permit
in Russia on 7 August 2014, which is valid
for three years. Earlier in 2013, Snowden
was granted a one-year temporary asylum,
which ended on 1 August 2014.

52

PLACES IN NEWS
Two Ancient Mayan Cities Found In
Mexico Jungle
In the month of August 2014
Archaeologists have found two ancient
Mayan cities Lagunita and Tamchen
hidden in the jungle of south-eastern
Mexico. They discovered the two cities of
Lagunita and Tamchen on the Yucatan
peninsula by examining aerial photographs
of the region.

ABBREVIATIONS
ASEAN Association of South East
Asian Nations
IFTU - International Federation of
Trade Unions
WFI

Wrestling Federation of India

CERSAI Central Registry of

Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and
Security

BOOKS IN NEWS
One Life is Not Enough: An
Autobiography Released
An autobiography of the former External
Affairs Minister and veteran Congress
Party leader Natwar Singh was released
on 1 August. The book titled One Life is
Not Enough is penned by Kunwar Natwar
Singh.This book has been in news and
controversy since past few days because it
discloses much information about Sonia
Gandhi, the President of the Congress
Party.

COMMITTEES
Hari Gautam Committee To Review The
Status Of UGC
A four-member Committee under the
chairmanship of former UGC chairman
Hari Gautam has been constituted by the
Union Ministry of Human Resource
Development (HRD) on 3 August with a
view to review the present status of
Universities Grants Commissions (UGC).
The committee will suggest ways to

restructure and reorganise the panel to

attain better performance in order to meet
desired objectives.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

World Humanitarian Day Observed
Across The World
World Humanitarian Day was observed
across the world on 19 August 2014. The
day is observed to recognise humanitarian
personnel and those who have lost their
lives working for humanitarian causes. The
theme for the year 2014 is The World
Needs More Humanitarian Heroes.World
Humanitarian Day is also an opportunity to
celebrate the spirit that inspires
humanitarian work around the globe. The
events of the day included wreath-laying
ceremony at UN Headquarters in New
York to honour aid workers killed in the line
of duty. The day was designated by the
United Nations General Assembly to
coincide with the anniversary of the 2003
bombing of the United Nations
headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. The
bombing killed 22 people, including UN
envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. The Day is
observed annually on 19 August.
August 29 Is Celebrated As The
National Sports Day
August 29 is celebrated as the National
Sports Day in dedication to the great
hockey player Dhyan Chand.This day is
celebrated by organizing friendly matches
between different Indian hockey teams at
the Dhyan Chand National stadium in New
Delhi.The National Stadium was
constructed in the respect and honor of
Dhyan Chand. Major Dhyan Chand was
Indias greatest hockey player. He has
scored over 1000 goals between 1926 and
1948. He helped India win 3 Olympic Gold
medals including the first in 1928
(Amsterdum Olympic games) and then in
1932 ( Los Angeles Olympic games) and
1936 (Berlin Olympic games).
SEPTEMBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL

John Key Re-elected As The PM Of New

Zealand For A 3rd Term
John Key was re-elected as the Prime
Minister of New Zealand for a third term.
John Key-led National Party (NP) scored a
huge victory in countrys Parliamentary
elections. In the 2014 General Elections of
New Zealand held on 20 September 2014,
the centre-right National Party led by John
Key won 48 percent of the vote.
Scotland Rejects Independence From
UK
In a historic referendum held on 18
September 2014 the voters of Scotland
rejected its independence from the United
Kingdom.The result of this referendum was
declared early on 19 September 2014.
Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai Is New
President Of Afghanistan
Afghanistans election commission on 21
September has named Former Finance
minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the
winner of the countrys Presidential
election.

INDIA & WORLD

India and Germany Agreed To
Cooperate In Skill Development
India and Germany on 8 September
agreed to prepare a roadmap for
cooperation in skill development, solid
waste management and cleaning of
rivers.This decision was taken during the
meeting between German Foreign Minister
Frank Walter Steinmeier and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 8 September in
New Delhi.
India and Australia Signed Civil Nuclear
Cooperation Agreement
India and Australia have signed the Civil
Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (CNCA)
that will allow Australia to export uranium
to India as well as three other agreements,
including on water resources and in sports.
The four agreements were signed in the
presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott
in New Delhi on 5 September.

INTERNATIONAL
EU Imposed New Economic Sanctions
On Russia Over Ukraine
The European Union (EU) on 12
September 2014 imposed new economic
sanctions on Russia over Ukraine. The
restrictions include financing for some
Russian state-owned companies and asset
freezes on leading Russian politicians.

India and Bangladesh Signed MoU on

Traditional Medicines
India and Bangladesh have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in
the field of traditional medicines and
homeopathy. The MoU was signed on 9
September in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

53
India-Vietnam Signed Seven
Agreements
India and Vietnam on 15 September
signed seven agreements, including one
for direct flights between their capitals, for
scouting for oil, and an extended line of
credit for purchase of defence equipment.
The seven agreements were signed in the
presence of Indian President Pranab
Mukherjee and Vietnam President Truong
Tan Sang in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

NATIONAL
Civil Aviation Ministry Launched Know
Your Rights Portal
Union Civil Aviation ministry on 9
September launched a new portal namely
Know your rights for passengers. The
portal was launched to mark 100 days of
the new government.
Union Cabinet Approved National
AYUSH Mission
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 15 September
approved launching of National Ayush
Mission (NAM) to address the gaps in
health services through promotion of
ancient and traditional systems of medicine
like Ayurved, Siddha, Unani and
Homeopathy.
Union Cabinet Approved Swachh
Bharat Mission
The Union Cabinet on 24 September gave
its approval for restructuring of Nirmal
Bharat Abhiyan into Swachh Bharat
Mission (Clean India Mission).The
programme is aimed at creating a clean
India by 2019 with peoples participation.
The sanitation mission was launched on 2
October 2014 in all 4041 statutory towns.
PM Narendra Modi Launched Make in
India Campaign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
the Make In India (MIN) campaign with a
high-pitch event held at New Delhis
Vigyan Bhawan on 25 September. The
campaign aims at reviving the job-creating
manufacturing sector, which is being seen
as the key to taking the Indian economy on
a sustainable high growth path.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat

officially declared September 9th as
Himalaya Diwas.The state will celebrate
Himalaya Diwas to spread the message of
conservation of the Himalayan
ecosystems. Harish Rawat in his
declaration announced that from 2015
onwards, the state government would
celebrate the day.
Bihar Govt Recognised Transgender As
Third Gender
The Bihar government on 9 September
2014 recognised eunuch and transgender
as third gender. This was done to extend
the quota benefit as eunuch and
transgender were declared as backward
class annexure II category.
West Bengal Cabinet Approved FarmerFriendly Project
The West Bengal cabinet on 12 September
cleared a farmer-friendly project (SechBandhu Prakalpa) offering 46,000 new
pump sets with power connectivity to the
farmers to boost irrigation in the state.
Presidents Rule Imposed In
Maharashtra
Presidents rule was imposed on 28
September in poll-bound Maharashtra after
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned
following the break-up of 15-year-old
Congress-NCP alliance in the
state.President Pranab Mukherjee signed
the proclamation for imposition of central
rule in Maharashtra, a day after the Union
Cabinet recommended clamping of
Presidents rule in the state.

CONFERENCES
G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors Meeting
The G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers
and Central Bank Governors was held at
Cairns, Australia on 20-21 September
2014. Meeting of G20 finance ministers in
Australia endorses plan to automatically
exchange information on a reciprocal basis
by end of 2018. The Group of Twenty
(G20) is the premier forum for its members
international economic cooperation and
decision-making. Its membership
comprises 19 countries plus the European
Union.

STATES
Uttarakhand Govt Declared 9th
September As Himalaya Diwas

AWARDS & HONOURS

South Africa-based Organization

Awarded The Gandhi Prize
A South Africa-based outfit involved in
conflict resolution has been awarded the
Mahatma Gandhi International Award for
Reconciliation and Peace for its efforts in
promoting peace and addressing disputes
globally. Graca Machel, chairperson of The
African Centre for Constructive Resolution
of Disputess (Accord) Board of Trustees
and former First Lady when her late
husband Nelson Mandela was President,
accepted the award on behalf of the
institution at the Annual Gandhi Awards
Celebration, hosted by the Gandhi
Development Trust in Durban.
MS University Chancellor Mrunalinidevi
Conferred with Best Manager Award
Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar, Chancellor of
Maharaja Sayajirao University, has been
conferred with the Best Manager award
by the Oxford Summit of Leaders (Science
and Education) in UK on 2 September.
Indian Scientist Kamal Bawa Won
Midori Prize In Biodiversity 2014
Indian scientist Kamal Bawa, an eminent
professor of biology at the University of
Massachusetts in Boston, has won the
prestigious Midori Prize in Biodiversity
2014 for his research that included climate
change in the Himalayas.
Snowden and Rusbridger Won
Swedens Alternative Nobel Prize
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and
Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger
on 24 September won Right Livelihood
Award. The award was shared between
the two.The Right Livelihood Award is also
known as Alternative Nobel prize of
Sweden.

SPORTS & GAMES

US Open Tennis Tournament Winners
2014
Womens Singles :- Serena Williams of
US won the US Open Tennis Tournament
womens singles title on 8 September in
New York. She defeated Caroline
Wozniazki of Denmark in the final.
Mens Singles:- Croatias Marin Cilic won
the U.S. Open mens singles title on 8
September to become the newest winner
of this coveted Grand Slam title. He
defeated Japans Kei Nishikori in the final.
Lewis Hamilton Won Italian F1 Grand
Prix 2014
Mercedes driver Lewis Carl Davidson

54
Hamilton of Britain won the Italian F1
Grand Prix on 7 September.
USA Won 2014 FIBA Basketball World
Cup
USA won FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014
by defeating Serbia. The World Cup was
held on 14 September at Madrid, Spain.
Lewis Hamilton Won Singapore F1
Grand Prix
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain
won the Singapore F1 Grand Prix on 21
September to take a slender 3-point lead
over his teammate Nico Rosberg
(Germany), who was leading the 2014
season till now.

ECONOMY
SBI Launched First Multi-Currency
International Debit Card Launched
State Bank of India (SBI) on 8 September
launched its first multi-currency
international debit card to allow consumers
to use a single card to pay in multiple
currencies. This card launched in a tie-up
with MasterCard would, at present, enable
customers to load four international
currencies in this card.
Mukesh Ambani Tops Richest Indian
List
Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman
Mukesh Ambani has again topped the list
of richest Indian while Adani Group
Chairman Gautam Adani has made it to
the 10th spot. As per the Hurun India Rich
List for 2014 released on 16 September,
Mukesh Ambanis wealth has risen 37
percent to Rs 1.65 lakh crore this year.
India Ranks 6th In Billionaire Numbers
According to the Wealth-X and UBS
Billionaire Census 2014, released on 17
September, India has retained its sixth
position in the number of billionaires
residing in the country. It is home to 100
such people, with a collective net worth of
$175 billion. There are 2,325 billionaires
worldwide, with the addition of 155 new
ones in 2014. On the top 40 list of
billionaire countries/territories, the US
maintained its position as the first, with a
population of 571 billionaires in 2014.
Alibaba Becomes Worlds Largest IPO
The IPO of Chinas largest e-commerce
outfit, Alibaba Group, has become the
worlds biggest ever on strong demand,
raising $US25.03 billion after bankers
exercised an option to boost the deal size

by 15 per cent. Agricultural Bank of China

previously held the world record, with a
$US22.1 billion IPO in 2010. The record
was achieved after the underwriters of the
previously announced Initial Public Offering
(IPO) exercised in full the option to
purchase an additional 48,015,900
American depositary shares on 22
September, from Alibaba Group and
certain shareholders.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India Successfully Test Fired N-capable
Agni-I Missile
India on 11 September successfully testfired indigenously developed nuclearcapable surface -to-surface Agni-I missile
from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.The
Agni I has a range of 7001250 km.
NASA Unveils Worlds Largest Welder
To Build Worlds Most Powerful Rocket
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
officially unveiled the worlds largest welder
to start construction of the worlds most
powerful rocket NASAs Space Launch
System (SLS) rocket at NASAs
Michouds Vertical Assembly Center (VAC)
on 12 September.
Nasas Maven Spacecraft Successfully
Enters Mars Orbit
Nasas Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft on 22
September 2014 entered orbit around
Mars, completing an interplanetary journey
of 10 months and 442 million miles (711
million kilometers). Maven is a space probe
designed to study the Martian atmosphere
while orbiting Mars. Mission goals include
determining how the Martian atmosphere
and water, presumed to have once been
substantial, were lost over time.
ISROs Mars Orbiter Spacecraft
Successfully Inserted into Mars Orbit
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also
called Mangalyaan Mars-craft is a Mars
orbiter launched into Earth orbit on 5
November 2013 by the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO). It was
successfully inserted into Mars orbit on 24
September 2014. It is Indias first
interplanetary mission and ISRO has
become the fourth space agency to reach
Mars, after the Soviet space program,
NASA, and the European Space Agency.
This was also Indias first attempt to reach
Mars orbit historically, only Europes
ESA made it to Mars on its first attempt.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
P Sathasivam Sworn In As Kerala
Governor
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI)
Palaniswamy Sathasivam was on 5
September sworn in as Kerala Governor.
He is the 23rd Governor of the state. He is
the first Chief Justice of India to be
appointed to the post which is lower in
warrant of precedence to the CJI.
Justice H.L. Dattu Sworn In As 42nd
Chief Justice of India
Justice Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy
Dattu was sworn in as the 42nd Chief
Justice of India (CJI) on 28 September
2014. Justice Dattu succeeds Chief Justice
R M Lodha who retired on 28 September
2014. He will have a tenure of 14 months
and will retire on 2 December 2015.
B)RESIGNS
Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan
Resigned
Prithviraj Chavan on 26 September
resigned as the Chief Minister of
Maharashtra after his government was
reduced to a minority. Chavan submitted
his resignation to governor of the state C
Vidyasagar Rao.
C)DEATHS
Former Attorney General GE Vahanvati
Died
Former Attorney General of India GE
Vahanvati (Goolam Essaji Vahanvati) died
on 2 September in Mumbai. Vahanvati was
first Muslim to become Attorney General of
India and he was 13th Attorney General of
India. He was appointed the 13th attorney
general in June 2009 for a three-year term
after UPA government was re-elected. In
2012, the term was extended by another
two years. He resigned from the position of
Attorney General on 27 May 2014 following
the regime change at the Centre.
D)VISITORS
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Visited U.S
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Visited U.S from 26 30 September 2014.
During his five day visit, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi addressed the 69th session
of United Nations General Assembly

55
(UNGA) in New York on 27 September. In
his speech addressing Indian-Americans at
Madison Square Garden in New York,
Narendra Modi announced lifetime visas
for PIOs (Persons of Indian origin). India
and US has issued a joint vision statement
declaring cooperation in energy, economic
growth, science, technology health and
education. The Vision Statement titled
Chalein Saath-Saath: Forward Together
We Go was issued after the Summit-level
meeting between Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and US President Barack Obama at
White House in Washington DC. In the
meeting, the two sides had decided to take
steps for extension of the pact besides
agreeing to enhance cooperation in joint
production and development of defence
equipment.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Kira Kazantsev Crowned Miss America
2015
Miss Kira Kazantsev was crowned Miss
America 2015. She belongs to New York.
This is the third year in a row that the
contestant from New York has won.
Kazantsev received the crown on 14
September at Atlantic Citys Boardwalk
Hall from outgoing Miss America and Miss
New York Nina Davuluri.

BOOKS IN NEWS
M S Swaminathan In Conversation with
Nitya Rao Book Released
The book entitled M S Swaminathan, in
conversation with Nitya Rao The Ethics
and Politics of Science was released on
10 September by Union Minister Venkaiah
Naidu was in New Delhi.This book is in
continuation of the earlier book released in
August 2013.

COMMITTEES
Finance Ministry Sets Up H R Khan
Committee On Unclaimed PPF, Small
Savings Deposits
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set up a
committee on 3 September under Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor H R
Khan to assess the amount of unclaimed
deposit in the popular Public Provident
Fund (PPF) and Post Office saving
schemes, and suggest steps for utilisation
of funds for the benefit of senior citizens.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

PLACES IN NEWS
London Ranked As Worlds Most
Expensive City
London has overtaken Hong Kong as the
worlds most expensive place to live and
work. This fact was revealed in the 5th
edition of the Savills Live/Work Index that
was released on 26 September 2014. At
the other end of the scale, Mumbai
remained the cheapest world city in which
to locate employees.

ABBREVIATIONS
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
ESCAP Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific
FICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry
NCERT National Council of Education
Research and Training

World Tourism Day Observed Across

The World
World Tourism Day (WTD) was observed
across the world on 27 September 2014.
The theme of the World Tourism Day 2014
is Tourism and Community Development.
The 2014 WTD is focused to highlight the
ability of tourism to empower people and
provide them with skills to achieve change
in their local communities.
World Heart Day Observed Across The
World
World Heart Day was observed across the
world on 29 September 2014. The
objective of the day is to inform people
around the world of the danger of heart
disease and stroke. 2014 theme for World
Heart Days is Heart Choices NOT Hard
Choices. The World Health Organization
on the occasion said that there is a need to
reduce the consumption of salt that is
linked to death of people from
cardiovascular diseases.
OCTOBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL

Mauritius Parliament Dissolved For

Elections
The Mauritius parliament was dissolved on
6 October, paving the way for elections
that could lead to changes in the countrys
constitution. The ruling Labour party, led by
Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam,
wants to split powers between the
president, now a largely ceremonial
position, and the prime minister. That
would require changes to the constitution.
Bolivian President Evo Morales Reelected For A Third Term
Bolivian President Evo Morales was reelected for a third term with more than 60
percent of the vote according to the
election results declared on 12 October. As
per the results, Evo Morales got 60 percent
while his closest competitor Samuel Doria
Medina could secure only 25 percent.
United Nations Elected Five New Nonpermanent Members To Security
Council
Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand,
Venezuela and Spain on 16 October were
elected as the new non-permanent
members of the Security Council for a two
years term by the UN General Assembly.
These five countries replace retiring
members Argentina, Australia,
Luxembourg, South Korea and
Rwanda.The newly elected members term
will be begining from January 1, 2015.
Dilma Rousseff Re-elected As Brazil
President
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was reelected in the Presidential Elections held in
the country on 26 October 2014. She
belongs to the center-left Workers Party
and her second term will finish in
December 2018. Rousseff took 51.6% of
the votes while her centre-right challenger
Aecio Neves representing Brazilian Social
Democracy Party (BSDP) got 48.4% votes.

INDIA & WORLD

UK and Ireland Signed Single Visa Deal
Britain and Ireland on 6 October Signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
visa cooperation to allow Chinese and
Indian visitors to travel to the two island
nations on a single visa. The agreement
was signed at the Irish Embassy in London
by UK home secretary Theresa May and
Irish Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald.
India Ranks 18th On Most Desirable
Place To Work

56
According to the consulting giant Boston
Consulting Group latest report released on
7 October, India has been ranked 18th
globally on the list of most desirable
destinations to work, even as 70-80% of
Indians are willing to work in an overseas
location.The US has been ranked on the
top, followed by the UK, Canada, Germany
and Switzerland.
India Ranked 55th In Global Hunger
Index
The 2014 Global Hunger Index (GHI) was
released on 13 October by the
International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe and
Concern Worldwide. According to the
report, India improved its position in the
Global Hunger Index in 2014 as it climbed
to 55th position among 76 emerging
economies from 63rd position in 2013.
Mauritius holds the top place alongwith
Thailand.
India Ranked 142 On WEFs Gender Gap
Report
Global Gender Gap Report 2014, which
was published on 28 October by World
Economic Forum (WEF) India was
ranked 114 out of 142 countries on Gender
Gap index. Iceland has the narrowest
gender gap in the world, followed by
Finland, Norway and Sweden.

NATIONAL
PM Narendra Modi Launched Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2
October launched the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan or Clean India campaign in New
Delhi. The campaign was launched on the
occasion of 145th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi.The total expected cost
of the programme is Rs. 62,009 crore, out
of which the proposed central assistance
will be of Rs. 14,623 crore.
PM Narendra Modi Launched Sansad
Adarsh Gram Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna (SAGY) on
the occasion of the birth anniversary of
renowned Socialist leader Jai Prakash
Narayan on 11 October. SAGY will be
implemented under the overall supervision
of Union Ministry of Rural Development.
The programme is an ambitious village
development project under which each
Member of Parliament will take the
responsibility for developing physical and

institutional infrastructure in three villages

by 2019.

majority. The elections were held for total

90 seats on 15 October 2014.

Prime Minister Launched Deendayal

Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev
Jayate Karyakram on 16 October in New
Delhi.The scheme is aimed at creating
conducive environment for industrial
development and doing business with
ease.

BJP emerged As The Largest Party In

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as
the single largest party in Maharashtra
assembly elections of 2014, the results for
which were declared on 19 October 2014.
The elections were held on 15 October
2014 for total 288 seats. Bharatiya Janta
Party (BJP) by winning 122 seats emerged
as the largest party but none of the parties
succeeded in securing a secure clear
majority.

Union Govt Launched Vanbandhu

Kalyan Yojana
Union Government has launched
Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY) on 28
October for welfare of Tribal people and
particularly to lift human development
indices of tribal people.

STATES
Gujarat Govt Set Up SPV To Promote
Vadodara As Cultural Capital
Gujarat government on 10 October set up
a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to
promote Vadodara as the cultural capital of
Gujarat and encourage tourism in
Vododara. The SPV set up will be known
as Vadodara International Art and Culture
Festival Authority and it will be headed by
State Tourism and Finance Minister
Saurabh Patel. Thus, Gujarat became the
first state in India to set up the authority for
promoting tourism.
Union Home Ministry Announced To
Renamed 12 Cities and Towns of
Karnataka
Union Home Ministry on 17 October
announced to rename 12 cities and towns
of Karnataka. According to the proposal,
the 12 cities whose names were sought to
be changed are:- Bangalore as Bengaluru;
Mangalore as Mangaluru ; Bellary as
Ballari ; Bijapur as Vijayapura or Vijapura ;
Belgaum as Belagavi ; Chikmagalur as
Chikkamagaluru ; Gulbarga as Kalaburagi ;
Mysore as Mysuru ; Hospet as Hosapete ;
Shimoga as Shivamogga ; Hubli as
Hubballi, and Tumkur as Tumakuru.
Bharatiya Janta Party Won The 2014
Assembly Elections of Haryana
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won the state
assembly elections of Haryana. The results
of the elections were announced by the
Election Commission of India on 19
October 2014. BJP by securing 47 seats
emerged as the largest party, with clear

CONFERENCES
12th Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties (COP 12)
The 12th meeting of the Conference of the
Parties (COP 12) to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD COP-12) was
held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from 6
17 October 2014. Biodiversity for
Sustainable Development was the theme
for the COP 12 summit. The conference
was attended by more than 2000 delegates
from 193 countries. The meeting
concluded on a disappointing note that
biodiversity targets agreed upon in 2010 at
Nagoya are far from being met with most
nations continuing on a business as usual
track. The 13th meeting of the parties to
the convention takes will take place
October 2016 in Los Cabos, Baja
California South, Mexico. The Conference
of the Parties is the governing body of the
Convention, and advances implementation
of the Convention through the decisions it
takes at its periodic meetings.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Indian American Thomas Won US
National Medal of Science
Thomas Kailath, a Pune educated IndianAmerican engineering professor at
Stanford University, is one of the recipients
of the US National Medal of Science
announced by President Barack Obama on
3 October.
Nobel Prize Winners 2014 Announced
The Nobel Prize winners of 2014 in the
different categories were announced in the
month of October 2014. Nobel Prizes are
announced by the Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences every year in the
memory of Alfred Nobel.The categories

57
were the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine, the Nobel Prize in Physics, the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, The Sveriges
Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, The
Nobel Literature Prize and The Nobel
Peace Prize.
The Nobel Prize Winners of 2014 in the
different categories were as follows:* Physiology (or) Medicine :- U.S.-British
scientist John OKeefe and Norwegian
couple May-Britt Moser, Edvard Moser won
the 2014 Nobel Prize in Medicine for
discovering the inner Global Positioning
System (GPS) that helps the brain
navigate through the world.
* Physics :- Three Japanese-born
researchers Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano
and Shuji Nakamura won the 2014 Nobel
Prize for Physics. They were honoured for
inventing efficient blue Light-Emitting
Diodes(LED) lamps that worked as a bright
and energy-saving white light sources.
* Chemistry :- American scientists Eric
Betzig and William Moerner and
Germanys Stefan Hell won the 2014 Nobel
prize for chemistry. The trio of Betzig,
Moerner and Hell were conferred for their
contribution in the area of super-resolved
fluorescence microscopy which helped in
bringing optical microscopy into the nanodimension.
* Literature:- The Nobel Prize in Literature
2014 was awarded to French author
Patrick Modiano for the art of memory with
which he has evoked the most
ungraspable human destinies and
uncovered the life-world of the occupation.
He is the 14th French writer to be awarded
the Nobel Prize in literature (one, Jean
Paul-Sartre, declined to accept it).
* Peace :- Indian childrens rights activist
Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani child
education activist Malala Yousafzai have
been jointly awarded the 2014 Nobel
Peace Prize for their struggle against the
suppression of children and young people
and for the right of all children to education.
* Economics :- French economist Jean
Tirole won the 2014 Economics Nobel
Prize for his analysis of market power and
regulation.It was the second Nobel Prize
for a French national this year after author
Patrick Modiano won the literature award.
Australian Author Richard Flanagan
Won 2014 Man Booker Prize
Australian author Richard Flanagan was on
15 October awarded the 2014 Man Booker

Prize for his wartime novel The Narrow

Road to the Deep North. The novel
narrates story of a love and war during the
construction of the Thailand Burma Death
Railway in World War II. Flanagan is the
third Australian to win the prize after
Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey.
Malala Won 2014 Worlds Children Prize
Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan won the 2014
Worlds Children Prize on 29 October 2014
after a global vote involving millions of
children. She received the prize at a
ceremony in Mariestad near Stockholm.
World Childrens prize was created in 2000
and is run by the Worlds Childrens Prize
Foundation (WCPF), based in Mariefred,
Sweden.

Here are all the Gold Medal Winners

from India:* Jitu Rai Mens 50 metre Pistol
Shooting
* Sandeep Kumar, Rajat Chauhan,
Abhishek Verma Mens compound team
Archery
* Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Singh
Sandhu, Mahesh Mangaonkar, Kumar
Kush Mens team squash
* Yogeshwar Dutt Mens Freestyle 65 kg
Wrestling
* Seema Punia Womens Discus throw
athletics

SPORTS & GAMES

Chennai Super Kings Won Champions
League Twenty-20
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the
Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20)
2014 title of Cricket. CSK lifted the title by
defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 8
wickets in the final match in Bengaluru on
4 October. P.Negi of the Chennai Super
Kings was named the Player of the
Match.This is the second Champions
League win for the Chennai Super Kings,
who won earlier in 2010.
India Finish Incheon Asiad In 8th Place
India ended the 17th Asian Games 2014
with 57 medals to finish in eighth place.
India won 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze
but failed to emulate their 2010 exploits at
Guangzhou, where they won 65 medals
14 gold, 17 silver and 34 bronze. China
has topped the medal table for the ninth
successive times in the 17th Asian Games.
With a total of 342 medals including 151
gold, 108 silver and 83 bronze, China
dominated the medal tally in the 17th
edition of Asian Games. Hosts South
Korea were second with 79 golds while
Japan finished third with 47 gold medals.
The 17th Asian Games also known as XVII
Asiad, was held from 19 September 2014
to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South
Korea. The theme of the 2014 Asian
Games is Meet Asias Future. Diversity
Shines Here was the motto of 17th Asian
Games.The moscot of the Asian Games
Incheon 2014 was three spotted Harbour
Seal siblings named Barame, Chumuro
and Vichuon meaning wind, dance and
light in Korean language.The 2019 Games
will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

* Sania Mirza, Saketh Myneni Mixed

doubles Tennis
* M.C. Mary Kom Womens 48-51 kg
Boxing
* Priyanka Panwar, Tintu Luka, Mandeep
Kaur, M. Poovamma Womens 4X400m
relay athletics
* Indian team Mens Hockey
* Indian team Womens Kabaddi
* Indian team Mens Kabaddi
India Won Sultan of Johor Cup Under21 Hockey Title
India on 19 October successfully defended
its Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) Under-21
Hockey title at Taman Daya Hockey
Stadium, Johor Bohru, Malaysia. In the
finals, Indian team defeated Great Britain,
2-1. With this win, India became the first
team to win the title twice since the
inception of the tournament in 2011. India
won its first title in 2013.
Pankaj Advani Won World Billiards
Point Format Championship
Indian player Pankaj Advani won the World
Billiards Point Format Championship on 24
October. This was Advanis 11th World title
and third of the year in different formats of
the game. In 2014, Advani has won three
different world titles the IBSF World 6
Red Snooker, World Team Billiards and
World Billiards Championship (point
format), which is an unprecedented record
in itself.

58
ECONOMY
India To Grow 5.6% In 2014
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
forecast 5.6 percent growth rate for India
this year and a higher 6.4 percent in 2015.
According to the IMF latest World
Economic Outlook report released on 7
October, In China growth will remain at 7.4
percent this year and is projected to be of
7.1 per cent in 2015.
Tatas Land Rover Is Top Indian Brand
Tata groups Land Rover is the only Indian
brand in worlds 100 most valuable brands.
Tata Group-owned iconic British car brand
Land Rover has been ranked 91st with a
brand value of $4.47 billion (Rs. 27,267
crore) and is one of the five new entrants
to this annual list compiled by leading
brand consultancy Interbrand. US
company Apple has retained its top slot
with a valuation of nearly $119 billion.
Asian Countries Signed MoU For Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
21 Asian countries, including India, have
signed an agreement to become founding
members of the China-backed Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to aid
the infrastructure development in the Asian
region and reduce the dependence on
Western-dominated World Bank and IMF.
The Joint Secretary of the Economic
Affairs division of the Ministry of Finance
signed the MoU on behalf of India at
Beijing on 26 October. The MoU specifies
that the authorised capital of AIIB is $100
billion and the initial subscribed capital is
expected to be around $50 billion. The
Headquarters of the AIIB will be at Beijing,
and the bank is expected to be operational
in 2015. Chinas Vice Finance Minister Jin
Liqun, who was also the former VicePresident of the Asian Development Bank,
has been appointed as the Secretary
General of AIIB.The 21 members of the
AIIB are China, India, Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore, the Philippines, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia,
Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Myanmar,
Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka,
Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
India Ranked 142 In World Banks Ease
of Doing Business 2015 Report
India has been placed at 142 among 189
countries in the latest World Banks Ease
of Doing Business 2015 report released
on 29 October. India was ranked 134th in
the last years edition of the list. Singapore
topped this list with 88.27 points and is
followed by New Zealand, Hong Kong,
Denmark and South Korea.

A) APPOINTMENTS
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Worlds First Solar Battery Developed
By US Scientists
Scientists at Ohio State University, US
developed the worlds first solar battery
which recharges itself using air and light.
The developed solar battery is in fact a
hybrid device that is party rechargeable
battery and part solar cell.
Japan Launches Weather Satellite
Himawari-8
Japan successfully launched the nations
next-generation Himawari-8 weather
satellite on 7 October from the
Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H2A rocket.
ISROs PSLV-C26 Successfully
Launched Indias Third Navigation
Satellite IRNSS-1C
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) successfully launched Indias third
navigation satellite, Indian Regional
Navigation Satellite System -1C ( IRNSS1C), into the space. The satellite was
launched through ISROs Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle-C26 (PSLV-C26) rocket
from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 16
October 2014. PSLV-C26 injected the
IRNSS-1C satellite, weighing 1425 kg, into
the designated orbit.This was the 27th
consecutive successful flight of PSLV.
Researchers Develop Worlds Thinnest
Electric Generator
Researchers from Columbia Engineering
and the Georgia Institute of Technology
report on 15 October that they have made
the first experimental observation of
piezoelectricity and the piezotronic effect in
an atomically thin material, molybdenum
disulfide (MoS2), resulting in a unique
electric generator and mechanosensation
devices that are optically transparent,
extremely light, and very bendable and
stretchable.

Jens Stoltenberg Becomes NATOs

Secretary General
Former two-term Norwegian Prime Minister
Jens Stoltenberg took up his post as North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Secretary General on 1 October. He
succeeds Fogh Rasmussen. Stoltenberg
was previously Prime Minister of Norway
from 2000-2001 and from 2005-2013.
Aamir Khan Appointed As UNICEFs
Goodwill Ambassador
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has been
appointed as UNICEFs Goodwill
Ambassador for South Asian region on 9
October. Aamir Khan will focus on
supporting child nutrition to end stunting
across the region.
Manohar Lal Khattar Sworn In As New
Chief minister Of Haryana
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader
Manohar Lal Khattar was on 26 October
sworn in as new Chief Minister of Haryana,
where BJP has formed government for the
first time on its own. Khattar is also the first
Punjabi to become the Chief Minister of the
state. Khattar a first time MLA, represents
Karnal constituency in the Haryana
assembly. He is Haryanas first non-jat
chief minister in 18 years. Khattar is the
10th chief minister of the state, which was
created November 1, 1966.
Devendra Fadnavis Sworn In As
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the
new Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 31
October 2014. Devendra Fadnavis became
the Mayor of Nagpur in 1997 when he was
just 27 year old. He thus became the
second youngest Mayor in India. He also
was the youngest municipal corporator of
the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC)
at the age of 21 in 1992. He has been
elected Member of the Legislative
Assembly of Maharashtra State,
representing Nagpur, since, 1999.
B)RESIGNS

Argentina Successfully Launches Its

First Communication Satellite
Argentina successfully launched its first
geostationary communications satellite
named ARSAT-1 from the spaceport near
Kourou in French Guyana on 16 October.

PERSONS IN NEWS

US Secret Service Director Julie Pierson

Resigned
Julie Pierson, the director of the US secret
service has resigned on 1 October amid
mounting criticism of her handling of
security breaches at the White House and
allegations of misleading public
statements.
C)DEATHS

59
Veteran Journalist M V Kamath Died
Former chairman of Prasar Bharati and
veteran Journalist Madhav Vittal Kamath,
popularly kmown as MV Kamath, died on 9
October. He was 93. He was awarded
Padma Bhushan for his contributions to
Indian journalism in 2004 and he has
written over 50 books.
D)VISITORS
President of India Pranab Mukherjee
Visited Norway
President of India Pranab Mukherjee
visited Norway on 13 14 October 2014.
During his visit, Pranab Mukherjee held
bilateral talks with Prime Minister Erna
Solberg. Pranab Mukherjee also met King
Harald in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
During the visit, India and Norway signed
13 agreements to promote bilateral
relations. These include agreement
between Defence sector of two countries
and an agreement on exemption of visa
requirement for holders of diplomatic and
official passports. He became the first
Indian head of state to visit Norway and
first president to cross the Arctic Circle.
E)MISCELLANEOUS

distance of 500 km. The other four

countries involved in this project include
the U.S., Japan, China and Canada.

ABBREVIATIONS
UNICEF United Nation International
Childrens Emergency Fund
UNESCO United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
IRNSS Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System
TADA - Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities Act
WIPO - World intellectual property
Organisation

BOOKS IN NEWS

MS Dhoni Ranks 5th On Forbes Most

Valuable Athlete Brand List
India cricket team captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni is the only Indian sportsman to
figure on Forbes List of the Worlds Most
Valuable Athlete Brands, a list that has
been topped by American basketball player
LeBron James and includes golfer Tiger
Woods and tennis stars Roger Federer and
Rafael Nadal. Dhoni is ranked fifth with a
brand value of USD20 million in 2014,
slightly down from USD21 million in 2013.
The top 10 Most Valuable Athletes list was
released on 9 October 2014.

Worthy Fights: A Memoir of

Leadership in War and Peace Book
Released
A book titled Worthy Fights: A Memoir of
Leadership in War and Peace authored
by Leon Panetta, and Jim Newton was
released on 7 Octobe. Panetta is a former
Defence Secretary and ex-CIA Director
and Newton is an editor of the Los Angeles
Times. Panetta through the book for the
first time came in a different tone in relation
to ISI links with terror outfit. Leon Panetta
served as the Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 20092011,
and as Secretary of Defense from 2011
2013.

PLACES IN NEWS

COMMITTEES

India Among Five Nations To Build

Worlds Biggest Telescope
India, along with four other countries will
start work on the worlds biggest telescope
in the United States. The 30-metre
telescope, also known as Thirty Minutes
Telescope (TMT), will be constructed near
the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano on
Hawaii Island in United States. It will cost
around $1.4 billion and the construction is
expected to be completed by March 2022.
The diameter of this telescope will be a
mammoth 30 meter. This will enable to
identify an object as small as coin from a

Madhava Menon Committee Announced

Guidelines For Govt Ads
The Supreme Court appointed highpowered committee headed by Professor
NR Madhava Menon submitted its report to
the court on 6 October. The committee in
its report has framed guidelines to regulate
expenditure and contents of
advertisements paid out of tax payers
money. The three-member committee has
recommended that names and pictures of
political parties and their office bearers like
presidents should not be mentioned in
government advertisements.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

World Food Day Observed Across The
World
World Food Day was observed across the
world on 16 October 2014 with the theme
Family Farming: Feeding the world, caring
for the earth.The UN General Assembly
has designated 2014 as the International
Year of Family Farming. This is a strong
signal that the international community
recognizes the important contribution of
family farmers to world food security.The
aim of World Food Day 2014 is to focus
world attention on the significant role of
family farming in eradicating hunger and
poverty, providing food security and
nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing
natural resources, protecting the
environment, and achieving sustainable
development, in particular in rural areas.
International Internet Day Observed
Across The World
International Internet Day was observed
across the world on 29 October 2014 to
mark the anniversary of the first usage of
the Internet to send a message
electronically in 1969. International Internet
Day is celebrated worldwide on 29 October
every year. Since 2005, the International
Internet Day has been celebrated to
commemorate a momentous day in the
history of telecommunications and
technology.
NOVEMBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL
INTERNATIONAL
China and Russia Signed Energy
Cooperation Agreements
China and Russia signed energy
cooperation agreements on 9 November.
The agreements were signed by the
President of Russia Vladimir Putin and
President of China Xi Jinping at the annual
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit in Beijing.The deals
include a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) to develop a second major supply
route to supply Russian natural gas to
China along a western route.
US and China Signed Climate Change
Agreement
In a historic climate change deal, U.S.
President Barack Obama and Chinese
President Xi Jinping on 12 November
announced both countries will curb their
greenhouse gas emissions over the next

60
two decades. Under the agreement, the
United States would cut its 2005 level of
carbon emissions by 26-28% before the
year 2025. China would peak its carbon
emissions by 2030 and will also aim to get
20% of its energy from zero-carbon
emission sources by the same year.It is the
first time China, the worlds biggest
polluter, has set an approximate date for
emissions to peak.
Klaus Iohannis Elected As New
President Of Romania
Klaus Iohannis was elected as the fifth
President of Romania on 16 November.
The Mayor of Sibiu Klaus Werner Iohannis
won the Presidential elections in Romania
by defeating Prime Minister Victor Ponta of
Social Democratic Party. Klaus Iohannis
belongs to Christian Liberal Alliance of
Romania. He got 54.81 percent of votes
and Victor Ponta got 45.18 percent.
UN General Assembly Adopted
Resolution On Child Marriages
The United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) rights committee on 21 November
adopted the first-ever resolution calling on
governments to stop child marriages. The
resolution was presented by Canada and
Zambia.

INDIA & WORLD

India and Bhutan Signed MoU on
Establishment Of Nalanda University
India and Bhutan on 7 November signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
develop Nalanda University in Bihar as an
international centre of excellence. The two
sides signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) in this regard in
Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, after
President of India Pranab Mukherjee held
talks with the Bhutanese King Jigme
Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Global Slavery Index 2014
Second Edition of Global Slavery Index
was released on 17 November by the
Australia-based Walk Free Foundation.
The Index ranks 167 countries in terms of
the percentage of a national population
and the total number of people living in
modern slavery country by country,
region by region. In absolute terms, the
index was topped by India followed by
China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Russia.
Index highlighted that estimated 35.8
million people are in modern slavery
globally. Out of this, 61% people are living
in top five countries.

India and Australia Siged Five

Agreements
India and Australia on 18 November signed
five agreements on social security, transfer
of sentenced prisoners, combating
narcotics trade, tourism, and Arts and
Culture.The agreements were signed after
the bilateral talks between Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Canberra,
Australia.

PM Narendra Modi Launches Jeevan

Pramaan Digital Life Certificate For
Pensioners
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10
November launched Jeevan Pramaan
an Aadhar-based Digital Life Certificate
for pensioners.The digital certification will
do away with the requirement of submitting
a physical Life Certificate in November
each year by pensioners for getting
pension.

India Votes Against UN General

Assembly Resolution On Death Penalty
India has voted on 25 November against a
UN General Assembly draft resolution
calling for moratorium on the use of death
penalty. The draft resolution on
Moratorium on the use of the death
penalty was approved in the General
Assemblys Third Committee, which deals
with social, humanitarian and cultural
issues.India was among the 36 nations that
voted against the resolution, which got 114
votes in favour and 34 abstentions.

Union Government Approved Launch Of

DUGJY
The Union Government on 21 November
approved the launch of the Deendayal
Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DUGJY) to
provide access of electricity to rural
households across the country. A decision
in this regard was taken at the Cabinet
meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The Union
Cabinet also decided to merge the ongoing
Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana
(RGGVY) with DUGJY scheme.

NATIONAL

STATES

Commemorative Stamp on Liver

Transplantation In India Released
The Department of Posts released a
commemorative postage stamp on Liver
Transplantation in India on 4 November on
the occasion of 15 years of Liver
Transplantation in India. The patient who
had undergone first successful liver
transplantation in India in 1998 Sanjay
Kandaswamy was also present on the
occasion.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Launched

Samajwadi Pension Scheme
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadav on 5 November launched the
Samajwadi Pension Scheme for 40 lakh
families, including those belonging to the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
and minorities.

21 New Ministers Inducted Into The

Union Cabinet
Prime Minister Narendra modi on 9
November 2014 expanded his cabinet and
added 21 more ministers to his
government. The 21 new ministers include
four Cabinet Ministers, three Minister of
State (Independent Charge) and 14
Minister of State. With this expansion, the
total number of ministers under different
ranks including the Prime Minister has
gone up to 66 from previous 45. It is also
the first expansion of the Union Council of
Ministers since the Modi government took
office on 26 May 2014. The Portfolios of
Cabinet Ministers:- Manohar Parrikar (Goa)
Defence Minister ; Suresh Prabhu
(Maharashtra) Rail Minister ; J P Nadda
(Himachal Pradesh) Health and Family
Welfare Minister ; Birender Singh
(Haryana) Panchayati Raj and Drinking
Water and Sanitation Minister.

PM Narendra Modi Adopts Jayapur

Village In Varanasi
Jayapur was adopted by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 5 November under the
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (MP Model
Village Plan). Narendra Modi chose
Jayapur village in Varanasi district (Uttar
Pradesh) under the Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana (SAGY).
Assam Zoo Set To Become First Zoo To
Have The Endangered Pygmy Hog
Assam State Zoo in Guwahati in the month
of November 2014 decided to have the
critically endangered pig Pygmy Hog
(Porcula salvania). Pygmy Hog is the
rarest and smallest wild pig in the world.
With this decision, Assam State Zoo is set
to become the first and only zoo of the
world to have this critically endangered
species of pigs.
Namsai Becomes Arunachal Pradeshs
18th District
Namsai on 25 November 2014 officially

61
became the 18th district of Arunachal
Pradesh. The Chief Minister of Arunachal
Pradesh Nabam Tuki made the
declaration.

CONFERENCES
Ninth G20 Summit Held In Brisbane
The 2014 G-20 Australia summit was the
ninth meeting of the G-20 heads of
government. It was held on 15-16
November 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. At
the conclusion of the Summit, the G20
leaders released the final communiqu
known as the Brisbane Action Plan. The
Action Plan contains a package of more
than 800 reforms to boost global growth,
shore up financial institutions and improve
economic resilience. If these are
implemented, then global growth will see
an increase of 2.1 percent. After recovery
from the global financial crisis the G20
agreed on the need for bold and
coordinated push to generate strong,
sustainable economic growth across the
bloc. It set an ambitious goal to lift G20
growth by more than 2 percent to 2018 and
millions of additional jobs. China will play
host to the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit
of the emerging economies in 2016.
Turkey took over the presidency from
Australia and will host the event in Antalya
in 2015.

November selected for the prestigious

International Award The Earth Heroes
Award 2014. It has become the first zoo in
India. It has competed with 300 zoos
across the world. Padmaja Naidu
Himalayan Zoological Park is largest high
altitude zoo of India. It is located in West
Bengal.The Earth Heroes award is
annually awarded by the Royal Bank of
Scotland in collaboration with the
Government of United Kingdom.
Neha Gupta Received International
Childrens Peace Prize 2014
Indian-American student Neha Gupta has
won the 2014 International Childrens
Peace Prize Award for her exceptional
work to raise money for underprivileged
children around the world. Nobel Peace
Laureate Desmond Tutu the patron of the
Dutch childrens rights organization
presented her with the award on 18
November in The Hague, Netherlands. She
is the first American to be awarded with
this prize.
ISRO selected For Indira Gandhi Prize
For Peace 2014
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) has been selected for the Indira
Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development for 2014 in recognition of its
path-breaking achievements including the
Mars Orbiter Mission and contribution in
strengthening international cooperation in
peaceful use of outer space. ISRO was
selected for the award by a jury chaired by
Vice President Hamid Ansari on 19
November 2014.

West Bengals Darjeeling Zoo Selected

For Earth Heroes Award 2014
The Darjeeling Zoo or the Padmaja Naidu
Himalayan Zoological Park was on 1

Magnus Carlsen Won FIDE World Chess

Championship 2014
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the FIDE
World Chess Championship 2014 on 23
November at Sochi (Russia). He defeated
Viswanathan Anand of India with a score of
6.5 4.5. Out of a total of 12 games
played, he won the Game 2, Game 6 and
Game 11. With this he retained the FIDE
World Championship which he had won in
Chennai in 2013.
Karnataka Won Vijay Hazare Trophy
Karnataka won the Vijay Hazare Cricket
Trophy on 25 November by defeating
Punjab by 156 runs in the final at
Ahmedabad.Karnataka had won the title
earlier this year in March 2014 to complete
a historic treble (Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup
and Vijay Hazare Trophy) under R Vinay
Kumar.

ECONOMY

AWARDS & HONOURS

Manmohan Singh Received Japans Top
National Award
Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh was conferred with the Grand
Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia
Flowers Award on 5 November. The
Grand Cordon of the Order of the
Paulownia Flowers is perceived as the
second highest civilian award of Japan
after Order of the Chrysanthemum. The
award was presented to Manmohan Singh
by Japanese Emperor Akihito at the
Imperial Palace in Tokyo. He was given
this award for his significant contribution to
the enhancement of relations and
promotion of friendship between Japan
and India. He became the first Indian to
receive this prestigious award.

title.They were Durand Cup champions in

the year 1999 and 2003 as well. 127th
Durand Cup played at the Raia Sports
Complex, Goa.
India Won 3rd SAFF Womens
Championship
India won the 2014 South Asian Football
Federation (SAFF) Womens
Championship at the Jinnah Stadium in
Islamabad on 21 November. Indian team
won 6-0 over Nepal to register their first
series win on Pakistan soil.With this win,
the Indian team has won all the three
SAFF women finals against Nepal.

SPORTS & GAMES

Central Zone Won Duleep Trophy 201415
Central Zone won the 2014-15 Duleep
Trophy title on 2 November. They won by
defeating South Zone in the finals played
at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi with 9
runs. This was the first Duleep title for
Central zone in ten seasons and the
narrowest win in the tournaments history,
in terms of runs. K Rahul was adjudged as
the Man-of-the-match for his knocks of 185
and 130 in the final.
Salgaocar FC Won Durand Cup 2014
The 2014 Durand Cup , the 127th edition
of the Durand Cup which is the third oldest
association football competition in the
world, was won by the Salgaocar FC.
Salgaocar FC defeated Pune FC in the
final by 1-0 to claim their 3rd Durand

WEF Recognizes 17 Indian Companies

As Global Growth Companies
17 companies from India were recognised
as Global Growth Company by World
Economic Forum (WEF) as notified by it on
5 November. Ratnakar Bank Limited
(RBL), headquartered at Kolhapur
(Maharashtra), is the only banking entity
out of these 17 companies from India,
which have been described as regions
most dynamic and high-growth companies
by the WEF. The Global Growth
Companies community comprises over 370
companies around the world.
Government of India and World Bank
Signed $200 Million Agreement
The Government of India (GoI) and the
World Bank on 10 November signed a
$200 million loan agreement to enhance
the productivity of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by
expanding and upgrading Technology

62
Centers across India. The Technology
Center Systems Program (TCSP) will
develop the technological and skills base
of MSMEs in selected manufacturing
industries.
Kerala Becomes First State with Bank
Accounts For All Families
Kerala has become the first state in the
country with bank accounts for all families
under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna
(PMJDY). A formal declaration to this effect
was made by Kerala Finance Minister K M
Mani at the State-Level Bankers
Committee (SLBC) meeting in
Thiruvananthapuram on 11 November.
Indias Growth Forecast Raised To 6.6
percent By OECD For 2015-16
Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) on 19
November raised Indias growth forecast to
6.6 percent for the financial year 20152016.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Russia Successfully Test Fired Topol-M
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
Russian Strategic Missile Troops (RVSN)
on 1 November successfully test fired a
Topol-M Inter Continental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM) to test its technical features. The
Topol-M, a silo-based ICBM, was launched
from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Russias
northern Arkhangelsk region.
Nuclear Capable Agni-II Missile
Successfully Test Fired
India on 9 November successfully test-fired
its medium-range nuclear-capable Agni-II
missile with a strike range of more than
2000 km from the Wheeler Island off
Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the
army.The 20-metre long Agni-II missile is a
two-stage, solid-propelled ballistic missile.
It has a launch weight of 17 tonnes and
can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a
distance of more than 2,000 km.
Pakistan Successfully Test Fires
Shaheen-II and Shaheen 1A
Pakistan has successfully test fired
Shaheen-II (Hatf-VI) Ballistic Missile on 13
November 2014. Shaheen-II Missile is
capable of carrying nuclear and
conventional warheads to a range of 1500
kilometers.
China Launched Yaogan-23 Remote
Sensing Satellite
China launched remote sensing satellite

Yaogan-23 from the Taiyuan Satellite

Launch Centre on 15 November. This
satellite was carried by the Long March 2-c
rocket. This is the 198th mission of the
Long March rocket project. The Yaogan-23
will be deployed mainly for scientific
experiments, crop yield estimates, national
resource surveys and disaster relief.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Anita Kapur is CBDT new Chairperson
Senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
officer Anita Kapur has been appointed as
the new Chairperson of the Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 5 November.
CBDT is the topmost authority of the
Income-Tax Department. Anita Kapur will
be serving as the Chairperson of CBDT till
November 2015. She succeeded K V
Chowdhary who has retired on 31 October
2014.
Laxmikant Parsekar Sworn In As Goas
New Chief Minister
Laxmikant Parsekar sworn-in as the new
Chief Minister of Goa. Parsekar was
elected the leader of the Goa BJP
Legislative Party on 8 November 2014 and
was administered the oath of office on the
same day. He replaced Manohar Parrikar,
who took oath as Union Cabinet Minister
on 9 November 2014. Laxmikant Yashwant
Parsekar is the member of the Goa
Legislative Assembly from Mandrem
constituency.
B)RESIGNS
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar
Resigned
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna
Prabhu Parrikar on 8 November 2014
resigned from his position. He took oath as
Union Cabinet Minister on 9 November
2014. Manohar Parrikar is a member of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India. He
has been Chief Minister of Goa first from
2000 to 2005 and later from March 2012 to
November 2014 and represented the
Panaji constituency in the Legislative
Assembly of Goa.
C)DEATHS
Former Union Minister Murli Deora Died
Murli Deora, Senior Congress leader from
Maharastra and Former Petroleum
Minister, was died on 24 November in

Mumbai. Deora was Indias longest serving

Petroleum Minister, completing exactly five
years in office in a tenure that began in
January 2006 and was spread between
UPA-1 and II. He first contested the Lok
Sabha polls from Mumbai South
constituency in 1980 . He was first time
elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 from
Maharashtra and since then had
completed two terms. At present, he was
serving his third term.
D)VISITORS
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Visited Myanmar
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
visited Myanmar to attend the 25th ASEAN
summit, 12th ASEAN-India Summit and 9th
East Asia Summit in Naypyidaw,the capital
of Myanmar from 12-13 November 2014.
During the visit, many decisions were
taken and on the sidelines of the summit,
the Prime Minister also met with other
leaders of ASEAN countries. Narendra
Modi also met Myanmar President U Thein
Sein in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of
Myanmar. This was the first meeting
between the two leaders, and focus was on
connectivity, cultural contacts and
commercial ties.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Narendra Modi Ranks 15th On Forbes
Most Powerful People List
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been
ranked 15th in the Forbes list of Worlds
Most Powerful People for the year 2014.
Forbes worlds most powerful people 2014 list was released on 5 November.
Russian President Vladimir Putin retains
his numero uno seat just above his
American rival Barack Obama (2nd) for
the second consecutive year.

PLACES IN NEWS
Worlds 2nd Tallest Power
Transmission Towers In West Bengal
The worlds second tallest power
transmission towers, built by Haldia Energy
Limited (HEL), has come up in West
Bengal.The 236-metre-long twin towers,
located at HELs 600-MW capacity plant at
Haldia and Raichak across the river
Hooghly, are the tallest in the country.
Covering a span of 1.5 km, the twin towers
weigh 1,800 tonnes.The worlds highest
transmission tower (370 metres) is located
at Mount Damaoshan in China.

63
IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES
ABBREVIATIONS
AAFI Amateur Athletics Federation of
India
APEC Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation
CDRI - Central Drug Research Institute
SAARC - South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation
ASEAN Association of South East
Asian Nations

BOOKS IN NEWS
2014:The Election That Changed
India Authored By Rajdeep Sardesai
Released
A book titled 2014:The Election that
Changed India authored by senior
journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was released
on 1 November. The book follows through
the major stories of the 2014 Loksabha
elections which affected the fate of
Narendra Modi, Manmohan Singh and
Rahul Gandhi.

COMMITTEES
Justice Mudgal Committee Submitted
Its Final Report on IPL Spot Fixing
The Supreme Court (SC) appointed Mukul
Mudgal committee on 2013 Indian Premier
League (IPL)-6 spot-fixing submitted its
final report to the court on 3 November
2014. The report of Justice Mukul Mudgal
committee on match fixing in IPL-6 was
made public on 17 November 2014.The
report gave a major relief to the stepped
down BCCI president N. Srinivasan
observing that it could not be proved that
he was involved with betting activities. The
Mudgal Committee submitted two reports
to the Supreme court on 9 February
2014.The Mukul Mudgal panel was
constituted by the Supreme Court in
October 2013 to probe the allegations of
spot-fixing in IPL-6 matches. The
committee is headed by Justice (Retd.)
Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of the
Punjab and Haryana High Court.

National Education Day was Observed

on 11 November
National Education Day (NED) was
observed on 11 November 2014 to mark of
the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad. This NED was 125th birth
anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad.National Educational Day was
observed on the birth anniversary of
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, first Education
minister of Independent India.In 2008,
Government of India declared that Azads
birth anniversary will be celebrated as the
National Education Day.
World Fisheries Day Observed Across
The World On 21 November
World Fisheries day on 21 November 2014
was observed across the world by the
fisher folk communities. The day will
remind the world to ensure sustainable
stocks of fisheries and healthy oceans
ecosystems.The day also helps to highlight
the problems like over fishing and
mechanization and moves towards finding
solutions to the increasingly interconnected problems that world facing and
in the longer term, to sustainable means of
maintaining fish stocks.Fishing
communities across the world celebrated
through rallies, workshops, public
meetings, cultural dramas, exhibition,
music show, and demonstrations to
highlight the importance of maintaining the
fisheries of world. As a part of World
Fisheries Day celebrations, Union
Government of India announced to launch
Blue Revolution to increase in fish
production and productivity in India.
DECEMBER 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS
STUDY MATERIAL

system in Gampaha district.The US$ 230

million water supply project is the largest
ever undertaken by the Sri Lankan
government.
Pakistan 8th Most Dangerous Country
In The World
US based think tank IntelCenter on 9
December released Country Threat Index
(CTI) ranking 45 countries in terms of
terrorist and rebel threat to a country.
Pakistan is placed eighth in the list of the
most dangerous countries in the world
which is led by Iraq.
Global Arms Trade Treaty Came Into
Force
The global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that
lays down international rules for the 85
billion US dollars global arms trade came
into effect on 24 December 2014. The
Treaty was negotiated at a global
conference under the auspices of the
United Nations from July 227, 2012, in
New York. Later the UN adopted it on 2
April 2013. It has been signed by 130
countries while 61 countries ratified it.
Shinzo Abe Re-elected Third Term As
Japan Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe on 14 December re-elected
third term as Japan Prime Minister. He was
re-elected after Japans ruling coalition
(Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito)
won a two thirds majority in the Snap
elections held for the Lower House (House
of Representatives) of the Bicameral
legislature, the National Diet.

INDIA & WORLD

Tabare Vazquez Re-elected As Uruguay

President
Tabare Vazquez was re-elected as
Uruguay President. He won the 2014
presidential elections held in Uruguay on
30 November 2014. The Presidential
election results was announced by
Uruguays Electoral Court on 1 December.
Vazquez belongs to the leftist Broad Front
coalition party of Uruguay.

India Ranked 85th On Global Corruption

Perception Index 2014
India was ranked 85th out of 175 countries
on Global Corruption Perception Index
(CPI) 2014, which was released by
Transparency International on 3 December
2014. Indias score stood at 38 as
compared to 36 in 2013. Sri Lanka was
ranked 85th with India. The index was
topped by Denmark with a score of 92. At
the bottom of the list are South Sudan
(171), Afghanistan (172), Sudan (173) and
North Korea and Somalia shared the last
place at 174 with a score of 8 each.

China Launched Mega Water Supply

Project In Sri Lanka
The Beijing-based China Machinery
Engineering Corporation (CMEC) has on 6
December launched another mega project
in Sri Lanka to construct a water supply

United Nations Declared June 21 As

International Yoga Day
The United Nations General Assembly
adopted an India-led resolution declaring
June 21 as International Day of Yoga. It
was introduced by Indias Ambassador to

INTERNATIONAL

64
the United Nations Asoke Mukerji on 11
December and had 175 nations joining as
co-sponsors, the highest number ever for
any resolution in the 193-member UN
Genral Assembly. This is also for the first
time that such an initiative has been
proposed and implemented by any country
in the UN body in less than 90 days.
Through the resolution, adopted under the
agenda of Global Health and Foreign
Policy, the 193-member General
Assembly decided to proclaim June 21
every year as International Day of Yoga.

Vajpayees birthday on December 25 will

be observed as National Good
Governance Day. The decision has been
taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
2 December in New Delhi.

India and Russia Signed 20 Agreements

India and Russia signed 20 agreements
during the 15th India-Russia Annual
Summit held in New Delhi on 11
December. The agreements were signed in
the presence of Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Russian President
Vladimir Putin. India and Russia also
agreed to jointly explore for oil and gas,
build petrochem plants, lay pipelines and
cooperate in infrastructure development
and smart cities to treble bilateral trade to
USD 30 billion by 2025.

Government Decided To Remove

Section 309 From IPC
The government has on 10 December
decided to delete/strike off Section 309
(attempt to commit suicide) from the Indian
Penal Code (IPC) on the recommendation
of the Law Commission of India. Section
309 of IPC makes the act punishable with
jail term of up to one year and fine.

India Ranks Third On World Black

Money List
The Global Financial Integrity (GFI) on 15
December released the Global Illicit
Financial Flows Report 2014 titled Illicit
Financial Flows from the Developing
World: 2003-2012. According to the report,
India has ranked third in the world with an
estimated USD 94.76 billion (nearly Rs 6
lakh crore) illicit money outflows in 2012.
Reportedly the cumulative illicit money
moving out of the country from 2003 to
2012 has risen to USD 439.59 billion (Rs
28 lakh crore). Russia is on the top with
USD 122.86 billion, followed by China at
the second position (USD 249.57 billion) in
terms of black money moving out of a
country for 2012 the latest year for
which these estimates have been made.
India Banned ISIS Terror Group
The Union Government on 16 December
2014 banned Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) under Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act. The aim of the ban is to
limit the activities of the West Asia group
which has carved out swathes of territory in
Iraq and Syria.

NATIONAL
Atal Bihari Vajpayees Birthday To Be
Observed As Good Governance Day
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari

Union Govt Launched Sukanya

Samriddhi Account Scheme
The Union Government has on 4
December notified Sukanya Samriddhi
Account , a new small savings instrument
for the girl child that could be operated by
her after the age of 10.

Union Govt Launched Mission

Indradhanush For Children Vaccination
The Union government has launched
Mission Indradhanush to achieve full
immunization coverage for all children by
2020.The Mission Indradhanush aims to
cover all those children who are either
unvaccinated or are partially vaccinated
against seven vaccine preventable
diseases including diphtheria, whooping
cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis,
measles and hepatitis B.

STATES
Uttar Pradesh Govt Launched Women
Entrepreneurship Scheme 2014-15
Uttar Pradesh government on 2 December
launched the Women Entrepreneurship
Scheme 2014-15 to empower women and
ensure their participation in the process of
industrialization. Under the scheme, the
state government is encouraging microlevel and individual traditional industries
and handicraft units to form a special
purpose vehicle (SPV).

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election

2014 Results
Election Commission of India on 23
December declared the results of
Assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K). Jammu & Kashmir Peoples
Democratic Party (JKPDP) of Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed with 28 seats
emerged as the largest party in the house
of 87 seats.Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
with 25 seats (all seats came from the
Jammu region) stood at the second
position. Jammu and Kashmir is going to
witness a hung assembly, as no party was
able to garner a full majority.
Jharkhand Assembly Election 2014
Results
Election Commission of India (ECI) on 23
December declared the results of
Assembly elections of Jharkhand.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 37 seats
emerged as the largest party in the house
of 81 seats.Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
(JMM) with 19 seats stood at the second
position.

CONFERENCES
United Nations Climate Change
Conference 2014
The UN Climate Change Conference
(UNFCCC), known also as Conference of
the Parties (COP 20), was held in Lima,
Peru, from 1 12 December 2014. The
conference concluded its 12-day meeting
on 12 December having brought together
the 196 Parties to the UNFCCC in an
attempt to hammer out a new universal
treaty which would enter force by 2020.
The final agreement is expected to be
hashed out in Paris at the end of next year.
The decisions adopted in Lima, including
the Lima Call for Climate Action, pave the
way for the adoption of a universal and
meaningful agreement in 2015.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Assam Govt Launched Lokpriya
Gopinath Bordoloi Concrete Road
Nirman Scheme
The Assam government on 5 December
launched a new road construction scheme
named Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi
Concrete Road Nirman. Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi laid foundation stone for the
scheme at Mirza in Kamrup district of
Assam.

Narendra Modi Named The Straits

Times Asian Of The Year 2014
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was
on 5 December named Asian of the Year
2014 for being a development-focused
leader by editors of Singapores leading
daily, The Straits Times. Last years award
was shared by Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe and Chinas President Xi
Jinping.

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Time Magazine Named Ebola Fighters
As Person of the Year 2014
The countless doctors, nurses and
caregivers at the forefront of battling one of
the worst ever outbreaks of the deadly
Ebola virus, were on 10 December
collectively named as Time magazines
2014 Person of the Year. The Ebola
fighters have been awarded for their
tireless acts of courage and mercy and for
risking, persisting, sacrificing and saving.
Fidel Castro Awarded Chinas
Confucius Peace Prize 2014
Cubas former leader Fidel Castro has
been awarded the Confucius Peace Prize 2014, Chinas alternative to the Nobel. He
did not attend the Confucius Peace Prize
award ceremony on 9 December. A Cuban
exchange student accepted the award on
his behalf. The Confucius Peace prize was
established in 2009 as an eastern
alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize
following the proposal of Chinese
businessman Lui Zhiqin.
Atal Bihari Vajpee and Pandit Madan
Mohan Malaviya To Be Awarded Bharat
Ratna
The Union Government on 24 December
2014 made announcement to award the
Bharat Ratna, countrys highest civilian
honour to Former Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee, and educationist and
social reformer Madan Mohan
Malviya(posthumously). The
announcement coincides with Vajpayees
birthday on December 25 which the
government has already declared as Good
Governance Day. Malviya is the 11th
person to receive the award posthumously,
while Vajpayee is the sixth Prime Minister
to receive the award. Till now 43 people
have been honoured with the Bharat
Ratna. Educationist Madan Mohan Malviya
and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee are the 44th and 45th
distinguished personalities who have been
conferred with countrys highest civilian
award. In 2013, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar
and scientist C N R Rao were awarded
Bharat Ratna for their contribution in their
respective fields.

SPORTS & GAMES

East Zone Won 201415 Deodhar
Trophy
East Zone won the 2014-15 Deodhar
Trophy of cricket on 3 December by
defeating West Zone by 24 runs. The final
match was played at the Wankhede
Stadium in Mumbai. This was the first

Deodhar Trophy win for East Zone after 11

seasons.
India Won Blind Cricket World Cup 2014
Indian Blind Cricket team under the
captaincy of Shekhar Naik won the fourth
edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup
(BCWC) 2014 by defeating defending
champions Pakistan in the final match
played at Cape Town (South Africa) on 7
December. It was the first time India won
the event.
Germany Won 2014 Champions Trophy
Hockey
Germany defeated Pakistan 2-0 on 14
December to win the 35th Champions
Trophy Hockey (Mens) in Bhubaneswar
for the 10th time. Germany had last won
the tournament in 2007.Australia has won
Mens Champions Trophy for the highest
13 times followed by Germany (10 times).
Indian Men and Women Teams Won 5th
Kabaddi World Cup 2014
India won the Men and Women title of
Kabaddi World Cup 2014. This was the
fifth Kabaddi World Cup.The final match of
the cup was played on 20 December at
Guru Gobind Singh Multipurpose Stadium
in Jalandhar, Punjab, India. The Indian
mens team defeated Pakistan 45-42 for
the fourth time, while the women team beat
New Zealand 36-27 for the second time in
a row.
Sunil Chhetri Named 2014 AIFF Player
of the Year
Indian national team captain Sunil Chhetri
was on 27 December declared All India
Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the
Year for the third time in four years while
Bala Devi has been declared the Woman
Player of the Year.

ECONOMY
Indias Economic Growth Is Expected
To Improve To 6.3% in 2016
The United Nations latest report titled The
UN World Economic Situation and
Prospects 2015 (WESP) was released on
11 December. According to the report,
Indias economic growth is expected to
improve to 6.3 per cent in 2016 with the
country leading economic recovery in
South Asia.
ICICI Bank Launched Indias First
Transparent Credit Card
Private sector lender ICICI Bank on 12
December launched Indias first credit card

with a transparent design.The credit card

named ICICI Bank Coral American
Express Credit Card.
Alibabas Jack Ma Becomes Asias
Richest Person
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires
Index new list of the worlds billionaires
released on 12 December, the founder of
Chinese internet giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, is
now the richest person in Asia. With an
estimated wealth of 28.6 billion dollars, Ma
overtook the Hong Kong property tycoon Li
Ka-shing at 28.3 billion dollars.
IOC tops Fortune India 500 List
The global business magazine Fortunes
Indian edition released its annual list of
Fortune 500 Indian companies for 2014 on
14 December. According to the list, Staterun Indian Oil Corp (IOC) topped this list
with an annual revenue of Rs 5,00,973
crore, while Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance
Industries Ltds (RIL) full-year revenue is
Rs 4,44,021 crore.
India Ranks 93rd In Forbes List Of Best
Nations For Business
Business publication Forbes has ranked
India 93rd on its list of Best Countries for
Business for 2014, which was released on
19 December. Denmark tops the list,
followed by Hong Kong. India ranked 122
on the trade freedom index, 135 in
monetary freedom, 120 in technology, 122
in tax burden and 128 in red tape. It fared
well on market performance index, ranking
third, and 7th on investor protection. It
ranked 78th on corruption and 55 on
property rights.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India Successfully Test Fired N-capable
Agni-IV Missile
India on 2 December successfully test fired
its 4,000 km Nuclear Capable Agni-IV
missile from a defence base in Odisha.The
missile is a two-stage, weighing 17 tonne
and 20-metre tall.This test was the fourth
trial of Agni-IV missile. The first was in
November 2011, the second in September
2012 and the third in January 2014. AgniIV has already been inducted into the
army.
Japan Successfully Launched Asteroid
Explorer Hayabusa 2
Japan has successfully launched its
second-generation asteroid explorer
Hayabusa 2 from Tanegashima Space
Center on 3 December in Japans

66
southwestern Kagoshima prefecture. The
Hayabusa 2 was launched aboard the H2A Launch Vehicle No.26 (H-2A F26) and
it is the second mission of Japan after
Hayabusa (MUSES-C) launched in 2003 to
collect asteroid samples. Hayabusa 2 will
explore one of the C-type asteroids called
1999 JU3 in space, retrieve materials and
bring them to Earth.

coast guards near Indira Point, the

southernmost point of India.

ISROs Communication Satellite GSAT16 Launched Successfully

Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) communication satellite GSAT-16
was successfully launched on 7 December
by the Ariane-5 launch vehicle VA221 of
Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana.
India satellites co-passenger DIRECTV14, built by SSL (Space Systems/Loral) for
operator DIRECTV to provide direct-tohome television broadcasts across the US,
was also launched by Ariane 5 VA221,
marking 63rd successful mission in a row
for the rocket. Ariane 5 delivers DIRECTV14 and GSAT-16 to orbit on Arianespaces
latest mission success.

Anil Kumar Sinha Takes Charge As new

CBI director
Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer
Anil Kumar Sinha (A.K.Sinha) took charge
as the new director of the Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) on 3 December.
Sinha, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Bihar
cadre, succeeds Ranjit Sinha, a fellow
Bihar cadre officer, who retired on 2
December 2014. Sinha is the third
consecutive chief of the agency from Bihar
following Ranjit Sinha and A.P. Singh. This
is the first time that the Prime Minister -led
panel has selected the CBI director.

China Successfully Launched Yaogan

Weixing-25 Mission
China on 10 December successfully
launched the Yaogan Weixing-25 mission
consisting of three satellites from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The
launch took place from the 603 launch pad
of the LC43 launch complex utilizing a
Long March-4C (Chang Zheng-4C) launch
vehicle.The Yaogan Weixing-25 mission is
composed of three satellites, with Chinese
media referring to the new satellite as a
new remote sensing bird that will be used
for scientific experiments, land survey, crop
yield assessment, and disaster monitoring.
ISRO successfully Launched GSLV
Mark-III
The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) successfully launched Indias
heaviest rocket GSLV Mark-III-X carrying
Crew module Atmospheric Reentry
Experiment (CARE) from Sriharikota in
Andhra Pradesh on 18 December 2014. It
weighs 630 tonnes. Objective behind the
test of the 155 crore rupees mission was to
check the atmospheric stability around four
tonne luggage and study the re-entry
characteristics of the crew module.The
GSLV Mark-III-X lifted off from the second
launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre carrying the human crew module
CARE and separated the crew module at
an altitude of 126 km for re-entry into the
earths atmosphere. The module controlled
by 3 parachutes safely splashed down into
the Bay of Bengal off Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and was recovered by

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Richard Rahul Verma Sworn In As US

Ambassador To India
Indian-American Richard Rahul Verma has
been sworn in as the US Ambassador to
India by Secretary of State John Kerry on
20 December.46-year-old Verma is the first
ever Indian-American to be the top US
diplomat in New Delhi. He will replace
Nancy Powell, who resigned in March 2014
after a damaging row over the treatment of
diplomat Devyani Khobragade over visa
fraud charges.
Raghubar Das Sworn In As First Nontribal CM of Jharkhand
BJP leader Raghubar Das on 28
December was sworn-in as 10th Chief
Minister of Jharkhand, becoming the first
non-tribal leader to rule a state, which was
carved out in 2000 of Bihar, to serve the
tribal and reserved
constituencies.Raghubar Das becomes the
sixth individual after Babulal Marandi
(once), Arjun Munda (thrice), Shibu Soren
(thrice), Madhu Koda (once) and Hemant
Soren (once) to be the CM of Jharkhand.
B)RESIGNS
Haitis Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe
Resigned
Haitis Prime minister Laurent Lamothe has
resigned on 13 December, after violent
anti-government protests over delayed
elections. He was appointed as Prime
Minister by the President Michel Martelly in
2012.
C)DEATHS

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister AR

Antulay Died
Former Union Minister and Maharashtras
first Muslim Chief Minister, AR Antulay was
died on 2 December in Mumbai. He was
85. Antulay belonged to the Congress
party. Abdul Rahman Antulay, widely
known as AR Antulay was 8th and first and
only Muslim Chief Minister of Maharashtra
from 1980 to 1982. He also served as the
Union Minister of Minority Affairs in the
UPA-I government lead by Dr. Manmohan
Singh.
D)VISITORS
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Visited India
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited
India on 11-12 December 2014. During his
two day visit, Putin held talks with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to
boost cooperation between the two
strategic partners in sectors like defence,
energy and trade. After bilateral talks, India
and Russia signed 20 agreements in areas
including armed forces training, nuclear
energy, oil exploration, infrastructure,
medical research. These agreement
include Russias help in building at least 12
nuclear reactors and a plan to manufacture
advanced Russian military helicopters and
defence spare parts in India.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
India Sets New World Record For
Largest Human Flag
India on 7 December 2014 set the
Guinness Record for largest human
formation of a national flag in the world. To
set the record around 50000 volunteers
from Chennai gathered at YMCA Grounds
to form the human Tricolour with Chakra,
the National Flag of India.The previous
world record was in the name of Sports
Club of Lahore, Pakistan wherein 28957
people were involved in forming the
national flag of Pakistan.

PLACES IN NEWS
Worlds Largest Cruise Ship Terminal
Opened In Dubai
The worlds largest cruise ship terminal has
opened in Dubai.The third cruise terminal
at Port Rashid in Dubai was on 12
December unveiled by the Crown Prince of
Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan. The Hamdan bin
Mohammed Cruise Terminal is spread over
28,000 square meters and can
handle14,000 cruise passengers a day.

67
IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES
ABBREVIATIONS
1) IIIT - Indian Institute of Information
Technology
2) ECIL - Electronics Corporation of
India Limited
3) IFCI - Industrial Finance Corporation
of India
4) IRDA - Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority
5) ITF International Tennis Federation
6) ONGC Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation

BOOKS IN NEWS
President Mukherjees Book Titled The
Dramatic Decade : The Indira Gandhi
Years Released
President Pranab Mukherjees book titled
The Dramatic Decade : The Indira Gandhi
Years was released on 11 December. The
book tells the story of the 1970s, which
saw emergency being imposed and the
beginning of coalition politics in the
country. The book published by Rupa &
Co. The Dramatic Decade is the first of a
three-part volume; the second one will be
on the years between 198188 and the
third volume will be from 1988 to 2012.

COMMITTEES
Subramanian Committee On Leveraging
The Post Office Network
Subramanian Committee on Leveraging
the Post Office Network submitted its
report to the Union Ministry of
Communications and Information
Technology on 4 December. The objective
of the Committee was to transform the
Post Office Network in keeping with
changing market trends and
competition.Committee has suggested
creation of a Postal Bank of India (PBI),
which would work independently within the
postal department with banking
professionals.

National Consumers Right Day was

Observed On 24 December
National Consumers Right Day was
observed across India on 24 December
2014. The day provides an opportunity to
highlight the importance of the consumer
movement and the need to make every
consumer more aware of their rights and
responsibilities.The Consumer Protection
and Action Committee (CPAC) celebrated
the day by distributing complaints forms,
information brochures and other consumer
rights literature freely to the public. The
CPAC rewarded the 5000 applicant with a
sum of Ten rupees who with their names,
addresses provide the names and
addresses of the consumer courts in the
particular region.
World AIDS Day was Observed Across
The World On 1 December
World AIDS Day was observed across the
world on 1 December 2014. The day is
observed to raise awareness to the Aids
pandemic caused by the spread of the HIV
infection. The theme is Focus, Partner,
Achieve: An AIDS-free generation to
highlight the need to for governments and
health officials, NGOs and individuals to
address Aids prevention and treatment.As
a part of World AIDS Day, The United
Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) pushed
for more investment and access to
treatment for children saying that more
infections among children under age 15
need to be averted.UNICEF released data
that AIDS-related deaths are not
decreasing in the age group 10-19 and still
other groups have experienced about a 40
percent decline between 2005 and
2013.The idea for World Aids Day was
conceived by James Bunn and Thomas
Netter, who are the public information
officers for the Global Programme on Aids
at the World Health Organisation in 1987.