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JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 CONTENTS
 N
NIO

MINISTERS
U F
NEW CIL O
N
COU ISTER
MIN
NEW UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2016 expanded his Council of Ministers which included inducting of some new
Ministers of State, changes in portfolio of some ministers and dropped 5 Ministers from CoM.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi - Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic energy;
Department of Space; and all important policy issues, and all other portfolios not allocated to any Minister
Rajnath Singh - Home affairs
Sushma Swaraj - External affairs
Arun Jaitley Finance and Corporate Affairs
Venkaiah Naidu - Urban Devel and Housing; Urban Poverty Alleviation; Information and Broadcasting
Nitin Jairam Gadkari - Road Transport and Highways; Shipping
Manohar Parrikar - Defence
Suresh Prabhu - Railways
DV Sadananda Gowda - Statistics and Programme Implementation
Uma Bharati - Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Najma A Heptulla - Minority Affairs
Ramvilas Paswan - Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Kalraj Mishra - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi - Women and Child Development
Ananth Kumar - Chemicals and Fertilizers; Parliamentary Affairs
Ravi Shankar Prasad - Law and Justice; Electronics and Information Technology
Jagat Prakash Nadda - Health and Family Welfare
Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati - Civil Aviation
Anant Geete - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Harsimrat Kaur Badal - Food Processing Industries
Narendra Singh Tomar - Rural Development; Panchayati Raj; Drinking Water and Sanitation
Chaudhary Birender Singh - Steel
Jual Oram - Tribal Affairs
Radha Mohan Singh - Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Thaawar Chand Gehlot - Social Justice and Empowerment
Smriti Zubin Irani - Textiles
Harsh Vardhan - Science and Technology; Earth sciences
Prakash Javadekar - Human Resource Development
MINISTERS OF STATE
Rao Inderjit Singh - Planning (Independent Charge); Urban Development; Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
Bandaru Dattatreya - Labour and Employment (Independent Charge)
Rajiv Pratap Rudy - Skill development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge)
Vijay Goel - Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge); Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation
Shripad Yesso Naik - AAYUSH (Independent Charge)

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 NEW UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

Dharmendra Pradhan - Petroleum and Natural Gas (Independent Charge)
Piyush Goyal - Power (Independent Charge); Coal (Independent Charge); New and Renewable Energy (Independent
Charge); Mines (Independent Charge)
Jitendra Singh - Development of northeastern region (Independent Charge); Prime Minister's Office; Personnel, Public
Grievances & Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space
Nirmala Sitharaman - Commerce and industry (Independent Charge)
Mahesh Sharma - Culture (Independent Charge); Tourism (Independent Charge)
Manoj Sinha - Communications (Independent Charge); Railways
Anil Madhav Dave - Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge)
VK Singh - External affairs
Santosh Kumar Gangwar - Finance
Faggan Singh Kulaste - Health and family welfare
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - Minority Affairs; Parliamentary Affairs
SS Ahluwalia - Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Parliamentary Affairs
Ramdas Athawale - Social Justice and Empowerment
Ram Kripal Yadav - Rural Development
Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Giriraj Singh - Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir - Home Affairs
GM Siddeshwara - Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi - Drinking Water and Sanitation
Rajen Gohain - Railways
Parshottam Rupala - Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Panchayati Raj
MJ Akbar - External Affairs
Upendra Kushwaha - Human Resources Development
Radhakrishnan P - Road Transport and Highways; Shipping
Kiren Rijiju - Home Affairs
Krishan Pal - Social Justice and Empowerment
Jasvantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor - Tribal Affairs
Sanjeev Kumar Balyan - Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Vishnu Deo Sai - Steel
Sudarshan Bhagat - Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
YS Chowdary - Science and Technology; Earth Science
Jayant Sinha - Civil Aviation
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore - Information and Broadcasting
Babul Supriyo - Urban Development Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti - Food Processing Industries
Vijay Sampla - Social Justice and Empowerment
Arjun Ram Meghwal Finance; Corporate Affairs
Mahendra Nath Pandey - HRD
Ajay Tamta - Textiles
Krishna Raj - Women and Child Development
Mansukh L Mandaviya - Road transport and Highways, Shipping; Chemicals and Fertilizers
Anupriya Patel - Health and Family Welfare
CR Chaudhary - Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
PP Chaudhary - Law and Justice; Electronics and Information Technology
Subhash Ramrao Bhamre - Defence

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 NEW UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

 LIST OF TOP 30 PROGRAMMES LAUNCHED BY GOVT OF INDIA

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 NEW UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

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JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 NEW UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

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JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 NEW UNION COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

 National Updates
JULY UPDATES
NATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION POLICY
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) released
National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016 in June 2016.
The policy's mission is to provide
safe, secure, affordable and
sustainable air travel for
passengers and air
transportation of cargo with
access to various parts of India
and the world.
Vision
8 To create an eco-system to make flying affordable
for the masses
8 To enable 30 crore domestic ticketing by 2022 and 50
crore by 2027
8 To increase international ticketing to 20 crore by 2027
Increase cargo volumes to 10 million tonnes by 2027
Highlights of Policy
8 Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS): It will not
allow the airlines to charge more than 2500 rupees for
one hour flight between two small cities.
8 Encourage Private Security: The Government will
encourage use of private security agencies at airports for
non-core security functions.
8 No-Frills Airports: They will be built at an indicative
cost of 50 crore to 100 crore rupees.
8 5/20 Rule: The requirement for 5/20 is modified and all
airlines can commence international operations provided
that they deploy 20 aircraft or 20 percent of total capacity.
FIVE-POINT CHARTER FOR TAX
ADMINISTRATORS NAMED RAPID
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2016 suggested a
mantra, RAPID, to tax officials while inaugurating
Rajasva Gyan Sangam, a two-day Annual Conference of
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Senior Tax Administrators in New Delhi. It will help people
to respect the rule of law as well as fear of the long arm of
the law for those who evade taxes.
The mantra, RAPID means R for Revenue, A for
Accountability, P for Probity, I for Information and D
for Digitization.
YOG GEET FOR INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF YOGA
Union Ministry of AYUSH released a Yog Geet (Song) in
June 2016 in connection with the celebration of
International Day of Yoga2016.
The details of the song are as under:
8 The song is of 3 minutes and 15 seconds in Hindi
language.
8 The song is written and produced by Deeraj Saraswat.
8 Gandhar TD Jadhav and Gatha Jadhav were given
their voice.
8 The Music of the song is composed by Sumanto Ray.
INDIA AND THAILAND SIGNED MOU
India and Thailand in June 2016 signed two agreements
that are aimed at enhancing cooperation in culture as well
as educational sectors.The agreements were signed in
New Delhi during the 3-day visit of Thailand Prime
Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha .
INDIA GETS FIRST WOMEN FIGHTER PILOTS
The Indian Air Force (IAF) in June 2016 commissioned
first three women fighter pilots. The batch of pilots was
inducted at the Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force
Academy, Dundigal near Hyderabad.
The first three women fighter pilots of India are
8 Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi
8 Flying Officer Bhawana Kanth
8 Flying Officer Mohana Singh
88NATIONAL UPDATES
 MORI SMART VILLAGE
Mori village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh
will be developed as a smart village of global
standards.The project involves using digital tools, real
time information and uninterrupted internet
connectivity.Under the project, the village will be
equipped with fibre optic connectivity. Around 1900
households will be connected with 15 Mbps link.
TEXTILES TO CREATE 1CR JOBS
The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a
Rs.10,000 crore fund to support start-ups in becoming full
fledged business entities.The Government has also
approved Rs. 6,000-crore special package for textile and
apparel sector, which has been ailing for a long time.The
fund is expected to generate employment for one crore
persons in three years and attract investments of USD 11
billion. It will increase exports by USD 30.4 billion.
PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHIT
MATRITVA ABHIYAN
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), an
initiative of the Narendra Modi Government, was
launched in June 2016.The scheme aims at boosting
the health care facilities for the pregnant women,
especially the poor. It also seeks to protect pregnant
ladies from infectious diseases.
Under the scheme, the pregnant ladies will be given free
health check-up and required treatment for free on 9th of
every month. The scheme will be applicable for pregnant
women to avail in every government hospitals across
India.The scheme is applicable only to the women in their
pregnancy period of 3 to 6 months.
MOU BETWEEN UPSC AND ROYAL CIVIL
SERVICE COMMISSION OF BHUTAN
The Union Cabinet in June 2016 approved the signing of
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Royal Civil
Service Commission (RCSC), Bhutan.The MoU will
strengthen the existing relationship between RCSC and
UPSC. It will facilitate sharing of experience and
expertise of both the parties in the area of recruitment.
TEACHER EDUCATION PORTAL
PRASHIKSHAK LAUNCHED
8 The Union Minister for Human Resource Development
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Smriti Zubin Irani in June 2016 launched the
Prashikshak, a teacher education portal, with a vision to
strengthen District Institutes of Education and Training
(DIETs) and bring quality teachers into the Indian school
education system.
8 Prashiskshak Portal works only for DIETs, however it
will cover block level institutes in the future and identify
gaps at the bottom of the pyramid.
8 Prashikshak is a unique IT initiative, a first of its kind in
the country, which will contain a comprehensive
database of all DIETs in the country with all relevant
performance indicators.
8 It will help benchmark DIETs to enable aspiring
teachers to make informed choices about their future.
8 It will give the opportunity to Union and State
Governments to do real time monitoring of the
institutions.
8 The major users of Prashikshak will be Pre-service
teacher educators, DIET principals and faculty, Policy
makers at District, State Government and National Level
and the General public.
INTEREST SUBVENTION SCHEME FOR
FARMERS APPROVED
The Union Cabinet has approved the Interest Subvention
Scheme for farmers for the year 2016-17. The
Government has earmarked a sum of Rs. 18,276 Crore
for this purpose.
Features
8The Central Government will provide interest
subvention of 5 % per annum to all farmers for short term
crop loan upto one year for loan upto Rs. 3 lakhs rupees
for year 2016-17. Thus farmers will have to effectively pay
only 4% as interest.
8 In case farmers do not repay the short term crop loan in
time they would be eligible for interest subvention of 2%
as against 5% available above.
8 To give relief to small and marginal farmers who would
have to borrow at 9% for the post harvest storage of their
produce, the Central Government has approved an
interest subvention of 2% i.e an effective interest rate of
7% for loans upto 6 months.
8 To provide relief to the farmers affected by Natural
Calamities, the interest subvention of 2% will be provided
to Banks for the first year on the restructured amount.
Interest subvention is the subsidy offered on interest
7
88NATIONAL UPDATES
rates to promote some particular industry and
general public interest.
INDIA'S FIRST CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ON
INTERNET OF THINGS
The National Association of Software and Services
Companies (NASSCOM) in July 2016 unveiled India's
first Centre of Excellence focused on Internet of Things
(CoE-IoT) at its Startup Warehouse in Bengaluru.
The centre was launched in a bid to encourage start-ups
to come up with tech solutions centred on Internet of
Things (IoT).
INDIA SIGNED AGREEMENTS
WITH MOZAMBIQUE
India and Mozambique have signed three Memoranda of
Understanding (MoU) on reduction of drug trafficking and
psychotropic substances and related materials,
cooperation in the field of youth affairs and sports, and
long term agreement for purchase of pulses .Narender
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Mozambique
in 34 years.
PM MODI'S FOUR AFRICAN NATION TOUR
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2016 concluded his
four-nation visit to Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and
Mozambique.
8 In South Africa he visited Sarvodaya, Mahatma
Gandhi's residence in Phoenix, the farm where
Mahatma Gandhi spent formative years of his political
carrier.
8 During the five-day tour in July 2016, Modi met with
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, Kenyan President
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Tanzania John Magufuli
and President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi.
8 During his visit India and South Africa signed four
agreements including MoU on ICT.
8 During his visit to Kenya he signed seven
agreements to enhance cooperation and bilateral
relations between the two countries including Revised
Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
8 During his visit to Tanzania he signed five agreements
to enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two
nations including MoU on Cooperation in the field of water
resource management.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Modi's visit to Africa had five key elements and they
were
8 Maritime Security and Defence cooperation
8 Food Security and agriculture
8 Diaspora engagement
8 Climate Change and Solar energy
8 Cooperation to check drug trade and terrorism
NALANDA MAHAVIHARA WORLD HERITAGE
SITE IN INDIA
The ruins of ancient Nalanda Mahavihara known as old
Nalanda University of Bihar in July 2016 got inscribed as
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Nalanda University
ruins became the second World Heritage Site in Bihar
after Bodhgaya's Mahabodhi temple and 33rd such site in
India.Nalanda Mahavihara was founded by Kumargupta I
of the Gupta dynasty in 5th century .
JUSTICE SHAH HEADED SIT ON
BLACK MONEY
The Supreme Court-constituted Special Investigation
Team (SIT) on black money in July 2016 submitted its
fifth report to the apex court. The
SIT was headed by retired
Justice M B Shah.
8 It has recommended ban on
cash transactions above 3 lakh
rupees in a day. It recommended
enacting a law to declare such
transactions as illegal and punishable.
8 It also suggested capping the cash holding of an
industry or individual at 15 lakh rupees. In case any
person or industry required holding more cash, it may
obtain necessary permission from the Commissioner of
Income Tax of the area.
ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN PANEL
Union Government in July 2016 constituted a high-level
committee to review the minimum support price (MSP)
and bonus for pulses.The committee will be headed by
Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian.
8 It will look into various options to frame a long-term
policy on pulses to tackle shortage.
8 It will suggest an appropriate policy to promote
cultivation of lentils in India.
88NATIONAL UPDATES
8 It will find the measure to contain the rising prices of
pulses in the country.
8 The production of pulses in India is expected to
increase to 20 million tonnes in 2016-17 from 17 million
tonnes in 2015-16.
RESTORATION OF NABAM TUKI
GOVERNMENT IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH
The five-judge Constitutional
bench of the Supreme Court (SC)
in July 2016 unanimously restored
Congress Government led by
N a b a m Tu k i i n A r u n a c h a l
Pradesh.
8 It also quashed the Kalikho Pul government that came
into power in February 2016 after Governor J P
Rajkhowa ordered dismissal of Nabam Tuki led
government of the state.
8 The constitutional bench headed by Justice JS Khehar
termed removal of former chief minister Nabam Tuki as
unconstitutional
8 It said that Governor who is not an elected
representative is only an executive nominee whose
powers flow from the aid and advice of the State Cabinet.
Use of his discretionary powers under Article 163 of the
Constitution to summon or dissolve assembly sessions
without the aid and advice of the Chief Minister and his
cabinet is unconstitutional.
8 Governor carries no power to take a decision on issues
that happens within the four walls of the political party.
8 It is the first time that the Supreme Court used its power
of judicial review to restore a government when its
successor government is in place.
OPERATION 'SANKAT MOCHAN'
Union Government in July 2016 started the operation
'Sankat Mochan' to evacuate its
citizens stranded in South
Sudan's capital Juba. Two C-17
military transport aircrafts have
been pressed in service to make
the evacuation.The operation
being undertaken by Indian Air
Force (IAF) will be headed by Minister of State for
External Affairs General (Retd.) VK Singh.The Indian
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Ambassador in South Sudan Srikumar Menon and his
team is organising this operation on the ground.
DATA ON DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN
TOURIST VISITS RELEASED
The Market Research Division of Ministry of Tourism in
June 2016 released data on domestic and foreign tourist
visits to States and Union Territories (UTs) for the year
2015.
8 The number of Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) to the
States and UTs was 1432 million. The number was
1282.8 million in 2014. Therefore, 2015 registered a
growth of 11.63% over 2014.
8 The State that topped the list of the top ten States in
terms of number of domestic tourist visits is Tamil Nadu
that garnered 333.5 million domestic visits. Uttar
Pradesh secured the second place with 204.9 million
visits, while Andhra Pradesh bagged the third position
with 121.6 million visits.
8 The number of Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) to the
States and UTs in 2015 registered a growth of 4.4% over
2014. India garnered 23.3 million visits in 2015 as
compared to 22.3 million in 2014.
8 The State that topped the list of the top ten States in
terms of number of FTVs during 2015 is Tamil Nadu with
4.68 million visits. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh
secured second and third place with 4.41 million visits
and 3.1 million visits respectively.
ALL INDIA INSTITUTES OF MEDICAL
SCIENCES AT GORAKHPUR
The Union Cabinet in July 2016 gave its approval for
establishment of new All India Institutes of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.The
institute will be established under the Pradhan Mantri
Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).The cost of the
project for establishment of the new AIIMS in Gorakhpur
will be 1011 crore rupees.
INDIA'S FIRST E-COURT AT HYDERABAD
India's first e-court was opened at High Court of
Judicature at Hyderabad in July 2016. It was inaugurated
by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur who
heads the e-Committee of the Supreme
Court.Hyderabad High Court is the common high court
for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.The
purpose of e-court is to ensure speedy justice for the
litigants.
88NATIONAL UPDATES
 JUNE UPDATES Party Won

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 134

DRAFT NATIONAL POLICY FOR WOMEN
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) 89
Gandhi in May 2016 unveiled Draft National Policy for 8
Indian National Congress
Women for comments and consultation.It will replace
National Policy for Empowerment of Women, 2001. It will Indian Union Muslim League 1
also guide Government action on Women's issues over Total 232
the next 15-20 years.
The Salient features WEST BENGAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2016
8 It seeks to create a society in which women attain their Ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) of Chief
full potential and participate as equal partners in all Minister Mamta Banerjee crossed the two-third mark by
spheres of life. winning 211 seats.
8 It seeks to create conducive socio-cultural, economic
and political environment to enable women enjoy de jure Party Won
and de facto fundamental rights and realize their full Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 3
potential.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) 26
8 It describes emerging issues such as making cyber
space safe place for women, redistribution of gender Indian National Congress (INC) 44
roles, for reducing unpaid care work, review of personal
All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) 211
and customary laws in accordance with the Constitutional
provisions and many more. Total 294
INDIA, OMAN SIGNED 4 AGREEMENTS ON
The huge victory in the assembly elections 2016
DEFENCE COOPERATION
compared to 2011 elections by Mamta-led TMC can be
India and Oman in May 2016 signed 4 Memorandums of attributed to her campaign Maa, Maati, Maanush. In
Understanding (MoUs)/agreements in Muscat. 2011 elections her party was able to secure just 184
8 MOU on Defence Cooperation . seats.

8 MOU in the field of Marine Crime Prevention at Sea ASSAM ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2016
RESULTS
8 MOU on Maritime Issues BJP and its alliance partners have won an absolute
8 Protocol on Flight Safety information Exchange majority in Assam state assembly election. It has won 60
seats on its own in the 126 member House. BJP has thus
CYCLONIC STORM ROANU HITS INDIA made history by winning an assembly election in the
state.
Cyclonic Storm Roanu, an active tropical cyclone has hit
the northwest and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal.It
Party Won
is the first tropical cyclone of the annual cyclone
season.Roanu originated from a low pressure area that Bharatiya Janata Party 60
formed south of Sri Lanka
Indian National Congress 26
TAMIL NADU ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2016
All India United Democratic Front 13
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
chief and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa emerged Asom Gana Parishad 14
triumphant and swept the polls.
Bodoland Peoples Front 12

Independent 1

Total 126

10

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88NATIONAL UPDATES


KERALA ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2016 RESULTS
Union minister O Rajagopal, who won by over 8000
votes. He will go down in history as the first BJP MLA in
Kerala's 140-member assembly.
P. M. NARENDRA MODI VISITED IRAN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2016 concluded
his two-day visit to Iran. During his visit, Modi held
discussions with President Hassan Rouhani .He also met
the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to whom he
gifted the reproduction of the seventh-century manuscript
of the Holy Quran attributed to Hazrat Ali, the fourth
caliph.
Highlights
8 Two countries signed 12 agreements including the
pact on developing the strategic Chabahar port.
8 The two nations also released a Joint Statement
titled Civilisational Connect, Contemporary Context.
8 Modi released rare manuscript, Kalileh Wa-Dimneh,
which is the Persian translation of the Panchatantra.
2ND BATCH OF 13 SMART CITIES
ANNOUNCED
The Union Government in May 2016 announced the 2nd
batch of 13 smart cities that will be developed under
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Smart City Mission.
Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track
competition conducted for 23 cities from as many States
and Union Territories. With the selection of these 13
cities, 25 States/Union Territories are now covered under
Smart City Mission.
List of 13 smart cities Rank wise
1. Lucknow 2. Warangal 3Shimla
4.Chandigarh 5.Raipur 6.New town Kolkata
7.Bhagalpur 8. Panaji 9. Port Blair
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
10. Imphal 11. Ranchi 12. Agartala
13. Faridabad
INDIA AND IRAN SIGN 12 BILATERAL
AGREEMENTS
India and Iran in May 2016 signed 12 memorandum of
understandings (MoUs) and agreements in various areas
including building and operating the Chabahar port by
India.
DB SHEKATKAR COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE
SPENDING
The Union Government in May 2016 constituted a
committee of experts on defence spending.The 11-
member committee will be headed by Lt Gen DB
Shekatkar (retd) and include top military officers and
civilian experts.
8 The committee will recommend measures to enhance
the combat capabilities of the over 13-lakh strong armed
forces.
8 It will also focus on re-balanceing the overall defence
expenditure in view of the escalating salary and pension
bills.
8 The appointment of the committee is also in tune with
the Government's 'Save and Raise' policy adopted in the
aftermath of 1999 Kargil conflict.
ASMITA, STUDENT TRACKING SYSTEM
LAUNCHED
The HRD Ministry is all set to launch a programme
christened -ASMITA- that would probably be the world's
largest student tracking system.ASMITA is acronym for
All School Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis
and shall be launched under Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY).
8 Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY) aims to track the
educational journey of close to 25 crore school students
from Class I to Class XII across 15 lakh schools in the
country.
8 Students will be tracked through their Aadhaar
numbers and incase those not having unique number will
be provided with it.
8 ASMITA will be an online database which will carry
information about student attendance and enrolment,
mid-day meal service, learning outcomes and
infrastructural facilities, among other things, on one
platform for both private and government schools.
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88NATIONAL UPDATES
 INDIA EMERGES AS 5TH LARGEST
PRODUCER OF E-WASTE IN WORLD
India emerged as the fifth largest producer of e-waste in
the world, but the second largest mobile market with 1.03
billion subscribers as per the ASSOCHAM-KPMG joint
study that was published in May 2016.
India discards roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of
electronic waste each year with telecom equipment alone
accounting for 12 percent of the e-waste.
The unorganised sector in India is estimated to handle
around 95 percent of the e-waste produced in the country.
With more than 100 crore mobile phones in circulation,
nearly 25 percent of mobiles end up in e-waste annually.
SIX NEW IITS TO BE INCORPORATED
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
in May 2016 gave its ex-facto approval to the Amendment
to The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 for incorporation
of six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
These six are:
8 Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh 8 Palakkad in Kerala
8 Dharwar in Karnataka 8 Bhilai in Chhattisgarh
8 Goa 8 Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir
The above Amendment is also for conversion of Indian
School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad into an IIT by bringing
it into the ambit of the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961
and also declaring it as an institute of national
importance.
NATIONAL CAPITAL GOODS POLICY
APPROVED
The Union Cabinet in May 2016 approved the National
Capital Goods Policy 2016. This is first ever policy for
Capital Goods sector with a clear objective of increasing
production of capital goods from 2.3 lakh crore rupees in
2014-15 to 7.5 lakh crore rupees in 2025.It also seeks to
raise direct and indirect employment from the current 8.4
million to 30 million by 2025.
Features
8 To increase the share of capital goods contribution
from present 12 to 20 percent of total manufacturing
activity by 2025
8 To raise exports to a significant level of at least 40
percent of total production and thus gain 2.5 percent
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
share in global exports of capital goods
8 Increase total production to achieve total production in
excess of 5 lakh crore rupees by 2025 from the current
2.2 lakh crore rupees
8 To increase the share of domestic production in India's
capital goods demand from 56 percent to 80 percent by
2025 and in the process improve domestic capacity
utilization to 80-90 percent
8 To improve skill availability by training 50 lakhs people
by 2025
8 To improve 'technology depth' in capital goods sub-
sectors by increasing research intensity in India from 0.9
percent to at least 2.8 percent of GDP
LAKSHADWEEP SIGNED 24X7 POWER FOR
ALL DOCUMENT
Lakshadweep in May 2016 signed 24x7 Power for All
document. It became the first Union Territory (UT) to sign
the document which aims to provide each household
access to electricity through 24x7 Power supply by 2019
As a part of energy efficiency measures, 1 lakh LED
bulbs will be distributed by UT administration through
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and
Incandescent lamps/CFL bulbs will be replaced with LED
bulbs under UJALA programme.
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2016 released the
National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP). The plan
aims to make India disaster resilient and reduce loss of
lives.
8 The plan is based on the four priority themes of the
Sendai Framework namely:
i. Understanding disaster risk,
ii. Improving disaster risk governance,
iii. Investing in disaster risk reduction (through structural
and non-structural measures),
iv. Disaster preparedness, early warning and building
back better in the aftermath of a disaster.
Key Features
8 It covers all phases of disaster management:
prevention, mitigation, response and recovery.
8 It provides for horizontal and vertical integration
12
88NATIONAL UPDATES
among all the agencies and departments of the
government.
8 The plan also spells out the roles and responsibilities
of all levels of government right up to Panchayat and
Urban Local Body level in a matrix format.
RETIREMENT AGE OF DOCTORS TO 65
Union Government approved the proposal of extending
age of superannuation of all doctors of Central Health
Services to 65 years with effect from May 2016.
It will help in providing additional doctors in the health
pool of the country.
This will enable the government to retain experienced
doctors for a longer period and to provide better services
in its public health facilities.
NATIONAL WATER FRAMEWORK BILL
RELEASED
The Union Ministry of Water Resources in May 2016
released the Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016
to invite comments and suggestions from public.The
proposed Act provides an overarching national legal
framework with principles for protection, conservation,
regulation and management of water as a vital and
stressed natural resource.
Since 'water' is in the State list of the Constitution, the
Act will be applicable only after approval of the concerned
State legislature.
INDIAN RESERVE BATTALION NAMED
MAHARANA PRATAP
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in June 2016
announced that a new Indian Reserve Battalion in
Rajasthan will be named after Maharana Pratap. The
battalion will be named as Maharana Pratap reserve
battalion.Maharana Pratap, a Rajput ruler who had
fought against the Mughals and never bowed before
them, is attributed as the greatest warrior of the Mewar
region.The government introduced the scheme of Indian
Reserve Battalions in 1971 and so far, 153 battalions
have been sanctioned to various states.
MIRZA IMTIYAZ JUDICIAL COMMISSION
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in June
2016 appointed a judicial commission to probe into the
recent Mathura violence hours.The commission was
formed after the Supreme Court refused to entertain a
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
plea seeking a CBI probe into the incident.Mathura
Violence or can be termed as an armed conflict at
Jawahar Bagh public park, led to death of at least 24
people including a Superintendent of Police (City) Mukul
Dwivedi and SHO Santosh Kumar.
ROAD ACCIDENTS IN INDIA REPORT
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin
Gadkari in June 2016 launched the report titled Road
Accidents in India 2015. Road accidents have emerged
as a major public health problem in India where almost 5
lakh accidents occurred last year killing 146000 people.
The total number of road accidents increased by 2.5
percent from 489400 in 2014 to 501423 in 2015.
The total number of persons killed in road accidents
increased by 4.6 percent from 139671 in 2014 to 146133
in 2015.
INDIA SIGNED AGREEMENT WITH GHANA
India and Ghana in June 2016 signed three bilateral
agreements to strengthen co-operation in varied
fields.The three agreements signed with Ghana included
one for visa waivers for holders of diplomatic and official
passports and one for setting up a Joint
Commission.India is the largest foreign investor in Ghana
today, with more than 700 projects.
SHIYAL BET: AN ISLAND IN GUJARAT GOT
ELECTRICITY
Shiyal Bet an island located off pipavav port in gujarat's
amreli district got electricity for the
first time, after 70 years of
Independence.State's Chief Minister
Anandiben Patel inaugurated the
18.35 crore rupees project to supply
grid power to the island through
marine cables.Shiyal Bet is part of Jafrabad taluka of
Amreli district.
TIGER TRAIL CIRCUIT TRAIN LAUNCHED
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu in June
2016 flagged off the inaugural run of the Tiger Trail
Circuit Train from Delhi Safdarjung Station.The launch
of this Tiger Express on World Environment Day is to
highlight the significance of environment.The most
important objective of the train is to create and spread
awareness about the wildlife in general and the tiger in
particular.
13
88NATIONAL UPDATES
 NEWS FROM STATE
JULY UPDATES
MINORITY STATUS TO JEW COMMUNITY
The Maharashtra Cabinet in June 2016 approved the
minority status to Jew community. This
decision will benefit the students from
these communities to avail
scholarships from the state
government.
After getting the minority status, the Jews in the state will
be entitled to use benefits of government schemes meant
for minorities and can also apply in educational
institutions under the minority status.
The people of this community will now be able to easily
get their marriage registrations done in Maharashtra.
The Jewish people living in the state would now also be
able to set up their own educational institutions and
practice and promote their culture.
India is one of the few countries in the world where Jews
have never faced any harassment or persecution. There
are six notified minority communities in India - Muslims,
Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis and Jains.
PILOT PROGRAMME TO RUN TWO
WHEELERS ON CNG
The Union Government in June 2016 launched India's
first pilot programme to run two wheelers on Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) in New Delhi.
Key highlights
8 The programme is implemented by Indraprastha Gas
Limited (IGL) and GAIL (India) Limited.
8 The programme is implemented under Hawa Badlo
movement, which is supported by GAIL. The movement
is a people's initiative to fight air pollution.
FAT TAX ON JUNK FOOD BY KERALA
GOVERNMENT
Kerala Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac in July 2016
proposed 14.5 percent tax on pizzas, burgers,
sandwiches and tacos sold through branded outlets.The
so-called 'fat tax' was proposed in the maiden State
Budget of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Government that
came into power in May 2016.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
JUNE UPDATES
HC STAYS QUOTA FOR JATS, FIVE OTHER
COMMUNITIES
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the
reservation for Jats and five other communities Jat Sikhs,
Muslim Jats, Bishnois, Rors and Tyagis provided by the
Haryana government under a newly carved Backward
Classes (C) category as per provisions of Backward
Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in
Educational Institutions) Act, 2016. Earlier the Supreme
Court also had ruled that Jats could not be treated as
backward, the state assembly had no right to pass the law.
The act provided 10 per cent quota in government jobs and
educational institutions, and 6 per cent in Class I and II
posts, was provided in exclusion to the already notified 27
per cent quota for Backward Classes (Block A and B) and 10
per cent to Economically Backward Persons. Thus, it had
violated the reservation ceiling of 50 per cent imposed by
the Supreme Court.
JAI JAWAN AWAS YOJNA
Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar in June
2016 laid foundation stone of Jai Jawan Awas Yojna (JJAY)
at Bahadurgarh, Haryana.Jai Jawan Awas Yojna is an
initiative to provide affordable housing to serving and retired
JCOs and Other Ranks.
ODISHA FIRST STATE TO GIVE WELFARE
BENEFITS TO TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
Odisha became the first state in the country to give
transgender people social welfare benefits such as a
pension, housing and food grains which is usually allocated
for only the most impoverished. The move to give the
transgender community the same benefits as those living
below the poverty line was aimed at improving their overall
social and economic status.
HIMACHAL PRADESH LAUNCHED STATE DATA
CENTRE
Himachal Pradesh in June 2016 became the first Indian
state to have a State Data Centre (SDC). The centre was
launched by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra
Singh in Shimla.The SDC is designed using green data
centre concept. The centre will offer 101 people-oriented
service online through an integrated data base.
14
2
88STATES UPDATES
 International/World Updates
JULY UPDATES
BRITAIN VOTES TO EXIT EUROPEAN UNION
People of Britain in a historic referendum in June 2016
voted in favour of leaving European
Union (EU). The referendum 'to
leave' or 'to be a member' of EU saw
51.9% votes in favour compared to
48.1% in against.
8 Prime Minister David Cameron
announced his resignation from his position.
8 The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar
since 1985 as the markets reacted to the results.
8 The departure of the bloc's second biggest economy
would weaken Europe's unity and stability which is
already grappling with the Greek financial crisis and a
massive influx of refugees.
8 It may lead to disintegration of United Kingdom as an
entity because Scotland may again ask for a
referendum to be a part of EU.
8 Other nations of the 28 nation bloc, now 27 with exit of
Britain, may call for a referendum giving rise to
protectionism and ultra-nationalism which is getting
hardened across the world.
MERCER'S COST OF LIVING SURVEY 2016
Mercer's Cost of Living Survey 2016 was released in
June 2016. Asia dominates the top 5 of 2016 Cost of
Living Rankings, with Hong Kong bagging the No. 1
spot, pushing Luanda, Angola to 2nd.
8 The ranking for 2016 includes 209 cities across five
continents.
8 New York City is used as the base city for all
comparisons and currency movements are measured
against the US dollar.
Five Indian cities were also ranked in the list.
8 Mumbai Rank 82
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
8 New Delhi Rank 130
8 Chennai Rank 158
8 Kolkata Rank 194
8 Bangalore Rank 180
PANAMA CANAL REOPENS
Newly renovated and expanded Panama Canal
reopened for bigger business in June 2016.The 5.25
billion US dollar project was unveiled nearly two years
.The Panama Canal expansion project is also called as
the Third Set of Locks Project.
8 The Panama Canal is a man-made 48-mile waterway
in Panama.
8 It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.
8 France began work on the canal in 1881, but stopped
due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality
rate.
8 The United States took over the project in 1904, and
opened the canal on 15 August 1914.
INDIA BECAME MEMBER OF MISSILE
TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME
India in June 2016 became the 35th full member of the
Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). This entry
would be mutually beneficial to enhance global non-
proliferation norms.
8 India's entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member
would be mutually beneficial in the furtherance of
international non-proliferation objectives.
8 It entered this multilateral export control regime with
the support of all thirty-four MTCR Partners. In 2015,
India's membership to the group was blocked by Italy.
8 MTCR membership will now enable India to buy high-
end missile technology and also enhance its joint
ventures with Russia.
8 Set up in 1987 by G-7 countries, the aim of the MTCR
is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket
systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology
15
88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogram
payload for at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems
intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.
STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN
REPORT
The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund
(UNICEF) in June 2016 released the State of the World's
Children 2016 report.
Key highlights
8 The report mentions that unless the world focuses
more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children, by
2030:
8 Almost 70 million children may die before reaching
their fifth birthdays.
8 India occupied the 105th position among the 130
countries surveyed in the Index.
8 In the Asia-Pacific region, it is placed behind Sri Lanka
(50), China (71), Indonesia (72), Iran (85), Bhutan (91)
and Bangladesh (104).
NEW NON-PERMANENT UNSC MEMBERS
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in June 2016
elected Ethiopia, Bolivia, Sweden and Kazakhstan as
non-permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC).
The two-year terms at UNSC of the new members will
begin from 1 January 2017 and run through 31 December
2018.The 193-member UN body conducted the elections
for five non-permanent seats.

8 Children in sub-Saharan Africa will be 10 times more These newly-elected countries will replace Spain,
likely to die before their fifth birthdays than children in Malaysia, New Zealand, Angola and Venezuela.
high-income countries. The Security Council has 15 members, including five
permanent. The five permanent members, each with the
8 Nine out of 10 children living in extreme poverty will live power of veto, are China, France, Russia, the United
in sub-Saharan Africa. Kingdom and the United States.
8 The report states that five countries will account for 2016 BRICS YOUTH SUMMIT
more than half of the global burden of under-five deaths.
These countries are India (17 per cent), Nigeria (15 per The 2016 BRICS Youth Summit held in Guwahati, Assam
cent), Pakistan (8 per cent), the Democratic Republic of concluded in July 2016. The theme of the 2nd youth
the Congo (7 per cent) and Angola (5 per cent). summit was Youth as bridge for Intra-BRICS
Exchanges.The three day summit saw participation of
8 The average annual rate of reduction in neonatal officials and youth of the delegation from BRICS nations,
mortality required for India to reach the target is almost namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
double the current level.
'BIG BROTHER' LAW IN RUSSIA
THE HUMAN CAPITAL REPORT 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2016 signed the
The World Economic Forum (WEF) in June 2016 anti-terrorist legislation adopted by the lower and
released the Human Capital Report 2016.The WEF upper houses of parliament in June 2016.This anti-terror
prepared the report in collaboration with Mercer, an amendment is dubbed as Big Brother by US intelligence
American global human resource and related financial contractor turned privacy activist Edward Snowden.
services consulting firm.
Highlights
TOP 3
8 Law enforcement agencies will be granted access to
Finland (1) any user's messages without any judicial oversight.
Norway (2) 8 It boosts the surveillance powers for the security
Switzerland (3) services by requiring communication providers to store
users' calls, messages, photographs and videos for six
Bottom 3
months, and the Metadata for up to three years.
Chad (128)
8 They will have to provide Federal Security Service
Yemen (129) (FSB) with access to this data and any necessary
Mauritania (130) encryption mechanisms necessary to use it.

16

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

 BRICS DRUG CONTROL MEET
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the
second anti-drug Working Group meeting of Heads of
Drug Control Agencies of BRICS in New Delhi to discuss
issues related to narco-terrorism and money laundering.
The meeting is being organized by the Narcotics Control
Bureau (NCB).
SHINZO ABE'S PARTY ATTAINS MAJORITY
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal
Democratic Party and its allies in July 2016 claimed
victory in an election for the upper house of parliament
National Diet.He said the result is a vote of confidence in
his economic policies known as Abenomics.
NATO SUMMIT 2016
The 2-day long NATO Summit concluded in July 2016 in
Warsaw, Poland.It was the 27th summit biannual summit
of NATO since its inception in 1949.
The summit was attended by Heads of State and Heads
of Government of NATO members including the USA
President Barack Obama, Polish president Andrzej Duda
and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
8 The NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty
Organization. It is also called the North Atlantic Alliance.
8 It is an intergovernmental military alliance based on
the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April
1949.
8 The grouping has 28 member countries including
major countries of North America and Europe.
FORBES LIST OF WORLD'S HIGHEST-PAID
CELEBRITIES
Forbes in July 2016 released the list of world's highest-
paid celebrities of 2016. The list is also termed as
Celebrity 100.
Top 10 celebrities in the list are:
Rank Celebrity Name Earning
1 Taylor Swift 170 Million US dollar
2 One Direction 110 Million US dollar
3 James Patterson 95 Million US dollar
4 Dr. Phil McGraw 88 Million US dollar
5 Cristiano Ronaldo 88 Million US dollar
Indian celebrities in the list
Shahrukh Khan was ranked 86th in the list with earnings
of 33 million US dollars. Akshay Kumar grabbed the 94th
spot in the list with earnings of 31.5 million US dollars.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
SOUTH CHINA SEA MARITIME DISPUTES
The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
in July 2016 ruled in favor of the Philippines in a maritime
dispute on South China Sea. The tribunal concluded that
China do not have legal basis to claim historic rights to the
bulk of the Sea.
8 The tribunal gave a ruling that China does not has the
right to resources within its nine-dash line which
extends hundreds of miles to the south and east of its
island province of Hainan and covers some 90 percent of
the disputed waters.
PERU DECLARES ZIKA EMERGENCY
The Peru Government in July 2016 declared Zika health
emergency across the northern half of the country.The
emergency was declared after 102 people have been
confirmed to be infected with the virus, 34 of which are
pregnant women.
8 Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae
and the genus Flavivirus.
8 It is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes.
8 Its name comes from the Uganda's Zika Forest, where
the virus was first isolated in 1947.
FORTUNE GLOBAL 500 LIST
The 2016 Fortune Global 500 list of the world's biggest
firms was released in July 2016.
Top 5 in 2016 Fortune Global 500 list
Revenue ( Billion US dollars)
Rank Company
1 Walmart 482.1
2 State Grid 329.6
3 China National Petroleum 299.2
Sinopec Group
4 294.3
Royal Dutch Shell
5 272.1
India in 2016 Fortune Global 500 list
8 Seven Indian companies figure in the Fortune 500 list
with state-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC) ranked highest at
161st with revenues of 54.7 billion US dollars.
Second and third biggest Indian firms in revenue were
Reliance Industries (RIL) and Tata Motors Ltd, with 215th
and 226th ranks respectively.
8 State Bank of India (SBI), India's largest bank in terms
of customer base, came fourth after Tata Motors to
occupy the 232nd rank.
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88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
 STATE OF EMERGENCY IN TURKEY
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016
declared a three-month state of emergency in the
country. The emergency was declared in response to the
failed coup that happened in July 2016.While declaring
the imposition of the emergency Erdogan said that the
measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish
democracy.A coup was attempted by a faction within the
Turkish Armed Forces against the incumbent Justice
and Development Party in Turkey, which ultimately
failed. The faction organized the coup under a council
calling itself the Peace at Home Council.
UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE SITES
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) in July 2016 listed Franco-
Swiss architect Le Corbusier's works among its World
Heritage Sites.
The listed works include Chandigarh's Complexe du
Capitole, Khangchendzonga National Park and Nalanda
Mahavihara.
It is the first time that any country got three sites
inscribed in the Word Heritage List at a single
session of the committee meeting.
8 Complexe du Capitole, Chandigarh. The site
comprises three buildings, i.e., Legislative Assembly,
Secretariat and High Court.
8 Khangchendzonga National Park and Mount
Khangchendzonga:The park is located at the heart of
the Himalayan range in Sikkim.
8 Nalanda Mahavihara The ruins of ancient Nalanda
Mahavihara known as old Nalanda University of Bihar .
JUNE UPDATES
UN-HABITAT WORLD CITIES REPORT 2016
The UN-Habitat in May 2016 released the new global
flagship report on sustainable urban development titled
World Cities Report 2016, Urbanization and
Development: Emerging Futures.
The report states that a New Urban Agenda is needed to
unlock the transformative power of cities.
Highlights
The top 600 cities, with 1/5th of the world's population,
produce 60 percent of global GDP.
Large South-Asian countries like Bangladesh, India and
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Pakistan feature massive, expanding urban populations
in mega- cities such as Dhaka, Mumbai, Delhi, Karachi
and Lahore.
The fastest growing urban centres are the medium and
small cities with less than one million inhabitants, which
account for 59 percent of the world's urban population.
India is projected to add 300 million new urban residents
by 2050 and it will need to build climate-friendly cities to
address the challenge of accommodating the needs of
the growing population.
FIRST WORLD CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
FOR DEVELOPMENT
The First World Conference on Tourism for Development
was held in Beijing, China in May 2016 with a specific
view to advancing the contribution of tourism to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).China, as chair
of the G20, also hosted the 7th G20 Tourism Ministers'
Meeting under the theme Sustainable Tourism An
Effective Tool for Inclusive Development.
UNEP REPORT ON AIR QUALITY
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in
May 2016 released the report titled Actions on Air Quality.
The report was released during the 2ndUnited Nations
Environment Assembly (UNEA-2).
Highlights
8 According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
global urban air pollution levels increased by 8 percent
between 2008 and 2013.
8 More than 80 percent of people living in urban areas
that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels
that exceed WHO limits, threatening lives, productivity
and economies.
8 On the positive side, 97 countries have increased the
percentage of households that have access to cleaner
burning fuels to more than 85 percent.
8 The majority of countries around the world have now
put in place national air quality standards. India, with
major air quality challenges in many cities, has
established air quality laws and regulation.
UNITED NATIONS WORLD HUMANITARIAN
SUMMIT
The United Nations World Humanitarian Summit
concluded in May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. The summit
18
88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
was organised by the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
More than 50 heads of state and government attended
the summit.The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
voiced his disappointment at the absence of world
leaders from G7 countries.
The World Humanitarian Summit's main achievement
was the Grand Bargain, which is the name for a set of 51
commitments to reform humanitarian financing to make
emergency aid finance more efficient and effective.
In the summit, a New charter for Persons With
Disabilities was also endorsed. The charter aims at
improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities
during emergencies.
UN REPORT ON RISING SEA LEVEL
Due to rapid urbanisation and economic growth, in future
nearly 40 million Indians will be at risk from rising sea
levels by 2050, with people in Mumbai and Kolkata
having the maximum exposure to coastal flooding says
UN environment report.India tops the list with nearly 40
million people in the country projected to be at risk from
rising sea levels, followed by more than 25 million in
Bangladesh, over 20 million in China and nearly 15
million in the Philippines.
GOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL
Switzerland in June 2016 inaugurated Gotthard Base
Tunnel, world's longest and deepest railway tunnel. The
tunnel is also the first flat low-level route through the
Alps.It took 17 years and 12.2 billion Swiss francs to
construct the tunnel.The Gotthard Base Tunnel has route
length of 57.09 km and a total of 151.84 km of tunnels,
shafts and passages.
INDIA SIGNED MOUS WITH TUNISIA
India and Tunisia in June 2016 signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in Information
Technology and promotion of traditional handicrafts.The
MoUs were signed after the delegation level talks
between the two countries in the presence of Vice
President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Tunisian Prime
Minister Habib Essid in Tunis.
INDIA JOINS HAGUE CODE OF CONDUCT
India in June 2016 joined the Hague Code of Conduct
(HCoC) against Ballistic Missile Proliferation as its 138th
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
subscribing state.India's joining the Code signals its
readiness to further strengthen global non-proliferation
objectives. Its subscription reinforces its support for
international missile non-proliferation.
The HCOC is a voluntary mechanism that has built a
broad international predisposition against ballistic missile
proliferation. It also promotes transparency and
confidence building, including through the Subscribing
States' commitment to submit pre-launch notifications
and annual declarations of their relevant policies.
INDIA SIGNED MOU WITH USA
India and the United States (US) in June 2016 signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance
cooperation on energy security, clean energy and
climate change.The MoU will provide framework to work
more closely not only for betterment of people but also for
creating a positive environment for US companies
working in India.It will also provide momentum for
cooperative work which needs to be done in fields of
energy security, clean energy and climate change.
INDIA SIGNED AGREEMENTS WITH QATAR
India and Qatar in June 2016 signed seven agreements
in various fields including assistance in custom matters,
skill development and recognition of qualifications and
health.
The agreements were inked after delegation-level talks
between Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Qatar's Emir
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at Doha.
GOOD COUNTRY INDEX
India is the world's 70th good country to live in
amongst 163 other nations, according to recently
released 2015 Good Country Index (GCI). India figured at
70th position overall, three places below China. India's
best ranking (27th) was in 'international peace and
security' parameter of index and was the worst (124th) in
'prosperity and equality'.
Sweden has been voted as the best country in the world
when it comes to serving the interests of its people and
contributing to the common good of humanity.
The top ten best countries included Sweden, Denmark,
the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Finland, Canada,
France, Austria and New Zealand whereas Libya was
ranked as the least "good" country in the world.
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88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
PAKISTANI SINDHI HINDUS TO GET INDIAN
CITIZENSHIP
The Centre will set up a four-day camp in Indore, Madhya
Pradesh to grant Indian citizenship to the Sindhi Hindus
who migrated to India from Pakistan between 1971 and
2009.It should be noted that nearly 35,000 Sindhis from
Pakistan were living as refugees in M.P.
AFGHAN-INDIA FRIENDSHIP DAM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President
Dr Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated the Afghan-India
Friendship Dam with in Herat province in Western
Afghanistan in June 2016.The Dam was earlier known
as Salma Dam on the river Chist-e-Sharif in western
Herat neighbouring Iran. Afghan Presresident connferred
the the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan, the
Amir Amanullah Khan Award on Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
INDIA SIGNED MOU WITH USA
India in June 2016 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the United States of America
(USA) to facilitate hassle-free entry of Indians into
America at selected airports. It will provide quick security
clearances for pre-approved, low-risk travellers from
India.
Features
8 The Agreement was signed as a part of America's
International Expedited Traveller Initiative which is also
known as the Global Entry Programme. India became
the ninth country to sign the agreement with US.
8 GEP is available at more than 40 US airports and 12
pre-clearance locations.
8 Approximately 50000 new applications for the
programme are being filed every month and it already
have more than 1.8 million people who are enrolled in
Global Entry Programme.
INDIA BECOMES CO-CHAIR OF MARITIME
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
India in June 2016 became the co-chair of Working Group
on Maritime Situational Awareness under Contact Group
on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).This
decision was taken through a consensus during the 19th
Plenary Session of the CGPCS that took place in
Mahe, Seychelles .
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
ABOUT CGPCS
8 CGPCS is a coalition of states, international
organisations, the private sector and civil society that
came together to fight piracy together in a coordinated
manner.
8 It was established in response to United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1851 (2008), later recalled
and replaced with United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1918 (2010).
8 Seychelles is the current Chairman of the CGPCS for
the biennium 2016-17.
WORLD'S SPACE AGENCIES JOIN HANDS
FOR CLIMATE CHALLENGE
Space agencies of more than 60 countries, under the
impetus of the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) and the French Space Agency (CNES), have
agreed to come together to combat climate challenge.It is
for the first time that the space agencies have agreed to
engage their satellites to coordinate their methods and
their data to monitor human-induced greenhouse gas
emissions.
FORBES WORLD'S 100 MOST POWERFUL
WOMEN
Forbes in June 2016 released the list of World's 100 Most
Powerful Women of 2016 showing women who impacted
businesses, media, philanthropy, politics and more.
The top three most powerful in the list are politicians:
Germany's Angela Merkel, U.S. presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.
Indian Women in the list
8 Four Indians have been named in Forbes list including
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chair-Managing Director of
State Bank of India (SBI), who stood at 25th position.
8 Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO of ICICI Bank, was
placed at 40th position.
8 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder-chair of Biocon
Limited, was placed at 77th position.
8 Shobhana Bhartia, Chair, HT Media, was placed at
93rd position.
INDIA SIGNS SCHEME ON TAX EVASION
AND CORRUPTION
India in June 2016 signed a Europe-led scheme that
seeks to clampdown on tax evasion and corruption by
committing to automatically exchange information on
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88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
beneficial ownership. India joined a group of nearly 40
nations that are signatories of a scheme.
INDIA-US INKED 8 MOUS
India and the United States (US) in June 2016
signed/finalized eight agreements/ Memorandum of
Understanding (MoUs) in various fields including
exchange of Terrorist Screening Information, cooperation
on Energy Security, co-operation on Wildlife
Conservation, Arrangement concerning Unclassified
Maritime Information Sharing, Clean Energy and Climate
Change among others.
GLOBAL PEACE INDEX
Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in June 2016
released the 2016 Global Peace Index (GPI). It is 10th
edition of GPI that measured peace, its causes and its
economic value during 2015 for 163 countries.India
ranked 141 among the 163 countries with 2.566 GPI
score. It held 143th rank in 2014 .
Highlights
The countries that topped the 2016 GPI for being most
peaceful are Iceland (1), Denmark (2), Austria (3), New
Zealand (4), Portugal (5),
The least peacepul countries are Somalia (159),
Afghanistan (160), Iraq (161), South Sudan (162) and
Syria (163).
NORWAY FIRST COUNTRY TO PROHIBIT
DEFORESTATION
Norway in June 2016 became the first country to prohibit
deforestation.The Norwegian Parliament had pledged to
make government's public procurement policy
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
deforestation-free. The step was taken after a committee
of MPs recommended imposing regulations to ensure the
state did not contribute to deforestation of the rainforest.
ISRAEL ELECTED TO PERMANENT
COMMITTEE OF UN
The United Nations General Assembly in June 2016
elected Israel to chair its Legal Committee, which is also
known as the Sixth Committee.
The United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee
(Legal) is one of the main committees of the United
Nations General Assembly.
The Sixth Committee is the primary forum for the
consideration of legal questions in the General Assembly.
The committee has universal membership, which means
all member states of the UN are de jure members of the
Sixth committee.
G7 SUMMIT
The 42nd G7 Summit was held at Ise-Shima in Japan in
May 2016. During the summit, the member countries
discussed a wide range of major global economic and
political challenges and approved the G7 Ise-Shima
Leaders' Declaration.The summit assumed significance
as it was the first one to be held after the adoption of the
2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by the United
Nations in September 2015.
The Summit was attended by all the seven members'
viz., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United
Kingdom and the United States and the European
Commission (EC).
21
88INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
 N E WS
K ER Persons in News
MA
Operating Officer ( COO) of Microsoft . Being the COO,
JULY UPDATES Turner was handling Microsoft's enormous sales
DAVID CAMERON operations. He had been at Microsoft for 11 years.
The Prime Minister of United Kingdom David Cameron in Turner would now be joining Citadel Securities as Chief
June 2016 announced his Executive Officer.
resignation hours after the KAMALA SHIRIN LAKHDHIR
Brexit vote that favoured Indian-origin diplomat Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir was in
leaving the European Union June 2016 nominated as the next American Ambassador
(EU).During the campaign, to Malaysia by US President Barack Obama.
Cameron-led Conserve LINDA BURNEY
Party advocated for remaining with the EU. In the
Linda Burney, a former teacher, in July 2016 became the
referendum that was held in June 2016, 51.89 percent of
first Indigenous woman elected to
the voters preferred to leave the EU.Among the 46.5
the House of Representatives
million people who registered to vote, only 48.11 percent
(lower house) of the Parliament of
voted to remain in the grouping. The result must still be
Australia. She achieved the fete
approved by the UK Parliament to become effective.
after claiming victory in the
GUDNI JOHANNESSON marginal seat of Barton.
Gudni Johannesson in June 2016 won Iceland's MALCOLM TURNBULL
presidential election. The history professor who ran as an
Malcolm Turnbull in July 2016
independent in the election
was sworn in as the Prime
was able to secure 39.1% of
Minister of Australia for another
the vote. The president is
term.
elected to a four-year term by
universal adult suffrage and 8 He is the 29th and current
has limited powers. Prime Minister of Australia.He is
the Leader of the Liberal Party.
KIM JONG- UN
PEMA KHANDU
The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign
Assets Control (OFAC) in July 2016 designated top Pema Khandu was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of
officials of the North Korean Arunachal Pradesh at Raj
regime along with Kim Jong-Un Bhawan in Itanagar in July
and for their ties to North Korea's 2016. Governor Tataghata Roy
notorious abuses of human administered the Oath of Office
rights. This is the first time that US and Secrecy to him. Khandu,
has sanctioned North Korean 37, also became the youngest
leader over human rights abuses. The measures freeze chief minister of the country.
any property the individuals have in the US and prevent ROHIT KHANDELWAL
US citizens doing business with them. .
India's contestant Rohit Khandelwal won the coveted
KEVIN TURNER Mister World 2016 title in July 2016. The grand finale of Mr
Kevin Turner in July 2016 resigned as the Chief World 2016 was held at the Southport Theatre &

22

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88PERSONS IN NEWS

Convention Centre in Southport, U.K.
Khandelwal has become the first Indian and Asian to
win the Mr World title at the competition.
RADHIKA MENON
Captain Radhika Menon in July 2016 was selected for the
2016 International Maritime
Organization (IMO) Award for
Exceptional Bravery at Sea.
Menon has been selected for the
prestigious award for her role in
the rescue of seven fishermen
from a sinking fishing boat in the Bay of Bengal in June
2015.Captain Menon will also be the first female to
receive the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.
8 Menon is the Master of the oil products tanker
Sampurna Swarajya.
8 She is the first woman captain in the Indian
Merchant Navy.
8 She was nominated for the award by the Government
of India for the rescue of all seven fishermen from the
fishing boat Durgamma.
RODRIGO DUTERTE
Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in as the Philippines' 16th
president in June 2016 inside the
Malacanang presidential palace
in Manila..
8 He is known as Dirty Harry
and often compared to the US
presidential candidate Donald
Trump.
8 He is a lawyer by profession is nicknamed as 'Digong',
'The Punisher'.
SUNIL MITTAL
The founder chairman of Bharti Enterprises Sunil Mittal
was in June 2016 elected as the
chairman of the Paris-based
International Chamber of
Commerce (ICC). The voting for
the election of chairman was held
in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He became
the 51st chairman of the ICC and
the third Indian business leader to be elected as the chief
of the ICC in its near 100-year history.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
8 The International Chamber of Commerce is the world's
largest business organisation with over 6.5 million
members in over 130 countries.
8 It was founded in 1919 under the leadership of its first
president Etienne Clementel, a former French minister of
commerce.
SHASHI KANT SHARMA
Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Shashi
Kant Sharma has been conferred
honorary professorship by the
Nanjing Audit University (NAU) in
China. It is the only university
which is recognised by the
Institute of Internal Auditors.
Shashi Kant Sharma is a 1976 batch Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre.In
July 2014 he assumed office as Member of the United
Nations Board of Auditor General for a term of six years.
SUDARSHAN SEN
Sudarshan Sen has been as Executive Director of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in place of N S
Vishwanathan, who has been elevated as Deputy
Governor at the central bank.
SUSHILA KARKI
Nepal's Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee
(PHSC July 2016 unanimously
endorsed Sushila Karki as the
Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court. Karki has become the first
woman to lead Nepal's judiciary.
She will be appointed to the post
by President Bidhya Devi
Bhandari.
VIRGINIA RAGGI
Virginia Raggi, a leading member of the populist anti-
corruption Five Star Movement
(M5S), in June 2016 was elected
as Rome's first female mayor.
Raggi is also the youngest
mayor in Rome's history. M5S is a
political party which was founded
by comedian-turned politician Beppe Grillo.
23
88PERSONS IN NEWS

JUNE UPDATES
ADMIRAL SUNIL LANBA
Admiral Sunil Lanba in May 2016 took over as Chief of
Naval Staff. 58-year-old Lanba, a specialist in Navigation
and Direction, will have the full three-year tenure as the
Navy Chief.Lanba succeeded Admiral RK Dhowan.
BACIRO DJA
Guinea Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz in May 2016
issued a presidential decree
naming Baciro Dja as Prime
Minister of the country.The
presidential decree sparked
protests from political opponents,
who claimed the appointment as
unconstitutional.
8 Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa.
8 Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability since
independence, and no elected president has
successfully served a full five-year term.
BARACK OBAMA
Barack Obama became the first incumbent U.S.
president to visit Hiroshima, the site of the world's first
atomic bomb attack, which demonstrated that mankind
possessed the means to destroy itself.
The United States, with the consent of the United
Kingdom as laid down in the Quebec Agreement,
dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, 1945
killing around 140,000 people including a dozen
captured American airmen and thousands of forced
laborers from Korea.
CR SASIKUMAR
CR Sasikumar in June 2016 took over as Managing
Director (MD) of State Bank of Travancore (SBT).
The State Bank of Travancore is one of the associate
banks of State Bank of India (SBI). Sasikumar started his
career as a probationary officer with SBI in 1978.State
Bank of Travancore is a premier bank of Kerala where it
handles its majority of business.
DASHAR MAHA KUMBH
'Dashar Maha Kumbh' is being organised on the
confluence of sacred rivers Sindhu and Vitasta in
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Ganderbal district of Kashmir in June,after a period of 75
years.At the confluence of Vitasta (Jhelum), Krishen
Ganga and Sindh (Indus) rivers, there is a Chinar tree
known as Prayag Chinar standing on a small island in the
middle of the confluence spot surrounded by water on all
sides.
DESHAUNA BARBER
Deshauna Barber, a serving Army Reserve officer of
United States (US), was in June 2016 crowned as the
Miss USA 2016 at the Miss USA competition 2016 held at
the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip.
Barber became the first-ever military member to win Miss
USA title.
DIA MIRZA
Bollywood actress Dia Mirza in June 2016 named as the
ambassador for Swachh Saathi (student internship)
programme. It is a youth-based programme of Swachh
Bharat Mission.Dia was selected because she is a youth
icon and has been an active campaigner for Swachh
Bharat.
G. KALYANAKRISHNAN
Distinguished scientist G Kalyanakrishnan in June 2016
took over as Chief Executive of
Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC),
Hyderabad. NFC products are
supplied to the Department of
Atomic Energy, the Indian Navy,
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
and other defence organisations.
JAYALALITHAA
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
Supremo Jayalalithaa was sworn-in as the Chief Minister
of Tamil Nadu in May 2016. Governor Dr K Rosaiah
administered the oath of office and secrecy for her.This is
Jayalalithaa's second consecutive term as Chief Minister
of the state and sixth overall.Her party All India Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) stomped to
victory in the state elections, landing 134 of the 232 seats
in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election.
JUSTICE RAKESH RANJAN PRASAD
Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad, the senior-most Judge of
the Manipur High Court in June 2016 assumed charge of
the Chief Justice of the High Court.
KEN LOACH'S
24
88PERSONS IN NEWS
British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake in May
2016 won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival.Loach
is an English film and television director.
8 His 1969 film Kes was voted the 7th greatest British
film of the 20th century in a poll by the British Film
Institute.
8 The Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) is the highest prize
awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
MOHAMED NASHEED
Britain has granted political refugee status to the ousted
former Maldivian president.Nasheed was granted
permission in January 2016 to leave for the U.K. by the
Maldivian Government to undergo a spinal surgery. He
was supposed to return to Maldives after the treatment,
but remained in London.
8 Mohamed Nasheed is a Maldivian politician, human
rights and environmental activist.
8 He was the first democratically elected president of the
Maldives and one of the founders of the Maldivian
Democratic Party.
MUKESH AMBANI
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and
Managing Director Mukesh Ambani was in May 2016
awarded with the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his
entrepreneurial leadership by the United States based
Chemical Heritage Foundation.
MARIA SHARAPOVA
Maria Sharapova was suspended for two years from
Tennis by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in
June 2016 for using a prohibited drug. The Russian
tennis sensation was provisionally banned in March 2016
after testing positive for meldonium at Australian Open in
January 2016.Meldonium is a metabolic modulator that is
included under section S4 (Hormone and Metabolic
Modulators) of the 2016 WADA Prohibited List, and
therefore is also prohibited under the Progrramme.
MAMATA BANERJEE
Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee was
sworn-in as the chief minister of West Bengal for second
successive five-year term in May 2016. Governor Keshri
Nath Tripathi administered her oath of office and
secrecy.This is for the first time that a chief minister will
take oath on Red Road.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
8 Banerjee founded the party All India Trinamool
Congress (AITMC or TMC) in 1997 and became its
chairperson.
8 She is often referred to as Didi (meaning elder sister in
Bengali).
N. RAMACHANDRAN
N Ramachandran, the president of Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) was awarded the prestigious Olympic
Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in
June 2016. He was honoured for his outstanding services
to the Olympic movement.
NITA AMBANI
The founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation,
Nita Ambani was in June 2016 nominated as a candidate
to be a new member of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) headquartered at Lausanne,
Switzerland.The election will be held at the 129th IOC
Session in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016.
N K CHARI
N.K. Chari in May 2016 took over as the Managing
Director (MD) of State Bank of Mysore.The State Bank of
Mysore is one of the associate banks of State Bank of
India (SBI).State Bank of Mysore is a nationalised bank in
India, with headquarters at Bengaluru.
PHILIP ABRAHAM
Indian journalist and Councillor Philip Abraham was in
May 2016 elected unanimously as the Deputy Mayor of
Loughton town in the United Kingdom.
8 Abraham is a journalist from Kerala and is editor of
Kerala Link.
8 He was the first person of Asian origin to be elected to
Loughton Town Council. Loughton is a vibrant town within
the Epping Forest District Council in Essex.
PAWAN CHAMLING
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was in May 2016
conferred with the Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize by Nepal
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.The prestigious literary
prize was bestowed upon him for his commendable
contributions in promoting Nepali literature in India.
PINARAYI VIJAYAN
Veteran CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn-in as
12th Chief Minister of Kerala in May 2016. Governor P
25
88PERSONS IN NEWS
Sathasivam administered his oath of office .He won the
2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as the CPI(M)
candidate for Dharmadom constituency.
PEDRO PABLO KUCZYNSKI
Peruvian economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski defeated his
rival Keiko Fujimori with a thin margin to become Peru's
next President.The National Office of Electoral
Processes (ONPE) in June 2016 announced that the
Peruvian political organization Peruanos Por el Kambio
received the most votes representing 50.12% of valid
votes.
PETER THOMSON
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in June
2016 elected Peter Thomson, Permanent
Representative of Fiji, as President of its upcoming 71st
session.
8 The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six
principal organs of the United Nations.
8 It is the only organ in which all member nations have
equal representation.
RAGHAVAN SEETHARAMAN
Raghavan Seetharaman, Qatar-based Indian banker in
May 2016 was awarded the Green Economy Visionary
award.Seetharaman was honoured for his contribution in
environment-friendly activities and for promoting green
economy for nearly two decades.The banker was
presented with the award at the 2016 Union of Arab
Banks International Banking Summit held in Rome.
8 Raghavan Seetharaman is the Group CEO of Doha
Bank, which is one of the largest commercial banks in
Qatar.
RAHUL JOHRI
Rahul Johri in June 2016 assumed charge as first ever
chief executive officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai.He was appointed on
the recommendation of the Justice Lodha Committee.
RODRIGO DIGONG DUTERTE
Rodrigo Digong Duterte in May 2016 was officially
declared to be the president-elect by the parliament of
Philippine.He won a landslide victory in the presidential
election in May 2016, taking about six million votes more
than his competitor.
RISHI NAIR
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Indian American student Rishi Nair in May 2016 won the
prestigious National Geographic Bee competition
2016.As National Geographic Bee champion, Nair
received a 50000 US dollars college scholarship and a
lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.
Nair, a sixth grader from Florida, took top honours at the
28th annual National Geographic Bee held at the
National Geographic headquarters in Washington DC.
RUPA IYER
An Indian-American biotechnologist Rupa Iyer was in
May 2016 awarded with the University of Houston's
Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence
Award, the highest teaching award of United States.Iyer
was awarded for her sustained and significant
contributions to education. She is an Associate Dean at
Research and Graduate Studies at the University of
Houston's College of Technology.
SYAMANTAK PAYRA
Indian-American Syamantak Payra, a 15-year-old from
Friendswood, Texas, in May 2016 won Intel Foundation
Young Scientist Awards of 50000 US dollar. He was
awarded for developing a low-cost electronically aided
knee brace that allows an individual with a weakened leg
to walk more naturally.
SARBANANDA SONOWAL
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Sarbanand
Sonowal was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Assam in
May 2016.Sonowal became Assam's second tribal chief
minister after Jogen Hazarika in the 1970s. He is also first
Chief Minister from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in
Assam.
SHASHANK S. SHAH
Pune-based diabetes specialist Shashank S Shah was
conferred with the Vivian Fonseca Scholar Award 2016
in June 2016. He was awarded at the ADA's 76th
Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.The award was
given by American Diabetes Association (ADA) for his
pioneering research on diabetes in South Asia.He also
holds a world record for conducting 45 hernia surgeries in
10 hours.
TSAI ING-WEN
Tsai Ing-wen has been sworn in as the 14th president of
Taiwan, becoming the country's first female leader to
become president.She succeeds outgoing President Ma
Ying-jeou. She is the leader of the Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) which favours independence
from China.
26
88PERSONS IN NEWS
 APPOINTMENTS
JULY UPDATES
ANNE HATHAWAY
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women in
June 2016 appointed Anne
Hathaway as global Goodwill
Ambassador. Anne Hathaway is
an American actress and singer.
Hathaway has previously served
as an advocate for Nike Foundation.
ANIL KUMBLE
Former Spinner Anil Kumble was appointed as the head
coach of Indian Cricket Team in June 2016. He will hold
this position for one year.Kumble's first assignment will be
the upcoming away series in the West Indies, where India
will play four Test matches.Kumble is the highest wicket-
taker (1136 wickets) for India till date and third in the
international list, behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane
Warne.
AJAY BHUSHAN PANDEY
The Union Government in July 2016 appointed Ajay
Bhushan Pandey as the Chief
Executive Officer of Unique
Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI). UIDAI will have to deal
with the legal cases involving
privacy and parliamentary issues
that Aadhaar has been embroiled in.
8 UIDAI was founded in 2009 under the United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime with former Infosys
CEO Nandan Nilekani as its chairman.
Dr KINSHUK
An Indian-American professor Dr Kinshuk was in July
2016 appointed as the Dean of University of North Texas
College of Information in the United States with effect
from 15 August 2016.
EMAD KHAMIS
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed former
Electricity Minister Emad Khamis as the new prime
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
minister of the war-ravaged country. The announcement
comes two months after Assad's Baath party and its allies
won the majority of seats in the country's parliament in an
election that was considered internationally as a fraud.
N.S. VISHWANATHAN
NS Vishwanathan is appointed as Deputy Governor of
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Vishwanathan will
succeed Harun R Khan .
PAUL ROMER
World Bank Group in July 2016 appointed Paul Romer as
World Bank Chief Economist with
effect from September 2016.
Romer is a widely respected
economist and a successful
entrepreneur.
Romer will join the Bank at a
critical time when the field of development is transforming
under the forces of rapid technological change,
globalization, and demography.
RAJESH KUMAR CHATURVEDI
Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi was in July 2016 appointed as
the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) for a five-year term.
SANJAY MALIK
Nokia in June 2016 announced the appointment of
Sanjay Malik as the head of Indian market. Malik will lead
customer operations,drive the business growth strategy
and superior customer engagement services for the India
market.Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational
communications and information technology company. It
was founded in 1865.
SUJOY BOSE
Sujoy Bose was in June 2016 appointed as the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).NIIF is a quasi sovereign
wealth fund announced in 2015 budget with a corpus of
around 40000 crore rupees.
SUPRIYA SAHU
Senior IAS officer Supriya Sahu was appointed as
27
88 APPOINTMENTS
Director General of Doordarshan in June 2016. She was
the power behind the Say no to plastics campaign to
protect the eco-system of the hill station, Ooty, during her
tenure as District Collector of the Nilgiris district.
STEVE ELWORTHY
Steve Elworthy, the former South Africa fast bowler in July
2016 was appointed the Managing Director (MD) of the
2019 World Cup, which will be held in England and
Wales.Elworthy will oversee the lead-up and running of
the 2019 World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy
and Women's World Cup. The Champions Trophy and
Women's World Cup will be hosted by the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2017.
THERESA MAY
Queen Elizabeth-II appointed Theresa May as the 76th
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) in June 2016.
She was appointed as prime minister following her
election as the leader of Britain's ruling Conservative
Party.She became the second women to assume the
office of Prime Minister of the UK. The first women prime
minister was Margaret Thatcher who was in the office of
PM from 1979 to 1990.
YASMIN SOOKA
Yasmin Sooka, the South African Indian-origin lawyer
and long-time human rights activist, was appointed to
chair a UN commission in June 2016.The commission
will monitor the human rights situation in South Sudan
and make recommendations for their improvement.
JUNE UPDATES
ANURAG THAKUR
Anurag Thakur was in May 2016 unanimously elected as
34th BCCI President at the
board's special general meeting
(SGM) in Mumbai. He will serve
as President until September
2017.
Thakur, who is a BJP MP in Lok
Sabha from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district, is the
second youngest BCCI chief. Fateh Singh Gaekwad in
1963 became the youngest BCCI President at the age of
33.Thakur succeeds Shashank Manohar who stepped
down from the position to take up the ICC chief's job.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
KIRAN BEDI
BJP leader and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi was
appointed as the Lieutenant
Governor (LG) of Puducherry in
May 2016.She was India's first
woman to join officer ranks of the
Indian Police Service.
8 In 2015, she joined BJP and
was the party's chief ministerial candidate during the
2015 Delhi Assembly elections.
8 In 1979, she won the President's Police medal.
8 In 1994, she became the recipient of Ramon
Magsaysay Award.
MAJOR GENERAL PER LODIN
Per Lodin, Major General of Sweden, was in June 2016
appointed as the Head of the UN Military Observer
Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
8 India has always been against the UNMOGIP. It has
maintained that the UNMOGIP has been made irrelevant
by the 1972 Simla Agreement between Prime Ministers
Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that recognises the
Kashmir dispute as a bilateral issue.
NAVIN AGARWAL
Senior IPS officer Navin Agarwal was in June 2016
appointed as Director General (DG)/ Chief Executive
Officer (CEP) of National Anti-Doping Agency
(NADA).Navin Agarwal is a 1986 batch IPS officer of
Jammu and Kashmir cadre.
ABOUT NATIONAL ANTI DOPING AGENCY (NADA)
It was set up as registered society under the Societies
Registration Act of 1890 on 24 November 2005 with a
mandate for Dope free sports in India.The primary
objectives are to implement anti-doping rules as per
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, regulate dope
control programme, to promote education and research
and creating awareness about doping and its ill effects
LIEUTENANT GENERAL S.K. SAINI
Lieutenant General SK Saini in May 2016 took over as
the 46th Commandant of the Indian Military Academy
(IMA), Dehradun.Lt Gen Saini is an alumnus of the
National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military
Academy (IMA).
28
88 APPOINTMENTS
PATRICIA ESPINOSA CANTELLANO
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in May
2016 appointed Patricia Espinosa Cantellano of Mexico
as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Espinosa
Cantellano is serving as Ambassador of Mexico to
Germany.
8 The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change is an international environmental treaty
negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from
1992.
RANU LANGTHASA
Ranu Langthasa was unanimously appointed as the
chairperson of the North Cachar
Hills Autonomous Council
(NCHAC) in Assam in June
2016.She also became the first
women chairperson to be
appointed to the post since the
formation of Autonomous Council in 1950s.
8 The NC Hills Autonomous Council can be described as
a state in miniature having all the paraphernalia of a
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Government like Legislative, Executive and Judiciary.
SATYA PAL JAIN
Additional Solicitor General of India and former
Parliamentarian Satya Pal Jain was in June 2016
appointed as a part-time member of the 21st Law
Commission of India.The appointment will be in addition
to his charge as an Additional Solicitor General of India.
S K SHARMA
Renowned scientist S K Sharma in May 2016 was
appointed the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of
Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL).The
Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited is a government-
owned corporation of India based in Mumbai.
UMANG BEDI
Facebook India in June 2016 appointed Umang Bedi as
its Managing Director (MD).He is an engineering
graduate from the University of Pune. He is also an
alumnus of Harvard Business School.
29
88 APPOINTMENTS
 DEATHS/OBITUARY
JULY UPDATES
KG SUBRAMANYAN
Renowned painter and freedom fighter KG Subramanyan
passed away in June 2016
following a brief illness in Vadodra.
Subramanyan was a versatile
painter who blurred the lines
between art and artisans by
making his mark in pottery, design
and terracotta art as well.
NEIL O'BRIEN
Neil O'Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in India and leader of
the Anglo-Indian community, died
in Kolkata on in June 2016. A
former member of Lok Sabha, Neil
O'Brien was also a three-time
nominated Anglo-Indian MLA in
West Bengal and an educationist.
RAMCHANDRA CHINTAMAN DHERE
Renowned Marathi writer Ramchandra Chintaman
Dhere passed away in July 2016
following prolonged illness. Dhere
was known for his exhaustive
research in folk literature and
bhakti tradition of Maharashtra.He
received a Sahitya Akademi
Award in 1987 for his work Shri Vitthal: Ek
MahaSamanvay.
XERXES SAPUR DESAI
Xerxes Sapur Desai, the man who founded Titan Co Ltd,
died in June 2016 following a
prolonged illness in Bengaluru.
Desai played a key role in
introducing India to its first quartz
watch in the late 80s when he set
up Titan Co. Ltd (part of Tata Sons).
After the success in watches, Desai got Tata's approval
to start Tanishq, the jewellery business that is now a
trusted brand and India's largest jewellery firm.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
JUNE UPDATES
MANOHAR AICH
Legendary Indian body builder and India's first Mr
Universe, Manohar Aich died in June 2016. He was 104
years old. He was famously called Pocket Hercules as he
was 4 feet 11 inch tall.He won gold medals for three times
in Asian Games.He was the first Indian to win the Mr
Universe title post-independence in 1952.
MUHAMMAD ALI
All-time boxing icon Muhammad Ali died in June 2016 in
the Phoenix, Arizona, after a 32-
year battle with Parkinson's
disease. He was crowned
Sportsman of the Century by
Sports Illustrated Personality of
the Century by the BBC.
8 He also wrote several best-selling books about his
career, including The Greatest: My Own Story and The
Soul of a Butterfly.
8 Ali remains the only three-time lineal world
heavyweight champion; he won the title in 1964, 1974,
and 1978.
8 He was nicknamed The Greatest and was involved in
several historic boxing matches.
MUDRARAKSHASA
Distinguished Hindi writer, activist, thinker and cultural
personality Mudrarakshasa
passed away in June 2016 in
Lucknow. He was the editor of
Anuvrata, a Calcutta based
magazine.He worked as Editor at
All India Radio from 1962 to 1976.
RAZAK KHAN
Razak Khan, one of the best comedians of Bollywood
movies, passed away in June 2016 He was popularly
known for his roles in movies like Hello Brother, Hungama
and Hera Pheri.He made his Bollywood debut in 1993
with Boney Kapoor's production venture Roop ki Rani
Choron Ka Raja
30
88 DEATH/OBITUARY
 AWARDS & HONOURS
2016.The 2016 Local SDG Pioneers is a part of the
JULY UPDATES United Nations Global Compact's Making Global
SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Goals Local Business campaign.Zubaida Bai is an
Indian social entrepreneur and engineer.She founded
Kannada Movie Thithi in June 2016 won two awards -
ayzh, a social enterprise which provides technology
Best Film and Best Script Writers
solutions to rural women.
- under the Asia New Talent
Awards Category at the 19th GREAT IMMIGRANTS AWARD 2016 IN US
Shanghai International Film Four Indian-Americans, including Google CEO Sunder
Festival.The film premiered at the Pichai, are among 42 US
68th Locarno International Film nationals to be honoured with this
Festival and won the Golden Leopard honour in the year's prestigious "Great
Filmmakers of the Present category and the Swatch First Immigrants: The Pride of
Feature award. America" award for their inspiring
G. D. BIRLA AWARD professional accomplishments.
The award is given by New York-based Carnegie
IIT-Kanpur professor Sanjay Mittal in June 2016 bagged
Corporation on the occasion of Independence Day of
the prestigious G D Birla Award
United States (4th July )
for Scientific Research for
2015.Sanjay Mittal is a Professor The other three Indian-Americans are :
of computational fluid dynamics (I) Hari Sreenivasan, anchor and senior correspondent,
in the Department of Aerospace PBS NewsHour.
Engineering at IIT-Kanpur.G D
(ii) Vikram Malhotra Chairman of the Americas McKinsey
Birla Award for Scientific Research was instituted in 1991
& Company.
by the K. K. Birla Foundation.
(iii) Bharati Mukherjee National Book Critics Circle
IIFA AWARDS 2016
Award-winning author.
The 17th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA)
Awards 2016 were presented in June 2016 in Madrid, CAINE PRIZE 2016
Spain. South African writer, filmmaker and photographer
List of 2016 IIFA Awards Lidudumalingani Mqombothi in July 2016 won the
17th edition of prestigious Caine Prize 2016 for his short
Award Winner
story Memories We Lost.
Best Film Bajrangi Bhaijaan
8 Caine Prize was established in 2010 in the United
Best Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for
Kingdom and was named in memory of Sir Michael Harris
Bajirao Mastani Caine, former Chairman of Booker Group plc. It is also
Best Actor in a Leading Role Ranveer Singh for referred as African Booker.
Bajirao Mastani JNANPITH AWARD
Best Actress in a Leading Role Deepika Padukone for Piku President Pranab Mukherjee in
UN HONOUR FOR CORPORATE July 2016 conferred the 51st
SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE Jnanpith Award on renowned
Gujarati writerDr.Raghuveer
Zubaida Bai, Indian social entrepreneur, in June 2016
Chaudhari at Parliament Library
was named among the top 10 Local SDG Pioneers for
Building, New Delhi. He was
31

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88AWARDS & HONOURS

awarded with the India's highest literary honour for the
year 2015.His most noted works include novels Amruta,
Venu Vatsala and Uparvas.
Jnanpith Award is one of the prestigious literary awards
in India. The name of award is taken from Sanskrit words
Jnana and Pitha which means knowledge-seat. It was
instituted in 1961 and is presented by Bharatiya Jnanpith,
a trust founded by the Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain family.
The award is given to any Indian citizen who writes in
any 22 official languages of India mentioned in VIII
Schedule of Constitution of India.
JUNE UPDATES
MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE
Technology Academy Finland (TAF) in May 2016
declared American innovator
Frances Arnold as winner of the
2016 Millennium Technology
Prize.The 1 million euro prize is
awarded biennially and Arnold is
the first female winner in its 12-
year history.
Biochemical engineer Arnold received the 2016
Millennium Technology Prize in recognition of her
discoveries that launched the field ofdirected evolution,
which mimics natural evolution to create new and better
proteins in the laboratory.
MALTI GYAN PEETH PURASKAR 2016
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee in May 2016
presented the Malti Gyan Peeth
Puraskar for the year 2016.The
award was conferred upon 15
teachers from Punjab for their
rare contribution in the field of
education.
8 The Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar was instituted by
Mohinder Singh Syngle Education & Research Society.
8 Every year, government school teachers from Punjab
Government's High & Higher Secondary Schools receive
this award for their contributions in the field of education.
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in May 2016 won the ninth
edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the final
clash played at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore,
Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated
Royal Challengers Bangalore
(RCB) by eight runs.
Player of the match Ben
Cutting (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Player of the series - Virat Kohli
(Royal Challengers Bangalore).
'SCHOLASTIC ASIAN BOOK AWARD
Aditi Krishnakumar, an Indian woman author in
Singapore, in May 2016 won the 'Scholastic Asian
Book Award'. She was awarded for her 32000-word
manuscript "Codex: The Lost Treasure of the Indus".
She won the 10000 Singapore dollar award for her
manuscript that carried contemporary feel and roots deep
into history of India. The manuscript will be published by
Scholastic Asia.
HARVARD ALUMNI AWARD
Bharti Enterprises founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti
Mittal in May 2016 received 2016
Harvard Business School Alumni
Achievement Award.
8 The Group flagship Bharti
Airtel is India's largest telecom
company and world's third largest
mobile operator.
SPRINGER THESES AWARD
Arnab De - an Indian-American scientist has received
the prestigious Springer Theses Award in recognition for
his outstanding research in which he developed
transgenic mice to study a critical tumor-suppressor
called A20.
PEN PINTER PRIZE
Canadian poet, novelist and environmental activist
Margaret Atwood in June 2016
was awarded the 2016 PEN
Pinter Prize. She is also the
inventor and developer of the
LongPen and associated
technologies that facilitate the
remote robotic writing of documents.
8 She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five
times, winning once for her novel The Blind Assassin.
8 A few of her best novels are The Handmaid's Tale,
The Robber Bride, The Year of the Flood .

32

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88AWARDS & HONOURS

IVORY COAST HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD FOR
INDIAN PRESIDENT
President Pranab Mukherjee in June 2016 was accorded
with Grand Cross National Order
of the Republic of Cote D'Ivoirie
in a simple ceremony at the
President's Palace in Abidjan. It is
the highest civilian award of Ivory
Coast.The President was
honoured during his two days
visit to the Country.Both the countries signed
headquarters agreement for re-establishment of Exim
bank regional head quarters in the Ivory Coast.
GRAND FUKUOKA PRIZE 2016
Music maestro A R Rahman has been announced as the
recipient of Grand Fukuoka Prize
2016 for his outstanding
contribution to Asian culture
through his music.
A R Rahman has been chosen for
the honour alongside Philippines
historian Ameth R Ocampo (Academic Prize) and
Yasmeen Lari from Pakistan (Arts and Culture Prize) by
200+SELECTION IN
FOOD INPECTORS (PRELIMS )
Students Preparing For Mains With R. K. MAHAJAN (Director, Bright Academy)
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
the secretariat of Fukuoka prize committee.
Grand Fukuoka Prize 2016 :
Grand Fukuoka Prize, was established by Fukuoka City,
Japan, in 1990 with an aim to honour the outstanding
work of individuals, groups and organizations working to
preserve and promote the unique and diverse culture of
Asia.
CEAT CRICKET AWARDS 2016
CEAT Cricket Awards 2016 were
conferred on the players at
Mumbai in May 2016.
List of the award winners:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dilip Vengsarkar
International Cricketer of the Year Joe Root
International Batsman of the Year Joe Root
International Bowler of the Year Ravichandran Ashwin
Test Cricketer of the Year Kane Williamson
ODI Cricketer of the Year Martin Guptill
T20 Player of the Year Virat Kohli
Indian Cricketer of the Year Rohit Sharma
33
88AWARDS & HONOURS
 IMPORTANT DAYS
1-JULY NATIONAL DOCTORS' DAY 1-JUNE GLOBAL DAY OF PARENTS

The 2016 National Doctors' Day was observed on 1 July
2016 across India.The day is
observed to honour legendary
physician, Dr Bidhan Chandra
Roy whose birth and death
anniversary falls on the same
day.Dr Roy was honoured with
the Bharat Ratna in 1961.Bidhan Chandra Roy was the
second Chief Minister of West Bengal.He founded five
eminent cities, Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar,
Ashokenagar and Habra.
11-JULY WORLD POPULATION DAY
World Population Day was observed on 11 July 2016 with
theme Investing in teenage girls.
The theme focuses on the empowerment of teenage
girls.
15-JULY WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY
The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) was on 15 July 2016
observed globally with the theme Skills Development to
Improve Youth Employment.
NELSON MANDELA
18-JULY
INTERNATIONAL DAY
Nelson Mandela International Day was observed across
the world on 18 July 2016 to honour the Nobel Peace
Prize laureate Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).
1-JUNE WORLD MILK DAY
World Milk Day was observed across the world on 1 June
2016. It is observed to increase awareness on milk and to
publicise activities connected with milk and the milk
industry.The observance of the day was initiated in 2001
by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
India celebrates National Milk Day on 26 November in
memory of Dr Verghese Kurien, Father of India's White
Revolution.
The Global Day of Parents was observed globally on 1
June 2016. The Global Day provides an opportunity to
appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their
selfless commitment to children and their lifelong
sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.The Day was
proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012 and
honours parents throughout the world.
INTERNATIONAL DAY
4-JUNE OF INNOCENT CHILDREN
VICTIMS OF AGGRESSION
The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of
Aggression 2016 was observed across the world in June
2016.The purpose of the day is to
acknowledge the pain suffered by
children throughout the world
who are the victims of physical,
mental and emotional abuse.The
day affirms the commitment of
the United Nations (UN) to protect the rights of
children.The day was established on 19 August 1982.
5-JUNE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
World Environment Day (WED)
was observed globally on 5 June
2016 with theme Zero tolerance
for the illegal trade in wildlife.
The day aims at inspiring more
people to take action to prevent
the growing strain on Earth's natural systems from
reaching the breaking point.The host country for the WED
2016 is Angola. The year's slogan "Go Wild for Life"
encourages everyone to spread the word about wildlife
crime and the damage it does. It also asks people to
challenge all to do what they can to prevent it.
8-JUNE WORLD OCEANS DAY
The World Oceans Day was observed globally in June
2016 with the theme Healthy oceans, healthy planet.
The main focus of this year's theme is on curbing the

34

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plastic pollution. global population of people aged 60-year and older will
Plastic pollution is a serious threat because it degrades more than double, from 542 million in 1995 to about 1.2
very slowly, polluting waterways for a very long time. In billion in 2025.
addition, plastic pollution impacts the health of aquatic
animals because animals including zooplankton WORLD DAY TO COMBAT
mistake the microbeads for food. 17-JUNE
DESERTIFICATION
WORLD DAY AGAINST
12-JUNE World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) 2016 was
CHILD LABOUR
observed across the world on 17
The World Day Against Child Labour was observed June 2016. Inclusive
globally on 12 June 2016 with the theme End child cooperation for achieving
labour in supply chains - It's everyone's Land Degradation Neutrality
business!.This year, the focus for World Day Against was the theme for the 2016
Child Labour is on child labour and supply chains. WDCD.The slogan for the day
was Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.
INTERNATIONAL ALBINISM
13-JUNE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR
AWARENESS DAY
19-JUNE THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL
International Albinism Awareness Day was observed on VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
13 June 2016. The day is observed to recognize the First International Day for the Elimination of Sexual
importance of increasing awareness and understanding Violence in Conflict was observed on 19 June 2016. The
of albinism in order to fight against global discrimination day was observed to raise awareness for the need to put
and stigma against persons with albinism.Albinism is a an end to conflict-related sexual violence.The term
rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited difference conflict-related sexual violence refers to rape, sexual
present at birth. slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced
8 Albinism results in a lack of pigmentation (melanin) in abortion, enforced sterilization and forced marriage
the hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to the sun
20-JUNE WORLD REFUGEE DAY
and bright light. Almost all people with albinism are
visually impaired and are prone to developing skin World Refugee Day was observed on 20 June 2016. It is
cancer.There is no cure for the absence of melanin that is observed annually to draw
central to albinism. attention to the plight of refugees,
WORLD BLOOD celebrate their courage and
14-JUNE resilience and renew
DONORS DAY
commitment to solve refugee
World Blood Donors Day (WBDD) 2016 was observed on problems. According to the
14 June 2016.The theme of the 2016 World Blood Donor United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a
Day campaign is Blood connects us all. The slogan for person who fled his or her home and country owing to a
2016 WBDD is Share life, give blood. The slogan well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race,
focuses on voluntary donation systems. religion, nationality, membership in a particular social
The day also collides with birthday anniversary of Karl group, or political opinion.
Landsteiner, who is noted for having distinguished the
main blood groups in 1900. 21-JUNE WORLD HYDROGRAPHY DAY

WORLD ELDER ABUSE World Hydrography Day (WHD) 2016 was observed on
15-JUNE
AWARENESS DAY 21 June 2016 across the world.The theme for the WHD
2016 was Hydrography - the key to well-managed
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was observed
seas and waterways. The theme tries to focus attention
globally on 15 June 2016. The day is observed to voice
on the fundamental importance of hydrography.
against abuse and suffering inflicted on older people.The
35

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88IMPORTANT DAYS

 21-JUNE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA
The International Day of Yoga was on 21 June 2016
observed across the world with the theme Connect the
Youth.In India, the Union Government organised the
event titled The National Event of Mass Yoga
Demonstration at the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh
where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself performed
yoga.
8 The idea to celebrate 21 June as the International Day
of Yoga was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
September 2014 during his address to the UN General
Assembly (UNGA).
8 The UNGA on 11 December 2014 adopted the
resolution to commemorate 21 June as the International
Day of Yoga every year.
8 More than 177 countries including USA, Canada,
China and Egypt supported this move including 175
nations co-sponsoring the resolution.
23-JUNE INTERNATIONAL WIDOWS' DAY
The International Widow's Day 2016 was celebrated
across the world on 23 June 2016. The day was
celebrated to raise awareness on the troubles of widowed
women.
UNITED NATIONS
23-JUNE
PUBLIC SERVICE DAY
The United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated on
June 23 of every year to celebrate the value and virtue of
public servants and administrators in building a better
world for all.
23-JUNE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC DAY
The International Olympic Day was celebrated on 23
June 2016. To mark the occasion, over 160 National
Olympic Committees (NOCs) and sports organizations
across the world organised a series of events to spread
Olympic values and encourage people to get involved in
sports and lead more active lives.
The 2016 Summer Olympics host-city Rio de Janeiro
unveiled its athletes' village to mark the day.
8 There are three main pillars of the International
Olympic Day - discover, learn and move.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
25-JUNE DAY OF THE SEAFARER
Day of the Seafarer 2016 was observed across the world
on 25 June 2016. The theme for the year is At Sea For
All.The theme for the year has a clear link with the 2016
World Maritime Day theme, Shipping: indispensable to
the world.
INTERNATIONAL DAY IN
26-JUNE SUPPORT OF VICTIMS
OF TORTURE
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was
observed in June 2016.The day is held annually to speak
out against the crime of torture. It also seeks to honor and
support victims and survivors throughout the world.
INTERNATIONAL DAY
26-JUNE AGAINST DRUG ABUSE
AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking was observed on 26 June 2016.The day was
observed with theme Listen First.
29-JUNE NATIONAL STATISTICS DAY
The 10th National Statistics Day was celebrated in June
2016 across the country with the
theme Agriculture and Farmers'
Welfare.The National Statistics
Day is celebrated annually on the
occasion of birth anniversary of
Late Prof PC Mahalanobis,
India's eminent statistician. He founded the Indian
Statistical Institute, and contributed to the design of large-
scale sample surveys
17-MAY WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY
The World Hypertension Day (WHD) was observed
across the world on 17 May 2016 with the theme Know
Your Numbers.The WHD 2016 challenge is to screen
three million adults.
8 World Hypertension Day (WHD) is an annual initiative
of the World Hypertension League (WHL), an affiliated
section of the International Society of Hypertension
(ISH).
8 The WHD was first inaugurated in May 2005 and has
become an annual event ever since.
8 The purpose of the WHD is to promote public
36
88IMPORTANT DAYS
awareness of hypertension and to encourage citizens of 8 Obstetric fistula is one of the
all countries to prevent and control this silent killer, the most serious and tragic injuries
modern epidemic. that can occur during childbirth. It
is a hole between the birth canal
and the bladder or rectum caused
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR
22-MAY by prolonged, obstructed labour
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
without treatment.

The United Nations (UN) observed the International Day INTERNATIONAL DAY OF
for Biological Diversity (IBD) on 29-MAY UNITED NATIONS
22 May 2016. The theme for the PEACEKEEPERS
year 2016 is Mainstreaming
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
Biodiversity; Sustaining
2016 was observed on 29 May
People and their Livelihoods.
2016 with the theme Honouring
8 This year theme highlights the Our Heroes.The day offers a
role of biodiversity in underpinning development. The UN chance to pay tribute to the Blue
also highlighted that biodiversity is an important cross- Helmets' invaluable contribution
cutting issue in the message marking the 2030 Agenda to the work of the Organization
for Sustainable Development. and to honour more than 3400 peacekeepers who have
8 The United Nations General Assembly, by its lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948,
resolution 55/201 of 20 December 2000, proclaimed 22 including 128 in 2015.
31-MAY WORLD NO-TOBACCO DAY
May as the International Day for Biological Diversity.
World No Tobacco Day is observed across the globe on
INTERNATIONAL DAY TO May 31 every year. It is aimed at encouraging people to
23-MAY
END OBSTETRIC FISTULA abstain from consuming tobacco for 24 hours and raising
awareness about the hazardous effects of tobacco
The International Day to End Obstetric Fistula was consumption on a person's health and well-being.
observed across the world on 23 May 2016 with the World No Tobacco Day 2016 theme : "Get ready for
theme End fistula within a generation. The day is plain packaging"
celebrated to raise awareness about obstetric fistula.

37

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 BOOKS & AUTHORS IN NEWS
JULY UPDATES
A LIFE IN DIPLOMACY - MK RASGOTRA
The book titled A Life in Diplomacy, the book was written
by former Indian diplomat
Maharaja krishna Rasgotra.It is
an insider's account of the
personalities and policies that
shaped Indian diplomacy.M
Rasgotra was the Foreign
Secretary. He also worked as the Chairman of the
National Security Advisory Board between 2005 and
2007.
COURAGE & COMMITMENT - MARGARET
ALVA
This book narrates Alva forty-year career under four
Prime Ministers, namely Indira
Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV
Narasimha Rao and Manmohan
Singh. It also tells about her
transition from politician to
Governor.
The Alva narrates her trials and triumphs and
controversies that rocked her career as a politician
leading to expulsion from Congress Party in 1979.
WHO MOVED MY INTEREST RATE - DUVVURI
SUBBARAO
A book titled Who Moved My Interest Rate? authored by
Duvvuri Subbarao, the former
Governor of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) is released in July
2016.
The book gives an account of the
dilemmas Subbarao confronted
while leading the Reserve Bank through the
extraordinary economic and political challenges India
and world faced from 2008 to 2013.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
RINGSIDE WITH VIJENDER - RUDRANEIL
SENGUPTA
The book titled Ringside With Vijender authored by
Rudraneil Sengupta released in July 2016.
The book, published by Juggernaut Books, throws light
on the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist boxer Vijender
Singh's life post his transition to the world of pro boxing.
THE GREAT DERANGEMENT: CLIMATE
CHANGE AND THE UNTHINKABLE -AMITAV
GHOSH
The Book titled The Great Derangement: Climate
Change and the Unthinkable
authored by Indian novelist
Amitav Ghosh was released in
July 2016.The book addresses
the challenges of representing
the complexity of climate change
in literature and the responsibility of writers to document
the extreme reality humans are now facing.
Amitav Ghosh is an award-winning novelist and essayist
whose books include The Circle of Reason, The
Shadow Lines, In an Antique Land, Dancing in
Cambodia, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass
Palace, The Hungry Tide and the Ibis Trilogy: Sea of
Poppies, River of Smoke and Flood of Fire.
JUNE UPDATES
MY FAVOURITE NATURE STORIES - RUSKIN
BOND
The book titled My Favourite Nature Storiesauthored by
famous British author Ruskin Bond was released on in
May 2016.In the book, Bond
details various encounters with
the natural world.
8 He got the Sahitya Academy
Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still
Grow in Dehra, for his published
38
88 BOOKS & AUTHORS
work in English. THE UNSEEN INDIRA GANDHI - DR KP
A CALL TO MERCY: HEARTS TO LOVE, HANDS MATHUR
TO SERVE - MOTHER TERESA The Unseen Indira Gandhi
The book titled A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to authored by Dr KP Mathur was
Serve. The book is a collection of released in May 2016. Dr KP
previously unreleased writings by Mathur was personal physician of
Mother Teresa.The material in former Prime Minister Indira
the book offers Mother Teresa's Gandhi for nearly 20 years till her
profound yet accessible wisdom assassination in 1984.
on how we can show mercy and SUPER 30: ANAND KUMAR
compassion in our day-to-day lives. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released the biography of
GUJARAT FILES: ANATOMY OF A COVER UP - well renowned mathematician
RANA AYYUB and philanthropist Anand Kumar
who is best known for his Super
Book titled Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up
30 programme, which he started
authored by Rana Ayyub was
in Patna, Bihar in 2002.
released in May 2016.
Super 30 provides free coaching,
The book is an account of an food and accommodation to 30 students coming from the
eight-month long undercover poorest strata of society. Since 2002, over 350 students
investigation by journalist Rana from the institute have cracked the IIT-JEE.The book,
Ayyub, who posed herself as titled Super 30: Anand Kumar has been written by
Maithili Tyagi, a filmmaker from the American Film Canada-based psychiatrist Biju Mathew in association
Institute Conservatory to investigate the Gujarat riots. with journalist Arun Kumar.

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JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88 BOOKS & AUTHORS

 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
JULY UPDATES
AIRCRAFT HTT-40
Public sector aerospace Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) in June 2016 unveiled indigenous Basic Trainer
Aircraft (BTA) HTT-40 in Bengaluru.Hindustan Turbo
Trainer-40 (HTT-40) is two-seater aircraft designed and
developed indigenously by the HAL.
8 The aircraft weighs about 2800 kg and has Turbo Prop
engine of 950 shp class.
WORLD FASTEST SUPERCOMPUTER
Chinese supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight with 93
petaflop/second speed was in June 2016 declared as the
world's fastest supercomputer. It was revealed in the
TOP500 list of supercomputers released at the International
Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt,
Germany.In the list China leads with 167 systems and the
USA is second with 165.
This supercomputer can perform 93 petaflop operations
per second.
8 It was developed by the National Research Center of
Parallel Computer Engineering & Technology (NRCPC) and
installed at the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi.
8 It displaced the Tianhe-2, an Intel-based Chinese
supercomputer that has claimed the top spot on the
previous six TOP500 lists.
8 Indian Supercomputer SERC,Developed by IISc
Bangalore is placed at 109th Position in the list.
K2-33B
NASA's Kepler Space Telescope and its extended K2
mission allowed astronomers to discover the youngest fully
formed exoplanet, K2-33b. The WM Keck Observatory on
Mauna Kea, Hawaii also helped in discovery of this new
found planet. Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars beyond
our sun.
8 The planet K2-33b is nearly 10 times closer to its star
than Mercury is to our sun, making it hot.
K2-33b is a bit larger than Neptune and whips tightly around
its star every five days.
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
ISRO LAUNCHES 20 SATELLITES
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in June 2016
launched a record 20 satellites in a single mission from the
Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra
Pradesh.ISRO also managed to break its previous record of
placing 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission in 2008.
The 20 satellites including India's latest earth observation
satellite Cartosat-2 was launched on-board Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle PSLV C-34. The other 19 satellites were
from the US, Germany, Canada and Indonesia as well as
two satellites from Sathyabama University, Chennai, and
the College of Engineering, Pune.
SNOW LEOPARD TO DARJEELING ZOO
The Padma Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in
Darjeeling received a snow leopard from Dudley
Zoological Gardens in London.The leopard, named
Makalu.Makalu, who gets his name from the world's fifth
highest peak on the south-east side of the Everest, was
born at the Black Country zoo.
8 The snow leopard is the National Heritage Animal of
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
KILOCORE
The scientists in June 2016 unveiled a microchip, named
KiloCore, containing 1000 independent programmable
processors. The chip has been designed by a team at the
University of California, Davis, Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering.The KiloCore was presented at the
2016 Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits in
Honolulu on in June 2016.
MUSUDAN BALLISTIC MISSILES
North Korea has tested mid-range ballistic missile named
"Musudan missile" from its eastern coast.The test marked
Pyongyang's fifth and sixth attempt since April to
successfully launch its Musudan missile.The Musudan has
an estimated range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000
kilometres.
SU-30
In June 2016 the frontline fighter aircraft Su-30 MKI flew with
40
88SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
an 2,500 kg integrated BrahMos supersonic cruise missile
that has a range of over 290 kms, making IAF the only air
force in the world in possession of such a system.It is the
first time in the world that such a heavyweight (2,500 kg)
supersonic cruise missile has been integrated on a fighter
aircraft.BrahMos is supersonic cruise missile that can be
launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land.
WORLD'S FIRST ELECTRIC ROAD
Sweden in June 2016 inaugurated a test stretch of an
electric road. The country has become one of the first
countries in the world to conduct tests with electric power for
heavy transports on public roads.
NON-INVASIVE METHOD TO KILL CANCER
CELLS
Matthew Gdovin, an associate professor in the University of
Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Department of Biology,
developed a newly patented method to kill cancer cells.
8 Gdovin's research was published in June 2016 in The
Journal of Clinical Oncology.The discovery may help
people with inoperable or hard-to-reach tumours.
8 The research involved injecting a chemical compound,
nitrobenzaldehyde, into the tumour and allowing it to
diffuse into the tissue.
8 A beam of light was aimed at the tissue, which caused the
cells to become very acidic inside. It forced the cells to
commit suicide.
'MY STAMP' SCHEME
India Post in June 2016 opened up the ongoing scheme of
customized printing of 'My Stamp' for individuals and
corporate also. Under the scheme an individual or a
corporate entity can get their photo or logo printed inside the
postage stamp at a price of 12 lakh rupees.
8 This time there will be 5000 sheets comprising 60000
postage stamps. These stamps can be used for general
postal mail.
8 My Stamp has helped India Post to receive two crore
rupees in fiscal 2016-17.
8 It is the brand name for personalized sheets of Postage
Stamps of India Post.
SHIJIAN-16
China in June 2016 launched its second Shijian-16 series
satellite. The satellite was carried by a Long March-4B
rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
northwest China.The Shijian-16 satellite will be used for
space environment measurements, radiation and its effect
as well as technology testing.
TORPEDO 'VARUNASTRA'
Indigenously developed heavyweight torpedo Varunastra
was inducted in the Indian Navy in June 2016. It was
handed to the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar.India joined a select group of eight countries having
the capability to design and develop heavyweight
torpedoes.
8 Varunastra, a versatile naval weapon can be fired from
the Rajput class destroyers, Delhi class and all future Anti-
Submarine Warfare (ASW) ships capable of firing heavy
weight torpedoes.
8 Torpedo is a self-propelled weapon with an explosive
warhead.
LCA TEJAS
The first squadron of home-grown Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA) Tejas was inducted into Indian Air Force (IAF) at the
Aircraft System Testing Establishment in Bengaluru in July
2016. The squadron has been named 'Flying Daggers'
45.
8 All squadrons of Tejas will have 20 planes in total,
including four in reserve.
8 IAF plans to induct over 80 aircraft with better
specifications known as Tejas 1A.
8 The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is a supersonic, single-
seat, single-engine multirole light fighter aircraft that uses
fourth generation technologies.
BARAK-8 MISSILE SUCCESSFULLY TEST-
FIRED
India in June 2016 successfully test-fired a medium range
surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) from a mobile launcher in
the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Odisha
coast.Apart from the missile, the system includes a Multi
Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MF STAR)
for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile.Along
with the long range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM), it
would be inducted in all the three Services once the user's
trials are completed.
INS TARASA
Indian Navy in June 2016 launched the fourth in the series
of Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (FO-WJFAC)
41
88SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
called INS Tarasa. It was launched at the Garden Reach
Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata.The name
of the ship, like the previously launched FO-WJFACs, is
based on the picturesque island in the Andaman and
Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal.
NETWORKED READINESS INDEX 2016
India was placed at 91st position in the Networked
Readiness Index (NRI) 2016 that was released by the
Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) in July
2016. The index was released as the part of the WEF's
G l o b a l I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y R e p o r t 2 0 1 6 .
Singapore leads the Index followed by Finland, Sweden,
Norway and the United States.
8 India (91st) was ranked the lowest among the BRICS
countries- Russia (41st), China (59th), South Africa (65th)
and Brazil (72nd).
TRAI LAUNCHES MYSPEED APP
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in July
2016 launched MySpeed mobile application for measuring
real time mobile Internet speed of consumers.This is the
first application to be launched under the Digital India
initiative which is directly trying to tackle the issue of poor
data speeds.
Y-20 AIRCRAFT
China inducted its largest indigenously-built transport
aircraft Y-20, marking a crucial step in military aviation
technology for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that
allows the world's largest force to transport cargo and
troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.
WHO DECLARES INDIA AS TETANUS FREE
The World Health Organization (WHO) in July 2016
declared India as Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus free.
WHO presented certificates to the Union Health and Family
Welfare Minister J P Nadda.Reducing maternal and
neonatal tetanus to less than one case per 1 000 live births
in all 675 districts has helped improve access to
immunization, antenatal care services and skilled birth
attendance in the most vulnerable populations.
INS KARNA COMMISSIONED
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba in July 2016
commissioned INS Karna in Vishakhapatnam.
INS Karma is a dedicated base for Marine Commandos
(MARCOS), which is a Special Operation Forces of Indian
Navy.INS Karna is located on the premises of INS Kalinga
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
near Bhimili.
PETRAPOLE INTEGRATED CHECK POST
INAUGURATED
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the Prime
Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in July 2016 jointly
inaugurated the Petrapole Integrated Check Post
(ICP).Petrapole-Benapole is an important land border
crossing for India-Bangladesh trade as more than 50% of
the India-Bangladesh trade passes through Petrapole.It is
located near Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district of West
Bengal.
2016 WORLD'S HOTTEST YEAR
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in July
2016 announced that global temperatures for the first six
months of 2016 broke many records. It means that 2016 is
on the track to be the world's hottest year on record.
8 The WMO stated that Arctic Sea ice melted early and
fast, which is another indicator of climate change.
8 June 2016 marked the 14th consecutive month of record
heat for land and oceans and the 378th consecutive month
with temperatures above the 20th century average.
8 Carbon dioxide concentrations have passed the
symbolic milestone of 400 parts per million (ppm) in the
atmosphere so far in 2016.
8 The average temperature in the first six months of 2016
was 1.3C (2.4F) warmer than the pre-industrial era in the
late 19th century.
JUNE UPDATES
WORLD'S LARGEST SINGLE ROOFTOP SOLAR
POWER PLANT IN AMRITSAR
World's largest Single Rooftop Solar Power Plant with
capacity of 11.5 MegaWatt (MW) was inaugurated at Dera
Baba Jaimal Singh at Beas, in Amritsar, Punjab.
This is the largest Solar Power Plant spread over 82 acres of
rooftop in single campus on multiple roofs with installed
capacity of 19.5 MW.
8 The plant has been set up with the cost of 139 crore
rupees.
8 Union Government in December 2015 revised the target
of 20000 MW of solar power to be achieved by 2022 to one
lakh MW of solar power in the same time.
PRITHVI-II MISSILE
India in May 2016 successfully test fired indigenously
42
88SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
developed Prithvi-II missile from the Chandipur, off Odisha
coast.The surface-to-surface missile was fired from a mobile
launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test
Range.
8 It weighs 4600 kilogram and has a strike range of 350
kilometer.
8 It is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads
and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines.
8 It is the first missile to be developed by Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO) under India's
Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).
8 IGMDP was started in early 1980 and ended in 2008.The
missiles developed under the program were Prithvi, Agni,
Trishul, Akash and Nag.
WORLD'S FIRST ROBOT LAWYER - ROSS
US-based law firm Baker Hostetler in May 2016 hired the
world's first robot lawyer ROSS to assist the company and its
various teams in legal research.
8 ROSS has been built by ROSS Intelligence and is built
upon IBM cognitive computer Watson.
8 With the support of Watson's, lawyers can ask ROSS their
research question.
8 The ROSS reads through the law, gathers evidence,
draws inferences and returns highly relevant, evidence-
based answers.
WORLD'S FIRST SCANNING HELIUM
MICROSCOPE
Australian researchers built the world's first scanning helium
microscope (SHeM).
8 It would enable scientists to study human, animal and
plant samples, as well as pharmaceutical drugs and
computer chips in their true state.
8 It is expected to provide new insights into structures at a
microscopic level.
8 It will be useful in major industries such as solar energy,
defence, explosives and information technology.
INDIA'S FIRST REUSABLE SPACE SHUTTLE,
RLV-TD LAUNCHED
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in May 2016
successfully launched its maiden indigenous winged
Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) from Sriharikota ,Andhra
Pradesh.
After launch from the Sriharikota spaceport, it glided back
onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. The vehicle re-
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
entered the atmosphere after reaching a height of over 70
km.The mission, known as the hypersonic flight experiment,
lasted about 10 minutes.
8 The Re-Usable Launch Vehicle - Technology
Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is considered as a first step towards
realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle.
That is, it can put satellites into orbit around earth and then
re-enter atmosphere.
8 It is very similar to the US space shuttle.
INS TARMUGLI
Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli was in May 2016
commissioned into Indian Navy.INS Tarmugli will be based
in Visakhapatnam under the Naval Officer-in-Charge
(Andhra Pradesh) and will be deployed for coastal patrol and
surveillance operations along the East Coast of India.
BRAHMOS MISSILE
The Indian Air Force (IAF) in May 2016 successfully test-
fired the land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile. It was test fired from a defence base in the
western sector at the Pokaran in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
8 BrahMos missile was developed by an Indo-Russian joint
venture (JV) after the two countries signed an agreement in
February 1998.
8 It is the fastest missile in the world which has a flight range
of up to 290 kilometers and carries a conventional warhead
of 200 kilograms to 300 kilograms.
ARUSH COMMISSIONED
The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) ARUSH was
commissioned in May 2016 by the Coast Guard
Commander (Western Seaboard) Additional Director
General SPS Basra at Kochi.
The ship has been named ICGS ARUSH that means first ray
of sun. ARUSH is the seventeenth ship in the series of twenty
Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), designed and built by M/s
Cochin Shipyard Limited.
TRAI LAUNCHES DND SERVICES MOBILE
APPLICATION
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in June
2016 launched DND Services Mobile Application for telecom
subscribers to register their complaints against pesky calls
and SMSes.
The new mobile application will help people in easily
43
88SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
registering complaints and help the authority in monitoring
such activities. It will ease filing of complaints and also help
us in monitoring action taken by telecom operators on
complaints.
3D-PRINTED AIRCRAFT THOR
Airbus in June 2016 displayed the world's first 3D-printed
aircraft THOR at the International Aerospace Exhibition in
Schoenefe.The drone THOR is short for Test of High-tech
Objectives in Reality and it resembles a large, white model
airplane.Is the world's first 3D-printed aircraft with just 3
parts.It is windowless, weighs 21 kilo grams (46 pounds) and
less than four metres (13 feet) long.Except the electrical
elements, all other parts are printed (3D) from a substance
called polyamide.
EXERCISE DESERT EAGLE-II
Exercise Desert Eagle II, which was the second in the series
of bilateral exercises between Indian Air Force (IAF) and
United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAE AF), was concluded in
June 2016.This was a ten-day air combat exercise in which
the IAF and the UAE Air Force undertook air exercises from
Al-Dhafra Air Base, Abu Dhabi .
EXERCISE ANACONDA-16
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members
and partners in June 2016 launched Anaconda-16
Exercise, the biggest ever joint military exercise in
Poland.The drill is part of NATO's exercise program and is
being held just weeks before NATO's summit in Warsaw that
is expected to decide that significant numbers of NATO
troops and equipment will be based in Poland and in the
Baltic states.
INTERNET SAATHI
Internet search engine Google and Tata Trusts' joint initiative
Internet Saathi was launched in June 2016 in Kolkata, West
Bengal.The initiative aims at reducing the digital gender
gap in rural areas of India such as Purulia, where girls have
now been trained to use the Internet and teach others in turn.
8 Internet Saathi aims at empowering women and their
communities by providing basic training on the usage and
benefits of the internet.
MALWARE INFECTION INDEX 2016
Microsoft Asia in June 2016 launched its Malware Infection
Index 2016 (MII2016). The index identifies the key malware
threats and ranks markets in Asia Pacific.The index MII2016,
revealed Pakistan as the location with the highest
malware encounters followed by Indonesia, Bangladesh,
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Nepal and Vietnam respectively. India stands at No. 8 in
region.Top three most encountered malware include
Gamarue,Skeeyah and Peals
BEIDOU NAVIGATION SATELLITE
China in June 2016 launched its 23rd satellite it the BeiDou
Navigation Satellite System (BDS). The satellite launched
from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest
China's Sichuan Province will support China's global
navigation and positioning network.The BeiDou Navigation
Satellite System is being developed as an alternative to US
GPS.
KEPLER-1647B
Scientists have discovered a Jupiter-like planet, Kepler-
1647b, orbiting a system of two stars, making it the largest
such cosmic body ever found.The planet Kepler-1647b,
located in the constellation Cygnus, was discovered by
astronomers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre
and San Diego State University (SDSU) in the US.
8 Researchers said that the Kepler-1647 is 3700 light-years
away and about 4.4 billion years old, roughly the same age
as the Earth.
8 The planet was discovered by using NASA's Kepler
Space Telescope,
8 The stars are similar to the Sun, with one slightly larger
than our home star and the other slightly smaller.
MALABAR 2016
India, the United States and Japan in June 2016 began the
annual exercise Malabar 2016. This is the 20th edition of
Malabar Exercise.Malabar 2016 is conducted with the
harbour phase at Sasebo and with the sea phase in the
Pacific Ocean.
8 This year, four Indian ships participated in the exercise
including INS Satpura, INS Sahyadri, INS Shakti and INS
Kirch.
8 The US Navy was represented by ships from CTF 70 of
the USN 7th fleet, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan.
8 The Malabar exercise began as a joint naval exercise
between the United States and India back in 1992.
COMPUTEX
Asia's largest technology trade show COMPUTEX was held
at Taipei in May 2016. It is attracting more than 1600
companies from 30 countries to showcase their latest
products.This became the biggest trade show with the
highest number of nations participating in last five years.
44
88SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

JULY UPDATES
Sports World
RIO 2016 OFFICIAL SLOGAN
The Rio 2016 organising committee in June 2016
revealed the official slogan, A New
World, for the first Olympic and
Paralympic Games in South
America.
The slogan was unveiled by
Thomas Bach, president of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), at a special
ceremony held at Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca, Brazil.
8 A new world will be the front and center message that
will be transmitted around the world in the lead-up to and
during the 2016 Games.
8 The slogan was chosen to show the desire of Rio 2016
for a better world.
8 The creation of a slogan is a tradition of each Olympic
Games. Previous Olympic mottos included Welcome
home for Athens in 2004, One world, one dream for
Beijing in 2008, and Inspire a Generation for London in
2012.
ARCHERY WORLD CUP
The Indian mixed recurve team of Deepika Kumari and
Atanu Das in June 2016 won silver at the Archery World
Cup in Antalya, Turkey.In the final clash the Indian team
lost to South Korea .
HERO HOCKEY CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2016
Australia in June 2016 won Hero Hockey Champions
Trophy 2016 at the Lee Valley
Hockey and Tennis Centre in London
by defeating India. Australia claimed
the Champions Trophy title for the
14th time.Germany defeated Great
Britain to win the bronze medal.
Best player: Tobias Hauke (Germany) Best junior
player: Harmanpreet Singh (India).
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
ISSF WORLD CUP
Shooter Jitu Rai in June 2016 won silver in the 10 m Air
Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup held in Baku,
Azerbaijan.It is the second medal in a World Cup this
season for Rai, who had won the free pistol gold in the first
World Cup in Bangkok.Brazilian shooter Felipe Almeida
Wu won the gold medal.
8 Jitu Rai is an Indian shooter of Nepalese origin.
8 He competes in the 10 metre air pistol and 50 metre
pistol events.
8 He became the first person to have won two medals
at a single world cup for India.
8The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the
International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986.
COPA AMERICA FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Chile in June 2016 won the Copa America football
tournament. In the final clash played at MetLife Stadium,
Chile defeated Argentina 4-2 through penalties shootout.
8 Golden Ball: Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
Golden Boot: Eduardo Vargas (Chile)
Copa America, formerly known as the South American
Football Championship is an international men's football
tournament contested between national teams from
CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. It is the oldest
international continental football competition.
ISSF WORLD CUP
India's Ace shooter Sanjeev Rajput in June 2016 clinched
the silver medal for India in men's 50-metre rifle 3 position
event of the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Ajerbaijan.Croatia's
Petar Gorsa won the gold medal.
This was India's second medal of the competition and of
the same colour as well, after pistol ace Jitu Rai's silver
winning effort in the men's 10m air pistol earlier in the
competition.
CHAMPIONS TROPHY HOCKEY TITLE
The Argentina women's team in June 2016 won the
2016 Champions Trophy Hockey title in London, the UK
45
88SPORTS WORLD
after the Netherlands. after a heavy tackle from Dimitri Payet in the eighth
CANADA OPEN GRAND PRIX BADMINTON minute but played on before being replaced in the 25th
TITLE minute.
Man of the Match:Pepe (Portugal)
Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth in July 2016 clinched the
Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton Men's Singles title SENIOR NATIONAL SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIP
at Calgary.Praneeth defeated Lee Hyun II of Korea Men's The 73rd Senior National Squash Championship held
doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also from 12 July 17 July 2016 concluded in Mumbai,
grabbed Men's doubles title at the tournament. Maharashtra.Dipika Pallikal Karthik (World no. 19)
AMUL TO SPONSOR INDIAN CONTINGENT AT dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa to
RIO OLYMPICS 2016 regain the women's title.Top seed Saurav Ghosal
defeated fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu
India's largest food products marketing organization
Amul has announced its sponsorship of the Indian SYED NAYEEMUDDIN
contingent at the biggest multi-sport event at the Rio 2016 Mohun Bagan in June 2016 announced that it will honour
Olympic Games.It should be noted that Amul had earlier country's only Dronacharya football coach Syed
sponsored the Indian contingent at the London 2012 Nayeemuddin with the Mohun Bagan Ratna.
Olympic Games.Amul based at Anand in the state of
8 Syed Nayeemuddin is an Indian football coach and
Gujarat was formed in 1946. It is a brand managed by a
former player.
cooperative body, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk
Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF). 8 As a player, he captained the Indian national team that
won a bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games.
2016 WIMBLEDON
8 He won the South Asian Football Federation Cup by
Category Winner Runner-up beating the Maldives
Men's Andy Murray Milos Raonic
8 He is the only sports-person to win both the Arjuna
Singles (Great Britain) (Canada)
and Dronacharya Awards for football.
Women's Serena Williams(United Angelique Kerber
Singles States)Serena equalled (Germany) SHAMINDA ERANGA
Steffi Graf's open era International Cricket Council (ICC) in June 2016
record of 22 Grand Slam titles. suspended Sri Lanka's fast bowler Shaminda Eranga
Men's Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Julien Benneteauand from bowling. He was suspended after an assessment of
Doubles Mahut (France) douard Roger-Vasselin his bowling action.
(France)
NICO ROSBERG
Women's Serena Williams and Timea Babos (Hungary)
Doubles Venus Williams and Yaroslava Shvedova Nico Rosberg of Germany in June 2016 won the
(Russia) European Grand Prix Formula 1 championship in Baku,
Mixed Heather Watson (Britain) and Anna-Lena Groenefeld Azerbaijan.The Mercedes driver overcame Ferrari driver
doubles Henri Kontinen (Finland) (Germany) and Roberto Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the final race.
Farah (Colombia) LIONEL MESSI

EURO 2016 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Portugal in July 2016 lifted the Euro 2016 football
championship. In the final clash played at Saint-Denis in
Paris, Portugal defeated France 1-0.Substitute Eder
scored in extra-time to give Portugal a win at their first
major international title despite losing captain and
talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to injury.
Ronaldo, Portugal's all-time leading scorer went down
Lionel Messi, the Barcelona star, in June 2016
announced his plans to retirement from international
football.The 29-year-old has played four finals for his
Argentina that includes the 2014 World Cup final and
three Copa America finals.
8 He made his senior international debut in 2005, is his
country's all-time top scorer, with 55 goals from 113
appearances.

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JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88SPORTS WORLD

8 He is the only footballer in the history to win five FIFA
Ballons d'Or, four of which he won consecutively
His major honour with Argentina is the 2008 Olympic
gold.
ANNU RANI
Javeline thrower Annu Rani in July 2016 bettered her
national record with a 59.87m throw at the 56th National
Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in
Hyderabad.
LEWIS HAMILTON
Lewis Hamilton in July 2016 won the 2016 Austrian
Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.The
Austrian Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race.
GURPREET SINGH SANDHU
Indian footballer Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in July 2016
became the first Indian to play in Europa League.
Sandhu was named in Norwegian club Stabaek FC's
squad for their Europa League qualifying match against
Welsh Premier League side Connah's Quay Nomads
FC.
NIRANJAN MUKUNDAN
Para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan won eight medals,
including three gold medals, at the International
Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) U-23 World
Games.The games concluded in July 2016 in Prague,
Czech Republic.
DIPA KARMAKAR
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar was named a 'Gymnaste
de Classe Mondaile' (World class gymnast) by the
International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).She received
the official letter confirming the distinctionfrom the
federation in July 2016.With this, she also became the
first-ever Indian gymnast to receive the honour.
She is an Indian artistic gymnast from Agartala, Tripura.
8 In April 2016, Karmakar became the first female Indian
gymnast ever to secure an Olympic berth
She is the first woman in the gymnast history to land the
Produnova, one of the most dangerous vaults.
LEWIS HAMILTON
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in July 2016 claimed the
2016 British Grand Prix title of Formula One at the
Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom.He
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
also became the first driver to win the British Grand Prix
three times in a row.
MISBAH-UL-HAQ
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq in July 2016 scored 110
against England at Lord's.The 42 years and 47 days old
cricketer became the oldest captain to score Test
hundred.Misbah is also the oldest visiting player to play a
Test on English soil in the last 31 years. He is the current
Test captain of the Pakistan national cricket team.
VIJENDER SINGH
Vijender Singh, the boxing starfrom India, in July 2016
clinched the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title at
the Thyagraj Stadium, New Delhi. Vijender defeated
former WBC European champion Kerry Hope.
Virender, took all 10 rounds to dismantle the Australian
Hope and record his seventh straight win in the circuit.
Singh also became the country's first-ever professional
boxing title holder. The win also helped him to climb to
15th in the world in his category.
JUNE UPDATES
WOMEN'S RELAY TEAM BREAKS NATIONAL
RECORD
The Indian 4x100m women's relay team in May 2016
broke the 18-year-old national record to finish in 4th
position at the IAAF World Challenge held in Beijing,
China.The China A and the China B team grabbed the
first and third position respectively while Japan finished
second.
FC BARCELONA WINS LA LIGA
Barcelona FC in May 2016 retained the Spanish league
title La Liga with 3-0 score against Granada in the final
match.
Luis Surez finished as top scorer, being the first player
apart from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to do so
since the 200809 season. It is Barcelona FC's fifth
straight win and eighth league title in 12 seasons.
FEDERATION CUP FOOTBALL TITLE
Mohun Bagan in May 2016 clinched the Federation Cup
title for the 14th time. In the final played at the Indira
Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Bagan defated
Aizwal FC 5-0.The Federation Cup is an annual knockout
style club football tournament in India. It has started in
1977.
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88SPORTS WORLD
UBER CUP BADMINTON TOURNAMENT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2016
Chinese women badminton team in May 2016 won the Real Madrid in May 2016 won the 2016 European
Uber Cup title. In the final played at the Kunshan Sports champions title. In the titled clash, Real Madrid defeated
Centre Gymnasium in Beijing, the host country defeated their city rivals Atletico Madrid via a penalty shoot-out
South Korea . .This was Madrid's 11th European Champion title.
It was the host country's third triumph in a row since 2012 WOMEN'S WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS
and overall it won the title for 14th time since it first started Indian boxer Sonia Lather in May 2016 won the silver
competing in the Uber Cup in 1984. medal at the AIBA Women's World Championships in
India won the bronze of the Uber Cup tournament after Astana. She was defeated by the gold medalist Mesiano
they suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of defending Alessia of Italy 2-1.
champions China in the semifinals. FRENCH OPEN 2016
The Uber Cup is the World Team Championships for French Open concluded in June 2016. It was held at the
Women and it was first held in 1956-7. It is held once in Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France.
every three years. Since 1984, the Cup is held bi-ennially. Winners of 2016 French Open.
THOMAS CUP BADMINTON TOURNAMENT Category Winner Runner-up
Denmark in May 2016 won the 2016 Thomas Cup Men's Novak Djokovic Andy Murray
badminton tournament. In the final match played at
Singles (Serbia) (the UK)
Kunshan, China, the Danish team defeated Indonesia.
Denmark is also the first European nation to win the Women's Garbine Muguruza Serena Williams
Thomas Cup.The Thomas Cup also known as Men's Singles (Spain) (the USA)
World Team Championships is an international
Men's F Lopez and M M Bryan and
badminton competition. It was first staged in 1948-49
Doubles Lopez (Spain) B Bryan (the USA)
INDIA BIODIVERSITY AWARD 2016
Women's C Garcia and K E Makarova and
Pakke Tiger Reserve in May 2016 received the 'India
Biodiversity Award 2016' in one of its four categories in Doubles Mladenovic (France) E Vesnina (Russia)
Mumbai. The reserve is in East Kameng district of Mixed Leander Paes (India) Ivan Dodig
Arunachal Pradesh.
Doubles and Martina Hingis (Croatia) and
The Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme of the Pakke Sania Mirza (India)
(Switzerland)
Tiger Reserve was awarded the prize under
Conservation of threatened speciescategory. MEN'S HOCKEY JUNIOR WORLD CUP 2016

EUROPA LEAGUE TITLE The International Hockey Federation (FIH) in June 2016
announced that men's Hockey Junior World Cup 2016
Spanish's oldest football club Sevilla in May 2016 won the
will be played in the Indian city of Lucknow, Uttar
2016 UEFA Europa League title. To win the title, it
Pradesh.The men's Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 will
defeated Liverpool Football Club (FC) 3-1 in the final
be played in December 2016.The event will feature 16 of
match held at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland.
the world's best junior men's teams.
8 The UEFA Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, is
The women's Hockey Junior World Cup will take place
an association football competition.
in Santiago, Chile .
8 It was established in 1971 by the Union of European
FORBES HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES LIST
Football (UEFA).
Forbes in June 2015 released the list of 2016 World's
8 It is considered the second most important
100 Highest-Paid Athletes.
international competition for European clubs, after the
UEFA Champions League. The list has been topped by soccer icon Cristiano
Ronaldo with earnings of 88 million US dollars.

48

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88SPORTS WORLD

 Lionel Messi ranks No. 2 with earnings of 81.4 million US
dollars.
Roger Federer is the top-earning athlete in an individual
sport with 67.8 million US dollars
AUSTRALIAN OPEN SUPER SERIES
BADMINTON
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal in June 2016 won the
women's title of the Australian Open Super Series
Badminton tournament. Saina defeated Chinese Sun Yu.
Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus won the men's
Australian Open Badminton Super series titles.
INDIAN MEN'S 4X400M RELAY TEAM MADE
NEW NATIONAL RECORD
The Indian men's 4x400m relay team in June 2016
created a new national record, clocking 3:02.17 at the
International Sprint and Relay Teams Cup at Erzurum,
Turkey.
INDIA ZIMBABWE ODI SERIES
India in June 2016 won the three-match One Day
International (ODI) series against Zimbabwe 3-0.
Man of the series: Lokesh Rahul
PANKAJ ADVANI
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani in May 2016 won the
Asian 6-Red snooker title. To win this tile for the first time,
he defeated top-seeded Malaysian Keen Hoh Moh in the
finals held in Abu Dhabi.Advani became the first in the
world to hold both world and continental titles in 6-Red
snooker at the same time.
AMIT KUMAR SAROHA
Indian para athlete Amit Kumar Saroha clinched gold
medal in men's club throw (F-51) at the 2016 French
Open Athletics Championship in Paris. The French Open
Athletics Championship was part of his preparation for
Rio 2016. The athlete has already qualified for the 2016
Rio Paralympics.
SANJAY BANGAR
Sanjay Bangar was in May 2016 appointed as the head
Join Best Coaching For
CTET Teacher Eligibility Test
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
coach of Indian Cricket team for Zimbabwe tour.
Before this appointment he worked as assistant coach
(batting) for the team at the World T20 Cup in March and
April 2016, under team director Ravi Shastri.
ALASTAIR COOK
England cricket captain Alastair Cook in May 2016
became youngest Cricketer to score 10000 test runs.
Cook, who is 31 years old, achieved the fete in test
against Sri Lanka It was his 128th Test.
The previous record was held by Indian legend Sachin
Tendulkar who reached the landmark score against
Pakistan at Eden Gardens in 2005.Cook, the leading Test
run-scorer of England, is the 12th player in the history to
score 10000 Test runs and only the second opener. The
first was Sachin Tendulkar.
LEWIS HAMILTON
Lewis Hamilton in May 2016 won the 2016 Monaco F1
Grand Prix. He emerged victorious in a close battle with
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
Lewis Hamilton is a British Formula One racing driver
from England.
He is the only driver in the history of the sport to have
won at least one race in each season he has
competed to date.
NUWAN KULASEKARA
Sri Lanka seam bowler Nuwan Kulasekara announced
his retirement from Tests with immediate effect in June
2015. He continues his career in limited over cricket.The
33-year old seamer played 21 Test matches for Sri Lanka
and picked up 48 wickets since his debut in April 2005.
LEWIS HAMILTON
Mercedes racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain in
June 2016 won the Formula 1 Canada Grand Prix title.
The present win in Montreal was the fifth in his career
and the second in a row.He is a British Formula One
racing driver from England..
49
88SPORTS WORLD
 BANKING
JULY UPDATES
STATE BANK OF INDIA FLOATS IT
INNOVATION START-UP FUND
State Bank of India (SBI) in June 2016 floated 200 crore
rupees IT Innovation Start-up Fund to assist start-ups in
the fintech space.The fund will consider assistance of up
to 3 crore rupees to a firm registered in India for promoting
their business innovations using technology in financial
services.
RBI PUBLISHES PAYMENT AND
SETTLEMENT SYSTEMS IN INDIA
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in June 2016 released
the Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision-
2018. The vision reiterates the aims of building a less-
cash society by encouraging greater use of electronic
payments by all sections.
8 The objective is to ensure that a robust payments
infrastructure is established in the country to increase
accessibility, availability, interoperability and security.
8 The broad contours of Vision-2018 revolve around
5Cs Coverage, Convenience, Confidence,
Convergence and Cost.
8 To achieve these, Vision-2018 will focus on four
strategic initiatives such as responsive regulation, robust
infrastructure, effective supervision and customer
centricity.
8 With increasing use of technology-based innovative
payment products, the strategic initiatives under Vision-
2018 are expected to reduce paper-based instruments
significantly. It will lead to accelerated growth in mobile
banking and other modes of electronic payments.
SBI SECURES USD 625 MILLION FROM
WORLD BANK
India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) and the
World Bank have signed an agreement worth 4,200 crore
rupees (USD 625 million) to support grid-connected
rooftop solar programme (GRPV) in the country.Under
GRPV programme, at least 400 MW solar capacity will be
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
created across the country.The programme will help the
government to faster achieve its target to generate 40
gigawatt (Gw) of electricity from the widespread
installation of rooftop solar photo-voltaic panels.
SBI LAUNCHES DIGITAL OFFERINGS
The country's largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI),
has launched 3 new digital offerings on the occasion of
61st State Bank Day (observed on 1st July).
SBI-Flipkart Partnership:
SBI has partnered with Flipkart to offer its consumers the
facility of pre-approved EMI Facility on purchases. Under
this partnership SBI will provide overdraft facility to pre-
qualified set of customers for transacting on Flipkart for a
minimum purchase of Rs. 5000.
SBI Mingle :
It is social media banking platform for Facebook and
Twitter users. Using SBI Mingle, its customers can do a
host of banking services like checking balance and
requesting mini statements on their Facebook or Twitter
accounts.
SBI Digital Villages :
This initiative aims to transform villages into cash less
eco-system by adopting them. In its first stage of the
initiative, SBI has adopted 21 villages to be moved on the
digital platform. It plans to bring 100 villages under this
initiative across the country by 2017.
SBI INKS MOU WITH IIT BOMBAY
State Bank of India (SBI) in July 2016 signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian
Institute of Technology Society for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (SINE).The MoU was signed to
promote innovation by start-ups in the financial
sector.The deal also aims to help evaluate start-ups
operating out of SINE or those being promoted by SINE
for early stage funding within the bank's norms.
JUNE UPDATES
HDFC BANK LAUNCHES SMARTUP FOR
START-UPS
HDFC Bank Ltd. in May 2016 launched SmartUp
solution. It is a first-of-its-kind dedicated platform for start-
50
88BANKING
ups to fulfill all their banking needs.The SmartUp is
tailored to meet all the requirements of a start-up, offering
banking and payment solutions, along with advisory and
forex services.
SBI TO MERGE 5 SUBSIDIARIES, BHARATIYA
MAHILA BANK WITH ITSELF
The SBI in May 2016 informed the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE) that it is seeking in-principle sanction of
the Union Government to enter into negotiation with its 5
subsidiaries and Bharatiya Mahila Bank for
acquisition.India's largest lender is planning to acquire
the businesses including assets and liabilities of the
following 5 subsidiary banks and the Bharatiya Mahila
Bank
1. State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur
2. State Bank of Hyderabad 3. State Bank of Mysore
4. State Bank of Patiala 5. State Bank of Travancore
SBI first merged associate State Bank of Saurashtra with
itself in 2008. Two years later, in 2010, State Bank of
Indore was merged.
Though there are apprehensions that the proposed
consolidation will result in job losses, the following
positive outcomes are expected from the merger.
8 It will resolve the non performing assets (NPAs) issue
to a large extent
8 In terms of assets, the combined entity will help India to
figure in the top 50 largest banks in the world. In 2015, SBI
was at the 52nd place in the world in terms of assets.
Post-merger, it will be figured at the 45th position.
ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK FIRST
BRANCH AT AHMEDABAD
Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in May 2016 announced
to open its first branch in India at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
IDB is headquartered at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The plans to set up the branch at Gujarat is part of MoU
signed between India's EXIM Bank and IDB during Prime
Minister Narendra Modi visit to United Arab Emirates
(UAE) in April 2016. As part of the MoU a 100 million dollar
line-of-credit was to be given to facilitate exports to IDB's
member countries.
YES BANK GETS NOD FOR RAISING FDI LIMIT
TO 74%
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved Yes Bank's request for an increase in the
foreign investment limit to 74 per cent from the existing
limit of 41.87 per cent without any sub-limits entailing FDI
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
inflows of USD1 billion (Rs 6,885 crore).Yes Bank co-
founded by Rana Kapoor in 2004 is the fifth largest
private sector Bank and only Greenfield Bank licence
awarded by the RBI in the last two decades.The bank has
630 branches across the country.
INDIA POST PAYMENTS BANK
The Union Cabinet in June 2016 approved setting up of
the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) as a Public Limited
Company under the Department of Posts, with 100%
Government of India (GOI) equity.
These banks will be established at an expense of 800
crore rupees and rolled out in the entire country in a
phased manner.
The IPPB will obtain banking licence from RBI by March
2017 and by September 2017.
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)
8 It will allow all citizens of India, especially the 40% of
the country's population that is outside the ambit of formal
banking in the country will benefit from this project.
8 Its services will be available across the country
through 650 payments bank branches, linked post offices
and alternative channels riding on modern technology
including mobiles, ATMs, PoS/m-PoS devices etc and
simple digital payments.
8 It will create the largest bank in the world in terms of
accessibility and in time, will encourage the move
towards a less cash economy.
SCHEME FOR SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURING
OF STRESSED ASSETS
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in June 2016 issued the
guidelines on the Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of
Stressed Assets.The guidelines were issued with an aim
to further strengthen the lenders' ability to deal with
stressed assets and to put real assets back on track.
Highlights
8 RBI formulated the Scheme for Sustainable
Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A) as an optional
framework for the resolution of large stressed accounts.
8 The S4A envisages determination of the sustainable
debt level for a stressed borrower.
8 The scheme is applicable to those projects that have
started commercial operations and have outstanding
loan of over 500 crore rupees.
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88BANKING
 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
JULY UPDATES
FDI RADICAL CHANGES IN INDIA
The Union Government in June
2016 radically changed the
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Policy regime with the objective
of providing major impetus to
employment and job creation in
India.
8 Radical Changes for promoting Food Products
manufactured/produced in India: To permit 100
percent FDI under government approval route for trading
in respect of food products manufactured in India.
8 FDI in Defence Sector up to 100%: FDI beyond 49%
has been permitted through government approval route,
in cases resulting in access to modern technology. FDI
limit for defence sector has also been made applicable to
Manufacturing of Small Arms and Ammunitions covered
under Arms Act, 1959.
8 Review of Entry Routes in Broadcasting Carriage
Services: 100 percent FDI allowed under automatic
route for Teleports, Direct to Home, Cable Networks and
Mobile TV.
8 Pharmaceutical Sector: 100% FDI under automatic
route in Greenfield pharma, FDI up to 100% under
government approval in Brownfield pharma and 74% FDI
under automatic route in Brownfield pharmaceuticals.
8 Civil Aviation Sector: To permit 100% FDI under
automatic route in Brownfield Airport projects. In
Scheduled Air Transport Service and regional Air
Transport Service, it has now been decided to raise FDI
limit to 100%. For NRIs, 100% FDI will continue to be
allowed under automatic route.
8 Private Security Agencies: FDI up to 49% is now
permitted under automatic route in this sector and FDI
beyond 49% and up to 74% would be permitted with
government approval route.
8 Establishment of branch office, liaison office or
project office: No approval from Reserve Bank of India
or separate security clearance would be required in
cases where FIPB approval or license/permission by the
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
concerned Ministry has already been granted.
8 Single Brand Retail Trading: It has been decided to
relax local sourcing norms up to three years and a relaxed
sourcing regime for entities undertaking Single Brand
Retail Trading of products having cutting edge
technology.
INDIA DEVELOPMENT UPDATE 2016-WORLD
BANK
The World Bank Group in June 2016 released the mid-
year edition of India Development Update 2016:
Financing Double-Digit Growth. The report finds that
India's economy expanded at a faster pace in FY 2016.
Highlights
8 It expects India's economic growth to be at 7.6 percent
in 2016-2017, followed by a modest acceleration to 7.7
percent in 2017-2018 and 7.8 percent in 2018-2019.
8 Uttar Pradesh spent over one-third of its additional
resources on health and education. Rajasthan and
Kerala stood out by spending the equivalent of over 70
percent of additional resources on health, education and
infrastructure.
WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT 2016
The United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) in June 2016 released a report
entitled World Investment Report 2016 Investor
Nationality: Policy Challenges.While the USA
surpassed Hong Kong and China in terms of FDI inflows
in 2015 with 380 billion US dollars, India continues to be
at the 10th position with 44 billion US dollars.
Highlights
8 FDI inflows: Top 10 countries in terms of FDI inflows in
decreasing order - The USA, China, Hong Kong, Ireland,
Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Brazil, Canada
and India.
8 Global investment trends: The flows jumped by 38
per cent to 1.76 trillion US dollars, their highest level since
the global economic and financial crisis of 20082009.
8 Regional investment trends: Developing Asia saw
52
88 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
FDI inflows increase by 16 per cent to 541 billion US 8 Short service commissioned officers will be allowed to
dollars a new record. exit the armed forces at any point in time between 7 to 10
TECH MAHINDRA ACQUIRES BIO AGENCY years of service.
Technology services provider Tech Mahindra Ltd (TechM)
8 It recommends that House Rent Allowance (HRA) be
in June 2016 acquired UK-based digital transformation
paid at the rate of 24 percent, 16 percent and 8 percent of
firm The BIO Agency Ltd.The acquisition was carried out
the new Basic Pay for Class X, Y and Z cities respectively.
in an all-cash deal for an enterprise value of up to 45
The rate of HRA will be revised to 27 percent, 18 percent
million pounds.
and 9 percent respectively when DA crosses 50 percent.
WORLD BANK APPROVES $201.50 MILLION
FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION 8 It recommended abolition of all non-interest bearing
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors in June advances and increased the limit for interest-bearing
2016 approved 201.50 million US dollars for Technical advances for buying home from 7.5 lakh rupees to 25 lakh
Education Quality Improvement Project III (TEQIP III) in rupees.
India to improve the quality of engineering education in 8 It recommends that in case of death in the line of duty,
select Indian states. the force personnel of CAPFs should be accorded martyr
Two Components of the Projects are status, at par with the defence forces personnel.
a)Improving quality and equity in engineering institutes in
8 The commission headed by Justice AK Mathur
focus states
submitted its report to the Union Finance Minister Arun
b)System-level initiatives to strengthen sector
Jaitley on 19 November 2015.
governance and performance
7TH PAY COMMISSION APPROVED 8 This implementation of the recommendations will put
an additional burden of 1.02 lakh crore rupees on the
Union Cabinet in June 2016 approved the
exchequer annually or nearly 0.7percent of GDP.
recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. The
salaries and arrears, effective from 1 January 2016, will
BIRLA FASHION ACQUIRES FOREVER 21
be made applicable now.
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) in July 2016
8 The commission recommended 23.55 percent hike in
acquired global clothing brand Forever 21 in the Indian
pay and allowances of government employees.
market for 26 million US dollars.
8 The minimum pay for government employees is
LOGISTIC PERFORMANCE INDEX 2016
recommended to be set at 18000 rupees per month.
World Bank in July 2016 released the Logistics
8 The maximum pay is recommended to be 225000
Performance Index 2016 titled 'Connecting to compete:
rupees per month for Apex Scale and 250000 per month
2016: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy.' The 2016
for Cabinet Secretary and others presently at the same
Logistics Performance Index (LPI) allows for
pay level.
comparisons across 160 countries.
8 The increase in pay will be 16 percent, increase in
8 Germany tops the 2016 rankings and is followed by
allowances will be 63 percent and increase in pension will
Luxembourg, Sweden, Netherlands. United States was
be 24 percent.
placed at 10th Position. Mainland China was placed at
8 The rate of annual increment for employees will be 3 27th position.
percent.
8 India's ranking jumped from 54 in 2014 to 35 in 2016.
8 One Rank One Pension proposed for civilian
GOOGLE ACQUIRES MOODSTOCKS
government employees on line of OROP for armed
forces. Search Giant Google in July 2016 acquired Moodstocks,
a startup based out of Paris that develops machine-
8 Ceiling of gratuity enhanced from 10 lakh rupees to 20
learning based image recognition technology for
lakh rupees and ceiling on gratuity will be raised by 25
smartphones.
percent whenever DA rises by 50 percent.
Moodstocks' application programming interface (API) for

53

JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88 BUSINESS & ECONOMY

developers are described as the Shazam for images.The
company has developed technology that aids
JUNE UPDATES
smartphones in identifying the objects captured by their
APPLE OPENED DEVELOPMENT OFFICE IN
cameras.
HYDERABAD
TERRAPIN - 3 ACQUIRES YATRA ONLINE
Apple Inc. in May 2016 opened a new Development
Yatra Online, Inc. and Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corporation
Office in Hyderabad, Telangana.
in July 2016 entered into a definitive merger
The office was formally opened
agreement.The transaction values Yatra at an enterprise
by Apple's CEO Tim Cook.The
value of 218 million dollars (1458 crore rupees).
facility will focus on development
Yatra in its statement said that it intends to be listed on the of Maps for Apple products,
NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol "YTRA" including iPhone, iPad, Mac and
following completion of the transaction. Apple Watch.This investment will accelerate Maps
INDIA AND ADB SIGN 100 MILLION US development and create up to 4000 jobs.
DOLLAR LOAN AGREEMENT INDIA, WORLD BANK SIGNS US$ 100
The Union Government and the Asian Development MILLION AGREEMENT
Bank (ADB) in July 2016 signed a 100 million US dollars Union and Karnataka Government in May 2016 signed
loan agreement to strengthen key irrigation and drainage 100 million US dollar loan and project agreement with
system and improve water management in the Vennar World Bank to support 'Karnataka Urban Water Supply
sub-basin of the Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu. Modernization project'.Karnataka Urban Infrastructure
8 The financing will be used to strengthen embankments Development Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) is the
of six major irrigation water channels in the Vennar implementing agency of the project.
system and rehabilitate 13 irrigation pumping schemes. 8 The project will be implemented over a period of six
Flood forecasting and warning systems will be installed years, initially in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad, with
and a flood risks map drawn up to help communities provision for other eligible cities to join the project at a
respond more effectively to extreme events. later date.
INCOME DECLARATION SCHEME
PA N D E M I C EMERGENCY FINANCING
The Union Government in July 2016 revised the time FACILITY
schedule for making payments
World Bank Group in May 2016 launched the Pandemic
under the Income Declaration
Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) to protect poorest
Scheme 2016.A minimum
countries against deadly
amount of 25 percent of the tax,
pandemics.The PEF is an
surcharge and penalty can be
innovative and fast-disbursing
paid by 30 November 2016 and
global financing mechanism. It
further amount of 25 percent by 31 March 2017. The
will accelerate both global and
balance amount can be paid on or before 30 September
national responses to future
2017.
outbreaks with pandemic potential.The major epidemics
SOFT BANK TO ACQUIRE ARM HOLDINGS covered under the facility include new influenza
Japan's Softbank in July 2016 agreed to acquire ARM pandemic virus A, B and C, SARS, MERS, Ebola,
Holdings, the U.K. based Marburg, Crimean Congo, Rift Valley, Lassa fever, etc.
semiconductor firm, in a deal
NATIONAL GDP PROVISIONAL ESTIMATES BY
worth more than 32 billion US
CSO
dollar.The deal is the first major
cross-border transaction in The Central Statistical Office (CSO) in May 2016
Britain since it voted to exit the released the provisional estimates of national GDP for
European Union in June 2016. 2015-16. It pegged GDP growth at 7.9 percent in Quarter
4 of 2015-16 and 7.6 percent in the whole of 2015-16.
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JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31 88 BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Fiscal Deficit: It stands at 3.9 percent of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) in 2015-16
Revenue Deficit: It also showed a significant
improvement due to increase in Capital Expenditure of
the Central Government. Revenue Deficit 2.5 percent in
2015-16.
Gross tax collection: It showed 17 percent growth as
compared to Fiscal 2014-15 and also showed an
improvement up to 10.74 percent of GDP (tax-GDP ratio)
in 2015-16 as compared to 10.06 percent in 2013-14.
INDIA TO DOUBLE INVESTMENT IN CLEAN
ENERGY RESEARCH
India in June 2016 announced its plan to double the
investment in Clean Energy
Research in next five years.
India is investing 72 million US
dollars in Clean Energy Research
and it seeks to double it to 145
million dollars.The
announcement was made along with other MI partner
countries who also released plans to double the clean
energy research and development funding over the next
five years.Mission Innovation (MI) was launched in
November 2015 by 20 participating countries, including
India, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference
2015 (COP21) in Paris-Le Bourget, France.
INDIA SIGNED AGREEMENT ON BUS
SERVICE WITH WORLD BANK
India has signed USD 9.2-million grant agreement with
the World Bank under the World
Bank-Global Environment
Facility (GEF) Program for the
Efficient and Sustainable City
Bus Service Project to improve
the efficiency of the transport and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.The International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will be
the implementing agency of the GEF for the project.
The total cost of the programme is USD 113 million, out of
which USD 9.2 million will come as a grant from the World
Bank and USD103.07 million will be funded by the
Centre, state and city governments for the funding of
buses and ancillary infrastructure.
MICROSOFT TO ACQUIRE LINKEDIN FOR
$26.2 BILLION
JIGYASA/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/2016/31
Microsoft Corporation and LinkedIn Corporation in June
2016 announced that they have entered into a definitive
agreement.Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for 196 dollar
per share in an all-cash transaction valued at 26.2 billion
dollar, inclusive of LinkedIn's net cash. However,
LinkedIn will retain its distinct brand, culture and
independence.
TATA TO ACQUIRE WELSPUN
Tata Power Co. Ltd in June 2016 agreed to acquire
renewable energy company
Welspun Renewables Energy
Pvt. Ltd.Tata Power took the step
in a bid to grow its clean energy
portfolio to 2.3 gigawatts (GW). It
is the largest transaction in
renewables space in India. The acquisition is being made
at an enterprise value of 9249 crore rupees.
WOMEN WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE
The USA Women's Senior National Team in June 2016
won gold at the FINA Women Water Polo World League
Super Final. The team defeated Spain in the
championship match in Shanghai, China.Australia
defeated China for the bronze medal.
ABOUT FINA
International Swimming Federation (FINA) is the
international federation recognized by the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international
competition in Aquatics.It is based in Lausanne,
Switzerland.
GRD INDEX ON EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
India has jumped 13 positions from last year to rank
second among 30 developing
countries when it comes to ease
of doing business as per 2016
Global Retail Development Index
(GRDI) released by London-
based business consultancy A T
Kearney.
Highlights
8 India's retail sector has expanded at a compound
annual growth rate of 8.8 per cent between 2013 and
2015, with annual sales crossing the USD 1 trillion mark.
8 India has also become the world's fastest growing
economy. India is the world's second largest internet
market
55
88 BUSINESS & ECONOMY
 OBJECTIVE GK
700 OBJECTIVE CURRENT AFFAIRS
FOR IBPS-PO, SSC & OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS
1. Name the first Indian who has been honoured with the IAF 15-year vision documents which for the first time will
Hall of Fame award 2016? include
a) Shubhkaran Yadav b) Amal Deka a) Communal peace
c) Joseph Matthew d) Udupi Ramachandra Rao b) Regional Development
2. What was the theme of the 2016 International Day of c) Internal Security & Defence
Families that is celebrated annually in May? d) Climate Change
a) Men in charge? Gender equality and children's rights in 10. Who among the following was appointed as a current
contemporary families player representative in the ICC Cricket Committee for a 3-
b) Advancing Social Integration and Intergenerational year term?
Solidarity a) Rahul Dravid b) Mahela Jayawardena
c) Families, healthy lives and sustainable future c) Anil Kumble d) Mark Taylor
d) Families and Persons with Disabilities 11. Who was re-elected as the chairman of the ICC Cricket
3. Who of the following won his first Italian Open Men's Committee for another 3-year term until 2018?
Singles Tennis title? a) Shashank Manohar b) Anil Kumble
a) Roger Federer b) Andy Murray c) Tim May d) Ravi Shastri
c) Novak Djokovic d) Rafael Nadal 12. What was the theme of the 2016 World Telecommunication
4. Which indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence and Information Society Day that is observed annually on 17
interceptor missile was test fired from the complex of Abdul May?
Kalam Island off the Odisha coast? a) Telecommunications and ICTs: Drivers of
a) Ashwin b) Prithvi-II innovation
c) Agni-I d) Akash b) Broadband for Sustainable Development
5. Who of the following won Italian Open Women's Singles c) ICT Entrepreneurship for Social Impact
Tennis title? d) None of the above
a) Victoria Azarenka b) Ana Ivanovic 13. Name the South Korean author who won the 2016 Man
c) Maria Sharapova d) Serena Williams Booker International Prize for her novel 'The Vegetarian'.
6. Which Indian Justice was appointed as deputy chairman of a) Ann Goldstein b) Han Kang
FIFA's Governance Committee in May 2016? c) Elena Ferrante d) Orhan Pamuk
a) Jagdish Sharan Verma b) P. Sathasivam 14. Who of the following is not a part of the three-member
c) Mukul Mudgal d) Altamas Kabir Indian women's archery team who were named for the Rio
7. Which four minute documentary film on girl child education Olympics?
from India has been invited for special screening at the a) Deepika Kumari b) Bombayla Devi
42nd Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), Washington c) Laxmirani Majhi d) Dola Banerjee
DC? 15. Name the new fund that will be launched at UN World
a) Atmaja b) Beti Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2016.
c) Kanya d) Duhita a) Education is waiting b) Educate the deprived
8. Who of the following women's squash team was the winner c) Education Cannot Wait d) None of the above
of the 18th Asian Team squash championships played at 16. Who was sworn in as the acting Chief Justice of Tripura
Taipei in Chinese Taipei? High Court?
a) Indian team b) Malaysian team a) Justice Tinlianthang Vaiphei
c) Pakistani team d) Hong Kong team b) Justice Deepak Kumar Gupta
9. The Union Government decided to replace 5-year plans with c) Justice Dinesh Maheshwari
d) Justice Vineet Saran
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JIGYASA/JULY/AUGUST/2016/31 88OBJECTIVE GK
17. British Royals launched the Heads Together campaign to Venture with which company to revive plants of the Fertilizer
tackle stigma of Corporation of India Limited (FCIL)?
a) HIV/AIDS b) Mental health a) Oil India Corporation
c) Disability d) Suicide b) Coal India Limited
18. The scientists of which country built the world's first c) Indian Oil Corporation Limited
scanning helium microscope to study human, animal and d) Engineer India Limited
plant samples in pristine form? 27. Who of the following is the first Chief of Air Staff to fly the
a) Germany b) Canada indigenously designed and produced Light Combat Aircraft
c) New Zealand d) Australia Tejas?
19. Which country launched the Yaogan-30 remote sensing a) Pradeep Vasant Naik
satellite on board the Long March 2-D rocket? b) Arup Raha
a) Japan b) South Korea c) Norman Anil Kumar Browne
c) China d) Malaysia d) Fali Homi Major
20. Which country won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, the 28. Name the athlete who created history by breaking the
longest-running annual international TV song competition? national record in women's 3000m steeplechase event.
a) Ireland b) Ukraine a) Anjum Chopra b) Sudha Singh
c) Sweden d) France c) Lalita Babar d) Geeta Singh
21. Who was recently appointed the Chief Justice of the 29. Identify one of the discoverers of Neptune's rings who died
Chhattisgarh High Court? recently.
a) Justice Deepak Gupta a) Andre Brahic b) William Hubbard
b) Justice Vaiphie c) Zard William d) None of the above
c) Justice Kumar Vyomkesh 30. The SBI proposed to merge which public sector bank with
d) Justice Navin Sinha itself along with its 5 associate banks?
22. Identify the pair that won the 2016 Italian Open women's a) Bharatiya Mahila Bank b) Andhra Bank
doubles title. c) Bank of Baroda d) Union Bank of India
a) Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis 31. Which bank launched the SmartUp platform to offer
b) Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic banking and payment solutions to start-ups?
c) Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci a) ICICI Bank b) HDFC Bank
d) Kvta Peschke Katarina Srebotnik c) State Bank of India d) Axis Bank
23. Who of the following Indian peacekeepers will not be 32. Researchers of which American university developed
honoured with Dag Hammarskjold Medal by UN world's first zika virus clone?
International Peace Keeping Organisation? a) University of Pennsylvania
a) Head Constable Shubhkaran Yadav b) Harvard University
b) Subedar Jagjeevan Ram c) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
c) Rifleman Manish Malik d) University of Texas
d) Havildar Amal Deka 33. Which Indian artist won prize at the 2016 UN poster
24. Name the person who will head the five member contest on N-disarmament?
committee that was constituted by government to give a) Neelima Mehta b) Anjali Chandrashekar
recommendations on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget c) Rani Sharma d) Sudesh Naik
Management (FRBM) roadmap for the future. 34. What was the theme of World Hypertension Day(WHD) that
a) Sumit Bose b) Arvind Subramanian was observed across the world on 17 May 2016?
c) Urijit Patel d) NK Singh a) Take care of your Heart! b) Note your pulse rate
25. India held the first round of Maritime Security Dialogue c) Know your numbers d) None of the above
with which country? 35. Name the former Union Minister from BJP who opened the
a) Japan b) China account for BJP in the Assembly Election 2016 for the first
c) United States d) Bangladesh time in the Kerala.
26. State-run power producer NTPC Limited formed Joint a) S Sreesanth b) Kunnam Rajasekharan

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 c) O Rajagopal d) Pinnrayi Vijayan a) Eric Chu b) Tsai Ing-wen
36. Name the Indian state that inaugurated the world's largest c) Ma Ying-jeou d) Wu Po-hsiung
single rooftop solar power plant with capacity of 11.5 46. Name the cyclonic storm over the west central Bay of
MegaWatt (MW). Bengal that will strike Andhra Pradesh coast.
a) Haryana b) Gujarat a) ROANU b) ASHOBAA
c) Punjab d) Tamil Nadu c) Lehar d) HUDHUD
37. Which of the following state was not the part of meeting 47. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P
that was called by Prime Minister to access drought and Nadda launched Centre for Environmental Health. The
water scarcity situations? centre is a joint initiative between which two foundations?
a) Tamil Nadu b) Andhra Pradesh a) Public Health Foundation of India and the FICCI
c) Uttar Pradesh d) Jharkhand b) Public Health Foundation of India and the Teri University
38. The United States (US) Senate on 18 May 2016 approved a c) Public Health Foundation of India and the Tata Institute
bipartisan emergency funding of what amount to combat the of Social Science
Zika virus in 2016 and 2017? d) FICCI and the Tata Institute of Social Science
(a) 1.9 billion US dollar (b) 1.1 billion US dollar 48. President Pranab Mukherjee launched a software solution
(c) 1.2 billion US dollar (d) 2.5 billion US dollar named Intelligent Operations Centre in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
39. Who was recently appointed the Executive Secretary of the The software is designed by
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change? a) Accenture b) IBM
a) Christiana Figueres b) Noeleen Heyzer c) Wipro d) None of the above
c) Patricia Espinosa Cantellano d) None of the above 49. Which of the following political parties emerged
40. The Indian 4x100m women's relay team recently broke the triumphant in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
18-year-old national record at IAAF World Challenge. The Election?
event was held in which of the following cities? a) AIADMK b) DMK
a) Amsterdam b) Beijing c) INC d) BJP
c) Antwerp d) Berlin 50. The 27th series of CORPAT was conducted between the
41. Which Mobile app platform signed a Memorandum of Indian Navy and
Understanding (MoU) with Union Ministry of Social Justice a) Sri Lankan Navy b) Japanese Navy
and Empowerment to benefit Safai Karamcharis? c) French Navy d) Indonesian Navy
a) FlipKart b) Ola 51. Who has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre
c) Amazon d) Uber for Cellular and Molecular Biology?
42. The World Cities Report 2016, Urbanization and a) Virendra Singh
Development: Emerging Futures was released by which b) Jagmohan Sharma
organisation? c) Rakesh Kumar Mishra
a) World Health Organisation d) None of the above
b) United Nations economic and social council 52. Name the Indian journalist who was elected unanimously
c) UN-Habitat as the Deputy Mayor of Loughton town in the United
d) Population Council Kingdom on 19 May 2016.
43. Which Indian car model failed the crash tests conducted a) V K Krishna Menon b) Omana Gangadharan
by Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP)? c) Raj Rajendran d) Philip Abraham
a) Honda Amaze b) Hyundai Eon 53. Name the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who was
c) Maruti Brezza d) Nissan Sunny appointed as the Ambassador of India to Romania.
44. Which platform was launched by Income Tax (IT) a) Ashok Chauhan b) AVS Ramesh Chandra
department to fast track taxpayer grievances? c) Rupesh Tiwari d) Sagar Rajora
a) e-suraksha b) e-nivaran 54. Name the Noted Gujarati folk singer and Padma award
c) e-sewa d) e-kalyan winner who passed away in May 2016.
45. Who of the following was sworn-in as the first female a) Bhikhudan Gadhvi b) Diwaliben Bhil
president of Taiwan? c) Sudhir V Shah d) Dahyabhai Shastri

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55. Name the Indian-American biotechnologist who was 65. Union Government on 20 May 2016 launched an
awarded with the University of Houston's Distinguished indigenously developed affordable faecal incontinence
Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award in 2016? management system. It is called as
a) Rita nair b) Nazeeba Abraham a) Qora b) Zora
c) Rupa Iyer d) Sheela Sharda c) Kora d) Nora
56. Which Union Territory released the draft bill on granting 66. The US House of Representatives approved a legislation to
Statehood status to it? upgrade defence ties with this country on par with its NATO
a) Chandigarh allies.
b) Puducherry a) Israel b) Pakistan
c) NCT Delhi c) India d) China
d) Andaman & Nicobar Islands 67. Turrialba volcano which erupted recently is in which of the
57. In which city Apple Inc. will be setting up an iOS App following nations?
Design and Development Accelerator? a) Chile b) Costa Rica
a) Bengaluru b) Hyderabad c) Australia d) Mexico
c) Mumbai d) Kolkata 68. Who of the following was elected as 34th BCCI President at
58. In this city Apple Inc. opened a Development Office to the board's special general meeting (SGM) in Mumbai?
develop Maps for Apple products? a) Shashank Manohar b) Fateh Singh Gaekwad
a) Chennai b) Hyderabad c) Anurag Thakur d) Ajay Shirke
c) Thiruvananthapuram d) New Delhi 69. Who of the following was appointed as BCCI Secretary?
59. Which State government has proposed to the Centre for a) Fateh Singh Gaekwad b) Anurag Thakur
amending the NDRF norms for heat wave victims? c) Ajay Shirke d) None of the above
a) Gujarat b) Maharashtra 70. Who of the following is the youngest BCCI President
c) Andhra Pradesh d) Madhya Pradesh appointee?
60. Which Indian athlete bagged his/her second gold by a) Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan b) Anurag Thakur
winning the women's 200 metres race at the Taiwan Open c) Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad d) Madhavrao Scindia
Athletics Championships? 71. Who was appointed by the President as the Lieutenant
a) Anil Kumar Prakash b) Dutee Chand Governor (LG) of Puducherry?
c) Shiny Abraham d) Tintu Lukka a) Kiran Bedi b) Ajay Kumar Singh
61. Market regulator tightened the norm for this category of c) Virendra Kataria d) Kapil Mishra
instrument to check money laundering? 72. Which of the following statement in relation to India's
a) Forward Contracts b) Future Contracts indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) that was
c) Participatory Notes d) Options launched by ISRO is wrong.
62. International Museum Day was observed on 18 May 2016 a) It can put satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter
with the theme atmosphere
a) Museums and Cultural Landscapes b) The final version of the RLV will take off around 2030
b) Museums for a Sustainable Society c) It was built at the TATA Advanced Materials Limited
c) Museum collections make connections d) The double delta-winged RLV-TD is almost 6 times smaller
d) Museums (memory + creativity = social change) than final version
63. Who was elected as the Chief Minister of Kerala by the Left 73. What was the theme of the 2016 International Day for
Democratic Front that secured majority in the Assembly Biological Diversity, which is observed annually on 22 May?
elections? a) Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their
a) V S Achuthanandan b) Oomen Chandy Livelihoods
c) Pinarayi Vijayan d) AK Antony b) Biodiversity for Sustainable Development
64. Which State Government released PEHAL, a vision c) Island Biodiversity
document for raising education standards? 74. Who was awarded the Othmer Gold Medal for
a) Uttarakhand b) Himachal Pradesh Entrepreneurial Leadership 2016?
c) Punjab d) Rajasthan a) Vijay Mallaya b) Gautam Adani

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 c) Mukesh Ambani d) Anil Ambani c) West Bengal d) Kerala
75. Name the oldest Olympic champion of Hungarian 86. Which cancer-causing chemical was found in bread
Waterpolo team who died recently. samples tested in Delhi by Centre for Science and
a) Sandor Taricsb) Bonnie Blair Environment?
c) Jesse Owens d) Eddie Eagan a) Potassium Bromate
76. Which country won the 2016 Thomas Cup badminton b) Butylated Hydroxytoluene
tournament? c) Sodium Benzoate
a) China b) The Netherlands d) Sodium Nitrite
c) Denmark d) Indonesia 87. The Union Government in May 2016 imposed a complete
77. Name the football club that won the 2016 Federation Cup ban on Indian citizens travelling to which war struck
title for the 14th time. country?
a) Aizwal FC b) Mohun Bagan a) Vietnam b) Kuwait
c) Bengaluru FC d) Sporting Clube de Goa c) Libya d) Egypt
78. Which multilateral agency launched the Pandemic 88. Who has been appointed the Chairman and Managing
Emergency Financing Facility? Director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited?
a) World Bank a) S K Sharma b) K C Purohit
b) International Monetary Fund c) Vijay Dedhwal d) None of the above
c) New Development Bank 89. Which film won the 2016 Palme d'Or at Cannes Film
d) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Festival?
79. Which country won the Uber Cup badminton tournament a) Dheepan b) I, Daniel Blake
held in Kunshan, China? c) Marty d) The Wind That Shakes the Barley
a) India b) South Korea 90. Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has signed a Memorandum
c) Indonesia d) China of Understanding for opening an Ayurvedic centre in which
80. Who was appointed by the Union Government as the head of the following countries?
of committee on defence expenditure? a) Japan b) Britain
a) N K Singh b) D B Shekatkar c) Maldives d) China
c) Prakash Singhd) H R Nagendra 91. Who created a new record by climbing the Mount Everest
81. With which Arab country India signed 4 MoUs/Agreements for seventh time?
on defence cooperation? a) Lhakpa Sherpa b) Arunima Sinha
a) Oman b) Yemen c) Malavath Poorna d) G R Radhika
c) Saudi Arabia d) Kuwait 92. Union Government signed 100 million US dollar loan and
82. Who among the following won the 2016 Asian 6-Red project agreement with World Bank to support Urban Water
snooker title? Supply Modernization project of which state?
a) Pankaj Advani b) Aditya Mehta a) Karnataka b) Gujarat
c) Keen Hoh Moh d) Kamal Chawla c) Maharashtra d) Telangana
83. Which State Government launched the Smart Village 93. Who of the following was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of
programme to improve public facilities in rural areas? Kerala?
a) Rajasthan b) Punjab a) Kodiyeri Balakrishnan b) Ramesh Chennithala
c) Telangana d) Gujarat c) Pinarayi Vijayan d) VS Achuthanandan
84. With which country/countries India signed a transit 94. The United Nations World Humanitarian Summit was held
agreement to facilitate seamless transport of goods? in which of the following cities?
a) Pakistan b) Afghanistan a) Berlin b) Paris
c) Iran d) Both (b) and (c) c) Istanbul d) New Delhi
85. National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned use of light and 95. Which of the following cricketers was recently appointed
heavy diesel vehicles, which are more than 10 years old, in the brand ambassador of F45 India?
six major cities of which state? a) Sachin Tendulkar b) Virat Kohli
a) Andhra Pradesh b) Bihar c) Steve Smith d) Brett Lee

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96. Who recently took over as the 46th Commandant of the MoU signed between India and Maldives in the field of
Indian Military Academy? a) Health Sector b) Technology
a) Lt. General SK Saini c) Tourism d) Defence
b) Lt. General Balwant Singh Negi 106. Which of the following Hollywood celebrities has been
c) Lt. General Thakur Mahadeo Singh recently appointed visiting professor at the London School
d) Lt. General DS Hooda of Economics?
97. Who authored the book titled A Call to Mercy: Hearts to a) Johnny Depp b) Robert Downey, Jr.
Love, Hands to Serve? c) Natalie Portman d) Angelina Jolie
a) Mother Teresa b) Dalai Lama 107. Which country is currently hosting the 21st BXM Cycling
c) Barack Obama d) Malala Yousafzai World Championship?
98. Name the Pink Panther star that died recently. a) Colombia b) Argentina
a) David Bowie b) Nick Menza c) Venezuela d) Peru
c) Burt Kwouk d) Morley Safer 108. 20 Nirbhaya buses fitted with Vehicle Tracking System,
99. Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) recently CCTV cameras and panic buttons were launched by Union
announced to open its first branch in India in which state? Minister Nitin Gadkari belongs to the transport corporation
a) Gujarat b) Maharashtra of which state?
c) Haryana d) Kerala a) Gujarat b) Bihar
100. The Union Cabinet recently approved the financial c) Rajasthan d) Delhi
restructuring of which public sector undertaking (PSU)? 109. Union Cabinet gave its ex-facto approval to the
a) Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation Limited Amendment to The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 for
b) Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited incorporation of how many IITs?
c) Madras Fertilizers Limited a) Four b) Six
d) Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited c) Seven d) Ten
101. Bharatvani portal launched by Union Ministry of Human 110. Which of the following statement in regard to the Draft
Resource Development provides for Model Rules 2016 for implementation of Juvenile Justice
a) Online repository of dictionaries Act, 2015 is wrong?
b) Information relating to International Day of Yoga-2016 a) Prescribes time bound procedures for determination of
c) Online repository of classical songs age
d) Cultural heritage of the country b) Children between 15-18 years of age in conflict with
102. The Draft Model Rules 2016 released by Union law will not be sent to jail
Government for effective implementation of Juvenile Justice c) Provide detailed follow-up for monitoring of rehabilitation
Act, 2015 will repeal the existing Model Rules of which of the child
year? d) All government hospitals to constitute permanent medical
a) 1978 b) 1994 boards for rehabilitation
c) 2002 d) 2007 111. The maximum sum assured under EPFO insurance
103. The findings of India's first ever Passenger Satisfaction scheme has been increased from 3.6 lakh rupees to what
Survey were recently released. The survey was conducted rupees?
at a) 5 lakh rupees b) 6 lakh rupees
a) Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport c) 7 lakh rupees d) 7.5 lakh rupees
b) Indira Gandhi International Airport 112. Which of the following state recently launched Ujala
c) Chennai International Airport scheme in one of its city to distribute LED bulbs to the
d) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport people?
104. Name the American engineer who won the 2016 a) Karnataka b) Odisha
Millennium Technology Prize. c) Rajasthan d) Gujarat
a) Stuart Parkin b) Frances Arnold 113. Identify the veteran communist leader who died on 24
c) Arnold Frances d) Shuji Nakamura May 2016?
105. The Union Cabinet recently gave ex-post facto approval to a) AB Bardhan b) Noorul Huda

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JIGYASA/JULY/AUGUST/2016/31 88OBJECTIVE GK
 c) KC Mathew d) None of the above b) Defence
114. With which country did China signed an agreement to c) Human Resource Development
build its first nuclear reactor? d) Earth Sciences
a) America b) Pakistan
123. Who was appointed as the head coach of Indian Cricket
c) India d) Sudan
team for Zimbabwe tour in May 2016?
115. Name a week long initiative launched by the Ministry of
Railways to showcase achievements during last two years. a) Sanjay Bangar b) Rahul Dravid
a) Rail Humsafar Saptaah c) Ravi Shastri d) Saurav Ganguly
b) Rail Humsafar Hafta
124. Which s the first Union Territory (UT) to sign the 24x7 Power
c) Week of Rail Humsafar
for All document which aims to provide each household
d) None of the above
access to electricity by 2019 on 27 May 2016?
116. Name the Indian para-athlete who clinched gold medal in
the men's club throw F-51 event at the 2016 French Open a) Andaman & Nicobar b) Lakshadweep
Athletics Championship. c) Daman & Diu d) Puducherry
a) Amit Kumar Saroha b) Devendra Jhajharia
125. The number of states that signed the '24x7 Power For
c) Sumit Kohli d) Devendra Thakur
All'Documents as in May 2016.
117. The Union Government approved establishment of a
National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in a) 18 States b) 28 States
which state? c) 22 States d) 10 States
a) Karnataka b) Chhattisgarh
126. Who was appointed as fielding coach to Indian Cricket team
c) Odisha d) Jharkhand
by BCCI in May 2016?
118. Who of the following is the author of the book Gujarat
Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up? a) Jhonty Rhodes b) Tom Moody
a) Rana Ayyub c) Ajay Jadeja d) Abhay Sharma
b) Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk
c) Husain Haqqani 127. Who was appointed as team manager to team for Zimbabwe
d) Kartar Lalvani tour by BCCI in May 2016?
119. Name the Indian-American student who won the 28th a) Koka Ramesh b) Rahul Dravid
annual National Geographic Bee held at the National
c) MSK Prasad d) Javagal Srinath
Geographic headquarters in Washington DC?
a) Saketh Jonnalagadda b) Kapil Nathan 128. Identify the portal that was designed to promote and
c) Karan Menon d) Rishi Nair mainstream Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) in India
120. Name the seventeenth Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) launched in May 2016.
that was commissioned into Indian Navy at Kochi in May a) www.zne.com b) www.nzeb.in
2016?
c) www.netzero.co.in d) None of these
a) ICGS Siddhantb) ICGS Surya
c) ICGS ARUSH d) ICGS Vikrant 129. Name Tiger Reserve that received the India Biodiversity
121. Identify the Construction Company for which Union Award 2016 in Mumbai in May 2016.
Cabinet gave its approval for financial restructuring in May a) Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve b) Melghat Tiger Reserve
2016
c) Pakke Tiger Reserve d) Manas Tiger Reserve
a) Hindustan Steel Works Construction Limited
b) Reliance Steels Pvt limited 130. In which category did Pakke Tiger Reserve won the India
c) Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited Biodiversity Award 2016 in May 2016?
d) None of these a) Sustainable use of biological resources,
122. Identify the Union Ministry to which the Committee for the
evolution of a National Education Policy submitted the b) Successful models for access and benefit sharing
report containing its recommendations. c) Biodiversity Management Committees
a) Home Affairs

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 d) Conservation of Threatened Species a) Bareilly-Moradabad route
b) Mathura-Palwal route
131. Identify the Programme of the Pakke Tiger Reserve that was
c) Mumbai-Delhi route
awarded India Biodiversity Award 2016 in May 2016.
d) Ranchi-Patna route
a) Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme
140. Name the football club that won 2016 European
b) Reserve adoption Programme Champions League.
c) Conservation of Biodiversity Programme a) Real Madrid b) Atletico Madrid
c) Barcelona d) Manchester United
d) None of these
141. Name the discus thrower from India who recently
132. Identify the Land-attack version of the missile that
qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016.
successfully test-fired by Indian Air Force in May 2016.
a) Vikas Gowda b) Krishna Poonia
a) Agni IV Ballistic missile c) Seema Punia d) Harwant Kaur
b) BrahMos supersonic cruise missile 142. Who was recently appointed the Ambassador of India to
c) Dhanush Ballistic missile Romania?
a) Jignesh Jadav b) Vitthal Kumar
d) Prithvi-II Ballistic missile
c) Romesh Chandra d) A V S Ramesh Chandra
133. Identify the country with which India signed agreement to
143. The 17th Asian Junior Athletics Championships will be
develop BrahMos missile in February 1998.
held in which of the following countries?
a) America b) Japan a) Vietnam b) Japan
c) Russia d) Korea c) China d) Indonesia

134. Who was the Indian origin who received 2016 Harvard 144. What was the theme of the International Day of United
Business School Alumni Achievement Award in May 2016? Nations Peacekeepers 2016 that is observed annually on 29
May?
a) Laxmi Mittal b) Bobby Jindal
a) Honouring Our Heroes
c) Sam Richards d) Sunil Bharti Mittal b) Together for Peace
135. Identify the state government that got into the Limca book of c) A Force for Peace. A Force for Change. A Force for
records for its household survey in May 2016? the Future
d) None of the above
a) Telangana b) Andhra Pradesh
145. Name the person who won the world's highest marathon
c) Kerala d) Karnataka on Mount Everest.
136. Who of the following was adjudged as the player of the a) Bed Bahadur Sunuwar b) Robert Celinski
match in the final match of 2016 Indian Premier League? c) Angtharkay d) Pasang Dawa Lama
a) Chris Gayle b) Ben Cutting 146. Ministry of Railways signed a Memorandum of
c) Virat Kohli d) Chris Gayle Understanding (MoU) to set up Kalpana Chawla Chair on
137. Who of the following was adjudged as the player of the Geospatial Technology for Indian Railways with which
series in the final match of 2016 Indian Premier League? University?
a) Chris Gayle b) Ben Cutting a) PEC University of Technology
c) Virat Kohli d) Chris Gayle
b) Panjab University
138. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated second
submarine assembly workshop at c) University Institute of Engineering and Technology
a) Hindustan Shipyard b) Cochin Shipyard d) Chitkara University
c) Mazagon Dock Limited d) Kattupalli Shipyard
147. Which of the following statement in regard to the Draft
139. Nine-coach Spanish train Talgo's trial run was conducted Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and
on which rail route? Rehabilitation) Bill 2016 that released by Union Government

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 is wrong? c) G.M.P Reddy d) Suroj Sengupta
a) Creating a legal, economic, and social environment against 156. Name the Bollywood actor who recently became the
trafficking Goodwill Ambassador for the LEPRA India organisation that
fights against diseases like leprosy.
b) Provides for State Anti-Trafficking Committee to be
headed by State Home Minster a) Shahrukh Khan b) Vivek Oberoi
c) Creation of Special Courts by State Government c) Salman Khan d) R Madhavan
d) Creation of Anti-Trafficking Fund for welfare and rehabilitation 157. The World No Tobacco Day 2016, which was observed,
of victims of trafficking recently campaigned on which of the following topics?
148. Name the Cricketer who became the youngest Cricketer a) Get Ready for Plain Packaging
to score 10000 test runs.
b) Stop Illicit Trade of Tobacco Products
a) Alex Hales b) Alastair Cook
c) Stop Illicit Trade of Tobacco Products
c) Joe Root d) James Anderson
d) Both (a) and (b)
149. Name the Indian music composer who was awarded with
158. The World Milk Day that is observed annually on 1 June
the Japan's Fukuoka prize 2016.
was first celebrated by UN Food and Agriculture
a) Pritam b) Vishal and Shekhar Organization in
c) AR Rahman d) Himesh Reshamiya a) 2001 b) 2005
150. Which country hosted the 42nd G7 Summit in May 2016? c) 2010 d) 2012
a) Germany b) Italy 159. The age of superannuation of all doctors of Central Health
Services was extended to which age by Union Government?
c) Japan d) Canada
a) 62 Years b) 63 Years
151. Who won the silver medal in 2016 Women's World Boxing
Championships in 57-kg category? c) 65 Years d) 70 Years
a) Sonia Lather b) Mesiano Alessia 160. Which of the following state decided to raise the
retirement age of state government doctors as per the age
c) MC Mary Kom d) Wang Yuyan
of doctors of Central Health Services as notified by Union
152. Which city hosted the 2016 Women's World Boxing Government?
Championships?
a) Haryana b) Punjab
a) Astana (Kazakhstan) b) Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
c) Gujarat d) Himachal Pradesh
c) Dushanbe (Tajikistan) d) Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
161. The Direct Tax Dispute Resolution Scheme 2016 that
153. Who became the first wheelchair athlete to complete a came into effect on 1 June 2016 was incorporated as which
mile-long race in less than three minutes? chapter of the Finance Act, 2016?
a) Jeff Adams b) David Weir a) Chapter VII b) Chapter IX
c) Choke Yasuoka d) Rawat Tana c) Chapter X d) Chapter XII
154. Name the Formula One driver who won the 2016 Monaco 162. Who of the following was appointed as the Finance
F1 Grand Prix. Secretary?
a) Lewis Hamilton b) Daniel Ricciardo a) Ratan Watal b) Hasmukh Adhia
c) Nico Rosberg d) None of the above c) Shaktikanta Das d) Ashok Lavasa
155. Who was recently appointed the Director General of West 163. Who of the following was appointed as a member of
Bengal Police? Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by President
a) Raj Kanojia b) Surajit Kar Purkayastha Pranab Mukherjee?

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 a) Chhatar Singh b) Bhim Sain Bassi 172. India and Morocco recently launched a chamber to
accelerate the pace of economic development between the
c) David R Syiemlieh d) Manbir Singh
two nations. The chamber is termed as
164. Who was appointed as the Additional Director-General of
a) India-Morocco Chamber of Industry and Commerce
CRPF in May 2016?
b) India-Morocco Chamber of Commerce and Industry
a) Sudeep Lakhtakia b) Bhima Agarwal
c) India-Morocco Chamber of Commerce
c) Ashok Chauhan d) Kovid Hooda
d) India-Morocco Chamber of Industries
165. Who became the first Indian to play top-tier European
football league match? 173. The Government of India and the World Bank recently
signed an agreement to improve efficiency of City Bus
a) Gurpreet Singh Sandhu b) Subrata Pal
Services. The agreement was signed under which of the
c) Robin Singh d) Syed Rahim Nabi following programmes?
166. Who was named as the CEAT International Cricketer of a) World Bank-Global Facility Programme
the Year and also International Batsman of the Year 2016?
b) World Bank-Global Commutation Facility Programme
a) AB de Villiers b) Virat Kohli
c) World Bank-Global Environment Facility Programme
c) Joe Root d) Steve Smith
d) None of the above
167. Who was officially declared to be the president-elect by
174. Gotthard Base Tunnel, world's longest railway tunnel, was
the parliament of Philippine?
recently inaugurated in which country?
a) Maria Leonor Leni Robredo
a) Switzerland b) France
b) Rodrigo Digong Duterte
c) Cambodia d) Germany
c) Benigno Aquino III
175. Who assumed the office of Secretary in the Union
d) None of These Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on1 June 2016?
168. Who was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award a) Ashok Lavasa b) Sanjay Kumar Srivastava
in the CEAT cricket awards 2016?
c) Rajinder Khanna d) Prabhas Kumar Jha
a) Kapil Dev b) Anil Kumble
176. Where was the Asia's largest technology trade show
c) K Srikanth d) Dilip Vengsarkar COMPUTEX was started in May 2016?
169. Who of the following Cricketer's name will be used by a) Tokyo b) Newyork
Kerala Government in a campaign against drug and liquor
c) Taipei d) Moscow
abuse in the state?
177. Identify the first ever national plan that was released in
a) Sachin Tendulkar b) Virat Kohli
India to make it disaster resilient in June 2016.
c) MS Dhoni d) Rahul Dravid
a) National Disaster Management Plan
170. What percent government equity will be available in India
b) Five year plan
Post Payments Bank (IPPB) that will be set up under the
Department of Posts? c) National Action Plan
a) 60 percent b) 70 percent d) None of these
178. India signed MoU to enhance cooperation on energy
c) 90 percent d) 100 percent
security, clean energy and climate change with which
171. Hamid Ansari recently visited which of the following country?
countries to strengthen bilateral ties with India? a) The United States b) Japan
a) Morocco b) Japan c) France d) Brazil
179. India's joining the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) against
c) Philippines d) Malaysia

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 Ballistic Missile Proliferation increased the number of relative to Earth.
signatories' to a) Einstein Ring b) Black Hole
a) 111 b) 126 c) White Patch d) None of these
c) 138 d) 176 188. The 7th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7) and Mission
180. Which of the following country is not a signatory of Innovation (MI) countries meet was held in which city in
Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) against Ballistic Missile June 2016?
Proliferation? a) New Delhi b) San Francisco
a) Albania b) China c) Berlin d) Paris
c) Libya d) Benin 189. Name the Sri Lankan Cricketer who announced retirement
181. Parliament of which country passed a resolution from Tests with immediate effect on 1 June 2016?
recognising the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a) Lasith Malingab) Nuwan Kulasekara
during First World War (1915) as genocide? c) Rangana Herath d) Dinesh Chandimal
a) United States b) Germany 190. Identify the organization that was granted affiliation by
c) France d) England the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) on 2 June 2016.
182. Name the country that has signed a Memorandum of a) Pakistan Boxing Council
Agreement to open its International Arbitration Centre in b) Indian Boxing Council
India. c) Asian Boxing Council
a) Singapore b) United States d) Thailand Boxing Council
c) Germany d) France 191. Name the state that unfurled the second largest National
183. Who was appointed as the Chairperson of the National flag of 291 foot-high on 2 June 2016.
Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on 1 June 2016? a) Andhra Pradesh b) Bihar
a) Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya c) Delhi d) Telangana
b) Justice MM Kumar 192. Who assumed charge as first ever chief executive officer
c) Justice RM Lodha (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in
d) Justice Sathasivam Mumbai on 1 June 2016?
184. Who was appointed as the President of the National a) Shasank MAnohar b) Anurag Thakur
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on 1 June 2016? c) Rahul Johri d) Rajiv Shukla
a) Justice Sathasivam 193. Name the boxing legend who died after a 32-year battle
b) Justice MM Kumar with Parkinson's disease on 3 June 2016.
c) Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya a) Muhammad Ali b) Mike Tyson
d) Justice RM Lodha c) Roberto Duran d) Roy Jones.Jr
185. Name the port that bagged National Award for Excellence 194. Who was appointed as Director General (DG)/ Chief
in Cost Management for the year 2015 on 2 June 2016. Executive Officer (CEP) of National Anti-Doping Agency
a) Chennai Port (NADA) on 3 June 2016?
b) Kandla Port a) Sanjay Mishra b) Navin Agarwal
c) VO Chidambaranar Port c) Saurav Ganguly d) Anil Kumble
d) Ennore (corporate) Port 195. Where was Asia's largest annual security forum Shangri-
186. What is the name of the mega luxury cruise vessel that La Dialogue was inaugurated on 3 June 2016?
was called at the Cochin Port for a 2-day stop-over in its a) Tokyo b) Hongkong
circuit of Dubai-Muscat-Kochi-Penang-Singapore on 3 June c) Singapore d) New Delhi
2016? 196. Where did Haryana Government launch Asia's First Gyps
a) Harmony of the Seas Vulture Reintroduction Programme at Jatayu Conservation
b) Freedom of the Seas Breeding Centre on 3 June 2016?
c) Independence of the Seas a) Panipat b) Rohtak
d) MV Ovation of the Seas c) Rewari d) Pinjore
187. Name the rare happening in the space when a pair of 197. Identify the birds that were released in to the wild by the
distant galaxies happens to be in the perfect position Union Environment Minister and Haryana Chief Minister

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 from Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre in Haryana on 3 dalit girls in Nepal to encourage them to enrol in schools?
June 2016. a) India b) Bhutan
a) Himalayan Griffons b) Forest owlet c) China d) United States of America
c) Spoon-billed Sandpiper d) White-rumped vulture 207. Name the former Eden Gardens curator who recently
198. How was Afghan-India Friendship Dam that was passed away.
inaugurated by Inidan PM Modi and Afghan President a) Raghunath Sahay b) Prabir Mukherjee
Ashraf Ghani on 4 june 2016 was called earlier? c) Angelo Matthews d) Partho Mukerjea
a) Afghan Dam b) Salma Dam 208. Who of the following was sworn-in as the Chief Minister
c) Kharzi Dam d) None of these of the Union Territory of Puducherry?
199. Name the highest civilian award of Afghanistan was a) Shah Jahan b) M Kandasamy
conferred on Indian PM Narendra Modi on 4 June 2016. c) V Narayanasamy d) Mukul Wasnik
a) Afghanistan award 209. Name the South Asian Games gold medallist Indian
b) Amir Amanullah Khan Award judoka who qualified for the Rio Olympic Games under 90-
c) Presidential Medal of Freedom kg weight category.
d) None of these a) Midhun Jith b) Avtar Singh
200. India announced at the Mission Innovation Meet to double c) Najib Aga d) Rajwinder Kaur
the investment in clean energy research in how many 210. Name the state that launched Right to Public Grievance
years? Redressal Act to disposal of peoples' complaints or
a) 2 b) 3 redressal of grievances from Government officials within
c) 4 d) 5 60-days.
201. India on 2 June 2016 signed MoU for co-operation in a) Haryana b) West Bengal
Information Technology and promotion of traditional c) Bihar d) Delhi
handicrafts with which country? 211. Name the state assembly that passed the Ease of Doing
a) Tunisia b) Morocco Business Bill, 2016.
c) Algeria d) Egypt a) Assam b) Delhi
202. Name the Tamil actor-director, known for movies Anbe c) Meghalaya d) Bihar
Sivam and Annanagar First street, who died recently. 212. India in June 2016 signed seven agreements in various
a) Balu Anand b) Balu Swamy fields including assistance in custom matters, skill
c) Revathy Ananth d) None of the above development and recognition of qualifications and health
203. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recently with which country?
approved a new broad gauge line between Mau Station and a) Qatar b) Afghanistan
Tarighat Terminal station. What will be the total length of the c) Tunisia d) Iran
line? 213. Who of the following won the 2016 French Open Men's
a) 49 kilometers b) 65 kilometers singles title?
c) 22 kilometers d) 51 kilometers a) Roger Federer b) Andy Murray
204. Identify the Qatar-based Indian banker who was recently c) Novak Djokovic d) Rafael Nadal
awarded the Green Economy Visionary Award. 214. 2016 World Environment Day was observed on 5 June
a) Ajay Banga b) Amitav Ghosh 2016 with theme
c) Raghavan Seetharaman d) Bimal Jalan a) Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife
205. Who has launched a mobile application for telecom b) Raise Your Voice Not the Sea Level
subscribers to register their complaints against pesky calls c) One Planet. Consume with Care.
and SMSes? d) Wetlands for our Future Sustainable Livelihoods
a) Ministry Of Communications and Information Technology 215. Who was recently appointed as the Managing Director of
b) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India State Bank of Mysore?
c) Both (a) and (b) a) N.K. Chari b) CR Sasikumar
d) None of the above c) Raghunath Sahay d) None of the above
206. Which country has recently gifted 2000 bicycles to poor 216. Which state has recently become the first Indian state to

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 give pension and food benefits to transgender people? c) The Global Entry Programme
a) Assam b) Odisha
d) The American Expedia
c) Maharashtra d) Telangana
217. Who was recently appointed as the Managing Director of 226. At which University did the scientists unlock a crucial
State Bank of Travancore? part of the mystery as to how the DNA can replicate and
a) N.K. Chari b) Raghunath Sahay repair itself?
c) CR Sasikumar d) None of the above a) The University of Sheffield
218. Identify the chemical compound for which NASA
b) The University of London
scientists located 39 unreported and major human-made
sources of its emissions across the world. c) The University of California
a) Sulphur dioxide b) Hydrogen Monoxide d) The Delhi University
c) Ethyl Chloride d) Methanol
227. Who was recently appointed as Managing Director for
219. Where Airbus did displayed the world's first 3D-printed
Adobe South Asia?
aircraft THOR at the International Aerospace Exhibition?
a) Sydney b) Schoenefe a) Umag Bedi b) Rajveer Kaushal
c) Colombo d) Berlin c) Kulmeet Bawa d) Manohar Sharma
220. Who was the first Indian woman to be nominated for
228. As per a High Power Committee that submitted its report
International Olympic Committee?
to Union Ministry of Urban Development an estimated
a) Shiela Dixit b) Smriti Irani
package of 19762 crore is required to decongest traffic of
c) Nita Ambani d) Anjum Chopra
which of the following cities?
221. Who was awarded the prestigious Olympic Order by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC)? a) Delhi b) Mumbai
a) Arvind Kejriwal b) Sarbanand Sonowal c) Kolkata d) Varanasi
c) Milkha Singh d) N Ramachandran
222. Who was the first Indian to win the Mr Universe title who 229. The Delhi Government recently announced
died on 5 June 2016 in Kolkata at the age of 104? implementation of its solar policy, which aims at installation
a) Manohar Aich b) Mahashta Murasi of 1 GW solar power capacity by
c) MuraliManohar Deora d) None of these a) 2020 b) 2019
223. Who was named as the ambassador for Swachh c) 2021 d) 2025
Saathi (student internship) programme?
230. Which state government is planning to launch medical
a) Dia Mirza b) riyanka Chopra insurance of two lakh rupees for BPL families?
c) Aishwarya Rai Bachcha d) Sania Mirza a) Maharashtra b) Uttar Pradesh
224. Name the unusual astronomical object that was formed c) Jharkhand d) Bihar
when two galaxies are exactly aligned and was discovered
231. According to the Ministry of Railway all the railway
by an international team of astrophysicists.
coaches will have bio-toilets under 'Clean Railway Clean
a) Thompson Watermelon India' initiative by which year?
b) Optical Einstein ring a) 2020 b) 2019
c) Cylindrical Constellation c) 2021 d) 2018
d) None of these 232. The International Olympic Committee approved a white
225. What is the other name of the America's International tiger named 'Soohorang' as the mascot for 2018 winter
Expedited Traveller Initiative to which India became the Olympics which will be hosted by
ninth country to enter into an agreement? a) Japan b) South Korea
a) The America Entry Programme c) China d) India
b) Washington-California Expedia

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233. What was India's rank in the biannual Good Country Index 243. Which mission demonstrated the technology that is
2015? needed to build a space-based gravitational wave
observatory?
a) 67 b) 68
a) Mars Orbiter Mission
c) 69 d) 70 b) Apollo Mission
234. Identify India's renowned sand-artist who won a gold c) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)
medal in the World Sand Art Championship in Bulgaria. d) LISA Pathfinder mission
244. Who was appointed as the head of one-man judicial
a) Sudarsan Pattnaik b) Rahul Arya
commission by the Uttar Pradesh Government to probe
c) Anjali Chandrashekhar d) None of them violence in Mathura in early June 2016?
235. Swachh Yug campaign was launched by the Union a) Prakash Singh b) Mirza Imtiyaz
Government to make gram panchyats along this river open c) Akhilesh Ranjan d) Mahesh Kumar Singla
defecation free. 245. Who wrote the book titled The World in 2050- Striving for
a more just, Prosperous and Harmonious Global
a) Godavari b) Brahmaputra
Community?
c) Narmada d) Ganga a) Harinder Kohli b) K P Mathur
236. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 7 June 2016 c) Rana Ayyub d) Husain Haqqani
approved 1.5 billion US dollar loan to which country? 246. Who topped the 2016 Forbes World's Highest-Paid
a) India b) China Female Athlete list?
c) Sri Lanka d) Pakistan a) Maria Sharapova b) Serena Williams
237. What was the theme of World Oceans Day that was c) Ronda Rousey d) Danica Patrick
observed on 8 June 2016? 247. Name the famous theatre personality and co-founder of
a) Wave the heat theatre group Awishkar who passed away recently.
b) Healthy oceans, healthy planet a) Bhakti Barve b) Radhika Mohan
c) Let Oceans breathe c) Seema Parab d) Sulabha Deshpande
d) Oceans: Life Providers 248. Which country conferred its highest civilian honour Amir
238. Which State government became the first Indian state to Amanullah Khan Award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi?
launch the App on Air Quality Index? a) Bahrain b) Afghanistan
a) Uttar Pradesh b) Delhi c) Saudi Arabia d) Bangladesh
c) Rajasthan d) Punjab 249. With which country India held the Desert Eagle II bilateral
239. Who took charge as the Director of the Commonwealth military exercise?
Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA)? a) Saudi Arabia b) United Arab Emirates
a) Shahid Rasool b) Sidharth Lingwal c) Kuwait d) China
c) Arjun Arya d) Kshitij Kapoor 250. Name the Indian-origin professor who was recently
240. Name the Mobile App that was launched by Union awarded the Regius Professorship by Queen Elizabeth II.
Government to enhance the employment of trained youth in a) Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya
solar PV technology. b) Sri Prakash Lohia
a) Surya Mitra b) Soumitri c) Manoj Punjabi
c) Shresta d) None of these d) Aishveryaa Nidhi
241. Name the country that decided to cut off Internet access 251. Internet search engine Google and Tata Trusts' joint
for government work stations within a year for security initiative Internet Saathi was recently launched in which of
reasons. the following states?
a) Russia b) Maldives a) Rajasthan b) West Bengal
c) Singapore d) Sri Lanka c) Jharkhand d) Madhya Pradesh
242. Name the country where 1st Yoga Championship was 252. Which of the following cricket grounds will host India's
organised by India. first pink-ball multi-day cricket match?
a) Iran b) Egypt a) Wankhede Stadium
c) Japan d) Malaysia b) M.A. Chidambaram Stadium

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 c) Eden Gardens Chess Tournament.
d) Feroz Shah Kotla Ground a) Subramanian Arun Prasad
253. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members b) NR Visakh
and partners on 6 June 2016 launched Anaconda-16 c) Magesh Panchanathan
Exercise in which country? d) Sandipan Chanda
a) Vietnam b) Russia 264. Name the eminent scientist who recently took over as
c) France d) Poland Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex.
254. India signed loan agreement of 12 crore US dollars with a) G Kalyanakrishnan b) N Saibaba
the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve irrigation c) Vishay Rao d) None of the above
and water management infrastructure of which state? 265. Name the Indian-American author who won the 2016
a) Karnataka b) Odisha International DUBLIN Literary Award for his novel Family
c) Himachal Pradesh d) Delhi Life.
255. Name the Rio Olympics-bound Indian track and field a) Mindy Kaling b) Akhil Sharma
athlete, who won a silver medal in 800 meters in the Josef c) Subhash Kak d) Ashok Das
Odlozil Memorial Athletics Meet in Prague, Czech Republic. 266. Who emerged victorious in the Peru's 2016 Presidential
a) Dutee Chand b) Tintu Luka Election?
c) MR Poovamma d) Lalita Babar a) Keiko Fujimori b) Alejandro Toledo
256. Name the legendary Nepali musician and composer of c) Pedro Pablo Kuczynski d) Ollanta Humala
Nepal's national anthem, who died recently. 267. Name the Raging Bull actress who died recently.
a) Amber Gurung b) Gopal Yonzon a) Julie Newmar b) Irish McCalla
c) Narayan Gopal d) Aruna Lama c) Jane Russel d) Theresa Saldana
257. Who topped the 2016 list of Forbes World's 100 Most 268. Who was appointed as the head of the UN Military
Powerful Women? Observer Group in India and Pakistan in June 2016?
a) Angela Merkel b) Hillary Clinton a) Major General Delali Johnson
c) Janet Yellen d) Christine Lagarde b) Major General Per Lodin
258. Which of the following Indian women is not included in c) Major General Polly barber
the 2016 list of Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women? d) Major General Lucas Peterson
a) Arundhati Bhattacharya b) Chanda Kochhar 269. Name the Bengal off-spinner who announced his
c) Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw d) Nita Ambani retirement in June 2016, ending a first-class cricket career
259. Which Indian city will host the men's Hockey Junior of 17 years?
World Cup 2016? a) Saurasish Lahiri b) Writtick Chatterjee
a) New Delhi b) Patna c) Ashish Magotra d) Manoj Tiwary
c) Hyderabad d) Lucknow 270. Who of the following tennis star was suspended from
260. Who was recently appointed the Managing Director of Tennis for two years by the International Tennis Federation
Facebook India? (ITF)?
a) Kirthiga Reddy b) Kulmeet Bawa a) Anna Kournikova b) Maria Sharapova
c) Umang Bedi d) None of the above c) Ana Ivanovic d) Caroline Wozniacki
261. Which state recently became the first Indian state to 271. Who was presented with the USIBC Global Leadership
launch a green-concept based State Data Centre? Award by the PM Narendra Modi in Washington DC?
a) Uttar Pradesh b) Himachal Pradesh a) Jeff Bezos b) Sunder Pichai
c) Kerala d) Rajasthan c) Mark Zuckerberg d) Satya Nadella
262. Which country is hosting month-long UEFA Euro 2016 272. Which European country launched the 'SAIP' smart phone
football championship? app to alert users on terror attacks and other disasters?
a) Germany b) Switzerland a) France b) Germany
c) France d) Poland c) Belgium d) Greece
263. Name the teenager from Tamil Nadu who became first 273. Who topped the Forbes 2016 World's Highest-Paid
Indian to clinch the Mumbai Mayor's International Open Athletes List?

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 a) Cristiano Ronaldo b) Tiger Woods c) Jharkhand d) Rourkela
c) Floyd Mayweather Jr d) Lewis Hamilton
281. Who was the legendary Canadian ice hockey player, who
274. Name the giant hot Jupiter exoplanet tidally spinning up died on 10 June 2016 after a lengthy illness?
its parent star was found by International team of
a) John Davidson b) Gordie Howe
astronomers.
c) Dick Irvin d) Bob McKenzie
a) PAN-Jupiter b) HATS-18b
282. Name the project under which Scientists of Iceland found
c) HANS-39GH d) None of these
a technique to trap carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep
275. Name networks for whose establishment National underground by turning it into rock.
Research Development Corporation (NRDC) inked a
a) The Carbonrock project
Memorandum of Agreement with the Andhra Pradesh Food
Processing Society on 9 June 2016. b) The Carbosilt project

a) Smart City Networks of Andhra Pradesh c) The CarbFix project

b) State Capital Network of Andhra Pradesh d) None of these

c) Smart Agribusiness Platform Networks of 283. Who topped the 2016 World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes
Andhra Pradesh list that was released by Forbes in June 2016

d) None of these a) Cristiano Ronaldo b) Michael Jordan

276. Name the project for whose commercialization the c) Floyd Mayweather `d) Novak Djokovic
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) signed 284. Who are the only two women to make the cut in the 2016
a license agreement with Chaturbhuj Pharmaceutical Co in World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes list for the second
June 2016. straight year in 2016?
a) Swachh Bharath Abhiyan b) MNEGRA a) Serena Williams and Venus Williams
c) Make in India d) Ayush-82 b) Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova
st
277. Who was appointed as a part-time member of the 21 c) Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza
Law Commission of India in June 2016?
d) Serena Williams and Martina Hingis
a) Kapil Sibal b) Satya Pal Jain
285. Identify the review that provides high-quality objective
c) Ram Jethmalani d) None of these and globally consistent data on world energy markets of
278. Who presided over a presentation that proposed 2015 released on 8 June 2016.
amendment to Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) in June a) World Energy Review
2016?
b) OPEC Review of World Energy
a) Narendra Modi b) Arun Jaitley
c) BP Statistical Review of World Energy
c) Ashok Gajapathi Raju d) Manohar Parrikar
d) None of these
279. Identify the rank that India secured among the 163
286. Which of the following teams won the FINA Women Water
countries with 2.566 GPI score in the 2016 Global Peace
Polo World League Super Final?
Index.
a) China b) Australia
a) 143 b) 126 c) Brazil d) USA
c) 8 d) 141 287. Which of the following state became first state in India to
280. Where did Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged have an open government data portal?
off the weekly Champaran Satyagrah Express in June 2016? a) Arunachal Pradesh b) Delhi
c) Sikkim d) Goa
a) Motihari b) Ranchi
288. Who has been chosen as India's flag bearer at Rio

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 Olympics? 298. Name the Veteran Scottish singer who received the
a) Abhinav Bindra b) Saina Nehwal Knighthood in Queen's Birthday Honours list.
c) Leander Paes d) Gagan Narang a) Justin Welby b) Rod Stewart
c) Alastair Cook d) Peter Phillips
289. Which of the following countries became the first country
in the world to ban deforestation? 299. Name the noted playwright and actor who died in June
a) Belgium b) Norway 2016 and was considered to be the father of the
c) Denmark d) Switzerland Bhramyaman or Mobile Theatre of Assam.
a) PB Acharya b) Sarbananda Sonowal
290. Name the veteran journalist and former editor of The
c) Krishna Roy d) Achyut Lahkar
Times of India who died recently.
a) Inder Malhotra b) KK Katiyal 300. What was the theme of World Day Against Child Labour
c) Jignesh Jadhav d) None of the above 2016?
a) No To Child Labour-YES To Quality Education
291. Who of the following won the women's title of the 2016
b) End child labour in supply chains - It's everyone's
Australian Open Super Series Badminton tournament?
business!
a) Yihan Wang b) Saina Nehwal
c) Prevent child labour - Your Ii'l help can make difference
c) Sun Yu d) Ratchanok Intanon
d) Child protection Let's end child labour!
292. Name the place of United States where mass shooting
301. Who of the following assumed charge as the Chief Justice
occurred at a gay nightclub in which at least 51 people were
of the Manipur High Court?
killed, including the gunman.
a) Justice Deepak Guptaz
a) Naples b) Orlando
b) Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad
c) Miami d) Tampa
c) Justice Navin Sinha
293. Who of the following won the men's title of the 2016 d) Justice Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela
Australian Open Super Series Badminton tournament?
302. Who of the following was appointed as the first woman
a) Hans-Kristian Vittinghus
chairperson of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council
b) Jeon Hyeok-Jin
(NCHAC) in Assam?
c) Son Wan-Ho
a) Ranu Langthasa
d) Lee Dong-keun
b) Mamoni Raisom Goswami
294. Name the country that launched its 23rd satellite for its
c) Sourabhee Debbarma
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).
a) China b) Russia d) Kamalika Ghosh
c) Germany d) United States
303. The Central Port Authorities Act 2016 drafted by Ministry
295. Who headed the taskforce appointed to address agrarian of Shipping will replace the Major Port Trust Act of the
issues that submitted its report to Maharashtra year?
government? a) 1956 b) 1963
a) Kishore Tiwari b) Vijay Javandhiya c) 1978 d) 1991
c) DB Shekatkar d) H R Nagendra
304. Which state government served Leave India notice to
296. International Albinism Awareness Day that was observed eight Chinese nationals working under a Thai company at
in June 2016 was adopted by UNGA via a resolution adopted the Dhamra Port of the State?
in the year? a) Odisha b) Gujarat
a) 2002 b) 2009 c) Maharashtra d) Andhra Pradesh
c) 2012 d) 2014
305. Who of the following will handle the portfolio of Delhi
297. Name the former captain of England Cricket team who Transport Ministry held by Gopal Rai who was removed
died in June 2016 at the age of 89. from it during a reshuffle that took place within the state
a) Archibald Ackroyd b) Albert Alderman government?
c) Donald Carr d) Thomas Armstrong a) Satyender Jain b) Naresh Yadav

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 c) Sanjeev Jha d) Nitin Tyagi ticketing companies?
a) VIVA b) Kyazoonga
306. Which country's President ordered an unannounced
c) Odyssey d) Yapsody
inspection of its Armed Forces during which the readiness
of military arsenals will be assessed? 315. Name the bollywood actress, who was nominated for
a) China b) Japan 2016 Teen Choice Awards.
c) North Korea d) Russia a) Priyanka Chopra b) Shilpa Shetty
c) Anushka Sharma d) Kangana Ranaut
307. Who won the 2016 Canada Grand Prix of Formula 1 title?
316. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day observed globally on
a) Lewis Hamilton b) Sebastian Vettel
15 June 2016 was adopted by UNGA via a resolution
c) Valtteri Bottas d) Nico Rosberg
adopted in the year?
308. What is the name of the service launched by the Indian a) 2002 b) 2009
Railways to provide for baby food items at stations and c) 2011 d) 2014
children's menu items on trains? 317. A Jupiter-like planet, Kepler-1647b, orbiting a system of
a) Sishu Sewa b) Janani Sewa two stars was found by the scientists in which
c) Kishor Sewa d) Tarun Sewa constellation?
309. Union Government constituted a five member team to a) Telescopium b) Cygnus
assess the existing water bodies, farm pond and other c) Camelopardalis d) Orion
sources of irrigation in the selected districts of which state? 318. Who was recently elected as the President of 71st
a) Maharashtra b) West Bengal session of United Nations General Assembly?
c) Uttar Pradeshd) Rajasthan a) Mogens Lykketoft
b) Andreas Mavroyiannis
310. What was the theme of the 2016 World Blood Donors Day
c) Peter Thomson
that was observed in June 2016?
d) None of the above
a) Thank you for saving my life
319. The United Nations General Assembly recently elected
b) Safe blood for saving mothers
which of the following countries as Chair of UN Sixth
c) Give the gift of life
Committee, also called Law Committee?
d) Blood connects us all
a) India b) Israel
311. What was the slogan of the 2016 World Blood Donors Day c) Turkey d) Italy
that was observed in June 2016? 320. Union Government approved a series of measures for the
a) Share life, give blood abatement of pollution and for the conservation and
b) Give freely, give often. Blood donation matters preservation of lakes in which city?
c) Every blood donor is a hero a) Panji b) Bengaluru
d) None of the above c) Lucknow d) Dehradun
312. Microsoft Corporation recently announced that it is going 321. According to a new research led by the University of
to acquire which of the following professional social Southampton, identify the kind of fossils that provide
networking websites? evidence of the number of species that can exist on Earth.
a) Makerbase b) Xing a) Snail-like fossils b) Grape-like fossils
c) LinkedIn d) Jobcase c) Spongy Fossils d) Popcorn-like fossils
322. Name the Florida based bank which will become the first
313. Tata Power Co. Ltd recently signed an agreement to
US bank to issue credit card for use in Cuba by Americans.
acquire which of the following renewable energy
a) Stonegate Bank b) Wells Fargo Bank
companies?
c) SunTrust Bank d) USAmeri Bank
a) Welspun Renewables Energy Private Ltd
323. What is the title of the report released jointly by the
b) A2Z Group
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and
c) Anwell Technologies
INTERPOL on environmental crime?
d) Suzlon Energy
a) The Environmental Crime Report
314. Ratan Tata recently invested in which of the following e- b) The Rise of Environmental Crime

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 c) The End of Environmental Crime a) Lokesh Rahul b) Yuzvendra Chahl
d) The Fall of Environmental Crime c) Jasprit Bumrah d) Axar Patel
324. What is the name of the solitary dwarf galaxy touted to 334. Which App was launched by Union Ministry of Human
be the most isolated galaxy that was captured by the Resource Development for volunteer work at government
Hubble Telescope? schools?
a) Milkyway b) Hot Jupiter a) SuryaMitra b) RajVayu
c) UGC 4879 d) None of these c) Vidyanjali d) Vidyashram
325. Who became the first Indian Cricketer to score a century 335. Name the American Literary Translator who passed away
in his debut ODI Match? recently and worked on Garcia Marquez's One Hundred
a) KL Rahul b) Robin Uthappa Years of Solitude.
c) Manish Pandey d) Md Azharuddin a) David Ball
326. Name the project on the River Ganga that is being b) Gregory Rabassa
developed between Allahabad and Haldia covering a c) Armine Kotin Mortimer
distance of 1620 kms to enable commercial navigation. d) Peter Sean Woltemade
a) Pavitra Ganga Project b) Jal Marg Vikas Project 336. Name the second European country that ratified the Paris
c) Holy Ganga Project d) Ganga Vikas Project Agreement, a deal on curbing global warming reached in
327. In which districts did the Telangana government ordered 2015 by 195 countries.
to set up a Pharma City on 12500 acres of land? a) Hungary b) Britain
a) Nalgonda and Hyderabad c) Germany d) France
b) Khammam and Karimnagar 337. Which Bank became the first Indian bank to get merged
c) Rangareddy and Mahbubnagar with its subsidiaries?
d) Medak and Warangal a) Union Bank of India
328. Name the renowned Hindi writer who died in June 2016 b) Oriental Bank of Commerce
and was the Editor at All India Radio from 1962 to 1976? c) State Bank of India
a) Mudrarakshasa b) Rakesh Pandey d) Central Bank of India
c) Rajesh Rastogi d) Sumit Maggo 338. Which country's Court of Appeals upheld net-neutrality
329. Which three countries participated in the Malabar rules that prohibit broadband carriers from playing
Exercise 2016? favourites or blocking competing online services?
a) France, Italy and Japan a) India b) United States
b) United States, China and India c) Britain d) Germany
c) India, United States and Japan 339. Name the scheme under which the Ramayana and
d) China, Sri Lanka and United States Krishna Circuit will be developed in different states of India.
330. India on 13 June 2016 signed three bilateral agreements a) Swadesh Darshan Scheme
to strengthen co-operation with which country? b) Prashad Scheme
a) China b) Vietnam c) Scheme for Cultural Heritage of Himalayas
c) Ghana d) Sweden d) None of the above
331. Which country launched the world's largest and most 340. With which country's scientists Indian scientists will be
powerful vessel project 22220 dubbed Arktika? associated in the project envisaged to release underwater
a) Russia b) Germany robots into the Bay of Bengal to predict the Indian
c) Ukraine d) France monsoon?
332. The House of Commons of which country voted for gender a) The US b) Britain
neutral national anthem? c) Germany d) France
a) Britain b) South Korea 341. Who was appointed as the Managing Director and Head
c) United States d) Canada of Institutional Banking of DBS Bank India?
333. Who was adjudged as the Man of the Series of three- a) Lalit Mittal b) Niraj Mittal
match One Day International (ODI) series between India and c) Joy Basu d) None of the above
Zimbabwe? 342. Which state recently launched Child Labour Tracking

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 System to keep a track of rescued child labour for their a) Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir b) Imran Yousuf
proper rehabilitation? c) Bharat Suresh Joshi d) Sayonara Luxton
a) Bihar b) Uttar Pradesh 352. Name the yesteryear Odia actress who passed away
c) Assam d) Maharashtra recently and was conferred with the prestigious Jayadev
343. Name the island of Gujarat that was in news recently for Purashkar in the year 2000.
getting power after 70 years of Independence. a) Suryamayee Mohapatra b) Megha Ghosh
a) Pirotan b) Jamnagar c) Yukttaa Rakshit d) Manimala Devi
c) Piram d) Shiyal Bet 353. Name the 41-year-old British woman MP from the
344. Name the Hollywood actor who was recently appointed as opposition Labour Party who was killed after being shot and
the goodwill ambassador of UN Women. stabbed in her constituency in northern England.
a) Anne Hathaway b) Angelina Jolie a) Constance Markievicz b) Jo Cox
c) Emma Stone d) Jessica Alba c) Nancy Astor d) Viscountess Astor
345. Identify the mammal that was recently declared extinct 354. In which state the Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal
primarily due to human-induced climate change. launched the Ujala Scheme in June 2016?
a) Rattus norvegicus a) Goa b) Rajasthan
b) Kangaroo rodents c) Haryana d) Uttar Pradesh
c) Bramble Cay melomys 355. Who was recently awarded the 2016 PEN Pinter Prize?
d) Great Reef pure melomys a) Margaret Atwood b) Raif Badawi
346. With which country India has collaborated in c) Jhumpa Lahiri d) Akhil Sharma
implementing 'Water4Crops' project? 356. With which country did India signed two MoUs on
a) Japan b) European Union capacity building for civil servants and centre of excellence
c) United States d) Israel in IT?
347. What is the mantra suggested by Prime Minister a) Morocco b) Namibia
Narendra Modi to improve tax administration in the c) South Africa d) Nigeria
country? 357. Who became the third Indian in 100 years to get elected
a) RESPONSIVE b) RAPID to the post of chief of Paris-based International Chamber of
c) PARDA d) PARDARSHI Commerce?
348. Name the River of Maharashtra that will be made a) Mukesh Ambani b) Ratan Tata
pollution free under 'Namami Chandrabhaga' project. c) Sunil Mittal d) Ajim Premji
a) Tapti b) Krishna 358. Union Home Ministry approved the proposal of which
c) Godavari d) Bhima state to form Central Marine Police Force?
349. Name the instrument of NASA on its Earth Observing-1 a) Maharashtra b) West Bengal
(EO-1) that helped them to measure methane emissions c) Kerala d) Gujarat
from a single, specific leaking facility on Earth's surface. 359. What was the theme of the 2016 World Day to Combat
a) Lockheed L-1011 Desertification, which was observed recently?
b) Mongoose-V microprocessor a) Inclusive cooperation for achieving Land Degradation
c) Beacon Monitor Neutrality
d) Hyperion spectrometer b) Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.
350. Which national aquarium in United States announced its c) Attainment of food security for all through sustainable food
plan to develop an Oceanside dolphin sanctuary for marine systems
mammals including dolphins? d) Conserving land and energy = Securing our common future
a) National Aquarium, Baltimore 360. What was the slogan for the 2016 World Day to Combat
b) National Aquarium, Washington, DC Desertification, which was observed recently?
c) UnderWater World Guam - Tumon a) Inclusive cooperation for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality
d) Miami Seaquarium b) Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.
351. Name the Indian-origin diplomat who was nominated as c) Attainment of food security for all through sustainable food
the American Ambassador to Malaysia in June 2016? systems
d) Conserving land and energy = Securing our common future

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361. What is the slogan for the Rio 2016 Olympic and c) LIGO team d) ESA team
Paralympic Games? 370. Name the project that was published in Science Magazine
a) Welcome home b) One world, one dream with a proposal to synthesize entire human genome from
c) A New World d) Inspire a Generation scratch.
362. Name the former Indian football team coach who will be a) Human Genome Project-Read (HGP- Read)
honoured with the Mohun Bagan Ratna. b) Human Genome Project-Connect (HGP- Connect)
a) Stephen Constantine b) C.K. Vineeth c) Human Genome Project- Correct (HGP- Correct)
c) Sanjoy Sen d) Syed Nayeemuddin d) Human Genome Project-Write (HGP-Write)
363. Name technology giant that was selected as the technical 371. Name the draft policy that was released to encourage
partner to build a mobile Application (app) for HRD's new technologies, methods and way-outs involving
SWAYAM platform. combined operation of wind and solar PV plants.
a) Microsoft b) Infosys a) National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy 2016
c) Tech Mahindra d) Reliance b) National Civil Aviation Policy 2016
364. Identify the fund that was floated by State Bank of India c) National Power Hybrid Policy 2016
(SBI) to assist start-ups in the fintech space. d) None of these
a) Technology Development Fund 372. Who was appointed as Director General of Doordarshan
b) IT Innovation Start-up Fund on 15 June 2016?
c) Innovation Development Fund a) Aparna Vaish b) Supriya Sahu
d) None of these c) Sangeeta Goel d) Veer Jain
365. In which inaugural ceremony did Prime Minister 373. Name the city that replaced Hyderabad in smart city list
Narendra Modi outlined, the five-point charter for tax of Telangana state.
administrators, RAPID? a) Warangal b) Khammam
a) Duraiappah stadium c) Karimnagar d) Mahbubnagar
b) Vidhyanjali Programme 374. Who won the 2016 European Grand Prix Formula 1
c) Rajasva Gyan Sangam championship?
d) None of these a) Nico Rosberg b) Sebastian Vettel
366. Which country won Hero Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 c) Lewis Hamilton d) Sergio Perez
at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London? 375. Name of the Mobile application that was launched to
a) India b) Pakistan enhance consumer connect with the Urban Power
c) Germany d) Australia Distribution sector.
367. Name the Ministry that released a Yog Geet (Song) in a) URJA b) GARV
connection with the celebration of International Day of c) Vidyut Pravah d) UJALA
Yoga2016. 376. Who won the 2016 US Open Golf Championship?
a) Union Ministry of AYUSH a) Dustin Johnson b) Anirban Lahiri
b) Union Ministry of Home Affairs c) Lee Westwood d) Jeev Milkha Singh
c) Union Ministry of HRD 377. Tata Advanced Systems and Boeing jointly laid the
d) Union Ministry of Civil Aviation foundation of a new production facility in this city.
368. With which country did India signed two MoUs on a) Hyderabad b) Bengaluru
capacity building for its civil servants and to set up of c) Chennai d) Gurugram
centre of excellence in ICT-. 378. This US-based university created World's first 'KiloCore'
a) Ivory Coast b) Namibia microchip containing 1000 independent programmable
c) Kenya d) Fiji processors
369. Name the team that announced the detection of a) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
gravitational waves for the second time, the flexing of space b) Yale University
and time caused by the black hole collision on 15 June c) Columbia University
2016. d) University of California
a) ISRO team b) NASA team 379. Name the players of Indian mixed recurve team that won

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 silver at the 2016 Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey. c) Giorgia Melonid) Virginia Raggi
a) Bombayla Devi and Atanu Das 390. Name of the Kannada movie that won best film award
b) Laxmirani Majhi and Jayanta Talukdar under the Asia New Talent Awards Category at the 19th
c) Deepika Kumari and Mangal Singh Champia Shanghai International Film Festival.
d) Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das a) Thithi b) Kanche
380. Name the special initiative that was launched by India c) Sairat d) Gamyam
and South Korea to promote and facilitate Korean 391. Identify the supercomputer that was declared as the
Investments in India. fastest in the world by the TOP500 List?
a) Korea Plus b) Multiply Korea a) Tianhe-2 b) Sunway TaihuLight
c) Korea in India d) None of the above c) PARAM Yuva-II d) Titan
381. International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in 392. Which Indian Energy Company agreed to buy Welspun
Conflict that was observed on 19 June 2016 was adopted by Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd for 1.4 billion US dollars?
UNGA via a resolution adopted in the year? a) Essar Power b) Reliance Energy
a) 2009 b) 2011 c) Lanco Infratech d) Tata Power
c) 2013 d) 2015 393. Name the state that has decided to establish model
382. World Refugee Day that was observed on 20 June 2016 madarasas with modern education in every district.
was adopted by UNGA via a resolution adopted in the year? a) Bihar b) Rajasthan
a) 1951 b) 1996 c) Himachal Prasdesh d) Assam
c) 2001 d) 2013 394. The TOP500 list declared SERC as the fastest
383. Name the Sri Lankan cricketer who was suspended from supercomputer in India. It is located in
bowling due to illegal bowling action by International Cricket a) IISc, Bangalore b) IIT-Delhi
Council? c) IIT-Kanpur d) C-DAC
a) Rangana Herath b) Shaminda Eranga 395. Who headed the Expert committee that submitted its
c) Nuwan Pradeep d) Lasith Malinga report on the Specific Relief Act, 1963 to Union
384. Which state announced free admission for Divyang Government?
students in government institutes? a) Amit Kapur b) Anand Desai
a) Assam b) Gujarat c) Arghya Sengupta d) Neelima Babhade
c) Bihar d) Uttar Pradesh 396. Name the chemical whose use was banned as a food
385. Which team won the National Basketball Association additive by Union Government.
(NBA) title? a) Potassium bromate b) Potassium iodate
a) Portland Trail Blazers b) Golden State Warriors c) Potassium nitrate d) All of the above
c) Cleveland Cavaliers d) Buffalo Braves 397. Name the renowned politician-turned-educationalist and
386. Which Hybrid Electric Research Plane was unveiled by founder of the Sathyabama Engineering College who died
NASA in June 2016? recently?
a) S-62 b) B-78 a) MG Ramachandran b) Jeppiaar
c) X-57 d) F-42 c) Srinivasan Kr d) Satyachandaran
387. Who was appointed as the President of Gujarat Chamber 398. Which of the following state launched the Pradhan Mantri
of Commerce and Industry for the term 2016-17? Ujjwala Yojana?
a) Dinesh B Patelb) Ashok P Patel a) West Bengal b) Odisha
c) Bipin R Patel d) Rohit J Patel c) Assam d) Andhra Pradesh
388. Name the village of Nepal after whom a Martian crater 399. What is the name of world's First 1000-Processor Chip
was named by the International Astronomical Union. that was developed by University of California?
a) Paslang b) Langtang a) KiloCore b) Chipset
c) Thame d) Bhaktapur c) SwitchCore d) 486SX chip
389. Name the populist anti-corruption Five Star Movement 400. Name the Volcano in Iceland dubbed as the Gateway to
(M5S) activist who was elected as the first female mayor of Hell that may explode in near future according to experts.
Rome. a) Hekla b) Katla
a) Valeria Valenteb) Chiara Appendino c) Eldgja d) Hengill

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401. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley released a commemorative stamps on Suryanamaskarams?
silver coin on the occasion of 300th Martyrdom Day of a a) Telangana b) Andhra Pradesh
Sikh General. Name him. c) Bihar d) Jammu & Kashmir
a) Dilawar Singh Babbar b) Jaswant Singh Khalra 412. Max Life and Max Financial Services agreed to merge
c) Fateh Singh d) Banda Singh Bahadur with which life insurance company?
402. Which exoplanet, touted to be the youngest of all a) Bharti AXA b) ICICI Prudential
exoplanets, was discovered by NASA through Kepler Space c) HDFC Life d) Bajaj Allianz
Telescope and extended K2 mission? 413. What was the theme of International Yoga Day 2016?
a) HATS-18b b) Kepler 452b a) Yoga for Harmony and Peace
c) 55 Canceri e d) K2-33b b) Feed your Soul with Yog
403. Who of the following is part of Indian World War I heroes c) Connect the Youth
who became part of Britain's new digital archive? d) Yoga: Inspiration for Joyful Living
a) Risaldar Badlu Singh b) Sepoy Chatta Singh 414. Which State became the first Indian state to launch Mukh
c) Naik Darwan Singh Negi d) All of the above Mantri Hepatitis C Relief Fund?
404. Union Government asked all state governments to link a) Maharashtra b) Haryana
Aadhaar with caste and domicile certificates of school c) Punjab d) Tamil Nadu
students studying in class 415. Which Indian Bank was named in Hall of Shame list 2016
a) Class V b) Class VI that listed Banks funding Cluster Bomb Makers?
c) Class VII d) Class IX a) Union Bank of India b) Axis Bank
405. Name the country whose satellite was not part of launch c) State Bank of India d) HDFC Bank
of 20 satellites in a single mission of ISRO. 416. Who of the following was adjudged as the Man of the
a) US b) Germany Series of the three-match T20I series between India and
c) Canada d) Myanmar Zimbabwe?
406. The book 'Ace Against Odds' was in news recently. It is a) Lokesh Rahul b) Yuzvendra Chahl
the autobiography of c) Barinder Sran d) Kedar Jadhav
a) Sania Mirza b) Leander Paes 417. Name the Olympian and iconic long jumper from India
c) Sania Nehwal d) Mahesh Bhupathi who resigned as President of the Kerala Sports Council.
407. Identify the former Indian diplomat who authored the a) Shiny Abraham b) Anju Bobby George
book 'A Life in Diplomacy'? c) Anjali Bhagwat d) KM Beenamol
a) Shivshankar Menon b) M K Rasgotra 418. Name the renowned Qawwal from Pakistan who was shot
c) Shyam Saran d) Natwar Singh dead in Karachi, Pakistan.
408. Which multilateral agency/agencies released the World a) Ghulam Farid Sabri b) Amjad Sabri
Investment Report 2016? c) Aziz Mian d) Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
a) UNCTAD 419. Who was recently appointed as the India Country
b) World Bank Manager and MD of global payments platform PayPal?
c) International Monetary Fund a) Anupam Pahuja b) Nikesh Arora
d) UNDP c) Ken Miyauchi d) None of the above
409. As per the World Investment Report 2016, this country 420. What was the theme of the World Hydrography Day 2016
received maximum FDI in 2015? that was observed on 21 June 2016?
a) The USA b) India a) Our seas and waterways - yet to be fully charted and
c) China d) Switzerland explored
410. As per the World Investment Report 2016, what was b) Hydrography - the key to well-managed seas and
India's global ranking in 2015 in terms of FDI inflows? waterways
a) Seventh b) Eighth c) Hydrography - much more than just nautical charts
c) Ninth d) Tenth d) Hydrography - underpinning the Blue Economy
411. Which State's postal circle on 2nd International Day of 421. Who was recently appointed the President and Chief
Yoga released Information booklet, Stamps on Yoga and Operating Officer of SoftBank Group?
a) Anupam Pahuja b) Nikesh Arora

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 c) Ken Miyauchi d) None of the above b) Sea For All
422. As per Mercer's 2016 Cost of Living Survey, which of the c) All For Sea
following cities topped the list of most expensive cities? d) Over the Horizons
a) Hong Kong b) Zurich 433. Who of the following won the Calder Memorial Trophy for
c) Johannesburg d) Mumbai the year 2015-16?
423. Name the professional footballer who recently was a) Shayne Gostisbehere b) Connor McDavid
recognized as the leading goal scorer for Argentina. c) Anthony Duclair d) Artemi Panarin
a) Sergio Aguero b) Carlos Tevez 434. The Union Government launched first of its kind Pilot
c) Gabriel Batistuta d) Lionel Messi Programme in the country to run two wheelers on which of
424. Which Indian Company acquired UK-based digital the following fuels?
transformation firm The BIO Agency Ltd in June 2016? a) CNG b) LPG
a) Reliance Infocom Ltd b) Tech Mahindra Ltd c) Biodiesel d) Propane
c) Infosys Ltd d) Wipro Limited 435. Indian ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni emulated the
425. Name the Editor-in-Chief of Ananda Bazaar Patrika (ABP) record of which cricketer of captaining the national team in
who resigned in June 2016? 324 international matches?
a) Anirban Bhattacharya b) R Rajagopalan a) Stephen Fleming b) Ricky Ponting
c) Aveek Sarkar d) Rajat Kapoor c) Graeme Smith d) Graham Gooch
426. Name the noted Telangana poet and lyricist who died in 436. International Olympic Committee denied wildcard entry to
June 2016 and was famous for his song Ooru manadi ra, ee which boxer in Rio Olympic?
vada manadi ra. a) George Foreman b) Adrien Broner
a) Dandepalli mandal b) Guda Anjaiah c) MC Mary Kom d) Danny Garcia
c) K Venkateshwar d) T Ragannagudem 437. Name the two Indian boxers who qualified for the 2016
427. Who resigned as the Representative Director, President Rio Olympics in June 2016.
and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SoftBank Group (SBG) a) MC Mary Kom and Shiv Thapa
in June 2016? b) Vijender Singh and Shiv Thapa
a) Masayoshi Son b) Tanmay Bharadwaj c) Manoj Kumar and Vikas Kirshnan
c) Nikesh Arora d) Moon Khetarpal d) Vikas Krishnan and Vijender Singh
428. Which state on 21 June 2016 approved the minority 438. Which Indian chess player won the best women's player
status to Jew community? award in the Eurasian Blitz chess tournament held in
a) Gujarat b) Kerala Kazakhstan?
c) Bengaluru d) Maharashtra a) Tania Sachdev b) Koneru Humpy
429. Which organisation released the India Development c) D Harika d) Padmini Rout
Update 2016: Financing Double-Digit Growth? 439. The pound sterling fell in value with Britain voting in
a) International Monetary Fund favour of exiting European Union (EU). This was the lowest
b) United Nations Organisation since which year?
c) World Bank Group a) 1975 b) 1985
d) Asian Development Bank c) 1995 d) 2005
430. Name the country that on 23 June 2016 signed a 440. This Central Asian city hosted the 2016 Shanghai
ceasefire deal with rebels ending five decade conflict. Cooperation Organisation Summit.
a) Colombia b) Syria a) Tashkent b) Astana
c) Ukraine d) Egypt c) Bishkek d) Dushanbe
431. A group of scientists recently developed world's first 441. International Olympic Day 2016 was celebrated on this
1000-processor computer chip. The chip has been named day.
as a) 25 June b) 24 June
a) KiloCore b) KiloChip c) 23 June d) 22 June
c) CoreChip d) None of the above 442. Which State Government launched the NTR Anna Canteen
432. What is the theme for the Day of the Seafarer 2016? Scheme to provide subsided food?
a) Shipping: indispensable to the world

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 a) Telangana b) Andhra Pradesh a) Vinay Sitapati b) MK Rasgotra
c) Kerala d) Tami Nadu c) KP Mathur d) Neil Jordan
443. Identify the UK Prime Minister who announced 453. With Inclusion of India, the Missile Technology Control
resignation hours after the Brexit vote that called for leaving Regime (MTCR) became a group of how many nations?
the European Union. a) 29 b) 35
a) Ed Miliband b) David Cameron c) 48 d) 52
c) Nicola Sturgeon d) Boris Johnson 454. Which of the following team won the 2016 Copa America
444. With which country India signed a MoU to enhance football tournament?
cooperation in skill development sector? a) Argentina b) Chile
a) Germany b) Australia c) Costa Rica d) Brazil
c) Switzerland d) Norway 455. International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
445. The Country's Parliament unanimously passed the Right Trafficking was observed on 26 June 2016 with theme
to Information (RTI) bill with amendments. a) Drugs is not child's play
a) India b) Sri Lanka b) Make health your 'new high' in life, not drugs
c) Britain d) Pakistan c) Drugs: treatment works
446. Name the South African Indian-origin lawyer and long- d) Listen First
time human rights activist was appointed to chair a UN 456. International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in
commission to monitor the human rights situation in South Conflict that was observed on 26 June 2016 was adopted by
Sudan. UNGA in the year?
a) Yasmin Sooka b) Godfrey Musila a) 1981 b) 1987
c) Kenneth Scott d) None of the above c) 1997 d) 2003
447. The country banned its citizens from working in strife-torn 457. Who was awarded with Golden Glove award at the 2016
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. Name it. Copa America football tournament?
a) Israel b) Sri Lanka a) Claudio Bravo b) Javier Mascherano
c) Maldives d) Nepal c) Lionel Messi d) Alexis Sanchez
448. Union Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that 458. Which of the following films won the 2016 International
the Centre will make a state as the hub of exporting Indian Film Academy Award for Best Film at the award
petroleum products to South Eastern countries. Name the ceremony held at Madrid, Spain?
state. a) Piku b) Masaan
a) Assam b) Gujarat c) Bajrangi Bhaijaan d) Bajirao Mastani
c) Andhra Pradesh d) Maharashtra 459. China recently launched its first Dark Sky Reserve in
449. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the execution which of the following regions of Tibet?
works in 20 smart cities from which city of India. a) Lhasa b) Ngari Prefecture
a) Bombay b) Delhi c) Nagqu Prefecture d) Shannan
c) Pune d) Chennai 460. Who was recently appointed by Nokia as the head of
450. The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) President and Indian market?
incumbent Jammu & Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba a) Sanjay Malik b) Sandeep Girotra
Mufti won the Assembly by-poll from which place? c) Vivek Bahri d) None of the above
a) Anantnag b) Beerwah 461. Which one of the following countries remained neutral
c) Kupwara d) Sopore during the voting on India membership to 48-nation Nuclear
451. The city where the first Annual Meeting of the Board of Supplier Group (NSG)?
Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will a) China b) Brazil
be held is c) South Africa d) Turkey
a) Beijing b) New Delhi 462. Which one of the following states leads in providing skill
c) Tokyo d) Kathmandu training to urban poor as per a data released by the Union
452. Who of the following has authored the book, Half- Lion: Ministry of Urban Development?
How Narasimha Rao Transformed India? a) Maharashtra b) Karnataka

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 c) Tamil Nadu d) Gujarat named among the 2016 Local SDG Pioneers, which is a part
463. Name the state that declared that all natural calamities of the United Nations Global Compact.
will be treated as state disaster. a) Zubaida Bai b) Farzana Chowdhury
a) Maharashtra b) Bihar c) Sonia Rao d) Rahul Sahay
c) Odisha d) Uttar Pradesh 474. Which of the following countries recently inaugurated
464. Who of the following won Iceland's presidential election? world's first electric road?
a) Halla Tomasdottir b) David Oddsson a) Germany b) Sweden
c) Gudni Johannesson d) Olafur Ragnar Grimsson c) Finland d) Britain
465. Which of the following is not the part of 5Cs contours of 475. Which of the following countries was not elected as non-
Payment Banks: Vision-2018 that was released by RBI in permanent UNSC members by United Nations General
June 2016? Assembly?
a) Coverage b) Convenience a) Ethiopia b) Bolivia
c) Convergence d) Capability c) Sweden d) Chad
466. Which of the following is not the part the strategic 476. Name the prominent Tamil saint poet whose statue was
initiatives to achieve 5Cs of Payment Banks: Vision-2018 unveiled in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
that was released by RBI in June 2016? a) Thiruvalluvar b) Subramania Bharati
a) Responsive regulation c) Kambar d) Bharathidasan
b) Robust infrastructure 477. Name India's ace shooter who clinched the silver medal
c) Effective supervision for India in men's 50-metre rifle 3 position event of the ISSF
d) Customer Enhancement World Cup in Baku, Ajerbaijan.
467. Name the stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) terror group a) Sanjeev Rajput b) Gagan Narang
that was seized by the Iraqi army. c) Chain Singh d) Jitu Rai
a) Falluja b) Raqqa 478. Name the organisations/institutions that inked a MoU
c) Mosul d) Misrata with Coal Supplying companies and Power Utilities for
468. Name the footballer who announced his retirement from quality analysis of coal being supplied to power utilities by
international football. coal companies.
a) Lionel Messi b) Cristiano Ronaldo a) CSIR and CIL b) CIMFR and CIL
c) Neymar d) James Rodriguez c) CSIR and CIMFR d) None of the above
469. Name the founder of Titan Co Ltd who died in June 2016? 479. Exercise Jalrahat for Flood Relief is a Joint Initiative of
a) Krishnamurthy Narayanan Armed Forces and which state?
b) Xerxes Sapur Desai a) Assam b) Bihar
c) Bhaskar Bhat c) Gujarat d) Uttarakhand
d) Nandan Nilekani 480. Who headed the 7th Pay Commission whose
470. Which state Government launched Kalinga Siksha Sathi recommendations were approved by the Union Cabinet?
Yojana (KSSY)? a) Vivek Rae b) Ratin Roy
a) Madhya Pradesh b) Maharashtra c) Meena Agarwal d) AK Mathur
c) Odisha d) Kerala 481. Who was recently appointed as the Deputy Governor of
471. Who was appointed as the CEO of National Investment Reserve Bank of India to succeed Harun R Khan?
and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) in June 2016? a) NS Vishwanathan b) S S Mundra
a) Shaktikanta Das b) Sujoy Bose c) Raghubar Desai d) None of the above
c) Arvind Chaudhary d) Kailash Yadav 482. Which country was ranked 1st in the Human Capital
472. Name the anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug designed for type Report 2016 released recently?
2 Diabetes mellitus that was released by Council for a) Canada b) USA
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) c) Finland c) Japan
a) BGR-56 b) BGR-34 483. Which country will host the 2019 Copa America football
c) BGR-20 d) BGR-11 championship?
473. Name the Indian social entrepreneur who was recently a) Argentina b) Peru

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 c) Uruguay d) Brazil during JP Rajkhowa's absence due to leave.
484. Which policy was approved by Union Cabinet in June a) Keshari Nath Tripathi
2016 to attract private sector in exploration of minerals? b) Ram Naik
a) National Policy for the Exploitation of Mineral c) Padmanabha Acharya
Resources d) Tathagata Roy
b) National Mineral Exploration Policy 494. The Reserve Bank of India recently announced to study
c) Mineral Policy 2015 - Resurgent India which technology to reduce the use of paper currency?
d) Policies on Mining and Mineral based Industries a) Blockchain b) Chainblock
485. Name the Naga rebel leader who died in June 2016 and c) Swingchain d) None of the above
was chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland 495. Who has been recently appointed as the Chief Executive
(Isak-Muivah). Officer of Suzuki Motor Corp?
a) Thuingaleng Muivah b) P Chuba Ozukum a) Osamu Suzukib) Toshihiro Suzuki
c) S S Khaplang d) Isak Chishi Swu c) Michio Suzuki d) None of the above
486. Who was appointed as the head of New Health 496. India successfully test fired a new surface-to-air missile,
Emergencies Programme by World Health Organisation from an Integrated Test Range at Chandipur that was jointly
(WHO) in June 2016? made between India and
a) Peter Salama b) Samantha Power a) Germany b) Israel
c) Sacha Llorenti d) John Ashe c) Japan d) Russia
487. The Indigenously developed Varunastra that was inducted 497. The women team of which country won record seventh
in the Indian Navy is a Champions Trophy title of Hockey?
a) Heavyweight Torpedo a) Argentina b) India
b) Anti-Submarine Warfare ships c) Australia d) Germany
c) Submarine 498. US embassy launched a scholarship program for women
d) Airborne Missile of which country?
488. Zoological Survey of India's project on studying impact of a) Myanmar b) Afghanistan
climate change on animal world in the Himalayas will not be c) Sri Lanka d) Bangladesh
conducted in which state? 499. The first squadron of home-grown Light Combat Aircraft
a) West Bengal b) Himachal Pradesh (LCA) Tejas was inducted into Indian Air Force (IAF) at the
c) Uttarakhand d) Jammu and Kashmir Aircraft System Testing Establishment in
489. Who was sworn in as Philippines' president? a) Bengaluru b) Sulur
a) Jejomar Binay b) Leni Robredo c) New Delhi d) Chandigarh
c) Bongbong Marcos d) Rodrigo Duterte 500. Name the journal that published the study that claims that
490. Which country launched its second Shijian-16 series the hole in the Earth's ozone layer over Antarctica is
satellite? healing.
a) China b) Japan a) Nature b) PLOS ONE
c) South Korea d) North Korea c) Science d) Astrophysical Journal
491. Name the scheme of India Post under which an individual 501. Which Portal was launched by Railways Ministry for
or a corporate entity can get their photo or logo printed employees' grievances redressal?
inside the postage stamp. a) UPBHOGTA Portal b) NIVARAN portal
a) Stamp Me b) Print Stamp c) SAMANVAY Portal d) SWAYAM Portal
c) My Stamp d) None of the above 502. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notified rules
492. Name the state that has opened an exclusive Red for calculating Fair Market Value (FMV) of assets located in
Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF). India under which Act?
a) Andhra Pradesh b) Telangana a) Central Sales Tax Act, 1956
c) Karnataka d) Chhattisgarh b) Wealth tax Act, 1957
493. Name the Governor of Tripura who has taken the c) Customs Act, 1962
additional charge as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh d) Income-tax Act, 1961

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503. The Union Minister for Human Resource Development became the first Indian to play in Europa League. He was
Smriti Zubin Irani launched which web portal for District named in which of the following Norwegian clubs?
Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs)? a) Aalesund b) Sandefjord
a) EasyShiksha b) Prashikshak c) Stabaek d) Levanger
c) Vidya Lakshmi d) Sakshat 513. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports recently granted
504. The Interim Administrative Cell of the International recognition to Paralympic Committee of India. Who is the
Solar Alliance (ISA Cell) signed declaration to promote solar President of the committee?
energy globally with which international organisation? a) S.P. Sanghwan b) Rao Inderjit Singh
a) United Nations c) J. Chandrashekar d) Dinesh Kumar Upadhyay
b) International Monetary Funds 514. A Rapid Rural Police Response System was recently
c) World Bank launched in which of the following states?
d) Asian Development Bank a) Haryana b) Bihar
505. Which state recorded the highest number of foreign c) Punjab d) Maharashtra
tourist visits in 2015 as per the data released by the 515. The Exercise RIMPAC 2016 recently began at which of
Ministry of Tourism? the following places?
a) Uttar Pradesh b) Maharashtra a) Hawaii b) California
c) Tamil Nadu d) Kerala c) Bali d) Tokyo
506. Which state recorded the highest number of domestic 516. The 2016 National Doctors' Day that was observed
tourist visits in 2015 as per the data released by the recently is observed to honour which of the following
Ministry of Tourism? legendary physicians?
a) Uttar Pradesh b) Maharashtra a) Sushruta b) Ronald Ross
c) Kerala d) Tamil Nadu c) Kadambini Ganguly d) Bidhan Chandra Roy
507. As per Supreme Court directive which of the 517. What is the theme of the Exercise RIMPAC 2016 that
following section of society is not included under the third recently began at Hawaii?
gender category (transgender)? a) Competent, Adaptive, Partners
a) Eunuchs b) Bisexuals b) Competent, Skilled, Partners
c) Jogappas d) Kothis c) Capable, Adaptive, Partners
508. Name the famous futurist and author of the famous book d) None of the above
Future Shock who died recently. 518. Which of the following companies has become the official
a) Alvin Toffler sponsor of Indian contingent to the Rio Olympics 2016?
b) Stanislaw Lem a) Coca-Cola b) Mother Dairy
c) Mahdi Elmandjra c) Cadbury d) Amul
d) Raymond Spencer Rodgers 519. Name the Pacific military exercise that recently
509. Who was appointed as the Acting Director General of commenced in Hawaii.
Police (DGP), Meghalaya? a) Indra
a) S K Jain b) Rajiv Mehta b) Exercise RIMPAC
c) Mukul Sangma d) Raghvendra Awasthi c) Exercise Capable, Adaptive, Partners
510. Up to what sum now the Minister-in-charge of the d) None of the above
concerned ministry can now approve the non-plan 520. India has ranked at which position in the World Bank
expenditures? Group's Logistics Performance Index 2016?
a) 150 crore rupees b) 250 crore rupees a) 54th b) 26th
th
c) 400 crore rupees d) 500 crore rupees c) 28 d) 35th
511. Name the footballer who recently became the first Indian 521. Which country has topped the Logistics Performance
to play in Europa League. Index 2016 released by the World Group?
a) Gurpreet Singh Sandhu b) Sunil Chhetri a) Luxembourg b) Germany
c) Robin Singh d) Arnab Mondal c) Sweden d) South Africa
512. Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu recently 522. Which state has recently banned e-cigarettes?

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 a) Kerala b) Nagaland 531. Who won the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix that was held
c) Assam d) Bihar recently in Spielberg, Austria?
523. What was the theme of the 2016 International Day of a) Nico Rosberg b) Lewis Hamilton
Cooperatives that was observed recently? c) Max Verstappen d) Kimi Raikkonen
a) Driving Recovery through Co-operative Enterprise 532. Name the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize
b) Co-operatives and Employment Promotion winner who passed away recently.
c) Peace-building through Co-operatives a) Klas Pontus Arnoldson
d) Co-operatives: The power to act for a b) Christian Lange
sustainable future c) Elie Wiesel
524. Kerala government banned e-cigarette in the state. Which d) Jane Addams
of the following was the first state of India to ban these 533. Name the Indian who has been posthumously conferred
electronic cigarettes? the Bharat Gaurav Award in London recently.
a) Kerala b) Punjab a) Gagan Punjabib) Manish Malik
c) Maharashtra d) Karnataka c) Rakesh Kumar d) Neerja Bhanot
525. Name the state that signed an MoU with China Fortune 534. What is India's rank in Logistics Performance Index 2016
Land Development (CFLD) Company to develop a new released by the World Bank?
industrial township in the state at an expense of 5 billion a) 54 b) 35
dollar. c) 25 d) 15
a) Punjab b) Telangana 535. Which country topped the Logistics Performance Index
c) Andhra Pradesh d) Haryana 2016 released by the World Bank
526. Who of the following became the first Indigenous woman a) The United States b) China
to be elected to the House of Representatives of Parliament c) Germany d) Singapore
of Australia? 536. Which one of the following ministers was elevated to the
a) Neville Bonner b) Aden Ridgeway rank of Cabinet Minister in the Prime Minister Narendra
c) Linda Burney d) Joanna Lindgren Modi-led NDA government?
527. Name the Indian badminton player who won the 2016 a) Kiren Rijiju b) Ram Shankar Katheria
Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton Men's Singles title. c) Prakash Javdekar d) Sanwar Lal Jat
a) B Sai Praneeth b) B Sumeeth Reddy 537. Which one of the following minister was not dropped from
c) Manu Attri d) None of the above the Council of Ministers during the recent reshuffle of the
528. Who won the 2016 Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton Union Cabinet?
Men's Doubles title? a) Nihalchand b) Manuskhbhai D Vasva
a) Adrian Liu and Toby Ng c) M K Kundariya d) Kiren Rijiju
b) Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy 538. The Juno spacecraft which successfully entered the
c) Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen Jupiter orbit recently belonged to which space agency?
d) None of the above a) National Aeronautics and Space Administration
529. The first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy b) European Space Agency
Saving and Energy Efficiency commenced recently in which c) Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
of the following cities? d) China National Space Administration
a) New Delhi b) Pune 539. Who was elected as the speaker of Karnataka Legislative
c) Mumbai d) Visakhapatnam Assembly?
530. Which ministry is hosting the first meeting of the BRICS a) Kagodu Thimmappa b) JB Jayachandra
Working Group on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency that c) KJ George d) KB Koliwad
commenced recently in Visakhapatnam? 540. Name the Indian para-athlete who won eight medal
a) Union Power Ministry including three gold at the International Wheelchair and
b) Ministry of External Affairs Amputee Sports U-23 World Games in Prague, Czech
c) Ministry of Urban Development Republic.
d) Ministry of Labour and Employment a) Niranjan Mukundan
b) Devendra Jhajharia

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 c) Rajinder Singh a) Mauritius b) Mozambique
d) HN Girisha c) Portugal d) Tanzania
541. Name the veteran communist leader and former World 551. Name the NASA's spacecraft that recently entered
Peace Council president who passed away recently. Jupiter's orbit to understand the origin and evolution of the
a) Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao planet.
b) AB Bardhan a) Juno b) Cape Canaveral
c) Romesh Chandra c) Galileo d) New Horizon
d) KC Mathew 552. The Union Cabinet recently approved The High Courts
542. By 2020 Indian pharmaceutical market is expected to (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 to be introduced in the
become the sixth largest in the world with a worth of Parliament. The bill will facilitate the changing of the names
a) 5 billion dollar b) 6 billion dollar of which two high courts?
c) 7 billion dollar d) 8 billion dollar a) Bombay High Court and Calcutta High Court
543. NASA recently gave its approval to New Horizons mission b) Bombay High Court and Madras High Court
to investigate a mysterious object in Kuiper Belt. Name the c) Calcutta High Court and Madras High Court
mysterious object. d) Bombay High Court and Gauhati High Court
a) 2014 MU69 b) 2014 MU68 553. Name the online healthcare start-up that recently
c) 2015 MU69 d) 2014 MV69 acquired diagnostic labs aggregator Medd.
544. Who recently took over as the Director of ISRO Inertial a) Health 2.0 b) eKincare
Systems Unit? c) 1mg Technologies d) Medibox Technologies
a) Madhavan Nair b) Madhav Dhekane 554. The Union Cabinet recently approved which of the
c) Shailesh Nayak d) None of the above following scheme for providing short term crop loan to
545. Name the Indian javeline thrower who set a new national farmers?
record at the 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics a) Dividends Subvention Scheme
Championships. b) Interest Subvention Plan
a) Suman Devi b) Sharmila Kumari c) Interest Subvention Scheme
c) Annu Rani d) None of the above d) None of the above
546. Name the Indian port that became first port in India to 555. Which one of the following minister was given the
implement logistics data tagging of containers. Defence portfolio as Ministers of state in the Council of
a) Paradip Port b) Mormugao Port Ministers during the recent reshuffle of the Union Cabinet?
c) Tuticorin Port d) Jawaharlal Nehru Port a) Nihalchand b) Manuskhbhai D Vasva
547. Name the first actress to play the role of Lois Lane in c) MK Kundariya d) Subhash Ramrao Bhamre
Superman who died recently. 556. Union Cabinet in 5 July 2016 approved redevelopment of
a) Noel Neill b) Claudette Colbert seven General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA)
c) Barbara Stanwyck d) Jane Wyman colonies in which city of India?
548. Name the footballer who recently was conferred Shan-E- a) Mumbai b) Bangalore
Mohammedan. c) Delhi d) Shimla
a) Mohammed Salim b) Prasun Banerjee 557. Name the state that approved the proposal of levying 6%
c) Subrata Paul d) Bhaichung Bhutia entry tax on goods brought to local areas for consumption
549. World's largest Charkha (spinning wheels) that was after purchase under e-commerce.
unveiled at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International a) Delhi b) Madhya Pradesh
Airport (IGI), New Delhi is made of the teak wood of which c) Chhattisgarh d) Karnataka
country? 558. Dunya Maumoon resigned as Foreign minister of which
a) Burma b) Sri Lanka country over government's hasty decision to implement the
c) Nepal d) Ukraine death penalty?
550. Union Cabinet approved MoU in the field of Rural a) Maldives' b) China
Development and Poverty Alleviation approved with which c) Indonesia d) Ukraine
country? 559. India's first commercial dispute resolution centre and

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 commercial court was inaugurated in which state? 'Smart Pulse Survey' for collecting socio-economic data of
a) Chhattisgarh b) Delhi 1.48 crore households in the state?
c) Punjab d) Andhra Pradesh a) Gujarat b) Telangana
560. Name the two-wheeler maker that inked a wage c) Andhra Pradesh d) Jharkhand
settlement pact with its permanent workers at its Gurgaon 570. Identify the Indian artistic gymnast who was named a
Plant, entailing a hike of 12500 rupees spread over three 'Gymnaste de Classe Mondaile' (World class gymnast) by
years. the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
a) Bajaj Auto b) India Yamaha Motor a) Payel Bhattacharjee b) Dipa Karmakar
c) TVS Motor Company d) Hero MotoCorp Ltd c) Pranati Das d) Meenakshi
561. Name the noted music director who co-composed in 571. Name the state that in July 2016 expanded its Council of
many films with his uncle including Mahua who died in Ministers by inducting 10 new faces in his cabinet.
Mumbai. a) Maharashtra b) Gujarat
a) Om Prakash Sonik b) Master Sonik c) Delhi d) Bihar
c) Mahendra Kapoor d) None of the above 572. Which European city hosted the NATO Summit 2016?
562. Name the South African writer who won the 2016 Caine a) Warsaw b) Berlin
Prize? c) London d) Paris
a) Lesley Nneka Arimah b) Tope Folarin 573. The 2nd Anti-Drug Working Group meeting of Heads of
c) Bongani Kona d) Lidudumalingani Mqombothi Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries was held in
563. The National Association of Software and Services a) Mumbai b) Kolkata
Companies (NASSCOM) unveiled India's first Centre of c) Hyderabad d) New Delhi
Excellence focused on Internet of Things (CoE- IoT) at which 574. The Odisha Government decided to double the prize
place? money of UNESCO Kalinga Prize to
a) Delhi b) Pune a) 30000 US dollars b) 40000 US dollars
c) Bengaluru d) Chandigarh c) 50000 US dollars d) 60000 US dollars
564. Which Paris-based startup was acquired by Google in 575. Which Indian city is hosting the Woodpecker
July 2016? Environment and Wildlife Film Festival?
a) Cloudhopper b) Moodstocks a) Mumbai b) Varanasi
c) Hotspots.io d) ZipDial c) Shimla d) New Delhi
565. Who was re-elected as the Chairman of Maharashtra 576. It is with this country India jointly announced
Legislative Council? MoUs/Programme in four areas of bilateral cooperation.
a) Jayant Pati b) Vasant Davkare a) Brazil b) Germany
c) Ravindra Phatak d) Ramraje Naik c) South Africa d) Canada
Nimbalkar 577. Which State Government announced 14.5% fat tax on
566. Which bank launched India's first full-fledged digital pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and tacos sold through branded
banking service for small-and medium enterprises? outlets?
a) HDFC Bank b) State Bank of India a) Maharashtra b) Kerala
c) Bank of Baroda d) ICICI Bank c) Andhra Pradesh d) Punjab
567. Which of the following country signed the controversial 578. Recently, a team of international astronomers for the first
anti-terrorist legislation adopted by the lower and upper time have sighted a Jovian planet orbiting a triple star
houses of parliament in June 2016? system. The planet has been named as
a) Russia b) France a) HD 131399Ab b) HD 131399Bc
c) Germany d) United States c) HD 131399Cdd) HD 131399De
568. Which of the following state launched the second phase 579. In which of the following Oceans the Typhoon Nepartak
of Haritha Haram programme of government in the state? originated recently?
a) Telangana b) Andhra Pradesh a) Arctic Ocean b) Pacific Ocean
c) Gujarat d) Jharkhand c) Indian Ocean d) Atlantic Ocean
569. Name the state government that has decided to conduct a 580. Which country is organizing international industrial

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 exhibition - INNOPROM 2016? 591. Name the first professional full-time football coach of
a) China b) Germany India who died recently.
c) Russia d) India a) Syed Abdul Rahim b) Stephen Dutt
581. Which State/UT Government approved the new Slum and c) Amal Dasgupta d) Amal Dutta
Jhuggi-Jhopdi rehabilitation policy? 592. What is the theme of the 2016 World Population Day?
a) Delhi b) Uttar Pradesh a) Investing in teenage girls
c) Bihar d) Puducherry b) Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies
582. Who was appointed as the Controller General of Defence c) Investing in girls
Accounts (CGDA)? d) None of the above
a) NS Vishwanathan b) Sujoy Bose 593. Which of the following cities will host the 2020 European
c) Madhav Dekhane d) S K Kohli Aquatics Championships?
583. Which country won the Euro UEFA 2016 football a) Amsterdam b) Budapest
tournament? c) Berlin d) Copenhagen
a) Portugal b) France 594. Who of the following was conferred the 51st Jnanpith
c) Germany d) Italy Award by President Pranab Mukherjee?
584. Who of the following won the men's singles title of 2016 a) Bhalchandra Vanaji Nemade
Wimbledon? b) Kedarnath Singh
a) Roger Federer b) Milos Raonic c) Pratibha Ray
c) Andy Murray d) Novak Djokovic d) Raghuveer Chaudhari
585. Who of the following won the women's doubles title of 595. Which of the following statements in regard to the
2016 Wimbledon? agreements that were signed between India and Kenya
a) Serena Williams and Venus Williams during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit is/are true?
b) Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova a) Revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
c) Sania MIrza and Martina Hingis b) Bilateral agreement on exemption of Visa for holders of
d) Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic Diplomatic passports
586. Who of the following won the women's singles title of c) MoU on Defence Cooperation
2016 Wimbledon? d) Agreement on Cooperation in Arts and Culture
a) Angelique Kerber b) Venus Williams 596. Name the nationwide fortnightly programme that was
c) Serena Williams d) Yaroslava Shvedova recently launched by the Union Ministry of Health and
587. Who was sworn-in as the Governor of Arunachal Family Welfare.
Pradesh? a) Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight
a) Tathagata Roy b) Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa b) Intensified Dengue Control Fortnight
c) Keshari Nath Tripathi d) Ram Naik c) Intensified Malaria Control Fortnight
588. Who recently was endorsed by Nepal's Parliamentary d) None of the above
Hearing Special Committee as the Chief Justice of the 597. Who has been appointed as the full-time Chairman of Oil
Supreme Court? India Ltd.?
a) Sushila Karki b) Kalyan Shrestha a) P K Sinha b) Utpal Bora
c) Sushila Shrestha d) None of the above c) D Rajkumar d) S Varadarajan
589. Who recently was selected for the 2016 International 598. Who has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing
Maritime Organization Award for Exceptional Bravery at Director of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited?
Sea? a) B P Tayal b) Utpal Bora
a) Christopher Leon b) Radhika Menon c) Sanjay Gupta d) None of the above
c) Sushila Karki d) None of the above 599. Who recently was chosen for the Advertising Agencies
590. Who won the 2016 British Grand Prix title of Formula Association of India Lifetime Achievement Award?
One? a) R.K. Swamy b) Swamy Hansa
a) Max Verstappen b) Nico Rosberg c) M.G. Parameswaran d) Srinivasan K. Swamy
c) Lewis Hamilton d) Sebastian Vettel 600. Former sportsperson Amal Datta passed away recently.

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 He was associated with which of the following sports? Paid Celebrities of 2016 released by Forbes?
a) Cricket b) Hockey a) Taylor Swift b) Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
c) Football d) Polo c) James Patterson d) Adele
601. Who of the following is not part of Indian sportsperson 611. Which of the following Indian celebrities is included in the
who qualified for Rio Olympics on 11 July 2016? list of World's Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2016 released by
a) Renjith Maheswary b) Anirban Lahiri Forbes?
c) Dharambir Singh d) Mary Kom a) Salman Khan b) Akshay Kumar
602. Which of the following was not part of Prime Minister c) Priyanka Chopra d) Shekhar Kapur
Narendra Modi's visit during his tour to four African 612. The State Bank of India signed a MoU with which of the
nations? following IITs to promote fintech start-ups?
a) Kenya b) Tanzania a) IIT Lucknow b) IIT Kharagpur
c) Botswana d) South Africa c) IIT Delhi d) IIT Bombay
603. Name the state that in July 2016 tried to set a world 613. India and Bangladesh has recently signed a deal for the
record by planting more than five crore saplings in just ten construction of coal fired power plant. What is the name of
hours. the proposed plant?
a) Madhya Pradesh b) Uttar Pradesh a) Rampal Power Station
c) Bihar d) Telangana b) Kuakata Power Station
604. Who of the following was the Delhi High Court-appointed c) Khulna Power Station
observer that submitted its report on Delhi and Districts d) Ravi Power Station
Cricket Association's functioning during this year's IPL with 614. Who recently was appointed the Chief of Congress party
its observation?' in the state of Uttar Pradesh?
a) Justice Mukul Mudgal b) C K Khanna a) Sheila Dikshit b) Priyanka Vadra
c) Justice Mirza Imtiyaz d) Anand Desai c) Raj Babbar d) Ghulam Nabi Azad
605. The biography 'Ringside with Vijender' has been authored 615. What is the percentage growth in the Index of Industrial
by Production (IIP) in May 2016 over the period May 2015?
a) Rudraneil Sengupta b) Tarana Khan a) 1.3 b) 1.4
c) Amal Singh d) Aruna Dhir c) 1.0 d) 1.2
606. Permanent Court of Arbitration gave the judgment in 616. Who was given the charge of Union Ministry of Minority
favour of the Philippines in the ongoing South China Sea Affairs following the resignation of Najma Hepatullah?
dispute. In this context, which one of the following countries a) Asifa Khan b) Syed Shahnawaz Hussain
is not party to the dispute? c) MJ Akbar d) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
a) Vietnam b) Cambodia 617. The Centre recently set up a task force comprising senior
c) Myanmar d) Indonesia officers of Border States and paramilitary forces to identify
607. Which bank acquired the Tamil Nadu-based micro finance cross border crimes along which internation border?
company Grama Vidiyal which is touted to be the first such a) Indo-Bangladesh border
acquisition of a micro finance company by a bank? b) Indo-Pakistan border
a) Bandhan Bankb) IDFC Bank c) India-Sri Lanka border
c) Yes Bank d) ICICI Bank d) India-Burma border
608. What is the rank of India in the recently released ICC Test 618. What is the name of the operation that was started to
rankings? evacuate Indian citizens stranded in South Sudan's capital
a) First b) Second Juba?
c) Third d) Fourth (a) Raahat (b) Maitri
609. Which Indian cricketer topped the list of all-rounder in the (c) Checkmate (d) Sankat Mochan
recently released ICC rankings? 619. Which of the following is not part of the defunct fertiliser
a) Ravindra Jadeja b) Hardik Pandya units whose revival was approved by Union Cabinet in July
c) Ravichandran Ashwin d) Yuvraj Singh 2016?
610. Which celebrity topped the list of the World's Highest- (a) Sindri (b) Barauni

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 (c) Gorakhpur (d) Namrup with which state will deliver holy water, Pushkara jalam, of
620. Who of the following was appointed as the second women Krishna River in a bottle to facilitate the devotees who
Prime Minister of United Kingdom? cannot make it possible to attend the approaching Krishna
(a) Ruth Davidson (b) Theresa May Pushkaralu?
(c) Andrea Leadsom (d) Nicola Sturgeon a) Telangana b) Maharashtra
621. Name the historian and author of the famous book 'The c) Tamil Nadu d) Andhra Pradesh
Rise of the West: A History of the Human Community' who 630. Which country declared Zika emergency across northern
died recently. half of the country?
(a) A.J.P Taylor (b) Eric Hobsbawn a) Brazil b) Peru
(c) William H McNeill (d) Michael King c) Argentina d) Chile
622. Recently CCEA gave its approval for disinvestment of how 631. Name the cricketer who became the oldest captain to
much percent of paid up equity of National Buildings score a century in a Test match.
Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC)? a) Misbah-ul-Haq b) AB de Villiers
(a) 10% (b) 15% c) MS Dhoni d) Steve Smith
(c) 12% (d) 5% 632. Name India's Grand Master who won the Fide Women's
623. Who of the following will head the high-level committee Grand Prix trophy in Chendu, China.
that was constituted to review the minimum support price a) Olga Girya b) Koneru Humpy
(MSP) and bonus for pulses? c) Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi d) Harika Dronavalli
a) Arvind Subramanian b) Anand Desai 633. Name the author of the book titled 'Who Moved My
c) NK Singh d) Prakash Singh Interest Rate'?
624. Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari left to which a) Raghuram Rajan b) Duvvuri Subbarao
country to lead the Indian delegation for the 11th Asia - c) Y. V. Reddy d) C. Rangarajan
Europe Meeting? 634. Who was recently appointed the Chairman-cum-
a) Mongolia b) Istanbul Managing Director of the Jute Corporation of India Limited?
c) France d) Germany a) Y V Murthy b) C. Rangarajan
625. Who was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) c) K V R Murthy d) None of the above
of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) in July 2016? 635. Who headed the SC-constituted Special Investigation
a) Ashok Patnaik b) Ravendra Pratap Team (SIT) on black money that submitted its fifth report to
c) Ashutosh Mukherjee d) Shyam Singhal the apex court?
626. The Union Cabinet in July 2016 approved which scheme a) MC Joshi b) Justice MB Shah
to impart fresh training to 60 lakh youths and certify skills of c) Justice Rajinder Sachar d) Ram Jethmalani
40 lakh persons acquired non-formally under the 636. Which country was declared as Maternal and Neonatal
Recognition of Prior Learning? Tetanus free in July 2016 by the World Health Organization
a) Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (WHO)?
b) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana a) Malaysia b) China
c) Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana c) India d) Nepal
d) Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 637. What was the theme of the World Youth Skills Day 2016?
627. Union Cabinet approved the facilities extended to persons a) Youth skills for work and life in the post-2015 agenda
residing in India on long-term visa of certain countries. b) Skills Development to Improve Youth Employment
Which of the following country is not part of this? c) Youth Employment through Skill Development
a) Bangladesh b) Afghanistan d) Skilling Youth for Sustainable Goals
c) Pakistan d) Nepal 638. Who was appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board
628. Which train clocked the speed of 180km/hour to become of Secondary Education (CBSE) in July 2016?
the fastest train in India? a) Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi
a) Gatimaan Express b) Bhopal Shatabdi Express b) Sarvendra Vikram Bahadur
c) Talgo train d) Tejas Express c) Satbir Bedi
629. The Department of Posts and Telegraph in association d) Kailash Singh Yadav

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639. Nasdaq-listed Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corp (TRTL) in July which international summit?
2016 acquired which Indian travel agency? a) 27th APEC Summit b) 7th BRICS Summit
a) Make My Trip b) TripAdvisor c) 11th ASEM Summit d) 45th NATO Summit
c) Yatra Online d) Expedia.com 649. Which day was designated as ASEM Day at the recently
640. The SC-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) on concluded Asia-Europe Summit in Mongolia?
black money in its fifth report recommended ban on cash a) 1 May b) 1 March
transactions above what limit? c) 1 April d) 1 June
a) 1 lakh rupees b) 3 lakh rupees 650. Which historical site in Bihar was declared as the
c) 5 lakh rupees d) 10 lakh rupees UNESCO's World Heritage Site?
641. India in July 2016 signed 100 Million US dollar Loan for a) Bodh Gaya b) Rohtas Fort
Cauvery Delta project in Tamil Nadu with which c) Nalanda Mahavihara d) Vikramasila Monastery
organisation? 651. In which state the Ramayana month is celebrated in the
a) International Monetary Fund month of July and August every year?
b) World Bank a) Tamil Nadu b) Kerala
c) United Nations c) Karnataka d) Andhra Pradesh
d) Asian Development Bank 652. What is the rank of India football team in the recently
642. The SC-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) on released FIFA World rankings?
black money in its fifth report suggested capping the cash a) 151 b) 162
holding of an industry or individual up to what amount? c) 163 d) 152
a) 10 lakh rupees b) 15 lakh rupees 653. What is the name of the website launched by Union
c) 18 lakh rupees d) 20 lakh rupees Government with a view to share the impact of various
643. The Rare Marbled Map butterfly (Cyrestis cocles) was governance initiatives with citizens in real-time?
sighted in Eastern Ghats of which state? a) Reaching Last Mile b) Transforming India
a) Odisha b) Tamil Nadu c) Rejuvenating India d) Door-to-Door India
c) Karnataka d) Andhra Pradesh 654. As per the Census 2011, what percentage of disable
644. Who of the following will head the RBI constituted inter population in India is literate?
regulatory Working Group that will study the entire gamut of a) 51.5 b) 52.5
regulatory issues relating to Fin Tech and Digital Banking in c) 53.5 d) 54.5
India? 655. With which State did Ministry of Railways in July 2016
a) Nitin Chugh b) AS Ramasastri signed a Joint Venture Agreement to expand railway
c) Sudarshan Sen d) Sarat Kumar Malik network in the State?
645. Which country faced a failed military coup wherein at a) Arunachal Pradesh b) Rajasthan
least 90 people were killed and over 1500 soldiers were c) Haryana d) Uttarakhand
detained by a military faction? 656. Which state became the first state in India to start a
a) Afghanistan b) Pakistan Happiness Department?
c) Turkey d) Nigeria a) Rajasthan b) Madhya Pradesh
646. In last two years by what magnitude the electricity c) Uttar Pradesh d) Haryana
generation capacity increased in India? 657. What is the name of the autobiography of NASA astronaut
a) 46000 MW b) 45000 MW Buzz Aldrin the second man to land on moon?
c) 35000 MW d) 36000 MW a) Riding Rockets
647. Which two countries agreed on concrete steps to save the b) First Man
failing Syrian ceasefire? c) The Last Man on the Moon
a) The US and Syria d) No Dream is Too High
b) Syria and Saudi Arabia 658. Who of the following was appointed as the Chief Minister
c) Saudi Arabia and the US of Arunachal Pradesh in July 2016?
d) The US and Russia a) Kalikho Pul b) Pema Khandu
648. The Ulaanbaatar Declaration issued recently relates to c) Tataghata Roy d) Nabam Tuki

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659. India's boxing star Vijender Singh defeated whom to lift
the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title at Thyagraj
Stadium, New Delhi?
a) Andrzej Soldra b) Samet Hyuseinov
c) Sonny Whiting d) Kerry Hope
660. Name the Turkish musician who was appointed as the
UNESCO Artist for Peace by the Director-General of
UNESCO, Irina Bokova.
a) Markus Stockhausen b) Kudsi Erguner
c) Suleyman Erguner d) Nezih Uzel
661. Who of the following won the 73rd Senior National
Squash Championship in the women's segment?
a) Dipika Pallikal b) Joshna Chinappa
c) Bhuvneshwari Kumari d) Anaka Alankamony
662. Who of the following won the 73rd Senior National
Squash Championship in the men's segment?
a) Harinderpal Singh Sandhu
b) Ritwik Bhattacharya
c) Saurav Ghosal
d) Siddharth Suchde
663. Which website was launched by the Union Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology in July 2016 to
facilitate two-way communication between the government
and citizens?
a) Skill India Online b) Transforming India
c) MyGov.in d) Citizen Portal
664. When is the Nelson Mandela International Day observed
every year?
a) 2 May b) 19 October c) 26 August d) 18 July
665. Which system was developed by Indian Railways for
enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement
weather in July 2016?
a) SMRT Trains System b) TBOGI system
c) TRI-NETRA system d) Spot Your Train
666. Who was appointed as the Chairman of Airports Authority
of India (AAI) in July 2016?
a) Nilamani Sahoo b) Vimal Gupta
c) Manoj Prabhakar d) Guruprasad Mohapatra
667. Which country has called for a free trade deal with Britain
following its exit from the European Union?
a) Australia b) France c) The US d) India
668. Name India's site that was listed in UNESCO's world
Heritage sites in mixed category in July 2016.
a) khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim
b) Complexe du Capitole, Chandigarh
c) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
d) Mountain Railways of India
669. Name India's site that was listed in UNESCO's world
Heritage sites in transnational category in July 2016.
a) Elephanta Caves
b) Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
c) khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim
d) Complexe du Capitole, Chandigarh
670. India's first multi city marathon that was flagged off after
a ceremony at the Amar Jawan Jyoti is named as.
a) India Runs b) United India
c) Great India Run d) None of the above
671. Almost a quarter of a million children in parts of Borno
state formerly controlled by Boko Haram are suffering from
severe malnutrition. Borno is located in which of the
following country?
a) Congo b) Egypt c) Nigeria d) Mali
672. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has called for a ban
on all Russian competitors and officials at the upcoming Rio
Olympics and other international sports on the basis of the
Investigation Report of whom of the following?
a) Richard McLaren b) Grigory Rodchenkov
c) Taylor Branch d) Jerry Sandusky
673. Name the rider who won the 5th Red Bull Romaniacs
title.
a) Graham Jarvis b) Jonny Walker
c) Andreas Lettenbichler d) Cyril Despres
674. Name the multinational telecommunications company
that recently agreed to acquire the U.K. based
semiconductor firm ARM Holdings.
a) Bharti Airtel b) Verizon
c) Softbank d) Telstra
675. Name the Ayurvedic medicine manufacturer that recently
inked a MoU with DRDO's Defence Institute of High Altitude
Research to promote cultivation of rare medicinal plants.
a) Shri Baidyanath
b) Zandu Pharmaceutical Works
c) The Himalaya Drug Company
d) Dabur India Ltd.
676. Name the country that signed a MoU with Uttar Pradesh
government to set up a skill development centre to help
farmers.
a) The Netherlands b) France
c) England d) Russia
677. The recommendation of Lodha Committee on BCCI
reforms that was accepted by Supreme Court bars people
above which age from being member of BCCI?
a) 60 b) 65 c) 70 d) 75
678. Who was appointed as the Chief Economist of World Bank

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 in July 2016? a) Nancy Kacungira b) Didi Akinyelure
a) Justin Yifu Lin b) Franois Bourguignon c) Dele Olejede d) None of the above
c) Nicholas H Stern d) Paul Romer 688. Who recently became the first Indian to win the Mr World
679. India's first e-court was opened in July 2016 at which title?
High Court? a) Prateik Jain b) Taher Ali
a) Madras High Court b) Hyderabad High Court c) Rohit Khandelwal d) Inder Bajwa
c) Rajasthan High Court d) Punjab High Court 689. Who was appointed the Managing Director of 2019
680. Who was appointed as the Vice-President-Finance for Cricket World Cup?
India and South West Asia of Coca-Cola in July 2016? a) Colin Graves b) Ian Lovett
a) Sarvita Sethi b) Sanjeev Kumar c) Peter Wright d) Steve Elworthy
c) Venkatesh Kini d) Manoj Prabhakar 690. Who was appointed as the Digital Ambassador of Axis
681. Name the Indian-origin former Singapore President who Bank's new product named Multi-Currency Forex Card?
was conferred with the Outstanding Member of the South a) Purab Kohli b) Upen Patel
Asian Diaspora award 2016? c) Rannvijay Singh d) Anushka Sharma
a) Subadhra Devi Rai b) S R Nathan 691. Name the country that in July 2016 formally announced
c) Ron Chandran-Dudley d) Gopinath Pillai its wish to rejoin the African Union (AU) 32 years after
682. Which state government has planned to create 400 leaving the organisation.
hectares of new water area in private land in 2016? a) Sudan b) Morocco c) Djibouti d) Niger
a) Odisha b) Jharkhand 692. MPs of which country backed in Parliament the renewal
c) Kerala d) Pondicherry of the Trident nuclear weapons system?
683. Which of the following statements about the Child Labour a) Israel b) United Kingdom
(Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012 is true c) France d) North Korea
that was passed by Rajya Sabha? 693. Who of the following officially clinched the Republican
a) It prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all nomination for the US President after a state-by-state vote
occupation at the Party Convention?
b) It aligns the 1986 Act with Right of Children to Free and a) Ted Cruz b) Bernie Sanders
Compulsory Education Act, 2009 c) Donald Trump d) Hillary Rodham Clinton
c) It defines children between age group of 13 to 17 years 694. Who of the following was elected as President of the
as adolescents Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA)?
d) Union Government can either add or omit any hazardous a) Imran Ansari b) Farooq Abdullah
occupation from the list included c) Abdul Wahid Tanveer d) Parvez Rasool
684. Name the state that has decided to celebrate the 695. Name the state whose three cadre IAS officers were
bicentenary (200 years) of the 1817 Paika revolt against the empanelled in the rank of the Union Secretary at a time for
British Empire in 2016. the first time.
a) Telangana b) Odisha a) Telangana b) Gujarat
c) Gujarat d) Tamil Nadu c) Tamil Nadu d) Odisha
685. Name the country whose scientists said that it will 696. CCEA in July 2016 approved construction of a new dry
conduct the world's first Zika vaccine test on humans. dock within which of the following shipyard?
a) Canada b) United States a) Mazagon b) Cochin
c) France d) Britain c) Goa d) Hooghly
686. Name the former Indian hockey player and part of the 697. Name the country that in 2016 declared a three-month
team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, who died state of emergency in the country.
recently. a) Turkey b) Syria c) Iraq d) North Korea
a) Mohammed Shahid b) Abdul Shahid 698. India in July 2016 signed the Air Services Agreement for
c) Mohammed Shehzad d) Joe Antic the first time with which country?
687. Who was recently awarded with the BBC World Service a) Ghana b) Mozambique
News Komla Dumor Award for 2016? c) Vietnam d) Tunisia

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699. Name the oldest and last litigant of the
Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri title suit, who died due to heart-
related complications in the temple city of Ayodhya.
a) Mohammad Farooq b) Ashhad Rashidi
c) Hashim Ansari d) Mufti Hasbullah
700. Union Cabinet approved the incorporation of Sagarmala
Development Company (SDC) under the Companies Act of
which year?
a) 1956 b) 2008 c) 2013 d) 2014
701. IMF in its revised global economic growth forecast for
2017 lowered world economy growth by what percentage
point?
a) 0.1 percentage point b) 0.2 percentage point
c) 0.9 percentage point d) 1 percentage point
702. Which state/UT introduced an online payment system for
licensing and registration of food business operators in the
national capital?
a) Delhi b) Bihar c) Karnataka d) Punjab
703. Name the state that convened a special session of the
Assembly for passing the State Appropriation Bill.
a) Uttarakhand b) Arunachal Pradesh
c) Kerala d) Bihar
704. Name the state that has decided to consider coffee
plantation in 50 thousand hectares of land in the State by
2030.
a) Assam b) Kerala
c) Tamil Nadu d) Nagaland
705. Who of the following is the author of book, The Great
Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable?
a) Amitav Ghosh b) Vikram Seth
c) Amish Tripathi d) Amit Chaudhuri
706. NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with which
organisation to start the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL)
initiative as a part of its flagship programme Atal Innovation
Mission (AIM).
a) Tech Mahindra b) Intel India
c) Infosys d) Tata Consultancy Services
707. The Election Commission of India recently launched NERP
2016 programme across the country. What is the full form
of NERP?
a) National Electoral Roll Purification
b) Nationwide Electoral Roll Purification
c) Nation Electoral Roll Purification
d) Nationalised Electoral Roll Purification
708. What is the motto of the Election Commission of India for
the year 2016?
a) Voter keeps the nation united
b) No voter to be left behind
c) Vote for united India
d) None of the above
709. Who has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of
Unique Identification Authority of India?
a) Vijay Bhushan Pandey
b) Ajay Bhushan Pandey
c) Jay Bhushan Pandey
d) None of the above
710. Which State government constituted a State Technical
Advisory Group on Immunisation (STAGI) in July 2016?
a) Odisha b) Tamil Nadu
c) Kerala d) West Bengal
711. Which Company topped the 2016 Fortune 500 list of the
world's biggest firms that was released on 21 July 2016?
a) China National Petroleum b) Sinopec Group
c) Walmart d) State Grid
712. Which Indian Company got the highest ranking in the
2016 Fortune 500 list of the world's biggest firms that was
released on 21 July 2016?
a) State Bank of India
b) Oil and Natural Gas Corp
c) Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd
d) Indian Oil Corporation
713. Name the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox
News Channel who resigned in July 2016?
a) Rupert Murdochb) Bill O'Reilly
c) Roger Aile d) Chris Wallace
714. Which country topped the inaugural Sustainable
Development Goal Index (SDG Index) that was released
recently?
a) Sweden b) Denmark c) Finland d) Australia
715. What was the rank of India in the recently released
inaugural Sustainable Development Goal Index (SDG
Index)?
a) 110 b) 112 c) 113 d) 114
716. Who will head the committee constituted to prepare a
draft plan on Ganga river?
a) Justice (retd) MB Shah
b) Justice (retd) Girdhar Malviya
c) Justice (retd) Bhupendra Yadav
d) Justice (retd) SK Das
717. Odisha govt formed a judicial panel for reforms in
Jagannath temple management which will be headed by
a) Justice (retd) Bimal Prasad Das
b) Justice (retd) Girdhar Malviya
c) Justice (retd) Bhupendra Yadav
d) Justice (retd) SK Das

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