Dateline January to July 2017
1 January Two new Hindi
writers Shraddha and
Ghyansham Kumar
Devansh have been chosen
for Bharatiya Jnanpith
Navlekhan Award for the
year 2016. Shraddha was
chosen for her short story
‘Hawa Mein Phadphadati
Chitthi‘ and Devansh for his
poem ‘Akash Mein Deh‘.
I
India started supply an
additional 80 MW of power
to Nepal from January 1,
which will increase the total
transmission of electricity to
the neighboring nation to
400 MW.
I
Akhilesh Yadav was named
Samajwadi Party Chief by
the party’s national
exeactive and Mulayam
Singh Yadav was appointed
mentor.
I
‘World Bhojpuri Conference’
concluded in Varanasi
(Uttar Pradesh). Over 18
countries were participated
in the conference.
2 January The Supreme
Court ordered to remove
Anurag Thakur as chief of
India’s cricket board BCCI
for not implementing Lodha
Committee
recommendation. The
Supreme Court has also
ordered the sacking of
BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke.
I
India successfully test-fired
long range intercontinental
surface-to-surface nuclear
capable ballistic missile
Agni-IV from the Abdul
Kalam Wheeler Island off
Odisha.
3 January Mobile payment
service Paytm received a formal
approval from the Reserve Bank
of India to launch its Paytm
Payments Bank.
I
American company Apple
announced the manufacture
iPhones in India in collaboration
with Taiwanese company
Wistron. The factory will be
establish in the Bengaluru city.
I
The Reserve Bank announced
Surekha Marandi as an Executive
Director.
4 January Election Commission
announced poll dates for 5
states– UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand,
Goa and Manipur.
I
Central Board of Direct Taxes
signed three more Advance
Pricing Agreements pertaining to
the Engineering Goods and
Shipping sectors.
5 January Pakistan batsman
Younis Khan becomes first player
to score Test hundreds in 11
countries after scoring century on
the third day of the third Test
match against Australia at the
Sydney Cricket Ground.
I
MS Dhoni stepped down as
India’s ODI and T20 skipper.
I
US Army has issued a new
regulation under which
servicemen who wear turbans,
hijabs or beards can now be
enrolled in the military service.
6 January Bollywood actor
Om Puri died of a heart attack
in Mumbai at the age of 66.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated
a Convention of Non-Resident
Odias (NROs) organized by the
Odisha Forum in New Delhi.
7 January
Roberto Bautista
Agut of Spain wins the
Chennai Open after defeating
Daniil Medvedev by 6-3, 6-4.
I
American romantic musical
comedy-drama film “La La
Land” wins 7 awards in Golden
Globes 2017.
8 January Income-tax Rules
amended to provide that bank
shall obtain and link PAN or
Form No. 60 (where PAN is not
available) in all existing bank
accounts (other than BSBDA)
by 28.02.2017.
I
Inauguration of the 14th
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Convention at Bengaluru .
9 January Amir Khan’s
Dangal becomes Bollywood’s
highest grosser film.
I
Amitabh Bachchan has been
honoured by the US Embassy
to acknowledge his immense
contribution to the India-US
ties on tuberculosis.
10 January One of the world’s
oldest and most iconic web
portals Yahoo now will be known
with its new name Altaba Inc.
I
Mumbai become the first Indian
city to have WiFi conne- ctivity
in public places. The state
activated 500 hotspots across
different locations.
I
Portugal and Real Madrid
superstar Cristiano Ronaldo
named FIFA’s best men’s
footballer of 2016.
11 January Anju Mangla
becomes the first female
superintendent of high-profile
Tihar jail in New Delhi.
President Barack Obama
I
made his farewell speech in
Chicago.
12 January CEO and
Managing Director of Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS)
Natarajan Chandrasekaran
appointed as new chairman
of Tata Sons.
I
India’s second Scorpene-
class diesel-electric attack
submarine Khanderi
launched at Mumbai’s
Mazagon Dock.
I
National Youth Day is
celebrated today on the
154th birth anniversary of
Swami Vivekananda.
13 January India
celebrated harvest festivals
Lohri, Magh Bihu, Pongal
and Makar Sankranti in
different parts.
I
India inked MoU’s with Sri
Lanka to construct rain
harvesting systems in the
northern Jaffna District.
14 January Gujarat wins
their maiden Ranji Trophy
title after defeating defending
champions Mumbai by five
wickets in Indore.
I
Ecuador took over the chair
of the United Nations Group
of 77. Before Ecuador this
chair was with Thailand.
15 January The 69th Indian
Army Day celebrated today.
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24 people were killed when two
country boats capsized in river
Ganga near NIT ghat at Patna
in Bihar.
I
Aamir Khan won the Best Actor
(Male) Award for Dangal and
Alia Bhatt was given Best Actor
(Female) Award for Udta
Punjab in the 62nd edition of
Filmfare Awards held in
Mumbai.
16 January India & Mauritius
Sign MoU for Cooperation in
the field of Cooperatives .
I
India Signs Financing
Agreement with World Bank for
US$ 48 Million for “Nagaland
Health Project”.
I
J P Nadda inaugurated the
National Workshop on ‘Life and
Fire Safety in Healthcare
Facilities in India’ .
17 January Twenty five
children which include 12 girls
and 13 boys have been
selected for the National
Bravery Awards – 2016.
I
The Italian conservative Antonio
Tajani was elected as the
President of the European
Parlaiment.
18 January Cabinet approved
MoU between India and Serbia
for cooperation in the field of
Information Technology and
Electronics .
I
The Union HRD Minister Shri
Prakash Javadekar launched a
dedicated web portal ‘ShaGun’
for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
at New Delhi.
19 January MS Dhoni
becoming only the second
batsman after Sachin Tendulkar
to score 4000 ODI runs in India.
Delhi Police Commissioner Alok
I
Kumar Verma appointed as the
Director of CBI.
I
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
becoming the first Indian to hit
200 ODI sixes.
I
Priyanka Chopra wins second
People’s Choice Award for TV
series Quantico.
20 January Donald John
Trump sworn in as the 45th
president of the United States.
I
Dharamsala is declared as the
second capital of Himachal
Pradesh.
21 January Governor of
Tamil Nadu has approved an
ordinance by the state
government which will allow
the bull-taming sport Jallikattu
to be held again in the state.
I
Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal
has become the first Indian
film to have grossed income
above Rs 375 crore from
within the country.
22 January At least 39
people were killed and 54
injured after the
Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar
Hirakhand Express derailed in
Andhra Pradesh.
Saina Nehwal wins the
I
Malaysia Masters Grand Prix
Gold after beating Thailand’s
Pornpawee Chochuwong
22-20, 22-20 in the women’s
singles final.
I
Virat Kohli became the
quickest batsman in the world
to complete 1,000 runs as
captain in One-Day
Internationals. He took just 17
innings to get to the
milestone.
I
Indian wins the three matches
ODI series against England by
2-1.
23 January The Prime
Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,
presented the National
Bravery Awards to 25
children.
I
Commerce & Industry Minister
Smt Nirmala Sitharaman
launched Rubber Soil
Information System (RubSIS),
an online system.
24 January The National Girl
Child Day is observed today.
I
Rest of India wins the Irani
Trophy final after defeating
Gujarat by 6 wickets.
25 January
Union
Government announced more
than 100 Padma Awardees.
This year’s list features
eminent personalities
including Olympians PV
Sindhu, Sakshi Malik,
Paralympian Deepa Malik,
star cricketer and former
captain of the Indian cricket
team Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella,
Google chief Sundar Pichai,
and Indian American governor
of South Carolina, Nikki Haley
among others.
Current Affairs
I
President Pranab Mukherjee’s
address to the nation on the
eve of Republic Day.
I
The world’s tallest building
Burj Khalifa tower lit up in the
colours of the Indian National
flag for today and tomorrow
on the eve of Republic Day.
26 January 68th Republic
day is celebrated today.
I
10 Army soldiers were killed
when two separate
avalanches struck Jammu
and Kashmir’s Gurez sector.
27 January Meghalaya
Governor V Shanmuganathan
resigned from his post.
I
Central Water Commission
(CWC) under the Ministry of
Water Resources River
Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation signed two
separate MoUs with IIT
Madras and IIS Bengaluru in
New Delhi.
28 January Serena Williams
beats Venus Williams to win
the Australian Open Title by
6-4, 6-4. This was Serena’s
23rd Grand Slam title. She
broke Steffi Graf’s record of
22 Major titles.
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The results of different
competitive presentations in
the Republic Day Parade –
2017 have been
announced by the Ministry
of Defence.
29 January Roger Federer
defeated Rafael Nadal by 6-4,
3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the final of
the Australian Open to win his
fifth Australian Open Singles
title.
I
Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig
lost in the Australian Open
mixed doubles final by 2-6,
4-6 to Abigail Spears and
Juan Sebastian Cabal.
I
PV Sindhu defeated Gregoria
Mariska 21-13, 21-14 in the
women’s singles final to win
the Syed Modi International
Grand Prix Gold tournament in
Lucknow.
30 January Martyrs’ day is
being observed today in India
to marks the 69th death
anniversary of the Father of
the nation Mahatma Gandhi.
I
Amulya Kumar Patnaik has
been appointed the Delhi
Police Commissioner.
Half Yearly 2017
I
Miss France Iris Mittenaere
crowed as Miss Universe in
Philippines.
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Former Comptroller and
Auditor General of India
Vinod Rai is appointed as the
head of a four-member
team of administrators who
will run the Indian cricket
board BCCI.
31 January
Income Tax
Department (ITD) launched
Operation Clean Money .
Finance Minister Shri Arun
I
Jaitley Presented Economic
Survey 2016-17 in the
Parliament.
1 February Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley presents the
budget in Parliament. The
total expenditure of the
budget is Rs. 21.47 lakh
crore. Income tax for persons
who earn between 2.5 to 5
lakh has been cut from 10%
to 5%. Transactions above
Rs. 3 lakh will not be allowed
in cash after 1st April.
I
For the first time, Union
Finance Minister presented
the combined budget of
Independent India including
the Railways in Union Budget
2017-2018.
I
India wins three match T20
series against England by
2-1.
2 February Former Chelsea
and England footballer Frank
Lampard retires from football.
He had 106 appearances for
England’s national team.
3 February Praveen
Mahajan elected unopposed
as the president of the All
India Tennis Association.
I
Former CBI Director Joginder
Singh passed away in Delhi.
4 February Assembly
election voting for Punjab
and Goa had concluded .
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee opened
the annual ‘Udyanotsav’ of
the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
5
5 February India defeated
New Zealand 4-1 to enter
the second round of Davis
Cup Group 1 Asia/Oceania.
Sasikala Natarajan was
I I
appointed as leader of
AIADMK Legislative Party.
I
A one-day course on
‘Indian Art: History &
Appreciation’ held at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan
Museum.
6 February Qatar Airways
makes the world’s longest
commercial flight after its
flight landed in New
Zealand. Doha- Auckland
service covers 14,535
kilometres (9,032 miles).
I
Indian origin UK Sculptor,
Anish Kapoor was awarded
Israel’s Genesis Prize.
7 February The Lok
Sabha passed the Payment
of Wages (Amendment) Bill.
The Bill seeks to enable
employers to pay wages to
workers through cheque or
directly crediting to their
accounts.
I
Sourabh Verma from men’s
singles and Rituparna Das
from women’s singles won
the Titles in National
Badminton Championship
in the 81st Senior National
Badminton Championships
tournament in Patna,
Biharon.
8 February RBI raises
weekly cash withdrawal limit
to Rs. 50,000 a week from
February 20th. From March
13th, there will be no limit
for withdrawal.
I
Sourabh Verma and
Rituparna Das won the
men’s single and women’s
singles title in the 81st
Senior National Badminton
Championships tournament
in Patna, Bihar.
I
The lower house of British
Parliament, House of
Commons passed the
Brexit Bill .
9 February
The two-day
17th International Seminar
on “Counter- Improvised
Explosive Device (IED)
strategy”, organized by the
National Security Guard
(NSG), concluded.
6 Current Affairs
10 February India’s first
National Women’s Parliament
began in Amaravati, Andhra
Pradesh.
Indian Captain Virat Kohli
became the first batsman in
Test history to score a double
century in four consecutive
series. He surpasses the
records of Sir Don Bradman
and Rahul Dravid, who had a
double ton in three successive
series.
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India became the first team in
cricket history to score
600-plus in 3 successive Tests
innings after scoring 687 runs
in the first innings against
Bangladesh.
11 February Voting is being
held in 73 assembly
constituencies in Uttar
Pradesh in the first of seven
phases elections in the state.
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India successfully tested PDV
(Prithvi Defence Vehicle)
interceptor missile that can hit
an incoming ballistic missile
from Abdul Kalam Island
(Wheeler Island) off Odisha.
12 February The Hindustan
Motors sells its iconic brand
car Ambassador to European
auto major Peugeot for Rs 80
crore.
I
Ravichandran Ashwin became
the fastest bowler to reach 250
wickets in Test match history.
He surpassed Australian
legend Dennis Lillee’s record
by taking 45 matches to reach
the landmark.
I
India beat Pakistan to win the
T20 World Cup for Blind.
13 February The 59th
edition of Grammy Awards
ceremony held in Staples
Center, Los Angeles. Adele’s
album, 25 wins the Album of
the Year award.
I
The 70th British Academy Film
Awards held at the Royal
Albert Hall in London. Damien
Chazelle’s “La La Land” wins
most of the awards.
14 February Defence
Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar
inaugurated the 11th biennial
edition of International
Aerospace and Defence
Exhibition and declared the
Aero India 2017 open at Air
Force Station, Yelahanka in
Bengaluru.
Half Yearly 2017
15 February ISRO launched
a record 104 satellites on a
single rocket from the
Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra
Pradesh. In about 18 minutes,
all 104 satellites were released
into space.
I
The assembly elections held
today in Uttarakhand with 68%
polling. Also the second phase
assembly election held today in
Uttar Pradesh.
16 February Edappadi
Palaniswami took oath as the
new Chief Minister of Tamil
Nadu.
17 February Ministry of
Tourism compiles monthly
estimates of Foreign Tourist
Arrivals (FTAs) & FTAs on
e-Visa on the basis of
Nationality-wise, Port-wise data
received from Bureau of
Immigration (BOI).
18 February Shri Radha
Mohan Singh inaugurated
India’s Western Regional
Agriculture Fair 2017 in Bikaner.
19 February Former Chief
Justice of India, Shri Altamas
Kabir passed away.
20 February Afghanistan’s
Mohammad Nabi becomes the
first Afghan cricketer to include
in the Indian Premier League
after he was sold to Sunrisers
Hyderabad in IPL auction.
21 February Air Marshal Ajit
Shankarrao Bhonsle and Ms.
Sujata Mehta take oath as
Members, UPSC.
22 February Shurhozelie
Liezietsu took oath as the 11th
Chief Minister of Nagaland.
23 February Astronomers
with the help of NASA’s Spitzer
Space Telescope have found
at least seven Earth-sized
planets orbiting the same star
40 light-years away.
I
24 eminent authors were
conferred with the Sahitya
Akademi Award 2019 for the
most outstanding books of
literary published in any of the
22 official Indian languages.
24 February
Mahashivaratri is
being celebrated in India.
I
Ravichandran Ashwin broke
Kapil Dev’s 37-year-old record
of most wickets in home
season. He took 64 wickets in
10 test matches.
25 February Admiral Sunil
Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff on
Official Visit to United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
26 February According to
New World Wealth report,
India’s financial capital Mumbai
is the richest Indian city with a
total wealth of $820 billion.
Delhi and Bengaluru are the
second and third richest cities
in India.
27 February The 89th
Academy Awards are
announced. Moonlight wins the
Best Picture award this year.
Emma Stone wins the Best
Actress award for La La Land.
Casey Affleck wins the Best
Actor Oscar award for
Manchester By The Sea
28 February A 7% GDP
growth recorded in the
October-December quarter.
I
Manchester United defeated
Southampton by 3-2 to win the
EFL Cup 2016-17.
1 March Indian shooters Jitu
Rai and Amanpreet Singh wins
gold and silver medal
respectively in men’s 50m free
pistol at the ISSF Shooting World
Cup.
I
India captain Virat Kohli
presented with the prestigious
Polly Umrigar Award at the
BCCI Annual Awards to be held
in Bengaluru. Kohli become the
first Indian cricketer to be
bestowed with the honour on
three occasions. All-rounder R
Ashwin also becomes the first
Indian cricketer to receive the
Dilip Sardesai Award twice.
2 March The Indian Navy
successfully conducted the
maiden firing of an Anti-Ship
missile from the first of the
indigenously built Kalvari class
submarines, during a test firing
in the Arabian Sea.
3 March Environment Minister
attends World Wildlife Day
Celebrations at National
Zoological Park .
4 March Over 80% voting
recorded in the first phase of
Manipur Assembly elections.
I
The sixth phase of UP
Assembly election is being
held for 49 seats in seven
districts.
The Goods and Service Tax
I
Council has cleared the
Central GST (C-GST) and
Integrated GST (I-GST) laws.
5 March Dr. Jitendra Singh
lays foundation stone of 10
KW FM Radio Station at
Malhar in Udhampur.
6 March Indian Navy’s oldest
aircraft carrier, INS Viraat
decommissioned today after
nearly six decades in service.
7 March Second edition of
the joint exercise between the
Indian and Oman Armies
commenced today with the
Opening Ceremony at Bakloh,
Himachal Pradesh.
Incidence of Blast in Bhopal
I
Ujjain Passenger train in
Madhya Pradesh .
8 March International
Women’s Day celebrated
across the World.
I
China became the world’s
largest banking system by
assets.
9 March President of India
inaugurates the 12th CII-Exim
bank conclave on India Africa
Project Partnership in New
Delhi.
10 March Operation Clean
Money; Income Tax
Department identifies 17.92
Lakh persons whose tax
profiles were not in line with
the cash deposits made by
them during the
demonetization period .
8 Current Affairs
11 March BJP wins the
assemble elections in Uttar
Pradesh and Uttarakhand with
clear majority.
I
Congress wins the assemble
election in Punjab. In Goa and
Manipur, Congress emerges
as single largest party.
12 March National Skill
Development Corporation
(NSDC) and the National Skill
Development Fund (NSDF)
inked a MoU with The
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
for skill development
programmes.
13 March The festival of
colours Holi is celebrated
today in India.
I
Manohar Parrikar resigns from
his post of Defence Minister
as he will take oath as Chief
Minster of Goa.
I
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
will take additional charge as
the India’s Defence Minister.
I
The Reserve Bank of India on
Monday lifted the limit on cash
withdrawals from banks and
ATMs.
I
Lee Chong Wei beat Shi Yuqi
of China by 21-12, 21-10 to
win 4th All England title.
14 March Manohar Parrikar
took oath as the new Chief
Minister of Goa.
15 March Nongthombam
Biren Singh took oath as Chief
Minister of Manipur.
I
Shashank Manohar resigns as
chairman of International
Cricket Council.
16 March Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) won a trust vote in
the Goa assembly with 22
legislators voting for them.
I
Captain Amarinder Singh
sworn in as chief minister of
Punjab.
17 March Merger of State
Bank of India (SBI) with its five
subsidiaries.
I
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
issued guidelines for licensing
of small finance banks and
payments banks on
November 27, 2014 and
granted in-principle approvals
to 10 applicants to set up
small finance banks and to 11
applicants to set up payments
banks.
Half Yearly 2017
18 March Trivendra Singh
Rawat took oath as the ninth
Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
I
India’s national racing
champion in LGB F4 category,
Ashwin Sundar and his wife
were killed in an accident in
Chennai.
19 March Yogi Adityanath
took oath as Uttar Pradesh’s
new chief minister along with
two deputy chief ministers and
a 43-member cabinet.
I
130 days economic blockade
by the United Naga Council in
Manipur is lifted tonight.
I
Cheteshwar Pujara creates a
record of playing longest
innings, in terms of balls faced
by an Indian batsman in Test
Matches. He played 525 balls
to scores 202 runs against
Australia in the third test in
Ranchi.
20 March The Union Cabinet
chaired by the Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi has
approved The CGST Bill,The
IGST Bill, The UTGST Bill and
The Compensation Bill.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee presented
the KCK International Award for
Excellence in Print Journalism
organized by Rajasthan Patrika
in New Delhi.
21 March Microsoft
co-founder Bill Gates is
declared as the richest person
in the World by Forbes
magazine. India has world’s
fourth highest number of
billionaires with Reliance
Industries chief Mukesh
Ambani leading the club.
I
Tamil Nadu wins the Vijay
Hazare Trophy for fifth time
after defeating Bengal by 37
runs in the final in Delhi.
I
Union Government has
decided to merge the Bharatiya
Mahila Bank (BMB) with the
State Bank of India.
22 March Four people
including the attacker killed
near the British parliament in
London.
23 March The Union
Minister of Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha
Mohan Singh launched
Coffee Table Book titled “50
Years – The Great Indian Milk
Revolution” .
24 March
World
Tuberculosis Day observed
today with the slogan “United
to end TB”.
I
The Norwegian Academy of
Science and Letters selected
French mathematician Yves
Meyer for Abel Prize for 2017.
25 March To mark the 10th
annual Earth Hour, the lights
are being switched off
around the world at 8:30 pm
today evening.
I
Kuldeep Yadav became the
first chinaman bowler to play
for India in Tests. He made
his debuted in Dharamsala
against Australia in the fourth
Test match.
26 March
According to
Centre for Asia Pacific
Aviation (CAPA), India has
become the third largest
aviation market in terms of
domestic passenger traffic
with 100 million. India is only
behind US (719 million) and
China (436 million).
I
The Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi joined in the
Ugadi Milan celebrations .
27 March Bengal wins the
Santosh Trophy for a record
32nd time after beating hosts
Goa 1-0 in the final.
I
Sebastian Vettel wins the
Australian Grand Prix.
28 March Gudi Padava and
Navreh celebrated today.
I
Indian-American Vanita
Gupta has been appointed
as president and CEO of ‘The
Leadership Conference on
Civil and Human Rights’,
becoming the first woman to
head the prestigious
organisation.
I
India reclaimed the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy after
defeating Australia by 2-1 in
the home Test series.
29 March G-20 Framework
Working Group (FWG) in its
3rd Meeting at Varanasi
discusses the Current State of
the Global Economy as well as
G-20 agenda on Inclusive
Growth and Reports on Strong,
Sustainable and Balanced
Growth & G-20 Enhanced
Structural Reform Agenda
among others.
I
The Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi, has
congratulated the countrymen
on the passage of GST Bill.
30 March The Finance Bill
2017 has been approved by
Parliament. Also four GST or
Goods and Services
Tax-related bills passed by the
Lok Sabha.
Indian cricket captain Virat
I
Kohli along with seven other
sportspersons were awarded
with the Padma Shri award by
President Pranab Mukherjee.
I
The Supreme Court of India
has banned the sale of any
Bharat Stage III or BS III
vehicles across India with
effect from April 1 2017.
I
Tamil Nadu wins the Deodhar
Trophy after defeating India B
by 42 runs in the final in
Vishakhapatnam.
31 March President Pranab
Mukherjee inaugurated the
biggest River festival ‘Namami
Brahmaputra’ in Guwahati.
I
India becomes net exporter of
Electricity for 1st time as India
has exported around 5,798
Million Units to Nepal,
Bangladesh and Myanmar
which is 213 Million units more
than import of around 5,585
Million units from Bhutan.
I
Kanha Tiger Reserve became
the first tiger reserve in India to
officially introduce a mascot
named Bhoorsingh the
Barasingha.
1 April
South Asia Subregional
Economic Cooperation
(SASEC) program of Asian
Development Bank (ADB)
expanding towards the East
with Myanmar becoming its
newest member in 2017 .
I
Minister of State (I/C) for
Petroleum and Natural Gas,
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
launches BS-IV grade fuels
nationwide.
10
2 April Prime Minister
Narendra Modi inaugurate
the country’s longest road
tunnel ‘Chenani-Nashri
Highway Tunnel’ in Jammu
and Kashmir. The tunnel is
also Asia’s longest
bi-directional highways
tunnel. The tunnel is 9 km
long which connects Jammu
and Srinagar.
I
PV Sindhu defeated Carolina
Marin of Spain by 21-19,
21-16 to win her maiden India
Open Superseries title.
3 April The Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), Bangalore
ranks as the top in the annual
best national University
rankings released by the
HRD ministry.
I
At least 10 people were killed
and 50 others injured during
an explosion in a subway train
in St Petersburg, Russian.
4 April Rama Navami is
being celebrated across the
country.
I
Joint statement by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer
and the Finance Minister of
India at the 9th UK-India
Economic and Financial
Dialogue held in Delhi .
5 April The 10th edition of the
IPL starts with the opening
match played between RCB
and Sunrisers
I
Hyderabad at the Rajiv
Gandhi International Cricket
Stadium in Hyderabad.
6 April Raman Roy has been
appointed as the chairman of
The National Association of
Software and Services
Companies (Nasscom) for
2017-2018.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee presented
Gallantry Awards and
Distinguished Service
Decorations at a Defence
Investiture Ceremony held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
7 April The National Film
Awards were announced in
New Delhi. Akshay Kumar
has won National Award for
Best Actor for the film
Rustom.
Rakesh Mapuskar won Best
I
Director for the Marathi film
Ventilator. Marathi film Kasav
won Best Feature Film.
Surabhi Lakshmi won Best
Actress award.
8 April India and Bangladesh
signed 22 pacts in various
key sectors during the visit of
Bangladeshi Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina.
I
TU-142M receives a formal
welcome at INS Dega .
9 April India’s first ever
micro-drama festival was held
in Delhi. The longest play
running for not more than 10
minutes and the shortest one
ending in 42 seconds.
I
Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull arrived in
New Delhi on a four day visit.
I
President of India to Draw
Lots for Mega Draw of Lucky
Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan
Vyapar Yojana .
10 April Cabinet approved
implementation of Supreme
Court’s Judgment regarding
Target Plus Scheme (TPS)
under Foreign Trade Policy
(FTP) 2004-09 .
I
Vice President received first
copy of the book titled ‘Hope
in a challenged democracy;
An Indian narrative’ authored
by Shri Ashwini Kumar .
11 April Colson Whitehead’s
“The Underground Railroad,”
has won the Pulitzer Prize for
fiction.
I
India’s largest e-commerce
firm Flipkart acquires eBay’s
India business.
United Nations
I
Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres designated Malala
Yousafzai as the youngest
UN Messenger of Peace with
a special focus on girls’
education.
12 April The President of
India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee
presented the National
Geoscience Awards - 2016 at
a function held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
I
Cabinet approved
implementation of Supreme
Court’s Judgment regarding
Target Plus Scheme (TPS)
under Foreign Trade Policy
(FTP) 2004-09 .
13 April
US force dropped the
largest non-nuclear bomb
known as Massive Ordnance
Air Blast (MOAB) in Achin
district in Nangarhar province
in Afghanistan.
I
In the by-elections held for 10
assembly seats in eight states,
BJP has won five seats and
Congress has won three seats.
I
President Pranab Mukherjee
conferred Padma awards to
several prominent personalities
at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New
Delhi.
14 April
The 126th birth
anniversary of Dr BR
Ambedkar celebrated today
nationwide.
I
Prime Minister Narendra
Modilaunched BHIM-Aadhar
pay app which will allow
people to make payments
without using a smartphone.
The app will enable payments
through the fingerprint scanner
which will be authenticating the
biometric details of a user with
Aadhaar database.
I
Bohag Bihu festival is
celebration started in Assam .
15 April Oldest person of
world Emma Martina Luigia
Morano passed away.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee awarded
Standards to Armoured Corps
Centre and School
Ahmednagar.
16 April B Sai Praneeth defeat
K Srikanth to win the
Singapore Open men’s singles
title Super Series trophy by
17-21, 21-17, 21-12.
I
Vistadome Coach,
Mechanised laundry under
boot model at Visakhapatnam
and life line express at
Sindhudurg(Maharastra)
inaugurated by railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu.
17 April The Prime Minister,
Shri Narendra Modi
inaugurated the SUMUL cattle
feed plant, launched irrigation
and water supply schemes at
Bajipura, Gujarat.
I
Union Minister of Human
Resource Development Shri
Prakash Javadekar today
launched the unique portal
and mobile app of Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, a
body under the aegis of the
Ministry of Human Resource
Development here in New
Delhi.
18 April
Meritorious
Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes students of
Secondary and Senior School
examination of year 2016 were
awarded with “Dr. Ambedkar
National Merit Awards”.
I
The State Bank of India (SBI)
became India’s most valued
Public Sector Company in
terms of market valuation .
19 April The cabinet decided
that from 1st May, red
beacons will be banned for
everybody including the
President, Prime Minister and
the Chief Justice of India. Only
emergency vehicles like fire
engines, ambulances and
police vans can use beacons.
Real Madrid and Portugal star
I
Cristiano Ronaldo create
history by becoming the first
player to reach 100
Champions League goals after
he scored a hat-trick against
Bayern Munich in quarter-final.
I
Chris Gayle became the first
batsman in the world to reach
10,000 runs in Twenty 20
cricket.
20 April Government of India,
in consultation with the
Reserve Bank of India, has
decided to issue Sovereign
Gold Bonds 2017-18– Series I.
I
Pro bono legal services’, ‘Tele
law service’ and ‘Nyaya Mitra
scheme’ launched . it is Legal
Aid and Empowerment
initiatives.
21 April “Quality Mark” Award
Scheme for Dairy Cooperatives
initiated by National Dairy
Development Board (NDDB) .
I
Indian Navy successfully
undertook the firing of
BrahMos Land Attack
Supersonic Cruise Missile from
a ship .
22 April Finance Minister Shri
Arun Jaitley participates in
G-20 Finance Ministers’ and
Central Bank Governors’
Meeting in Washington D.C.
I
1st ‘India Indonesia Energy
Forum’ held in Jakarta .
23 April Nobel laureate
Kailash Satyarthi was
presented with
P C Chandra Puraskar for his
efforts against child slavery and
exploitative child labour.
Rafael Nadal won Monte Carlo
I
Masters Men’s Singles title
after defeating Albert
Ramos-Vinolas by 6-1 6-3.
I
Rohan Bopanna from India
and Pablo Cuevas from
Uruguay won Monte-Carlo
Masters Men’s Doubles title.
24 April 26 Central Reserve
Police Force personal died in
an attack by Maoist in Sukma
area of Chhattisgarh.
I
NASA astronaut Peggy
Whitson creates the record by
breaking astronaut Jeff
Williams’ record for cumulative
time in space by an American
astronaut, which was 534
days, 2 hours and 48 minutes.
25 April World Malaria Day is
observed today. Renowned
filmmaker and actor
Kasinadhuni Viswanath has
won the Dadasaheb Phalke
award for the year 2016 for his
outstanding contribution to the
film industry.
I
Indian environmental activist
Prafulla Samantara announced
as the Asia recipient of the
Goldman Environmental Prize
for safeguarding their land and
culture.
26 April 1983 Uttar Pradesh
cadre officer Rajiv Rai
Bhatnagar appointed as the
next chief of the Central Police
Reserve Force.
I
The BJP has wins all the three
civic bodies of Delhi in the
MCD elections 2017.
Current Affairs
27 April Bollywood actor
and former BJP MP Vinod
Khanna died of bladder
cancer in HN Reliance
Foundation and Research
Centre, Mumbai at the age
of 70.
I
India successfully test-fired
intermediate-range ballistic
missile Agni-III from Abdul
Kalam Island off the
Odisha coast.
I
PM Narendra Modi flagged
off the first regional flights
under the Ude Desh ka
Aam Nagrik (UDAN)
scheme. The three
inaugural flights were
launched in the sectors of
Shimla-Delhi,
Kadapa-Hyderabad and
Nanded-Hyderabad.
28 April President Pranab
Mukherjee conferred the
Jnanpith award on eminent
Bengali poet Sankha
Ghosh in New Delhi.
I
Health Ministry launches
Test and Treat Policy for HIV.
29 April Prime Minister
Narendra Modi released 23
language versions of
Basavanna’s Vachana. It
was done on the birth
anniversary of Basavanna
who was a great social
reformer, philosopher and
Kannada Poet of 12th
century.
I
The Day of Remembrance
for all Victims of Chemical
Warfare 2017 was
observed by the UN.
30 April
Aizawl FC wins
the I-League after drawing
1-1 with Shillong Lajong.
They are the first club from
north-east to wins the title.
I
In India, Anti-Child Labour
Day is being observed.
1 May Shri
BandaruDattatreya
Launches “One IP- Two
Dispensaries” and
“Aadhaar Based Online
Claim Submission”
Schemes on International
Labour Day .
I
Micro-blogging website
Twitter has partnered with
Bloomberg Media to
stream news
round-the-clock on the
social networking platform.
Half Yearly 2017
2 May Dubai becomes first city
in the World to get its own
Microsoft font.
I
The Indian Railway PSU, IRCTC
has decided to start two new
circuits of their flagship luxury
train Maharajas’ Express, this
year. These two new trips have
been named as “Southern
Sojourn” and “Southern Jewels”.
I
The Tamil Nadu government
conferred the 2017 Avvaiyar
Award to Padma Venkataraman,
a social worker and daughter of
former Indian President, the late
R Venkataraman.
3 May President Pranab
Mukherjee felicitated the
recipients of the 64th National
Film Awards in New Delhi.
I
Indian Army has successfully
test-fired the advanced
BRAHMOS Block III land attack
cruise missile system in the
Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
I
The Union Cabinet chaired by
the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi has given its approval for
the declaration of Vijayawada
Airport as International Airport.
4 May Indore city in Madhya
Pradesh declared as the India’s
cleanest city followed by Bhopal
under Union Government’s
“Swachh Survekshan 2017”
program. Gonda city in Uttar
Pradesh is declared as the
dirtiest city.
I
In the latest ranking by FIFA,
India have been placed at the
100th spot. The Indian football
team has entered in the top 100
world rankings for the first time
in 21 years.
5 May GSAT-9 or the South
Asia Communication Satellite
successfully launch by the
GSLV at ISRO in Sriharikota.
The satellite will provide service
to the six SAARC nations - India,
Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh,
Maldives, Sri Lanka and
Afghanistan.
I
President Pranab Mukherjee
signed ordinance for
empowering RBI to act directly
against top loan defaulters.
11
6 May The first woman Chief
Justice of a High Court in
India, Justice (retired) Leila
Seth died at the age of 86. In
1991, she served as the Chief
Justice of Himachal Pradesh.
I
International publication
‘Condé Nast Traveller’ listed
Ganga cruise as one of the ‘six
river cruises to take in 2017’ .
7 May S S Rajamouli’s movie
Baahubali: The Conclusion
creates history by becoming
the first Indian movie ever to
collect ` 1,000 crore.
I
India defeated New Zealand
4-0 to clinch the bronze medal
in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
hockey tournament in
Malaysia.
8 May
Emmanuel Macron is
elected as the next President
of France.
I
Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh announced a new
doctrine or strategy against
Maoists SAMADHAN.
I
India was unanimously elected
as the President of the
UN-Habitat, an organ of the
United Nations’ Organisation
(UNO) .
9 May The Supreme Court
found Justice CS Karnan guilty
of contempt of court and
sentenced him to six months in
jail.
I
India women pacer Jhulan
Goswami becomes leading
wicket-taker in women’s ODIs
after surpassing Australian
Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s tally of
180 wickets in one day
internationals.
10 May The Union
Government approved the
appointment of West Bengal
cadre and 1982 batch officer
Sanjay Mitra as the next
defence secretary of country.
I
South Korea elected Moon
Jae-in as the next President of
its country.
12
11 May National
Technology Day observed
today to mark India’s
scientific prowess and
technological advancements.
I
Union Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare Minister
launch e-Krishi Samvad, an
online interface and is a
unique platform that will
provide direct and effective
solutions to the problems
faced by farmers and
stakeholders in the
agriculture sector.
I
The Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi, arrived in
Colombo on the eve of
Vesak Day.
12 May Brazil has declared
an end to its public health
emergency for the Zika virus,
18 months after a surge in
cases drew headlines
around the world.
I
Revision of base year of
All-India Wholesale Price
Index (WPI) from 2004-05 to
2011-12.
13 May Shri J P Nadda
launched Pneumococcal
Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)
under Universal Immunization
Programme (UIP).
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee received
the first copy of book “India’s
Indira: A Centennial Tribute”.
14 May India finished their
Asian Wrestling
Championship campaign
with 10 medals including a
gold, five silver and four
bronze.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee & PM of
India attended the Essel
Group’s 90 years
celebrations as the Chief
Guest in New Delhi .
15 May Shri Rajnath Singh
inaugurated 2nd meeting of
National Platform on Disaster
Risk Reduction. Theme of
the meeting is “Disaster Risk
Reduction for Sustainable
Development: Making India
resilient by 2030”.
I
Former Puducherry Chief
Minister Subrahmanyan
Ramaswamy passed away in
Puducherry due to a brief
illness.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
16 May French President
Emmanuel Macron named
Edouard Philippe as the new
Prime Minister of the country.
I
As part of the Indian Navy’s
overseas deployment to the
West Coast of Africa and the
Mediterranean Sea, three
Indian warships, INS
Mumbai, INS Trishul and INS
Aditya, arrived at Jeddah for
a three-day visit.
17 May The Union Cabinet
chaired by the Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi has given
ex-post facto approval to
Pan-India implementation of
Maternity Benefit Program
which now has been extended
to all districts of the country .
Minister of Railways Releases
I
Third Party Audit Report on
Station Cleanliness.
Vishakhapatnam is the
Cleanest Station in A1
Category Station.
18 May
The 11-judge bench
of the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) at The Hague
holds Kulbhushan Jadhav’s
execution in Pak by ordering
Pakistan to ensure that the
Indian is not executed until a
final decision.
I
The Minister of State for
Environment, Forest and
Climate Change Anil Madhav
Dave passed away at the
age of 60.
I
Veteran Bollywood actor
Reema Lagoo died at the age
of 58 after a cardiac arrest.
19 May PM released 2 part
book series on MS
Swaminathan: The Quest for
a world without hunger.
I
Minister of State
(Independent Charge) of
Youth Affairs and Sports,Vijay
Goel, Biren Singh Launched
a Big Football Balloon to
Popularise Football.
20 May Reformist Hassan
Rouhani won Iran’s
presidential election, beating
principlist opponent Ebrahim
Raisi to begin his second
four-year term in office.
I
The UP government has
renamed its “antiRomeo”
squad as Nari Suraksha Bal,
which intends to curb
harassment of women at
public places.
21 May The 26th death
anniversary of Former Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi observed
today.
I
India’s Anshu Jamsenpa has
become the first woman to
conquer Mt Everest twice within
five days.
I
Mumbai Indian wins the IPL 10
after defeating Rising Pune
Supergiant by 1 run in the final.
22 May Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu inaugurates high speed
Tejas Express train between
Mumbai and Goa.
I
Bangalore FC wins the Federation
Cup after defeating Mohun Bagan
in the final in Cuttack.
23 May At least 22 people killed
in a bomb blast by terrorist in
Manchester Arena concert in UK.
I
Hollywood actor Sir Roger
Moore, star of seven James
Bond films, died in Switzerland
at the age of 89.
The world’s first operational robot
I
police officer officially inducted
into the Dubai police force.
I
Real Madrid has won the
Spanish La Liga trophy.
I
English football club Chelsea
wins the 2016-17 Premier
League title.
24 May Nepal Prime Minister
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’
resigned from his post.
I
Ravichandran Ashwin wins
International Cricketer of the Year
Award at the CEAT Cricket Rating
International awards 2017.
25 May The Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi released the
Platinum Jubilee Milestone book
on Tata Memorial Centre, at his
residence in New Delhi.
I
Senior bureaucrat Anurag
Tripathy was appointed as the
Secretary of the CBSE.
I
The Chief Minister of
Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh
Rawat launched a campaign on
water harvesting and
conservation on the occasion of
Water Day in the state’s capital,
Dehradun.
26 May Prime Minister
Narendra Modi inaugurates the
Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Assam.
The bridge is the longest
bridge in India with 9.15 Km. It
is built over the river Lohit, a
tributary of Brahmaputra river.
The bridge is named after
noted Assamese singer and
writer Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.
I
Former Director General of
Police in Punjab, KPS Gill died
at the age of 82 in Delhi. He
was instrumental in rooting out
Sikh militancy from Punjab.
I
Mancheaster United beat Ajax
to win the 2016-17 UEFA
Europa League title.
27 May I&B Minister releases
14 short films produced by
Doordarshan on success
stories of various Flagship
schemes of the Government .
I
Taj Mahal has become the
only Indian monument which is
ranked 5th in Global
landmarks. First rank was
grabbed by the world’s largest
religious monument- Angkor
Wat in Cambodia.
28 May Barcelona beat Alaves
3-1 in the final to win the Copa
del Rey title.
I
Union Urban Development
Minister Venkaiah Naidu
flagged off the first train of the
Delhi Metro’s Heritage Line for
public.
29 May Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is on a four
nation visit (Germany, Spain,
Russia and France).
I
South African batsman Hashim
Amla has break Virat Kohli’s
record as the fastest to reach
7,000 ODI runs in the course of
the third and final ODI against
England at Lord’s. He reach
the landmark in 150 innings.
I
Arsenal won the FA Cup after
defeating Chelsea by 2-1.
30 May The President of India,
Shri Pranab Mukherjee
presented the Hindi Sevi
Samman Awards for the year
2015 at a function held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan .
I
Minister of Defence, Finance &
Corporate Affairs Shri Arun
Jaitley gave away Raksha
Mantri’s Awards for Excellence
for the years 2014-15 and
2015-16.
14
31 May The GDP growth for the
January-March period is 6.1%
which is lowest in more than 2
years.
I
ADB and PNB signed $100
million loan to finance Solar
Rooftop projects .
I
The Base Year of the Index of
Eight Core Industries has been
revised from the year 2004-05
to 2011-12 from April 2017.
1 June PM Narendra Modi
arrived in Russia to attained
Annual Economic Forum.
I
ICC Champions Trophy 2017
started in England.
I
The first Mega Food Park in the
state of Odisha M/s MITS Mega
Food Park Pvt. Ltd. at
Rayagada has been
inaugurated.
2 June Prime Minister Narendra
Modi arrived in Paris on official
visit.
I
Indian origin Leo Varadkar
elected as the next Prime
Minister of Ireland.
I
Shri Shashi Shekar Vempati has
been appointed as the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of
Prasar Bharati .
3 June 7 dead and 48 injured in
a terror attack at London Bridge
and Borough Market.
I
Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth
wins his maiden Grand Prix gold
title after defeating Indonesian
Jonatan Christie in the final.
I
Real Madrid wins the
Champions League after
defeating Juventus by 4-1 in the
final.
4 June India successfully
launched GSLV-Mk III. It is the
heaviest ISRO rocket till date,
has taken off with the 3,136-kg
GSAT-19 communication
satellite on board.
I
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE
and Bahrain severed their ties
with Qatar accusing it of
supporting terrorism.
I
World Environment Day
observed with the theme
“Connecting People to Nature”.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
5 June The President of
India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee has
congratulated the ISRO for
the successful launch of
the indigenous GSLV-Mk III
carrying GSAT-19 satellite
to a Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit (GTO).
I
The Union Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for
DoNER) Dr Jitendra Singh
announced the launch of,
“Hill Area Development
Programme” (HADP) for
Northeast in Imphal
(Manipur).
6 June Shri J P Nadda,
Union Minister for Health
and Family Welfare
launched the ‘Skill for Life,
Save a Life’ initiative.
I
Booklet to Promote
Medicinal Plantation in
Villages along Ganga
Released .
7 June
Sher Bahadur
Deuba elected as the
Prime Minister of Nepal for
fourth time.
I
Election Commission
today announced that
voting date for choosing
India’s next president will
be held on July 17.
8 June The Indo-Canadian
pair of Rohan Bopanna
and Gabriela Dabrowski
beat the
Columbian-German pair of
Robert Farah and
Anna-Lena Gronefeld 2-6,
6-2, 12-10 to win the mixed
doubles French Open title.
I
Indian cricket captain Virat
Kohli is the sole
sportsperson from the
country to feature among
the world’s 100 highest
paid athletes in the latest
Forbes list.
9 June India becoming an
official member state of the
Shanghai Cooperation
Organization security bloc,
which is jointly led by
Russia and China.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee
launched a mobile
Application ‘Selfie with
Daughter’ at Rashtrapati
Bhavan .
10 June The Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT) made it
clear that Aadhaar will
mandatory for filing of Income
Tax Returns or for obtaining a
new PAN from July 1.
I
NITI Aayog has launched
SATH, a program providing
‘Sustainable Action for
Transforming Human capital’
with the State Governments.
I
A book titled Indira Gandhi:
A Life in Nature authored
by Jairam Ramesh was
released at the Indira Gandhi
Memorial Museum in
New Delhi.
11 June Rates of 66 items
under the upcoming GST
regime have been revised at
the 16th GST Council meet
concluded today.
I
Rafel Nadal beat Stan
Wawrinka of Switzerland by 6-2,
6-3, 6-1 to win his 10th French
Open Men’s title.
Jelena Ostapenko defeated
I
Simona Halep by 4-6 6-4 6-3 to
win the French Open Women’s
final to become the first Latvian
to win a grand slam title.
I
Shikhar Dhawan became the
fastest to score 1000 runs in
ICC One-Day International
tournaments taking just 16
innings. He beat Sachin
Tendulkar’s record of 18
innings to breach the 1000-run
mark.
12 June
England wins the
Under-20 World Cup final after
defeating Venezuela by 1-0 in
South Korea.
I
NASA conferred the
Exceptional Public Service
Medal to Michael A’Hearn, one
of the world’s leading comet
scientists, posthumously .
13 June The Anti-Tank Guided
Missile Nag was successfully
flight tested in the desert
ranges of Rajasthan.
I
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
announced that it has issued
Rs 500 denomination notes
with inset letter A.
14 June The Defence
Research and Development
Organization (DRDO)
successfully test fired anti-tank
missile ‘Nag’ in Rajasthan.
I
The Union Cabinet chaired by
the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has approved
the Interest Subvention
Scheme (ISS) for farmers for
the year 2017-18.
15 June Virat Kohli becames
the fastest to score 8000 ODI
runs as he reach the milestone
in his 175th innings.
I
AB de Villiers who had taken
182 innings to reach the
milestone.
16 June Government has
made Aadhaar Card
mandatory for opening new
bank accounts as well as
existing accounts. All existing
bank accounts will have to be
linked with Aadhaar number by
December 31, 2017 or else
they will be declared invalid.
I
Law expert Neeru Chadha
becomes 1st Indian woman as
member of International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
(ITLOS) for a nine-year term
from 2017 to 2026.
17 June Prime Minister
Narendra Modi today
inaugurates Kerala’s first metro
line in Kochi.
I
Former German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl who is also
known as the Father of
German Reunification, died at
the age of 87. He was the
longest serving post-war
chancellor from 1982 to 1998
of Germany.
18 June Pakistan wins the
ICC Champions Trophy 2017
after defeating India by 180
runs at the Kennington Oval in
England.
I
Kidambi Srikanth of India wins
the Indonesia Open Super
Series Final after defeating
Kazumasa Sakai by 21-11,
21-19 in Jakarta.
16
19 June Bihar Governor Ram
Nath Kovind named as the
Presidential nominee by BJP.
I
Taj Mahal Palace building in
Mumbai becomes first Indian
building to get a trademark.
I
Australian Government today
announced online visitor visa
facility for Indians from July
1st.
20 June Qatar Airways was
announced the World’s Best
Airline at the SKYTRAX 2017
World Airline Awards.
I
Anil Kumble resigned from the
post of head Coach of the
Indian Cricket team.
21 June Social Media giant
Facebook introduced some
new tools in India that will
allow users especially women
to protect their profile pictures
from being downloaded and
shared.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated
a mass yoga demonstration to
commemorate the 3rd
International Day of Yoga at
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
22 June Union Minister of
Rural Development and
Panchayati Raj, Narendra
Singh Tomar during a Swachh
Bharat Program organized in
ONGC, Dehradun declared
Uttarakhand as the fourth state
to be open defecation free
(ODF) in the country.
23 June Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)
launched multiple satellites
with PSLV-C38 in a single flight
by placing 31 satellites in their
orbits.
I
External Affairs Ministry
Celebrated the Completion of
50 Years of the Passport Act
1967 as Passport Seva Divas.
24 June UN honours West
Bengal Chief Mnister Mamata
Banerjee with highest public
service award for girl child
project Kanyashree. The West
Bengal government launched
the Kanyashree project in
2011 to empower the girl child
with education.
I
Indian-origin Sikh human
rights advocate Palbinder Kaur
Shergill becomes the first
turbaned Supreme Court
Judge in Canada.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
I
Salman Khan’s film Sultan
wins Best Action Movie
Award at Shanghai
International Film Festival.
I
India captain Mithali Raj
became the first woman in
cricket history to hit seven
consecutive fifties in ODIs.
25 June Prime Minister
Narendra Modi arrived in
USA of official visit.
I
Indian shuttler Kidambi
Srikanth beat Olympic
champion Chen Long in the
men’s singles final to clinch
the Australian Open Super
Series.
I
Two Indians from
Maharashtra, Amit Samarth
and Srinivas Gokulnath
created history by becoming
the first from the country to
complete the 4900 km long
Race Across America
(RAAM) in the solo category.
26 June The annual Rath
Yatra of Lord Jagannath
begun in Jagannath temple
in Puri.
I
Desh Bandhu Gupta,
founder and Chairman of
Lupin, India’s second-largest
pharmaceutical company
passed away .
27 June Shri Kalraj Mishra,
Union Minister for MSME
gave away the MSME
Awards 2015.
I
Operations at one of three
terminals at India’s largest
container port Jawaharlal
Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai
were disrupted by the global
ransomware attack .
28 June Election
Commission to Launch First
Time Nationwide “Voter
Registration Reminder” on
Facebook .
I
The Union Government has
appointed Shri Rajesh V.
Shah as Chairperson on the
Board of Governors of the
National Institute of Fashion
Technology up to March
31,2019 in place of Shri
Chetan Chauhan.
29 June India’s latest
communication satellite,
GSAT-17 inducted into the
INSAT/GSAT system from
Kourou, French Guiana by
Ariane-5 VA-238.
I
The President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee attended
the 125th birth anniversary
celebrations of Professor P.C.
Mahalanobis in Kolkata.
I
The Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi inaugurated
the filling of Aji Dam near
Rajkot under Sauni Yojana.
I
The National Sample Survey
Office (NSSO), Ministry of
Statistics and Programme
Implementation released the
report titled “Key Indicators of
Unincorporated
Non-Agricultural Enterprises
(Excluding Construction) in
India’ .
30 June Senior advocate KK
Venugopal will be the new
Attorney General for India.
I
Shri Narendra Kumar Sinha,
assumed charge as Secretary
in the Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting on transfer of
Shri Ajay Mittal.
I
The Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi inaugurated
Textiles India 2017, India’s first
ever mega textiles trade fair,
being held at Gandhinagar,
Gujarat.
1 July The President of India,
Shri Pranab Mukherjee graced
a special function organized to
launch the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) in the
midnight of June 30- July1,
2017 in the Central Hall of
Parliament House, New Delhi.
I
The Income Tax (IT)
Department clarified that
PAN-Aadhaar linking will
become mandatory from 1st
July 2017, however, it is not
mandatory to link before 1st
July.
I
Union Textiles Minister Smt.
Smriti Zubin Irani and Minister
of State, Textiles, Shri Ajay
Tamta witnessed the signing
of 65 MoUs in the textiles
sector , on the 2nd day of the
three-day mega textiles trade
fair, Textiles India 2017, being
held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
2 July President of India
receives first copy of book
“PRESIDENT Pranab
Mukherjee – A Statesman”.
I
GSTN unveiled excel template
for to help taxpayers perform
easy data entry offline before
uploading on the GST portal;
Excel template together with
an offline tool will make
uploading large numbers of
invoices much easier and
quick; Offline Tool to be
unveiled on July 17, 2017.
3 July India successfully
test-fired indigenously
developed quick reaction
surface-to-air missile
(QR-SAM) off the Odisha
coast.
I
Google rolled out a new
doodle commemorating the
140th anniversary of the
world’s oldest tennis
tournament, Wimbledon
Championship.
4 July Two Indian-Americans,
Adobe Chief Shantanu
Narayen and former US
Surgeon General Vivek
Murthy, are among 38
immigrants to be honored with
the Great Immigrants Award.
I
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
embarked on a two-nation
tour to Israel and Germany.
5 July The Law commission of
India recommended to make
marriage registration
compulsory in its 270th Report
called ‘Compulsory Registration
of Marriages’ submitted to the
Government under the
Chairmanship of Dr. Justice B S
Chauhan.
I
The Union Environment Minister,
Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched a
month-long plantation drive to
mark Van Mahotsav.
I
The Union Finance Ministry stated
that the Central Goods and
Services Tax (CGST) rate of 5% will
not be applicable on goods supply
unless the brand name or trade
name is actually on the Register of
Trade Marks and is registered
under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
6 July Shri Achal Kumar Jyoti
has assumed charge as the
21st Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) of India,
succeeding Dr. Nasim Zaidi.
I
India declared itself free from
Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8).
Jigyasa, a student- scientist
I
connect programme was officially
launched in New Delhi.
7 July Shri Harsimrat Kaur
Badal, Union Minister of Food
Processing Industry laid the
foundation stone for First Maize
based Mega Food Park in
Kapurthala, Punjab.
I
The Minister of State for Skill
Development &
Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv
Pratap Rudy attended the
second day of the first
International Aviation Security
Seminar in Manesar.
I
India, Japan and the United
States have began the joint
naval exercise Malabar
2017.The leaders of the 5
BRICS nations had an
informal meeting on the
sidelines of the G20 Summit
in Hamburg, Germany.
8 July The Minister of State
for Minority Affairs
(Independent Charge) &
Parliamentary Affairs Shri
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
inaugurated first Gharib
Nawaz Skill Development
Centre in Hyderabad.
I
The State of Jammu and
Kashmir joined GST today
making the GST truly a “
one nation, one tax” regime.
I
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi returned back to India
after concluding his
engagements at the G20
Summit in Hamburg,
Germany.The Indian city of
Ahmedabad was declared
India’s first World Heritage
City, recognising heritage
value of the walled city’s
unique heritage.
9 July The World Heritage
Committee of UNESCO
added Valongo Wharf
Archaeological Site in the
World Heritage List.
I
Mercedes driver Valtteri
Bottas won the 2017
Austrian Grand Prix held at
Red Bull Ring Spielberg,
Styria, Austria.
I
President of India attended
the launch of Swayam,
Swayam Prabha DTH
Channels & National
Academic Depository.
10 July Arun Jaitley, the Union
Finance Minister launched
Aaykar Setu, a new tax payer
service module.
I
Indian Railways Organization
for Alternate Fuel won the
Golden Peacock Award for Eco
Innovation for the year 2017.
I
Terrorists killed seven
Amarnath pilgrims from
Gujarat as they struck at a bus
in Jammu and Kashmir's
Anantnag district, in the worst
attack on the annual
pilgrimage since the year 2000.
11 July Shri J P Nadda
launches new family planning
initiatives on World Population
Day . ‘Mission Parivar Vikas’ to
focus on 146 districts in 7 states.
I
Govt declared no GST is
applicable on free food
supplied in anna kshetras run
by religious institutions .
Prasadam supplied by religious
places like temples, mosques,
churches, gurudwaras,
dargahs, etc. attracts Nil CGST
and SGST or IGST.
12 July
The Union Cabinet
has approved the
establishment of the
International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), South Asia
Regional Center (ISARC) at
campus of National Seed
Research and Training Center
(NSRTC) in Varanasi.
I
The public sector construction
major, Central Public Works
Department (CPWD) today
turned 163 and it has been
reminded of the challenges
ahead and the need to
innovate to retain its primacy.
 NATIONAL
UPDATE
Railways with NBCC to Redevelop
10 Railway Stations
G
Rail Land Development Authority joined hands
with National Building Construction Corporation
(NBCC) on July 2, 2017 for redevelopment of 10
railway stations across the country on global
standards.
G
The identified stations to be taken up initially by
NBCC for redevelopment are Tirupati, Sarai Rohilla
(Delhi), Nellore, Puducherry, Madgaon, Lucknow,
Gomtinagar, Kota, Thane (New) and Ernakulam.
G
The Railways has embarked on an ambitious
project to redevelop 403 stations with the
participation of private players, public sector and
foreign agencies.
India Launched Historic Indirect Tax
Regime GST
G
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
pressed a button in Parliament’s Central Hall at midnight on
June 30, 2017 to launch the Goods and Services Tax (GST),
India’s biggest tax reform ever.
G
The GST launch was marked by the speech of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, who dubbed the tax regime as the ‘Good and
Simple Tax’.
G
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was seated at the high
table with the PM and President, as were Lok Sabha Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan and Vice President Hamid Ansari.
Prime Minister, Modi Inaugurated
Filling of Aji Dam under Sauni Yojana
G
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the
filling of Aji Dam near Rajkot under Sauni Yojana on June
30, 2017.
G
He also launched Smart Rajkot Hackathon where the urban
local body will engage with young students to find innovative
solutions to improve the efficiency of various government
departments.
‘NALSA’ Launched Web Application
G
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has launched a
web application for free legal services to prisoners and the Legal
Services Management System.
G
Now, the State Legal Services Authorities and District Legal
Services Authorities can feed the data for each individual prison
inmate in the jails within their authority through this web
application.
G
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been
constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
Government Unveils New
Hydrocarbon Policy
G
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced a new oil
and gas block licensing policy on June 29, 2017 that is expected
to open up 2.8 million sq km of sedimentary basins to exploration
and production activities.
G
The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of the
government’s Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) and the
National Data Repository.
Odisha become the India’s First Blood
Bank for Cattle
G
Odisha is set to become the first State in the country to have a
‘blood bank’ for the cattle on June 28, 2017.
G
The blood bank would be established on the premises of Odisha
University of Agriculture and Technology .
G
The project will have a 60 : 40 sharing between the Centre and
the State government.
Election for next
Vice-President on August 5
G
The election commission announced
that the election of India’s next
Vice-President will take place on
August 5, 2017. The term of
Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari ends
on August 10, 2017.
G
The incumbent Vice-President Hamid
Ansari served from August 11, 2007
to August 10, 2012 and was reelected
as the 14th Vice-President on August
11, 2012.
G
The election for the Vice-President
will be conducted through a secret
ballot on August 5, 2017 where only
members of both the Lok Sabha
(545-MPs) and Rajya
Sabha(245-MPs) will get to vote.
Government Launched
Digital MSME Scheme
G
The Union Minister of Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises (MSME)
'Kalraj Mishra' has launched a
‘Digital MSME Scheme’ on June 27,
2017 to boost Digital India Mission at
a function in New Delhi.
G
This scheme revolves around Cloud
Computing which is emerging as a
cost-effective and viable alternative
in comparison to in-house
Infrastructure installed by MSMEs.
G
In this scheme, MSMEs can use the
internet to access common as well as
tailor-made IT infrastructure
including software for managing
their business processes.
Government Appointed
9 Member Panel Headed by
Space Scientist to Frame
New Education Policy
G
The Ministry of Human Resource
Development has appointed a
9-member panel headed by space
scientist Krishnaswamy
Kasturirangan to work on a New
Education Policy on June 26, 2017.
G
The panel also includes former IAS
officer KJ Alphonse Kanamthanam,
who helped the districts of Kottayam
and Ernakulam in Kerala achieve
100% literacy.
G
An HRD Ministry official said the
appointments had been made
keeping in mind the various areas of
education and the country’s diversity.
20 Current Affairs
Government Announced
Aadhaar not Valid for Travel
to Nepal and Bhutan
G
Union Home Ministry has announced
that Aadhaar is not a valid identification
document for Indians travelling to Nepal
and Bhutan on June 25, 2017.
G
However Indians can travel to Nepal and
Bhutan if they have a valid passport or
voter’s ID card issued by the Election
Commission of India.
G
Persons over 65 and below 15 years can
show documents with photographs to
confirm their age and identity. The
documents can PAN card, driving
licence, CGHS card, but not Aadhaar.
Government Released
Commemorative Postage
Stamp on 50 Years of
Passports Act
G
The Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj
and Manoj Sinha unveiled
commemorative postage stamp on June
24, 2017 to mark the completion of 50
years of the Passports Act-1967.
G
The passport rules have been reformed
in the recent past and efforts are being
to provide the passport to the citizens at
the earliest and at his/her door steps.
G
Now, No one should have to travel more
than 50 km to get their passport.
Government Launched
Index to Rank Cities
G
The Central government has launched a
liveability index on June 24, 2017 which
will rank the country’s 116 major cities
on the basis of the quality of life they
offer.
G
The cities will be assessed on set of 79
parameters, including availability of
roads, education, healthcare, mobility,
employment opportunities, emergency
response ranking of which will be
released in 2018.
G
Cities with population above 1 million,
including the capital cities will covered
under this index.
Half Yearly 2017
Government Launched
Portal on Weather
Information
G
The Union Minister of State
(IC) Piyush Goyal has launched
Weather Portal on June 23,
2017 for Power Sector in
association with POSOCO and
IMD at the meeting of the
Forum of Regulators in New
Delhi.
G
The portal provides regional
weather information to help &
manage power distribution for
the current day and up to next
7 days.
Government Launched
‘VAJRA’ Scheme
G
The Department of Science and
Technology (DST) has launched
a scheme named 'Visiting
Advanced Joint Research
Faculty (VAJRA)’ on June 23,
2017 to bring together the
Indian scientists abroad and
India-based researchers for
conducting joint researches in
India.
G
The Union Minister of Science
and Technology 'Harsh Vardhan'
has launched the Web portal of
VAJRA in New Delhi.
G
The idea of the scheme is to
bring the best of the world to
India and conduct research
here.
Government
Announced Cities
under Smart City
Mission
G
Central government has
announced a new list of 30
cities to be developed as smart
cities on June 22, 2017.
G
Thiruvananthapuram took the
first slot, followed Naya Raipur,
Rajkot, Amaravati and Patna.
G
With this the total number of
cities picked up so far under
Smart City Mission has gone
upto 90.
G
45 cities contested for 40
available smart city slots, but
only 30 were selected to ensure
feasible and workable plans.
Government Launched Web
Portal for Smooth GST
Implementation
G
The Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology has launched
a dedicated webpage on June 21, 2017
for facilitating taxpayers with regard to
addressing issues related to
Information Technology Services and
Electronics goods.
G
Any Individuals, Companies, and
Entrepreneurs in IT and Electronics
sector can visit the webpage for
sector-specific information.
G
The webpage also enables filing of
grievances in relation to the
implementation of GST.
Government Launched
Energy Conservation
Building Code
G
The Power Minister Piyush Goyal has
launched Energy Conservation
Building Code (ECBC) 2017 developed
by Bureau of Energy Efficiency in New
Delhi on June 19, 2017.
G
The code aims at optimising energy
savings with the comfort level for
occupants and prefers life-cycle cost
effectiveness to achieve energy
neutrality in the commercial building.
G
This code prescribes the energy
performance standards for new
commercial buildings to be constructed
across the country.
Government Launched
Mobile App ‘Celebrating
Yoga’
G
Minister for Science & Technology Dr.
Harshvardhan launched a Mobile App
Celebrating Yoga developed by
Department of Science & Technology
in New Delhi on June 19, 2017.
G
The purpose of the App is to popularise
Yoga and encourage people to
participate in it for a scientifically
healthy living.
G
It provides a platform to share
information and insights about
peoples’ participation in Yoga
activities on the occasion of the
International Yoga Day 2017, create
awareness and encourage a
scientifically healthy living.
G
The App will be connected with Google
Maps where shared information can
been seen by the users.
Commerce & Industry
Minister Launched the
Startup India Hub
G
The Commerce & Industry Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman launched the
Startup India Virtual Hub on June
19, 2017.
G
It is an online platform for all
stakeholders of the entrepreneurial
ecosystem in India to discover,
connect and engage with each
other.
G
The portal will host startups,
investors, funds, mentors,
academia, incubators, accelerators,
corporates, Government bodies and
more.
G
India is the third largest startup
ecosystem around the globe,
with 3-4 startups commencing every
day.
20 Lakh Houses for Urban
Poor Approved
Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu
G
informed on June 18, 2017 that the
construction of over 20 lakh
affordable houses for urban poor in
4720 cities and towns has been
approved under the Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojna.
G
The United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) regime approved the
construction of only 1382768
houses during its 10-year rule.
G
The goal of ensuring housing for all
by 2020 as a ‘challenging task’ and
expected the political and
administrative leaderships in the
State governments.
National Mission on
Cultural Mapping of India
Launched
G
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of
State (Independent charge) for
Culture & Tourism launched the
implementation of the ‘National
Mission on Cultural Mapping of
India’ at Goverdhan Block,
Mathura District, Uttar Pradesh on
June 18, 2017.
G
Shri Srikant Sharma, Energy
Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ministry’s
Senior officials and various
renowned artists including Padma,
Sangeet Natak Akademi and State
Awardees were present.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
This Mission is part of the
‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’
umbrella.
G
Ministry of Culture launched it in
the year of commemoration of the
birth centenary of Pandit Deen
Dayal Upadhyay, who hailed from
Mathura.
Indian Railways
Launched Gandhi
Darshan Special Train
G
The Union Minister of Railways
‘Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu’ has
flagged off special tourist ‘Gandhi
Darshan Spl.’ train through video
conferencing from Bandra.
G
The Gandhi Special Tourist train
will cover all the important
destinations like Wardha,
Motihari, Bettiah, Gaya,
Varanasi, Allahabad and Surat
connected with India’s freedom
struggle movement and Mahatma
Gandhi.
G
IRCTC offers ‘Mahatma Gandhi
Darshan Special’ one of the most
affordable all inclusive tour
package, covering all the important
tourist places in the country.
Government Announced
New Post Office Passport
Seva Kendras
G
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj has announced the launch
of 149 new Post Office Passport
Seva Kendra on June 17, 2017.
G
In the first phase government
announced 86 POPSKs were to be
set-up 52 of which are now
functional.
G
Government is planning to set up a
comprehensive network of Passport
SevaKendras across the nation so
that no Indian will have to travel
more than 50 km to get their
passport.
21
CRPF Launched
Helpline ‘Madadgaar’
G
The Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) launched a
toll-free helpline called
'Madadgaar' on June 17, 2017
to help Kashmiri people in
distress in a bid to regain the
lost trust of people in the
security forces.
G
Madadgaar is a step to serve
the citizens of Kashmir located
all over the country.
G
CRPF is the largest central
armed force in the country
with over 3.13 lakh personnel
currently deployed in Kashmir.
Prime Minister Modi
Flags off Kerala’s First
Metro
G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has inaugurated the first phase
of the ‘Kochi Metro’ for the
city of Kochi in Kerala on June
17, 2017.
G
Prime Minister Modi also took
a ride on the Metro from
Palarivattom station to
Pathadippalam station.
G
The first phase is 13.2 km
section (11 stations) of the line
from Aluva to Palarivattom.
G
The Kochi metro project
became the first metro in the
country which connects rail,
road, and water transport
facilities.
President Inaugurated
Green Line of
Bengaluru Metro
G
President Pranab Mukherjee
has inaugurated the ‘Green
Line’ of Metro Rail in
Bengaluru, Karnataka on
June 17, 2017.
G
Now, with the opening of the
Green Line from Mantri
Square Sampige Road station
to Yelachanahalli metro station
the entire phase 1 network
open to the commuters of
Namma Bengaluru.
G
The President has also
dedicated Phase one of
Namma Metro to the Nation.
22 Current Affairs
Union External Affairs
Minister Inaugurated Know
India Programme
G
The Union External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated Know
India Programme (KIP) for young
overseas Indians at a function in New
Delhi on June 16, 2017.
G
The Know India Programme (KIP) is a
three-week orientation programme for
the Indian diaspora.
G
The programme is aimed at promoting
awareness on different facets of life in
India and the progress made by the
country in various fields such as
economic and education.
Union Cabinet Approved
Interest Subvention on
Short-Term Crop Loan
G
The Union cabinet approved the Interest
Subvention Scheme (ISS)
for farmers on June 14, 2017 for the year
2017-18 .
G
The objective of the scheme is to make
the available agricultural credit for short-
term crop loans at an affordable rate.
G
The scheme is expected to boost
agricultural productivity and production
in the country.
G
The scheme will be continued for 1 year
and will be implemented by Reserve
Bank Of India (RBI) and National Bank
For Agriculture & Rural Development
(NABARD).
Railways Launched
Mission Retro-Fitment
G
The Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu
launched Mission Retro-Fitment on
June 13, 2017 to enhance the passenger
experience by upgrading the existing
fleet of coaches.
G
Mission Retro-Fitment is an ambitious
program of the ministry of railways to
upgrade the level of furnishing &
amenities in the coaches of Indian
Railways.
Half Yearly 2017
Indian Railways to Induct
40000 Refurbished Coaches
G
The Indian Railways is planning to
induct about 40000 coaches by 2023.
The news came up on June 12, 2017.
G
Railways also expect to manufacture
15000 new coaches with modern
features during 2018-19 and 2022-23
periods.
The work plan started of 1000 coaches
G
in the current financial year, the
number will increase to 3000 in the
next fiscal and 5500 coaches in
subsequent years.
Government Launched
Tele Law
G
Government has launched 'Tele Law'
service on June 12, 2017 to provide
legal aid for the people living in rural
areas through video conferencing.
G
The Ministry of Law and Justice
partnered with the Ministry of
Electronics and Information
Technology will provide legal aid
services through its Common Service
Centres (CSCs) at the panchayat
level, spread across the country.
G
In the first phase, the Tele-Law
scheme will be tested as a pilot across
1000 CSCs in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
21 New Railway Stations to
Come Up on Konkan Route
G
Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd
(KRCL) is planning to develop 21 new
stations on the Konkan route. The
news came up on June 11, 2017.
G
A total 147 km of railway track would
be doubled under the expansion and
modernisation project at a cost of
` 3000 crore.
G
After addition, the total number of
stations on the route to 87 and reduce
the distance between two stations to
8.3 km from 12.75 km.
Modi Fest Inaugurated by
Rajnath Singh
G
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh
arrived inaugurated a 'Making of
Developed India (MoDI)' Fest on June
9, 2017 at Muhana Mandi, Jaipur.
G
The fest aims at spreading the benefits
of various government schemes
among the Indian masses and
including the youth population in this
drive.
Minister of State
Inaugurated 2nd National
Health Editors’
Conference on Yoga
G
The second National Health Editors’
Conference on Yoga has been
inaugurated by the Minister of
State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso
Naik in New Delhi on June 9, 2017.
G
The conference aims at giving
insight to the journalists about the
scientific aspects of yoga and its
benefits for health.
G
The theme of this year’s conference
was ‘Yoga for Health and
Harmony’.
President Launched
Mobile App ‘Selfie with
Daughter’
G
The President of India, Pranab
Mukherjee launched a mobile
Application ‘Selfie with Daughter’
at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9,
2017.
G
Selfie-with-Daughter has become a
world-wide movement against
female foeticide and sex selection.
G
The ‘Selfie with Daughter’
campaign was started by Shri Sunil
Jaglan in June 2015 in village
Bibipur, Jind, Haryana.
Minister of Railways
Inaugurated 1st Indian
Railways Human
Resources Round Table
Conference
G
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh
Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated
Indian Railways' 1st HR Round
Table Conference in New Delhi on
June 8, 2017.
G
Aim of the Conference was
Improving the productivity of the
human resources through
inter-change of ideas with various
stakeholders and HR practitioners
and academics.
G
Indian Railways is the biggest
civilian employer in the country
spanning the length and breadth of
the sub-continent within strength
of over 13 lakh employees.
G
The employees are spread over 10
departments in 17 Zones, 6
Production Units and 68 Divisions.
Government Announced
‘Digi Yatra’ for Air
Travellers
G
The Ministry of Civil Aviation
launched DigiYatra platform on June
8, 2017 for digital experience for air
travelers through this.
G
This initiative aims at bringing
together entire industry to develop a
digital ecosystem that will deliver
customers a seamless and paperless
service experience at every stage of
journey.
G
The initiative will help passengers
plan their trips efficiently by
identifying price trends and estimate
future airfares at the time of ticket
booking.
India’s First Private
Railway Station
G
Habibganj Railway Station located in
the suburbs of Bhopal has became
India’s first railway station to be
re-developed in a Public- Private
Partnership (PPP) mode.
G
The station redevelopment work was
launched on June 9, 2017 by Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu.
G
The project aimed at developing
Habibganj Railway Station as a
world-class transit hub equipped
with all kind of amenities.
1.17 Crore Aspirants
Confirmed Under Skill
Programmes of India
G
Minister of State for Skill
Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy
confirmed on June 8, 2017 that 1.17
crore aspirants in various skills
through Ministry of Skill
Development Entrepreneurship
schemes and programs of Skill India.
G
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana (PMKVY) launched in the
year 2015 witnessed more than 26. 5
lakh people getting trained in skills of
their choice till date, of which 50%
are women candidates.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
‘Skills for Life, Save a Life’
Initiative Launched
G
JP Nadda, the Union Minister for
Health and Family Welfare, has
launched ‘Skill for Life, Save a Life’
initiative in New Delhi to promote
skill development in the health
sector on June 6, 2017.
G
The purpose of the initiative is to
upscale the quality and quantity of
trained professionals in the
healthcare system.
G
Under this initiative various courses
are planned in specific competencies
for healthcare professionals as well
as for general public.
Government Replacement
Proposal of UGC & AICTE
G
Centre government is planning to
replace the two education regulators,
The University Grants Commission
(UGC) and All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE), with a
new Higher Education Regulator.
The news came up on June 6, 2017.
G
Higher Education Empowerment
Regulation Agency is the name of the
newly proposed regulator.
G
The Human Resource and
Development Ministry (HRD) is
working with the NITI Aayog
towards the implementation of this
new proposed regulatory body.
Campaign on Source
Segregation of Municipal
Waste for National Capital
Region Launched
G
The Union Minister of Urban
Development M.Venkaiah Naidu
launched a campaign on source
segregation of municipal waste for
National Capital Region (NCR) on
June 5, 2017.
G
The incorrect disposal and burning
of solid waste result in the emission
of climate change causing
Greenhouse gases like Methane and
Carbon Dioxide to the tune of 12.69
million tonne of Carbon Dioxide in
the country per year.
G
The Minister released a special
edition of Diamond Toons Comic
titled ‘Chacha Chaudhary & Swachh
Bharat’. The comic book depicts
cartoons with a message pertaining
to solid waste management.
23
Prime Minister
Inaugurated 5th
International Convention
of Spic Macay
G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
inaugurated the 5th international
conference of Spic Macay on June 5,
2017 at the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Delhi .
G
Every year Spic Macay organises an
International Convention to expose
the youth from across the world to
the rich and multi-hued culture of
India. It is the Society for the
promotion of Indian classical music
and culture amongst youth.
Telecom Regulator
Authority of India
Launched Three Apps
G
The Telecom Regulator Authority of
India (TRAI) launched three apps and
a portal for service providers for
making information access easier to
consumers on June 5, 2017.
G
The three apps-Trai MyCall App, Auto
test enabled MySpeed app and
Do-not-disturb 2.0 app , aimed at
improving customer experience
through real-time feedback.
G
MyCall Android app will help mobile
users to rate the call quality in real
time, from one star to five star, five
being the highest.
G
MySpeed app helps users measure 3G
and 4G speeds. The new version of
the Do-not-disturb app comes with a
spam detection engine for SMS, and
marks the message as spam but will
wait for the consumer’s action.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi Wrapped up 4 Nation
Tour
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi
wrapped up his four-nation tour of
Germany, Spain, Russia and France
on June 4, 2017.
G
India was committed to ‘go above
and beyond’ the Paris agreement to
protect climate for future generations.
G
Modi arrived in France from Russia,
where he held talks with President
Vladimir Putin and attended an
international economic forum. Before
Russia, he also visited Germany and
Spain and held talks with the top
leadership there.
24 Current Affairs
‘Buy Now, Pay Later’
Service Introduced by
Railways
G
The Indian Railways introduced
'Buy Now, Pay Later' service on
June 1, 2017 for passengers to book
tickets online first and make
payment for the reservations within
a window of 15 days.
G
The new Indian Railway Catering
and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
feature is being enabled in
partnership with the
Mumbai-based ePay later company.
G
To buy tickets from the IRCTC
website and pay later will decrease
the difficulties involved in the
payment process at the time.
New Campaign ‘Darwaza
Band’ Launched
G
The Union Minister for Drinking
Water and Sanitation ‘Narendra
Singh Tomar’ and Maharashtra
Chief Minister ‘Devendra Fadnavis’
jointly launched a new campaign
‘Darwaza Band’ in Mumbai for
promotion of toilet usage in the rural
areas across the country on May 30,
2017. Bollywood star ‘Amitabh
Bachchan’ lead the campaign.
G
Campaign is designed to encourage
behaviour change in men who have
toilets but are not using them.
Anti-Ragging Mobile
App Launched
G
The Union Human Resource
Development Minister Prakash
Javadekar has launched an 'Anti-
Ragging Mobile App' introduced by
the University Grants Commission
in New Delhi on May 30, 2017.
G
The mobile app will help students
register complaints against the
menace of ragging in the country.
The complaint will be sent to the
concerned authorities for timely
action. Earlier, students had to visit
the website to register a complaint
against ragging.
Half Yearly 2017
PM Modi Inaugurated
India’s Longest Bridge
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has inaugurated the country’s
longest bridge, the Dhola-Sadia
Bridge in Assam on May 26, 2017.
G
The three lane Dhola-Sadiya Bridge is
9.15 km long, built over the river
Lohit, which is a tributary of the
Brahmaputra. Dhola-Sadiya Bridge
has been named after noted singer
and ‘Assam Ratna’, Bhupen Hazarika.
G
The project, worth ` 950 crore, was
started in 2011. The Brahmaputra
downstream connects three rivers
Lohit, Dibang and Siang.
Swachh Bharat App
Launched in National
Museum
G
Swachh Bharat App launched in
National Museum under Ministry of
culture by the Minister of State for
culture & Tourism Dr. Mahesh
Sharma on May 24, 2017.
G
The App will enable visitors to report
garbage on the premises of the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
monuments across the country.
G
Around 30 galleries in the National
Museum equipped with a device
that will make use of the intranet to
connect to the app.
Government Permitted
DIPP to Grant Industrial
Licenses
G
The Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion (DIPP) has been
given back the power to grant
licenses for defense manufacturing
on May 26, 2017.
G
The power to grant manufacturing
license are with respect to the
category of arms and ammunition
and defense items under the Arms
Act.
G
Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) was first
established in 1995, and then
reconstituted in 2000 and merged
with the Department of Industrial
Development.
G
The DIPP falls under the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry. Its main
responsibility includes formulation
of promotional and developmental
measures to boost industrial sector.
Abolition of Foreign
Investment Promotion
Board
G
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
approved the proposal to phase out
the Foreign Investment Promotion
Board (FIPB) on May 24, 2017.
G
The proposal approved requires
abolishing the FIPB and allowing
administrative Ministries and
Departments to process applications
for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
requiring government approval.
G
The FIPB is a national agency of
Government of India, with the
remit to consider and recommend
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
which does not come under the
automatic route.
India’s First Underwater
Rail Tunnel Completed
G
India’s first underwater rail tunnel
in Kolkata got completed on May
23, 2017, ahead of the scheduled
time.
G
The two organisations Afcons
Transtonnelstroy and Kolkata
Metro Railway Corporation Limited
(KMCRL) implemented the India’s
first underwater tunnel under the
Hooghly river to link Howrah and
Kolkata.
G
The length of Kolkata’s East-West
Metro is 16.6 km long out of which
a length of 502 meters is under the
Hooghly river. The East-West Metro
will have 12 stations, six will be
underground stations.
Sale of Cattle for
Slaughter Banned
G
The Union Ministry of Environment
and Forests came up with new
regulations that ban the sale of all
kinds of cattle for slaughter across
India on May 23, 2017.
G
The rules were issued under the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Act, 1960. It will be implemented
in next three months.
G
It requires anyone purchasing cattle
to provide an undertaking
mentioning that animals are bought
for agricultural purposes and not
slaughter. These include bulls,
bullocks, cows, buffalos, steers,
heifers, calves and camels.
Communication
Minister Launches
Various Schemes
G
The Communication Minister
Manoj Sinha has launched
Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Telecom
Skill Excellence Awards and Pandit
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Sanchar
Kaushal Vikas Pratisthan Scheme
at a function in New Delhi on
May 23, 2017.
G
Around 10000 people will be
imparted training in Telecom sector
through the scheme.
G
The Minister launched Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)’s
satellite phone service that will be
offered to government agencies in
phase one and later for others in
phased manner.
G
The minister also launched Mobile
Satellite Communication.
Railways Minister
Flagged-off High Speed
Tejas Express
G
The Union Railway Minister
‘Suresh Prabhu’ flagged off the
high speed, air-conditioned ‘Tejas
Express’ on May 22, 2017
from Chatrapati Shivaji Station,
Mumbai.
G
Tejas Express, country's first
ultra-modern train begun its first
journey from Mumbai to Goa.
G
The train is equipped with CCTV
cameras besides smoke and fire
detection system.
G
20-coach Tejas train has
bio-vacuum toilets and GPS-based
passenger information display
system capable of running at 200
km per hour.
G
The train will operate five days a
week during non-monsoon period,
and three days a week during
monsoon period.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Union Minister Launches
SEVA App
G
Union Minister of State (IC) for Power,
Coal, New & Renewable Energy and
Mines, Piyush Goyal launched the
Saral Eindhan Vitaran Application
(SEVA) mobile app on May 22, 2017.
G
It was developed in-house by Coal
India Limited (CIL) for power sector
consumers. SEVA is a part of ‘Digital
India’ initiative aimed at increasing
the Consumer Connect as well as the
Transparency and Accountability in
Coal dispatch.
Committee on Scouts &
Guides Submitted Final
Report
G
A seven-member Committee on Scouts
and Guides under the chairmanship of
‘Harsh Malhotra’ has submitted its
report to the Sports Minister Vijay
Goel on May 21, 2017.
G
The Committee has suggested
mandatory revamp of the Bharat Scout
& Guides and Hindustan Scouts &
Guides.
G
The Committee has also found number
of irregularities and anomalies in the
management. It has further
recommended for a permanent
monitoring Committee to periodically
assess the activities of both the
organisations.
G
The committee has also recommended
that there should be government
nominees on the Boards of both the
organisations.
Chitale Committee
Recommends Several
Measures
G
Chitale committee constituted to prepare
guidelines for desiltation of river Ganga
from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to
Farakka (West Bengal), submitted its
report to Ministry of Water Resources on
May 19, 2017.
G
It recommended the preparation of
annual reports of Sand registry
describing the previous
de-silting/dredging activity and a
technical institute may be trusted to
conduct the sediment budget,
morphological and flood routing
studies that would examine and
confirm the necessity of the de-silting
of the reach under consideration.
25
G
The Ministry of Water Resources
River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation constituted a
committee to prepare guidelines
for desiltation of river Ganga from
Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to
Farakka (West Bengal) in
July 2016.
Jammu & Kashmir
Hosted the 14th GST
Council Meet
G
Jammu and Kashmir claimed its
place in India’s economic history
with the 14th meeting of the
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Council in Srinagar on May 18,
2017.
G
The meeting of the GST Council
was headed by Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley.
G
The GST is a value added tax and
is proposed to be an indirect tax
levied on the manufacture, sale,
and consumption of goods as well
as services by the Central and State
Government.
Pan-India
Implementation
of Maternity Benefit
Programme
G
The Union Cabinet, presided by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
gave ex-post facto approval to
Pan-India implementation of
Maternity Benefit Programme on
May 17, 2017.
G
The Programme has been extended
to all districts of the country with
effect from January 1, 2017.
G
Goals of this Benefit Programme
are to provide partial compensation
for the wage loss in terms of cash
incentives so that the woman can
take proper rest before and after
delivery of the first living child.
G
The Pregnant Women and
Lactating Mother will be given the
benefit of ` 5000 in three
instalments for the birth of the
first live child by the Union
Ministry of Women and Child
Development.
G
The remaining cash incentive as per
approved norms will be given after
institutional delivery so that on an
average, a woman will get ` 6000.
26 Current Affairs
Union Cabinet Approved
Pharma Mission
G
The Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA)
approved a programme on May 17,
2017 for the development of bio
pharmaceuticals through
industry-academia collaboration,
entailing an investment of ` 1500
crore by it over a period of 5 years.
G
The programme will focus on the
development of specific products,
such as vaccines, biotherapeutics,
medical devices.
G
The mission will be implemented
by Biotechnology Industry
Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC) – a public sector
undertaking of Department of
Biotechnology (DBT).
NGT Orders ` 5000
Fine on Over-speeding
Vehicles
G
The National Green Tribunal
(NGT) announced on May 17,
2017 that any vehicle found
over-speeding inside the Kaziranga
National Park would have to pay
an environment compensation of
` 5000 along with challan under
the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.
G
The decision was taken after the
park’s director complained the
tribunal about four animal deaths
since January, 2017 inspite of the
installation of sensor-operated
automated traffic barriers to
prevent such fatalities. The order
was passed by a bench headed by
Justice Swatanter Kumar, NGT
Chairperson.
Exemption from Quoting
Aadhaar / Enrolment ID
to Certain Individuals
G
The Central government vide
notification dated May 11, 2017
has notified that the requirement
of quoting of Aadhaar / Enrolment
ID shall not apply to the following
individuals if they do not possess
the Aadhaar / Enrolment ID :
G
An individual who is residing in
the state of Assam, Jammu and
Kashmir and Meghalaya.
G
An individual who is a
non-resident as per the
Income-tax Act, 1961.
Half Yearly 2017
G
An individual of the age of eighty
years or more at any time during the
previous year. An individual who is
not a citizen of India.
G
Finance Act, 2017 provides for
mandatory quoting of Aadhaar /
Enrolment ID of Aadhaar application
form for filing of return of income and
for making an application for allotment
of Permanent Account Number with
effect from July 1, 2017.
Immediate Interim
Measures Announced
G
The Ministry of Women and Child
Development has been making several
efforts to deal with the problem of online
Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
The news came up on May 12, 2017.
G
In a major step, a stakeholder
consultation was held last year on this
issue wherein it was decided that the
Ministry will establish a National
Alliance against Online Child Sexual
Abuse and Exploitation, focusing
primarily on the online content.
G
Based on the consultations of the
Inter-Ministerial Committee, the
Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology(MEITY) in collaboration
with Ministry of Women and Child
Development has issued immediate
interim measures to curb the menace of
Online Child Sexual Abuse Material.
2nd Meeting of NPDRR
Held in New Delhi
G
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will
inaugurate the second meeting of
National Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction (NPDRR) in New Delhi on
May 14,2017.
G
The NPDRR is a multi-stakeholders
National Platform which promotes
participatory decision making in
disaster management and strengthens
federal policy of the country.
G
The theme of the meeting was ‘Disaster
Risk Reduction for Sustainable
Development: Making India resilient by
2030’.
‘e-Krishi Samvad’
Launched
to Help Farmers
G
Radha Mohan Singh, Union
Minister for Agriculture and
Farmers Welfare, launched
e-Krishi Samvad at Krishi
Bhawan, New Delhi on
May 11, 2017.
G
e-Krishi Samvad is internet-based
interface and is a unique platform
that will provide direct and
effective solutions to the problems
faced by farmers and stakeholders
in the agriculture sector.
G
People can directly connect to the
ICAR website and get the
appropriate solutions from the
subject matter specialists and
institutes through web or SMS.
G
e Krishi Samvad is useful to get
information pertaining to welfare
and development of agricultural
stakeholders.
ECI Launched National
Contact Centre
G
The Election Commission of India
(ECI) launched National Contact
Centre on May 11, 2017.
G
Now any citizen from any part of
the country can call on the
toll-free in English or Hindi with
any query or complaint at any
time of the day.
G
Callers can enquire on subjects,
such as elections, voting dates,
EPIC, electoral roll, online
registration etc. and lodge a
complaint by simply dialing in to
the toll free no.
G
Not only this, executives also
make outbound calls for educating
the electors and spreading voter
awareness.
G
The National Contact Centre is
operated on a National Grievance
Redressal System Software.
PM Launched
Integrated Case
Management System of
Supreme Court
G
The Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched the Supreme
Court's integrated case
management system on May 10,
2017 , which makes it a paperless
court.
G
The system will help litigants to
access data and retrieve
information online and will be a
step towards a paperless Supreme
Court.
G
PM Modi given slogan IT
(Information Technology) +IT
(Indian Talent) = IT (India
Tomorrow), is the new definition
of India.
G
The system will be implemented
from July, once the court
re-opens after vacations. Under
the new system, the court fee
and process fee will be calculated
online, which will help the
litigant about the cost involved.
Home Ministry
Instructed NGOs to
Come under Core
Banking Format
G
The Home Ministry has
instructed as many as 5,845
organisations on May 10, 2017 to
open their accounts in banks
having core banking facilities.
G
The Home Ministry wants that
all NGOs registered under the
Foreign Contribution Regulation
Act mandatorily have their
accounts in either nationalized
banks or in a few private banks
which have core banking
facilities.
G
Under core banking system, all
the branches of the networked
banks are interconnected. This
would allow the security agencies
to access the accounts of the
NGOs on real time basis.
G
Core banking is a banking service
provided by a group of networked
bank branches where customers
may access their bank account
and perform basic transactions
from any of the member branch
offices.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Centre Set-up Task Force for
Reliable Employment Data
G
The Central government set-up a task
force headed by NITI Aayog
vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya on
May 9, 2017 to come up with a
methodology to generate timely and
reliable employment data.
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi
personally initiated the project and
directed the task force to submit its
recommendations at the earliest.
G
The other members of the task force are
labour secretary M. Sathiyavathy,
secretary of the statistics department TCA
Ananth, NITI - Aayog’s Pulak Ghosh and
Manish Sabharwal, chairman and
co-founder of staffing firm Teamlease
Services Ltd.
PM Reviews Performance of
Key Infrastructure Sectors
G
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,
reviewed on May 9, 2017 progress of key
infrastructure sectors including petroleum
and natural gas, power, renewable energy
and housing.
G
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana has
benefited 1.98 crore BPL households so
far. The contribution of gas to the primary
energy mix has risen to 8%. 81 cities are
being covered under City Gas Distribution
networks.
G
Seeking a consolidated approach
to various schemes, such as electrification,
IT networks and housing, the Prime
Minister called for a focused approach
on the 100 worst performing districts in
each case.
G
He directed that future reviews should
focus on problems at the district-level, so
that the progress of poorly performing
districts can be better monitored.
RBI to Introduce New Batches
for Settlement of Payments
through the NEFT
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will
introduce new batches for settlement of
payments through the National Electronic
Funds Transfer (NEFT) from July
10,2017 to ensure better service for
customers. The news came up on May
9,2017.
G
The additional 11 settlement batches at
half-hourly intervals will be introduced
from July 10, beginning from 8.30 am to
6.30 pm.
27
G
The NEFT system presently settles the
fund transfer requests of the
participating banks on net basis at
hourly intervals from 8:00 am to 7:00
pm on all working days.
G
NEFT is an electronic funds transfer
system maintained by the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI). The NEFT was started in
November, 2005.
Review Meeting of
LWE-affected States Held
G
The Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh reviewed the Left Wing
Extremism (LWE) situation in the 10
LWE affected States on May 9, 2017.
G
The meeting was attended by Chief
Ministers of Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha and
Uttar Pradesh.
G
The States were represented by senior
ministers, Chief Secretaries and DGPs of
States were also present.
G
The Home Minister expressed in clear
about operational strategy
‘SAMADHAN’ to fight Left Wing
Extremism.
G
The elements of this strategy are S for
Smart Leadership, A for Aggressive
Strategy, M for Motivation and
Training, A for Actionable Intelligence,
D for Dashboard-based Key Result
Areas and Key Performance Indicators,
H for Harnessing Technology, A for
Action Plan for Each Theatre and N for
No access to Financing.
DIPAM Launched Online
Investor Facilitation Platform
G
The Finance Ministry has set-up an
‘Investor Facilitation Platform’ on May
9, 2017. It will provide information
about stocks of public sector units.
G
The platform set up by the Department
of Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM) is an interactive
forum for all stakeholders, including
investors, investment banks, law firms,
public sector units and administrative
ministries that are involved in stake
sales. It is developed and maintained by
PRIME Database.
G
PRIME Database is India’s first and still
the only database dedicated to the
primary capital market covering fund
raising by the Indian corporate sector
and the government through equity,
debt or securitisation, in India or
abroad.
28 Current Affairs
CCEA Approves
SAMPADA for
Agro-marine Processing
G
The Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved the Scheme for
Agro-Marine Processing &
Development of Agro-Processing
clusters (SAMPADA) on May 5,
2017 to supplement agriculture,
modernise processing and
decrease agri-waste during the
period 2016-20.
G
The ` 60 billion umbrella scheme
to be administered by the
ministry of food processing
industries will subsume a host of
other schemes under the
ministry.
G
SAMPADA is an umbrella scheme
incorporating ongoing schemes of
the Ministry like Mega Food
Parks, Integrated Cold Chain and
Value Addition Infrastructure,
Food Safety and Quality
Assurance Infrastructure, etc.
and also new schemes like
Infrastructure for Agro-processing
Clusters, Creation of Backward
and Forward Linkages, Creation/
Expansion of Food Processing &
Preservation Capacities.
1000 MW Wind Energy
Auction Scheme
G
In a major step to enhance India's
renewable energy capacity,
power, coal, renewable energy
and mines minister Piyush Goyal
announced a scheme on May 4,
2017 for auction of wind power
projects of 1,000 Megawatt (MW)
capacity that will kick off soon.
G
The announcement was done
concurrently with the signing of
agreement between the public
sector Power Trading Corporation
and the electricity distribution
companies (discoms) of
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand,
Delhi, Assam and Odisha.
G
This was the first time such
auction process was done in the
country for wind power through
e-reverse auction and its success
can be seen from the fact that a
record low tariffs of ` 3.46 per
kWh was obtained.
Half Yearly 2017
Swachh Survekshan
Survey 2017
G
Madhya Pradesh had its moment
of pride on May 4, 2017 as Indore
and Bhopal featured on the top
two spots of India's cleanest cities
and Visakhapatnam is the third in
this rank.
G
The list was based on a massive
survey, Swachh Survekshan 2017,
rating the cleanliness efforts put in
by the municipalities in 500 Indian
cities.
G
The Swachh Survekshan ranked
Gonda as the dirtiest city and
Bhusawal in Maharashtra stands
second-last in the ranking.
G
This was the second edition of the
survey conducted since the launch
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
pet cleanliness project to map it's
success rate.
Prime Minister
Inaugurated Patanjali
Research Institute
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated Baba Ramdev’s
Patanjali Research Institute in
Haridwar on May 03, 2017.
G
Earlier in the day, PM arrived in
Uttarakhand's Dehradun, from
where he headed to Kedarnath
temple.
G
The institute is established with an
aim to globally establish the vedic
knowlege of Ayurveda of Ancient
Indian Saints.
G
Patanjali Research Institute, will be
India's first organisation in India to
conduct clinical trials as per
international standards in the field
of Ayurved.
Union Cabinet Cleared
New National Steel Policy
G
The Union Cabinet approved a new
steel policy that envisions investment of
` 10 lakh crore to build more production
capacity on May 3, 2017. The policy has
planned for a steel demand of about 230
million tonne by 2030-31.
G
The National Steel Policy 2017 is an
effort to steer the industry, both large
and MSME segments , to achieve its full
potential, enhance steel production with
a focus on high-end value added steel
while being globally competitive.
G
The policy envisages a crude steel
capacity of nearly 300 mt by 2030-31,
which is similar to the earlier target
set by the earlier National Steel Policy,
2005.
G
India is tipped to emerge as the 2nd
largest steel producer globally, had a
production level of 91mt and a domestic
steel capacity of 122 mt in 2015-16.
HRD Minister Launched
Vidya-Veerta Abhiyan
G
The Minister for HRD, Prakash
Javadekar has launched Vidya
Veerta Abhiyan on May 2, 2017 to
encourage Universities and educational
institutions across the country to
display portraits of Param Veer
Chakra-decorated soldiers.
G
This initiative has been launched in the
wake of the demand made by the
ex-servicemen that portraits of martyrs
and tanks used in wars be showcased in
the universities and educational
institutions to instil a sense of
nationalism and patriotism among the
students.
G
The Param Veer Chakra (PVC) is
India’s highest military decoration
awarded and it was established on
January 26, 1950.
Stamp on Ramanujacharya’s
1000th Birth Anniversary
Released
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi
released a commemorative stamp on the
1,000th birth anniversary of Saint
Ramanujacharya on May 1, 2017 in
New Delhi.
G
Ramanuja was a Hindu theologian,
philosopher, and one of the most
important exponents of the
Sri Vaishnavism tradition within
Hinduism.
Swachhta Pakhwada
Being Observed by the
Ministry of Textiles
G
Swachhta Pakhwada being
observed by the Ministry of
Textiles throughout the country
The Ministry of Textiles is
observing Swachhta Pakhwada
from May 1 to 15, 2017.
G
The theme of the Swachhta
Pakhwada was to spread Swachhta
Awareness across the country.
G
The Swachhta Pledge is
administered by the Ministry of
Textiles.
G
Its focus is on the role of women
and children in taking a leadership
role for community led sanitation
initiatives.
Real Estate Act
Comes into Effect
G
The Real Estate Act comes into
force on May 1, 2017 with a
promise of protecting the right
of consumers and ushering in
transparency but only 13 states
and UTs have so far notified rules.
G
The Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Act promises to
bring in the much-desired
transparency, accountability and
efficiency in real estate sector and
the government has described the
implementation of the Act as the
beginning of an era where the
consumer is king.
G
The government has brought in
the legislation to protect home
buyers and encourage genuine
private players.
G
The Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Bill, 2016 was
passed by Parliament in
March 2016.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Minister of State for
Labour and Employment
Launched 2 Schemes
G
The Minister of State for Labour
and Employment, Bandaru
Dattatreya launched two schemes
‘One IP- Two Dispensaries’ and
‘Aadhaar based Online Claim
Submission’ on the occasion of
International Labour Day on May
1, 2017.
G
By introducing the concept of ‘One
IP- Two Dispensaries’, IP as well as
their family members would now
be able to get treatment from
either of the dispensaries and in
case of emergency from any ESI
Institution.
G
Under Aadhaar-based Online
Claim Submission scheme all EPF
Members who have activated their
UAN and seeded their KYC
(Aadhaar) with EPFO will be able
to apply for PF final settlement,
Pension withdrawal benefit and PF
part withdrawal from the their
UAN Interface directly.
Water Conservation
Programme Launched
G
Uma Bharti, the Union Minister
for Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation launched 'Jal
Sanrakshan Karyakram-
Bundelkhand’, an extensive water
conservation programme on
April 28, 2017 at Bandri, Sagar in
Madhya Pradesh.
G
The programme aims to focus on
the drought-prone areas of
Bundelkhand, Kalahandi,
Bolangir, Marathwada and Koraput
in Odisha.
G
The scheme is expected to benet
Jhansi, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Lalitpur
and Banda districts in UP’s
Bundelkhand region and
Tikamgarh and Datia districts in
MP’s Bundelkhand region.
PM Launched UDAN
Scheme
G
The Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has launched the Ude Desh
Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme
from Jubbarhatti, an airport
on the outskirts of Shimla, on
April 27, 2017.
29
G
‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ means
‘the common man flies’. He flagged
of the first UDAN flight under
Regional Connectivity Scheme
(RCS) on Shimla-Delhi sector and
also flagged UDAN flights on
Kadapa–Hyderabad, and
Nanded-Hyderabad sectors .
G
The UDAN RCS (Regional
Connectivity Scheme) was launched
in October 2016. The scheme has
been launched to provide
connectivity to un-served and
under-served airports of the country
through revival of existing air-strips
and airports.
G
As per the modalities of the scheme,
airfare for a one-hour journey of 500
km has been capped at an
all-inclusive charge of ` 2500.
Centre Unveiled New
Agricultural Produce
Market Committee Act
G
The Centre has unveiled a new
Agricultural Produce Market
Committee (APMC) Act 2017, which
removes the concept of notified
market or mandi area, enabling
farmers to sell their produce to
highest bidder on April 25, 2017.
G
The government aims to integrate
585 APMCs under one electronic
platform and set up a wholesale
market at every 80 km.
G
Due to the monopoly of APMCs,
farmers do not have a choice to sell
their farm produce to multiple
buyers. The model act will provide
several marketing channels to sell
agricultural produce.
Quality Mark Award
Scheme-Department of
Animal Husbandry
G
The Department of Animal
Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries
has supported the National Dairy
Development Board developed
Initative of ‘Quality Mark’ Award
Scheme for dairy Cooperatives on
April 24 ,2017.
G
It is aimed at bringing about process
improvement in the entire value
chain from producer to the
consumer to ensure availability of
safe and quality of milk and
products both for the domestic and
foreign market.
30 Current Affairs
G
The Quality Mark Award Scheme
for dairy Cooperatives in the
country has been initiated to
instill confidence in the
consumers for the quality of milk
being marketed by them by
ensuring availability of safe and
good quality milk and milk
products.
G
The Quality Mark Scheme was
rolled out on January 6, 2016
after deliberating on the process
and award mechanism for over a
year.
Website of Water and
Sanitation Ministry
Leaked Aadhaar Details
G
The Union Water and Sanitation
Ministry was found on April 24,
2017 to have uploaded Aadhaar
numbers of beneficiaries of the
Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin
on its website , the first instance
of an Aadhaar data breach by a
central government ministry.
G
Aadhaar aims to plug leakages in
the delivery of state benefits, such
as subsidized grains to the poor
and aid in generating a savings of
about ` 70000 crore a year for the
government.
G
In March, 2017, UIDAI
blacklisted a common services
centre for 10 years after it shared
the Aadhaar details of former
cricket captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni. The Aadhaar Act of 2016
makes such disclosure punishable
by a three-year term and fine.
Government Released
Coffee Scented Stamps
G
The Union Minister of Commerce
and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman
and Minister of State for
Communications Manoj Sinha
released coffee scented postage
stamps on April 24, 2017 at the
General Post Office, Bengaluru.
G
The stamps, which are being
printed at the India Security
Press, will be priced at ` 100.
G
Bhutan first introduced the
concept of aromatic stamps
in 1973.
G
India introduced its first aromatic
stamp in 2006, with a 15
sandalwood-scented stamp.
Half Yearly 2017
10 New Swachh Iconic
Places Under Swachh
Bharat Mission
G
The 2nd quarterly review meeting on
the Swachh Iconic Places (SIP), an
initiative of Ministry of Drinking Water
and Sanitation under Swachh Bharat
Mission, was held recently at Mata
Vaishno Devi Shrine, in Katra, Jammu
and Kashmir.
G
On this occasion, Shri Narendra Singh
Tomar announced 10 new Iconic places
to be taken under the Phase II of
Swachh Iconic Places initiative.
G
These 10 new iconic places which
are to be brought to a higher standard
of swachhta and visitors’ amenities are-
Gangotri , Yamunotri, Mahakaleshwar
Temple (Ujjain), Char Minar
(Hyderabad), Church and Convent of
St. Francis (Assissi, Goa), Adi
Shankaracharya’s abode Kaladi
(Ernakulam), Gomateshwar
(Shravanbelgola), Baijnath Dham
(Devghar), Gaya Tirth (Bihar) and
Somnath temple (Gujarat).
Apply for Passports in
Hindi Language
G
The Ministry of External Affairs has
made a provision enabling people to
apply online for passports in Hindi on
April 24, 2017.
G
The move comes after President
Pranab Mukherjee recently accepted
recommendations made in this
regard by the Committee of
Parliament on Official Language
via its ninth report. The report was
submitted in 2011.
G
From now on, women do not have to
change their names in their passports
after marriage.
G
They can use their father/mother’s
name in the passport.
Constitution (123rd
Amendment) Bill 2017
and NCBC (Repeal) Bill,
2017
G
The Union Cabinet chaired by the
Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi has given ex-post facto
approval for introduction of
Constitution ( 123 Amendment)
Bill 2017 and National
Commission for Backward
Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017 in the
Parliament; and Approval for
retention of posts/incumbents
and office premises held by the
existing National Commission for
Backward Classes which was
proposed new National
Commission for Backward Class.
G
Repeal of the National
Commission for Backward
Classes Act, 1993 along with
Savings Clause for namely the
National Commission for
Backward Classes (Repeal)
Bill, 2017.
G
Article-338B for socially and
educationally backward classes
by name of National Commission
for Backward Classesinsertion of
Clause (26C) under Article 366
with modified definition.
World Bank Approved
Loan for National
Waterway-1 on Ganga
G
The World Bank has approved a
loan of $ 375 million for capacity
augmentation of National
Waterway-1 (NW-1) on the river
Ganga under the Jal Marg Vikas
Project (JMVP) on April 21, 2017.
G
The financial assistance from the
World Bank would help to
develop the ` 5369-crore NW-1
from Haldia to Varanasi. The
project will enable commercial
navigation of vessels with
capacity of 1,500-2,000
deadweight tonnes along a
1390-km stretch.
G
NW-1 is a waterway of national
significance passing through
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand
and West Bengal, serving the
cities of Allahabad, Varanasi,
Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Patna,
Howrah, Haldia and Kolkata.
Pro Bono Services, Legal
Aid Schemes, Nyaya Mitra
Launched
G
The Minister of Law and Justice Ravi
Shankar Prasad on April 20, 2017
inaugurated three welfare initiatives
of the Department of Justice. The
services launched were ‘Pro-bono
legal services’, ‘Tele-law service’ and
Nyaya Mitra.
G
Pro bono legal service is a web based
initiative through which lawyers who
want to volunteer for ‘pro bono’
services can register on the justice
department website : doj.gov.in.
G
Under Tele-law initiative, litigants
from marginalised communities can
avail legal advice from expert panel of
lawyers stationed at State Legal
Services Centres (SLCA) by video
conferencing through the Common
Service Centres (CSCs).
G
‘Nyaya Mitra’ Scheme aims to reduce
pendency in lower courts of selected
districts. Cases which have been
pending for more than 10 years will
be accorded priority.
Government Relaxed Curb
on Export of Organic Farm
Produce
G
The government relaxed restrictions
on exports of certain organic
agricultural and processed products
like wheat, non-basmati rice to boost
their overseas shipments on April 20,
2017.
G
According to a notification of
Directorate General of Foreign Trade
(DGFT) , Export of organic
agricultural and organic processed
products like wheat, non-basmati rice,
edible oils, sugar have been exempted
from existing quantitative ceilings.
G
It has increased the annual
quantitative ceiling on export of
organic pulses and lentils from
existing 10000 tonnes to 50,000
tonnes per annum.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
SC Approved e-Auction of
Taj Mansingh Hotel
G
The Supreme Court on April 20, 2017
allowed the New Delhi Municipal
Corporation (NDMC) to e-auction the
Taj Mansingh hotel in Delhi’s Lutyens
zone.
G
Once managed by the Tata Group and
now run by the Indian Hotels
Company (IHCL), the apex court also
asserted that if the Tata Group loses
the e-auction then it will have to
vacate the premises within a period of
six months.
G
NDMC and IHCL had entered into an
agreement in 1976 to construct and
run a five-star hotel in one of the
prime locations of Delhi that is
Mansingh Road. This licence operated
for a period of 33 years from late 1976
and concluded in 2011. Now, NDMC
declined to renew the IHCL licence for
30 years.
‘India Steel 2017’
Inaugurated
G
International Conference and
Exhibition on Steel Industry ‘India
Steel 2017’ was held at Mumbai
Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from
April 19-21, 2017.
G
First of its Kind
exhibition-cum-conference was
organised by Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCO) along with Union Ministry of
Steel. It was inaugurated by Union
Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender
Singh. India is the Third largest
producer of crude steel in the world.
Bill for Constitutional
Status to Backward Classes
Commission Passed
G
The Lok Sabha on April 19, 2017
passed a constitutional amendment
which introduces a National
Commission for Socially and
Educationally Backward Classes in the
Constitution, despite opposition
parties claiming certain clauses
affected the federal structure of the
country.
G
The National Commission for
Backward Classes Bill 2017 to repeal
the 1993 law was also passed. This is
the first step towards making the
backward classes commission a
constitutional body.
31
G
The amendment envisages a
five-member panel with several
duties, including investigating and
monitoring matters regarding
safeguards provided for the socially
and educationally backward
classes, inquiring into specific
complaints regarding deprivation of
rights and safeguards, advising on
their socio-economic development,
and submitting reports on the
working of the safeguards.
G
The constitutional amendment also
empowers the President to specify
communities which would fall
under backward class for states
and union territories, in
consultation with the concerned
governor.
President Inaugurated
Global Exhibition on
Services
G
The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee inaugurated 3rd edition
of the Global Exhibition on
Services (GES-2017) on
April 17, 2017.
G
India can be a key partner for
emerging services, such as facilities
management, event and exhibition,
urban infrastructure and
environmental services.
G
Many of these services can be
delivered from India to offshore
locations, helping large cities
manage their facilities optimally,
facilitating hospitals in
maintaining medical records or
providing geospatial information.
Training Programme
Launched for Women
Panchayat Leaders
G
The Union government launched a
training programme for women
panchayat leaders to skill them in
governance and administration
with a special emphasis on
efficient usage of funds to achieve
overall development on April 17,
2017.
G
The objective of the training
programme is to build the confidence
of the women representatives in
dealing with the daily functioning of
the panchayats and make them
aware of the laws and rights of
women under Constitution of India.
32 Current Affairs
Portal and Mobile
App of RUSA
G
The Union Minister of Human
Resource Development Shri
Prakash Javadekar launched the
unique portal and mobile app of
Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha
Abhiyan (RUSA), a body under the
aegis of the Ministry of Human
Resources & Development, on
April 16, 2017.
G
This is a unique event as well as
experiment wherein we have
inaugurated 17 facilities created
under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha
Abhiyan in one go in 14 States.
G
The portal is a one-stop for States’
Higher Education Plans, decision
of the States’ Higher Education
Councils and details of the
resources under this scheme. Also,
the gallery is a rich repository of
the projects initiated under RUSA.
ASCI Released Guidelines
for Celebrities in
Advertising
G
Advertising industry's
self-regulatory organisation
released a set of guidelines to
protect consumers' interest, while
encouraging celebrities and
advertisers to refrain from
endorsing misleading
advertisements on April 14, 2017.
G
According to Advertising
Standards Council of India, the
guidelines will help in ensuring
that claims made in advertising are
not misleading, false or go
unsubstantiated.
G
Celebrities have a strong influence
on consumers and are guided by
the choices they make or endorse.
It's important that both celebrities
and advertisers are cognizant of
the impact and power of
advertising and therefore make
responsible claims to promote
products or services.
Half Yearly 2017
PM Launched GNFC’s
Cashless/Less Cash
Township Model Across 12
States
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
launched in Nagpur a cashless/less cash
township model, developed by Gujarat
Narmada Valley Fertilizers and
Chemicals Ltd (GNFC), across 81
townships in 12 States on April 14,
2017.
G
These townships will deliver 2.5 lakh
cashless transactions per day,
translating into 9 crore cashless
transactions in a year. GNFC’s township
at Bharuch in Gujarat became India’s
first cent-percent cashless township
after demonetisation.
G
The 81 townships included 56 in
Gujarat and 25 in other States that have
chosen to follow the cashless or less
cash model.
G
It further found that 92.3% of
households believed there was a
significant reduction in the use of cash
resulting in more convenience when
transacting for daily activities.
Inter-Disciplinary Committee
Constituted with Regard to
Virtual Currencies
G
In order to examine the existing
framework, Department of Economic
Affairs, Ministry of Finance has
constituted an Inter- Disciplinary
Committee chaired by Special Secretary
(Economic Affairs) and representatives
from Department of Economic Affairs,
Department of Financial Services,
Department of Revenue (CBDT),
Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology
, Reserve Bank of India, NITI Aayog and
State Bank of India on April 13, 2017.
G
The Committee will
G
take stock of the present status of
Virtual Currencies both in India and
globally; examine the existing global
regulatory and legal structures
governing Virtual Currencies;
G
suggest measures for dealing with
such Virtual Currencies including
issues relating to consumer
protection, money laundering, etc;
and examine any other matter related
to Virtual Currencies which may be
relevant.
G
The Committee has been tasked to
submit its report within three months.
Cab Safety Measures for
Women Included in New
Taxi Policy Guidelines
G
The safety measures,
recommended by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development
(WCD), concerning safety of
women commuters availing of cab
services have been included in the
new Taxi Policy Guidelines on
April 13, 2017. Recommendations
of WCD Ministry included in the
New Taxi Policy Guidelines
include.
G
The taxis should be mandatorily
fitted with GPS panic devices.
G
For the safety of women and child
passengers, the central locking
system in the taxis should not be
allowed.
G
The driver's identification along
with the photo and registration
number of the vehicle should also
be prominently displayed in the
taxi.
G
Violation of the stipulated rules
by the taxi operators/drivers should
be strictly dealt in accordance
with law.
G
Sharing of seat should be subject
to willingness of passengers.
Committee Constituted to
Prepare Draft Ganga Act
Submits its Report
G
The committee constituted to
prepare draft Ganga Act submitted
its report to the Union Minister of
Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti in
New Delhi on April 12, 2017.
G
The Chairman of the
committee Justice Shri Girdhar
Malviya (Retd.) said that it was a
big challenge for them but they
could meet it successfully.
G
The committee recognised the
enormous challenges being faced
to maintain the wholesomeness
(Nirmalta and Aviralta) of
National River Ganga perpetuated
due to over stressed water demand
from agricultural, domestic and
industrial sectors, on one hand
and realised pressure on account of
sustaining the religious faith,
historical and social belief on
other hand.
Parliament Passed HIV
and AIDS Bill, 2017
G
The Parliament passed a vital HIV and
AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill,
ensuring equal rights while seeking
treatment, education and job by people
living with HIV on April 11, 2017.
G
Under the new law, Central and State
governments are obliged to provide for
anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and
management of opportunistic infections.
G
The protection mandated under the law
extends to the fields of employment,
healthcare services, educational services,
public facilities, property rights, holding
public office, and insurance.
G
The Bill assumes significance as it
protects people living with HIV from
specific acts of discrimination by the
State, or any other person. It also lays
down penal provisions for any
discrimination practised against a person
with HIV/AIDS and breach of
confidentiality.
G
The total number of people living with
HIV in India is estimated at 21.17 lakhs,
whereas around 86000 new HIV
infections were reported in 2015,
showing 66% decline in new infections
from 2000. In 2015 around 68000 people
died of AIDS related causes nationally.
‘SGI’ Completed 250 Years
G
If the Battle of Plassey in 1757 laid the
foundation of British rule in India, the
Survey General of India (SGI),
established ten years later by the British
East India Company, helped it expand its
footprint across the subcontinent on
April 10, 2017.
G
The SGIs mandate ranges from
demarcation of State and international
boundaries, mapping of topography,
making maps for urban planning and
defence installations to reading
deformities of dams and mapping rivers,
flood plains, and roads.
G
The institute first published a Map of
Hindustan in 1783, depicting the
subcontinent and undivided India,
comprising India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan
and Burma (Myanmar).
G
It also prepared maps for neighbouring
countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka,
then known as Burma and Ceylon
respectively, and several South-East
Asian countries where the British had
imperial and economic interests.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Lok Sabha Passed Motor
Vehicles (Amendment)
Bill, 2016
G
The Lok Sabha passed the Motor
Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016
on April 10, 2017. The Bill
amends the Motor Vehicles Act,
1988 to address issues-such as
third party insurance, regulation
of taxi aggregators, and road
safety.
G
The liability of the third party
insurer for motor vehicle
accidents is unlimited. The Bill
caps the maximum liability for
third party insurance in case of a
motor accident at ` 10 lakh in
case of death and at ` 5 lakh
rupees in case of grievous injury.
G
The Bill provides for a Motor
Vehicle Accident Fund which
would provide compulsory
insurance cover to all road users
in India for certain types of
accidents.
G
The Bill defines taxi aggregators,
guidelines for which will be
determined by the central
government.
G
The Bill also provides for: (i)
amending the existing categories
of driver licensing, (ii) recall of
vehicles in case of defects, (iii)
protection of good samaritans
from any civil or criminal action,
and (iv) increase of penalties for
several offences under the 1988
Act.
Mahatma Gandhi
Exhibition Launched
G
The Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched a special digital
exhibition on 'Bapu Ko Karyanjali
- Re-envisioning the Champaran
Satyagraha on its 100th
anniversary at National Archives
in New Delhi on April 9,2017.
G
April 2017 marks the centenary of
the Champaran Satyagraha -
Mahatma Gandhi's first
Satyagraha in India.
G
Mahatma Gandhi had taken
several steps to improve the
condition of people in
Champaran. These included
efforts towards basic education,
skill development, women
empowerment and cleanliness.
33
Union Government
Set-up National Board
for Electric Mobility
G
The Union government has
constituted NBEM to promote
electric mobility and
manufacturing of electric (&
hybrid) vehicles and their
components on April 3, 2017.
G
The NBEM will examine,
formulate and propose the
short-term and long-term plan
and contours of the
mission programme on electric
mobility, its objectives,
quantifiable outcomes and roles
& responsibilities of the various
stakeholders.
G
It will propose and recommend
policy guidelines and
government interventions and
possible strategies for promoting
electric mobility and for
encouraging manufacture of
electric vehicles in the country.
Parliament Passed
Constitution (SCs)
Order (Amendment)
Bill 2017
G
Parliament has passed the
Constitution (Scheduled Castes)
Order (Amendment) Bill 2017
with the Rajya Sabha approving
it on April 10, 2017. It was
passed by Lok Sabha on
March 23.
G
The Bill amends the Constitution
(Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950
and the Constitution
(Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes
Order, 1964.
G
It seeks to modify the list of
Scheduled Castes (SCs) for the
State of Odisha. The castes
Sualgiri, Swalgiri will be
introduced as synonyms to the
Sabakhia caste in the list of SCs
for the State.
G
The name of the Union Territory
of Pondicherry was modified to
Puducherry by a central Act in
2006.
G
The bill seeks to incorporate this
change and replace Pondicherry
with Puducherry in the
Constitution (Pondicherry)
Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.
34 Current Affairs
‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’
Launched
G
The Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, a
scheme for providing Physical Aids
and Assisted-living Devices for Senior
citizens belonging to BPL category,
has been launched in Nellore (Andhra
Pradesh) on April 1, 2017.
G
The scheme will be implemented
through the sole implementing
agency, Artificial Limbs
Manufacturing Corporation
(ALIMCO), (a public sector
undertaking under the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment),
which will undertake one year free
maintenance of the aids & assisted
living devices.
G
As per the Census figures of 2011, the
population of senior citizens in India is
10.38 crore. More than 70% of the
population of senior citizens live in
rural areas of the country.
G
A sizeable percentage (5.2%) of the
senior citizens suffers from some sort
of disabilities related to old age.
Projections indicate that the number
of elderly population will increase to
around 173 million by 2026.
Government Launched
PowerTex India Scheme
for Powerloom Sector
G
The Union government has
announced a comprehensive scheme
for powerloom sector development,
PowerTex India, on April 1, 2017.
G
The components of PowerTex India
scheme are in-situ upgradation of
plain powerlooms; Group Workshed
Scheme (GWS); yarn bank scheme;
Common Facility Centre (CFC);
Pradhan Mantri Credit Scheme for
powerloom weavers; Solar Energy
Scheme for powerlooms; Facilitation,
IT, awareness, market development
and publicity for powerloom schemes;
Tex Venture Capital Fund; and
Grant-in-Aid and modernisation and
Upgradation of Powerloom Service
Centres (PSCs).
G
The objective of the first component
of in-situ upgradation is to provide
financial assistance to economically
weaker low-end powerloom units, for
upgrading existing plain looms to
semi-automatic/shuttleless looms by
way of fixing certain additional
attachment/kits.
Half Yearly 2017
FDA Approved First
Drug for Aggressive
Multiple Sclerosis
G
A new multiple sclerosis drug
approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration offers hope to patients
with the most severe form of the
progressive disease on March 31, 2017.
G
The intravenous drug, made by
Genentech, is called Ocrelizumab
(Ocrevus). Given every six months, it
worked best for patients with
relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (MS)—
the most common form of the disease.
G
Multiple sclerosis is believed to be an
autoimmune disease, meaning the
body mistakenly attacks itself. The
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
estimates that more than 400000
people in the United States have MS.
Roughly 15% have the primary
progressive form.
G
Multiple sclerosis affects the brain and
spinal cord by damaging the myelin
sheath, the material that surrounds
and protects nerve cells.
Parliament Passed
Finance Bill 2017
G
The Lok Sabha has approved the
Finance Bill 2017 on March 31, 2017.
The budget for 2017-18 will focus on
outcomes and include a host of
reforms initiatives, including on
electoral funding, ease of doing
business and discouraging
unaccounted wealth generation by
limiting cash transactions in
the economy.
G
Recommendations to delete three
proposals in the Finance Bill (Clauses
51, 52 and 53) regarding whistle
blower protection by tax officials,
saying that the proposal was brought
in as a matter of abundant caution.
G
This is not a violation of human rights.
There is a larger public interest in this.
Green Corridors
Announced by
Indian Railways
G
The Indian Railways has announced
certain railway tracks as Green
Corridors on March 31, 2017.
G
Anamadurai-Rameswaram,
Okha-Kanalus, Porbandar-Wasjaliya,
Barmer-Munawab and Pipad
Road-Bilara are the green corridors.
G
Manamadurai-Rameswaram is
India’s first green corridor
announced by the Ministry
of Railways. Railway route on which
there shall be zero toilet discharge
on railway tracks is called as
Green Corridor.
SC Banned the Sale,
Registration of Non BS-IV
Compliant Vehicles
G
The Supreme Court banned the sale
and registration of vehicles which
are not compliant with BS-IV
emission norms from April 1 across
the country on March 29, 2017. The
BS-IV emission norms will come
into force from April 1, 2017.
G
The Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers (SIAM) had earlier
submitted data on manufacturing
and sale of BS-III vehicles on a
monthly basis from January, 2016
and told the court that the
companies were holding stock of
around 8.24 lakh such vehicles
including 96000 commercial
vehicles, over six lakh two-wheelers
and around 40000 three-wheelers.
Parliament Passed
‘Mental Health Bill 2016’
G
The Mental Healthcare Bill 2016,
that provides for mental healthcare
and services for persons with mental
illness, and also decriminalises
suicide, secured parliamentary
approval on March 28, 2017.
G
The Bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha
in August, 2016, ensures every
person shall have a right to access
mental health care and treatment
from mental health services run or
funded by the
appropriate government.
G
It also assures free treatment for
such persons if they are homeless or
poor, even if they do not possess a
Below Poverty Line card.
‘World Conference
on Environment’ Held
G
President Pranab Mukherjee
inaugurated the ‘World Conference
on Environment’ organised by the
National Green Tribunal in New
Delhi, on March 26, 2017.
G
Recent studies and systematic
reviews indicate that environmental
factors are responsible for an
estimated 24% of the global burden
of disease in terms of healthy life
years lost and 23% of all deaths.
G
Children are the worst sufferers of
the adverse impact of environmental
diseases. 24% of all deaths under the
age of 15 are due to diarrhoea,
malaria and respiratory diseases—all
of which are environment related.
G
19% of the deaths caused by cancer
worldwide are attributed to
carcinogens that unmindful
industrialisation produces.
MHA Issued Advisory
Regarding Strict
Compliance of ‘Flag Code
of India, 2002’
G
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
issued advisory regarding strict
compliance of ‘Flag Code of India,
2002’ on March 23, 2017.
G
The MHA has issued an advisory to
the Chief Secretaries/ Administrators
of all State governments/UT.
Administrations, Secretaries of all
Ministries/Departments of
government of India, reiterating to
ensure strict compliance of the
provisions contained in the ‘Flag
Code of India, 2002’ and ‘The
Prevention of Insults to National
Honour Act, 1971’.
G
The advisory directs that mass
awareness programmes be carried
out in this regard and also give wide
publicity through advertisements in
the electronic and print media.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
The advisory states that the National
Flag represents hopes and
aspirations of the people of our
country and hence should occupy a
position of honour. There is
universal affection and respect for,
and loyalty to the National Flag.
G
The advisory states that on
important national, cultural and
sports events, flags made of paper
only are used by public in terms of
the provisions of the ‘Flag Code of
India, 2002’ and such paper Flags
are not discarded or thrown on the
ground after the event.
23rd Conference of
Auditors General of
Commonwealth Countries
and British Overseas
Territories Held
G
Union Minister of Finance, Defence
and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley
addressed the 23rd Conference of
Auditors General of Commonwealth
nations & 9 British Overseas Territories
in New Delhi March 22, 2017.
G
The conference will have the main
theme of ‘Fostering Partnerships for
Capacity Development in
Public Audit’.
G
The conference will be attended by
52 Commonwealth Countries and 9
British Overseas Territories.
5th Rashtriya Sanskriti
Mahotsav Organised
G
The Fifth ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti
Mahotsav (RSM) 2017’ was
organised in North Eastern Region of
India by Ministry of Culture from
March 23 to 31, 2017.
G
The essential thrust of Rashtriya
Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) is to
present rich diversity and
uniqueness of Indian culture and to
promote the cultural inter-linkages
amongst the States to strengthen
National integration and also to bid
the artists of other parts of the
country with the people of North
East in a single thread of culture.
G
The festival will showcase the
spectacular diversity of India, from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari and
Gujarat to Bengal through folk,
tribal and classical art forms in all its
dimensions—dance, music, drama,
puppetry, handicrafts and food.
35
Rajya Sabha Passed ‘The
HIV and AIDS (Prevention
and Control) Bill 2014’
G
The HIV and AIDS (Prevention and
Control) Bill, 2014, aimed at
ensuring equal rights while seeking
treatment, education and job by
people living with HIV, was passed
by the Rajya Sabha on March 21,
2017.
G
The Bill also assumes significance
as it protects such people from
specific acts of discrimination by
the State, or any other person. It
also lays down penal provisions for
any discrimination practised against
a person with HIV/AIDS and breach
of confidentiality.
First-ever Made in India
‘Medha’ Train Flagged-off
G
Country’s first-ever indigenously
manufactured Electric Multiple Unit
(EMU) for suburban travel ‘Medha’
was flagged-off on March 18, 2017.
G
It manufactured by the Integral
Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, the
rake has a special indigenous
3-phase propulsion system and it
reportedly saves foreign exchange
as well as cuts on production cost.
G
The new rake is powered by
Hyderabad-based firm Medha Servo
Drives. The rake has in-built
systems to minimise breakdowns
during travel. The rake has a
capacity to travel at the speeds-up
to 110 km/h.
Union Government
Launched Online Film
Certification System
G
The Information and Broadcasting
Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu
launched the Online Film
Certification System of the Central
Board of Film Certification (CBFC)
on March 17, 2017.
G
Under the new system, for short
films, promos or trailers of less than
10 minutes, the producer can
submit their creations online. For
films longer than 10 minutes, the
applicant will have to show the film
at the examining theatre, but will
not be required to visit CBFC
offices, except for
collecting certificates.
36 Current Affairs
G
The applicants will be informed
through text message or e-mail about
the status of their applications and
any action needed.
G
It will also eliminate any possibility
of corruption. The implementation of
QR code on the certificates will
eliminate chances of fraudulent
certificates. A new CBFC website has
also been developed to facilitate easy
access to the services.
National Health Policy
2017 Approved
G
The Union government approved
National Health Policy 2017 as a
huge milestone in the history of
public health in the country, on
March 16, 2017.
G
NHP 2017, which is patient-centric
and quality-driven, provides the
much needed policy framework for
achieving universal health coverage
and delivering quality health care
services to all at an affordable cost.
G
The policy recommends prioritising
the role of the government in
shaping health systems in all its
dimensions. The roadmap of this
new policy is predicated on public
spending and provisioning of a
public healthcare system that is
comprehensive, integrated and
accessible to all.
G
NHP 2017 seeks to promote quality
of care, focus on emerging diseases
and invest in promotive and
preventive healthcare. It addresses
health security and make in India for
drugs and devices.
Trade Infrastructure
for Export Scheme
(TIES) Launched
G
The Commerce and Industry Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman launched the
Trade Infrastructure for Export
Scheme (TIES) on March 15, 2017.
Half Yearly 2017
G
The scheme would provide
assistance for setting-up and
up-gradation of infrastructure
projects with overwhelming export
linkages like the Border Haats, Land
customs stations, quality testing and
certification labs, cold chains, trade
promotion centres, dry ports, export
warehousing and packaging, SEZs
and ports/airports cargo terminuses.
G
The objective of the proposed
scheme is to enhance export
competitiveness by bridging gaps in
export infrastructure, creating
focused export infrastructure, first
mile and last mile connectivity for
export-oriented projects and
addressing quality and
certification measures.
G
The Central and State Agencies,
including Export Promotion
Councils, Commodities Boards, SEZ
Authorities and Apex Trade Bodies
recognised under the EXIM policy of
government of India; are eligible for
financial support under this scheme.
Union Government
Unveiled Revised
Building Code
G
Builders can be made liable for the
safety of the structure, as per the
new national building code proposed
by the Centre to be followed by the
States on March 15, 2017.
G
The code has been prepared by the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
under the aegis of the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs.
G
The code contains provisions on use
of new/innovative materials and
technologies and on prefabricated
construction techniques that can
give fillip to speedier construction to
meet the objectives of Housing for
All by 2022.
G
It is a voluminous code with 34
chapters. It is used by local bodies
for framing building bylaws. It is
used by government departments in
construction activity. It is used by
private builders as well as
professionals like architect, planners
and engineers. It is also used for
academic purpose.
G
The code specifies fire and life safety
norms for high rise buildings and a
proper horizontal evacuation system
in high-rise hospitals and
public buildings.
Government Approved
Policy for Early
Monetisation of Coal Bed
Methane Gas
G
The Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA), gave its
approval for marketing and pricing
freedom to the Coal Bed Methane
(CBM) Contractors to sell the CBM
at Arm’s Length Price in the
domestic market on March 15, 2017.
G
CBM contractors have also been
permitted to sell the CBM to its any
affiliate, in the event contractor
cannot identify any buyer. Royalty
and other dues to the government,
however, shall be payable on the
basis of Petroleum Planning &
Analysis Cell (PPAC) notified prices
or selling prices, whichever is higher.
G
The policy is expected to incentivise
the CBM operation in the country to
boost gas production and will
generate economic activities which in
turn will be beneficial for creating
more employment opportunities in
CBM operations and related activities.
Madhukar Gupta
Committee Submitted
its Report
G
The Committee constituted under
the Chairmanship of Madhukar
Gupta, has submitted its report to
the government to strengthen border
protection and address
vulnerabilities in fencing along the
Indo-Pakistan border.
G
The Committee has given its
recommendations broadly on the
issues of Threats and Border
Protection, assessment of force level,
deployment on the border,
infrastructure and technology issues
for protection of border and
administrative issues.
G
It has been decided to initiate action
in light of the recommendations of
the Committee in consultation with
the stakeholders.
Inter-State River Water
Disputes (Amendment)
Bill, 2017 Introduced in
Lok Sabha
G
The Union Minister of Water
Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma
Bharti introduced Inter-State
River Water Disputes
(Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Lok
Sabha on March 13, 2017.
G
The Bill proposes a Single
Standing Tribunal (with multiple
benches) instead of existing
multiple tribunals, which shall
consist of one Chairperson, one
Vice-Chairperson and not more
than six other members.
G
While, the term of office of the
Chairperson is five year or till he
attains the age of 70 years,
whichever is earlier, the term of
office of Vice-Chairperson and
other member of tribunal shall be
co-terminus with the
adjudication of the water dispute.
G
The Bill also provides for the
appointment of Assessors to
provide technical support to the
tribunal. They shall be appointed
from amongst experts serving in
the Central Water engineering
Service not below the rank of
Chief Engineer.
Government Launched
Mission to Achieve
Blue Revolution
G
Recognising the potential and
possibilities in the fisheries
sector, the government of India
has envisaged a programme
named ‘Blue Revolution’ to
unlock the country’s latent
potential through an integrated
approach on March 13, 2017.
G
Greater emphasis will be on
infrastructure with an equally
strong focus on management and
conservation of the resources
through technology transfer to
increase in the income of the
fishers and fish farmers.
G
The department has identified
20 States based on their potential
and other relevant factors to
strengthen the Fish Seed
infrastructure in the country.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
This programme with a total
expenditure of about ` 52000 lakh will
facilitate the establishment of
hatcheries and Fingerling rearing pond
to ensure the fish production of
426 crore fish fingerling, 25.50 crore
Post Larvae of shrimp and crab in
the country.
Lok Sabha Passed the
Admiralty Bill, 2016
G
The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and
Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill,
2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha on
March 12, 2017.
G
The Bill aims to establish a legal
framework to consolidate the existing
laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction of
Courts, admiralty proceedings on
maritime claims, arrest of vessels and
related issues. It also aims to replace
archaic laws which are hindering
efficient governance. The Bill confers
admiralty jurisdiction on High Courts
located in coastal States of India and
this jurisdiction extends upto
territorial waters.
G
The Bill provides for prioritisation of
maritime claims and maritime liens
while providing protection to owners,
charterers, operators, crew members
and seafarers at the same time.
Rajya Sabha Passed Bill to
Amend Enemy Property Act
G
The Rajya Sabha passed a Bill to amend
a 49-year-old law to guard against
claims of succession or transfer of
properties left by people who migrated
to Pakistan and China, amid a walkout
by the entire Opposition on March 11,
2017.
G
The Enemy Property (Amendment and
Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends
the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was
passed by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha
despite the opposition demanding
deferring of the debate on the draft
legislation for a threadbare deliberation
next week.
G
The Bill amends the Enemy Property
Act, 1968, to vest all rights, titles and
interests over enemy property in
the Custodian.
G
The Bill declares transfer of enemy
property by the enemy, conducted
under the Act, to be void. This applies
retrospectively to transfers that have
occurred before or after 1968.
37
NTPC Installed Largest
Floating Solar Photo
Voltaic Plant in Kerala
G
NTPC started power generation
from India’s largest floating solar
power plant at Kayamkulam in
Kerala, on March 11, 2017.
G
The 100 kWp floating solar
generation plant, largest of its kind
in India, was indigenously
developed as a part of ‘Make In
India’ initiative, at Rajiv Gandhi
Combined Cycle Power Plant in
Kerala’s Kayamkulam district.
G
These floating platform were
indigenously developed by NTPC
Energy Technology Research
Alliance, the R&D arm of NTPC
Limited in collaboration with
Central Institute of Plastic
Engineering & Technology (CIPET),
Chennai and a patent has been
applied for.
G
These could be installed on saline
water environments too. Installation
potential of such stype of systems in
India is huge because of abundance
of water bodies, within NTPC, the
potential is approximately 800 MW
in various reservoirs of
existing stations.
G
It also includes the interval for rest G
ICEGOV 2017 is the 10th edition of
allowed to her and every ICEGOV, which will focus on the use
establishment to intimate in writing of technology to transform
and electronically to every woman relationships between government
at the time of her initial and citizens, businesses, civil society.
appointment about the benefits
available under the Act.
President Inaugurated
12th CII-Exim Bank
Conclave on India Africa
Project Partnership
G
The President of India, Pranab
Mukherjee inaugurated the 12th
CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India
Africa Project Partnership on Longest Cable-bridge
March 9, 2017 in New Delhi.
Inaugurated in Bharuch
G
India has supported development in
G
The Prime Minister, inaugurated the
Africa through Lines of Credit
1.4 extra dose cable bridge on the
estimated at over $ 7 billion under
Ahmedabad-Mumbai National
the IAFS process. Our collaboration
extends across a wide spectrum. Highway on March 7, 2017.
G
The bridge is 1344 m long and 22.8 m
G
India & Africa have offered fifty
wide. It is built by Larsen and Turbo
thousand scholarships to our African
brothers—six thousand Africans as a part of the ` 379 crore project of
have since trained under IAFS. the National Highway Authority
of India.
G
India and Africa will be home to
G
The project was completed in
close to four billion people.
September, 2017, a small delay than
combined GDP will be over $ 35
the expected time of August.
trillion.
G
The bridge consists of 216 cables, each
G
It called upon the leaderships of
India and Africa to work together one of them being 25 to 40 m long.

Lok Sabha Passed for the promise of a new tomorrow

Maternity Benefits
(Amendment) Bill, 2016
G
Lok Sabha passed the Maternity
Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016
which inter-alia includes increasing
maternity benefit to woman covered
under the Maternity Benefit Act,
1961 on March 9, 2017.
G
It includes 12 weeks to 26 weeks up
to two surviving children in order to
allow the mother to take care of the
child during his/her most formative
stage, providing maternity benefit of
12 weeks to Commissioning mother
and Adopting mother, facilitate
‘work from home’ to a mother with
mutual consent of the employee and
the employer.
G
It made mandatory in respect of
establishment having fifty or more
employees, to have the facility of
crèche either individually or as a
shared common facility within such
distance as may be prescribed by
rules & also to allow four visits to
the crèche by the woman daily.
for the people of India and the
people of Africa.
India Hosted 10th
International Conference
on Theory and Practice of
Electronic Governance
G
The Ministry of Electronics &
Information Technology, in
collaboration with United Nations
University and UNESCO, organised
a three-day International
Conference 10th ICEGOV 2017 in
Delhi from March 7-9, 2017.
G
It themed on Building Knowledge
Societies : From Digital Government
to Digital Empowerment. The key
objective of ICEGOV2017 is to
explore how Digital Government
can lead to Digital Empowerment
by local knowledge.
G
It is recognition of India’s emerging
role as a massive cyber power,
accelerated by the Digital India
push which has acquired
international acknowledgment.
Chandigarh hosted
Destination
North East 2017
G
Chandigarh hosted a three-day long
Destination North East 2017 event
aimed at showcasing North-East as a
potential destination for investment
from March 5 to 7, 2017.
G
The event is being organised by the
Ministry of Development of North
Eastern Region (DoNER),
government of India and an industry
body PHD Chamber of Commerce
and Industry.
G
The event will see round table
discussions and exhibition stalls
showcasing various features of the
North East Region in order to attract
investments in tourism, skill
development, food processing,
handlooms and handicrafts, rural
livelihoods, entrepreneurship and
microfinance, horticulture and
floriculture, medicinal & aromatic
plants, organic farming and bamboo
development.

38 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

Endangered Tribal
Language, Kurukh got
Official Language Status
in West Bengal
G
Kurukh, an endangered tribal
language of the Dravidian family, is
set to get a new lease of life in West
Bengal on March 3, 2017. It is spoken
by the Oraon tribal community.
G
Experts say that while most of the
tribal languages in the State have
their origins in the Austro-Asiatic and
Tibeto-Barman families, Kurukh is
an exception.
G
“The only example of a tribal
language having its origin from the
Dravidian family is Malto, which is
not spoken in West Bengal, but in the
Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand”.
President of India
Presented ‘Standard’ to
125 Helicopter Squadron
G
The President of India, Pranab
Mukherjee presented the ‘Standard’
to 125 Helicopter Squadron and
‘Colours’ to Mechanical Training
Institute of Indian Air Force on
March 3, 2017 at Air Force Station
(Tambaram, Tamil Nadu).
G
India is a responsible and emerging
power in a multipolar, multilateral
world. The ever changing
socio-economic and geo-political
scenario in our region of influence
demands a strong deterrent against
those with nefarious designs to affect
the progress, prosperity and security
of our nation.
G
Apart from providing deterrence
against inimical entities, both
external and internal, our armed
forces have been at the forefront of
providing succour to our citizens
during natural calamities. The
relentless and selfless operations
showcase the fortitude and
determination of its gallant
air warriors.
Half of India-Bangladesh
Border Fenced
G
Half of the 4096 km border India
shares with Bangladesh fenced on
March 2, 2017. The border runs
along West Bengal for 2216.7 km,
Assam 263 km, Meghalaya 443 km,
Tripura 856 km and Mizoram
318 km.
G
The aim of the project is to curb
infiltration and smuggling of cattle
and fake Indian currency notes.
G
70 km of the South Bengal frontier
(from South 24 Parganas to Malda)
is riverine.
Steel Minister
Inaugurated Maiden
Regional Conference of
Eastern States
G
Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender
Singh inaugurated the maiden
regional conference of Eastern
States, on ‘Enhancing steel
consumption in India’ at Gangtok,
Sikkim on March 2, 2017.
G
The conference aims to explore
various avenues of promoting usage
of steel, considering India’s low per
capita steel consumption of 61 kg,
vis-a-vis the world average of 208 kg,
which represents the huge potential
for growth.
G
India has became world’s third
largest steel producer and is
expected to achieve an installed
capacity of 300 million tonnes (mt)
of crude steel by 2030-31.
‘Operation Thunderbird’
and ‘Operation Save
Kurma’ Resulted in Huge
Seizures throughout
the Country
G
In a major success in the fight
against wildlife crime, Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau (WCCB),
Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change, coordinated
‘Operation Thunderbird’ in India,
from January 30 to February 19,
2017.
G
Operation Thunderbird is the
code-name for INTERPOL’s
multi-national and multi-species
enforcement operation.
G
CCB had convened a species specific
operation on turtles, code named
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
‘Operation Save Kurma’ from
December 15 last year to
January 30, this year. A total of
15739 live turtles were recovered
from 45 suspects, having
inter-State linkages.
G
The operation brought about an
awareness among the enforcement
agencies to focus on the existing
trade routes and major trade hubs
in the country, which will be
specifically focused in future.
Specified Bank Notes
(Cessation of Liabilities)
Act, 2017 Notified
The Central government has
G
notified the Specified Bank Notes
(Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017
on March 2, 2017.
G
Section-5 of the Act bars any person
from knowingly or voluntarily,
holding, transferring or receiving
any specified bank note after the
expiry of grace period Holding not
more than ten notes in total,
irrespective of the of the
denomination is not prohibited. If it
is for the purposes of study,
research or numismatics, up to
twenty-five notes can be held.
G
Section-7 states that whoever
contravenes the provisions of
Section-5 shall be punishable with
fine which may extend to ` 10000
or five times the amount of the face
value of the specified bank notes
involved in the contravention,
whichever is higher.
Government Panel
Recommended Legal
Framework to
Protect Migrants
G
A government appointed panel
has recommended necessary
legal and policy framework to
protect migrants interests, on
March 1, 2017.
G
It also recommended that migrants
should be enabled to avail benefits
of Public Distribution System (PDS)
in the destination state by providing
for inter-State operability of PDS.
G
States are also to be asked to
include migrant children in the
annual work plans under Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) to uphold
their Right to Education.
39
Union Government
Showed Improved Sex
Ratio, Decline in Infant
Mortality Rate
G
A latest survey by the government
has shown positive trends in key
health indicators, including an
improvement in sex ratio at birth and
a decline in infant mortality rate
during 2015-16 on February 28, 2017.
G
The National Family Health Survey-4
(NFHS-4) for 2015-16 unvield by the
Health Ministry was conducted after
collecting information from 6 lakh
households, 7 lakh women and
1.3 lakh men, and for the first time
provide district level estimates.
G
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) declined
from 57 to 41 per 1000 live births
between NFHS-3 (2005-06) and
NFHS-4. IMR has declined
substantially in almost all the States
during the last decade. It dropped by
more than 20 percentage points in
Tripura, West Bengal, Jharkhand,
Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Odisha.
G
IMR substantially declined over the
period from 79 per 1000 live births in
NFHS-1 (1992-93) to 41 per 1000 live
births in NFHS-4.
Union Government
Framed Infra Policy to
Check Challenges
of Urbanisation
G
The Union government has
formulated a policy to promote living
close to mass public transport
corridors like metro, monorail and
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a move
aimed at addressing the challenges
of urbanisation.
G
The National Transit Oriented
Development Policy seeks to promote
Transit-Oriented Development
(TOD)—a type of infrastructure
development which enables people to
live within walking or cycling
distance from transit corridors which
are being undertaken in India at a
large scale.
G
The TOD is considered a viable
solution to urban challenges like
haphazard growth, mobility
problems, congestion due to rising
private vehicles on roads and
pollution, among others.
40 Current Affairs
Indian Railways Unveiled Health Ministry Launched
the Antyodaya Express ‘Saathiya Kits’ to Improve
G
Indian Railways has unveiled the Adolescent Health
Antyodaya Express, a new train
for the unreserved passengers, on
February 23, 2017.
G
Antyodaya Express was
announced as a part of Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu’s Railway
Budget 2016 speech and has been
envisioned as a long-distance,
fully unreserved, superfast train
service that will be operated on
dense routes.
G
The train aims to provide
enhanced passenger comfort. The
G
The Health Ministry launched
‘Saathiya Resource Kits’ aimed at
seats of the Antyodaya Express are
more comfortable compared to the improving knowledge on adolescent
health issues among teenagers on
general sleeper class ones.
February 20, 2017.
G
Antyodaya Express boasts of
modern amenities such as water G
Health Secretary CK Mishra
purifiers, toilet occupation launched the ‘Saathiya Resource Kits’
indication display boards, along with the ‘Saathiya Salah’
bio-toilets, fire extinguishers with (a mobile app for adolescents)
anti-theft arrangement, cushioned under the Rashtriya Kishor
luggage racks with coat hooks, Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)
LED lights, more mobile charging programme.
points and enhanced G
The ‘Saathiya Resource Kits’ is a
capacity dustbins. nationwide programme under
which 1.6 lakh boys and girls will
Launched ‘Cyber work as peer educators to adolescents
Swachhta Kendra’ to and respond to their queries on key
Protect Citizens health issues including mental and
physical changes, nutrition
G
The government through its
and addiction.
Computer Emergency Response
G
The initiative also aims to bring down
Team (CERT-in) launched ‘Cyber
Swachhta Kendra’ — a new the apprehensions and doubts among
desktop and mobile security growing adolescents about the body
solution for a secure cyber space in related changes that they undergo
the country, on February 22, 2017. during puberty.
G
The new solution will notify,
enable cleaning and secure Supreme Court
systems of end-users to prevent Introduced Middle
further infections. Income Group Scheme
G
India joined the distinguished club G
The Supreme Court of India has
of countries that have introduced the Middle Income Group
malware-cleaning systems for the
Scheme.
use of its citizens. As of now, we G
It is a self supporting scheme which
have 13 banks and internet service
provides legal services to the middle
providers using this facility.
income group citizens i.e. citizens
G
This centre will work in whose gross income is not exceeding
coordination with the Internet ` 60000 per month or ` 750000
Service Providers (ISPs) and per annum.
Industry. This Kendra will also
G
Under the scheme, middle class
enhance awareness among
people who can’t afford the expensive
citizens regarding botnet and
litigation in the Supreme Court can
malware infection along with
measures to be taken to secure avail the services of the society for a
their devices. nominal amount.
Half Yearly 2017
G
The person desirous of availing the
benefit of the Scheme shall have to fill
up the form prescribed and accept all
the terms and conditions
contained therein.
G
As per the scheme, contingent fund
will be created to meet the
miscellaneous expenditure in
connection with the case under the
scheme by requiring the applicant to
deposit upto the stage of admission, a
sum of ` 750 in addition to the charges
required to be deposited with the
society, out of this contingent fund.
G
As per the Supreme Court rules, it is
only through advocates on record cases
can be filed before it.
Union Government
Launched ‘TAMRA’
Portal and Mobile App
G
Power, Coal and Mining Minister
Piyush Goyal launched Transparency,
Auction Monitoring and Resource
Augmentation (TAMRA) portal and
mobile application on February 15,
2017.
G
The TAMRA will be an interactive
platform for all the stakeholders to
compress the timelines for statutory
and other clearances as it would help
minimise the gestation period for
commencing production.
G
The TAMRA will send triggers to the
concerned authority so that the
remedial steps can be taken
immediately by those responsible.
G
The Ministry of Mines will also receive
triggers generated by TAMRA and will
facilitate in expediting clearances. This
portal also enables successful bidder to
give suggestions/inputs.
First Floating Elementary
School Inaugurated on
Manipur’s Loktak Lake
G
Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake
in the country, has now become home
to first-of-its-kind loktak floating
elementary school on February 12,
2017.
G
The Loktak lake is referred as the
‘lifeline of Manipur’ as it is highly
productive and many lives depend on
the lake for endurance. The lake is also
an Important Bird Area as it’s a
potential breeding site for waterfowl
and is a staging site for
migratory birds.
FSSAI Set-up Panel to Union Government
Finalise Laws on formed Committee to
Food Fortification Expedite Namami
G
Food regulator FSSAI set-up a scientific Gange Programme
panel to frame final regulations on G
The Union government
fortification of foods and prepare formed a Committee to
strategies to address malnutrition expedite the implementation
problem on February 11, 2017. of its ambitious Namami
G
The Food Safety and Standards Gange programme under
Authority of India (FSSAI) has already which it plans to free the
issued the draft guidelines on Ganga river on February 8,
fortification for five food items like salt, 2017.
milk, wheat flour, rice and edible oil to G
The Secretaries of Ministries
boost production and consumption of of Water Resources,
fortified foods. Environment and Forest, and
G
Fortification means deliberately adding Drinking Water and
or increasing the content of essential Sanitation will be members of
micro nutrients in food items to the panel, which will meet at
improve quality. least once every fortnight.
G
The Panel will identify critical nutritional G
More than two thousand
gaps in the Indian diet in general as well 700 villages have been
as in specific target groups based on diet declared as open-defecation
surveys and credible scientific evidence. free out of four thousand
291 marked villages along the
Union Government main stem of the river.
Launched ‘Mission XI Million’
Parliament Passed
Payment of Wages
(Amendment)
Bill 2017
G
The Parliament passed a bill
seeking to enable the centre
and State governments to
specify industrial units which
will have to pay wages only
either through cheques or by
transferring into bank
accounts on February 7, 2017.
G
The Payment of Wages
(Amendment) Bill 2017,
G
The Union Sports Ministry launched
which was passed by voice
‘Mission XI million’, the biggest school
vote in Rajya Sabha also
sports outreach programme on
enables the employers to
February 9, 2017.
G
A first-of-its-kind, the programme will
pay wages to workers
through cheque or by
encourage children to play football and transferring into their bank
the approach is to work with school account without their
principals and sports teachers and written authorisation.
encourage and incentivise them to make
G
The Bill replaces the
children play football games on a
Payment of Wages
regular basis.
(Amendment) Bill 2016,
G
It aims to instil the passion for football which was introduced in
in 11 million children from every part of Lok Sabha on December 15,
the country. 2016 and repeals the Payment
G
It is divided into three phases : Seminars of Wages (Amendment)
for teacher and educators, in-school Ordinance 2016
activities and football festivals, which promulgated on December
will run-up to September, 2017. 28, 2016.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 41
Government Approved
‘Pradhan Mantri Gramin
Digital Saksharta
Abhiyan’
G
The Union Cabinet approved
‘Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital
Saksharta Abhiyan’ (PMGDISHA)
to make 6 crore rural households
digitally literate on February 7,
2017.
G
PMGDISHA is expected to be one
of the largest digital literacy
programmes in the world. Under
the scheme, 25 lakh candidates will
be trained in the financial
year 2016-17; 275 lakh in the
financial year 2017-18; and
300 lakh in the financial year
2018-19. To ensure equitable
geographical reach, each of the
250000 Gram Panchayats would be
expected to register an average of
200-300 candidates.
G
The implementation of the scheme
would be carried out under the
overall supervision of Ministry of
Electronics and IT in active
collaboration with States/UTs
through their designated State
Implementing Agencies, District
e-Governance Society (DeGS), etc.
G
As per the 71st NSSO Survey on
Education 2014, only 6% of rural
households have a computer. This
highlights that more than 15 crore
rural households (@ 94% of 16.85
crore households) do not have
computers and a significant
number of these households are
likely to be digitally illiterate.
Measles-rubella
Vaccination
Campaign Launched
G
The Union Health Ministry
launched Measles Rubella (MR)
vaccination campaign in the
country on February 5, 2017.
G
The single vaccine will replace the
currently given two doses of
measles vaccine at 9-12 months
and 16-24 months of age.
G
The new single shot vaccine will be
given to all children aged between
9 months and less than 15 years
irrespective of their previous
measles or rubella vaccination
status or measles or rubella
disease status.
42 Current Affairs
Expert Panel Constituted
by AYUSH to Prepare a
Yoga Protocol
G
A 16-member Committee of experts
constituted by Ministry of AYUSH to
prepare a Yoga Protocol for Diabetes
Control. The Committee is headed by
Dr. HR Nagendra, Chancellor, S-Vyasa
University on February 4, 2017.
G
A total of 49 proposals on Diabetes
Mellitus under EMR Scheme of
Ministry of AYUSH have been
received to verify the efficacy of Yoga
on Diabetes Mellitus from various
government and non-government
organisation.
G
The Ministry of AYUSH through its
three research organisations, namely,
Central Council for Research in
Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and
Central Council for Research in
Homoeopathy (CCRH) and Central
Council for Research in Unani
Medicine (CCRUM) has launched a
programme to integrate Ayurveda,
Homoeopathy and Unani with
National Programme for Prevention
and Control of Cancer, Diabetes,
Cardiovascular Diseases and
Stroke (NPCDCS).
Government Constituted
Task Force for Preparing
Action Plan for Next Three
Olympic Games
G
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi
approved the Constitution of the
Task Force Committee for preparing
action plan for next three Olympic
Games 2020, 2024 and 2028 on
January 30, 2017.
G
It will suggest a comprehensive action
plan including short-term, medium
term and long-term measures for
effective participation of Indian
sportspersons in the next three
Olympic Games to be held in 2020,
2024 and 2028.
G
It will suggest effective methods to
identify core probable/medal
prospects for 2020 Olympics, their
coaches and support staff.
G
It will suggest effective talent
identification system for 2024 and
2028 Olympics. It will identify
components of world class support
system for elite sportspersons and lay
down the pathway.
Half Yearly 2017
Sports Minister
Reconstituted
Committee to Identify
Athletes under
TOP Scheme
G
The Union Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for Youth
Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel has
reconstituted TOP committee with
the objective of identifying and
supporting potential medal prospects
for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games
under the ‘Target Olympic Podium’
scheme on January 27, 2017.
G
The Committee will select elite
athletes to provided financial
assistance for their customised
training at Institutes having world
class facilities and other
necessary support.
G
A programme, namely TOP (Target
Olympic Podium) Scheme was
formulated within the overall ambit
of National Sports Development
Fund (NSDF) with the objective of
identifying and supporting potential
medal prospects for 2016 and 2020
Olympic Games.
G
Under the scheme the selected
athletes are provided financial
assistance for their customised
training at Institutes having world
class facilities and other necessary
support which is expected to result
in improved performance and a
higher position in medals tally for
the country.
68th Republic Day
Celebrated
India celebrated its 68th Republic
G
Day on January 26, 2017.
G
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
(Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan) was the Chief Guest on
January 26, 2017 (Republic Day
Parade of India) at Rajpath,
New Delhi.
G
Skill India and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
are themes for 68th Republic Day
tableaux.
G
There is also a debut of an NSG
vehicle is (Sherpa—a bullet proof
armoured anti-hijacking vehicle).
G
It is itself a commando, can resist
powerful explosions and go under
water too.
Ministry of AYUSH and
Advertising Standards
Council of India
Signed MoU
G
The Ministry of AYUSH signed an
MoU with the Advertising Standards
Council of India (ASCI). Addressing
the cases of misleading
advertisements with respect to
Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,
Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
drugs, treatments and related
services on January 20, 2017.
G
The Ministry of AYUSH will also
redirect complaints against
misleading advertisements they
receive, to the ASCI, which will be
reviewed using ASCI’s code
and guidelines.
G
The MoU also requires ASCI to report
to the Ministry of AYUSH, all
advertisements in potential violation
of the Drugs and Magic Remedies
(Objectionable Advertisements) Act,
1954 and Rules thereunder as well as
non-compliance of ASCI’s CCC
recommendations for the Ministry of
AYUSH to take further action.
National Action Plan for
Children, 2016 Released
G
National Action Plan for Children,
2016 released by Women & Child
Development Ministry on
January 24, 2017.
G
The Action Plan has four key priority
areas; survival, health and nutrition;
education and development;
protection and participation.
G
The NPAC defines objectives,
sub-objectives, strategies, action
points and indicators for measuring
progress under the four key priority
areas and also identifies key
stakeholders for the implementation
of different strategies.
G
The plan also puts focus on new and
emerging concerns for children such
as online child abuse, children
affected by natural and man-made
disasters and climate change, etc.
G
The National Policy for Children
(2013) provides for formation of a
National Coordination and Action
Group (NCAG) under the Ministry of
Women and Child Development to
coordinate and implement the plan
and monitor the progress with other
Ministries concerned as its members.
Prime Minister Inaugurated
Raisina Dialogue in Delhi
G
The Union government inaugurated
the flagship geo-political conference
‘Raisina Dialogue’ that reform
would not be enough ‘unless it
transforms economy and society’ on
January 19, 2017.
G
The Raisina Dialogue is an annual
conference held in New Delhi,
envisioned to be India’s flagship
conference of geopolitics and
geo-economics.
G
The conference, organised like the
Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore is
held jointly by Ministry of External
Affairs, India and the Observer
Research Foundation (ORF), an
independent think-tank based
in India.
G
The theme of the first dialogue was
Connecting Asia, which tries to capture
the various facets of these ambition.
Union Government
Launched ‘ShaGun’ A
Web-portal for Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan
G
To put an innovative progress in
elementary education sector of the
country by continuous monitoring of
the flagship scheme—Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA), Union government
launched a dedicated web portal
‘ShaGun’, on January 18, 2017.
G
It is prepared by World Bank in
collaboration with Ministry of Human
Resource Development.
G
The learning outcomes would help
teachers to understand the learning
levels of children in their respective
classes individually as well
as collectively.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Graded Response Action
Plan on Delhi Air
Pollution Notified
G
The Union Ministry of
Environment notified the Graded
Response Action Plan to combat
air pollution in Delhi-NCR, on
January 17, 2017.
G
Another measure is introducing
differential rates to encourage
off-peak-travel and
public transport.
G
The government had proposed
slashing of bus fares by 70%
in January.
Timothy Gonsalves
Committee
Recommended
Reservations for Female
Students in IITs
G
A panel recommended reservation
for girl students in Indian
Institute of Technology (IITs) to
address the issue of slump in the
number of female students
entering the prestigious institutes
on January 17, 2017.
G
The recommendation of the
Committee will be taken-up in the
meeting of the Joint Admission
Board (JAB) for a final decision,
which will decide whether the
reservation will come in effect
from this year or from 2018.
G
Concerned by the slump in
number of girl students entering
IITs, the JAB has set-up a panel
under the chairmanship of
professor Timothy Gonsalves to
find ways to rectify the situation
in the institutes.
Third National
Conference
‘Jal Manthan-III’
Organised
G
The River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation Ministry organised
the third National conference
called ‘Jal Manthan-III’ on
January 13, 2017 in New Delhi.
G
The focus will be on refining
policies of the Ministry to make
them more people friendly and
responsive to the needs of
the States.
43
G
It emphasised the need to hold wider
consultations amongst various
stakeholders engaged in water
resource development and
management to achieve synergy of
water resource development with
environment, wild-life and various
social and cultural practices.
Union Government
Released New Draft Rules
to Prevent Dogs
from Cruelty
G
The Ministry issued a draft of rules
which makes mandatory for dog
breeders and marketers to register
themselves with State Animal
Welfare Board and maintain proper
records regarding purchase, sale and
rehabilitation of the canines, among
others, to make them accountable on
January 11, 2017.
G
So far, there were no rules in the
country on the breeding, sale and
purchase of dogs which is why the
Ministry felt for framing the rules.
G
The objective of the proposed rules is
to make dog breeders and their
marketers accountable and to prevent
infliction of any cruelty in
this process.
G
Dog breeding and their marketing
trade has also mushroomed all
around the country and at times,
some cruelty has been caused in
breeding and marketing of canines,
with little or no accountability.
Manohar Parrikar
Inaugurated International
Conference & Exhibition
on Reinforced Plastics
G
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
announced the government of India’s
ambitious ‘Design in India’ policy on
January 10, 2017.
G
International Conference & exhibition
on ‘Reinforced Plastics 2017’ (ICERP
2017) organised by FRP Institute, an
association of Indian Reinforced
Plastics or Composites sector.
G
The policy will aim at building,
enhancing and promoting designing
capabilities of Indian manufacturers
and entrepreneurs so that they can
design products of world-class
standards to compete with global
counterparts and take advantage of
‘Make in India’ programme.
44 Current Affairs
14th Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) Held
in Bengaluru
G
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Convention is being held in
Bengaluru, India from
January 7-9, 2017. For the first
time in PBD, an Online B2B/B2G
Meeting Platform for Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas Convention 2017
has been made live.
G
The objective of this web platform
is to provide delegates with an
interactive web application which
enables them to pre-schedule
appointments online with
Registered Delegates, Exhibitors,
Government Officials and
Foreign Dignitaries.
G
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been
held traditionally on January 9
every year to commemorate the
return of Mahatma Gandhi as a
Pravasi from South Africa to India.
Union Government
Launched IPR
Enforcement Toolkit for
Police and IPR Awareness
Campaign for Children
G
The Commerce & Industry
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
launched an IPR Enforcement
Toolkit for Police on January 4,
2016. The toolkit has been jointly
prepared by Cell for IPR
Promotion and Management
(CIPAM) and Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI).
G
This toolkit will be a ready
reckoner for police officials across
the country in dealing with IP
crimes, specifically Trade Marks
(TM) counterfeiting and
Copyrights (CR) piracy.
G
In addition to details of offences
under various laws, it provides for
checklists for registering a
complaint and conducting search
and seizures. It also lays down
general guidelines for search and
seizure in case of IP crimes. This
toolkit will be provided to all State
police departments across the
nation and will assist them in
dealing with the cases relating to
Trademarks and Copyrights
infringements.
Half Yearly 2017
 G20 Summit 2017
G
In the 12th G20 Summit held in Hamburg on July 7 to 8 , 2017,
the leaders of the G20 countries has agreed for taking concrete

INT ERNAT IONAL

steps to stop funding of the terror activities.
G
This year G20 Summit was held with the theme “Shaping the
Interconnected World”. At the Summit conclusion, the leaders of

EVENTS
G20 countries committed to focus on reciprocity, to keep markets
open and non-discrimination as well as unfair trade practices.
G
PM Modi, during his visit to Hamburg participated in the plenary
session of the summit and bilateral meets with the leaders of the
G20 nations like the US President Donald Trump, British Prime
Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canadian President Justin Trudeau,
French President Emmanuel Macron and among others.
G
The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for
international economic cooperation and decision-making. It was
started in 1999.

G20 Ministers Issue Declaration on ‘Shaping

Digitalisation for an Interconnected World’
G
G20 Ministers responsible for the digital economy met in
Dusseldorf, Germany for a ministerial conference.
G
They have issued a declaration on ‘Shaping Digitalisation for an
Interconnected World’, laying out priorities and a roadmap for
policies on April 11, 2017.
G
In 2016, in Hangzhou, G20 leaders proposed to ‘collectively
leverage the opportunities and address challenges of an
increasingly digital world, in order to enable a thriving and
dynamic digital economy that drives inclusive global growth and
benefits all.
G
The declaration talks about the need for greater availability of
affordable broadband connectivity, improved digital skills, and
literacy, greater digital entrepreneurship and broader adoption of
digital technologies and services for the digital economy to
contribute to achieving the goals of the United Nations 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Britain
Launch of ‘UJALA – UK’ in London
G
The Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable
Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal presided over the launch of
World’s largest efficient lighting programme, UJALA – UK (UK
Joins Affordable LEDs for All) by Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. in
Germany Legalised London, United Kingdom on May 12, 2017.
Same-Sex Marriage G
During the event, MoUs were signed between Indian High
G
The German Parliament has Commission and EESL and between the British Electrotechnical
legalised same-sex marriage on June 29, 2017 by and Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA) and the Indian
passing the Bill that grants full marital rights, Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (IEEMA) to
including child adoption, to gay and lesbian strengthen bilateral industry cooperation and exchanges between
couples. India and the UK.
G
Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the Bill. G
UJALA scheme aims to promote efficient use of energy at the
G
Merkel hoped the Parliament’s approval would residential level; enhance the awareness of consumers about the
lead to more ‘social cohesion’. efficacy of using energy efficient appliances and aggregating
demand to reduce the high initial costs thus facilitating higher
uptake of LED lights by residential users.

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Backed India’s
Stand on China-Pak
Economic Corridor
G
Sri Lanka, which was a
participant of China’s One Belt
One Road conference in Beijing,
on May 16, 2017, backed India’s
concern about Kashmir.
G
The two-day conference in Beijing
brought together leaders from 29
countries. Earlier, India skipped
the meeting due to its sovereignty
concerns over the $ 50 billion
CPEC project. India’s concern is
that the project passed through
PoK.
Bangladesh
World’s Most Crowded
Cities Report
G
According to the World Economic
Forum (WEF) citing UN Habitat
data on May 22, 2017, two Indian
cities (Mumbai and Kota) have
been named among the world's
most crowded in a list topped by
Dhaka. The population density of
Dhaka (44500 people/sq km)
makes it the most crowded city on
the planet.
G
India’s financial capital Mumbai
(31700 people/sq km) is at the
second place and Medellin of
Columbia stands at third place.
Kota (Rajasthan) with 12100
people/sq km was ranked seventh.
European Union
European Union Extend
Economic Sanctions
Against Russia
G
European Union (EU) leaders
have decided on June 23, 2017 to
extend economic sanctions
against Russia. EU will extend
economic sanctions against Russia
for their lack of implementing the
Minsk agreement.
G
Earlier this week (June 3rd
week), the European Union
formally rolled over for another
year sanctions imposed over
Russia’s 2014 annexation of
Crimea from Ukraine.
46 Current Affairs
El Salvador
First Country to
Ban Metals Mining
G
El Salvador became the first country
in the world on April 28, 2017 to ban
metal mining. The El Salvador
unicameral legislature passed the ban
with the support from a sweeping
coalition. The law bans "prospection,
exploitation, extraction,processing, or
exploration, of metallic minerals in El
Salvador."
G
Nationalist Republican Alliance
President Antonio Saca instituted a
nationwide moratorium on metal
mining permits in March 2008.
China
China Denies Entry to
Kailash Mansarovar
Pilgrims
G
China has refused entry to the first
batch of around 50 Indian pilgrims
who were scheduled to travel to
Kailash Mansarovar through the
Nathu La pass in Sikkim on June 24,
2017.
G
Pilgrims were stopped by the Chinese
officials at the border from
proceeding further.
G
The pilgrims were scheduled to cross
over to the Chinese side, but had
failed to do so due to inclement
weather.
China, Asia Development
Bank Launch Green
Financing Platform
G
China and the Asia Development
Bank (ADB) have launched a green
financing platform to cut pollution in
the smog hit Beijing Tianjin Hebei
region on June 16, 2017. China
selected five regions in June, 2017 to
take part in pilot government green
financing schemes.
Half Yearly 2017
G
It would explore new green
credit mechanisms, including the
granting of loans that accept emission
trading earnings as collateral.
G
The financing platform was launched
by the ADB and the China National
Investment and Guaranty Corporation
(I&G), the SDIC, as well as China’s
finance ministry and National
Development and Reform
Commission.
China Launched the
World’s Largest Floating
Solar Farm
G
China has launched the world’s
largest floating solar farm on June 12,
2017. The 40-MW power plant has
1,60,000 panels resting on a lake that
emerged after the collapse of a coal
mine in central Anhui province.
G
It is part of Beijing’s effort to wean
itself off a fossil fuel dependency that
has made it the world’s top carbon
emitter, with two-thirds of its
electricity still fuelled by coal.
2nd Mission Innovation
(MI) Ministerial Held
G
The 2nd MI Ministerial (MI 2) was
held in Beijing, China from June 7-8,
2017. MI 2 share knowledge and
collaborate on priorities for clean
energy innovation. MI 2 co located
with the 8th Clean Energy Ministerial.
G
Under this event it included
ministerial working sessions,
opportunities for high profile
announcements, innovation challenge
discussions, and a series of side
events. MI focused on research and
development for the new technologies
of tomorrow.
Launched Cyber
Security Law
G
China launched a controversial cyber
security law on June 1, 2017. The law
is designed to safeguard China ‘s
cyberspace sovereignty, national
security, public interest as well as the
rights and interests of citizens, legal
persons and other organisations
according to the Cyberspace
Administration of China (CAC).
G
According to the law all companies
must undergo a safety assessment
procedure if they want to transfer
these data out of China.
First One Belt, One
Road Summit
Concluded
G
The First One Belt, One Road
(OBOR) Summit was concluded
on May 15, 2017 in Beijing,
China.
G
The Summit showcased China’s
plans to build a network of trade
routes under the One Belt, One
Road initiative to the
representatives of 57
participating countries.
G
As a founding-member of the
Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB), which is a
financial arm of the OBOR,
India was supposed to take part
in the summit.
G
But, India boycotted the summit
by raising three concerns, which
are related to sovereignty,
procedures and leadership.
Topped the World
Execution List 2016
G
China executed the most people
in 2016, followed
by Iran and Saudi Arabia,
Amnesty International said in its
2016 review on the death
penalty published on April 11,
2017.
G
The total number of executions
carried out worldwide had
dropped by 37 percent compared
to 2015. This was mainly due to
the fact that Iran had reduced
its number of capital
punishments carried out.
G
For the first time in a decade, the
United States was not included
in the top five countries on the
list. It executed 20 people by
lethal injection in 2016, while
2,832 people still remain on
death row there.
G
The global drop in executions
was also reflected in the Middle
East, where a 28 percent
decrease from the previous year
was noted.
G
Iran alone executed at least 567
people, while Saudi Arabia
carried out at least 154
executions. In 2015, the oil-rich
Gulf state executed 158 people,
reaching its highest figure since
1995.
Released Theme and Details of
2017 BRICS Summit
G
China released the theme and topics of
discussion for the 2017 BRICS Summit,
which will be held in September 2017 in
Xiamen, in the Fujian Province of East China
on February 9, 2017.
G
The theme of the meet this year is ‘BRICS :
Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future’.
The strengthening of BRICS strategic
partnership was highlighted both in the 2015
Ufa Declaration and the 2016 Goa
Declaration.
United Nations
India Contributed $ One Lakh to
UN Fund
G
India has become the first country to
contribute $ 1 lakh to a UN fund to help
developing countries actively participate in
the discussion of tax issues on June 29, 2017.
G
The UN Trust Fund for International
Cooperation in Tax Matters (the UN Tax
Fund) has received its first financial
voluntary contribution from India.
G
The UN Tax Trust Fund aims to support the
work of the Committee of Experts on
International Cooperation in Tax Matters.
G
India Joined United Nation Transports
International Routiers Convention on
Road Transports.
World Bank Clears
$ 250 Million Loan
G
The World Bank has cleared a $ 250-million
loan, referred to as Skill India Mission
Operation (SIMO) for making Indian youth
more employable through reskilling on June
26, 2017.
G
World Bank’s SIMO is a six year programme
in support of the Indian government’s
National Policy for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship (2017-23).
G
SIMO will be implemented through the
National Skill Development Mission and will
specifically target labour market entrants.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
The programme will benefit
approximately 15000 trainers
and 3000 assessors.
G
As per the Bank’s estimate, skill
development capacity of the
system would increase by the
end of the programme so that at
least 8.8 million youth with
relevant training have an
improved employment
opportunity to raise their
earnings.
United Nations General
Assembly Approved the
New UN Office of
Counter Terrorism
G
The United Nations General
Assembly approved the
establishment of a new United
Nations office of
counter-terrorism on June 15,
2017 to help Member States and
implement UN’s global
counter-terrorism strategy.
G
The creation of new UN office of
counter terrorism, UN will
transfer the relevant functions
out of the UN Department of
Political Affairs (DPA) into the
new body.
G
The Counter-Terrorism
Implementation Task Force
Office (CTITF) and the UN
Counter-Terrorism Centre
(UNCCT) currently under the
DPA will be transferred to the
new office together with
existing staff and associated
budgetary resources.
WHO Revised
Antibiotics Protocol
G
The WHO has now
recommended on June 8, 2017
that antibiotics in the ‘access’
group, including amoxicillin, be
available at all times as
treatment for a wide range of
common infections.
G
In an effort to curb antibiotic
resistance, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) has
divided the drugs into three
categories — access, watch and
reserve, specifying which are to
be used for common ailments
and which are to be kept for
complicated diseases.
47
G
Commonly used antibiotics will be
under the ‘access’ category; the second
line of antibiotics, slightly more potent,
have been categorised under watch and
potent drugs to be used only as a last
resort fall under the ‘reserve’ category.
G
This is the biggest revision of the
antibiotics section in the 40-year
history of the Essential Medicines List.
G
WHO is aspecialised agency of the
United Nations that is concerned with
international public health. It was
established on April 7, 1948.
Headquarters of WHO is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.
India re-elected to ECOSOC
G
India has won its re-election to the
UN’s principal organ on economic,
social and environmental issues for
another 3-year term on June 16, 2017.
G
India was one among the 18 nations to
win election to the Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC). India has
obtained 183 votes which is the second
highest after Japan in the Asia-Pacific
category.
The current elected members of the
G
ECOSOC who will hold a three year
term beginning January 1, 2018 are
Belarus, Ecuador, El Salvador, France,
Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Japan,
Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines,
Spain, Sudan, Togo, Turkey and
Uruguay.
G
A country requires two-thirds of the
total votes to become a member of
ECOSOC. The ECOSOC has a total of 54
members. The Economic and Social
Council is the ‘United Nations’ central
platform for reflection, debate, and
innovative thinking on sustainable
development.’ ECOSOC is one of the
six main UN organs which were
established by the UN Charter.
Elected as President of
43rd G7 Summit Concluded
Hong Kong G
The 43rd G7 summit was held on May
Withdrawn Visa-free 26-27, 2017 in Taormina (ME), Sicily,
Italy. It was the first summit for British
Facility for Indians Prime Minister Theresa May, French
G
Hong Kong, a special President Emmanuel Macron, Italian
administrative region of Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, and US
China, has withdrawn the President Donald Trump.
visa-free facility for Indians G
In March, 2014, the G7 declared that a
who will have to complete a
meaningful discussion was currently
pre-arrival registration on
not possible with Russia in the context
January 21, 2017.
of the G8.
G
Indian nationals must apply G
Since then, meetings have continued
for and successfully complete
within the G7 process. The Group of 7
pre-arrival registration online
(G7) is a group consisting of Canada,
before they can visit or transit
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the
the HKSAR visa-free
United Kingdom and the USA. Canada
(if seeking to enter the
became the seventh member to begin
HKSAR during transit).
attending the summits in 1976, after
G
Pre-arrival registration is not which the name 'Group 7' or G7
required for Indian nationals Summit was used.
in direct transit by air and not
leaving the airport transit area.
G
A Pre-Arrival Registration is
normally valid for a six month
Israel
period or until the expiry date Approved First New West
of the Indian passport linked Bank Settlement in Two
to it, whichever is earlier.
Decades
Italy
G7 Environment
Ministers Meeting
2017
G
G7 Environment Ministers
Meeting was held in Bologna,
G
Israel’s government on March 30, 2017
Italy on June 11-12, 2017 to
approved the first West Bank
discuss issues ranging from
settlement in two decades, creating the
climate change to sustainable
first serious test for US President
development and litter at sea.
Donald Trump’s new foray into Middle
G
The meeting was attended by
East peacemaking.
the Environment Minister of
US, UK, France, Germany,
G
New settlement would be built near the
existing settlement of Shilo, which is
Italy, Canada , Japan and the
Commissioners of the nearby to the Amona site.
The government had approved tenders to
European Union for G

UN-Habitat Environment and Climate. build 2000 new apartments from

G
India elected as the President of the previously approved settlement projects.
G
Discussions at the meeting
UN-Habitat after a gap of 10 years on The Palestinians claim the West Bank and
focused on global G

May 6, 2017. east Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel

G
UN-Habitat promotes socially and
environmentally sustainable human
sehlements across the world. This is
only the third time that India elected as
President after 2007 and 1988.
G
UN-Habitat is an organ of the UNO.
M.Venkaiah Naidu will preside over the
deliberations of the Governing Council
of UN-Habitat for the next 2 years.
environmental challenge, such
as the state of implementation
of the goals set by the Paris
Agreement to fight climate
change and the Sustainable
Development Goals set by the
UN 2030 Agenda. Traditional
G7 important issues, such as
Marine Litter and Resource
Efficiency were also discussed.
in 1967, as parts of a future State.
G
Over 600000 Israelis now live in
settlements in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem. But, Israel has not built a
full-fledged new settlement since the
1990s. Instead, construction during that
period has expanded existing
settlements or taken place in
unauthorised outposts like Amona.

48 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

 Iran Pakistan
Signed First Commercial Agreement with China Pakistani Hindus Allowed to
G
China and Iran have signed the first commercial contract for the Worship at Shiva Temple
reconstruction of Iran's Arak heavy water reactor on April 24, 2017. The G
A Pakistani court on April 24, 2017 allowed
core of the reactor was removed as part of an international agreement Hindus to worship at a Shiva temple in
limiting Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic Abbottabad district, which had been off
sanctions. limits to them for 20 years.
G
The deal was concluded between the Atomic Energy Organisation of G
The temple had been closed for any
Iran and a Chinese company at the official ceremony in the Austrian religious activity over property dispute. In
capital Vienna. The reconstruction of the Arak heavy water reactor is a 2013, a Hindu Non-Governmental
part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deals which Organisation (NGO) filed a petition with
Tehran. the PHC Abbottabad bench that they had
purchased the property through lease by a
legal owner.
Kazakhstan
Building Fence along
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit 2017 Afghan Border
G
The 17th summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit G
Pakistan began building a fence along the
has started in Astana, Kazakhstan from June 8, 2017. In this summit,
Afghan border in territories where it says
India and Pakistan has become full members of the organisation.
activists have propelled cross-border assaults
G
The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation on security posts in recent weeks on
which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, March 27, 2017.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. G
The two nations share a 2400 km (1500 mi)
border known as the Durand Line, which

Nepal was drawn amid frontier times and is not

perceived by the Afghan government.
Building a fence along the debated border
Mount Lhotse Records First Summit in 3 Years could additionally elevate pressures
G
Mt Lhotse recorded the first between the two countries, which have
summit in three years on since a long time ago blamed each other for
May 16, 2017. turning a visually impaired eye to Islamic
G
The mountain drew blank after militants working along the
the two disasters , avalanche in permeable wilderness.
2014 and earthquake in 2015,
that hit the Mt Everest region in Government Approved Merger
the previous years.
of FATA with
G
Indian climber Debasish Biswas and a woman climber from New
Zealand were the first to successfully climb Mt Lhotse after a team of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Sherpas fixed the route to summit.
G
Pakistan government approved the merger
of Federally Administered Tribal Areas
G
Mt Lhotse (8516 m) is the fourth highest mountain in the world after
(FATA) with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Mt. Everest, K2 and Kanchenjunga. It is present on the border between
province to bring the impoverished and
Tibet and the Khumbu region of Nepal.
politically deprived tribal region at par with
the rest of the country on March 3, 2017.

Myanmar G
The six-member committee headed by Prime
Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj
SASEC’s Newest Member Aziz recommended that FATA should be made
part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
G
Myanmar became the seventh member of the South Asia Sub-regional
Economic Cooperation (SASEC) partnership, opening up new markets
G
The FATA is a semi-autonomous tribal
and supply chain links for trade and business between South Asia and region in North-West Pakistan, bordering
South-East Asia on March 31, 2017. Afghanistan. It consist of seven tribal
agencies and six frontier regions, and are
G
SASEC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar,
directly governed by Pakistan’s federal
Nepal, and Sri Lanka) coordinate the planning of projects and activities
government.
to increase economic growth by building transport connectivity,
facilitating faster and more efficient trade, and promoting cross-border
G
According to the plan, colonial era
power trade. draconian laws known as Frontier Crimes
Regulation will be replaced.
G
Myanmar’s membership in SASEC can offer a host of opportunities for
realising synergies from economic cooperation in the subregion.

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 49

13th Economic
Cooperation Organisation
Summit Held
G
The 13th Economic Cooperation
Organisation Summit held in
Islamabad (Pakistan) on March 2,
2017. The theme of ECO Summit is
‘Connectivity for
Regional Prosperity’.
G
The summit deliberated and
decided on ways and means to
augment cooperation in the areas
of connectivity, trade, energy,
tourism, investment, industry,
economic growth, productivity,
social welfare and environment.
Pakistan Approved Hindu
Marriage Bill
G
After decades of delay and
inaction, the Hindu minority
community in Pakistan will soon
have a marriage law as a
Parliamentary panel has
unanimously approved the Hindu
Marriage Bill on January 3, 2017.
G
The National Assembly Standing
Committee on Law and Justice on
Monday passed the final draft of
Hindu Marriage Bill 2015, where
five Hindu lawmakers were
specially invited.
G
The Committee adopted the bill
unanimously after making two
amendments to fix the minimum
age of the marrying male and
female at 18 and making the law
applicable to the whole country.
Panama
Panama Agrees
Diplomatic Ties with
China
G
Panama established formal
diplomatic ties with China on
June 12, 2017 and broke all of its
relationship with Taiwan.
G
Panama’s President Juan Carlos
Varela announced that his country
upgraded its commercial ties with
China and has established full
diplomatic links with China. It
recognises ‘One China’ in the
world and considers Taiwan to be
an inalienable part of China’s
territory.
50 Current Affairs
Russia
Freight Train Connects
Russia with China
G
A freight train connecting Russia with
China has arrived in an inland city
bringing goods from Moscow to the
former revolutionary heartland of the
Communist Party on April 23, 2017.
G
The train connecting Russia with
Jiangxi province .The train was
expected to bring resources from
Europe and boost local development
of Ganzhou.
G
Ganzhou, an inland area with a
complex landscape, was important in
early revolutionary activities due to its
remote mountain ranges.The
government tried to push regional
development in the past few decades,
but Ganzhou won no major projects.
Russia-US Drafted
Resolution in Support
of the Syria Ceasefire
G
A Russia-US draft resolution in
support of the Syria ceasefire
circulated at the UN Security Council,
on January 3, 2017.
G
The draft endorses the planned
cessation of hostilities in Syria, setting
the starting time for the ceasefire,
as planned.
G
Syria has been mired in civil war since
2011, with the country’s government
fighting numerous opposition factions
and extremist groups, including
Islamic State (Daesh), which is
outlawed in many countries including
the USA and Russia.
G
The ceasefire does not apply to Daesh,
or other terrorist organisations in
Syria, such as Jabhat al-Nusra
(Nusra Front).
Half Yearly 2017
Russia and China Veto
UN Resolution on Syria
Sanctions
G
Russia and China vetoed a UN
Security Council resolution backed
by Western powers that would have
imposed sanctions on Syria over the
alleged use of chemical weapons by
the government of President Bashar
al-Assad on February 28, 2017.
G
It Drafted by Britain, France and the
USA, the measure on Tuesday won
nine votes in favour, while three
countries (China, Russia and
Bolivia) opposed it. Kazakhstan,
Ethiopia and Egypt abstained.
UAE
‘Startup India Summit’
Held in Abu Dhabi
G
The two-day ‘Start up India Summit’
was concluded in Abu Dhabi (UAE)
on May 23, 2017.
G
The Summit was organised by the
Consul General of India (CGI) in
Dubai and Embassy of India in Abu
Dhabi in partnership with iSPIRIT, a
nonprofit think tank and supported
by TiE, Dubai. The aim of the
summit was to provide a shared
platform for the Startup eco system
in both India and UAE.
G
17 startup companies from India in
the space of Artificial Intelligence,
Financial Technology or Fintech, Digi
Medicine, Health care Technology,
Innovative Technology and Software
as Service took part in the event.
First City in the World to
get its own Microsoft Font
G
Dubai has become the first city in
the world to get its own Microsoft
font on May 2, 2017. Sheikh
Hamdan ‘bin’ Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown
Prince and Chairman of the
Executive Council, launched the
Dubai Font recently.
G
The font, now available to more than
100 million users of Microsoft Office
365 around the world, is the first font
to be created by a city and named
after it. The font, available in three
styles as 'Dubai', 'Dubai Medium' and
'Dubai Light', can be in italics,
underlined and bold.

Spain
Cabinet Approved MoU
between Spain and India
The Union Cabinet chaired by the
G G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
approved the signing of an MoU on
May 24, 2017 between the National
Transplant Organisation, Ministry
of
Health, Social Services and
Equality, Spain and the Directorate
General of Health Services, Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare, India
on cooperation in the field of Organ
Transplant Services.
G
The MoU would facilitate bilateral
cooperation in the field of organ
and tissue procurement and
transplantation and better
understanding between the two
countries.
G
The knowledge gained will help in
improving the services rendered to
the patients suffering from end stage
organ failure.
USA
US Designates Syed
Salahuddin a Global
Terrorist
G
In a strong message to Pakistan,
hours before the meeting of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and US
President Donald Trump in the USA
on June 26, 2017, US State
Department designated Hizbul
Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin
as a global terrorist.
India welcomed the move and said
G
it will vindicate India’s stance on
cross-border terrorism. This puts
counter-terrorism cooperation
between India and the USA at the
front and centre of the relationship,
and addresses one of India’s main
concerns on Pakistan-sponsored
terrorism.
USA and India Rreleased
Joint Statement
G
India and the United States released
a Joint Statement (JS) titled-United
States and India: Prosperity through
Partnership on June 26, 2017.
G
The Joint Statement was released
after bilateral talks were held
between Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and President Donald J. Trump.
G
Prime Minister was in the United
States from June 25 to 26, 2017.
During this visit, President Donald J.
Trump hosted Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the White House on
June 26 for an official visit to
Washington, DC. This was Modi’s first
US visit since Donald became the
President of the nation.
G
The visit that marks 70 years of
diplomatic relations between India
and the United States was planned to
expand and deepen the strategic
partnership between two nations.
G
It also aims to advance common
objectives. Common objectives
include combatting terrorist threats,
promoting stability across the
Indo-Pacific region, increasing free
and fair trade, and strengthening
energy linkages.
US Withdraw from Paris
Agreement
G
US President Donald Trump has
announced to withdraw the United
State of America from the Paris
Agreement on climate change on
June 2, 2017. According to the US
President, countries like China and
India are benefiting the most from
the Paris Agreement.
G
The USA will cease all
implementation of the non-binding
Paris accord, the draconian financial
and economic burdens the agreement
imposes on the USA.
Agreement Signed between
USA and Six Gulf
Countries
G
Six members of the Gulf Cooperation
Council and the United States of
America (USA) have signed a MoU in
Riyadh on May 23, 2017 to curb
financing of terror organisations like
Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Haqqani
network, the Taliban.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
The MoU was signed between USA
and Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates to establish the Terrorist
Financing Targeting Centre.
According to the MoU, the signatory
countries intend to identify, track
and share information regarding
terrorist financial networks and
related activity of mutual concern,
including related threats emanating
from countries and terrorist
organisations.
Five Days Visited to USA
by FM Arun Jaitley
G
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was
on an official visit to United States
from April 21-25, 2017.
G
During this visit, he attended the
Spring Meetings of the International
Monetary Fund and World Bank,
participated in a G 20 Finance
Ministers’ and Central Bank
Governors’ Meeting and interacted
with high profile American
investors.
G
Urjit Patel (Governor of Reserve
Bank of India), Arvind Subramanian
(Chief Economic Adviser– CEA) and
Shaktikanta Das (Economic Affairs
Secretary) were the part of Mr.
Jaitley’s delegation to US.
G
During the meeting with US
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin,
Arun Jaitley raised the issue of
tightening of the H 1B visa norms.
Hawail Became First State
to Sue over Trump’s New
Travel Ban
G
Attorneys for the State filed the
lawsuit in Federal Court in Honolulu
on March 8, 2017.
G
The State had previously sued over
US President Donald Trump’s initial
travel ban, but that lawsuit was put
on hold while other cases played out
across the country.
G
The revised executive order bars new
visas for people from six
predominantly Muslim countries
and temporarily shuts down the US
refugee programme.
G
It doesn’t apply to travelers who
already have visas. Hawaii is special
in that it has always been
non-discriminatory in both its
history and Constitution.
51
Imposed New Sanctions
on Iran over Missile Test
G
US President Donald Trump slapped
fresh sanctions on Iran’s weapons
procurement network on
February 3, 2017. New measures
were in response to Iran’s recent
ballistic missile test and its support
for the Huthi rebels in Yemen, who
recently targeted a Saudi warship.
G
USA has already protested about
Iran’s missile test at the United
Nations, arguing it was ‘inconsistent’
with UN Security Council Resolution
2231.
World’s Largest Battery
Storage Plant Set-up
G
Tesla inaugurated a massive battery
storage facility in the California
desert– the biggest of its kind on
Earth, on January 31, 2017.
G
Each component, comprised of
16000 lithium-ion battery cells, is
meant to suck-up power from the
grid by day and then feed it back in
as demand surges.
G
It would not really accelerate and
begin to penetrate the electric grid
or the transportation world for a
while to come.
Seven New Countries
Joined BEPS Agreement
G
Seven jurisdictions (Lithuania,
Gabon, Hungary, Indonesia, Malta,
Mauritius and the Russian
Federation) have signed a tax
cooperation agreement, the
Multilateral Competent Authority
Agreement for Country-by-Country
Reporting (CbC MCAA), to enable
automatic sharing of
country-by-country information on
January 30, 2017.
G
It aims to boost transparency by
Multi National Enterprises (MNEs),
allows signatories to bilaterally and
automatically exchange
country-by-country reports, as part
of Action-13 of the base erosion and
profit shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.
G
The agreement helps ensure that tax
administrations obtain a better
understanding of how MNEs
structure their operations, while also
ensuring that the confidentiality
and appropriate use of such
information is safeguarded.
52 Current Affairs
Donald Trump Banned
7 Nations from
Entering USA
G
US President Donald Trump signed
an executive order to temporarily
ban visas for refugees belonging to
seven Muslim-majority countries
namely as Trump Bans 7 nations
from Entering USA on Security
Issues Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia,
Sudan, Syria, and Yemen on
January 28, 2017.
G
The decision aims at protecting
USA from the entry of foreign
terrorists to keep the nation safe.
The ban is not aimed at restricting
Muslim countries from
entering USA.
Donald Trump Signed
Executive Order to Pull
out of TPP Trade Deal
G
US President Donald Trump
fulfilled a campaign pledge by
signing an executive order to
withdraw from the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) on January 23,
2017.
G
Trump’s executive order on TPP
was largely symbolic since the deal
has not been ratified by a divided
US Congress.
G
Trump’s pick to be Secretary of
State, Rex Tillerson, was approved
by the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, and now requires
confirmation from the full Senate.
USA Lifted Sanctions
against Sudan
G
The USA lifted some sanctions on
Sudan in response to what he calls
‘positive actions’ by the country’s
government on January 15, 2017.
G
They include ceasing hostilities in
Darfur, improving humanitarian
access, ending negative
interference in South Sudan,
‘enhancing cooperation on
counterterrorism’, and ending the
threat of the Lord’s
Resistance Army.
G
The sanctions were first
implemented because the
Sudan government failed to
end a brutal civil war with rebels
in then-southern Sudan, which
continued for over two decades.
Half Yearly 2017
Report
Ranks Second in Earnst
& Young Renewables List
G
India has been placed in the second
spot in the renewable energy country
attractiveness index by Ernst & Young
(EY) on May 16, 2017 .
G
India continued its upward trend in
the index to second position with the
government’s programme to build 175
GW in renewable energy generation by
2022 and to have renewable energy
account for 40% of installed capacity
by 2040.
G
China, which has been ranked first in
the index, and India have surpassed
the US, which fell for the first time
since 2015 to third place in the
ranking of top 40 countries.
Jumps 73 Spots in World
Bank’s Power List
G
India has climbed up to 26th position
in World Bank’s electricity accessibility
ranking in 2017 from 99th spot in
2014 . Power Minister Piyush Goyal
announced this on May 15, 2017.
G
Piyush Goyal also exuded confidence
that by 2019, three years ahead of its
original schedule, the government
would able to take power to every
household.
G
The flagship scheme Deen Dayal
Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana
(DDUGJY) was launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi with an aim to
provide 24×7 uninterrupted electricity
supply to each rural household across
the country by 2022.
Sunday Times Rich List
2017 Released
G
India-born brothers Srichand and
Gopichand Hinduja of the Hinduja
Group have topped with a combined
fortune of $21 billion in the Sunday
Times Rich List 2017 published on
May 7, 2017 for the UK.
G
David and Simon Reuben, of Iraqi
Jewish origin but Mumbai-born, have
been ranked the third-richest with an
$18 billion fortune. Steel magnate
Lakshmi N Mittal is UK's
fourth-richest with $17 billion.
G
On the global scale, India has a record
56 billionaires, compared to 193 in
China and 43 in Russia.
 INDIA &
WORLD
India-WTO
India moved WTO against the USA
G
India has moved the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) on June 9, 2017 against the USA as it has
not yet complied with the rulings of the WTO
pertaining to imposition of high import duty on
certain Indian steel products.
G
In December 2014, the WTO’s appellate body
pronounced a ruling against the act of USA which
is imposing high import duty on certain Indian
steel products. It had ruled that the imposition of
import duty on steel products was inconsistent
with various provisions of the Agreement on
Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.
G
The Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (the
SCM Agreement), addresses two separate but closely related
matters.
G
The multilateral disciplines on the use of subsidies and the
conditions under which Members may apply countervailing
measures.
India-EU
European Union (EU), France Give
3.5 Million Euros Grant to India
G
EU and France will give a grant of 3.5 million euros to three
Indian cities- Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad as part of the EU’s
commitment under the Paris Climate agreement to curb
emissions and promote sustainability in these cities. The news
came up on June 11, 2017.
G
The grants have been provided to help India’s smart city
programme under the ‘Moblise Your City’ (MYC) initiative. India
has become the first country to get benefits from the MYC
initiative. The MYC initiative is supported by the French and
German government and also has financial support of the
European Union (EU). MYC initiative was emphasised by the
Indian and European leaders during Prime Minister Modi’s recent
visit to Europe. France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India.
India-ILO
India Contract Two Key International Labour
Organisation Conventions on Child Labour
G
According to a statement issued by the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) in Geneva (Switzerland), India contract two
key ILO conventions on child Labour on June 13, 2017.
G
Two fundamental ILO Conventions concerning the elimination
of child labor, the Minimum Age Convention (No 138) and the
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No 182).
G
The prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child
labour includes slavery, forced labor and trafficking, the use of
children in armed conflict, the use of a child for prostitution,
pornography and in illicit activities (such as drug trafficking)
and hazardous work.
India-Myanmar
MHA Panel Examine Rules on People’s
Movement Near Indo-Myanmar Border
G
Ministry of Home Affairs formed an expert committee on
June 12, 2017 to examine the rules which allow free movement
of people near Indo-Myanmar border .
G
Indian and Myanmarese citizens are permitted free movement
within 16 km of the international border, but these rules are
widely exploited by militants for smuggling arms, drugs, and
fake Indian currency.
G
India’s 1643 km border with Myanmar touches four states,
namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
India Awards Road
Contract in Myanmar
G
Indian government has awarded
` 1600 crore contract for building
109 km road connecting Paletwa
river terminal to Zorinpui in
Mizoram border on June 9, 2017.
G
It is a part of $ 484 million
Kaladan multi modal transport
projects in Myanmar that will
offer connectivity to Mizoram in
India.
G
This is the first major project
taken up by India in Myanmar.
G
The idea of Kaladan MultiModal
Tranport Project was conceived
in year 2003.
The framework agreement with
G
Myanmar was signed in 2008
and construction began in 2010.
G
India completed the construction
of Sittwe port, at the estuary of
Kaladan river, in trouble-prone
Rakhine state of Myanmar, last
year (2016), one year behind
schedule.
India-Portugal
India and Portugal
Signed 11 Agreements
G
India and Portugal signed 11
agreements like
counter-terrorism, space and
climate studies on June 25, 2017.
G
Both the countries agreed to
set-up a joint Science and
Technology fund of four million
euros.
G
The major agreements are –
Protocol amending the Double
Taxation Avoidance, Agreement
MoU on Nano Technology,
Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on Public
Administration & Governance
Reforms, MoU on Cultural
Cooperation, MoU on Youth &
Sports, MoU between Portugal
India Business Hub & Indian
Chamber of Commerce, MoU on
Cooperation in the fields of
Higher Education and Scientific
Research, MoU on
Biotechnology, MoU on
Collaborative Research and MoU
between Portugal India Business
Hub & AICEP.
54 Current Affairs
India-Spain
India and Spain Sign
Seven MoUs
G
The seven agreement of India and
Spain were signed after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi held talks
with President of Government of
Spain Mariano Rajoy at the
Moncloa Palace in Madrid on May
31, 2017.
G
India and Spain have signed seven
agreements in cyber security,
renewable energy, technical
cooperation in civil aviation, organ
transplantation, transfer of
sentenced
persons, visa waiver for diplomatic
passport holders and between the
Foreign Service Institute of India
and the Diplomatic Academy of
Spain.
G
Mr. Modi is the first Indian Prime
Minister to visit Spain since 1988.
Spain is India's seventh largest
trading partner in the European
Union.
India-Afghanistan
First Afghanistan-India
Air Corridor Inaugurated
G
The Afghan President ‘Ashraf
Ghani’ has inaugurated the first
‘Afghanistan-India air corridor’ at
the Kabul International Airport,
Afghanistan on June 21, 2017.
G
The aim of the corridor is to create
the direct route (bypass Pakistan)
to improve commerce in
Afghanistan.
G
Afghanistan is a mountainous
landlocked country and all imports
and exports depend on
neighboring countries.
Half Yearly 2017
India-China
China Denies Entry to Kailash
Mansarovar Pilgrims
G
China has refused entry to the first batch
of around 50 Indian pilgrims who were
scheduled to travel to Kailash Mansarovar
through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim on
June 24, 2017.
G
Pilgrims were stopped by the Chinese
officials at the border from proceeding
further.
G
The pilgrims were scheduled to cross over
to the Chinese side, but had failed to do so
due to inclement weather.
India Skipped One Belt One
Road Summit
G
India boycotted the two day conference
on China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR)
initiative, which was held in Beijing on
May 14 to 15, 2017.
G
The boycott by India is a diplomatic
retaliation to China’s action of blocking
India’s membership of the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) and blocking UN
sanctions on Pakistan based terrorist
Masood Azhar.
G
It is strategic developmental project
proposed by Chinese president Xi Jinping
in year 2013.
G
The project aims to connect China with
Eurasia through land based “Silk Road
Economic Belt” (SREB) and ocean going
“Maritime Silk Road” (MSR).
India and China to Hold
Strategic Dialogue to Boost
Bilateral Ties
G
China and India held their upgraded
strategic dialogue to shore-up bilateral
ties amid hectic parleys to resolve
differences over Beijing’s reluctance to
support India’s NSG bid as well as a UN
banned on JeM Chief Masood Azhar on
February 21, 2017.
G
The two countries are members of G-20,
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO), BRICS and the East Asia Summit
and this will allow us to find more
common ground on more issues.
G
The strategic dialogue was upgraded
during Chinese Foreign Minister Yi’s visit
to New Delhi last year.
G
China has deputed Zhang, also the head
of the influential Communist Party of
China (CPC) Committee of the Chinese
Foreign Ministry to co-chair the talks.

India-Fiji
Agreement between
India and Fiji
G
India and Fiji signed a Memorandum
of Understanding on expanding
cooperation in the defense sector on
May 29, 2017 in New Delhi.
G
The MoU focuses to encourage
cooperation between the two nations
in several areas including defense
industry, military training and
humanitarian assistance & disaster
management.
G
India and Island nation Fiji share a
strong cultural link since 38 % of
Fiji's population is from India.
Pacific Islands Conference
Concluded
G
The Ministry of External Affairs of
India hosted the India- Pacific
Islands Sustainable Development
Conference between May 25-26,
2017 in Suva, Fiji.
G
Eight MoUs were signed on May 25,
2017 by five participating nations,
Fiji, Cook Islands, Nauru, Samoa and
Niue. Gen. (Dr) V.K. Singh (Retd),
Minister of State for External Affairs
inaugurated the session of conference
on behalf of India.
G
Forum for India Pacic Islands
Cooperation (FIPIC) was formed to
strengthen India’s relationship with
the Pacific Island Countries in
November 2014.
India-Austria
Protocol Signed to Amend
the India-Austria Double
Taxation Avoidance
G
India and Austria signed a Protocol
amending the existing convention
between the two countries for
avoidance of double taxation and the
prevention of fiscal evasion with
respect to taxes on income on
February 6, 2017.
G
The protocol will broaden the scope
of the existing framework of
exchange of tax related information
which will help curb tax evasion and
tax avoidance between the two
countries and will also enable mutual
assistance in collection of taxes.
India-Mauritius
India & Mauritius
Signed MoU
G
India and Mauritius signed a pact to
institutionalise cooperation between
Parliaments of the two countries on
June 11,2017.
G
The MoU was signed by Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and
Speaker of National Assembly of
Mauritius Santi Bai Hanoomanjee.
G
There is a lot to be learnt by sharing
the best practices and experiences as
parliamentary democracies.
Agreements between
Mauritius and India
G
India and Mauritius signed four
agreements including maritime
security, marine science and
technology on May 27, 2017.
G
MoU Lists– MoU on to set up Civil
Services College in Mauritius, MoU
on Maritime Security, MoU on
Research and Education in Marine
Sciences and Technology and MoU
between Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research, India and
Mauritius Oceanography Institute,
Mauritius.
G
The agreements were signed after
delegation-level talks between Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Pravind
Kumar Jugnauth,Mauritian
counterpart who was on a three-day
state visit to India from 26th May to
28th May 2017.
India & Mauritius Signed
MoU for Cooperation in
the Field of Cooperatives
G
India & Mauritius Signed MoU for
Cooperation in the field of
Cooperatives on January 16, 2017.
G
The MoU will enable the two
countries to collaborate in this vital
sector and can significantly benefit
thousands of Mauritians.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
India offered to exchange its
expertise and technology with
Mauritius in agro industry, fisheries
and dairy sector.
G
The two Ministers expressed
satisfaction at the historic,
time-tested relationship between
India and Mauritius which is
anchored in linkages of culture and
ancestry has grown from strength to
strength over the years, adding that
frequent high-level visits have added
significant momentum to the
bilateral relationship between the
two countries.
India-Tajikistan
Cabinet Approved
Agreement with Tajikistan
G
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi gave its
approval for signing and ratifying,
an Agreement between India and
Tajikistan on May 17, 2017.
G
The Agreement would provide a
legal framework for sharing of
information and intelligence
between the Customs authorities of
the two countries and help in the
proper application of Customs law.
G
The Cabinet also gave its approval
for the Multilateral Convention to
Implement Tax Treaty Related
Measures to Prevent Base Erosion
and Profit Shifting.
India-Netherlands
India and Netherlands
Sign 3 Agreements
G
India and the Netherlands have
signed three MOUs after the
meeting between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his Dutch
counterpart Mark Rutte in Hague
(the Netherlands) on June 27, 2017.
G
Prime Minister’s visit to the
Netherlands has come at a time
when both the countries are
celebrating 70 years of diplomatic
relations.
G
In total, three agreements were signed on
the following topics
G
Cultural Cooperation
G
Water Cooperation
G
Social Security Arrangement
55
G
Netherlands is host to one of
the largest population of people
of Indian origin in Europe.
G
It is home to about 220000
Indian and Surinami
Hindustani Diaspora.
G
The Netherlands has backed
India’s entry into Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) and
other multilateral export
control regimes.
G
The Netherlands also supported
India’s bid for a permanent UN
Security Council seat.
India-OPEC
Institutional
Dialogue Held
G
Minister of State (Independent
Charge) for Petroleum and
Natural Gas, Dharmendra
Pradhan co chaired the 2nd
India OPEC Institutional
Dialogue at the OPEC
headquarters in Vienna
(Austria) on May 22, 2017.
G
Pradhan held a one-to-one
meet with secretary General of
OPEC Mohammad Sanusi
Barkindo.
G
Later, he also discussed
bilateral issues of interest at a
delegation level dialogue.
G
Pradhan was accompanied by
Secretary for Petroleum and
Natural Gas, Indian
Ambassador in Vienna and
CEOs of India’s seven large
refiners, both from public as
well private sector – IOCL,
HPCL, BPCL, MRPL, HMEL,
Reliance and Essar.
G
Highlighting that India had
been and continued to be a
reliable customer of OPEC
countries, Mr. Pradhan stated
that about 86% of India’s
import of crude oil, 70% of
natural gas, 95% of LPG is
procured from OPEC countries.
G
India will host the next India –
OPEC Institutional Dialogue in
2018. This was the first time
that both public sector and
private refiners from India
came together to present their
common issues, concerns and
demands before the OPEC.
56 Current Affairs
India-UAE
Startup India Summit
held in UAE
G
A 2-day ‘Startup India
Summit’ was held in Abu
Dhabi (UAE), on May 23-24,
2017. This summit was held
by the Consul General of India
(CGI) in Dubai and Embassy
of India in Abu Dhabi in
partnership with iSPIRIT, a
nonprofit think tank and was
supported by TiE Dubai, a
nonprofit association
dedicated to fostering
entrepreneurship.
G
The summit aimed to provide
a shared platform for the
Startup eco system in both,
India and UAE for greater
collaboration, exchange of
ideas, interaction with
academia, investors and
industry and for having access
to funding from the venture
capitalist in the UAE.
G
17 Startup companies from
India in the space of artificial
intelligence, financial
technology, digi medicine,
health care technology,
innovative technology and
software services took part in
the summit.
India and UAE
Signed 14 Pacts
G
India and the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) signed
14 pacts to strengthen
cooperation across several
sectors, including areas such
as defence, security, trade and
energy on January 25, 2017.
G
Stronger India-UAE relations
can help stabilise the region
and the economic partnership
can be a source of regional
and global prosperity.
G
Aagreement between UAE’s
investment fund and India’s
National Infrastructure
Investment Fund (NIIF)
would be inked, and put in
place a framework as to how
the fund will be administered
and which all sectors it can be
invested in.
Half Yearly 2017
India-Sri Lanka
India Signed Agreement with
Sri Lanka
G
India signed an agreement on June 6, 2017 to Sri
Lanka for the development of the railway sector
in the country. India already provided four Lines
of Credit for the development of railway sector in
Sri Lanka through its EXIM Bank.
G
Presently Indian development assistance mainly
focuses on improvement of infrastructure,
livelihood development, education, healthcare,
and capacity building.
Narendra Modi’s Two Day Visit to
Sri Lanka
G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a
two day visit to Sri Lanka on May 11 and 12,
2017. During this visit, he participated in the
International Vesak Day celebrations, the
biggest festival of Buddhists and attended
several other programmes.
G
14 th edition of United Nations Vesak Day
celebration was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka
from 12 to 14 May 2017. The theme of this
year’s celebration was ‘Buddhist Teachings for
Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace’.
G
PM Modi expressed hope that India and Sri
Lanka will work together to uphold ideals of
peace taught by Buddha and strive forregional
and global peace.
G
He also announced a direct flight between
Colombo and Varanasi by Air India which will
be operational by August 2017. Prime Minister
Modi inaugurated a multi specialty hospital at
Dickoya in Nuwara Eliya district of Sri Lanka.
Economic Cooperation
Agreement Signed
G
India's PM Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan PM
Ranil Wickremesinghe signed agreement on
economic cooperation on April 24, 2017. The
main Aim behind the MoU is to develop energy
and infrastructure projects in Trincomalee .
G
The proposals of agreement are — To promote
Indian investment in development of port and
oil tank farms in Trincomalee; To set up a LNG
power plant, piped gas supply in Sri Lankan
capital Colombo; and To undertake highway and
railway projects in north and east of Sri Lanka.
India Signed MoU
with Sri Lanka
G
India signed Memorandum of
Understandings (MoU) with Sri Lanka
to construct 3000 rain water harvesting
systems in Jaffna District at a cost of
` 300 million on January 13, 2017.
G
In order to address the water
problems, the Ministry of National
Integration and Reconciliation with
the Office of the National Unity and
Reconciliation (ONUR) submitted a
project proposal to construct
3000 rainwater harvesting tanks
especially for the Jaffna District.
G
The scope of the project also includes
training of the households on
operation and maintenance of the
systems.
India-Palestine
India and Palestine Signed
Five Agreements
G
India and Palestine has signed five
agreements during the 4 day visit of
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
to India on May 14 to 17, 2017. This is
Abbas’s fifth visit to India and the third
State visit after his earlier visits in 2008
and 2012.
G
On May 16, 2017, India and Palestine
signed following five MoUs post
delegation level talks between Palestine
President Mahmoud Abbas and Indian
PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi
G
Visa exemption for diplomatic passport
holder
G
Agricultural cooperation
G
Cooperation in field of IT & Electronics
G
Cooperation in health sector
G
Cooperation in the field of youth
affairs and sports
G
Palestine is a‘de jure sovereign state’
in the Middle East that is recognized
by 136 UN members. In 2014, India
voted in favor of Palestine at the UN
Human Rights Council.
India-Nepal
Nepalese President
Visited India
G
Bidya Devi Bhandari, the first female
President of Nepal, was on an official
visit to India from April 17-21, 2017.
This was her first state visit after
assuming office in October, 2015.
G
Nepalese ministers Prakash Sharan
Mahat (Minister of Foreign Affairs),
Sita Devi Yadav (Minister for Peace
and Reconstruction), Members of
Nepalese Parliament and other senior
government officials accompanied
Ms. Bhandari during this visit.
G
Both sides reviewed bilateral energy
cooperation, including development
of 5723 crore Arun 3 power project in
Nepal and Muzaffarpur Dhalkebar
high capacity transmission line.
India, Nepal Agreed to
Resolve Border Dispute
G
The officials of Kheri district in India
and Kanchanpur in Nepal have
agreed to a joint survey of their
boundaries to resolve border dispute
on April 14, 2017.
G
The pact envisages carrying out of a
survey of the entire border between
Kheri in Uttar Pradesh and adjoining
areas of Nepal by a joint survey team.
G
SSB, which works under the
command of the Union Home
Ministry, is tasked with guarding the
1751 km Indo-Nepal border.
India-Nepal Renewed Fuel
Supply Pact
G
India and Nepal have renewed the
supply agreement between IOCL and
NOC for another five years on
March 27, 2017.
G
The renewed agreement is an
umbrella document between the two
parties which apart from detailing
the supply of petroleum, oil and
lubricant products and also puts in
place an institutional mechanism for
cooperation in the areas of additional
services and technical assistance
between the two.
G
Both the countries are at present
working toward further deepening
engagement in the oil and gas sector,
including construction of petroleum
product Motihari-Amlekhganj
Pipeline.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Union Government
Imposed Anti-dumping
Duty on Jute from
Nepal and Bangladesh
G
The Union government imposed
definitive anti-dumping duty on
imports of jute and jute products
from Nepal and Bangladesh on
January 5, 2017.
G
Anti-dumping duty ranging from
$ 6.30 to $ 351.72 has been
imposed on these products
originating from Nepal and
Bangladesh to protect the
interests of the domestic
manufacturers.
G
The anti-dumping duty shall be
effective for five years beginning
from the date of publication of
this notification and the duty
G
shall be paid in Indian currency.
The import restrictive levy has bee
imposed on jute yarn/twine,
Hessian fabric and jute sacking
bags in ‘all forms & specifications’.
India-Indonesia
Energy Forum Held
in Jakarta
G
First ever India-Indonesia Energy
Forum was held in Jakarta
(Indonesia) on April 20,2017.
From Indian side Union Minister
Piyush Goyal was present at the
occasion while from Indonesia
side Energy and Mineral
Resources Minister Ignasius
Jonan participated in the event.
G
This was held with an aim to
discuss policy framework and
investment opportunities in India
and Indonesia.
G
Both sides agreed to focus on
capacity building, exchange of
scientific and technological
information and data and transfer
of technology on non-commercial
basis in bio-fuel and geothermal
area.
G
A MoU between the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas,
government of India and the
Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources of the Republic of
Indonesia on cooperation in the
field of oil and gas was signed on
the occasion.
57

India-Rwanda
Signed MoUs in Innovation,
Aviation,
Visa Requirements
G
India and Rwanda signed three
MoUs in innovation, aviation sectors
and visa requirements here during
Vice-President Hamid Ansari’s visit
to the East African country on
February 20, 2017.
G
In innovation, the two countries will
set-up an entrepreneurship
development centre in Kigali while in
aviation, Rwanda Air will start
services to India in coming months
and both countries will mutually
exempt visa requirements.
India-South Korea
Agreement Signed to
Cooperate in Defence
Shipbuilding
G
India and South Korea inked MoU
to enhance cooperation in the field
of defence shipbuilding on April
21, 2017. It is valid for a period of
five years.
G
It helps in developing and
strengthening defence industry
co operation between Republic of
India and the Republic of Korea.
G
The agreement will enable
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL)
to upgrade and modernise its
facilities, which will, in turn, enable
it to execute naval projects in a
timely manner. The whole deal is in
line with Narendra Modi-led
Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Union Government
Approved India’s
Membership in the
International Vaccine
Institute (IVI),South Korea
G
The Union government approved the
proposal for India’s taking full
membership of the International
Vaccine Institute (IVI) Governing
Council.
G
The move involves payment of
annual contribution of $ 500000 to
the International Vaccine Institute
(IVI), Seoul, South Korea on
January 17, 2017.
58 Current Affairs
G
International Vaccine Institute
(IVI), Seoul, South Korea,
established in 1997 on the
initiatives of the UNDP, is an
international organisation
devoted to developing and
introducing new and improved
vaccines to protect the people,
especially children, against
deadly infectious diseases.
G
In the year 2007, with the
approval of Cabinet, India
joined IVI. India is a long-term
collaborator and stake-holder of
IVI. In December, 2012 the Board
of Trustees (BoT) of IVI approved
the formation of its new
governance structure.
India-Poland
Signed Agreement
on Cooperation in
Agriculture and
Allied Sectors
G
The Union government approved
for signing of an agreement
between India and Poland on
cooperation in the field of
agriculture and allied sectors on
February 22, 2017.
G
The agreement covers various
activities in the field of
agriculture and allied sector
including exchange of
information on the current
situation in agriculture, the
phytosanitary conditions of
crops, threats posed by harmful
organisms and the threats posed
by animal infectious diseases.
G
It also covers the participation in
fairs, exhibitions, seminars and
conferences related to agriculture
and agri-food processing;
undertaking and developing joint
economic initiatives including
the support or agrifood trade
between states of the
Contracting Parties.
G
The agreement provides for
constitution of a Joint Working
Group (JWG) comprising of
representatives from both
countries. The JWG will prepare
plans of cooperation and to
provide solutions to the problems
arising during the
implementation of the agreement.
Half Yearly 2017
India-Brazil
Social Security Agreement
between India and
Brazil Finalised
G
India and Brazil finalised the text of the
Social Security Agreement (SSA),
which was signed in Brasilia on
March 16, 2017. As per the agreement,
detached workers of the two countries
are exempted from making social
security contributions in either country
so long as they were making such
contributions in their
respective countries.
G
It established the rights and obligations
of nationals of both countries and
provides for equal treatment of the
nationals of both countries and
unrestricted payment of pensions even
in the case of residence in the other
contracting state (benefits
export principle).
G
India has signed and operationalised
Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with
18 countries—Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Hungary, Japan, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden,
Switzerland, and South Korea.
India-Bangladesh
Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s
Visit to India
G
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina visited India from April 7 to 10,
2017, during which she met with PM
Narendra Modi, President Pranab
Mukherjee and West Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee.
G
During the visit, the two side signed 22
pacts in various key sectors, including
civil nuclear cooperation and defence
on April 9, 2017. The two sides also
inked a framework agreement on civil
nuclear energy which will provide for
extensive cooperation in the sector,
including setting up of nuclear reactors
in Bangladesh by India.
India and Bangladesh
Signed MoU for
Development of Sylhet
G
India agreed to provide financial
assistance to Bangladesh for the
sustainable development of Sylhet, a
North-eastern Bangladeshi city on
February 24, 2017.
G
Under the project in Sylhet,
the Indian government will provide
financial aid for the construction of a
five-storey Kinder Garten and High
School Building, a six-storey cleaner
colony building; and for some
development work in Dhupa
Dighirpar area at a total cost of
around Taka 240 million.
G
Sylhet is an ancient city and a
historically vibrant city. It had been a
part of the former Assam province of
India. It has been a focal point for
1971 Liberation War.
India-UK
Mahatma Gandhi Stamps
Sold for 5 Lakh Pounds
G
A set of four rare stamps featuring the
portrait of ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ has been
sold for record 5 lakh Pounds at an
auction in the UK on April 20, 2017.
G
The stamp was sold to an Australian
collector for the highest ever price for
Indian stamps. Only 13 of the 1948
Gandhi 10 Purple Brown and Lake
'Service' stamps are in circulation.
G
The recent sale follows that of
another Indian philatelic rarity, the
famous 'Four Annas', which sold in
March, 2017 for almost ` 1.1 lakh.
India and UK Signed Deal
to Boost Tourism
and Trade
G
India and the UK signed a MoU to
ease restrictions on the number of
scheduled flights between the two
countries, on February 9, 2017.
Tourism from India makes an
important contribution to the UK
economy.
G
The agreement also opened all
destinations in the UK for Indian
carriers for code share flights, and
reciprocally the UK carriers can also
operate code share flights to any
International Airport in India, through
domestic code share arrangements.
100 Years of Gandhi’s
Sabarmati Ashram
Celebrated
G
The centennial anniversary of the
establishment of Mahatma Gandhi's
Sabarmati Ashram was celebrated in
London on April 11, 2017 with the
screening of a documentary to tell
Gandhi's story.
G
While at the ashram, Gandhi formed a
tertiary school that focused on manual
labour, agriculture and literacy, to
advance his efforts for the nation's
self-sufficiency.
G
It was also from here that on March
12, 1930, Gandhi marched to Dandi,
241 miles from the ashram, with 78
companions to protest the British Salt
Law, which increased the taxes on
Indian salt.
India-Israel
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s Visited to Israel
G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on
an official visit to Israel from July 4 to
6, 2017. It was the first ever visit of an
incumbent Indian PM.
Commemorating Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visit, Danziger Flower
Farm named the flower
Crysanthumun as ‘Modi’, on the name
of Prime Minister. PM Modi gifted his
Israeli counterpart Benjamin
Netanyahu replicas of two sets of relics
from Kerala, regarded as key artefacts
of the long Jewish history in India.
G
Mahindra Telephonics and Israeli firm
Shachaf Engineering signed a MoU to
collaborate on design, development
and manufacture of strategic
electronics for military use. India and
Israel signed seven agreements, to
cooperate in fight against terror.
Narendra Modi announced to start a
new flight service connecting Delhi,
Mumbai and Tel Aviv and invited
youth of Israel to visit India.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Israel Aerospace
Industries Signed
Missile Deal with India
G
Israel has signed a $2 billion
contract with India to supply it
with missile defence systems, the
state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries on April 7, 2017.
G
It has been awarded its
largest defence contract of almost
$ 2 billion for supplying advanced
medium-range surface-to-air
missile systems (MRSAM)
to India.
G
MRSAM's current version is
operational with the Indian Air
Force, Indian Navy and Israel
Defence Forces (IDF).
G
The system includes an advanced
phased-array radar, command
and control, mobile launchers
and missiles with advanced RF
seekers.
India-Greece
Air Services Agreement
Signed between India
and Greece
G
The Union government approved
the signing of Air Services
Agreement (ASA) between India
and Greece on February 22, 2017.
G
The agreement has the potential
to spur greater trade, investment,
tourism and cultural exchange
between the two countries
bringing it in tune with the
developments in the civil
aviation sector.
G
It will provide enabling
environment for enhanced and
seamless connectivity while
providing commercial
opportunities to the carriers of
both the sides ensuring greater
safety and security.
G
The designated airlines of either
country shall have the right to
establish offices in the territory
of the other country for the
promotion end sale of
air services.
G
The designated airlines of the
two countries shall have fair and
equal opportunity to operate the
agreed services on
specified routes.
59

India-ADB
Loan for Upgrading
District Roads in Madhya
Pradesh
G
The Asian Development Bank and
the government of India signed a
$ 350 million loan for improving
about 1500 km of major district
roads in Madhya Pradesh in line
with the State’s Road Development
Plan on March 21, 2017.
G
The Project will involve upgrading
roads with concrete pavements,
strengthening culverts and bridges,
and maintaining the improved road
assets for a period of five years after
construction, on a performance-
based payment format.
G
The project will also develop and
introduce a cashless accident victim
treatment facility in the State, and
improve the accident
response system.
India-Australia
Australian PM Malcolm
Turnbull Arrived on
Four-day India Visit
G
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull arrived in New Delhi on a
four-day India visit during which he
will hold talks with his Indian
counterpart Narendra Modi on ways
to boost ties in key areas including
defence, security, energy and trade
on April 11, 2017.
G
The two countries are likely to sign a
number of MoUs covering a range of
areas including defence and security,
environment, renewable energy,
sports and trade.
G
It will be Turnbull's first visit to the
country after assuming office in
2015.
Australia Research Centre
Entered into Agreement
with Indian Railways
G
A Railway research centre in
Australia has entered into an
agreement with the Indian Railways
to support future research and
technology development related to
critical infrastructure in India on
March 16, 2017.
60 Current Affairs
G
Institute of Railway Technology
(IRT) with partners— Balaji Railroad
Systems Limited (BARSYL), leading
railway consultants in India, PwC,
and Indian Institute of Bombay
(IITB) were selected as the preferred
supplier from a competitive global
selection process.
G
They will provide guidance on the
establishment of a new applied
research and development institute
in India known as Special Railway
Establishment for Strategic
Technology & Holistic
Advancement (SRESTHA).
G
SRESTHA will be locally engaged,
but have a global reach with the aim
to become a world leader in the
advancement of rail.
India-Senegal
Union Government
Approved MoU between
India and Senegal
G
The Union Cabinet approved for
signing a Memorandum of
Understandings (MoU) between
India and Senegal in the field of
Health and Medicine on February 8,
2017.
G
The main areas of cooperation
between the Parties will include
Integrated Disease Surveillance,
Medical Research, Emergency Relief,
Hospital Management, Drugs and
Pharmaceutical products/hospital
equipments, Traditional Medicine,
AIDS Control and any other areas of
mutual interest.
G
A working group will be set-up to
further elaborate the details of
cooperation and to oversee the
implementation of
this Memorandum of
Understandings (MoU).
Half Yearly 2017
India-Russia
India-Russia Signed
Roadmap for Defence
Cooperation
G
India and Russia have finalised a
roadmap to further boost bilateral
defence cooperation during the
17th India-Russia inter-
governmental commission on
military-technical cooperation held
at Moscow on June 24, 2017.
G
The meeting was co-chaired by
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his
Russian counterpart General Shoygu.
G
The agenda for the discussion
ranged from joint development of
futuristic weapon systems to a major
upgrade of military-to-military ties.
G
It also aims to enhance cooperation in
the field of political and military
dialogue, exercises, exchange of visits,
military cooperation and training.
High-level Consultations
on Terrorism
G
India and Russia held a high- level
consultations and shared views on
threats posed by terrorism on
January 31, 2017. Both India and
Russia agreed that UNSC 1267
Sanctions List processes for black
listing various terrorists and entities
must be stringently complied with.
G
Both sides shared views on the
threats posed by scourge of terrorism,
including state-sponsored, cross
border terrorism faced by India.
India-Croatia
Inked Pact to Boost
Economic Cooperation
G
India and Croatia signed an
agreement to boost bilateral trade
and enhance economic cooperation
on February 14, 2017.
G
India and Croatia had earlier signed
an agreement on Trade and
Economic Cooperation in
September, 1994 with an aim to
promote and develop bilateral trade
and economic relations. India’s
bilateral trade with Croatia during
2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 stood
at $ 148.86 million, $ 205.04 million
and $ 148.44 million, respectively.

India-ADB
India and ADB Signed
$175 Million Loan
Agreement to Help
Improve Solar
Transmission System
G
The government of India and the ADB
signed a $ 175 million loan agreement
on April 7, 2017 to support
construction of high voltage
transmission systems to evacuate
power generated from new mega solar
parks to the interstate grid, and
improve reliability of the national grid
system.
G
The loan will be given to the Power
Grid Corporation of India Limited and
will include subprojects in various
locations in India. As an innovative
feature, the project is designed to
adopt the country systems on both
safeguards and procurement at the
agency level.
G
POWERGRID will make an equity
contribution of $135 million
equivalent to support the total
G
project cost of $ 450 million.
The $175 million loan will be from
ADB’s ordinary capital resources
(OCR) and will have a 20-year term,
an annual interest rate determined
in accordance with ADB’s London
interbank offered rate
(LIBOR)-based lending facility.
India-Germany
India and Germany
Ratified 2011 Agreement
on Social Security
G
India and Germany ratified a
comprehensive Social Security
Agreement (SSA), to come into
effect from May, to improve
investment flows between the two
countries, on February 24, 2017.
G
The agreement establishes the
rights and obligations of nationals
of both countries and provides for
their equal treatment and
unrestricted payment of pensions
even in case of residence in the
other contracting State (benefits
export principle).
G
India signed and operationalised
similar agreements with
18 countries, including Australia,
Canada, France, Germany
and Japan.
India-Kazakhstan
India and Kazakhstan
Signed Protocol for
DTAC Amendment
G
India signed a protocol to amend
the existing DTAC with Kazakhstan
on January 5, 2017.
G
Earlier, the protocol was signed on
December 9, 1996 for the avoidance
of double taxation and for the
prevention of fiscal evasion with
respect to taxes on income.
G
The amended protocol would
enable internationally accepted
standards for effective exchange of
information on tax matters.
G
Further, the information received
from Kazakhstan for tax purposes
can be shared with other law
enforcement agencies with
authorisation of the competent
authority of Kazakhstan
and vice-versa.
G
It will also insert a Limitation of
Benefits Article, to provide a main
purpose test to prevent misuse of
the DTAC and to allow application
of domestic law and measures
against tax avoidance or evasion.
India-Canada
India Rejected Attempts
by EU, Canada for Global
Investment Agreement
G
India, along with Brazil, Argentina
and some other nations, rejected an
informal attempt by the European
Union (EU) and Canada to work
towards a global investment
agreement at the WTO on
January 23, 2017.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
The ISDS mechanism became
contentious as it permits companies to
drag governments to international
arbitration without exhausting the
local remedies and claim huge
amounts as compensation citing
losses they suffered due to reasons,
including policy changes.
G
The pact, among other things, aims to
facilitate easier movement of skilled
workers and professionals across
borders for short-term work.
India-Italy
India and Italy Signed
an MoU for Technical
Cooperation in Rail Sector
G
Indian railway and Italian
railway signed an MoU for
technical cooperation in rail
sector especially in the areas
safety in train operations on
February 2, 2017.
G
MoU includes safety audit of Indian
Railways and measures required for
enhancing safety in train operation,
Assessment and certification of
advanced technology based
safety products.
G
MoU also includes systems to
Safety Integrity Level (SIL4), Training
and competency development with
focus of safety, Modern trends in
Maintenance and diagnostic etc.
India-Serbia
Union Government
Approved MoU between
India and Serbia
G
The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto
approval to theMoU signed between
India and Serbia for promoting
cooperation in the field of
Information Technology and
Electronics on January 22, 2017.
G
The MoU aims to promote
cooperation between India and Serbia
in the field of IT and Electronics, and
to foster active cooperation and
exchanges between the private
entities, capacity building
institutions, the governments and
other public and private organisations
of the two countries in IT
& Electronics.
61

India-UN
India Contributed $ 1 Lakh
to UN Fund
G
India has become the first country to
contribute $ 1 lakh to a UN fund to
help developing countries actively
participate in the discussion of tax
issues on June 29, 2017.
G
The UN Trust Fund for International
Cooperation in Tax Matters (the UN
Tax Fund) has received its first
financial voluntary contribution
G
from India.
The UN Tax Trust Fund aims to
support the work of the Committee
of Experts on International
Cooperation in Tax Matters.
India Joined United Nation
Transports International
Routiers Convention on
Road Transports
G
India has become the 71st country to
join the United Nations TIR
(Transports International Routiers)
Convention to boost trade through
smoother movement of goods across
territories on June 20, 2017.
G
It is part of its multi-modal
transport strategy that aims at
integrating Indian economy with
global and regional production
networks through better
connectivity.
G
The TIR system is the international
customs transit system with the
widest geographical coverage.
India UN Office for South-
South Cooperation Launch
Partnership Fund
G
India and the United Nations Office
for South-South Cooperation
(UNOSSC) launched a partnership
fund to support the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)
across the developing world on
June 8, 2017.
62 Current Affairs
G
The fund was launched on the occasion of
the World Oceans Day at a special
ceremony held at the Permanent Mission
of India to the UN.
G
TheUNOSSCwasestablishedwithan
objectivetopromote,coordinateand
supportSouth-Southandtriangular
cooperationacrosstheworldandwithin
theUnitedNationssystem.
UN Election Assistance
Programme
G
India contributed $ 250000 to the
United Nations programme for helping
countries to hold elections and develop
their electoral systems in April, 2017.
G
Eenam Gambhir, the first Secretary in
India's Mission to the Unite Nations,
presented the cheque to Kyoko Shiotani
Chief of the Office of the Under-
Secretary-General at the UN Department
of Political Affairs, on April 18, 2017.
G
It is India’s second contribution of
$ 250000 to the electoral assistance
programmes and capacity building.
First contribution was made in 2012.
Not Participating in UN
Negotiations for Total Ban
on Nuclear Weapons
G
India is not participating in the
conference on negotiations for a total
ban on nuclear weapons that began at
the United Nations.
G
The decision to not participate in the
meeting was taken independently by
New Delhi on March 27, 2017 taking
into account the nation’s own interests
and that the Indian mission was closely
monitoring the developments at
the conference.
G
India was expected later this week to
issue a comprehensive statement
outlining its stance on the meeting that
is officially called the Conference to
Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument
to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading
Towards their Total Elimination.
Joined UN Network to Half
Maternal, Newborn Deaths
G
India is among nine countries that will
be part of a global health network
focused on improving the quality of
care for new mothers and babies and
strengthen national efforts to end
preventable deaths of pregnant
women and newborns by 2030 on
February 14, 2017.
Half Yearly 2017
G
The nine countries are India,
Bangladesh, A Cote d’Ivoire,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria,
Tanzania and Uganda. Through
the new ‘Network for Improving
Quality of Care for Maternal,
Newborn and Child Health’,
supported by World Health
Organisation (WHO), UN
International Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) and other partners, the
countries will work to improve
the quality of care mothers and
babies receive in their
health facilities.
G
The Network aims to strengthen
national efforts to end
preventable deaths by 2030, as
envisioned by the Every Woman
Every Child Global Strategy for
Women’s, Children’s and
Adolescents’ Health.
India-USA
USA and India released
joint statement
G
India and the United States
released a Joint Statement (JS)
titled-United States and India:
Prosperity through Partnership
on June 26, 2017. The Joint
Statement was released after
bilateral talks were held between
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and President Donald J. Trump.
G
Prime Minister was in the United
States from June 25 to 26, 2017.
During this visit, President Donald
J. Trump hosted Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the White
House on June 26 for an official
visit to Washington, DC. This was
Modi’s first US visit since Donald
became the President of the
nation.
G
The visit that marks 70 years of
diplomatic relations between
India and the United States was
planned to expand and deepen
the strategic partnership between
the two nations.
G
It also aims to advance common
objectives. Common objectives
include combatting terrorist
threats, promoting stability across
the Indo-Pacific region,
increasing free and fair trade, and
strengthening energy linkages.
US Designates Syed Salahuddin a
Global Terrorist
G
In a strong message to Pakistan, hours before
the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and US President Donald Trump in the USA on
June 26, 2017, US State Department designated
Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a
global terrorist.
G
India welcomed the move and said it will
vindicate India’s stance on cross-border
terrorism. This puts counter-terrorism
cooperation between India and the USA at the
front and centre of the relationship, and
addresses one of India’s main concerns on
Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
India and USA Signed MoU for
Collaboration in Third
World Countries
G
India and the USA signed a MoU to collaborate
in the fields of developmental activities and aid
in third world countries on January 13, 2017. The
MoU has been signed between the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC), and Development
Partnership Administration (DPA) of the
Ministry of External Affairs of India.
G
MCC is a US agency providing eligible countries
with grants to fund country-led solutions for
reducing poverty through sustainable economic
growth.
G
DPA looks after implementation of India’s
development cooperation programmes with
partner countries.
G
The two countries would collaborate on exchange
of information and experience in sectors or issues
pertaining to project development
or implementation in partner countries.
India-France
Pact with France in the Field of
Science, Technology & Innovation
G
The Union Cabinet signed Memorandum of
Understandings (MoU) of Cooperation between
Technology Development Board (TDB),
Department of Science & Technology,
government of India and Bpifrance, a Public
Investment Bank, France.
G
The agreement will ensure exchange of best
practices and setting-up of coordinated measures
to foster technological exchanges in the field of
Science, Technology and Innovation through
collaboration between companies, organisations
and institutions of France and India.
G
The agreement aims to carry out activities
related to exchange of best practices in the field
of Science & Technology through the Technology
Development Board and Bpifrance.
India-Singapore
Notified Amended Tax Treaty with Singapore
G
The government notified the amended India-Singapore tax treaty
under which capital gains tax will be levied at source of
investments with effect from April 1, 2017.
G
India had amended the tax treaty with Singapore on December 30,
2016, under which for two years beginning April 1, 2017, capital
gains tax will be imposed at 50% of the prevailing domestic rate.
Full rate will apply from April 1, 2019. The revision of tax treaty
will help curb revenue loss, prevent double non-taxation and
streamline the flow of investments.
India-Kenya
India and Kenya Signed MoU on Cooperation in
Agriculture Sector
G
India and Kenya signed a MoU on Cooperation in the agriculture
sector and allied sector and Line of Credit for $ 100 million for
agricultural mechanisation on January 11, 2017. Key sectors
discussed during the meeting were maritime security and
surveillance, counter-terrorism, disrupting terrorist networks,
counter-narcotics and human trafficking, agriculture, health.
G
It supported Kenya’s development through Lines of Credit, digital
and cash-less economy, e-Governance, procurement of pulses,
sports, renewable energy especially International Solar Alliance,
blue economy, comprehensive convention on terrorism and
reforms of international institutions including the United Nations.
India-IEA
India Became Associate Member of
International Energy Agency
G
India has joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) as an
associate member, on March 31, 2017. With India as a member,
International Energy Agency now formally covers 70% of the
world’s energy consumption.
G
The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous
intergovernmental organisation established in the framework of
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.
G
The IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical
disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an
information source on statistics about the international oil market
and other energy sectors.
India-Vietnam
Union Government Apprised of India-Vietnam
Space Agreement
G
The Union Cabinet was apprised of the agreement between India
and Vietnam on the usage of outer space for peaceful purposes, on
February 8, 2017.
G
Cooperation with Vietnam through this Framework Agreement
would lead to development of joint activity in the field of
application of space technologies for the benefit of humanity.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 63

Report/Index
Environmental Impact
Survey 2017
G
India has ranked 75 out of 102 countries in
Environmental Impact Survey conducted by
UK-based Money Super Market on June
16, 2017.
G
The survey has been topped by Southern
African country Mozambique as almost
all its energy use comes from green
sources followed by Ethiopia (2nd) and
Zambia (3rd). South Africa ranked at 95
in the Environmental survey.
Global Innovation Index
(GII) 2017
G
India has been ranked 60th out of 130
nations on the Global Innovation Index
(GII) 2017 on June 15,2017. The index
has been co-authored by Cornell
University, European Institute of
Business Administration (INSEAD) and
WIPO. Singapore topped the index
followed by Sweden and Netherlands.
G
Among India’s neighbors, Sri Lanka has
acquired 90th spot, Nepal 109th, Pakistan
113th and Bangladesh 114th spot.
India among Top Five
Consumer Markets in Asia
G
India places among the top five consumer
markets in Asia. It becomes an average of
6.1% over the next five years in retailer
consumer spending growth.
G
According to BMI Research on June 8,
2017, a Fitch Group company, China, Sri
Lanka, Vietnam, India and Indonesia
represent five favourite consumer markets
in Asia, to be the strongest consumer
spending growth over its forecast period to
2021.
G
A real consumer spending growth is
expected to see an average of 6.1% over
this 5 year period, with 2017 coming in at
6.2%.
India Ranked 45th in IMD’s
World Competitiveness List
G
India has been ranked 45th out of 63
countries in the IMD’s world
competitiveness rankings 2017 as
published on June 3, 2017.
G
The list is compiled by the
Switzerland-based International Institute
for Management and Development
(IMD)’s World Competitiveness Center
(WCC).
64 Current Affairs
G
Hong Kong has topped the list,
followed by Switzerland,
Singapore, United States,
Netherlands, Ireland and
Denmark.
G
The IMD measures how well
countries manage all their
resources and competencies to
facilitate long-term value
creation.
India Ranks 74 in
Internet
Data Speed
G
India, which ranked 74th out of
75 countries, came below the
likes of Pakistan and Sri Lanka
and just ahead of Costa Rica in
terms of speed.
According to a report by
G
OpenSignal on June 8, 2017,
download speeds in India have
dropped more than one megabit
per second in the last 6 months
as traffic has surged, mainly on
the back of Reliance Jio
Infocomm’s free services.
G
Singapore scored the highest in
4G speed while South Korea
scored highest in 4G availability.
G
Average 4G download speed in
India at 5.1 Mbps is less than a
third of the global average and
only marginally higher than the
global 3G speed of 4.4 Mbps.
Average 3G download speed
across India is less than 1
Mbps.
World Press Freedom
Index 2017
India ranks 136th among 180
G
countries in the ‘World Press
Freedom Index’ 2017 released
on April 27,2017 by Reporters
Sans Frontières (RSF) also
known as Reporters Without
Borders. In 2016, India ranked
133 on this index.
G
Norway came out the top of the
index with the world’s freest
media followed by Sweden ,
Finland, Denmark and
Netherlands .
G
Norway took over from
neighbouring Finland which
had held the title for six years.
Index was first published in
year 2002.
Half Yearly 2017
Ranked 9th among
41 Countries in
Corruption in Businesses
G
India ranked 9th among 41
countries in bribery and corrupt
practices in businesses, according to
the findings of a recent survey on
April 7, 2017.
G
India ranks behind Ukraine, Cyprus,
Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Kenya,
South Africa and Hungary, in the
perception survey.
G
The ranking has improved
marginally from the survey findings
in 2015 when India was at the sixth
position, owing to better regulatory
scrutiny and emphasis on
transparency and governance.
Ranked 3rd for Third
Year in Row in WADA
Doping Charts
G
India has been ranked third for the
third year in a row in a doping
violation report published by World
Anti-Doping Agency for 2015 with
117 athletes from the country being
punished after testing positive for
banned substances, on April 3, 2017.
G
India followed Russian Federation
(176) and Italy (129) at third spot in
the doping violation chart released
by the WADA.
G
The worrying sign for India is that
the number of dope offenders has
been increasing in the last three
years. India had 91 and 96
Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs)
in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
G
An ADRV is a doping offence
committed by an athlete or athlete
support person, which results in
certain consequences or sanctions. It
is derived from AAFs, commonly
known as 'positive' results.
G
Among individual sports,
weightlifting has taken over
athletics as the dirtiest with a
whopping 56 Indian lifters (32 male
and 24 female) punished for doping.
India is 170th Country
for Anaemia among
Women Global Report
G
India is ranked 170th in terms
of aaeemia among women as per
the Global Nutrition Report 2016
and 114th in terms of prevelance
of under-five stunting on
March 31, 2017.
G
The targets are—childhood
stunting 40% reduction in the
number of stunted children,
childhood wasting reduce and
maintain childhood wasting to
less than 5%, anemia in women
reproductive age : achieve a 50%
reduction of anemia in women
of reproductive age.
G
A higher consumption of
legumes (such as lentils,
chickpeas, beans and peas) has
the potential to lower the risk of
developing Type 2 diabetes
by 35%.
G
Legumes are a food group rich in
B vitamins, contain different
beneficial minerals—like
calcium, potassium
and magnesium.
India Ranked 87th on
Energy Architecture
Performance Index
G
India marginally improved its
position to 87th place on a
global energy architecture
performance index, but ranks
among the worst for pollution
on March 22, 2017.
G
Switzerland topped the annual
list released by Geneva-based
World Economic Forum (WEF)
and was followed by Norway,
Sweden, Denmark and France in
the top five.
G
India, just like China, boasts of a
strong score on the indicator for
diversification of import
counterparts (5th), but its
energy system continues to face
some significant challenges,
particularly in environmental
sustainability (109th).
G
India has some of the lowest
scores in the EAPI for CO2
emissions from electricity
production and PM2.5 levels
(117th and 123rd, respectively).
4 Indian Cities among
Cheapest to Live in Globally
G
Four Indian cities are among the
cheapest to live in globally, while
Singapore has been ranked as the most
expensive for the fourth consecutive
year, as per a report by EIU on March 20,
2017.
G
Bengaluru (3rd place), Chennai (6th),
Mumbai (7th) and New Delhi (10th)
have been ranked by EIU among the
10 cheapest cities in the world.
G
The EIU’s Worldwide Cost of Living 2017
report (a ranking of the world’s major
cities) said Asia is home to some of the
world’s most expensive cities and also to
many of the world's cheapest cities.
G
The Worldwide Cost of Living is a
bi-annual (twice yearly) EIU survey that
compares more than 400 individual
prices across 160 products and services.
India Ranked 131 on Human
Development Index
G
India has ranked a lowly 131 among the
188 countries surveyed for human
development, according a new UN report
on March 21, 2017. India’s Human
Development Index (HDI) rank in 2014
was also 131. India’s HDI rank value in
2015 stood at 0.624, which had increased
from 0.580 in 2010.
G
Its life expectancy at birth stood at
68.3 years in 2015 and the Gross
National Income (GNI) per capita
$ 5663.
G
Women and girls are systematically
excluded by economic, political, social
and cultural barriers, according to the
report measured by the Human
Development Index —a ranking of
countries based on strides made with a
peace-centric model of progress.
While, Norway ranked no.1. between
G
1990 and 2015, India’s life expectancy at
birth increased by 10.4 years, mean years
of schooling increased by 3.3 years and
expected years of schooling increased by
4.1 years.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
India Ranked 148 in 2017
UN Women in Politics Map
G
India ranked 148 globally in terms of
representation of women in
executive government and
parliament, according to a report
published by the Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU) and UN Women.
G
The data published in the report
Women in Politics 2017 Map showed
that women make up only 11.8%
(64 MPs) of the 542-member Lok
Sabha and 11% (27) of the
245-member Rajya Sabha.
G
In terms of women Ministers, India
ranks 88 with only five Ministers
(18.5%) in the Cabinet. This level of
gender representation among
ministers is better than the Asian
average of 11% but far worse than
the leader of the table, Indonesia,
which gives 25.6% of its Ministerial
positions to women.
World Happiness Report
2017 Released
G
The World Happiness Report 2017
was released on March 20, 2017
according to which Norway is the
happiest country in the world.
Norway displaced three time winner
Denmark to bag the top honours.
G
Denmark dropped to second place
this year, followed by Iceland,
Switzerland, Finland, the
Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand
and Australia and Sweden (which
tied for ninth place), according to
the latest World Happiness Report.
G
According to the report, one of the
key measurements is the real gross
domestic product per capita. The
rankings are made on the basis of
income, life expectancy, how people
rate social support, personal
freedom, freedom from corruption
and generosity. The report also takes
into account factors like inequality,
GDP per capita, public trust, i.e., a
lack of corruption in government
and business, etc.
G
India ranked at 122 and was the
least happy country among the
SAARC nations. It dropped four slots
from last year. Among the SAARC
nations Pakistan was ranked at
80th position, Nepal stood at 99,
Bhutan at 97, Bangladesh at 110
while Sri Lanka was at 120.
65
The Times Asia University
Ranking 2017 Released
G
In a ranking where universities from
Singapore, China, South Korea, Hong Kong
and Japan topped, Indian Institute of Science,
Bangaluru and IIT, Bombay fared well in the
Times Higher Education’s Asia University
Rankings 2017 on March 15, 2017.
G
IISc-Bangaluru was ranked in the 27th place
while IIT-Bombay secured 42nd rank.
G
Apart from IISc-Banglore and IIT-Bombay,
Veltech University, Chennai has also found its
place in top 50. According to this ranking, The
National University of Singapore is the top
institution in Asia for the second year in a row.
The most-represented nation in the rankings is
Japan, with 69 institutions followed by China
with 54 institutions.
India has Highest Bribery Rate
among 16 Asia Pacific Countries
Transparency International
G
India had the highest bribery rate among the
16 Asia Pacific countries surveyed by
Transparency International. Nearly seven in
10 Indians who had accessed public services
had paid a bribe on March 7, 2017.
G
India was followed closely by Vietnam where
around two thirds (65%) had paid a bribe
when accessing public services.
G
For the purpose of this survey, TI concentrated
on bribes paid for procuring six key public
services viz. public schools, public hospitals,
official documents (such as identification card,
voters card), public utility services, the police
and courts.
Hyderabad Emerged as the City
with the Best Quality of Living
G
Hyderabad ranked as the top Indian city in the
quality of living ranking, for the third year in a
row, as per Mercer’s Quality of Living rankings
2017 on March 13, 2017.
G
For the second year in a row, according to the
study, New Delhi continues to be ranked
lowest, with scores remaining constant.
G
Both Hyderabad and Pune cities rank higher
for quality of living than the country’s more
traditional business centres, Mumbai and New
Delhi ranked at 154 and 161, respectively, as
per the report.
G
Globally, Vienna occupies first place for overall
quality of living for the 8th year running, with
the rest of the top-ten list mostly filled by
European cities—Zurich (2), Munich (4),
Dusseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8),
Copenhagen (9), and Basel (10). The only
non-European cities in the top ten are Auckland
(3) and Vancouver (5).
66 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
India Placed at 43rd among 45 Nations in Global
Innovation Index
G
India ranks abysmally at 43rd out of 45 countries in a global
innovation index, according to a report released by US Chambers of
Commerce which cited the country’s ‘anaemic’ Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) policy and patent act as challenges to innovation on
February 8, 2017.
G
India has an 8.4 score as against America’s 32.6 which tops the list of
45 countries. The USA is followed by the United Kingdom (32.4),
Germany (31.9), Japan (31.3) and Sweden (31).
India Ranked 143rd in Economic Freedom Index
G
India ranked a dismal 143rd in an annual index of economic
freedom by a top American think-tank, behind its several South
Asian neighbours including Pakistan, as progress on
market-oriented reforms has been ‘uneven’ on February 15, 2017.
G
Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand topped the index. Among
South Asian countries, only Afghanistan (163) and Maldives (157)
were ranked below India. Nepal (125), Sri Lanka (112), Pakistan
(141), Bhutan (107), and Bangladesh (128) surpassed India in
economic freedom.
G
The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual index and ranking
created by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal
in 1995 to measure the degree of economic freedom in the
world’s nations.
G
The creators of the index took an approach similar to Adam Smith’s
in The Wealth of Nations, that “basic institutions that protect the
liberty of individuals to pursue their own economic interests result
in greater prosperity for the larger society”.
India Ranked 79th in the Corruption Perception
Index 2016
G
India has been ranked 79th
among 176 countries in the
Corruption Perception Index
2016 released by the
Transparency International
organisation on January 25,
2017. Its score marginally
improved from 38 in 2015 to
40 in 2016. India had a score of 36 in 2012.
G
The organisation has used the World Bank data, the world economic
forum and other institutions to rank countries by perceived levels of
corruption in public sector. The score runs from zero to 100, from
highly corrupt to 100. Belarus, Brazil, & China shared the same
ranks as India.
ORF Emerged Top Indian Think-Tank in Asia
Category
G
The ORF emerged as the top ranked think-tank in India in the China,
India, Japan and the Republic of Korea category, according to the latest
Global Go To Think-Tank Index Report, released globally on
January 26, 2017. In the Asia region, ORF finished 5th out of 90
think-tanks in this category, improving its position from 6th (out of
65) last year, while the first rank was retained by the Korea
Development Institute, Republic of Korea in the Index.
G
It is prepared annually by the Lauder Institute, Pennsylvania
University (USA). Japan Institute of International Affairs came
second while Korea Institute for International Economic Policy
came in third.
India Ranked Low as G
While India is placed at the 60th spot,
Global Influencer while
many of the neighbouring nations are Meeting/
USA, UK, Japan Remain
ahead in the rankings. China is ranked
at the 15th position, Nepal (27th), Conference
on Top Bangladesh (36th) and
Joint Communique on the
G
India ranked low among countries Pakistan (52nd).
Two BRIC nations, Russia and Brazil,
Meeting of BRICS Special
across the world in terms of being G

an ‘influencer’ in the global system,
while legacy power players such as
the USA, the UK and Japan
continue to dominate in a report
released on January 20, 2017.
G
The Credit Suisse Research
Institute published its report
‘Getting over Globalisation’, which
outlines how the global economy is
3moving into a more
multi-polar form.
G
India was given a lowly 2 on a scale
of 5 as an influencer or pole based
on five broad criteria — economic
size, hard power, soft and
diplomatic power, and governance
quality and distinctiveness.
India Ranked 60th in
Inclusive Development
Index
G
India ranked 60th among
79 developing economies, below
neighbouring China and Pakistan,
in the inclusive development index,
according to a WEF report on
January 17, 2017.
G
According to WEF’s ‘Inclusive
Growth and Development
Report 2017’, most countries are
missing important opportunities to
raise economic growth and reduce
inequality at the same time because
the growth model and
measurement tools that have
guided policymakers for decades
require significant readjustment.
G
The Inclusive Development Index
(IDI) is based on 12 performance
indicators. In order to provide a
more complete measure of
economic development than GDP
growth alone, the index has three
pillars — Growth and
Development, Inclusion and
Intergenerational Equity,
and Sustainability.
G
Lithuania tops the list of
79 developing economies that also
features Azerbaijan and Hungary at
second and third positions,
respectively.
are at 13th and 30th places,
respectively.
G
Others in the top ten are Poland (4th),
Romania (5th), Uruguay (6th), Latvia
(7th), Panama (8th), Costa Rica (9th)
and Chile (10th).
Germany Top Global
Passport Index, India
Ranked 78th
G
The Passport Index 2017, ranked
countries based on the number of
nations their citizens can visit without
a visa or on arrival on January 18,
2017.
G
India ranked a low 78th position.
Germany stands at the top with a
visa-free score of 157 while Singapore
overtakes South Korea and becomes
the highest ranked Asian passport with
a visa-free score of 156.
G
Afghanistan’s is the least powerful
passport with a visa-free score of
just 23.
G
The latest edition of the world’s most
popular Arton Capital’s global ranking
‘Passport Index’ is based on
cross-border access of
national passports.
India Ranked 92nd on Global
Talent Competitiveness
G
India slipped 3 places to 92nd rank on
the global index of talent
competitiveness that measures how
countries grow, attract and retain
talent, a list topped by Switzerland on
January 17, 2017.
G
India’s ranking is worst among the five
BRICS countries. While, China was
ranked at the 54th place, Russian
Federation was placed at 56th ,
followed by South Africa at 67th and
Brazil at 81st.
G
Switzerland topped the overall index,
followed by Singapore and the United
Kingdom in second and third places
respectively, in the list released by
INSEAD Produced in partnership with
The Adecco Group and the Human
Capital Leadership Institute of
Singapore (HCLI).
Envoys on Middle East
G
BRICS Special Envoys on Middle
East expressed their concern about
internal crises that have emerged
in a number of states in the region
in recent years on April 15, 2017.
G
They firmly advocated that these
crises should be resolved in
accordance with the international
law and UN Charter, without
resorting to force or external
interference and through
establishing broad national
dialogue with due respect for
independence, territorial integrity
and sovereignty of the countries of
the region.
G
They emphasised the legitimacy of
the aspirations of the peoples of
the region to enjoy full political
and social freedoms and for respect
to human rights.
G
They strongly condemned recent
several attacks against some BRICS
countries, including that in the
Russian Federation.
G
BRICS members stand for
consolidating international efforts
to combat the global threat of
terrorism.
G7 Ministers of Foreign
Affairs Held
G
The G7 Ministers of Foreign Affairs
held meeting on April, 10-11, 2017
in Lucca (Italy).
G
It will focus on the common fight
against terrorism, the situation in
Libya and Ukraine, the latest
worrying developments in
North Korea. The first priority of
the G7 members is the total
eradication of ISIL/Da’esh from the
areas it controls in Syria and Iraq.

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 67

19th Commonwealth
Forestry Conference Held
G
19th Commonwealth Forestry
Conference held from April 3-7, 2017
in Dehradun (Uttarakhand).
G
The meeting took place in Forest
Research Institute with the theme
Forests for Prosperity and
Posterity.
G
’The aim is to strengthen forest
research also to build strategies to
develop climate change mitigation
and adaptation capacity.
G
The conference was organised in
association with the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate
Change.
Third Meeting of G-20
Framework Working Group
Held at Varanasi
G
The 3rd G-20 Framework Working
Group (FWG) Meeting under the
G-20 German Presidency co-hosted by
Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance, government of
India and RBI in Varanasi on
March 28 and 29, 2017.
G
The G-20 FWG will discuss the
current global economic situation as
well as deliberate on the policy
options that countries can pursue to
counter the important
development challenges.
G
One important focus of this meeting
will be to deliberate on the inclusive
growth agenda of G-20 and to
formulate a framework that will
enable countries to help frame
country specific inclusive
growth policies.
G
The G-20 is the group of 19 countries
and European Union deliberating on
global economic issues and other
important development challenges.
G-20 Framework Working Group is
one of the core working groups of G-20.
9th World Environmental
Education Congress Held
G
9th World Environmental Education
Congress which takes place
September 9-15, 2017 in Vancouver,
BC (Canada).
G
The World Environmental Education
Congress is an international congress
addressing education for environment
and sustainability.
68 Current Affairs
G
WEEC 2017 is the 9th congress and will
feature the theme of Culture/
Environment : Weaving
New Connections.
G
The congress is an international
meeting point for everyone working
with education for environment and
sustainable future or who has an
interest in the field.
G
WEEC 2017 will be an excellent
opportunity to learn more about the
latest in environmental and
sustainability education, to discuss with
people from all over the world, to share
your own work and to learn
from others.
Second India-UAE
Conference on Globalisation
Held in Dubai
G
The second India-UAE conference on
globalisation held at Dubai with an aim
to promote cooperation between the
two countries on March 20, 2017.
G
It organised by All India Management
Association (AIMA), the conference
will be attended by leading industry
figures from both countries to discuss
strategies to win in a
fast-changing world.
G
Health care innovation will be among
the subjects discussed during the
conference themed as ‘Resetting
Globalisation : Collaborating in a Fast
Changing World.
Conference on Make in India
Held in the USA
First-ever conference was held
G
briinging together various
constituencies that have an interest in
India and discussing the latest
developments and the best practices of
doing business in India on March 24,
2017. The two-day Houston India
Conference was hosted by Asia Society
Texas Center. The theme of the
Conference is Make in India.
G
Conference was the brain child of the
Consulate General of India in Houston,
Dr. Ray in partnership with non-profit
group India House, Indo-American
Chamber of Commerce of Greater
Houston.
G
The central focus of the conference is to
provide a collaboration platform and
share todays India story with the
audience in Texas who are interested in
investing in India.
Half Yearly 2017
International Buddhist
Conference Held
at Rajgir
G
Dalai Lama inaugurated
‘International Conference on
Buddhism in 21st Century’ at
Rajgir on March 19, 2017.
G
The three-day conference, aimed
at renewing contacts and
discussing Buddhism’s
perspectives and responses to
global issues, is organised by the
Union Ministry of Culture and
the Nav Nalanda Mahavira
University based in
Nalanda (Bihar).
G
Over 400 spiritual leaders,
erudite scholars and students
from 30 different countries
including Sri Lanka, Burma,
Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh,
Uganda (representing both the
Sanskrit and Pali traditions) are
participating in the conference.
International Vision
Zero Conference on
Occupational Safety
and Health Held
G
Minister of State (Independent
Charge) for Labour &
Employment Bandaru Dattatreya
inaugurated three-days
International Vision Zero
Conference on Occupational
Safety and Health in New Delhi
on March 14, 2017.
G
It is organised by Directorate
General Factory Advice and
Labour Institutes (DGFASLI),
government of India, Ministry of
Labour and Employment and
German Social Accident
Insurance (DGUV), Germany in
association with International
Social Security Association—
Manufacturing, Construction
and Mining.
G
The number of fatal accidents
during the year 2014 was 1211,
during the year 2013 was 1417,
during the year 2012 was 1383
and during the year 2011
was 1433. This falling trend in
the number of accidents is
despite the increase in the
number of factories during the
same period, i.e., 325209 in
2011, 353684 in 2012, 340226 in
2013 and 361994 in 2014.
IORA Leaders’ Summit Held in Jakarta International Spice Conference Began
G
The Vice-President of India led the Indian delegation to the in Kerala
first Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit G
International spice conference began in Kerala on
held on March 7, 2017 in Jakarta to commemorate the 20th February 10, 2017. The conference is hosted by the
Anniversary of the Association. All India Spices Exporters Forum which represents
G
Three documents were adopted during the Summit. The first about to 80% of spices exports from India in
was the IORA Concord that was signed by the Leaders and association with Cochin Chamber of Commerce
lays out the vision of IORA for the future, focussing in and Industry.
particular on cooperation among the 21 IORA member states G
ISC 2017 will emphasised and discussed disruptive
on maritime safety and security. innovation as the key to survive in the most difficult
G
The two other documents adopted were the “Declaration on condition that affects the industry from farm
Preventing Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism” and to market.
the “Action Plan of IORA for the next 5 years”.
G
More recently, India announced 12 major initiatives across a 17th Session of BIMSTEC Senior
range of cross-cutting issues during the previous COM at Bali Officials’ Meeting Held
in October, 2016. G
The 17th session of senior officials’ meeting of the
G
Four of these initiatives have already been implemented and Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
rest are expected to be completed during the course of Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) took place in
this year. Kathmandu on February 5, 2017.
G
The BIMSTEC-JWG will discuss administrative and
International Conference on NexGen financial issues of the BIMSTEC Secretariat.
Technologies for Mining and Fuel G
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Industries Inaugurated Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is
G
International Conference an international organisation involving the countries
on NexGen Technologies Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
for Mining and Fuel Bhutan and Nepal.
Industries-NxGnMiFu-
2017 inaugurated on World Economic Forum Annual
February Meeting 2017 Held
15, 2017. G
Chinese President Xi Jinping will be the guest
G
The conference will Speaker at the opening sessions of this year’s annual
focus mainly on issues meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF)
related to Innovative in Davos (Switzerland) on January 20, 2017.
Mining Technologies for G
Responsive Leadership is the theme of 2017’s Annual
Complex Geo-mining Meeting — a call for leaders to renew systems that
Conditions; Mine Safety, have supported international cooperation in the past.
Monitoring and Risk Management; Clean Coal Initiatives; Coal G
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss
to Liquid, Methanol and Urea; Harnessing Coal Bed Methane,
non-profit foundation, based in Cologny (Geneva).
Shale Gas and Underground Coal Gasification; Technological
Recognised by the Swiss authorities as an
Developments in Oil and Gas Sectors and Alternate Clean
international body.
Energy Initiatives. G
Its mission is cited as “committed to improving the
G
It will be aimed to deliberate and identify the R&D needs to State of the world by engaging business, political,
innovate new techniques, technologies and applications for academic, and other leaders of society to shape
clean, safe, symbiotic sustenance of society, environment and global, regional, and industry agendas”.
industries in post-2020 era.

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 69

 ECONOMY &
BANKING
FINO Becomes Payments Bank
G
According to the Reserve Bank of India,
(RBI) ‘FINO Payments Bank’ has commenced
operations as a payments bank with effect from
June 30, 2017.
G
FINO PayTech Limited was one of the
11 applicants which were issued the
in-principle approval for setting up a Payments
Bank.
G
Fino Paytech was founded on July 13, 2006 is
headquartered at Mumbai.
Fiscal Deficit of States Soars to ` 4.93 Trillion
in Financial Year 2016
G
According to Handbook of Statistics on States 2016-17, the
gross fiscal deficits of all the States have soared to ` 4,93,360 crore in
fiscal 2016 from ` 18,790 crore in Financial Year 1991. This is the
second edition of RBI’s statistical publication on June 24, 2017.
G
‘Handbook of Statistics on States 2016-17 follows a
‘one-indicator-one table’ approach. This publication by Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) covers statistical data on socio-demographics,
state domestic product, agriculture, industry, infrastructure,
banking and fiscal indicators across the states over a period
ranging from 1950 51 to 2016-17.
India’s Largest Municipal Bond Programme
Launched
G
Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has
launched India’s largest municipal bond programme on June 23,
2017. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) became the first
municipal corporation in the country to tap money through
municipal bonds in 14 years.
G
The AA+ rated PMC’s municipal bonds raised ` 200 crore at
7.59% rate at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This is the
first-ever mobilisation of debt capital by a municipal corporation
on the BSE BOND platform.
G
Municipality bonds can be issued by the city corporations to fund
developmental projects. Institutional investors, as well as the
public, can buy these bonds. Municipal bonds have been in
existence in India from the year 1997.
G
Cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Nashik and Madurai have
already issued them.
PMC’s Municipal Bond Listing at BSE
G
The Union Minister ‘M. Venkaiah Naidu’ has launched the listing
of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Municipal Bonds
programme, at the BSE on June 21, 2017.
G
This is the first time after ten years that any municipal corporation
has issued bonds worth value of ` 2264 crore and any profits made
in this will directly go to Pune Municipal Corporation.
G
This is India’s largest Municipal Bond Programme for Pune 24x7
Water Supply Project.
NCAER pegs FY’18 GDP growth at 7.6%
G
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has
revised up its projection for the country's economic growth to 7.6
% for the current fiscal on June 19, 2017, compared with the
earlier prediction of 7.3% on forecast of normal monsoon.
G
The World Bank has forecast growth to be 7.2 % during 2017 18. The
Wholesale Price Index inflation is projected at 6.7 % for 2017 18.
G
The recent data shows that foodgrain production in 2016 17 has
set a new record of 273.4 million tonnes or 8.7% higher as
compared to last year (2016). The forecast for growth of GDP at
market prices in 2017 18 is 7.6% at constant (2011 12) prices.
G
The forecast of Gross Value Added at Basic Prices (GVA) growth
at 7.3% for 2017 18 compare with February month of 2017
estimated of 7%. The economy grew 7.1% in 2016 17, lower than
7.6% against 8% a year ago.
Relaxation in Return
Filing Procedure for First
2 Months of GST
Implementation
G
It has been decided by the
government of India that relaxation
in return filing procedure for the
first two months of GST
implementation on June 18, 2017
to ensure smooth rollout of GST.
G
Taking into account the concerns
expressed by the trade and industry
regarding filing of the returns in
GST regime, this decision has been
taken. The tax would be payable
based on a simple return (Form
GSTR-3B) containing summary of
outward and inward supplies which
will be submitted before 20th of the
succeeding month.
G
No late fees and penalty would be
levied for the interim period.
Atal Pension Yojana can
now be subscribed
digitally
G
Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA),
the administrative authority of Atal
Pension Yojana (APY), has now
introduced APY@eNPS which
involves a complete digital
enrolment process on June 17,
2017.
G
PFRDA had briefed about the
benefits of APY@eNPS platform to
the Service Providers under APY
where more than 45 bank officials
(IT officials/Nodal Officers) were
present.
G
The APY service providers have been
briefed to develop APY@eNPS
channel features before June 30,
2017. The APY was launched by the
Prime Minister of India on May 9,
2015 and became operational from
1st June, 2015.
G
APY is available for all citizens of
India in the age group of 18-40
years. Under the APY, the
subscribers would receive a
minimum guaranteed pension of
` 1000 per month, ` 2000 per
month, ` 3000 per month, ` 4000
per month, ` 5000 per month, at
the age of 60 years, depending on
their contributions, which itself
would vary on the age of joining
the APY.
Switzerland Signed
Automatic Exchange of
Information with India
G
Switzerland signed an automatic
exchange of financial account
information with India in order
to facilitate immediate sharing of
details on June 17, 2017.
G
According to the Swiss Federal
Council, the implementation of
the exchange sharing agreement
has been planned for 2018 and
hence the first set of data is likely
to be exchanged in the year 2019.
G
‘Joint Declaration‘ for
implementation of Automatic
Exchange of Information (AEoI)
was signed between India and
Switzerland in November, 2016.
Aadhaar card mandatory
for opening bank
account
G
The government has made
Aadhaar mandatory for opening
bank accounts as well as for
carrying out financial transactions
above of ` 50000 on June 16, 2017.
G
In addition, the government has
asked all the existing account
holders to link Aadhaar numbers
to their bank accounts by
December 31, 2017. Failure to
comply with this guideline will
make the account invalid.
G
Further, the notification issued
amending the Prevention of
Money-laundering (Maintenance
of Records) Rules, 2005, will
require quoting of Aadhaar card
mandatory along with PAN by
individuals, companies and
partnership firms for all financial
transactions of 50000 or above.
G
Before the notification, the
PMLA Rules made it mandatory
to submit PAN number or Form
60 to banks while opening
accounts for high-value
transactions.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
World Bank Approved Over
$ 500 million for Afghanistan
G
The World Bank approved financing
worth more than $ 500 million for
Afghanistan on June 14, 2017 to support
a string of projects to boost the economy.
G
It helps improve service delivery in 5
cities and support Afghan refugees sent
back from Pakistan.
G
Some $ 205.4 million will go toward
supporting communities affected by
refugees returning from Pakistan.
A Financial Resolution and
Deposit Insurance Bill of
Government of India
G
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal
to introduce a Financial Resolution and
Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 on June 14,
2017. This bill will provide a
comprehensive resolution framework for
financial sector entities to deal with
bankruptcy situation in banks, insurance
companies and other entities.
G
The bill is proposed to strengthen and
streamline the current framework of
deposit insurance and to decrease the
time and costs involved in resolving
distressed financial entities.
Bank compliance rankings
by BCSBI
G
Twelve out of 51 banks were rated high
in a compliance survey for 2016-17
conducted by the Banking Codes and
Standards Board of India (BCSBI) on
June 14, 2017.
G
The ratings were based on five
parameters: Information dissemination,
transparency, grievance redressal,
customer centricity and customer
feedback. Weighted average is given to
the five parameters and the score is
determined out of 100.
G
Among private banks, Yes Bank Ltd
received the highest rating of 94 out of
100, while RBL Bank led foreign banks
with a score of 95.
G
IDBI Bank Ltd led public sector banks
with a score of 88. only one (IDBI Bank)
out of 26 public sector banks and eight
out of 17 private sector banks got ‘high’
rating for their adherence to code
compliance. The eight private sector
banks that got ‘high’ rating are- Axis
Bank, DCB Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI
Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra
Bank, RBL Bank and YES Bank.
71
SEBI permitted Commodity
Exchanges to Set-up Investor
service Fund
G
SEBI has permitted the Commodity
derivatives exchanges to compulsorily
set-up investor protection and service
funds.
G
The news came up on June 13, 2017.
The commodity exchanges should
maintain separate bank accounts for
maintaining the corpus of the Investor
Protection Fund (IPF) and the Investor
Service Fund (ISF).
G
ISF is aimed at providing minimum
facilities at various investor service
centres. At the initial stage, the
commodity exchange has to contribute at
least ` 10 lakh towards ISF.
G
IPF of a Commodity Exchange should
have a maximum of five trustees. Out of
these, three trustees should be public
interest directors and a representative
from SEBI-recognised investor
association.
G
The IPF will comprise of all penalties
levied and collected by the commodity
exchanges except for the settlement
related penalties.
India has Emerged as the 7th
Largest Exporter of
Agri-Products
G
In 22nd Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority
(APEDA) popularly Annual Award
Function on June 13, 2017, commerce
secretary Rita Teaotia informed that
India has emerged as the seventh largest
exporter of agri-products globally.
G
Goods exports during 2016-17 stood at $
276.28 billion, out of which agri exports
comprised of $33.38 billion representing
12.08% of the total exports.
G
APEDA is an apex body of the Ministry
of Commerce, government of India, to
promote the export of agricultural
commodities and processed food
products.
72 Current Affairs
Arun Jaitley Reviewed the
Performance of Public
Sector Banks
G
The Union Minister for Finance,
Defence and Corporate Affairs, Arun
Jaitley chaired the meeting of
CMDs/CEOs of the Public Sector Banks
in order to review their performance
on June 10, 2017.
G
Major issues on the Agenda of the
Meeting include issues and solutions
relating to Non Performing Assets
(NPAs) of the Public Sector Banks
(PSBs), status of MSE Credit,
Stand-up India and Mudra Yojana
among others.
G
Other issues on Agenda include
Discussion on Financial Inclusion and
Literacy, review of performance of
Social Security Schemes including
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and
Atal Pension Yojana (APY) etc.
NITI Aayog has Launched
SATH Programme
G
NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a
programme providing ‘Sustainable
Action for Transforming Human
capital’ (SATH) with the State
governments on June 10, 2017.
G
The vision of the programme was to
initiate transformation in the education
and health sectors.
G
SATH aims to identify and build
three future ‘role model’ states for
health systems.
Aadhaar Linkage With
PAN Mandatory
G
The Supreme Court confirmed the
government’s decision to link Aadhaar
with the PAN for the filing of income tax
returns on June 10, 2017.
G
Under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery
of Financial Subsidies, Benefits and
Services) Act, 2016, the unique
identity number is mandatory only to
receive social welfare benefits.
G
But according to the provisions of the
Finance Act 2017, the Aadhaar
number or Aadhaar enrolment number
will be mandatory to file income tax
returns and to apply for a new PAN.
G
An existing PAN can be declared void
if the taxpayer does not link it with
Aadhaar by July 31, 2017.
Half Yearly 2017
India Among Top on
Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI)
G
According to the report of
United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) World Investment
Report 2017 on June 6, 2017,
India to remain as a favorite
destination for Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI).
G
According to the report, the
favorite destinations for FDI
are the United States of
America (USA), China, and
India.
G
The World Investment Report
has been published by the
United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) annually
since 1991.
India Signed a Loan
Agreement with
the World Bank
for Assam
G
India has signed a $ 39.2
million loan agreement with
the World Bank (WB) for the
‘citizen-centric service
delivery’ project in Assam.
G
The programme size is $ 49
million. The programme
duration is 5 years.
G
The purpose of the project is
to improve access in the
delivery of selected public
services in Assam.
The GST Council
Clears All Rules
G
Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley chaired the 15th
meeting of the Goods and
Service Tax (GST) Council on
June 4, 2017 .
G
The GST Council cleared the
pending rules, including
transition provisions and
returns, with all the States
agreeing to the July 1, 2017
rollout of the tax.
G
The GST Council last month
fitted over 1200 goods and 500
services in the tax brackets of
5, 12, 18 and 28% respecting.
Government made
Aadhaar Mandatory for
New Bank Accounts
G
The Centre has made it mandatory
to quote the Aadhaar number for
opening bank accounts and for
transactions exceeding ` 50000.
G
All existing account holders are
asked to submit Aadhaar to banks
by December 31, 2017.
G
With the amendments to the
Prevention of Money Laundering
(Maintenance of Records) Rules,
2005 notified earlier , banks will
have to demand both Aadhaar and
the Permanent Account Number
(PAN) for verification of identity,
starting June 1, 2017.
Revision of Base Year of
All-India Index of
Industrial Production
G
The Central Statistics Office
(CSO), Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation,
revises the base year of the
macroeconomic indicators, as a
regular exercise, to capture
structural changes in the economy
and improve the quality and
representativeness of the indices.
G
In this direction, the base year of
the all-India Index of Industrial
Production (IIP) has also been
revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 to
not only reflect the changes in the
industrial sector but to also align it
with the base year of other
macroeconomic indicators like the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
G
Revisions in the IIP are
necessitated to maintain
representativeness of the items
and producing entities and also
address issues relating to
continuous flow of production
data.
India’s Economic Growth
Declined Sharply
G
As per the data released by the
Ministry of Statistics on June 1, 2017,
India registered 7.1% growth in the
financial year 2016-17, which is slower
than the 8% registered in 2015-16.
G
India's GDP growth slowed to 6.1% in
the 4th quarter ending in March 2017.
G
Per capita income during 2016- 17 is
estimated to have attained a level of `
1,03,219 as compared to the estimates
for the year 2015-16 of
` 94,130, showing a rise of 9.7 %.
G
Only agriculture sector showed
positive growth , which accelerated to
an impressive 4.9 % in the last fiscal
(2015-16) from 0.7 %.
Index of Eight Core
Industries Changed
G
The Base Year of the Index of Eight
Core Industries has been revised on
May 31, 2017 from the year 2004-05 to
2011-12 with effect from April, 2017.
G
The industries covered in the Index of
Eight Core are namely Coal, Crude Oil,
Natural Gas, Refinery Products,
Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and
Electricity. These remain the same as
in the 2004-05 series. The revised Eight
Core Industries have a combined
weight of 40.27 % in the IIP.
G
The shift is in line with the new base
year of Index of Industrial Production
(IIP). Previously Base Year of
Wholesale price index (WPI) and
Consumer price index (CPI) were also
revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12.
Government Selected Five
Bankers for
IOC Stake Sale
G
The Union government has selected 5
merchant bankers to manage its 3%
stake sale in the nation's largest oil
retailer Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) on
May 25, 2017.
G
The five bankers are Goldman Sachs,
Citigroup, Deutsche Equities, SBI
Capital Markets and ICICI Securities.
G
The government has set a target of
raising 46,500 crore rupees through
minority stake sale and 15,000 crore
rupees from strategic disinvestment.
G
Currently, the Union government holds
58.28 %stake in IOC.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Federal Bank Launched
New Trading Platform
‘Selfie’
G
Federal Bank, in association with
Geojit, has launched a new trading
platform called “Selfie” for
customers on May 23, 2017.
G
The features of the Selfie Trading
Platform include a uniform
experience across multiple
platforms and devices and an
advanced charting platform that
enables users to trade directly from
charts, among others.
G
It will give its users absolute control
over their investments with timely
research inputs to make sound
investment decisions.
‘Paytm Payments Bank’
Launched
G
Paytm kick-started the third
payments bank of the nation
after Airtel and India Post on
May 23, 2017.
G
The bank has appointed ‘Renu
Satti’ as the CEO of 'Paytm
Payments Bank'. Currently, Satti is
the executive and vice-president of
business at Paytm.
Paytm Payments Bank was
G
registered in August 2016 as a
subsidiary of One97
Communications. Vijay Shekhar
Sharma is the CEO of Paytm.
Two APAs with Indian
Taxpayers Signed
G
The Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) signed two Unilateral
Advance Pricing Agreements (APA)
with Indian taxpayers on May
22, 2017.
G
The two Advance Pricing
Agreements signed pertain to chip
design and development of
embedded software and
Information technology sectors of
the economy.
G
After the signing of these two APAs,
the number of APAs signed in
Financial Year 2017-18 is now four.
G
The progress of the APA Scheme is
directly proportional to the Union
Government’s commitment to
encourage a non-adversarial tax
regime.
73
Anti-dumping Duty
Imposed on Chinese
Chemical, Aluminium Foil
G
India has imposed anti-dumping duty
on May 18,2017 on a Chinese chemical
used in pharma industry (amoxicillin)
and aluminium foil to protect
domestic industry from cheap imports.
G
It would be effective for a period of
five years. On aluminium foil, an
anti-dumping duty of up to $ 1.63 per
kg was imposed and up to $ 8.71 per
kg duty was slapped on imports of
amoxicillin.
India Becomes Second
Largest Steel
Producer in the World
G
According to the International
Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) data on
May 18, 2017, India overtook Japan
to become the 2nd largest steel
producer in the world in 2016.
G
In 2016, India’s stainless steel
production rose to 3.32 million tons.
The data shows a growth of about 9%
over 3.0 million tons achieved in 2015.
In 2016, the top producer of the steel
of the world was China.
EPFO’s Citizens’ Charter
2017 Launched
G
Union Minister of Labour &
Employment Bandaru Dattatreya
launched EPFO’s Citizens’ Charter
2017 and e-Court Management
System on May 16, 2017.
G
The charter will make service delivery
system and grievance redressal
mechanism more efficient so that it
delivers goods and services to its all
stakeholders in a time bound manner
with a reduced timeline from earlier
timeline of 30 days.
G
The new timeline in case of claim
settlements is 10 days and 15 days in
case of grievance redressal
management.
G
EPFO e-Court Management System is
a transparent and electronic case
management system which will cater
to all stakeholders – the employers,
the employees, litigants and CBT.
G
It is a step towards paperless court
system wherein court procedure of
EPF & MP Act, 1952 and EPFAT will
be taking place in a digital
environment.
74 Current Affairs
Government Launched
‘Operation Clean Portal’
G
The Union Minister of Finance, Arun
Jaitley, officially launched the portal
of Operation Clean Money in New
Delhi on May 16, 2017, in the
presence of senior officers of the
Ministry of Finance, Department of
Revenue and the Central Board of
Direct Taxes.
G
Portal provides comprehensive
information at one place consisting of
Step by Step Guides, Frequently asked
Questions, User Guides, Quick
Reference Guides and Training
Toolkits related to verification process
and other issues.
G
It enables Citizen Engagement for
creating a tax compliant society
where every Indian takes pride in
paying taxes. Citizens would be able
to support the operation clean money
by taking pledge, contribute by
engaging and educating fellow
citizens, and share their experiences
and provide feedback.
G
It enables Transparent Tax
Administration by sharing status
reports (including sanitized cases and
explanation of verification issues)
and thematic analysis reports (e.g.
taxpayer segment analysis of cash
deposit data).
Revision of Base Year of
All-India WPI
G
The government periodically reviews
and revises the base year of the
macroeconomic indicators as a regular
exercise to capture structural changes
in the economy and improve the
quality, coverage and
representativeness of the indices.
G
In this direction, the base year of
All-India WPI has been revised from
2004-05 to 2011-12 by the Office of
Economic Advisor (OEA) on May 12,
2017, Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion, Ministry of
Commerce and Industry to align it
with the base year of other
macroeconomic indicators like the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and
Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
G
The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
series in India has undergone six
revisions in 1952-53, 1961-62,
1970-71, 1981-82, 1993-94 and
2004-05 so far.
Half Yearly 2017
NHAI’s First Masala
Bond Launched
G
National Highways Authority of
India's (NHAI) first Masala Bond
was launched on May 11, 2017 at
the London Stock Exchange .
G
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari rang
the opening bell of India’s Masala
Bond.
G
The rupee-denominated offshore
bond offered by NHAI on the
exchange is targeted at raising
capital for India's infrastructure
projects.
G
According to the London Stock
Exchange, there are 38 Masala
Bonds currently in the market,
raising around 5 billion dollars.
G
The Minister of Road Transport &
Highways and Shipping Nitin
Gadkari also opened the market
for the London Stock Exchange
(LSE) for trading.
SEBI Allowed Digital
Wallet for Investors
G
The Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) has
approved investment in mutual
funds via digital wallets on May
10, 2017.
G
This means that any adult Indian
with a digital wallet, can now
seamless invest in mutual funds.
G
The SEBI allowed investors to buy
mutual fund schemes for up to
` 50000 through digital wallets.
G
The e-wallet's balance loaded
through cash or debit card or net
banking can only be used for
subscription to mutual funds
schemes.
G
A digital wallet refers to an
electronic device that allows an
individual to make electronic
transactions.
New Facility to Link
Aadhaar with PAN
G
The Income Tax department has
launched a new e-facility to link a
persons Aadhaar with the PAN on
May 10, 2017.
G
The department urged people to
ensure that the date of birth and
gender in PAN and Aadhaar are
exactly the same, to ensure linkage
without failure.
G
Under the Finance Act 2017, it is
mandatory for taxpayers to quote
Aadhaar or enrolment ID of the
Aadhaar application form for filing
income tax returns (ITR).
G
Aadhaar has been made mandatory
for applying for permanent account
number with effect from July 1, 2017.
Edelweiss Tokio Launched
India’s First Life Insurance
Product
G
Edelweiss Tokio launched India's first
and the simplest life insurance
product that can be bought at a Point
of Sale (PoS) on May 8, 2017.
G
Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance
recently launched PoS Saral Nivesh
the first product to be approved by
the Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India’s
(IRDA)guidelines on point of sale
life products.
G
PoS Saral Nivesh is a non-linked,
non-participating endowment life
insurance plan which offers both
protection and saving.
Lavasa’s Committee
Submitted its Report to
Finance Minister
G
After missing several deadlines, the
Ashok Lavasa-led Committee on
Allowances submitted its review
report on 7th Pay Commission
recommendations to Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley. The news
came up on May 2, 2017.
G
This report recommends for ‘Higher
Allowances’ to central government
employees as mentioned in the 7th
pay commission.
G
The Pay Commission had
recommended hiking the HRA in the
range of 8-24%. Full implementation
of panel recommendations will cost
govt ` 29300 crore.
India to Clock 7.1%
Growth this Year,
7.5% in 2018 :
UN Report
G
The Indian economy is expected to
grow at 7.1% in the year 2017 and
rise up further to 7.5% in 2018,
according to the report titled ‘The
Economic and Social Survey of
Asia and the Pacific 2017’ by the
United Nations on May 2, 2017.
G
The inflation for 2017 and 2018
has been projected to be in the
range of 5.3-5.5 %.
G
The country’s medium-term
economic development will gain
from recently introduced reforms
that are aimed towards easing
domestic supply bottlenecks like
implementation of the goods and
services tax, amendment of a
bankruptcy law and opening up of
the pharmaceuticals, defence and
civil aviation sectors.
FATCA Compliance to
Banks to Avoid an
Account Freeze
G
According to the new norm being
imposed by the Indian banking
system from May 1, 2017, all bank
account holders, mutual funds,
and insurance scheme investors
are expected to compulsorily get
their Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act (FATCA)
compliance done or their accounts
would be frozen.
G
The FATCA is an agreement
between the US and India to find
assets and income held by citizens
of the US in offshore accounts.
G
Those persons that have opened
their bank accounts, mutual funds
accounts, or have invested in
insurance schemes between July
1, 2014 and August 31, 2015, are
required to get the compliance
done by April 30, 2017.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
MSEFC Portal and
MyMSME Mobile App
Launched
G
Union Minister for Urban
Development, Housing & Urban
Poverty Alleviation M. Venkaiah
Naidu launched Micro and Small
Enterprises Facilitation Council
(MSEFC) portal and MyMSME
Mobile App on April 27, 2017.
G
The key features of the digital
facilities launched by the Ministry of
MSME- ‘My MSME’ app for mobile
phones and the MSEFC portal include
a faster and comprehensive
mechanism to address delayed
payments via MSEFC portal.
G
Both of these portals were launched
as a part of Digital India Initiative
from the perspective of the MSME
Sector in the country.
MFIN Launched Financial
Literacy App
G
Microfinance Institutions Network a
self-regulatory organisation and
industry association of the
microfinance industry in India,
launched the financial literacy mobile
app for microfinance clients on
April 25, 2017. The financial literacy
app has been released on Android
platform and will be available in Hindi,
Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and English.It
will help microfinance clients in
understanding dynamics involved in
microfinance including credit history,
interest rates, repayment cycles and
their rights as a borrower.
Yes Bank Ties-up with
Paisabazzar.com
G
A Private sector lender Yes Bank, has
announced a tie up with
Paisabazaar.com on April 25, 2017
under which the bank will offer
conditionally approved loans to the
existing customers.
G
As part of the partnership, the bank
will help Paisabazaar.Com through its
advanced analytics and data mining
capabilities to offer customers of the
financial marketplace with
customised and conditionally
approved offers across retail lending
products. The aim is to make the
process of availing a loan easy and
seamless and act as a one stop
financial solution provider for all retail
lending needs of the customer.
75
LIC Launched Two
Aadhaar based Policies
G
Life insurance behemoth LIC has
introduced two endowment assurance
plans for individuals having Aadhaar
card on April 25, 2017.
G
While the Aadhaar Shila is a plan
exclusively designed for women, the
other scheme Aadhaar Stambh is
meant for men. Absolute amount
assured on death under Aadhaar
Stambh is 100%, whereas for
Aadhaar Shila it is 110% of basic
sum assured.
G
This plan is available to standard
healthy lives from age 8-55 years,
without any medical examination.
The maximum age of maturity is 70
years and the terms available are
from 10 to 20 years.
e-SOT, e-PRAN Cards
Launched for Atal Pension
Yojana Users
G
To benefit and digitally empower
over 45 lakh Atal Pension Yojana
subscribers, the facility of online
viewing of the statement of
transaction (e-SOT) and
Agreement Between SBI
and CREDAI for
Concessional Loan
G
The State Bank of India and real
estate developers’ body
Confederation of Real Estate
Developers' Associations of India
(CREDAI) have signed in a MoU
on April 24, 2017 to jointly conduct
various initiatives towards
development of the realty sector.
The MoU will be in force for a
period of 3 years.
G
Each of them will leverage their
individual strengths and
collaborate in areas to promote
'Housing for All'. The CREDAI is
the largest real estate association
in the country with over 11500
members.
G
The MoU is meant to mobilise the
credibility of our members and the
reach of the largest bank in India
to cater to both home loans and
construction finance requirements
of the real estate sector.
NITI Aayog Draws-up 15
year Road Map Plan
G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
chaired the 3rd meeting of NITI
Aayog’s Governing Council on
April 24, 2017. The 3rd meeting of
the council hold at Rashtrapati
Bhawan with the main agenda of
deliberating on the 15-year Vision
Document to accelerate the
country’s economic development.
Government Approved
Guidelines on Service
Charge
G
The Ministry of Food and Consumer
Affairs has approved the ‘Guidelines
on Fair Trade Practices Related to
Charging of Service Charge from
Consumers by Hotels and Restaurants’
on April 22, 2017.
G
As a part of the guidelines which has
been issued in public interest to
protect the rights of consumers, the
government has declared that Service
charge on hotel and restaurant bills is
“totally voluntary”, adding that
mandatory levy of service charge
amounts to unfair trade practice.
G
As per the guidelines, a component of
service is already inherent in the
provision of food and beverages
ordered by a customer. Under the new
Consumer Protection Bill, an authority
is expected to be set up with powers
to take such actions.
IMF, World Bank, UN,
OECD form New Group to
Stop Tax Erosion
.

(e-Permanent Retirement Account G

G
Number) e-PRAN cards were
launched on April 25, 2017.
G
If the subscriber’s APY PRAN is not
readily available, information can be
accessed by providing date of birth
and savings bank account number.
An option to print the e PRAN card
is also available.
G
G
This online tool enables the
subscribers to view his complete
details of APY account like transaction
details, pension amount, pension
commencement date, nominee name,
associated bank name etc.
G
The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was
G
launched by the Prime Minister of
India Narendra Modi on May 9,
2015 and became operational from
June 1, 2015. APY is available for all
citizens of India in the age group of
18 to 40 years.
The International Monetary Fund
NITI Aayog’s vice-chairman Arvind
(IMF) and the World Bank joined
Panagariya presented a roadmap
forces with other international
for the rapid transformation of
organisations on April 21, 2017 to
India by outlining key aspects of
cooperate on tax issues and develop
the 15-year Vision document,
new tools and standards for taxing
comprising the 7 year strategy
multinational enterprises.
document and the 3 year action
plan.
G
The new group, which will also
include the United Nations and the
Another 7 year strategy document
Organisation for Economic
for 2017-24 will chart out policy
Cooperation and Development
action outlined as the “National
(OECD), will especially focus on
Development Agenda”. A 3 year
building effective tax systems in
“Action Agenda” from 2017-18 to
developing countries and avoid tax
2019-20 is being worked out to
base erosion, the partners .
assess funding requirements.
G
The effort was announced after the
The Narendra Modfi government
release of the so-called "Panama
set up the NITI Aayog in 2015 to
Papers" stirred outrage at the
replace the Planning Commission
widespread use of tax haven countries
as the top-most body to draw up
and shell companies by wealthy global
long-term policies for India’s social
elites and corporations to hide assets
and economic growth.
and avoid paying taxes.

76 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

AU Financiers
Converted into Small
Finance Bank
G
Au Financiers on April 21, 2017
has converted itself to Small
Finance Bank from a
Non-Banking Finance Company
(NBFC) changing its name to
AU Small Finance Bank.
G
AU started as a NBFC and was
engaged in business of
commercial and personal vehicle
loans, Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise (MSME) loans and
SME loans serving primarily low
and middle income, under-served
and unreached customer segment.
G
As a NBFC, AU had network of
300 branches spread across 10
states – Rajasthan, Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Goa.
G
The small finance bank will
undertake basic banking activities
of acceptance of deposits and
lending to unserved and
underserved to further financial
inclusion in the country.
Mastercard Creates
Credit Card with
Fingerprint Scanner
G
Master card unveiled a payment
card in South Africa featuring a
biometric fingerprint scanner on
April 20, 2017. Mastercard is
currently extending its trials and
plans to fully introduce the
technology this year (2017), as
well as bringing the fingerprint
sensor cards to Europe and Asia.
G
Instead of a card user entering in
their four-digit Personal
Identification Number (PIN), the
payment card features a small
biometric area designed to verify
the user's fingerprint.
G
Fingerprint recognition is widely
seen as a safer and easier form of
authentication than four-digit
PINs, which can be stolen,
guessed or forgotten.
G
When making payments, they can
simply insert the card into the
retailer's terminal while placing
their finger on the sensor for
authentication, which means the
card will never leave their hands.
IT Department Launched
Operation Clean Money-II
G
The income-tax department has
identified more than 60000 persons,
some of them described as "high-risk”,
under the second phase of Operation
Clean Money launched to detect the
generation of black money after
demonetisation on April 13, 2017.
G
Detailed investigations as part of the next
phase of the operation include businesses
claiming cash sales as the source of cash
deposits, such as petrol pumps and other
essential services like hospitals, which
are found to be excessive compared with
their past profile or industry norms after
the note-swap was announced on
November 8.
G
It will also probe government or public
sector employees who made "large cash
deposits” as well as people who made
high-value purchases, "layered” or
laundered funds by using shell companies
and who did not respond to queries under
the first phase of the operation.
Saudi Arabia Raised $ 9
Billion in First Global Islamic
Bond Issue
G
Saudi Arabia raised $ 9 billion in its first
global Islamic bond issue. A move
analysts say could ease pressure on
foreign reserves on April 13, 2017.
G
The sale of Islamic bonds, known as
Sukuks, comes after the kingdom in
October turned to the conventional
global debt market for the first time,
raising $17.5 billion in a bond issue.
G
Islamic financial instruments, including
Sukuks, are structured to comply with
Islamic law, which does not allow the
payment of interest.
Russian Firm Handed over
Responsibility of Kudankulam
Unit 1 Operations to India
G
The responsibility to operate Unit 1 of
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the
country’s largest nuclear power
generation unit, has been fully entrusted
to India, the Russian firm that
collaborated in building the
joint-venture plant, on April 6, 2017.
G
It is located in Tamil Nadu, KNPP units I
and II, both with a capacity of 1000 MW,
have been built with Russian
collaboration. Units III and IV are under
construction.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
India Ranked 40th in
WEF’s Global Travel &
Tourism Ranking
G
India has jumped 12 places to 40th
rank globally in Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness List released by
World Economic Forum on April 6,
2017. India is one of the countries
that improved the most as it gained
12 places in Asia, but lagged
behind its other Asian peers like
Japan and China which were
ranked way ahead at 4th and 13th
place, respectively. Spain is ranked
at the top in the list.
G
Some of the factors that helped India
climb up the ladder include
international openness through
strong policies such as implementing
visa on arrival and e-visas, and
improvements in the country’s
ground transport infrastructure
which benefited the travel and
tourism sector in the country.
G
The report ranks 136 countries
across 14 dimensions, revealing
how well countries could deliver
sustainable economic and societal
benefits through their travel and
tourism sector.
Under GST, Tax Evasion
Over ` 5 Crore A
Non-Bailable Offence
G
The government on April 2, 2017
has decided to make tax evasion of
over ` 5 crore under the proposed
GST regime as a non-bailable
offence, with the police having
authority to make an arrest without
a warrant. The earlier threshold for
treating tax evasion as a cognizable
and non-bailable offence was
proposed to be at ` 2.5 crore
G
The Central GST (CGST) Bill
provides that if the offences
relating to taxable goods and/or
services where the amount of tax
evaded or the amount of input tax
credit wrongly availed or the
amount of refund wrongly taken
exceeds ` 5 crore, it shall be treated
as cognizable and non-bailable.
Cognizable offence means serious
G
category of offences in respect of
which a police officer has the
authority to make an arrest without
a warrant and to start an
investigation with or without the
permission of a court.
77
Five Associate Banks,
Bharatiya Mahila Bank
Merged with the SBI
G
Five associates and the Bharatiya
Mahila Bank became part of the
State Bank of India (SBI)
catapulting the country’s
largest lender to among the top 50
banks in the world, on April 2, 2017.
G
State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur
(SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad
(SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM),
State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and
State Bank of Travancore (SBT),
besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank
(BMB), merged with SBI with effect
from April 1, 2017.
G
The SBI first merged State Bank of
Saurashtra with itself in 2008. Two
years later, State Bank of Indore was
merged with it.
Japan Committed ¥ 371
Billion Assistance for
Infrastructure Projects
in India
G
Japan will provide ¥ 371 billion
(` 21590 crore) as Official
Development Assistance (ODA) to
India for various infrastructure
projects, including the dedicated
freight corridor on March 31, 2017.
G
Total commitment of Japan
International Cooperation Agency
ODA during two financial years
2015-16 and 2016-17 is ¥ 761.40
billion, which is 43.50% of the total
target for five years.
G
The economic partnership between
India and Japan has steadily
progressed, this further consolidates
and strengthens the Strategic and
Global Partnership between India
and Japan.
Lok Sabha Passed
4 GST Bills
G
Four Bills related to the Goods and
Services Tax (GST) were debated in
the Lok Sabha or lower house of
Parliament on March 29, 2017.
G
Lok Sabha all four GST Bills–
Central GST Bill, the Integrated GST
Bill, the Union Territories GST Bill
and the Compensation law.
G
Article-246 is there will be a GST
which will be imposed by Centre
and States.
78 Current Affairs
Provisions of GST Bills
G
The CGST Bill makes provisions for
levy and collection of tax on
intra-state supply of goods and
services by the Union government.
G
The IGST Bill makes provisions for
levy and collection of tax on
inter-State supply of goods or
services or both by the Union
government. IGST is charged when
movement of goods and services
from one State to another.
G
The UTGST Bill makes provisions for
levy on collection of tax on intra-UT
supply of goods and services in the
Union Territories without legislature.
G
Union Territory GST is similar to
States Goods and Services Tax
(SGST), which shall be levied and
collected by the States and Union
Territories on intra-State supply of
goods or services or both.
India became Net
Exporter of Electricity for
the First Time
G
As per Central Electricity Authority,
the designated authority of
government of India for Cross Border
Trade of Electricity, first time India
has turned around from a net
importer of electricity to Net Exporter
of electricity on March 29, 2017.
G
During the current year 2016-17
(April to February, 2017), India has
exported around 5798 Million Units
to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar
which is 213 Million units more than
the import of around 5585 Million
units from Bhutan. Export to Nepal
and Bangladesh increased 2.5 and
2.8 times respectively in last
three years.
G
Ever since the cross border trade of
electricity started in mid-Eighties,
India has been importing power
from Bhutan and marginally
exporting to Nepal in radial mode at
33 kV and 132 kV from Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh. On an average
Bhutan has been supplying around
5000-5500 Million units to India.
Half Yearly 2017
Union Government
Imposed 10% Import Duty
on Wheat, Tur
G
The Centre has imposed an import
duty of 10% on wheat and tur in a
bid to check falling domestic prices
and support farmers and traders on
March 29, 2017.
G
The government estimating a record
production of 96.64 million tonnes
in the 2016-17 crop year (July-June)
against 92.29 million tonnes last
year, availability is no more
a concern.
G
Tur dal production, too, is estimated
to almost double to 4.23 million
tonnes from 2.56 million tonnes
last year.
G
The import duty will result in a
slight firming of prices. In the case
of wheat, apart from helping
farmers realise a higher price, it
would also help imports as landed
prices would become
relatively competitive.
CBDT Constituted
Committee to
Review Media Policy
G
The Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) constituted a new
committee to ‘review’ the existing
media policy for communicating the
activities of the board and the
income tax department to the public
on March 23, 2017.
Under the current scheme of things,
G
a commissioner rank officer of the
department officiates as the
spokesperson of the CBDT who is
tasked to interact
with mediapersons.
The CBDT has six members apart
G
from the chairperson and is
responsible for framing policy and
administrative issues related to
direct taxes and the income
tax department.
Five Indians Selected in
WEF’s Young Global
Leaders List 2017
G
Five Indians, including Paytm
Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar
Sharma and Shruti Shibulal of The
Tamara Hospitality, have made it to
the World Economic Forum’s 100
Young Global Leaders list.
G
The other individuals who
represented India in the list
include Ambarish Mitra Founder
and CEO Blippar, a mobile phone
app business valued at $ 1.5
billion; Hindol Sengupta Editor-at
large Fortune India and Rwitwika
Bhattacharya– Agarwal Founder
and CEO Swaniti Initiative.
G
Each year, the World Economic
Forum (WEF) selects 100 young
leaders, under the age of 40, who
are tackling the world’s most
complex challenges with
innovative approaches.
SEBI Reviewed
Advertisement
Guidelines of
Mutual Funds
G
While, reviewing the advertising
guidelines for mutual funds the
Securities & Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) has now permitted
celebrity endorsements at industry
level, to increase awareness on
March 15, 2017.
G
As per the regulator, such
celebrity endorsements should not
promote a scheme of a particular
Mutual Fund or be used as a
branding exercise of a Mutual
Fund house. Prior approval of
SEBI shall be required for
issuance of any endorsement
which features a celebrity.
G
The SEBI has mandated mutual
funds to set aside least 2 basis
points on daily net assets for
investor education and awareness
initiatives. In order to provide ease
of understanding to retail
investors, point-to-point returns on
a standard investment of ` 1,000
shall also be provided in addition to
CAGR of the scheme.
CBDT Signed Bilateral
Advance Pricing
Agreement with
Subsidiary of a Japanese
Company
G
The Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) has entered into a
bilateral Advance Pricing
Agreement (APA) with rollback
provision with a Japanese
subsidiary on March 6, 2017.
G
The total number of APAs entered into
by the CBDT has reached 141 with this
signing. The CBDT expects more APAs
to be concluded and signed before the
end of the current fiscal.
G
All these five bilateral APAs are with
Japanese trading companies (Sogo
Soshas). Certainty in tax treatment for
Sogo Soshas has been a long standing
demand of the Japanese industry. The
bilateral signing of APAs in this sector
provides tax certainty up to nine years
in each of these cases.
CBDT Signed 10 more
Unilateral APAs with
Taxpayers
G
CBDT has signed 10 more unilateral
Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs)
with Indian taxpayers as it looks to
reduce litigation by providing certainty
in transfer pricing on February 28, 2017.
G
The 10 APAs signed in the past one
week pertain to sectors like telecom,
pharma, banking and finance, steel,
retail and information technology.
G
With this, the total number of APAs
entered into by the CBDT has
reached 140. This includes 10 Bilateral
APAs and 130 Unilateral APAs.
FDI Inflow grew 18% to $ 46
Billion in 2016 DIPP
G
The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in
India grew 18% during 2016 to touch
$ 46 billion, as per data released by the
Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) showed on
February 26, 2017.
G
The country attracted FDI of $ 39.32
billion in 2015. Bulk of the FDI came
in from Singapore, Mauritius, the
Netherlands and Japan.
G
The main sectors which attracted the
highest foreign inflows include
services, telecom, trading, computer
hardware and software
and automobile.
India and ADB Signed $ 375
Million Pact for Loans
G
India and ADB have signed $ 375
million pact for loans and grants to
develop 800 km Visakhapatnam-
Chennai Industrial Corridor, which is
the first phase of a planned 2500 km
East Coast Economic Corridor on
February 26, 2017.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
It approved loans comprising a $ 500
million multitranche facility to build
key infrastructure in the four main
centers along the corridor—
Visakhapatnam, Kakinada,
Amaravati, and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti
in Andhra Pradesh.
G
The first tranche of $ 245 million
that was signed will finance
subprojects to develop high-quality
internal infrastructure in 2 of the
4 nodes of the corridor—
Visakhapatnam and
Yerpedu-Srikalahasti.
G
Another component of the approved
ADB funds that the signatories
signed was a $ 125 million
policy-based loan that will be used
for capacity development of
institutions engaged in
corridor management.
BharatQR Code Launched
to Push Less-
cash Economy
G
BharatQR code, the world’s first
interoperable payment acceptance
solution, was launched as part of
efforts to move towards less-cash
economy on February 21, 2017.
G
It Developed by National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI),
Mastercard, and Visa, BharatQR
code would require merchants to
only display one QR code instead of
multiple ones.
G
QR code or Quick Response code is a
two-dimensional machine-readable
code made up of black and white
squares and are used for storing
URLs or other information. These
can be read by the camera of
a smartphone.
Second Gateway of India
Geoeconomic
Dialogue Held
G
The Ministry of External Affairs
co-hosted the Second Gateway of
India Geoeconomic Dialogue with
Gateway House on February 13-14,
2017 in Mumbai.
G
This is India’s premier geoeconomics
conference on the theme ‘Where
Geopolitics meets Business’ focussed
on building synergies between
business and foreign policy.
G
It is aimed at building synergy
between business and foreign policy.
79
CBDT Signed Four
more Unilateral
Advance
Pricing Agreements
G
The Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT), Department of
Revenue, Ministry of Finance
has entered into four more
unilateral Advance Pricing
Agreements (APAs) on
February 6, 2017.
G
The four APAs signed pertain to
the Manufacturing, Financial
and Information Technology
sectors of the economy.
G
The international transactions
covered in these agreements
include Contract
Manufacturing, IT-enabled
Services and Software
Development Services.
G
The APA Scheme was
introduced in the Income-tax
Act in 2012 and the ‘Rollback’
provisions were introduced
in 2014.
G
The scheme endeavors to
provide certainty to taxpayers in
the domain of transfer pricing
by specifying the methods of
pricing and determining the
prices of international
transactions in advance.
Finance Ministry
Contributed Rail
Safety Fund
G
The Finance Ministry agreed to
contribute partially to a new
dedicated railway safety fund in
the upcoming Budget to be
presented on February 1, 2017.
G
Train derailments have increased
to a six-year high of 74 till
January 23 this year compared
to 65 in 2015-16 and this may
prompt the Railways to bring
back a cess on railway tickets to
fund safety efforts.
G
The dedicated rail safety fund is
proposed to be utilised for track
improvement, bridge
rehabilitation work, rolling
stock replacement, human
resource development,
improved inspection system and
safety work at level-crossings,
among other things.
80 Current Affairs
Income Tax Department
Launched Operation
Clean Money
G
ITD initiated Operation Clean
Money, on January 31, 2017.
G
Initial phase of the operation
involves e-verification of large cash
deposits made during November 9
to December 30, 2016.
G
ITD has enabled online verification
of these transactions to reduce
compliance cost for the taxpayers
while optimising its resources. The
information in respect of these
cases is being made available in
the e-filing window of the
PAN holder.
G
Data analytics will be used to
select cases for verification, based
on approved risk criteria. If the
case is selected for verification,
request for additional information
and its response will also be
communicated electronically.
India Post got Payments
Bank Licence to Start
Services
G
India Post became the third entity
to receive a final license last week
from the Central Bank to start its
payment bank operations on
January 30, 2017.
G
Country’s largest telcom service
provider Bharti Airtel and digital
payments firm Paytm are the other
two to have received the license
while only Airtel has started
operations so far. The government
has also appointed AP Singh has
interim MD and CEO of the India
Post Payment Bank.
Ireland just became the
First Country to Stop
Investing in Fossil Fuels
G
Ireland voted to be the world’s
first country to fully divest public
money from fossil fuels on
January 30, 2017.
G
Once enacted, the bill would force
the Ireland Strategic Investment
Fund to sell its investment in fossil
fuel industries over the next
five years. In 2015, Norway’s
sovereign pension fund divested
from some fossil fuel companies,
but not all.
Half Yearly 2017
France Issued First
‘Green Bonds’
G
France issued its first ‘green bonds’ with a
record € 7 billion ($ 7.5 billion) sale, paving
the way for the establishment of a genuine
market in renewable energy bonds on
January 25, 2017.
G
Bonds’ coupon was set at 1.75%, an
interest rate comparable to conventional
borrowing on the same timeframe. Poland
was the first country to enter the green
bond market with a more modest € 750
million issue in December.
G
A bond is a debt instrument with which an
entity raises money from investors. The
bond issuer gets capital while the investors
receive fixed income in the form of
interest. When the bond matures, the
money is repaid. The only difference is that
the issuer of a green bond publicly states
that capital is being raised to fund ‘green’
projects, which typically include those
relating to renewable energy, emission
reductions and so on.
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Committee
Presented its Report
G
The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management (FRBM) Committee headed
by NK Singh, former Revenue and
Expenditure Secretary and former Member
of Parliament presented its Report to the
Union government on January 22, 2017.
G
The Committee consisted of Dr. Urjit R.
Patel, Governor, Reserve Bank of India
(RBI), Sumit Bose, former Finance
Secretary, Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief
Economic Adviser and Dr. Rathin Roy,
Director, National Institute of Public
Finance & Policy (NIPFP) as members.
G
The Committee had wide ranging Terms of
Reference (ToR) to comprehensively review
the existing FRBM Act in the light of
contemporary changes, past outcomes,
global economic developments, best
international practices and to recommend
the future fiscal framework and roadmap
for the country.
Entrepreneurship
Development Scheme
Inaugurated in Mizoram
G
Mizoram Chief Secretary
Lalmalsawma inaugurated the
Entrepreneurship Development
Scheme (EDS) under the New
Economic Development Policy
(NEDP), on January 19, 2017.
G
Entrepreneurship was important for
acquiring sustainable resources,
knowledge and market, which
would be instrumental in the state
government’s efforts to achieve
market economy from
subsistence economy.
G
The EDS could be instrumental in
implementation of 17 Sustainable
Development Goals of the United
Nations with minimum harm to
the environment.
Union Government
Approved Trade
Agreement Negotiations
with Peru
G
The Union Cabinet chaired
approved holding negotiations for
trade agreement with Peru on trade
in goods, services and investment
on January 18, 2017.
G
Peru ranks third amongst export
destinations for India in the Latin
America and Caribbean (LAC)
region during 2015-16.
G
India’s bilateral trade with Peru
was $ 107.32 million during
2005-06 which registered a growth
of 1319.45% during 2015-16.
G
During 2015-16, bilateral trade
stood at $ 1523.35 million with
exports at $ 703.12 million and
imports $ 820.22 million
respectively.
G
India has friendly relations with
Peru. Peru has been cooperating
with India at the International fora
and the trade agreement will
enhance the trade and economic
relations between the
two countries.
G
The trade agreement would be an
important landmark in India-Peru
relations and consolidate the
traditional fraternal relation that
have existed between India and
LAC countries.
BSNL Launched Mobile TV
Service ‘Ditto TV’
G
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) launched mobile TV service
‘Ditto TV’ and limited fixed mobile
telephony, an app that virtually turns
mobiles into cordless phone working
in sync with landlines within home
premises on January 16, 2017.
G
This service will turn mobile handset
into a cordless device within the
home premises, which means that
customers can still avail the
attractive landline tariffs of BSNL
like free calls on Sundays and night
time calling.
G
Ditto TV is a mobile TV service
wherein subscribers can view live TV
for over 80 channels including HD
channels.
G
The service has multiscreen option as
it can be viewed on both iOS and
Android devices, that is, mobile,
tablet, TV or on PC.
India Signed Financing
Agreement with World
Bank for $ 48 Million
G
A financing agreement for IDA credit
of $ 48 million (equivalent) for the
‘Nagaland Health Project’ was signed
with the World Bank on January 15,
2017.
G
The objectives of the project are to
improve health services and increase
their utilisation by communities in
targeted locations in Nagaland.
G
Communities in targeted locations
will benefit from project activities at
the community and health facility
levels while the population of the
State as a whole will benefit from
improvements in higher-level
facilities as well as system-wide
investments.
G
The project will directly benefit
about 600000 people. It will support
and complement existing systems
and mechanisms involving
communities under the National
Health Mission.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
RBI’S ACTIVITY
RBI to introduced new
series of its ` 500 note
G
The RBI announced in a statement
that it is launching a new series of
` 500 currency notes with inset
letter ‘A’ on June 13, 2017.
G
It will bear the printing year as
‘2017’ on the reverse side. The new
notes will have the signature of RBI
Governor Dr. Urjit R. Patel. The
design of these notes is similar in all
respects to the ` 500 banknotes in
Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series
which were first notified on
November 8, 2016 after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced
demonetisation of old ` 500 and
` 1000 currency notes.
G
The old ` 500 notes released in the
wake of demonetisation would
continue to remain as legal tender.
RBI selected 12 accounts
for Insolvency and
Bankruptcy code
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
identified 12 non-performing
accounts representing 25% of gross
NPAs in Indian banking system,
which will be immediately taken up
under the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (IBC) on June 13,
2017.
G
The Indian banking sector has
accumulated gross non performing
assets (NPAs) worth over ` 8 lakh
crore, of which ` 6 lakh crore is with
public sector banks.
G
IBC-2016 is the bankruptcy law of
India that seeks to resolve bad loans
through the legal route. It was
passed by Indian Parliament in May
2016, and came into force from
August 2016.
G
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of
India, was established in October,
2016 to oversee the insolvency
proceedings and regulate the entities
registered under it.
G
National Company Law Tribunal (for
companies and limited liability
partnership firms) and Debt
Recovery Tribunal (for individuals
and partnerships) are the arbitration
authorities for cases filed under IBC.
81
2nd Bi-Monthly Monetary
Policy Review for 2017-18
G
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
released its Second Bi-Monthly
Monetary and credit Policy Rates for
2017-18 on June 7, 2017.
G
The policy repo rate under the
liquidity adjustment facility (LAF)
remain unchanged at 6.25%.
G
Consequently, the reverse repo rate
under the LAF remains at 6.0%,
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remains
at 4% and the Marginal Standing
Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank
Rate at 6.50%.
G
It has also cut the growth projection
for current fiscal to 7.3% from 7.4%.
RBI Calls for Account
Number Portability
G
Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) SS Mundra announced
bank account number portability on
June 1, 2017.
G
Mundra pushed banks to allow
customers to move seamlessly
between banks without having to
change their account numbers.
G
In India, mobile phone subscribers
are allowed to port their numbers
from one company to another
company.
G
Currently, bank account number
portability doesn’t exist anywhere in
the world.
RBI Allowed Cooperative
Banks to Issue Mobile
Wallets
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
decided on May 24, 2017 to permit
all licensed cooperative banks having
their own ATM network to issue
semi-closed prepaid payment
instruments (PPIs) like mobile
wallets.
G
A notification has been issued by
RBI which enlists strict norms and
conditions to be followed by
cooperative banks before permitting
them to issue wallets for utility bill
payments and other activities up to a
limit of Rs 10,000.
G
A cooperative bank is one that holds
deposits, makes loans and provides
other financial services to
cooperatives and member-owned
organisations.
82 Current Affairs
RBI puts Restriction on
UCO Bank’s Business
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
put a restriction on May 13,2017 on
United Commercial (UCO) Bank’s
lending and branch Expansion.
G
UCO Bank made net losses for the
two successive fiscal amid severe
stress on asset quality.
G
The RBI has initiated 'Prompt
Corrective Action' (PCA) framework
on UCO bank on account of high
bad loans and a negative return of
assets. UCO bank has become the
second lender to face business
restrictions after IDBI Bank.
President Approved
Ordinance to give RBI
more Power to Tackle Bad
Loans
G
President Pranab Mukherjee
approved an ordinance giving wider
powers to the RBI on May 5, 2017 to
tackle the increasing number of bad
loans.
G
The government approved
promulgation of an ordinance to
amend the Banking Regulation Act
for resolution of the Non-Performing
Asset (NPA) crisis.
Public sector banks’ NPAs surged by
G
over ` 1 lakh crore during the
April-December period of 2016-17.
RBI, Commercial Banks
Spend ` 21000 Crore on
Currency Management
G
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has
announced on May 2, 2017 that the
RBI and other commercial banks
spend ` 21000 crore every year on
currency management operations.
G
One of the main functions of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is
maintaining and regulating currency
notes under currency management
operations.
G
The notes made of cotton and cotton
rag is designed, printed, and
circulated in the market. It makes
sure that there is enough currency in
the system.
G
The major objective of the NITI
Aayog is to increase the adoption
and use of digital payments in India
so that cash usage drops to 5-6 % of
GDP.
Half Yearly 2017
RBI Issued New Draft
Rules for M&As
G
RBI proposed a fresh set of
regulations regarding mergers and
acquisitions (M&A) on April 26, 2017
which seek reporting of such actions
to be more stringent and time-
bound, and provide for mandatory
permission for all deals which are
not on the automatic route.
G
The regulation makes reporting of
any cross-border activity mandatory
within 180 days from the date of
sanction. Called Foreign Exchange
Management (Cross-border Mergers)
Regulations, the new rules pertain to
mergers, demergers, amalgamations
and arrangements between domestic
and foreign companies.
G
The proposed regulations will be
brought in under the FEMA rules of
1999 and seek to address the issues
that may arise when a domestic firm
and a foreign firm enter into scheme
of merger, demerger/amalgamation/
rearrangement.
RBI Opened New Banking
Ombudsman Office in J&K
G
RB has opened a new ombudsman
office in Jammu as part of its efforts
to expand banking grievances
complaint cells across the country on
April 17, 2017.
G
Earlier, the banking services related
complaints from entire Jammu &
Kashmir used to fall under the
jurisdiction of New Delhi-I banking
ombudsman office. There are two
banking ombudsman offices in New
Delhi.
RBI Cleared Proposal to
` 200 Notes
G
The board of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) has cleared a proposal to
introduce banknotes of ` 200
denomination on April 4, 2017.
G
The RBI board has 14 members.
Apart from governor Urjit Patel and
four deputy governors, the board
also has economic affairs secretary
Shaktikanta Das and financial
services secretary Anjuly Chib
Duggal.
G
The move to introduce lower
denomination notes comes against
the backdrop of the government’s
move to rework the currency mix.
RBI Set-up Separate
Enforcement Department
G
RBI set up enforcement
department to effectively monitor
banks in case they violate
regulations on April 1, 2017.
G
Enforcement department will
deals with cases of
non-compliance with regulations
noticed either through the
surveillance process or otherwise.
G
The RBI is India's central
banking institution, which
controls the monetary policy of
the Indian rupee. It commenced
its operations on April 1, 1935
during the British Rule in
accordance with the provisions
of the Reserve Bank of India
Act, 1934
RBI Celebrated
82nd Anniversary
G
The RBI celebrated its 82nd
anniversary on April 1, 2017.
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is
India’s central banking institution,
which controls the monetary
policy of the Indian rupee.
G
It commenced its operations on
April 1, 1935 during the British
Rule in accordance with the
provisions of the Reserve Bank of
India Act, 1934.
G
The original share capital was
divided into shares of 100 each
fully paid, which were initially
owned entirely by private
shareholders.
G
Following India’s independence on
August 15, 1947, the RBI was
nationalised on January 1, 1949.
G
The RBI plays an important part in
the Development Strategy of the
government of India. It is a
member bank of the Asian
Clearing Union.
Use of Bitcoin, Other Virtual
Currencies not Authorised
by RBI
G
Use of virtual currencies like Bitcoins is
not authorised by the RBI and could
result in breach of anti-money
laundering provisions on March 28,
2017.
G
The absence of counter parties in usage
of virtual currencies, including Bitcoins,
for illicit and illegal activities in
anonymous/pseudonymous systems
could subject the users to unintentional
breaches of anti-money laundering and
combating the financing of
terrorism laws.
G
Bitcoin is both a cryptocurrency and an
electronic payment system invented by
an unidentified programmer, or group
of programmers, under the name of
Satoshi Nakamoto.
RBI Set-up Panel to
Review Cyber Threats
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
announced the setting-up of an
Inter-disciplinary Standing Committee
on Cyber Security on February 27, 2017.
G
The 11-member Committee, which will
be chaired by the RBI ED Meena
Hemchandra has been entrusted to
review the threats emerging form use
of technology, study adoption of new
technology standards and suggest
appropriate policy interventions to
strengthen cyber security
and resilience.
G
Last year in June the the RBI had
issued guidelines to banks mandating
them certain cyber security
preparedness rules for addressing risks
emerging form new technology.
RBI Allowed Multilateral FIs
to Invest in Masala Bonds
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI),
permitted multilateral financial
institutions to invest in rupee
denominated bonds popularly known
as ‘masala bonds’ issued by Indian
entities on February 16, 2017.
G
The RBI has withdrawn the instruction
regarding submission a fortnightly
return on Forward Rate Agreement
(FRA) and Interest Rate Swap (IRS) to
Monetary Policy Department with a
copy to various departments of the
central bank.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
In order to provide more choices of
investors to Indian entities issuing
rupee denominated bonds abroad,
it has been decided to also permit
multilateral and regional financial
institutions where India is a
member country, to invest in these
rupee denominated bonds.
G
The term is used to refer to
rupee-denominated borrowings by
Indian entities in overseas markets.
Sixth Bimonthly Monetary
Policy Review Released
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
kept the policy rate unchanged at
the sixth bimonthly monetary
policy review on February 7, 2017.
G
The RBI maintained its key policy
rate unchanged at 6.25%. The
reverse repo rate stood at 5.75%.
The RBI sees the inflation number
at 4-4.5% during the
April-September period.
G
GVA growth for 2016-17 is
projected at 6.9%.
G
The Current Account Deficit (CAD)
is likely to remain muted and
below 1% of GDP in 2016-17.
G
There will be no limit on cash
withdrawal from March 13, 2017.
G
The RBI will also raise the
withdrawal cap to ` 50000 a week
from ` 24000 a week for savings
accounts with effect from
February 20.
Prohibited Investments in
Non-cooperative
Countries
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
prohibited Indian entities from
making direct investments in any
entity located in ‘non cooperative
countries and territories’, as
identified by the
inter-governmental body FATF on
January 26, 2017.
G
The Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) currently comprises two
regional organisations and
35-member jurisdictions, including
India, the USA, the UK, China and
the European Commission.
G
At present, there is no restriction
on an Indian entity with regard to
the countries where it can
undertake Overseas
Direct Investment.
83

RBI Amends Banking
Ombudsman Scheme
G
The Central Bank has extended
the scope of Banking
Ombudsman Scheme by
amendment of this scheme on
June 24, 2017 .
G
Under the amended scheme, a
customer would also be able to
lodge a complaint against the
bank for its non-adherence to
the RBI instructions with regard
to mobile banking/ electronic
banking services in India.
G
As per the amendment, the
pecuniary authority of the
Banking Ombudsman to pass
an award has been doubled to
` 20 lakh.
Banks to Deposit Junked
Notes at the RBI by
July 20
G
Finance Ministry has instructed
to banks and post offices on
June 20, 2017 to deposit junked
` 500 and ` 1000 notes with the
Reserve Bank of India by July 20.
G
This is the 2nd window the
government has provided to
banks, post offices and
cooperative banks for depositing
the junked notes with the RBI.
G
The deposits will be accepted by
the RBI subject to valid reasons
for non-deposit of the specified
bank notes.
RBI Initiates Prompt
Corrective Action
Against Bank of
Maharashtra
G
RBI initiated Prompt Corrective
Action (PCA) on Bank of
Maharashtra placing a restriction
on the banking activities on
June 18, 2017.
G
This is the sixth bank to be
placed under PCA by the RBI
and of this five banks were
placed under PCA in the last
three months.
G
RBI initiated PCA on Central
Bank of India, IDBI Bank, UCO
Bank, Dena Bank and Indian
Overseas Bank.
84 Current Affairs
BANKING
Independent Directors of India
Post Payments Bank
G
KG Karmakar and Gauri Shankar are
appointed as Independent Directors of
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) on June
8, 2017. The Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet has approved their
appointment to the post on the board of
directors of the bank for a period of three
years. The IPPB has been incorporated as
a public sector bank under the
Department of Posts with 100% equity of
the government of India.
SBI Merged with Five
Associate Banks and Bharatiya
Mahila Bank
G
Five associate banks of SBI and Bharatiya
Mahila Bank (BMB) were merged with the
State Bank of India on April 1, 2017.
G
The five associate banks that were merged
with the SBI are– State Bank of Bikaner &
Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State
Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and
State Bank of Travancore.
SBI Launched Unnati Credit Card
G
SBI Card launched the Unnati Credit Card
to spread credit inclusion among masses
on March 28, 2017.
G
The card was launched in the presence of
SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya and
SBI Card CEO Vijay Jasuja.
G
Tailored for new users of credit cards,
‘Unnati’ would have no annual fees for
the initial four years and will be affered
through the 20000 plus SBI branches.
India and NDB Inked $ 350
Million Loan Pact
G
India signed its first loan agreement with
the New Development Bank (NDB) for $ 350
million to be used in the development and
upgradation of district roads in Madhya
Pradesh on March 31, 2017.
The objective of the project is the
G
upgradation of major district roads in the
State of Madhya Pradesh to improve
connectivity of the interior areas of the
State with the national and State
highway networks.
G
The project would include upgradation,
rehabilitation or reconstruction of
approximately 1500 km of district roads to
intermediate lane, all-weather standards,
with road safety features and improved
road asset maintenance and management.
Half Yearly 2017
ESAF Small Finance
Bank
Kicked-off Operations
G
The newly-launched ESAF Small
Finance Bank started its
operations. It will offer interest
rates between 5.75 and 9% for
term deposits of varying maturities
on March 16, 2017.
G
For savings deposits, the rates will
vary from 6% to 7%, based on the
outstanding balance in the
account. Senior citizens will be
entitled to an additional 0.05% for
term deposits.
G
The bank’s ATM-cum-debit cards,
official Web site and digital
banking channels were also
launched simultaneously.
G
In accordance with the RBI
guidelines, the bank is required to
open 25% of its branches in
unbanked rural centres. In Kerala,
it will open not less than
10 branches in such places.
SBI Launched ‘Unnati
Credit Card’
G
The State Bank of India (SBI)
offered credit cards to every
account holder who has a balance
of ` 20000-25000. The card will be
offered through a network of
20000 plus SBI branches.
G
The bank will not go into
customers’ credit history and the
card, which will be issued in the
name of ‘Unnati’, will remain free
for four years.
G
The SBI has approval to infuse
` 1160 crore in the two JVs—SBI
Cards and Payment Services
Private Limited (SBICPSL) and GE
Capital Business Processes
Management Services Limited
(GECBPMSL), through purchase
of equity shares from GE Capital
so as to increase the bank’s stake
in both the companies to 74%.
World Bank Approved
$ 210 Million for Bengal
Gram Panchayats
G
The World Bank has approved a
loan of $ 210 million to strengthen
Gram Panchayats (GPs) across the
State of West Bengal to better
utilise the discretionary funds that
are now available to them on
March 16, 2017.
G
The State’s support under the
Institutional Strengthening of
Gram Panchayat
Programme-Phase II (ISGPP-II),
will support all 3342 GPs in the
State to effectively utilise these
funds that is being provided to
them under the
inter-governmental fiscal
transfer system.
G
The World Bank support would
strengthen local communities’
participation in the planning,
budgeting, and financial
management of projects
undertaken in rural areas, where
most of the poor in the State
reside. The loan has a grace period
of eight years and a maturity of
15 years.
HDFC Bank Offered First
Digital Loans
against Securities
G
HDFC Bank Limited started
offering Loan Against Securities
(LAS) digitally, reducing the time
to disburse a loan to a few
minutes from several days earlier
on March 15, 2017.
G
The customers can pledge shares
directly through their demat
accounts and give necessary
approvals while applying for
the loan.
G
The bank approves it instantly and
the money is credited to their
bank accounts, under this system.
Once shares are pledged, a
customer cannot sell them unless
the loan against them has
been cleared.
G
The average interest rate on these
loans will be 10.5% and the
minimum loan amount will be ` 1
lakh. The industry practice is to
give out 50% of the value of
pledged shares as loan.
SBI Imposed Penalty
for not Maintaining
Minimum Account
Balance
G
Facing a backlash for levying penalty
on non-maintenance of minimum
balance in accounts, the State Bank
of India (SBI) justified its move
saying the bank needs to impose
some charges to balance the ‘burden’
of managing a large number of
no-frills Jan Dhan accounts on
March 6, 2017.
G
The country’s largest lender decided
to re-introduce penalty on
non-maintenance of minimum
balance in accounts and also revised
charges on other banking services.
The new charges would be
applicable from April 1, 2017.
G
The monthly average balance that
customers will have to maintain in
their savings bank accounts in SBI
branches in metropolitan areas is
` 5000.
G
In case the shortfall in the monthly
average balance is below 50%, then a
charge of ` 50 plus service tax will
be levied.
G
If the shortfall is between 50% and
75%, then the account holder will
have to pay ` 75 plus service tax,
and if the shortfall in the average
balance is more than 75%, then a
charge of ` 100 plus service tax will
be levied.
IDFC Launched Biometric
Based Payment System
Aadhaar Pay System
G
IDFC Bank has became the first bank
to launch the biometric-based
payment system Aadhaar Pay
through its network.
G
The bank aims to onboard anywhere
between 50000-75000 merchant to
the Aadhaar pay module in the next
two years with a total target of
touching 100000 merchants over the
next 36 months or 3 years. The news
came up on March 7, 2017.
G
The Aadhaar Pay app has been
developed by IDFC Bank under the
guidance of the Ministry of IT, NITI
Aayog, Unique Identification
Authority of India (UIDAI), and
National Payments Corporation of
India (NPCI).
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
MEITY to Promote Digital
Transactions in Place
of NITI
G
The government has shifted the
responsibility of promoting digital
transactions in the country to the
Ministry of IT and Electronics (MEITY)
from National Institution for
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog on
February 28, 2017.
G
This decision was taken in view of the
core competence of MEITY to promote
digital means for various transactions.
G
MEITY is responsible for promotion of
e-governance for empowering citizens
as well as promoting inclusive and
sustainable growth of electronics and
IT in the country.
Union Government
Approved SBI Merger
with 5 Associate Banks
G
The Union Cabinet on February 15,
2017 approved the merger of State
Bank of India with five of its
associate banks including State Bank
of Bikaner and Jaipur, State
Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of
Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, and
State Bank of Travancore.
G
The merger is likely to result in
recurring savings, estimated at more
than ` 1000 crore in the first year,
through a combination of enhanced
operational efficiency and reduced cost
of funds.
G
The merger is likely to result in
recurring savings, estimated at more
than ` 1000 crore in the first year,
through a combination of enhanced
operational efficiency and reduced cost
of funds.
Government Barred
Cooperative Banks from
Accepting Deposits
under PMGKY
G
The government barred cooperative
banks from accepting deposits
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit
Scheme on January 21, 2017.
G
The deposit scheme is a part of the
new income disclosure scheme under
which a declarant has to deposit 25%
of the declared undisclosed income in
an authorised bank as notified by
the government.
85
G
Initially, cooperative banks were
allowed to take deposits of old
currency notes and as per estimates,
about ` 16000 crore was deposited.
But, six days into demonetisation,
the RBI barred these banks from
exchanging old currency notes or
accepting deposits.
HDFC Bank Launched
First ‘Humanoid’ Robot
G
The private lender HDFC Bank
launched what it claimed to be the
first ‘humanoid’ in the domestic
banking space, on January 7, 2017.
G
The bank showcased human-sized
robot Ira, developed in association
with Kochi-based Asimov Robotics.
G
The robot will perform a limited role
and act largely as a receptionist,
though the humanoid can also move
around in the branch.
CORPORATE
Tirumala Milk Products
Tied up with SBI
G
State Bank of India (SBI) tied up
with Tirumala Milk Products, a
South-based company on June 18,
2017 to provide loans to dairy
farmers who supply milk to the
latter.
G
France-based Groupe Lactalis, which
also acquired Indore-based Anik
Dairy in 2016, wants to double the
number of dairy farmers under its
fold to three lakh and ramp up the
amount of milk it procures daily to
25 lakh litres by 2020 from 14 lakh
litres now.
GST Impact, iPhone
becomes Cheaper
G
Apple has slashed retail prices of all
its iPhone models by 4% to 7.5%
from July 1, 2017, as apple passed
on benefits accrued from Goods and
Services Tax (GST) regime to
consumers.
G
According to changes in prices on
the company’s website on July 1,
2017, the priciest iPhone 7 Plus with
a 256 GB storage which was billed to
consumers for ` 92000, will now
leave a smaller hole – of ` 85400.
G
The iPhone 6s starting variant of 32
GB will now be available for `
46900, a mark down of 6.2%.
86 Current Affairs
Nvidia is the World’s
Smartest Company in
2017
G
MIT Technology Review’s annual
listing of the 50 smartest small and
large companies based on their
ability to innovate and execute
published on June 30, 2017.
G
Nvidia from America is the world’s
smartest company in 2017 while
Chinese companies Tencent (8th
position) and Alibaba (41th
position) among the 50 companies
in the list.
G
Overall seven Chinese Companies
made it to the list.
Google Fined a Record €
2.42 Billion by European
Commission
G
European Commission fined Google
€ 2.42 billion for favouring its own
G
search services on June 27, 2017.
Google also faces two separate
charges under the region’s
competition rules related to its
mobile software Android, and some
advertising products.
G
The findings of the European
Commission state that Google has
systematically given prominent
placement to its own comparison
shopping services, and demoted rival
services.
Walmart Topped the
Fortune’s Annual List
G
Walmart topped the Fortune's
annual list of Americas top 500
companies for the 5th consecutive
year with the revenue of $ 485.8
million on June 8, 2017.
G
IT based Apple made the progress in
the profit, with $ 53 billion jumped
from 5 to 3 place.
G
Amazon.com moved from 29 to 18
place. Walgreens jumped from 35 to
19th place . Facebook jumped from
85 to 157th place.
Tata Group Named
Country’s Most Valuable
Brand
G
According to Brand Finance on May
18, 2017 , a global brand valuation
and strategy consultancy firm Tata
Group is the most valuable brand in
India.
Half Yearly 2017
G
Tata Group topped the list despite its
brand value declining 4% from $13.7
billion in 2016.
G
Telecom operator Airtel at an
estimated valuation of $7.7 billion
ranked 2nd in the list followed by
Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC) with $6.8 billion.
G
IT firm Infosys and State Bank of
India ranked 4th and 5th in the list
with an estimated value of $6.2
billion and $5.5 billion respectively.
BSNL Signed MoU with
Facebook & MobiKwik
G
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) signed the agreements with
Facebook and MobiKwik in order to
popularise the internet and its value
added services among its customers
on May 18, 2017
G
Domestic mobile wallet platform
MobiKwik also announced two
strategic partnerships with BSNL,
under which, the company will
co-create BSNL wallet, a new
semi-closed wallet to facilitate ease
of payment and also sell BSNL
products exclusively in their wallet.
G
The co-created wallet will be
developed, operated and issued by
MobiKwik and distributed and
marketed by BSNL. The wallet will
be available exclusively to BSNL
customers in India. The users can
also pay BSNL bills on the
MobiKwik app.
President Attended 90
Years Celebrations of Essel
Group
G
The President of India, Pranab
Mukherjee and the Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi with others cabinet
ministers attended the Essel Group’s
90 years celebrations as the Chief
Guest in New Delhi on May 14,
2017.
G
Two social initiatives were launched
by the Prime Minister on the
occasion. These include Sarthi – a
 people’s empowerment programme
on subjects such as education,
health and employment; and the
DSC Foundation with a corpus of Rs.
5000 crore, to empower people in
need.
G
On this occasion a stunning
performance by artists from the Sa
Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champ show was
another attraction. Children who
performed at the Dance India Dance
(DID) show also regaled the
audience, featuring a variety of
cultural and international dance
styles.
G
Essel Group has been a leading
business conglomerate having
diverse business presence across
Media (ZEE News), Entertainment
(ZEE Chanel), Packaging,
Infrastructure, Education, Precious
metals, Finance and Technology
sectors.
Techmagnate Acquired
BlogX in India
G
Techmagnate, a leading digital
marketing agency, acquired BlogX
on May 9, 2017. BlogX is India’s
leading blog conference where
bloggers and content managers from
all backgrounds connect to learn
from each other while networking
with industry leaders in the blogging
community.
G
The first BlogX event took place in
July 2016 in New Delhi, and since
then the platform has gained
heights in terms of popularity.
India is World’s Biggest
Two-wheeler Market
G
The Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers (SIMA) recently
announced that India has overtaken
China in terms of two wheeler sales
and comes out as the largest market
for bikes and scooters around the
world.
G
Indian market registered a total
sales of 17.7 million units in 2016,
fetching over 0.9 million units more
than the Chinese market (16.8
million units).
G
China saw a downfall in sales
because some Chinese urban centers
have banned the use of motorcycles.
G
Indonesia is holding a steady third
two-wheeler market with annual
sales estimated at 6 million units.
Bhadla Phase-III Solar
Park in Auction by SECI
G
The History was created on May 12,
2017, as the record low tariffs
achieved in the auction concluded
on May 9, 2017 for Bhadla Phase-IV
Solar Park, Rajasthan.
G
It has been broken, with even lower
tariff of Rs. 2.44 per unit discovered
in the auction carried out by Solar
Energy Corporation of India Limited
(SECI) for 500 MW capacity in
Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park,
Rajasthan.
G
The park is being set up by M/s
Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan
Limited, a joint venture between the
Govt. of Rajasthan and M/s IL&FS
Energy Development Company
Limited.
G
This tariff is fixed for 25 years with
no escalation and the bidders have
sought no VGF from the
Government.
G
The entire solar power will be
consumed in the State of Rajasthan
and power sale agreement with the
State Distribution Companies is
already tied up.
SEBI Finalises Norms for
Listing of Green Bonds
G
Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) has finalised norms on
April 30, 2017 for issuance and
listing of green bonds, which will
help in raising funds from capital
markets for investment in the
renewable energy space.
G
The rules have been finalised by the
SEBI after taking into account
inputs from the finance and
environment ministries, as also from
the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE).
G
A green bond is like any other debt
instrument issued by an entity for
raising funds from investors.
However, what differentiates it from
other bonds is that the proceeds are
ear-marked for use towards
financing green projects.
Paytm Launched
‘Digital Gold’
G
Mobile payment and commerce
platform ‘Paytm’ announced on
April 27, 2017 that it has
collaborated with MMTC-PAMP to
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
launch digital gold, which will
enable its customers to buy gold
online and store it in MMTC-PAMPs
secure vaults free of charge.
G
Paytm claims users will be able to
purchase 24 K 9999 purity gold
starting from 1 gram. It offers a real
time international pricing
mechanism for the customers.
First ‘Made in India’
Industrial Robot
G
TAL Manufacturing Solutions
Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Motors
Ltd. has created India's first
industrial robot called BRABO on
April 23, 2017.
G
BRABO stands for “Bravo Robot”
and it has been developed
indigenously for Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME) in
India.
G
The robot is primarily developed to
repeatedly perform high volume,
dangerous and time-consuming
tasks ranging from handling of raw
materials to packaging of finished
products.It was manufacturated at
the TAL's Pune factory.
Reliance to Become
Most-Valued Company
G
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance
Industries regained its status as
India’s most valued firm by market
capitalisation, overtaking Tata
Group’s crown jewel TCS on April
22, 2017.
G
The shares of RIL were trading
3.43% higher at ` 1416.40 on BSE
giving the company a market
capitalisation of ` 460291.20 crore
the highest for any listed firm in the
country.
G
The shares of RIL have surged nearly
27% while those of TCS have fallen
by over 1%. Reliance Industries
Limited is an Indian conglomerate
holding company.
87
NALCO Disinvestment by
Government of India
G
The Central government has raised
` 1200 crore by divesting 9.2% of
paid-up capital in National
Aluminum Company Ltd. (NALCO)
on April 21, 2017. With this
disinvestment, government’s
shareholding in NALCO has become
65.37%. The Department of
Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM), Ministry of
Finance, has set a record target of
` 72500 crore to be realised through
disinvestment in this fiscal. This
target follows the 2016-17 all-time
high achievement of ` 46247 crore.
G
National Aluminium Company
Limited (NALCO) is a Navratna CPSE
functioning under the Ministry of
Mines. It was established on January
7, 1981.
Myntra Acquired
Bengaluru-Based ‘InLogg’
G
e-Commerce portal and
Flipkart-owned online fashion retailer
Myntra announced on April 20, 2017
that it has acquired InLogg, a
Bengaluru-based technology platform
that provides end to end logistics
solutions for the e-commerce sector.
G
'InLogg' is a city-based technology
platform that provides end-to-end
logistics solutions for the e-commerce
sector.
G
InLogg was founded in 2015 by a
team with first-hand expertise in
fulfillment, technology and business,
with an aim to standardise the
process of logistics in remote areas
and bring in efficiency.
Paytm to become
Member of ASCI
G
Paytm, one of the fastest growing
mobile wallet and e-commerce
industry in India has achieved a new
milestone by becoming the sole
member of Advertising Standards
Council of India (ASCI).
G
This move comes after the six
complaints which are filed against
the errant advertisers under the
e commerce majors PAYTM, Amazon,
Clear trip, Magic bricks, free charge
and Pepper fry for making false and
misleading claims on November,
2016.
88 Current Affairs
Mobile Payment Service
‘Samsung Pay’ Officially
Launched in India
G
Samsung Electronics launched a
mobile payment service, Samsung
Pay, on March 22, 2017 that enables
consumers to pay for products and
services by simply waving their
Samsung smartphone near a
cash register.
G
With Samsung Pay, consumers don’t
have to swipe a debit or credit card
nor dole out their payment
information. It allows payments
using debit cards, credit cards,
mobile wallet Paytm and Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) with a
single app.
Idea Approved Merger
with Vodafone India
G
Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Idea
approved of a merger with Vodafone
India and its wholly-owned
subsidiary Vodafone India Mobile
Services, which will create India’s
largest mobile phone company with
about 400 million customers, 35%
customer market share and 41%
revenue market share on March 19,
2017.
G
Vodafone will own 45.1% in the
combined entity after transferring
4.9% to the promoters of Idea
Cellular for ` 3874 crore in cash post
the merger. Prior to completion of
the transaction, Vodafone and Idea
intend to sell their standalone tower
assets and Idea’s 11.15% stake in
Indus Towers to reduce leverage in
the combined company.
Government Issued Draft
Rules for Digital
Wallet Companies
The Ministry of Electronics and
G G
Information Technology (MEITY) on
March 10, 2017 has issued draft
Information Technology (Security of
Prepaid Payment Instruments)
Rules 2017 for Prepaid Payment
Instruments (PPI) company or
e-wallet firms. The draft rules seek
to ensure integrity, security and
confidentiality of electronic
payments made through PPIs.
It covers an entire spectrum for
G
protecting consumer information,
especially financial data.
Half Yearly 2017
G
PPIs are methods that facilitate
purchase of goods and services
against the value stored on
such instruments.
G
These prepaid instruments can be
issued as online wallets, mobile
accounts, mobile wallets, smart
cards, magnetic stripe cards,
internet accounts, paper vouchers
and any such instruments used to
access the prepaid amount.
Mahindra Asset
Management Launched
New Scheme
G
Mahindra Asset Management
Company Private Limited
announced launch of Mahindra
Mutual Fund Dhan Sanchay Yojna
scheme on January 11, 2017.
G
The scheme is for those investors
who seek to take a calculated
exposure in both equity and debt
with a long term investment
outlook.
G
It will offer scholarships for
150 outstanding students of
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
students qualifying for IIT or a
National Institute of
Technology (NIT).
Tata Motors and Castrol
Signed a Three-year
Strategic Partnership
Agreement
G
Tata Motors and Castrol announced
the signing of a three-year strategic
partnership agreement for supply of
Commercial Vehicle Oils to Tata
Motors globally on January 6, 2017.
G
The agreement will cover over
50 markets including SAARC and
ASEAN region, Middle-East, Africa,
Russia and Latin America.
As Tata Motors expand their
international footprint, Castrol with
its established presence in these
markets, will support Tata Motors’
channel partners with high quality
products and services to enhance
their market share and profitability.
G
Tata Motors is a key strategic global
account for Castrol and this new
agreement is a step forward in the
partnership which goes back three
decades, starting in India where
Tata Motors is the largest
commercial vehicle manufacturer.
 UNION BUDGET
2017-18
The Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley on February 1, 2017 presented
the Union Budget 2017-18 in the
Parliament. First time Union Budget
presented on first day of February.
The Union Budget 2017-18 is also
unique in the sense that it is the first
budget after introduction of 3 key
changes to the budget process viz.,
merging of the Railway Budget with the
General Budget, Doing away with the
classification of plan and non-plan expenditure
and most importantly advancing the
budget presentation date by one month.
Highlights of the Budget
Fiscal Roadmap
G
Budget proposal divided into 10 distinct
themes— Farmers; rural population;
energising youth; poor and
underprivileged; infrastructure; financial
sector; digital economy; public service;
prudent fiscal management; and
tax administration.
G
Total expenditure—` 2147000 crore and
abolition of plan, non-plan expenditure,
focus on capital expenditure.
G
Fiscal deficit for the financial year
2017-18 pegged at 3.2% of GDP and
Revenue deficit for 2017-18 at 1.9%.
G
Defence expenditure, excluding
pension—` 274114 crore
G
Expenditure in science and
technology—` 37435 crore
Banking and Taxation
G
No cash transactions above ` 3 lakh and
Political funding— Maximum amount of
cash donation that can be received is
` 2000.
G
MAT not to be abolished at present; to
allow carry-forward for 15 years.
G
Income Tax rate cut to 5% for
individuals having income between ` 2.5
lakh to ` 5 lakh.
G
Two new schemes to introduced to
promote BHIM App—referal bonus for
users and cash back for traders.
G
Payment regulatory board to be set-up in
the RBI to regulate electronic payments,
replacing Board for Regulation and
Supervision in Payments and
Settlements System.
G
Actual revenue loss on tax proposals
` 22700 crore; gain from additional
resource mobilisation is ` 2700 crore.
Agriculture
Farmer credit fixed at record level
G
of ` 10 trillion; will ensure adequate
flow to underserved areas.
G
Soil Health Cards Government
to set-up mini-labs in Krishi
Vigyan Kendras.
G
Long-term irrigation fund in
NABARD— corpus at ` 40000
crore. Dedicated microirrigation
fund with ` 5000 crore corpus.
G
MGNREGA : ` 48000 crore has
been allocated; participation of
women now at 55%; using space
technology in a big way.
G
Coverage of Fasal Bima Yojana to
go up from 30% of cropped area
to 40% in 2017-18 and 50%
next year.
Health and Women
G
Two new AIIMS to be set-up each
in Jharkhand and Gujarat.
Elimination of Tuberculosis (TB)
by 2025 targeted.
G
` 500 crore allocated to set-up
Mahila Shakti Kendras;
Allocation raised from ` 1.56 lakh
crore to ` 1.84 lakh crore for
women & child welfare.
Railways
G
Capital and development
expenditure pegged at ` 1.31 lakh
crore for railways in financial year
2017-18 from the budget.
G
No Service charge while booking
tickets with IRCTC.
G
` 1 lakh crore (` 1 trillion) corpus
for railway safety fund over
five years.
G
Five hundred stations will be
differently abled by providing lifts
and escalators.
G
Passenger safety—Safety fund
corpus set-up; unmanned level
crossings to be eliminated by the
year 2020.
G
Railway lines of 3500 km to be
commissioned.
G
To introduce Coach Mitra facility;
by 2019, biotoilets for all coaches.
Miscellaneous
G
Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana
: ` 19000 crore allocated; along
with States, ` 27000 crore will be
spent in financial year 2017-18.
G
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
has allocated ` 23000 crore.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
National testing agency to be
G
established for all entrance exams,
freeing up CBSE, AICTE and
other bodies.
G
Propose to leverage information
technology with launch of
SWAYAM platform for
virtual learning.
G
Model Shops and Establishment
Bill to open up additional opport-
unities for employment of women.
G
For senior citizens, aadhaar-based
health cards will be issued.
G
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal
Kendras will be extended to
600 districts; 100 International skill
centres to be opened to help people
get jobs abroad.
G
Digi Gaon will be launched to promote
tele-medicine and education.
G
Trade Infrastructure Export
Scheme to be launched in 2017-18;
total allocation for infrastructure at
record ` 3.96 lakh crore.
G
Aadhaar Pay to be launched 20
lakh Aadhaar-based PoS by
September, 2017.
ECONOMIC SURVEY
2016-17
The Economic Survey 2016-17,
tabled in the Parliament by
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on
January 31, 2017, underlined the
need for more reforms.
Highlights
G
GDP growth rate at constant
market prices for the current year
2016-17 is placed at 7.1%.
G
The federal statistics office’s
estimate of 7.1% growth for
2016-17 likely to be
revised downwards.
G
The CAD narrowed in the first half
(H1) of 2016-17 to 0.3% of GDP
from 1.5% in H1 of 2015-16 and
1.1% in 2015-16 full year.
G
Trade deficit declined to $ 76.5
billion in 2016-17 as compared to
$ 100.1 billion in the corresponding
period of the previous year.
G
Sharp rise in prices in 2017-18 may
cap monetary easing headroom.
G
Market interest rates seen lower in
2017-18 due to demonetisation.
G
The government debt to GDP ratio
in 2016 seen at 68.5% down from
69.1% in 2015.
89
 SCIENCE &
T ECHNOLOGY
Government Launched VAJRA Scheme
G
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has
launched a scheme named Visiting Advanced Joint
Research Faculty (VAJRA) on June 22, 2017. Under
the scheme the broad areas of research like energy,
health, advance material and others would be
promoted.
G
Under this scheme, scientists or senior researchers
abroad of Indian origin or otherwise can collaborate
with faculties. This initiative would boost research
work and lead to newer, cutting edge technologies,
which was needed in India. The foreign researchers
would also receive endowments at par with those in
their own countries.
Electric Propulsion to usher in
New Era of Satellite Launched
G
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) working on a
new propulsion system known as the Electric Propulsion
(EP) system that is set to usher for cost effective satellite
launches on June 18, 2017.
G
The Electric Propulsion (EP) system converts solar energy into
electrical energy which in turn is used to change the velocity
of a satellite in space. This technology was first used as a
technology demonstrator in Geostationary Communication
satellite (GSAT-9) or the South Asia Satellite.
Government Proposal to Set-Up 100 AYUSH
Hospitals
G
Minister of state for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik describe a
proposals for setting up of 100 Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and
Homeopathy (AYUSH) hospitals across the country on
June 12, 2017.
G
Union government had approved posting of 4000 AYUSH
doctors in primary health centres across the country. The
Ministry has approved setting up of two 50-bedded
integrated AYUSH hospitals at Theni and Tiruvannamalai
districts in Tamil Nadu.
China Completed the World’s Biggest
Floating Solar Energy Farm
G
China has launched world’s largest floating solar farm
consisting 160000 panels. The news came up on June 9, 2017.
This floating plant in China is six times the size of a similar
floating plant in Britain that was built last year (2016). The
floating farm is the latest demonstration that China is serious
about its green energy plans.
G
The plant has been built in Huainan city, Anhui Province, by
Sungrow Power Supply, a Chinese company specialised in
renewable energy. By 2030, China aims to generate a 5th of
its energy from renewable sources. Coal consumption has
been falling for the last 3 years in a row.
Human Milk Bank Inaugurated in New Delhi
G
A national human milk bank was inaugurated at Lady
Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) in New Delhi on June 8,
2017. Milk Bank to provide breast milk to newborns who
cannot be nursed by their own mothers.
G
The ‘Vatsalya–Maatri Amrit Kosh’ centre has been set-up in
collaboration with the Norwegian government, Oslo
University and Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).
WHO Revised Protocol for Antibiotics
G
The World Health Organisation (WHO) revised the protocol
for antibiotics on June 8, 2017. It includes new plans and
advice for antibiotics usage for common infections and to
preserve it for future.
G
This revision is the biggest such revision of the antibiotics section
in the 40-year history of the Essential Medicines List (EML).
G
The WHO is a specialised agency of the United Nations that
acts as a coordinating authority on international public
health, established on April 7, 1948.
Scientists Discovered
Hottest Planet in Universe
G
Scientists have discovered the hottest
known planet from Earth (located 650
light years) on June 8, 2017.
G
It is hotter than most stars and only
926-degree Celsius cooler than Sun.
G
The ultraviolet radiation from the star it
orbits is so brutal that the planet may be
evaporating away under the intense
glare, producing a glowing gas tail. The
reason the exoplanet is so hot is that
the star it orbits is more than twice as
large and nearly twice as hot as Sun.
World’s First Hybrid
‘Aeroboat’ Built
G
The world’s first hybrid aeroboat has
been built by an Indo-Russian joint
venture was unveiled in Moscow on
June 6, 2017.
G
It is capable of travelling on land,
water, snow and sand. It is a startups
event organised by Russia’s state run
Skolkovo Foundation.
G
It has been designed by IIAAT
Holding. It is a joint venture between
the International Institute for
Advanced Aerospace Technologies and
Indian firm Millennium Aerodynamics.
G
It is organized by the Russia’s biggest
innovation fund the Skolkovo
Foundation. Hovercrafts on an average
move at around 45 50 km per hour on
water while aeroboats are capable of
going at around 150 km or more.
G
The Aeroboat is more robust than
hovercrafts. Its maintenance costs are
$ 400 $600 per year and are cheaper to
maintain and fuel.
Indian-American among 12
New Astronauts Chosen by
NASA
G
NASA has selected 12 (7 men and 5
women) new astronauts including an
Indian- American ‘Grinder’ on
June 8, 2017.
The 12 candidates include military
G
officers (6), scientists (3), doctors (2),
lead engineer at SpaceX (1) and NASA
research pilot (1).
G
The selected astronauts will be
assigned various roles like performing
research on the International Space
Station and flying on deep space
missions after completion of two years
of training.
CSIR-SERC Developed
Easy-to-Assemble Toilet
G
CSIR-Structural Engineering
Research Centre, Chennai, has
come up with a cost-effective
toilet. The toilet is expected to be
set-up in those areas where toilet
coverage is not available.
G
These cost effective toilet weight
less than 500 kg and that has a
life of 25-30 years. It can
assembled in less than five hours.
The toilet has been built with the
help of the Textile Reinforced
Concrete panels.
G
The TRC panels are manufactured
using Textile Reinforced Concrete
Prototyping Technology (TRCPT).
It is an innovative all-in one
technology developed by
CSIR-SERC.
G
Each toilet costs between ` 12,000
and ` 15000. CSIR is an
autonomous body and India’s
premier research and development
organisation.
It was established in 1942.
Astronomers Discover
a Giant Planet
G
A team of Astronomers discovered
the hottest planet on June 5,
2017, with a dayside temperature
of more than 4300 degrees
Celsius.
G
The new hottest giant planet
KELT-9b is a planet that is hotter
than most stars.
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ñmånyU© H [a¶a ‘mJ©Xe©H ...
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Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
KELT-9b is a hybrid planet-star. It
has the mass of Planet and an
atmosphere like a star.
Indian Researchers Find a
New Way to Kill
Tuberculosis Bacteria
G
A team of Indian researchers
achieved a 100-fold reduction in
tuberculosis bacterial load in lungs
of mice after 60 days of treatment
using bergenin.
G
The result was published recently in
the journal ‘Frontiers in Cellular and
Infection Microbiology’ on May 25,
2017. Bergenin is a phytochemical
isolated from tender leaves of
sakhua or shala tree (Shorea robusta).
Unlike the regularly used antibiotic
drugs that target the TB bacteria, the
bergenin compound modulates the
immune system to kill the bacteria
found inside the macrophages,
which is a type of white blood cells.
IIEST Creates India’s First
Smart Grid Project
G
The Indian Institute of Engineering
Science and Technology (IIEST) has
successfully created the country’s
first smart grid project on May 17,
2017, which will generate power
from renewable sources of energy.
G
Depending on the weather
conditions and availability of waste
products the smart grid will be
synchronized to generate power
from solar, wind and vegetable
waste resources.
G
In the integrated project, by the
Centre for Excellence for Green
Energy Systems (CEGESS) of the
institute, aiming to generate 32 kw
of power from whichever resource
available and synchronise the smart
grid to take the power in the system
for use.
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91
China Tested a Lunar
Palace on Earth
G
China is testing out a new building
designed to let people live on the moon.
The news came up on May 10, 2017.
G
It's called the Lunar Palace and would
give astronauts the chance to stay on the
surface for months and even grow their
own food. Four people have gone into the
pod to live for the next 60 days.
G
China does not expect to land its first
astronauts on the moon for at least
another ten years, but the project seeks
to help the country prepare lunar
explorers for longer stays on the
surface.
Facebook Launches Express
Wi-Fi in India
G
After being in testing for a while now,
Express Wi-Fi by Facebook was
launched commercially in India on
May 4, 2017.
G
Facebook revealed the service has been
in testing since 2015 with various ISPs
and is now commercially available via
nearly 700 hotspots across four states -
Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and
Meghalaya.
G
Express Wi-Fi is one of facebook
projects to help more people get
online. Anyone can run an Express
Wi-Fi hotspot, which means
entrepreneurs across the country can
offer their communities faster and
more affordable internet.
First of its Kind Mobile App
URJA MITRA Launched
G
Union Minister of State (IC) for
Power, Coal, New and Renewable
Energy, and Mines, Piyush Goyal, the
launch of ‘URJA MITRA App’ on April
11, 2017.
G
The app is a first of its kind application
which provides a central platform,
Web-Portal (www.urjamitra.com) as
well as Mobile App (iOS version and
android version), for State Power
Distribution utilities to disseminate
power outage information to
urban/rural power consumers across
India through SMS/email/push
notifications.
G
The consumer can also view real time
power outages in any part of the
country, lodge a complaint on power
outages in its area. Complaints can also
be lodged on helpline number 1912.
92 Current Affairs
Union Government
Started Programme on
Cyber Physical Systems
G
The Department of Science and
Technology (DST) has initiated
a Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)
programme. Still at a nascent
stage, it has been conceived as
a 3000-crore exercise that
would, at first, take root in
some of the Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs). An initial
budget of ` 100 crore has been
earmarked for the project in
the current financial year.
G
By ensuring that the future
workforce is skilled in
“robotics, artificial intelligence,
digital manufacturing, big data
analysis, deep learning,
quantum communication and
Internet-of-Things,” it could be
turned into a huge opportunity.
Five New Sub-atomic
Particles Discovered at
CERN
G
The scientists using the world’s
largest and most powerful
particle accelerator have
discovered a new system of five
particles all in a single analysis
on March 20, 2017.
G
The new particles were found
to be excited states [a particle
state that has a higher energy
than the absolute minimum
configuration (or ground
state)] of a particle called
Omega-c-zero. This
Omega-c-zero is a baryon, a
particle with three quarks,
containing two ‘strange’ and
one ‘charm’ quark.
G
Omega-c-zero decays via the
strong force into another
baryon, called Xi-c-plus,
(containing a ‘charm’, a
‘strange’ and an ‘up’ quark)
and a kaon K.
Half Yearly 2017
IBM Researchers Created
World’s Smallest Magnet
G
An international team of researchers
working at IBMs’ created the world’s
smallest magnet—it was made from a
single atom on March 8, 2017.
G
It takes approximately 100000 atoms to
hold a single bit of information. If a
technique could be found to
commercialise their single-atom
approach, they further note, it would
allow for holding something as massive
as Apple’s iTunes library of songs on
something as small as a credit card.
G
To create their tiny magnet, the team
used a scanning tunneling microscope
to manipulate holmium atoms placed
on a magnesium oxide plate (to keep
the magnetic poles stable).
G
One data bit was written by passing an
electrical current through a Holmium
atom freezing its magnetic orientation
up or down referring to states 1 or 0.
Current hard drives use about 100000
atoms to store a single bit.
Facebook Launched
‘SheLeadsTech’
G
Social networking site Facebook
launched a new initiative,
SheLeadsTech, to support
women-founded or co-founded startups
on March 5, 2017.
G
SheLeadsTech will give women-
founded or co-founded startups access
to a year-long program that provides
tools, mentorship and resources.
G
As India’s economy expects to become a
$ 5 trillion economy by 2025, a major
impetus is being given to strengthen
the backbone of India’s economy—the
small businesses sector.
India to Lead Global Growth
of Smartphone Connections
GSMA
G
India will lead the world in smartphone
adoption with a net addition of 350
million connections in 2016-20, says a
GSM Association report on March 5,
2017. The estimates are based on the
GSMA Intelligence Consumer Survey
2016 conducted across 56 countries on
the mobile usage trend.
G
The estimates are based on the GSMA
Intelligence Consumer Survey 2016
conducted across 56 countries on the
mobile usage trend.
MSU Researchers
Developed First
Stretchable
Integrated Circuit
G
Engineering researchers at East
Lansing-based Michigan State
University (MSU) announced the
creation of the first stretchable
integrated circuit made entirely out
of an inkjet printer, raising the
possibility of the inexpensive
production of ‘smart fabric’ on
February 20, 2017.
G
Smart fabric is made of several
materials created form
nanomaterials and organic
compounds, which are dissolved in
a solution to produce different
electronic links, and are then run
through the printer to make
the devices.
G
The technology was developed by
Chuan Wang, assistant professor of
electric and computer engineering,
who also discovered the material
could be produced on a standard
printer, giving it a major potential
cost advantage over technologies
that are expensive to manufacture.
G
The technology was developed by
Chuan Wang, assistant professor of
electric and computer engineering,
who also discovered the material
could be produced on a standard
printer, giving it a major potential
cost advantage over technologies
that are expensive to manufacture.
Scientists Synthesised
World’s Strongest
Material Graphene
using Soyabean
G
The scientists used the humble
soybean to make the world’s
strongest material graphene
commercially more viable on
February 16, 2017.
G
Graphene is a carbon material that
is one atom thick. it’s thin
composition and high conductivity
means it is used in applications
ranging from miniaturised
electronics to biomedical devices.
G
These properties also enable
thinner wire connections;
providing extensive benefits for
computers, solar panels, batteries,
sensors and other devices.
Researchers Created
‘Thubber’, a
Stretchable Rubber
G
The researchers created
‘thubber’, a stretchable rubber
that packs a thermal conductive
punch on February 14, 2017.
G
The new material, nicknamed
‘thubber’, is an electrically
insulating composite that
exhibits an unprecedented
combination of metal-like
thermal conductivity and
elasticity similar to soft,
biological tissue that can
stretch over six times its
initial length.
G
Our combination of high
thermal conductivity and
elasticity is especially critical
for rapid heat dissipation in
applications such as wearable
computing and soft robotics,
which require mechanical
compliance and
stretchable functionality.
G
The key ingredient in ‘thubber’
is a suspension of non-toxic,
liquid metal microdroplets. The
liquid State allows the metal to
deform with the surrounding
rubber at room temperature.
Researchers Created
Stable Compound of
Helium and Sodium
G
An international team of
researchers successfully
synthesised a
thermodynamically stable
compound of sodium and the
noble gas helium, Na2He, which
has a fluorite-type structure
and is stable at high pressures
on February 7, 2017.
G
Helium is the second, after
hydrogen, most abundant
element in the Universe and it
is present in significant
quantities in normal stars and
in gas giant planets such as
Jupiter and Saturn.
G
Helium and neon are the most
inert elements in the periodic
table. This is easy to
understand as the ionisation
potential of the He atom is the
highest of all the elements and
its electron affinity is zero.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Researchers Created World’s
First Heat-Driven Transistor
G
The researchers created world’s first
heat-driven transistor on January 31, 2017.
G
Heat-gated transistor consists of an
electrolyte-gated transistor and an ionic
thermoelectric super capacitor. In the
capacitor, heat is converted to electricity,
which can then be stored in the capacitor
until it is needed.
G
The liquid electrolyte consists of ions and
conducting polymer molecules.
G
The positively charged ions are small and
move rapidly, while the negatively charged
polymer molecules are large and heavy.
When one side is heated, the ions move
rapidly towards the cold side and a voltage
difference arises.
Physicists Created a
New Form of Hydrogen
G
The physicists confirmed the existence of
hydrogen ion clusters some 40 years ago, and
while a negative counterpart to these clusters
boasting large numbers of atoms were
theorized on January 19, 2017. Hydrogen
makes up 75% of all the mass in the Universe,
and more than 90 percent of all the atoms.
G
To understand what negatively charged
hydrogen clusters are, you first have to wrap
your head around their far more common
counterparts– positively charged hydrogen
clusters. Positively charged hydrogen
clusters are pretty much exactly what they
sound like– positively charged clusters of a
few or many hydrogen molecules.
India became Associate
Member of CERN
G
India became an associate member of the
European Organisation for Nuclear
Research, world’s largest nuclear and particle
physics laboratory on January 17, 2017.
G
Becoming Associate Member of CERN will
enhance participation of young scientists
and engineers in various CERN projects.
G
It will also open opportunities for Indian
industries to participate directly in
CERN projects. The industries now can
directly bag contracts for specified
requirements of CERN. Earlier, the supply of
required material, components and services
was in the form of kind (without any
charge). Now, the companies can directly
bag the order and provide the services.
G
Presently, CERN has 22 member States,
four associate member States, and the
observer status is given to four States and
three international organisations.
93
Delhi Airport became First
Airport in World to Adopt
Digital Platform Arc
G
Delhi Airport became the first
aerodrome in the world to adopt
unique performance and
benchmarking digital platform, Arc,
which helps in tracking and
monitoring building performance on
January 10, 2017.
G
It is developed by Green Business
Certification Inc (GBCI) and US
Green Building Council (USGBC),
the global certifying body for all
Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design
(LEED) projects.
G
It will allow the airport authorities
to measure improvements and
benchmark performance against
other green building projects around
the world.
G
It would also help in international
benchmarking of the airport’s
building performance against the
best performing buildings of
similar type.
Function of the Human
Appendix Discovered
G
The researchers say that the appendix
acts as a safe house for good bacteria.
The body uses this to essentially
‘reboot’ the digestive system when
one suffers from a bout of dysentery
or cholera on January 10, 2017.
G
The scientists were led to the
discovery by examining the
appendices of koalas. Unlike the
short human variety, the koala is
famous for having an extremely
long appendix.
G
This aids in their diet which is almost
exclusively made up of eucalyptus
leaves. The human appendix acts in a
similar manner to that of koalas, it is
unlikely that we will see a shrinking
of the Australian marsupial’s organ
any time soon.
94 Current Affairs
Defence & Security
Indian Navy’s
Floating Dock
G
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) announced
the launch of a floating dock on June
21, 2017, designed and built for the
Indian Navy. FDN-2 is Indias first
indigenously-built floating dock which
can take up to 8000-tonne ships with
draught up to 7 meter.
G
It has high capacity Ballast Pumps,
along with advanced automated Ballast
Control System. It is the first naval
shipbuilding project for L&T.
Bilateral Maritime Exercise
AUSINDEX-17
G
Navies of India and Australia
participated in bilateral maritime
exercise AUSINDEX-17 held between
June 17 and 19, 2017.
G
AUSINDEX is a regular bilateral
maritime exercise aimed at developing
a deeper understanding and
cooperation between the two navies.
AUSINDEX-17 was the second overall
bilateral drill between Indian Navy and
Royal Australian Navy.
G
Indian warships INS-Kamorta, the INS
Shivalik (first stealth warship built in
India), and oiler INS Jyoti, took part
in the exercise.
G
Australian warships which took part
in the exercise includes missile frigate
HMAS Newcastle; diesel-electric
submarine HMAS Waller; special
operations unit, Clearance Diving Team
Four; and P3 Orion maritime patrol
aircraft of the Royal Australian Air
Force. AUSINDEX was first conducted
off the East Coast of India in
September 2015.
DRDO Successfully Test
Fired ‘Nag’ Missile
G
The DRDO successfully test fired anti-
tank missile 'Nag' in a desert in
western sector of Rajasthan on
June 14, 2017.
G
The ‘fire and forget’ third generation
anti-tank guided missile 'Nag' is
equipped with the highly advanced
Imaging Infrared Radar (IRR) seeker
with integrated avionics, technology.
G
It is developed by the Defence
Research and DRDO under the
Integrated Guided Missile
Development Program (IGMDP).
Half Yearly 2017
War Memorial
Inaugurated in Arunachal
Pradesh
G
General officer commanding of
Gajraj Corps Lt General Amarjeet
Singh Bedi has inaugurated a war
memorial at Thembang village in
Kameng district of Arunachal
Pradesh on June 7, 2017.
G
The memorial constructed by the
scout battalion of the Indian
Army has been dedicated to the
men of 5 Guards who fought
during the Indo-China war in
Thembang village on November
16 and 17, 1962.
India Successfully
Test fired QR SAM
G
India successfully test-red
indigenous first all weather
tracked-chassis Quick Reaction
Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM)
on June 4, 2017.
G
The QR-SAM was test-red from a
mobile launcher at Integrated Test
Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.
G
The missile system has the
potential to engage multiple
targets within a range of
approximately 30 km, with the
configuration of two vehicles for
area air defence.
G
The missile is equipped for quick
reaction and the system is all
weather enabled, a
network centric one, which is also
capable of search on the move.
The missile is a truck mounted
one with 360 degree rotatable,
electronic mechanically operated,
turret based launch unit.
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Indian Navy Signs MoU
with Space Application
Centre
G
The Indian Navy and Ahmedabad-
based Space Application Centre (SAC)
inked a pact on data sharing and
scientific cooperation in the field of
meteorology and oceanology on May
16, 2017.
G
The pact provides for creation of a
common platform for sharing
expertise achieved by SAC with the
Navy in a number of areas, including
satellite data acquisition technology.
G
The cooperation which includes the
non-confidential observational data of
satellites and training of latest
technology of data sharing.
World’s Largest Aircraft
‘Airlander 10’ Tested
Successfully
G
The world's largest aircraft ‘Airlander
10’ has successfully completed the test
flight and is only one step away from
commercial use on May 23, 2017.
G
The hybrid aircraft dubbed as the
‘Airlander 10’ combines technology
from air planes, helicopters, and
airships. It has been designed to fly
with the passengers for a maximum of
6100 meters in five days with a length
of 92 meters.
Space
India’s Communication
Satellite GSAT-17
Successfully Launched
G
India's communication satellite
‘GSAT-17’ has been successfully
launched from Kourou in French
Guiana on June 28, 2017.
G
This month this was the 3rd satellite
launched by ISRO.
G
The 3477-kg satellite will help provide
various communication services to the
country. It also carried equipment for
meteorological data relay and
satellite-based search-and-rescue
services.
G
The Satellite carries equipment for
meteorological data relay and
satellite-based search and rescue
services being provided by earlier
INSAT satellites.
Nasa Launched World’s
Lightest Satellite
Designed
G
India launched the world’s lightest
satellite weighing 64 grams called
Kalamsat on June 24, 2017 .
G
It is the only Indian payload in the
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
G
The satellite was designed by
18-year-old Tamil Nadu student
Rifath Sharook and his team.
G
It is Equipped with nano
Geiger-Muller counter for
measuring the radiation in space,
the satellite is built with
reinforced carbon fiber polymer.
ISRO’s PSLV-C38,
Carrying 31 Satellites,
Lifted Off
G
Indian Space Research
Organisation's (ISRO) workhorse
rocket PSLV C-38 blasted off from
the first launch pad at Satish
Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on
June 23, 2017.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
The rocket carrying the Cartosat-2
series satellite for the defense forces,
along with 30 co-passenger satellites.
G
Out of the 30 co-passenger
nano-satellites, 29 belong to foreign
customers from 14 countries Austria,
Belgium, Britain, Chile, Czech
Republic, Finland, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Slovakia.
G
The Cartosat-2 Series satellite along
with its other peers in space is
capable of providing high-resolution
images, making India self-sufficient
in mapping applications.
Mangalyaan Completed
1000 Earth Days
G
Mars Orbiter Mission, India’s first
interplanetary mission and low-cost
Mars spacecraft has completed 1000
Earth days in Martian orbit.
G
The news came up on June 19, 2017.
G
It was launched on November 5,
2013 by PSLV-C25 and entered the
Martian orbit on September 24, 2014
in its first attempt.
G
The scientific analysis of the data
received from the Mars Orbiter
spacecraft is in progress.
G
The Mars Colour Camera, one of the
scientific payloads onboard MOM,
has produced more than 715 images
so far.
NASA’s Orion Spacecraft
Passes Key Safety Test
NASA’s Orion spacecraft designed to
G
take
astronauts to deep space destinations
has successfully completed a series of
tests for its critical safety systems on
June 18, 2017.
G
Researchers tested
the abort motor for Orion’s launch
abort system, firing the 17-foot tall
motor for
5 seconds.
G
The launch abort system is an
important part of making sure that
the crew members stay safe on the
launch pad and on their way to
space.
G
The abort motor is responsible for
propelling the crew module away
from the Space Launch System
rocket in case of an emergency.
95
China Launches its
First X-ray Space
Telescope
G
China successfully launched its
first X-ray space telescope to
study black holes, pulsars, and
gamma-ray bursts on June 14,
2017. The 2.5 tonne telescope
was sent into an orbit of 550 km
above Earth.
G
The Hard X-ray Modulation
Telescope (HXMT), named
Insight will allow Chinese
scientists to observe magnetic
fields and the interiors of
pulsars and better understand
the evolution of black holes.

GSLV Mark III rocket,

GSAT-19 satellite
launched
G
The Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) launched
the heaviest ever rocket with a
strapped-on satellite on
June 5, 2017.
G
GSAT-19 satellite weighs 3,136
kg and is aimed at bringing a
massive change in the
communications system of
India.
G
The Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle Mark-III
(GSLV-Mk III) carried the
GSAT-19 communications
satellite into space from second
launch pad at the Satish Mongolia’s First Space X Launched 1st
Dhawan Space Centre, University Satellite Recycled Supply Ship
Sriharikota about 120 kms from G
First university satellite of Mongolia G
Space X launched its first recycled
Chennai. GSAT 19 has a life named after the Mongolian Gobi bear cargo ship to the International Space
span of 10 years. Mazaalai. It was sent off into space in Station (ISS) on June 3, 2017.
G
The GSLV-Mk III is a three the United States on June 4, 2017. G
The Falcon was first expected to lift off
stage/engine rocket. G
The satellite was launched from the on June 1, 2017, but the date was
G
The core of first stage is fired Kennedy Space Center in Florida, pushed back due to unfavourable
with solid fuel and its two United States. The Mongolian CubeSat weather condition. It is the second
motors by liquid fuel. The is a component of the Birds 1 time the Dragon has been sent to ISS.
second is liquid fuel and the satellites. It includes four other G
Space X hopes to reduce launch costs
third is the cryogenic engine. CubeSats belonging to Japan, Nigeria, by reusing its rockets and capsules.
G
The Indian space agency had Ghana and Bangladesh. They were Dragon will stay connected to the ISS
flown a similar rocket without launched from the SpaceX Falcon9 until early July 2017 and will allow
the cryogenic engine but with Rocket. astronauts to unpack the spacecraft
3.7-tonne payload in 2014 G
The Mongolian CubeSat is designed, and refill it with completed
mainly to test its structural built and owned by a team of young experiments and hardware no longer
stability and aerodynamics. scholars of the National University of necessary onboard.
G
ISRO is the space agency of Mongolia (NUM) in collaboration with G
Space Exploration Technologies
Government of India, formed young scholars and students from Corporation, better known as SpaceX,
with a vision to harness space participating countries including is an American aerospace
technology for national Ghana, Japan, Bangladesh and manufacturer and space transport
development. Nigeria. services company.

96 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

Japan Launched New
Satellite to Improve GPS
G
Japan has launched a new satellite on
June 1, 2017 to help build a
high-precision geo-location system. It
will be complementthe US operated
Global Positioning System (GPS).
Japan aims to build its version with
four satellites focusing on the country
and wider region.
G
The rocket carrying the Michibiki No.
2 satellite, H IIA, was launched from
the Tanegashima space center in
Kagoshima Prefecture, Southern
Japan. The Japanese government plans
to launch a total of seven satellites
into orbit and secure Japan’s own GPS
system without depending on the US
system by 2023.
An Indian Designed World’s
Lightest Satellite
G
Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old from
Tamil Nadu built a satellite that fits into
a 4 cm cube and weighs 64 grams on May
16, 2017. It was made using reinforced
carbon fibre polymer and weighs lesser
than a smartphone's weight.
G
The satellite KalamSat, named after
India's nuclear scientist and former
President, APJ Abdul Kalam.
G
It is the first one to be manufactured
via 3D printing and got selected
through a competition named 'Cubes
in Space', which was sponsored jointly
by NASA and 'I Doodle Learning'.
G
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) planned to
launch the rocket on June 21, 2017.
World’s Largest Space
Telescope Tested
G
After more than 20 years of
construction, the James Webb Space
Telescope (JWST) is complete and,
following in-depth testing, the
largest-ever space telescope is expected
to launch within two years, NASA
officials announced on May 2, 2017.
G
Webb is slated to launch in 2018,
when it will become the world's
largest telescope to fly to space.
G
Webb will probe the cosmos from a
spot in space called Lagrange Point 2,
located directly behind Earth from the
sun's perspective, where the telescope
can use one shield to protect itself
from both the sun's and Earth's
thermal emissions.
NASA Found Evidence of
Hydrothermal Vents on
Saturn's Moon Enceladus
G
The Cassini team found evidence of
hydrothermal vents on Enceladus's
ocean floor, which they document
in a new study in Science on April
16, 2017.
G
These hydrothermal vents are
fissures in the rocky core of
Enceladus. They release water that
has been heated by geothermal
activity, and the jets of hot water
carry minerals and nutrients that
could support life.
NASA Released New
Global Maps of Earth
G
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) scientists
released new global maps of Earth at
night, providing the clearest yet
composite view of the patterns of
human settlement across our planet
on April 13, 2017.
G
They are now on the verge of
providing daily, high-definition
views of Earth at night, and are
targeting the release of such data to
the science community later this
year. The new global composite map
of night lights was observed in 2016.
The NASA group has examined the
different ways that light is radiated,
scattered and reflected by land,
atmospheric and ocean surface.
NASA’s Kepler Space
Telescope Discovered
Venus Twin Around Dim
Star
G
Astronomers, using NASA’s Kepler
space telescope, have discovered a
Venus-like planet orbiting a dim star
that is one-fifth the diameter of our
Sun and is located 219 light years
away from Earth on April 9, 2017.
The newly found planet is only
slightly larger than Earth, and it
tightly embraces its low-temperature
star called Kepler-1649, encircling it
every nine days.
G
The tight orbit causes the flux of
sunlight reaching the planet to be
2.3 times as great as the solar flux
on Earth. For comparison, the solar
flux on Venus is 1.9 times the
terrestrial value.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Atmosphere Spotted on
Nearly Earth-Size
Exoplanet
G
For the first time, the
scientists have detected an
atmosphere around a
planet beyond our solar system
that's just a little bit larger than
Earth on April 3,2017.
G
The exoplanet GJ 1132b, which
orbits the dwarf star GJ 1132, is
located about 39 light-years away
from Earth.
G
It has a radius about 1.4 times that
of Earth and is 1.6 times Earth's
mass, according to the new study
G
When the planet was first
discovered, researchers called it a
potential Venus twin because it's a
rocky world with a very high
surface temperature — and now,
they've found that the planet and
Venus might have a thick
atmosphere in common, too.
GRAPES-3 Telescope
Upgrade to Control
Solar Storms
G
The GRAPES-3 experiment at
TIFR’s Cosmic Ray Laboratory in
Ootacamund (Tamil Nadu)
upgraded on March 21, 2017. The
upgraded detector will have an
increased coverage of the sky and
improved capacity to determine
the direction of incident
cosmic rays.
G
The Sun is at a distance of
150 million kilometres from the
Earth, and satellites have been
placed at a distance of nearly 1.5
million kilometre, at the so-called
L1 point, where they orbit the Sun
along with the Earth.
G
Since charged particles from a
solar storm will first impact the
satellites before hitting the Earth,
they act as an early warning
system. Depending on the speed of
the storm, it will take about
20-40 minutes to reach the earth
from the L1 point.
G
GRAPES-3 has an important role
in understanding the propagation
of storms from the L1 point to its
impact on the Earth. We have seen
indications that the actual time
taken may not be what the
satellites predict.
97

Environment & Ecology
NGT Banned Dumping e-Waste
Near Ramganga
G
The National Green Tribunal (NGT)
announced on May 3, 2017 that anyone
found dumping electronic waste on the
banks of river Ramganga in Moradabad
(Uttar Pradesh) would have to pay ` 1 lakh
as environment compensation.
G
The decision was taken by a bench headed
by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter
Kumar. Ramganga, which spans a length of
596 km, is a tributary of river Ganga.
G
According to a reports, India is the
fifth-largest producer of e-waste, discarding
roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of
electronic waste annually.
Wax Worm Caterpillar will Eat
Plastic Shopping Bags
G
Scientist Federica Bertocchini and his
colleagues of the Institute of Biomedicine
and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain
have found on April 26,2017 that a
caterpillar commercially bred for fishing
bait has the ability to biodegrade
polyethylene
G
They have discovered that the larva called
Galleria mellonella, can able to biodegrade
one of the toughest, most resilient, and
most used plastics known as Polyethylene.
G
The wax worm, the larvae of the common
insect Galleria mellonella, or greater wax
moth, is a scourge of beehives across
Europe. The worms live as parasites in bee
colonies.
New Tree-Living Crab Species
Found in Kerala
G
The scientists have discovered a new species
of long legged, tree-dwelling crabs in
Western Ghats of Kerala on April 6, 2017.
The new species named Kani maranjandu
after the Kani tribe in Kerala, are
substantially different from other
congeners.
G
The characteristic traits of the crab include
the structure of its hard upper shell, its
male abdominal structure and reproductive
parts and diagnostic elongated walking legs,
which no other genus has.
G
As water holding hollows in large trees are
essential for the survival of this unique
species, the discovery also stress the need
for conservation of large trees in the
degraded forest ecosystems of the Western
Ghats.
98 Current Affairs
Kanha Tiger Reserve
became First in India
get Official Mascot
G
Kanha has became the first
tiger reserve in India to
officially introduce a mascot
(Bhoorsingh the Barasingha)
to present the hard ground
swamp deer as the spirit of the
reserve and spread awareness
to save it from possible
extinction on April 1, 2017.
G
Barasingha, or swamp deer, is
the state animal of Madhya
Pradesh.
G
The Kanha tiger reserve, spread
over Mandla and Balaghat
districts, is the only place in the
world where the species exists.
G
The government finally chose
the Barasingha, an endemic
variety of deer, as the park’s
mascot. ‘Bhoor’ means
tawny/golden and ‘Singh’
means ‘antlers’.
Cyclone Debbie Hitted
the Australian Coast
G
A powerful cyclone has
pummelled the North-East
Australian coast, causing
major damage, torrential rain
and power cuts to tens of
thousands of homes on
March 30, 2017.
G
Cyclone Debbie made landfall
between Bowen and Airlie
Beach in Queensland as a
category four storm, whipping
gusts of up to 263km/h
(163 m/h).
G
It is moving inland as a
category two storm but could
cause damage for hours yet.
Half Yearly 2017
Germany Fired-up
‘World’s Largest Artificial
Sun’ in push for
Climate-friendly Energy
G
The scientists in Germany have
flipped the switch on what is being
described as ‘the world’s largest
artificial Sun’, a device they hope
will help shed light on new ways of
making climate-friendly fuels on
March 23, 2017.
G
The giant honeycomb-like set-up of
149 spotlights (officially known as
‘Synlight’) in Juelich, about 30 km
West of Cologne, uses xenon
short-arc lamps normally found in
cinemas to simulate natural
sunlight that’s often in short supply
in Germany at this time of year.
G
By focusing the entire array on a
single 20-by-20 cm spot, scientists
from the German Aerospace Centre,
or DLR, will be able to produce the
equivalent of 10000 times the
amount of solar radiation that
would normally shine on the
same surface.
G
It created such furnace-like
conditions (with temperatures of up
to 3000° Celsius) is key to testing
novel ways of making hydrogen.
Ganga and Yamuna
Rivers Recognised as
‘Living Entities’
The Uttarakhand High Court
G
recognised the Ganga and the
Yamuna as so-called living entities,
giving the rivers that have seen
years of damage at the hands of
humans, a legal voice on
March 20, 2017.
G
The Court also directed the central
government to constitute the Ganga
Management Board within eight
weeks to look into the issue of
cleaning and maintaining the river.
G
Recognising the rivers as a living
entity grants them new found legal
identity and all rights laid out in the
Constitution of India.
G
Over 1500 million litres of raw
sewage is discharged into the Ganga
every day.
G
This joins 500 million litres of
industrial waste dumped by more
than 700 highly polluting industries
located along it.
Natural Swings Partly
Responsible for Arctic
Sea Ice Loss
G
Rapid loss of Arctic sea ice in recent
decades is partly driven by natural
swings, not just global warming
triggered by human activities, says
a study on March 13, 2017.
G
A shift in wind patterns is
responsible for about 60% of sea ice
loss in the Arctic Ocean since 1979.
Anthropogenic forcing is still
dominant—it’s still the key player.
G
Some of this shift is related to
climate change, but the study
showed that 30-50% of the
observed sea ice loss since 1979 is
due to natural variations in this
large-scale atmospheric pattern.
Glow-in-the-dark Frog
Found in Argentina
G
The scientists discovered the
world’s first fluorescent frog in
Argentina that sports a muted
palette of greens, yellows and reds
under normal light, but gives-off a
bright blue and green glow in the
dark on March 13, 2017.
G
The South American polka dot tree
frog (Hypsiboas punctatus) uses
fluorescent molecules totally unlike
those found in other animals.
G
Many ocean creatures exhibit
fluorescence, including corals, fish,
sharks and one species of sea turtle.
On land, fluorescence was
previously known in only parrots
and some scorpions.
G
The ability to absorb light at short
wavelengths and re-emit it at
longer wavelengths is called
fluorescence, and is rare in
terrestrial animals. Until now, it
was unheard of in amphibians. It is
unclear why animals have this
ability, although explanations
include communication,
camouflage and mate attraction.
NIO Found a New
Canyon System Close
to Kovvada Coast
G
The scientists of CSIR-National
Institute of Oceanography (NIO)
found three new canyons forming a
major canyon system in the depths
of Bay of Bengal close to Kovvada in
Srikakulam district in Andhra
Pradesh on March 10, 2017.
G
Canyon systems are generally
formed by flow of river water into
the sea and they could be as old as
the river system, which is close to
23 million years.
G
Canyon system is very huge and
probably formed by the river
Kandivalasa. The depth of the canyon
varies from about 90 m from the
starting point to about 2500 m at the
deepest point, and it extends to about
50 to 70 km deep into the sea and the
width varies from 50 m to 2 km.
Cyclone ‘Enawo’ Hits
Madagascar
G
A cyclone that hit North-East
Madagascar killed at least three
people and left nearly 500 people
homeless, on March 8, 2017.
G
Cyclone Enawo hit the island nation
with strong winds and rain. The
cyclone moved slowly after making
landfall in the North, possibly
intensifying the threat to the
local population.
India Launched Phase-out
Plan of the Harmful
Refrigerant HCFC
G
India launched the country’s latest
plan to phase-out one of the key
refrigerants[Hydrochlorofluorocarbo
n (HCFC)] under its ultimate goal to
end use of harmful Ozone-Depleting
Substances (ODS) by switching over
to non-ozone depleting and low
global warming potential
technologies on March 7, 2017.
G
Though the fresh plan is meant for
the 2017-23 period, the final goal is
to phase out consumption and
manufacturing of this ozone-
depleting refrigerant under an
accelerated plan by 2030.
G
The HCFC is currently used in
various sectors including
refrigeration, air-conditioning and
foam manufacturing.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
Over 190 countries had in 1987 reached
an agreement under Montreal Protocol
to phase out the ODS in a time-bound
manner. Under the Protocol, India has
already successfully phased out the
earlier generation of refrigerants, CFCs
and Halon.
World’s Oldest Fossils
Found in Canada
G
The scientists found the world’s
oldest fossils, thought to have formed
between 3.77 billion and 4.28 billion
years ago, on March 6, 2017.
G
It comprised of tiny tubes and
filaments made of an iron oxide
known as haematite, the microfossils
are believed to be the remains of
bacteria that once thrived
underwater around hydrothermal
vents, relying on chemical reactions
involving iron for their energy.
G
The new discovery supports the idea
that life emerged and diversified
rapidly on Earth, complementing
research reported last year that
claimed to find evidence of
microbe-produced structures, known
as stromatolites, in Greenland rocks,
which formed 3.7 billion years ago.
Polluted Environment Kills
1.7 Million Children a Year
G
A quarter of all global deaths of
children under five are due to
unhealthy or polluted environments,
including dirty water and air,
second-hand smoke and a lack or
adequate hygiene, the WHO stated
on March 6, 2017.
G
This increases their childhood risk of
pneumonia as well as their lifelong
risk of chronic respiratory diseases
such as asthma. Air pollution also
increases the lifelong risk of heart
disease, stroke and cancer.
G
Such unsanitary and polluted
environments can lead to fatal cases
of diarrhoea, malaria and
pneumonia, and kill 1.7 million
children a year.
99
First Ever Across-the-river
Survey to Figure out Aquatic
Population Began
G
In a bid to determine the population of
aquatic life, including that of endangered
Gangetic dolphin, the Central government
has launched the
first ever across-the-river survey on
March 6, 2017.
G
According to the NMCG, the survey will
help create a baseline scientific data for the
Centre to take suitable measures to improve
the quality of the river water.
G
The survey will also seek to ascertained
number of ghariyals and turtles in the river
after the summer set in fully as their nesting
happens then and the counting will
continue until October this year.
Two New Critically
Endangered Impatiens
Plant Species Spotted
G
In a major breakthrough in
eco-conservation, forest officials in
Munnar have spotted two critically
endangered impatiens plant
species on the peripheries of the
Eravikulam National Park on February 26,
2017.
G
Impatiens, also called jewel weeds, are seen
in pristine forests where moisture content
and relative humidity are high.
G
The Munnar-Mankulam landscape is
famous for impatiens varieties, one of
which was Impatiens travancorica that
was spotted sometime ago.
Four New Species of Smallest
known Frogs Discovered from
the Western Ghats
G
Another big discovery from the ‘Frogman
of India’, as professor SD Biju from Delhi
University and his team discovered four
new miniature species, now listed among
the smallest known frogs in the world on
February 21, 2017.
G
Seven new frog species belonging to the
genus Nyctibatrachus, commonly known as
night frogs. Four out of seven of the new
species are miniature-sized frogs
(12.2-15.4 mm), which can comfortably
sit on a coin or a thumbnail. These are
among the smallest known frogs in
the world.
G
Unlike other frogs in the genus that are
predominantly stream dwelling, the new
miniature frogs were found under damp
forest leaf litter or marsh vegetation.
100 Current Affairs
Scientists Discovered
Hidden Lost Continent
named ‘Zealandia’
G
An underwater ‘lost continent’
two-thirds the size of Australia
and being named Zealandia
has been discovered on
February 17, 2017.
G
New Zealand (the country) sits
on top of the 1.9 million square
mile expanse which may be
94% covered by water but
meets all the other criteria
applied to each of the seven
other continents.
G
Once part of the Gondwana
super-continent which also
included Australia, Zealandia is
roughly the same size as the
Indian subcontinent.
G
It is believed to have broken
away about 100 million years
ago, according to geologists,
and sank between
60-85 million years ago.
G
Zealandia also includes New
Caledonia, Norfolk Island, the
Lord Howe Island group and
Elizabeth and Middleton reefs
among other territories and
islands previously grouped with
Australia in Australasia.
January 2017 became
Third Warmest Month
in 137 Years
G
Last month was the third
warmest January in 137 years
of modern record-keeping,
according to a monthly
analysis of global temperatures
by NASA scientists on
February 16, 2017.
G
Two of the three top January
temperature anomalies have
been during the past two years.
G
2016 was the hottest on record,
at 1.12° Celsius warmer than
the January mean temperature,
followed by 2007 at 0.96°
Celsius warmer. January, 2017
placed third.
G
It shows that most of North
America and Siberia were
much warmer than the
1951-80 base period. Much of
the rest of Asia was also
relatively warm.
Half Yearly 2017
Chemicals Banned in
1970s Discovered in
Deep Ocean Fauna
G
The scientists found high
levels of human-made pollutants,
including chemicals that were
banned in the 1970s, lingering
in the tissues of marine creatures
that dwell in the deepest oceans of
the Earth.
G
Sampling amphipods from the
Pacific Ocean’s Mariana and
Kermadec trenches, which are
over 10 km deep and 7000 km
apart, researchers found extremely
high levels of Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs) in the organism’s
fatty tissue.
G
These include Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCBs) and
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
(PBDEs) which are commonly used
as electrical insulators and
flame retardants.
New Birds Species
Discovered in Nepal
A new species of birds has been
G
discovered in the high mountainous
region of Nepal, bringing the total
number of avian species in the
Himalayan country to 866 on
February 12, 2017.
G
A Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
(Monticola saxitilis), considered an
autumn passage migrant bird
species in Pakistan and India,
was first seen and photographed by
an expedition last year near
the Shey monastery within
the Shey-Phoksundo
National Park.
G
Rock thrushes are medium-sized
songbirds, mostly insectivorous or
omnivorous and fall under the
genus of chats.
Lost Continent found
Submerged Deep under
Indian Ocean
G
An ancient continent that was once
sandwiched between India and
Madagascar now lies scattered on
the bottom of the Indian Ocean on
February 2, 2017. The first clues to
the continent’s existence came
when some parts of the Indian
Ocean were found to have stronger
gravitational fields than others,
indicating thicker crusts.
G
One theory was that chunks of
land had sunk and become
attached to the ocean crust below.
Although, Mauritius is only
8 million years old, some zircon
crystals on the island’s beaches are
almost 2 billion years old. Volcanic
eruptions may have ejected the
zircon from ancient rock below.
G
Until about 85 million years ago,
Mauritia was a small continent
(about a quarter of the size of
Madagascar) nestled between
India and Madagascar, which were
much closer than they are today.
Then, India and Madagascar began
to move apart, and Mauritia
started to stretch and break up.
Nilambur Teak got
GI Tag
G
Nilambur teak will soon be added
to the select list of Kerala produce
with Geographical Indication (GI)
tag on February 9, 2017. The
British identified the superior
quality of the teak grown in the
Nilambur plantations and forests
and the region became the major
supplier of timber in the world.
G
Nilambur Teak Heritage Society
joined hands with the Kerala
Agricultural University to register
Nilambur teak as a GI product
of India.
Researchers Discovered a
Brand New Species of Rare
Ghost Shark
G
The scientists have discovered a new
shark species with rabbit-like buckteeth
and a bulky head, which is the
50th ‘ghost’ shark species known to
science on February 5, 2017.
G
Ghost sharks in general have a pretty big
head and their body tapers to a thinner
tail. The species name erithacus is the
genus name for robin birds.
G
There are already three known species in
the genus Hydrolagus that live in the
same region as the new find, between
South Africa and Antarctica in the
South-eastern Atlantic and
South-western Indian Oceans.
Climate Change Programme
in Central Himalayas
Launched
G
The Bombay Natural History Society
(BNHS) launched climate change
programme under which the first study
funded by Oracle and facilitated by
CAF-India, will assess the status,
distribution and conservation of
pheasants and finches in the Central
Himalayas on January 29, 2017.
G
The Himalayas hold a rich natural
heritage with diverse flora and fauna
enhancing the beauty of the region. The
study will focus on their conservation in
the context of climate change with the
help of community participation.
G
The Indian subcontinent is home to
nearly 50 species of pheasants and
62 species of finches, with several species
listed in ‘Globally Threatened’ category
by IUCN.
China built World’s
Biggest Solar Farm
G
China built world’s biggest solar farm on
January 23, 2017. It is built at a cost of
about 6 billion yuan (£ 721.3 million)
and in almost constant expansion since
construction began in 2013, Longyangxia
now has the capacity to produce a
massive 850 MW of power — enough to
supply up to 200000 households.
G
China’s energy agency will spend more
than $ 360 billion on renewable energy
sources such as solar and wind by 2020,
cutting smog levels, carbon emissions
and creating 13 million jobs in
the process.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Rubber Soil
Information System
(RubSIS) for Rubber
Growers Launched
G
The Commerce Ministry launched
Rubber Soil Information System
(RubSIS), an online system for
recommending application of
appropriate mix of fertilizers to
the specific plantations of rubber
growers depending upon their soil
nature on January 23, 2017.
G
RubSIS, developed by Rubber
Research Institute of India (RRII)
under the Rubber Board in
collaboration with three agencies
viz. Indian Institute of
Information Technology and
Management, Kerala, National
Bureau of Soil Survey and Land
Use Planning, ICAR and National
Remote Sensing Center, ISRO,
brings soil data to the fingerprints
of rubber growers and
recommends the optimum mix
and quantities of chemical
fertilizers that his
holding requires.
G
It is a cost effective tool for
sustainable &scientific
management of rubber growing
soils. Apart from preventing
indiscriminate use of chemical
fertilizers and soil degradation,
adoption of RubSIS will lead to
reduction in the cost of
production of rubber, increase in
productivity and reduction in
environmental pollution.
Silicon Identified as
‘Missing Element’ in
Earth’s Core
G
Silicon likely makes up a
significant proportion of the
Earth’s core after iron and nickel,
say scientists who claim to have
identified the ‘missing element’
in the deep interiors of our planet
that has eluded us for decades on
January 17, 2017.
G
The discovery could help us to
better understand how our
world formed. Silicon is a major
element — about 5% (of the
Earth’s inner core) by weight
could be silicon dissolved into the
iron-nickel alloys.
101
Higher Resolution
Weather Prediction
Model Commissioned
G
The MoES commissioned a
very high resolution (12 km)
global deterministic weather
prediction model for generating
operational weather forecasts on
January 17, 2017.
G
The present model replaces the
earlier version which had a
horizontal resolution of 25 km. It
was very helpful, especially in
predicting the track and the
intensity of the recent Very Severe
Cyclonic Storm Vardah and the
cold wave over the northern parts
of India.
G
The EPS is adopted to overcome
the problem of uncertainties in the
forecasts. It involves the
generation of multiple forecasts
using slightly varying initial
conditions. The EPS also help
generate probabilistic forecasts
and quantify the uncertainties.
Sitalpati or Cool Mat
from Cooch Behar
Added in UNESCO
World Heritage Site
G
Sitalpati or cool mat from
Cooch Behar district has been
recognised as an ‘intangible
cultural heritage’ by the UNESCO,
on January 16, 2017.
G
These mats are used for sitting or
to hang on doors or windows
during summer. The mats are
made up of weaved green cane
slips of murta plants which are
indigenous to the region.
G
The gradual decline of sitalpati
weaving was arrested by the
proactive efforts of chief minister
Mamata Banerjee who helped this
traditional product gain global
recognition.
102 Current Affairs
2016 was the Warmest Year G
The species Zingiber pseudosquarrosum,
new to science, belonging to genus
for India in the Zingiber, was already used by the
Last 116 Years local Particularly Vulnerable Tribal
G
The latest data released by the India Groups (PVTGs) of the Andamans
Meteorological Department (IMD) for its medicinal values.
reveals that 2016 was the warmest G
Like other species of Gingers, this
year for India in the last 116 years new species is edible and can be
since 1901 on January 15, 2017. propagated vegetatively from the
G
The climate of India was significantly rhizome.
warmer than normal during 2016 in G
The planted rhizomes were
line with the warmer-than-normal successfully vegetavively propagated
global climate observed during at the BSI garden at Port Blair after
the period. transplantation.
G
The annual mean land surface air G
Species belonging to genera Zingiber
temperature for 2016 was around 0.91° are monocotyledonous flowering
Celsius above the 1961-90 average, plants whose rhizomes are widely
thus making the year 2016 the used as a spice or a traditional
warmest year on record since 1901. medicine.
G
The strong El-Nino event of 2015-16,
which continued till early March, 2016,
and the global warming trend likely
caused the significantly warmer
temperature during winter and A~
pre-monsoon seasons.
New Primate Species ‘Star
hþAm AmgmZ
Wars Gibbon’ Discovered
G
A gibbon living in the tropical forests
of South-West China is a new species
of primate discovered on January 11, `
G
2017.
It has been named the Skywalker
12
hoolock gibbon — partly because the
Chinese characters of its scientific ñmånyU© H [a¶a ‘mJ©Xe©H ...
name mean ‘Heaven’s movement’ but
also because the scientists are fans of
Star Wars.
G
Hoolock gibbons are found in
Bangladesh, India, China and
Myanmar. They spend most of their
time living in the treetops, swinging
through the forests with their
forelimbs, rarely spending any time on
the ground.
G
All hoolock gibbons have white
eyebrows and some have white Bg‘| h¡
beards—but the Chinese primates’
‘hrZo ^a H s H aoÊQ ݶyO
markings differed in appearance.
H [a¶a OmZH mar Ed§ {deofkm| H s gbmh
New Ginger Species with
Q m°ng© BÊQ aì¶y
Medicinal Properties found
in Andamans gm‘mݶ kmZ JmoëS Z ßdm°BÊQ² g
G
The scientists of the Botanical Survey Om°ãg H s OmZH mar
of India (BSI) have found a new narjm H s aUZr{V Ho gmW ‘m°H /gm°ëdS nong©
species of Zingiber (commonly referred
as Ginger) from the Andaman and gm‘mݶ kmZ, A§H J{UV, arOqZJ,
Nicobar Islands on January 9, 2017. A§J«oOr ^mfm VWm
{hÝXr ^mfm na Aܶ¶Z gm‘J«r
Half Yearly 2017
 SPORTS
French Open 2017
G
The French open title 2017 held from May 22 to June 11, 2017 at
Roland Garros in Paris, France. Men's Singles Open Title - Spain's
Rafael Nadal (10th French Title) defeated Stan Wawrinka
(Switzerland); Women's Singles Open Title- Latvia's Jelena
Ostapenko (1st Grand Slam Title) defeated Simona Halep (Rome)
G
Men's Doubles Title- Michael Venus (New Zealand) and Ryan
Harrison (USA) defeated Santiago Gonzalez ( Mexico) and Donald
Young (USA).
G
Women's Doubles Title- Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Lucie
Safarova (Czech Republic) defeated Ashleigh Barty and Casey
Dellacqua (Australia ) and won their second French Open title and
their third successive Grand Slam title.
G
Open Mixed Doubles title- Rohan Bopanna (India) and Gabriela
Dabrowski (Canada) defeated Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Robert
Farah.

ITF Futures Men’s Title

G
Indian Tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan won The
International Tennis Federation (ITF) men's Future's Tennis title.
He defeated Raymond Sarmiento of United States of America
(USA). He was rewarded with cash Prize of $ 15000 and it was the
first title of the season for Ramkumar and 15th of his career.

Geneva Open 2017

G
Swiss top seed Stan Wawrinka successfully defended his Geneva
Open Men’s Singles title with a victory over Germany's Mischa
Zverev on May 27, 2017.
G
It is the 16th title of Wawrinka's career. He is a Swiss professional
tennis player.
G
He has reached three Grand Slam singles finals in his career,
winning all of them: the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French
Open and the 2016 US Open.
G
Geneva open is the tennis tour affiliated with an ATP Tour that was
held annually in Geneva, Switzerland on the clay courts from 1980
to 1991.

Bordeaux Challenger Trophy

Tennis
Halle Open 2017
G
Roger Federer won the ninth Halle Open tennis
title on June 27, 2017.
He defeated Alexander Zverev from Germany.
He won the Cup for the first time in his career,
one tournament nine times.
G
The Halle Open win was the hundredth title of
his long and illustrious career, 92 of which are
singles crowns while eight have come in
doubles.
G
The Indian duo of Divij Sharan and Purav Raja have won their first
title of the 2017 season by lifting the Bordeaux Challenger trophy
at Bordeaux, France on May 21,2017.
G
They defeated the fourth seeded Mexican-Kiwi combination of
Santiago Gonzalez and Artem Sitak of New Zealand in the straight
sets 6-4, 6-4.
Italian Open 2017
G
Germany's Alexander Zverev defeated the world no. 2 ranking
Serbian’s player Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the Italian Open,
2017 . The final was held in Rome, Italy on May 21, 2017.
G
The Italian Open women's Singles Title 2017 was won by Ukraine's
Elina Svitolina by defeating Simona Halep.
G
The tournament is also known as Rome Masters and the Italian
Championship.
G
The Italian tennis championship was first held in 1930.
Madrid Open 2017
G
Rafael Nadal won 5th Madrid Open
title after his Barcelona Open and
Monte Carlo Masters titles.
G
He defeated Dominic Thiem.
Dominic Thiem is an Austrian
professional tennis player.
G
Nadal, who beat defending
champion Novak Djokovic in the
semi-final, has now won his 30th
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title,
tying the all-time record with
Serbia’s Djokovic. He has won 14
times the Grand Slam titles.
Tallahassee Challenger
2017
G
The Indo-American pair of
Leander Paes and Scott Lipsky
defeated Argentine Leonardo
Mayer and Maximo Gonzalez to
win the Tallahassee Challenger title
of the men’s doubles on April 30,
2017.
G
India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan
finished up as a runner-up in the
Tallahassee Challenger Men’s
Singles event. The title was won by
Slovenia’s Bla Rola.
G
This title is currently played as a
part of the ATP Challenger Tour
and played on outdoor hard courts.
Since 2000, it is held annually at
the Forestmeadows Tennis
Complex in Tallahassee, Florida,
United States.
Monte Carlo Masters
2017
G
The Spanish professional tennis
player Rafael Nadal has won the
men's singles title of Monte Carlo
Masters tennis Tournament on
April 23, 2017 BY defeated Albert
Vinolas (Spain).Rafael claimed a
record of 10th Monte Carlo Masters
title.
G
India's Rohan Bopanna and his
Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas
have lifted the men's doubles
crown at the Monte Carlo Masters
after win over Spain's Feliciano
Lopez and Marc Lopez at the
Monte Carlo Country Club.
G
The Monte-Carlo Masters is an
annual tennis tournament for male
professional players held in
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, a
commune that borders on Monaco.
104 Current Affairs
Barcelona Open 2017
G
Spanish professional tennis player,
Rafael Nadal beat Dominic Thiem of
Austria in the final to win the
Barcelona Open for a record 10th time.
This victory also marked Nadal’s 71st
tournament win in his career on April
30, 2017.
G
Nadal also won the Monte Carlo
Masters for a record breaking 10th
time on April 23, 2017.
G
Moreover he had reached finals of
Barcelona Open 2017 after beating
Andy Murray for the first time in his
career. However, Nadal just took
90 minutes to beat Thiem in the finals.
Miami Open 2017
G
Roger Federer defeated
long-standing rival Rafael Nadal to
win the Miami Open on April 2, 2017.
G
Federer has won 18 Grand
Slam singles titles, the most in
history for a male tennis player, and
held the number 1 spot in the ATP
rankings for a total of 302 weeks.
G
In majors, Federer has won
seven Wimbledon titles,
five Australian Open titles, five US
Open titles and one French
Open title.
G
He is among the eight men to capture
a career Grand Slam. He has reached
a record 28 men's singles Grand Slam
finals, including 10 in a row from
the 2005 Wimbledon
Championships to the 2007 US Open.
Dubai Duty Free
Championships 2017
G
Andy Murray wasted no time in
securing his 45th our-level crown,
dominating the final of the Dubai
Duty Free Tennis Championships over
Fernando Verdasco on March 5, 2017.
G
Murray extended his ruthless run in
ATP World Tour 500 events with a 6-3,
6-2 victory in just one hour and
13 minutes. The World No.1, who
claimed his first title of the season,
has now lifted trophies in four straight
500-level events entered, posting a
19-0 record.
G
Dubai Duty Free Tennis
Championships is a professional
tennis tournament owned and
organised by Dubai Duty Free and
held annually in Dubai (UAE) on
outdoor hardcourts.
Half Yearly 2017
Rotterdam Open 2017
G
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
claimed his first title since 2015 as
he recovered to beat David Goffin
4-6 6-4 6-1 in the ABN AMRO
World Tennis Tournament final in
Rotterdam on February 19, 2017.
G
Tsonga received a wild card entry
into the 2007 Australian Open,
where in only his second senior
Grand Slam tournament match, he
met sixth seed Andy Roddick for
the second time in his career.
G
Tsonga won a singles match at the
2008 Next Generation
Adelaide International.
Chennai Open 2017
G
Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut
won the men’s singles title of the
Chennai Open 2017 on January 9,
2017.
G
Roberto Bautista Agut beat Russian
20-year-old Daniil Medvedev to
claim the first ATP tournament of
the season.
G
Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan
Nedunchezhiyan beat Purav Raja
and Divij Sharan in the first-ever
all-Indian doubles final at
Chennai Open.
G
The Chennai Open is a professional
tennis tournament played
onoutdoor hard courts. It is
currently part of the ATP World Tour
250 series of the ATP World Tour.
Brisbane International
2017
G
Sania Mirza won the Brisbane
International with Bethanie
Mattek-Sands on January 6, 2017.
The Brisbane International is a
professional tennis tournament
played on outdoor hard courts in
Brisbane, Queensland.
G
It is part of the ATP World Tour
250 series of the Association of
Tennis Professionals (ATP) World
Tour and of the WTA Premier
tournaments of the Women’s
Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.
G
It is held annually in January at the
Queensland Tennis Centre just
before the first Grand Slam
tournament of the season, the
Australian Open as part of the
Australian Open Series. It is owned
by Tennis Australia.
Qatar Open 2017
G
Novak Djokovic defeated Andy
Murray to claim the first title of the
ATP season with a victory in the Qatar
Open final on January 6, 2017.
G
The Qatar Open, is a professional
tennis tournament played on outdoor
hard courts.
G
It is currently part of the ATP World
Tour 250 series of the ATP
World Tour. It is held annually in
January at the Khalifa International
Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha
(Qatar), since 1993.
G
Shikhar Dhawan of India received the
"Golden Bat" award for scoring 338 Badminton
runs while Hasan Ali of Pakistan
Australia Open Super
received the "Golden Ball" award for
taking 13 wickets. Series 2017
Indian Premier League
(IPL) 2017
G
Mumbai Indians won the Indian
Premier League (IPL) trophy 2017 for
the third time at Hyderabad on
May 21, 2017.
G
They defeated Rising Pune Supergiant
in the finals. Krunal Pandya from MI G
India’s shuttler Kidambi Srikanth
(scored 47) named ‘Man of the Match’. defeated Rio champion Chen Long
G
The 2017 season of the IPL was the to win the Australia Open Series

Cricket tenth edition of the IPL established by

the BCCI in 2007.
held in Sydney on June 26, 2017.
Srikanth won in straight games to
win his career’s fourth Super Series
India Vs West Indies Series title. This is his 2nd consecutive
G
India beat West Indies by 8 wickets to Vijay Hazare Trophy Super Series title after he won the
take the five-match series 3-1 at the G
Tamil Nadu defeated Bengal in Vijay Indonesia Open Super Series title.
Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Hazare trophy on March 21, 2017.
Kohli, who scored his 28th ODI G
Tamil Nadu 217 all out in 47.2 overs Indonesia Open Super
hundred in this series, surpassed (Dinesh Karthik 112, Mohammed
batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar as Shami 4/26) beat Bengal
Series Premier 2017
he hit his 18th hundred while (S Chatterjee 58, Aswin Crist 2/23)
G
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth
chasing. Ajinkya Rahane received by 37 runs. clinched his third Super Series
Man of the Series award. The India title, lifting the Indonesia Open
G
The Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known
cricket team are touring the West Super Series men's singles trophy
as the Ranji One Day Trophy, was
Indies in June and July 2017 to play with a straight-game victory over
started in 2002-03 as a limited-overs
five One Day Internationals (ODIs) Japanese qualifier Kazumasa
cricket domestic competition
and a Twenty20 International (T20I) Sakai in the final on June 18,
involving State teams from the Ranji
match. Match result 2017. He became the 1st Indian
Trophy plates. It is named after the
man to win this title and also the
Player of the famous Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare.
Series Result
match first Indian man to win
Superseries Premier, Superseries
1st ODI
(23 June 2017)
No result T20 World Cup for Blind and Grand Prix Gold titles.
G
Defending champions India defeated
2nd ODI India won by Ajinkya G
This is his third Superseries title
(25 June 2017) 105 runs Rahane (India) Pakistan by 9 wickets in the final of
win as he had previously won the
the T20 World Cup for Blind to lift
China Open in 2014 and India
3rd ODI India won by MS Dhoni their second straight title on
Open in 2015.
(30 June 2017) 93 runs (India) February 11, 2017.
4th ODI West Indies Jason Holder For his outstanding innings,
(2 July 2017) won by 11 runs (WI)
G
Thailand Grand Prix
Jayaramaiah was adjudged as ‘Man
5th ODI India won by 8 Virat Kohli
of the Match’ while Munir was given Gold Tournament 2017
(6 July 2017) wickets (India) G
Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth
the ‘Man of the Series’ award for his
570 runs in the tournament. won the men's singles title by
ICC Champions Trophy 2017 defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan
G
Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs Christie at the Thailand Open
to win the International Cricket
Ranji Trophy
Grand Prix Title.
Council (ICC) Champions Trophy
G
Gujarat clinched their maiden Ranji
Trophy title as they rode on Parthiv
G
The tournament held at Nimibutr
2017 final on June 18, 2017. Stadium in Bangkok in Thailand
Patel’s innings of 143 to beat
G
Pakistan had come into the defending champions Mumbai by five between May 30 to June 4, 2017.
tournament as the lowest-ranked wickets on the final day at the Holkar G
Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand)
team and lost heavily to India. It is the Stadium on January 13, 2017. winner of women's singles title,
first victory for Pakistan in the history Berry Angriawan/Hardianto
where India won the ICC Champions
G
Gujarat became the 17th team to lift
the title. With this title, Gujarat have (Indonesia) winner of men’s
Trophy in the year of 2013. double and Greysia Polii/Apriyani
won the domestic titles in T20,
G
Fakhar Zaman of Pakistan received one-day and Ranji. They are only the Rahayu (Indonesia) winner of
the Man of the Match award for fourth team to achieve this feat. women’s doubles in this
scoring a sublime 114. tournament.

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 105

Thailand Open Grand
Prix Gold 2017
G
Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth
won the men's singles title at the
Thailand Open Grand Prix Title on
June 4, 2017.
G
Praneeth defeated Indonesia
Jonatan Christie. This is the first
Grand Prix Gold win and a second
title for Praneeth followed by
Singapore Open title.
Sudirman Cup 2017
G
South Korea defeated China to
lift their fourth Sudirman Cup title
at Gold Coast Sports and Leisure
Centre, Queensland (Australia) on
May 28, 2017.
G
South Korea’s women shuttlers
beat China with a 3-2 win in the
final. Earlier, South Korea won the
Sudirman Cup in 2003, 1993 and
1991.
G
The Sudirman Cup (founded in
1989) is the world mixed team
badminton championship which
takes place every two years.
Singapore Open
Super Series 2017
G
B Sai Praneeth defeated world No
29 Kidambi Srikanth in an
all-Indian men’s singles final to lift
the Singapore Open Superseries
badminton title on April 15, 2017.
G
This was the first time that two
Indians featured in a men’s singles
Superseries final and India became
only the fourth country to have
both players in a Super series final.
The other three are China,
Denmark and Indonesia.
G
Praneeth had won the Canada
Open last year and also won the
last time the two squared off. It
was at the Syed Modi Grand Prix
Gold in Lucknow.
India Open Super
Series 2017
G
Olympic silver-medallist PV
Sindhu defeated Carolina Marin in
straight sets at the India Open
badminton championship on April
2, 2017.
G
She became the first ever Indian
women's singles player to win a
medal at the Badminton World
Championships.
106 Current Affairs
G
In March 2015, she is the All England Open 2017
recipient of India's fourth
highest civilian honor, the
Padma Shri.
G
Her silver medal win in the
women's singles event of the 2016
Summer Olympics made her the
first Indian shuttler to reach the
final of an Olympics badminton
event and the youngest Indian to
make a podium finish in an
individual event at the Olympics.
India Open Super
G
Lee Chong Wei won his fourth
Series 2017 All England Open Badminton
G
PV Sindhu on April 2, 2017 Championships crown on March
defeated reigning Olympic 12, 2017.
champion Carolina Marin of Spain
G
Lee is triple silver medalist at the
to lift her maiden India Open
Olympic games, and the sixth Malaysian
Super Series title.
to win an Olympic medal.
G
Third seeded Sindhu defeated
G
He won his first silver medal in 2008,
Marri 21-19, 21-16 to the Sirifort
also the first time a Malaysian had
Sports Complex. The Indian
reached the finals in the men’s singles
badminton player had last
event. This achievement earned him the
defeated Marin in the BWF Super
title ‘Dato’, and led to Malaysian Prime
Series in Dubai in the year 2016.
Minister Najib Tun Razak describing
him as a national hero.
Vietnam International G
He repeated the achievement twice more
Challenge in 2012 and 2016, thus making him the
G
Teenagers Chirag Shetty and
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won
most successful Malaysian Olympian
in history.
the men’s doubles title at the
Vietnam International Challenge
Uganda International
Badminton tournament at Hanoi
on March 30, 2017. Series 2017
G
The men’s doubles pair of Tarun Kona
G
The India duo, supported by Go
and Alwin Francis emerged victorious
Sports Foundation, is jubilant and
at the 2017 Uganda International Series
rated this performance as their
in Kampala on February 27, 2017.
best so far.
G
Kona and Francis tasted success soon
Li Ning-Israel Open 2017 after teaming-up at the end of the 2015
season. Last year, they triumphed at
G
Shuttlers Purva Barve and
three International Series events (in
Varun Kapur handed India
Guatemala, Peru and Botswana) with
double delight by winning their
the latter coming in December.
respective age group sections in
the Li Ning-Israel Open 2017 in
G
The Uganda International is an
March, 2017. international badminton tournament
held in Uganda organised by Uganda
G
Ranked No.70 in the world, Purva,
Badminton Association.
the fourth-seed in the Under-19
women’s singles, proved to be a
G
In 2008, this tournament have been
runaway winner against the world sanctioned by Badminton World
No.61. Federation asInternational Series rated
event with total prize money $ 5000.
G
Varun steamrolled England’s Toby
Dillingham 21-10, 21-2 to bag his
G
For the badminton players, this
second International title in as tournament became a landmark for
many participated. Uganda, because they can improved
their point in world ranking and also in
G
Earlier, in December, 2016 Varun
certain years, the points will be the
had bagged the Under-15 crown
Olympic Games qualification.
at the Cyprus International Open.
Half Yearly 2017
81st Senior National
Championship 2017
G
Sourabh Verma has won the
men’s singles title in the
81st Senior National Badminton
Championships tournament on
February 7, 2017.
G
In the final match, held at Patna
(Bihar), he defeated Lakshya Sen.
Other Winners
Category Winner Runners-up
Women’s Rituparna Das Reshma Karthik
Singles
Women’s Aparna Balan/ Shikha
Doubles Prajakta Sawan Gautam/
Sanyogita
Ghorpade
Men’s Satwik Sai Raj/ Nand Gopal K./
Doubles Chirag Shetty Sanyam Shukla
Mixed Satwik Sai Raj/ Venkat Gaurav
Doubles Maneesha K. Prasad/
Juhi Dewangan
Syed Modi Grand Prix
Gold 2017
G
Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu
came out with yet another
dominating performance as she
defeated Indonesia’s Gregoria
Mariska to clinch her maiden Syed
Modi Grand Prix Gold women’s
singles title on January 29, 2017.
G
Sindhu, the Rio Olympic medalist,
defeated Mariska in an arguably
one-sided contest.
G
In 2013, she became the first ever
Indian women’s singles player to
win a medal at the Badminton
World Championships.
Malaysia Masters
Grand Prix Gold 2017
G
Saina Nehwal defeated Thailand’s
Pornpawee Chochuwong in the
women’s singles final of the
Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold
in Sibu on January 22, 2017. She
has won over twenty international
titles, which include ten
Superseries titles.
G
Although, she reached to the
world No.2 ranking in 2009, it was
only in 2015 that she was able to
attain the world No.1 ranking.
G
She has represented India three
times in the Olympics, winning
bronze medal in her
second appearance.
Premier League 2017
G
Chennai Smashers lifted the Premier
Badminton League 2017 title after a 4-3
win over Mumbai Rockets in the final in
Delhi on January 16, 2017.
G
Winners Chennai received prize money of
` 3 crore, while runners-up Mumbai
Rockets were awarded ` 1.5 crore.
G
Chris Adcock/Gabrielle Adcock (Chennai
Smashers/ Trump) beat Nipitphon
Phuangphuapet/ Nadiezda Zieba (Mumbai
Rockets) 11-9, 11-6 in mixed doubles.
F 1 Race
Austrian Grand Prix 2017
G
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the
2017 Austrian Grand Prix held at Red Bull
Ring Spielberg, Styria, Austria on July 9,
2017. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished
just behind Bottas , grabbed the second
place while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo
stood third in the race. During his first 4
races for Mercedes, he bagged his first
Formula One pole position (at the 2017
Bahrain Grand Prix) and took his first
victory at the 2017 Russian Grand Prix.
Canadian Grand Prix 2017
G
Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand
Prix for the 6th time at the Circuit Gilles
Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada on June
12, 2017. He won against Sebastian
Vettel’s overall championship. It was
Hamilton’s third victory of the season.
Monaco Grand Prix 2017
G
German racing driver Sebastian Vettel
(Ferrari) has won the Monaco Grand Prix
2017 at Monaco on May 28, 2017.
G
The second place in the race was secured
by Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and the third
place by Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull).
G
The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One
motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco,
a street circuit that runs through the
Principality of Monaco.
Spanish Grand Prix 2017
G
Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand
Prix title from pole position in the
Formula One championship.
G
The Spanish Grand Prix 2017 was a
Formula One motor race held on May 14,
2017 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
in Montmeló, Spain. He is a three-time
Formula One World Champion. Totally He
has won 55 Grand Prix.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Bahrain Grand
Prix 2017
G
Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari
won the Bahrain Grand Prix, on
April 15, 2017. He is a four-time
Formula One World Champion,
having won the championship
in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
He is contracted to remain as a
Formula One driver with
Scuderia Ferrari until at least the
end of 2017.
Chinese Grand
Prix 2017
G
Mercedes driver Lewis
Hamilton dominated the
Chinese Grand Prix to take his
first win of the year and move
into a share of the championship
lead on April 9, 2017.
G
The Chinese Grand Prix is a
round of the Formula One
World Championship. It is
currently held at the Shanghai
International Circuit, Jiading,
Shanghai, designed by Hermann
Tilke. When completed in 2004,
it was the most expensive
Formula One circuit facility,
costing $240 million.
Australian Grand
Prix 2017
G
Sebastian Vettel won
season-opening Australian
Grand Prix by defeating Lewis
Hamilton on March 26, 2017.
G
Sebastian Vettel is a German
racing driver, currently driving
in Formula One for Scuderia
Ferrari. He is a four-time
Formula One World Champion,
having won the championship in
2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with
Red Bull Racing.
G
The Australian Grand Prix is a
motor race held annually in
Australia currently under
contract to host Formula One
until 2023.
107

Squash
SYS Open
G
US-based squash player Ramit
Tandon has won his Professional
Squash Association (PSA) title in
the SYS Open on May 14, 2017.
G
Ramit Tandon defeated his
compatriot Kush Kumar in the
summit clash of SYS Open.
G
The Kolkata player, who shifted to
New York nearly 6 years ago for
studies, has just begun to shape his
career on the professional circuit.
G
Ramit has won 6 junior national
titles and ended his junior career
ranked 1 in India.
Abu Dhabi Open 2017
G
India's Vikram Malhotra won his
5th PSA title after beating Egypt's
Youssef Ibrahim in the final of the
Abu Dhabi Open on May 7, 2017.
G
The US-based Indian won 6-11 11-4
11-3 9-11 13-11 against his opponent.
G
The top seeded Indian, fresh from
the Asian Championship held in
Chennai, beat Hesham Mohamed
Aly of Egypt in the first round and
then seventh seed Ahmad Al-Saraj
of Jordan in the quarters.
G
The PSA is the governing body for
the men's and women's professional
squash circuit.
Asian Championship 2017
G
Joshna Chinappa created history
by becoming the first Indian to
clinch the Asian Squash title with a
thrilling win over compatriot Dipika
Pallikal Karthik in the women’s final
held in Chennai on April 30, 2017.
G
In the men’s final India’s Saurav
Ghosal lost to Hong Kong’s
Max Lee to finish second best.
G
It is to be noted that, Joshna
Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal
Karthik, both train together at the
Indian Squash Academy in Chennai.
108 Current Affairs
Asian Junior
Championship 2017
G
India defeated Malaysia 2-0 to
win the gold medal in the boy’s
team event at the Asian Junior
Squash championship on
February 2, 2017.
G
India won the title for the second
time, the earlier being in 2011
when they defeated arch-rivals
Pakistan in Colombo.
G
The Asian Junior Squash
Individual Championships are the
event which serves as the
individual Asian junior
championship for squash players
organised by the Asian
Squash Federation.
U-19 Asian Junior
Squash Championship
G
India’s emerging young squash
player Velavan Senthilkumar by
winning the U-19 title in the
Asian Junior Individual squash
championship on January 7, 2017.
G
From among 31 Indian players in
various age categories at the
tournament, there were two more
medal winners in Tushar Shahani,
who claimed a silver in boys’ U-17,
and Yash Fadte who earned a
bronze in boys’ U-15 section.
Wrestling
Asian Championships
2017
G
Bajrang Punia won a first gold
medal for India in men's 65kg
freestyle category at the Asian
Wrestling Championship. He
defeated South Korea’s, Seunghui
Lee. The event took place from
May 10 to 14, 2017.
G
The Asian Wrestling
Championships 2017 was held at
the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium,
Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi
in India. The Indian wrestlers
overall bagged 10 medals
comprising a gold, five silver, and
four bronze. Japan finished on top
with 16 medals.
G
Asian Wrestling Championships is
the Wrestling Asian Championship
organised by the Asian Associated
Wrestling Committee (AAWC).
Half Yearly 2017
Football
Confederations Cup 2017
G
The four-time World Cup winners,
Germany won the 2017 FIFA
Confederations Cup on July 2, 2017 by
defeating Chile 1–0 in the final to win
their first title.
G
Germany defeated Chile by a solitary
goal, Lars Stindl put Germany ahead
in the first half against the run of play,
and Germany then held on to the lead.
G
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an
international association football
tournament for national teams,
currently held every four years
by FIFA.
FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017
G
England won the International
Federation of Association Football
(FIFA) under-20 World Cup final at
Suwon World Cup Stadium on June
12, 2017.
G
They defeated Venezuela team. The
FIFA U- 20 is the world championship
of Football for male players under the
age of 20.
UEFA Europe
League 2016-17
G
Manchester United won the The
UEFA Europa League Title 2016-17 on
May 25, 2017.
G
They defeated Amsterdamsche
Football Club Ajax (AFC) team at the
Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden.
Manchester United Football Club is a
G
Professional Football Club based in Old
Trafford, Greater Manchester, England.
I-League 2016-17
G
Aizawl FC defeated Shillong Lajong
FC to grab the 2016-17 I-League in
Shillong, Meghalaya on April 30, 2017.
With this, Aizawl FC became the first
ever northeastern club to win the title.
G
The I-League 2016-17 was the 10th
edition of the I-League held at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.
It was formed in 2007.
38th Federation Cup
G
Bengaluru Football Club has
won the 38th Federation Cup
Football tournament by
defeating defending champion
Mohun Bagan 2-0 at Cuttack.
G
CK Vineeth, scored twice for
Bengaluru in extra time helping
them to win the tournament.
G
Now, Bengaluru also sealed a
berth for next year’s Asian
Football Confederation (AFC)
Cup.
G
Bengaluru Football club is an
Indian professional football club
in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The
club was formed in the year of
2013.
Santosh Trophy
G
Bengal lifted the Santosh
Trophy for the 32nd time after
Manvir Singh struck in the
119th minute for a 1-0 win over
Goa, extending their
domination in the premier
domestic football tournament.
G
Bengal, thus, ended a six-year
wait having last won the title in
2011. Goa last won it in 2009.
G
Goa, who had hosted the
tournament thrice prior to the
2016-17 edition, lost to Bengal
in the semifinal in 1972 and the
final in 1996, while won against
Kerala in 1990.
EFL Cup 2016-17
G
Manchester United at
Wembley, who managed to beat
Southampton 3-2 to win the
5th league cup in their history
on February 27, 2017.
G
The win not only saw
Manchester United overtake
Liverpool as the country’s most
successful domestic club with
42 trophies, but also placed Jose
Mourinho in the company of Sir
Alex Ferguson and Brian
Clough as the only manager to
have won four league
cup trophies.
G
The 2016-17 EFL Cup was the
57th season of the EFL Cup,
formerly known as the Football
League Cup, featuring all
92 clubs from the Premier
League and the English Football
League (EFL).
SAFF Women’s
Championship 2017
G
India won their fourth consecutive
SAFF Women’s Championship title
when they defeated Bangladesh 3-1
in the final of the 4th SAFF
Women’s Championship in Siliguri
on January 4, 2017.
G
It is the biennial international
women’s football championship
contested by the national teams of
the SAFF.
G
Apart from the hosts, India, six other
South Asian teams participated in the
tournament. On November 3, 2016 it
was announced that Pakistan would
not participate in the tournament.
Golf
Indian Open 2017
G
SSP Chawrasia became only the
second Indian golfer to successfully
defend the Hero Indian Open title on
March 12, 2017.
G
He clinched a seven-stroke win at
the redesigned DLF Golf and Country
Club. This was his sixth win on the
Asian Tour and overall sixth
international victory.
G
Chawrasia is the third player to win
back-to-back Indian Open. The other
two golfers who did so earlier are
Jyoti Randhawa who won in 2006
and 2007 and Japan’s Kenji Hosoishi
who won in 1967 and 1968.
Hockey
India-Belarus Women’s
Test Series
G
Indian women’s hockey team won
over Belarus and register the 5-0
whitewash in five-match Test series
on March 9, 2017.
G
Star forward Rampal scored two
successive field goals in the 35th and
39th minute after Belarus were put in
the lead by their skipper Ryta Batura,
who scored in the 24th minute
through a penalty corner.
G
Deepika scored India’s third goal in
the 42nd minute to take a
commanding 3-1 lead while the
defenders did well to keep the
visitors from scoring in the final
quarter to ensure a win.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Shooting
Junior World Championship
G
The Indian shooting squad has finished
second at the ‘ISSF Junior World
Championship’ with three Gold, two
Silver, and three Bronze medals in Suhl,
Germany on June 28, 2017.
G
India picked up a gold and silver in the
team and individual sections of the 25m
pistol junior men's event.
G
China topped the tally in the rifle/pistol
tournament with 19 medals, including
eight gold.
ISSF World Cup 2017
G
Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai won their
second successive gold in the mixed 10m
air pistol competition in the ISSF World
Cup being held at Gabala, Azerbaijan on
June 12, 2017.
G
France beat Iran to win the bronze in the
event. There are 430 athletes from 45
countries participated in the whole
event.
G
China won six medals, including three
gold.
48th Grand Prix of Liberation
Plzen 2017
G
India ended the Grand Prix of Liberation
Plzen 2017 Shooting championships with
7 medals on May 7, 2017.
G
Indian men’s 25m Standard Pistol team,
Neeraj Kumar won the gold medal and
Harpreet Singh won silver medal.
G
Deepak Sharma won the bronze medal.
G
Indian shooter Heena Sidhu won a
bronze medal in the women’s 10-metre
Air Pistol event.
G
Rifle shooter Tejaswini Sawant won
silver in the 50m Rifle Prone event
Pemba Tamang won bronze in the Men s
25m Centre Fire Pistol.
G
Anmol Jain won a bronze in Men's 10m
Air Pistol event.
109
ISSF Shot Gun World Cup
G
Ankur Mittal has delivered India’s
nine-member contingent its first
medal at the International Shooting
Sport Federation World Cup in
Acapulco, Mexico by shooting gold in
the men’s double trap on March 22,
2017.
G
He had a strong day, ending second
in qualification with a score of 138
out of a possible 150. Against
China’s Ying Qui he prevailed 6-5 in
the shoot-off to decide second and
third spots after both had finished
their qualifying rounds on the
same score.
G
He stood second in the qualification
round and thus qualified to the final
of men’s double trap competition at
the 2014 Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow (Scotland).
ISSF World Cup 2017
G
India ended their campaign in the
International Shooting Sport
Federation (ISSF) World Cup
(Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) with five
medals, including one gold, two
silver and two bronze medals on
March 5, 2017.
G
The gold went to Italy’s Riccardo
Filippelli, who beat compatriot and
reigning Olympic Champion
Gabriele Rossetti in the final.
G
Australia’s Paul Adams won the
bronze medal. It has arguably been
one of India’s best World Cup
finishes ever with shooters Pooja
Ghatkar in the women’s air rifle
(bronze), Ankur Mittal in men’s
double trap (silver), Amanpreet
Singh in men’s 50 m pistol (silver)
and hero of the New Delhi World
Cup Jitu Rai in the men’s 10 m air
pistol and 50 m pistol (bronze and
gold) winning medals for the hosts.
Athletics
Asian Athletics
Championships 2017
G
On the final day of the 2017 Asian
Athletics Championship on July 9,
2017 with five gold, one silver and
three bronze medals, India finished
on top of the medals tally. It was the
22nd edition of the Asian Athletics
Championships.
110 Current Affairs
G
It was held from July 6 to 9, 2017 IPC Grand Prix 2017
at the Kalinga Stadium in
G
Indian para-athletes did the country
Bhubaneswar, Odisha. China and
proud by claiming 13 medals in the
Kazakhstan took the second and
International IPC International
third places respectively in the
Athletics Grand Prix at the Dubai on
medal tally.
March 22, 2017.
G
India showed its best G
The medals include five gold, three of
performance ever in the Asian
which are won by Sundar Singh
Athletics Championships,
Gurjar.
grabbing a total of 29 medals,
G
The women athletes also added to the
including 12 golds. Bhubaneswar
Indian gold medal tally with a gold-silver
is the third Indian city to host
finish in the women’s wheelchair Shot
the Asian Championships. In
Put F-55 category.
1989, it was Delhi and in 2013 it
was Pune to hold the event.
Asian Race Walk
Asian Grand Prix 2017 Championships
G
Indian shot putter ‘Manpreet G
National record holder KT Irfan won a
bronze in the 20 km mens event in the
Kaur’ has clinched a gold in the
Asian Race Walk Championships on
first leg of the Asian Grand Prix
March 21, 2017.
Athletics Meet in Jinhua, China
on April 24, 2017. G
He finished the race in 1 hour
India ended the event with seven 20 minutes and 59 seconds, a tad
G
slower than his national record timing
medals (1 gold, 4 silver, 2
of 1:20.21 which he set while finishing
bronze). Neeraj Chopra (men's
10th in the 2012 London Olympics.
javeline), Tintu Luka (women's
800m), Neena Varakil (women's
long jump) and Jinson Johnson
Kolkata Marathon
G
Abul Hossain won the Kolkata
(men's 800m) won a silver each.
Marathon on January 28, 2017.
Dutee Chand (women's 100m)
He won the race with a timing of two
and Om Prakash Karhana G
(men's shot put) bagged a bronze hours 34 minutes and two seconds to
each. leave Kolkata lad Biswanath Pal second,
five minutes behind.
Special Olympics World
Winter Games 2017
G
India’s special athletes gave an Fencing
impressive performance and won
73 medals in the recently
Turnoi Satellite
Championship
concluded 2017 Special Olympics
World Winter Games held
in Austria.
G
This year’s edition witnessed
2600 athletes from over
105 countries competing with
each other and the Special
Olympics Bharat (SOB) team
won 37 golds, 10 silver and 26
G
bronze medals.
India dominated in three team
G
Fencer A. Bhavani Devi has become
events—Floor Hockey (male), first Indian to win a Gold Medal in the
Unified Floorball and Traditional sabre event of the Turnoi Satellite
Fencing Championship at Reykjavik
Floorball bagging 30 medals in
(Iceland) on May 28, 2017.
total which was the highest tally
in a single day. G
She beat Sarah Jane Hampson
G
An important gold medal came in (Great Britain). She had previously
The Unified Floorball (Male) won a silver medal. She is currently a
event where India defeated fencing coach at Sagar Lagu’s training
Nigeria while the Floor Hockey academy, the SAI Centre in Thalassery,
team crushed Lithuania 7-2. Kerala.
Half Yearly 2017

Table Tennis
South Asian Junior
Championships
G
The South Asian Junior Table Tennis
championship was held in Mount
Lavinia, near Colombia (Sri Lanka) on
May 22, 2017.
G
India got 10 gold medals and four
silver medals for a total of 14 medals
from the regional championships.
G
India won the championship with
eight points, followed by Sri Lanka
(six points).
Chess
Kenilworth Junior Open
Tournament 2017
G
Mumbai girl Ahana Shah won a
bronze medal Under-7 category of the
2017 Kenilworth Junior Open Rapid
Chess Tournament in the United
Kingdom on June 19, 2017.
G
She also won a bronze medal in the
Under-6 category of the National Age
group chess championships category
in Singapore.
G
Ahana was the silver medalist in the
Under-6 category of the Maharashtra
State Schools competition last year.
Mumbai Mayor’s Cup
G
Vietnam Grand Master Nguyen
DucHoa won the 10th Mumbai
Mayor's Cup International Open Chess
Tournament. He won the tournament
by earning 8.5 points from 10 rounds.
In the final and 10th round he
defeated Indian GM Neelotpal Das.
The Tournament concluded at Mount
Litera School International on June
11, 2017.
G
The 9 day tournament was presented
by Zee Learn ltd, sponsored by LIC of
India, co-sponsored by Ankit Gems.
Top ranked Grandmaster Amonatov
Farrukh (2635) of Tajikistan with 8
points following his triumph over
Russian Grandmaster Deviatkin
Andrei (2481), claimed the runner-up
prize.
World Championship
G
Hashikant Kutwal has won the gold
medal at the 17th World Individual
Chess Championship for
differently-abled. Hashikant Kutwal is
a railway employee in Pune
Division. World Championship
was held by Physically Disabled
Chess Association (PDCA) in
Slovakia from May 27 to
June 6, 2017.
Asian Blitz
Championship 2017
G
India’s R. Vaishali won the
women's title with eight points
from nine rounds in the Asian
Continental Blitz Chess
Championship in Chengdu,
China on May 21, 2017. She
defeated Padmini Rout of
Odisha.
G
The Asian Continental Blitz chess
championship is hosted by
China.
All India Open Rapid
FIDE Rating Meet
G
Grand Master RR Laxman won
the All India Open Rapid FIDE
Rating Chess Tournament at the
Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra,
Kolkata, West Bengal on
May 18, 2017.
G
Laxman finished on top in the
tournament with 9.5 points and
Mitrabha Guha (8.5 points) to
finish second.
G
Srijit Paul (8) finished third
ahead of Grand Master Saptarshi
Roy Chowdhury with a better
tie-break score.
Asian Youth
Championship
G
Indian team ruled the roost at the
Asian Youth Chess
Championship in Tashkent,
where they finished on top with a
rich haul of 12 medals, including
four gold on April 9, 2017.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
Chennnai, the gold medal were won
by Aakanksha Hagawane (Under-18
Girls), Erigaisi Arjun (Under-14
Open), Jishitha D (Under-14 Girls)
and Sahithi Varshini M (Under-10
Girls).
G
The silver medal winners were Sai
Vishwesh C (Under-18 Open),
Jyothsna L (Under-14 Girls), Rakshitta
Ravi (Under-12 Girls), B Savitha Shri
B (Under-10 Girls) and A R
Ilamparathi (Under-8 Open).
G
Rohith Krishna S (under-12 Open),
Divya Deshmukh (Under-12 Girls) and
Tanmay Jain (Under-10 Open) won
bronze medals.
G
India topped the medal tally with a
haul of 12 followed by host Uzbekistan
(10).
Motor Sports
New Zealand Grand Prix
G
Young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala
tasted his first major success of 2017
when he won the New Zealand Grand
Prix on February 13, 2017.
G
In 2015, Daruvala stepped-up to
single-seaters with Fortec Motorsport
in the Formula Renault 2.0
championships. He claimed fifth place
in the Northern European Cup and
partook as a guest driver in the
Eurocup and Alps series.
G
The Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, as it is
known in its abbreviated form, is
among the most competitive entry-level
single-seater championships on the
motor-racing ladder in which drivers
race Formula One style open-cockpit
cars fitted with slick tyres and wings.
Cue Sports
World Women Snooker
Championship
G
India’s Vidya Pillai bagged the silver
medal at the World Women Snooker
Championship in Singapore on
March 21, 2017. She won the first
international medal for India in 2017.
G
She beat former European Champion,
Tatjana Vasiljeva of Latvia 4-1 (last
16), Katrina Wan of Hong Kong 4-1
(quarter-final), and Rebecca Grenger
of England 5-1 (semi-final) to enter
the final.
111
29th National Snooker
Championship
G
Pankaj Advani won the Indian
National Snooker Championship
with a 6-0 win over Pandurangaiah
of Railways in a one-sided final on
February 2, 2017.
G
In recognition of his achievements,
the government of India has
bestowed several awards upon
Advani—Arjuna Award (2004),
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2006),
and Padma Shri (2009).
G
He has achieved a hat-trick of
hat-tricks in English billiards,
holding the World, Asian, and
Indian National Championship titles
simultaneously, in three different
years—2005, 2008 and 2012. He
became a snooker professional only
in 2012, and his first season on the
main tour was the 2012-13 season.
7th National Billiards
Championship
G
Pankaj Advani won his seventh
national title beating Rupesh Shah
5-1 in the final on January 25, 2017.
G
Pankaj Arjan Advani is an Indian
professional player of English
billiards and former professional
snooker player.
G
In recognition of his achievements,
the government of India has
bestowed several awards upon
Advani—Arjuna Award (2004),
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2006),
and Padma Shri (2009).
3rd Kolkata Open National
Championship 2017
G
Pankaj Advani, put up a flawless
display to outclass Aditya Mehta 5-1
to win the 3rd Kolkata Open National
Invitation Snooker Championship
2017 on January 11, 2017.
G
It is organised by the West Bengal
Billiards Association at the Bengal
Rowing Club.
G
Pankaj Advani is an Indian
professional player of English
billiards and former professional
snooker player.
G
In recognition of his achievements,
the government of India has
bestowed several awards upon
Advani—Arjuna Award (2004), Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna (2006), and
Padma Shri (2009).
112 Current Affairs
Rugby
Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens
Trophy 2017
G
The Indian men’s Rugby team, led by
skipper Gautam Dagar, defeated
Pakistan 14-12 to secure the 7th rank at
the Asia Men’s Rugby Sevens Trophy held
at Aspire Rugby Field in Doha (Qatar) on
March 6, 2017. The team participated
under the aegis of the Indian Rugby
Football Union (IRFU), the governing
body for the sport of Rugby in India, and
is supported by Societe Generale, the
financial partner of Rugby India.
G
A total of 11 countries from across Asia
including Singapore, Pakistan, Jordan,
Philippines, Nepal, UAE, India, Thailand,
Iran, Bangladesh and the host Qatar vied
for top honours in the Asia Men’s Rugby
Sevens Trophy.
Women’s Asian
Sevens Trophy
G
India won the silver medal at the
women’s Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy
having won five matches and lost one
here on February 17, 2017.
G
In the seven-nation round-robin
competition, India defeated Laos 22-7,
Philippines 12-5, Nepal 43-0 and
Malaysia by 26-12. On the second day,
India defeated Pakistan by 5-0 and in the
last match were beaten by South Korea
by 0-29. The Asian Seven Series is an
annual series of regional rugby sevens
tournaments run by Asia Rugby featuring
national sevens teams. It has been held
regularly since 2009.
Cycling
Asian Para-Road
Championship
G
India made a rousing start at the
sixth Asian Para-Road Cycling
Championship, bagging all three medals
in the 12.8 km Individual Time Trial on
February 24, 2017.
G
Abhishek from Chandigarh won the
gold medal, Divij Shah from West Bengal
won silver and Harinder Singh from BSF
bagged the bronze medal.
G
Nine members of Indian Para Cycling
team are participating in the event under
the aegis of Cycling Federation of India.
They were trained and sponsored by
Aditya Mehta Foundation, Hyderabad.
Half Yearly 2017
Boxing
Ulaanbaatar Cup
G
The fast-rising Ankush Dahiya
(60 kg) clinched a gold medal
and L. Devendro Singh (52 kg)
got a silver medal in Ulaanbaatar
Cup boxing tournament on June
26, 2017. The Ulaanbaatar Cup
held in Mongolia. Ankush, who
is a former Asian youth
silver-medallist, defeated
Korean Man ChoeChol.
G
This is Ankush’s first
international medal at the
senior level. India got 1 gold, 1
silver and 3 bronze medal from
the tournament.
G
K. Shyam Kumar (49 kg),
Mohammed Hussamuddin (56
kg) and Priyanka Chaudhary
(60 kg), lost semifinal and settle
with bronze medals.
6th Nations Cup 2017
G
Indian Women’s boxing team
as they went on to finish 3rd in the
6th Nations Cup in the Serbian
city of Vrbas on January 16, 2017.
The medal tally for India stands
at one gold, four silver and four
bronze. The solo gold for India
goes to Neeraj (Haryana).
This exceptional talent acquired
G
the gold by defeating the
top-seeded Jaina Shekerbekova
of Kazakhstan.
G
Surprisingly, this is Neeraj’s
first international appearance.
G
The four silvers were acquired
by Sarjubala Devi (48 kg),
Priyanka Chowdhary (60 kg),
Pooja (69 kg). They lost to
Russia’s Yulia Chumgalakova,
Kazakhstan’s Rimma
Volosenko, Valentina
Khalzova respectively in
their bouts.
Thai Championship 2017
G
An eight-year old boy, Abbu
Ammaz, from Jammu and
Kashmir's Rajouri won gold medal
in Thai Boxing Championship at the
national level on January 9, 2017.
G
Abbu Ammaz, a class 2 student was
felicitated by the district authorities
and the civil administration as well
as by the police.
Karate
US Open Championship
G
India finished with 3 gold, 2 silver
and 11 bronze medals at the US
Open Karate Championship held in
Las Vegas on April 25, 2017.
G
Shaifali Agarwal (gold medal) and
Abhishek Sengupta (silver medal)
have won in two different
individual events.
G
India also won a gold medal in the
team event.
The other members of the Indian
G
contingent were Abhishek
Sengupta, Rantej Singh, Harcharan
Singh Chowhan and Shaifali
Agarwal.
Sports
Personalities
Rahul Dravid
G
The Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) announced on June
30, 2017 that Rahul Dravid will
continue to remain the coach for
India A and U-19 teams for the
next 2 years.
G
The former India captain was first
appointed as the coach for the two
teams back in the year 2015 and
under his leadership the youngsters
have achieved outstanding results,
at home and away.
G
At present BCCI acting president is
CK Khanna.
Srinivas Gokulnath
G
Nashik’s army doctor Srinivas
Gokulnath and Nagpur’s doctor
Amit Samarth has created history
by becoming the first Indians to
complete the 4,900 km Race Across
America (RAAM) in the solo 18-59
age category on June 26, 2017.
G
RAAM is considered as the
toughest cycle race in the world. It
is about 30% longer than the Tour
de France and the riders have to
pedal over 400 km a day to finish
the race in 12 days.
G
In the three decades old history of
RAAM, only three Indians had
attempted RAAM solo but so far
no one was able to finish the event
in the solo category.
Kavita Devi
G
Former Indian power-lifter and
South Asian Games gold medal
winner, Kavita Devi became the
first Indian woman to appear in
World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) on June 25, 2017. The
event is set to take place on July
13 and July 14 in Full Sail Live in
Orlando, Florida.
G
The May Young Classic (July
13-14) will feature 32 of the top
female competitors from around
the world participating in a
single-elimination tournament.
Virat Kohli
G
Indian captain Virat Kohli has
become the quickest batsman to
8000 runs in one day international
(ODI) cricket on June 15, 2017.
G
Virat Kohli has managed to cross
the 8000 run mark in his 175th
innings during India’s match
against Bangladesh in ICC
Champion’s Trophy semi-final in
Birmingham.
G
Earlier record holder was South
African captain AB de Villiers who
crossed the 8000 run mark in 182
innings. Yuvraj Singh become the
fifth Indian player to play 300
ODIs at Edgbaston.
Muttiah Muralitharan
G
Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah
Muralitharan has been admitted
into the International Cricket
Council's (ICC) Hall of Fame on
June 8, 2017.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
Muralitharan was awarded the honor
along with Arthur Morris, George
Lohmann and Karen Rolton by fellow
ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and
members of the media. He became the
highest wicket-taker (800) in Test
cricket when he overtook the previous
record-holder Shane Warne. He has also
the record of taking highest number of
international wickets in Tests, ODIs and
T20s combined (1347 wickets).
PV Sindhu
G
Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu
became one of the members of the
Badminton World Federation (BWF)
on May 24, 2017.
G
Before Sindhu, Saina Nehwal was
formal to a post to the commission.
G
Apart from Sindhu, Kirsty Gilmour of
Scotland was placed third with 103
votes and Lithuania's Akvile
Stapusaityte (25 votes) was the third
woman elected to the Commission.
G
Sindhu honored with Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna Award for badminton in
2016 and Arjuna Award for badminton
in 2013.
Anshu Jamsenpa
G
A 38-year-old Indian climber, made the
fastest double ascent of Mount Everest
and became the first woman to reach
the highest point on earth twice in five
days on May 21, 2017.
G
Indian mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa
has climbed the Mount Everest on May
16,2017, the 4th time in 6 years.
G
Jamsenpa earlier scaled Mount Everest
thrice. She conquered the peak twice
within 10 days between May 12 and
21, 2011, and made her third successful
attempt on May 18, 2013.
G
Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and
Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first
climbers to conquer Mount Everest.
Arjun Maini
G
India’s Arjun Maini created history by
becoming the first Indian driver to win
a GP3 race on May 14, 2017.
G
The Bengaluru driver, who was
announced as a development driver for
Haas F1 team, scored his first win in
two years, finishing six seconds ahead
of Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci and
teammate Alessio Lorandi of Italy. This
was the third time the Indian national
anthem played during an F1 weekend,
with the first two courtesy mentor
Karun Chandhok’s two wins in GP2.
113
Jhulan Goswami
G
Jhulan Goswami becomes the
highest wicket-taker in Women's
one-day internationals (ODI) on
May 9,2017.
G
She now has 181 wickets in 153
matches at an average of 21.76. She
achieved the feat during the ongoing
Women’s Quadrangular Series in
South Africa. She has broken the
world record held by Australia fast
bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick who has
taken 180 wickets. In 2010 she was
awarded the Arjun Award and in 2012
she received Padma Shri.
Pullela Gayatri
G
National badminton coach Pullela
Gopichand's daughter Gayatri
Pullela has bagged both the singles
and doubles crown at the
Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior
Grand Prix in Jakarta on April 16,
2017. Gayatri defeated her doubles
partner Samiya Farooqui by 21-11
18-21 21-16 to win the girls U-15
singles title.
G
Interestingly, both Gayatri and
Samiya train together at the Pullela
Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad.
SV Sunil
G
India forward SV Sunil was named
the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF)
Player of the Year for 2016 with
Harmanpreet Singh chosen as the
Promising Player of the Year in the
continental body’s annual awards on
March 31, 2017.
G
He regarded highly for his pace,
played a vital role in India’s
memorable run in last year’s
Champions Trophy in London, where
they claimed a silver for the first time.
G
He made his senior international
debut in the 2007 Asia Cup in
Chennai, the tournament that
India won. He was also a part of the
team that won the silver at the
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2008.
114 Current Affairs
Lionel Messi
G
Lionel Messi has been banned from
Argentina’s next four World Cup
qualifiers on March 30, 2017, starting
with game in Bolivia.
G
Messi was banned for ‘having directed
insulting words at an assistant referee’
during a home qualifier against Chile.
G
Messi and the Argentine soccer
federation can appeal against the ban
to FIFA. Messi was also fined 10000
Swiss francs ($ 10160).
Rafael Nadal
G
Rafael Nadal celebrated his 1000th
tour level match with a come-from-
behind victory over German veteran
Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the
fourth round of the Miami Open on
March 26, 2017.
G
Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam singles
titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in
singles, 28 titles in ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 events,and 17 ATP
World Tour 500 tournaments (a record
tied with Roger Federer).
G
He was also a member of the winning
Spain Davis Cup team in 2004, 2008,
2009, and 2011.
Shaun Tait
G
Shaun Tait, who bowled one of the
fastest balls ever recorded in Test
cricket for Australia against England
in 2010, has retired from the sport
aged 34 because of an elbow injury on
March 26, 2017.
G
He bowled with an unusual slinging
action, represented Australia in all
three formats, playing three Tests, 35
one-dayers and 21 Twenty20
internationals. He made his Test debut
against England during the 2005
Ashes series. He was most effective in
one-day internationals, taking 62
wickets at an average of 23.56.
Sachin Tendulkar
G
Indian cricketing legend Sachin
Tendulkar was announced as the
official Ambassador of Women’s
Cricket World Cup 2017 by the ICC,
on March 9, 2017.
G
Women’s participation in any sport is
really important. it has always been
'women for sport and sport for
women. Thus he extended all support
to them and advice them to enjoy
the competitiveness.
Half Yearly 2017
Luis Norton de Matos
G
The All India Football Federation
(AIFF) appointed Portugal’s Luis
Norton de Matos as the head coach
of the India U-17 team for the
FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled to
be held in October this year on
March 1, 2017.
G
In 1978, Norton de Matos moved
abroad and joined Standard Liège
in Belgium, helping the team to the
second position in the Belgian Pro
League in his second seasonand
adding the 1981 Belgian Cup.
G
He returned home and signed with
Portimonense SC, scoring a
career-best 12 goals in the 1981-82
campaign as the Algarve club
finished in sixth position.
G
Norton de Matos retired in June,
1987 at the age of 33 years and six
months, after spells with
Belenenses (two seasons) and CF
Estrela da Amadora (second level).
He gained five caps for Portugal, all
in 1982.
Sarah Coyte
G
Sarah Coyte, the South Australia
and Adelaide Strikers allrounder, is
seeking better balance in life after
announcing her retirement
from all forms of the game at the
age of 25. Her decision arrived a
year after she stepped down from
international duty with the
Southern Stars to combat mental
health issues.
G
In June, 2015, she was named as
one of Australia’s touring party for
the 2015 Women’s Ashes
in England.
R. Ashwin
G
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
added yet another feather to his
cap by becoming the highest
wicket-taker in a home Test season
on February 25, 2017.
G
He has taken 67 wickets from
10 Tests—the most in a home
season, surpassed legendary
allrounder and former India
captain Kapil Dev, who had 63
wickets from 13 matches in the
1979-80 season.
G
Ashwin recently became the fastest
to 250 Test wickets, going past
Dennis Lillee’s recrod of 48 Tests
by three matches.
John-John Dohmen/
Naomi Van
G
Belgium skipper John-John
Dohmen, who guided the team
to silver medal in last year’s Rio
Olympics, and Netherlands’
Naomi van As, who was part
of the Rio Olympics silver
medal-winning women’s team,
were adjudged the International
Hockey Federation (FIH) male
and female Player
of the Year on February 24, 2017.
G
It’s for the first time that a
ceremony was held to honour
the best outfield players,
goalkeepers, rising stars, coaches
and umpires by FIH.
G
There were two Indians in the
fray with Sreejesh among
nominees for the best goalkeeper
while 20-year-old Harmanpreet
Singh, who was part of the
junior World Cup-winning
squad, was a nominee in the
‘Rising Star of the Year’ category.
Shahid Afridi
G
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid
Afridi announced his retirement
from international cricket,
ending an illustrious and
sometimes controversial 21-year
career on February 20, 2017.
G
He had already quit Tests in 2010
and ODI cricket after the 2015
World Cup but still skippered the
Pakistan Twenty20 team at the
2016 world championships
in India.
G
He stepped down as captain after
the tournament although he
retained his slender hopes of
continuing his career in the
sport’s shortest format as
a player.
G
Afridi finishes his international
career having played just 27 Test
matches which yielded 1176 runs
with a highest score of 156 and
48 wickets.
G
He played 398 one-day
internationals with 8064 runs, a
highest score of 124, while
taking 395 wickets with his
leg spin.
G
His Twenty20 international
career saw him play 98 matches
with 1405 runs and 97 wickets.
Virat Kohli G
It was established in 1999 by
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
G
Virat Kohli became first Indian
founding patrons Daimler and
sportsperson to ink ` 100 crore deal
Richemont and supported by its
with Puma on February 19, 2017.
global partners Mercedes-Benz and
G
Kohli’s endorsement deal with the IWC Schaffhausen. The first
German company involves a fixed ceremony was held on May 25, 2000
payment and royalty depending on the in Monte Carlo.
brand’s business performance.
G
PUMA SE, branded as PUMA, is a Adam Voges
German multinational company that G
Australia batsman Adam Voges
designs and manufactures athletic and announced his retirement from
casual footwear, apparel and international cricket on February
accessories, headquartered in 13, 2017.
Herzogenaurach, Germany. G
He bows out with the second highest
Test average of all time behind
Kumar Sangakkara Australian great Sir Donald Bradman.
G
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar
G
Voges retires with an international
Sangakkara became the second Asian,
batting average of 61.87 from
after Mahela Jayawardene, and
31 innings. Bradman’s career
16th overall to feature in 1000 matches
average of 99.94 from 52 Tests is the
across all forms of the game.
best of all time.
G
Sangakkara achieved the feat after
G
He played for the Australian national
featuring for Karachi Kings against the
team at Test, One Day International
Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan
(ODI), and Twenty20 International
Super League.
(T20I) level, and is the current
G
Out of the 1000 matches, Sangakkara captain of Western Australia and
played 587 for the Sri Lankan team. Perth Scorchers in domestic cricket.
Nasir Jamshed Genzebe Dibaba
G
Batsman Nasir Jamshed suspended
from all forms of cricket for violating
the PCB anti-corruption code on
February 15, 2017.
G
The 27-year-old has played in two Tests,
48 one-day internationals and 18
Twenty20 matches for Pakistan.
G
In his debut against Zimbabwe, he
opened the batting and smashed 61 off
just 48 deliveries which saw him win
the ‘Man of the Match’ award.
G
In his second ODI, he hit 74 off 64 balls, G
Genzebe Dibaba has recorded the
becoming only third Pakistani to make fastest indoor 2000 m of all time on
consecutive half centuries in first and February 8, 2017.
second matches. G
She was the 2012 World Indoor
Champion for the 1500 m, and is the
Usain Bolt reigning 2014 World Indoor
G
World’s ‘greatest’ sprinter Usain Bolt
Champion and World Indoor Record
won the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ trophy Holder in the 3000 m.
for a record-equalling fourth time, while
G
She represented Ethiopia at the 2012
gymnast Simone Biles clinched the top Summer Olympics and has twice
honour in the women’s category at the
competed at the World
Laureus World Awards at a glittering Championships in Athletics (2009
ceremony on February 14, 2017.
and 2011).
G
The Laureus World Sports Awards is an G
She was highly successful as a junior
annual award ceremony honoring
(under-20) athlete, having won two
remarkable individuals from the world junior world cross country titles and
of sports along with the greatest
one world junior 5000 m gold medal.
sporting achievements throughout At the 2015 World Championships in
the year. Beijing (China).
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 115
G
She became World Champion in
1500 m as well as claiming the
bronze medal in the 5000 m event.
She was named Laureus
Sportswoman of the Year for the
2014 year alongside male winner
counterpart Novak Djokovic and
was 2015 IAAF World Athlete of
the Year.
MS Dhoni
G
MS Dhoni stepped down as the
captain of ODI and T20 cricket on
January 5, 2017. No other captain
has led his team in more
international matches (Tests, ODIs,
T20Is) than Dhoni 331. Ricky
Ponting is second with 324.
G
Under Dhoni’s leadership India
have won the ICC T20 World Cup in
2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in
2011, and ICC Champions Trophy in
2013 and let the team into the
semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup.
He reached the top of the Test
rankings in 2009.
Arthur Morris
G
Former Australia cricketer Arthur
Morris was inducted into the ICC
Hall of Fame by ex-skipper Steve
Waugh during the opening day of
the third Test between Australia
and Pakistan on January 4, 2017.
G
He became the 82nd player to be
inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame, was given the honour
posthumously. Sunil Gavaskar,
Bishan Bedi, Kapil Dev and Anil
Kumble are the Indians in the
elite list.
Li Xiaoxia
G
China’s table tennis Grand Slam
champion Li Xiaoxia announced her
retirement capping an illustrious
career that includes gold medal in
each of the World Cup, World
Championships, and Olympics on
January 3, 2017.
G
She helped China win the team
gold medal at the Rio Olympic
Games in 2016 when she also
finished the runner-up in the
singles event.
G
She is the eighth table tennis Grand
Slam winner in history with singles
crowns from the 2008 World Cup,
2012 London Olympics and 2013
world championships.
116 Current Affairs
Notebook
World Taekwondo
Federation Changed
its Name
G
The World Taekwondo Federation
changed its name to World
Taekwondo on June 25, 2017.
G
The launch of a new logo reflects a
“commitment to evolving and
adapting to remain relevant with
today’s modern audiences”. The body
was called the World Taekwondo
Federation since 1973.
Afghanistan and Ireland
Granted Test Status
by ICC
G
Ireland and Afghanistan have been
granted Test status by the
International Cricket Council (ICC)
after becoming 11th and 12th full ICC
members on June 23, 2017.
G
They are the first admissions since
Bangladesh gained Test status in
2000, increasing the number of
countries competing at the top level
of international cricket to 12.
No ICC World T20
in 2018
G
ICC has decided to cancel the World
T20 in 2018 on June 19, 2017 due to
the busy bilateral schedule and lack
of sponsors’ interest. 2018 World T20
has been pushed to 2020. However,
the venue is yet to be decided.
G
The previous ICC World T20s was
been held in India in 2016 which was
won by West Indies
India’s Women Cricketers
Sets New World Record
G
The partnership of Deepti Sharma and
Poonam Raut scored 320 in 45.3 overs
to become the world’s first pair, to
achieve a 300-run opening-wicket
partnership in One-Day Internationals
(ODIs) on May 15, 2017.
G
The earlier best partnership for the
first wicket in men’s cricket was 286
scored by Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga
and Sanath Jayasuriya against
England in 2006.
G
Deepti Sharma’s 188 runs is now the
second highest score in women’s
one-day International.
Half Yearly 2017
22nd Asian Athletics
Championship Logo &
Mascot Unveiled
G
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik opened
up the logo and mascot on May 7,
2017 for the 22nd Asian Athletics
Championship to be held at Kalinga
Stadium here from July 6 to 9,2017.
G
The logo depicts an athlete crossing
the finishing line with historical
tourist attractions of Odisha and the
mascot is named OLLY that
represents the famous Olive Ridley
sea turtle.
G
More than 700 athletes from nearly
45 countries would participate in 42
sports events during the four-day
sports extravaganza.
G
First Asian Athletics Championships
was held in 1973.
G
It is organized by the Asian
Athletics Association.
ICC Hikes Women’s
World Cup Prize-Money
G
The ICC has approved a tenfold
increase in prize-money for the
Women's World Cup 2017 on May
5, 2017, with $2 million up for grabs
at the tournament, which begins in
England in June, 2017.
G
At the 2013 Women's World
Cup, which was won by
Australia, the total prize fund was
$ 200,000.
G
The ICC also announced that,
for the first time in the event's
history, every match of the
Women's World Cup would be
broadcast either on television or
live-streamed.
G
As part of the broadcast, the
Decision Review system (DRS)
will be introduced into women's
cricket for the first time.
India Ranked 100th in
FIFA Rankings
G
The Indian men’s national football
team entered the top 100 of the
FIFA world rankings on May 4,
2017 after 21 years.
G
The last time India were in the top
100 was in 1996, with the 94th
spot in February of that year being
the country’s best ever FIFA
ranking.
G
India are now placed in the 100th
spot alongside Nicaragua,
Lithuania and Estonia, and are
ranked 11th among the countries
affiliated to the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC).
Mascots for World
Championship
G
Nine year old Elinor from the West
Midlands have been chosen as
mascots for the upcoming IAAF
World Championships and World
Para Athletics on April 20, 2017.
G
Hero the Hedgehog' and 'Whizbee
the Bee' were chosen from over
4000 entries in a competition.
G
They are endangered species and
are survivors. Bees are really
important because they make the
world go around and hedgehogs
are determined and brave.
Asian Games 2022 to
have Video Gaming as
Full Sport
G
Video gaming will be featured as a
full sport at the 2022 Asian Games,
with competitors in electronic
sports set to receive medals for
their digital prowess.
G
According to the Olympic Council
of Asia (OCA), it will introduce
e-sports to the official program of
the Asian Games at Hangzhou,
China. It will also be a
demonstration sport at the 2018
Asian Games in Palembang,
Indonesia.
G
Asian Games, also known as
Asiad, is a pancontinental
multi-sport event, which is
considered as the second-biggest
sporting competition in the world
after the Olympics in the number
of athletes involved. The first
Asian Games was held in 1951 in
New Delhi, India.
Some Events Removed NBA Launched Basketball
from Asian Games 2018 School in Mumbai
G
Some of the sports to miss out from G
National Basketball Association
the programme list of the Asian announced the setting up of its first
Games 2018 in Jakarta and basketball school, a network of
Palembang is cricket. The news was tuition-based basketball
confirmed on April 22, 2017. development programmes, in
G
Apart from cricket, skateboarding, Mumbai on April 7, 2017.
sambo and surfing are among the G
The school, as part of a multi-year
other sports which have been removed agreement announced today with
from the programme in order to India On Track (IOT), is open to
reduce the burden on Indonesian male and female players between
organisers. ages 6-18.
G
This measure was taken as a part of G
The school's curriculum has been
the series of changes aimed at developed by the NBA's Elite
reducing the total number of events Basketball Development team in
from 493 to 431. Kurash and belt consultation with current and former
wrestling events have been omitted NBA coaches, former NBA players,
from the list. and player development experts.
G
The Asian Games also known as Asiad
.The Games were regulated by the Tamil Nadu became First
Asian Games Federation (AGF) from State to Win all BCCI
the first Games in New Delhi, India, Senior Trophies
until the 1978 Games.
Boxing Federation of India
Granted Affiliation by
Indian Olympic Association
G
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
has granted affiliation to the Boxing
Federation of India (BFI), ending a
long- standing impasse between the
two bodies on April 10, 2017.
G
The IOA had initially refused to grant
G
Tamil Nadu has became the first
recognition to BFI stating that it still
State to win all BCCI senior trophies
considered the now-defunct Indian
after winning the Deodhar Trophy
Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) as
on March 31, 2017.
the official national body for the sport.
G
Tamil Nadu State, which has won
G
With this, the BFI now becomes the
the Ranji Trophy in the year 1987-88,
fully recognised body for Indian
also won the Vijay Hazare Trophy in
boxing, having already been granted
the year 2017, making the state
affiliation by AIBA and the Sports
five-time winners in the tournament.
Ministry.
G
Tamil Nadu has won the Irani Cup
in the year of 1988-89 and the Syed
India Rise to 101 in FIFA
Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the year
Ranking of 2007-08.
G
The Indian football team achieved its
best-ever FIFA ranking in over two Odisha to Host Men’s
decades as it jumped to 101 in the
latest list released on April 6, 2017.
Hockey World Cup in 2018
Following a couple of wins in recent
G
Odisha’s capital city Bhubaneshwar
times, India are now ranked 11th in is set to host the men’s hockey
Asia. World Cup in 2018 and the World
League final in 2017 at
G
The highest FIFA ranking achieved by
Kalinga Stadium.
India ever is 94, which was attained in
February, 1996. India were ranked 99
G
Bhubaneswar has already
in November, 1993 and 100 in successfully hosted the eight-nation
October, 1993, December, 1993 and Champions Trophy men’s hockey
April 1996. tournament in 2014.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 117
BCCI got New Constitution
G
Indian cricket’s one-time power
centre Mumbai has lost its
permanent voting status as per the
new Constitution of the Indian
Cricket Board finalised by the COA
appointed by the Supreme Court of
India on March 18, 2017.
G
Predictably all the North Eastern
States including Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim have
been granted full membership and
voting rights as recommended in
Lodha Panel reforms. Uttarakhand,
Telangana are also full members now.
G
Accordingly the AGM of BCCI will
have to be conducted by
September 30 every year and the
Apex Council will go for election in
every three years.
G
The Apex Council will be primarily
responsible for the governance of
affairs in BCCI. The Apex Council
shall comprise of 9 members with
five elected—President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Joint
Secretary and Treasurer.
G
The day-to-day affairs of BCCI are
set to be managed by the CEO with
six full time managers at
his disposal. The criteria for national
selection committee remained same
with Chairman entitled to have a
casting vote.
CAS Tribunal Upholds
Lifetime Ban on Russian
Doping Doctor
G
The CAS upheld a lifetime ban levied
against Sergei Portugalov, former
Chief of the Russian Athletics
Federation’s Medical Commission, for
his role in providing illicit substances
to Russian athletes on March 13, 2017.
G
Lausanne-based CAS upheld the ban
as part of an arbitration involving
the IAAF and the Russian Athletics
Federation, citing in a statement
‘clear evidence’ that he violated
IAAF doping rules governing
possession and trafficking of
prohibited substances.
G
In a 2015 report, the WADA wrote
that Portugalov supplied
performance enhancing drugs to
athletes and coaches, administered
doping programmes and ‘even
injected athletes himself’.
118 Current Affairs
India to Host Women’s
Youth World Boxing
Championship
G
India will host the World Women’s
Youth Boxing Championship in
November this year—the first major
international event to be held in the
country since 2010.
G
In 2010, India had hosted the
Commonwealth Championships
followed by the Commonwealth Games.
The country has not hosted a major
boxing event since then, primarily
because of the administrative turmoil
that gripped the sport in 2012. The
International Boxing Academy could be
set-up in Delhi itself at the IG Stadium.
India to Host 2019 Combined
World Cup for Shooting
G
India will host the Combined World
Cup for shooting in 2019, a qualifying
event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on
February 21, 2017.
G
Combined World Cup comprises all the
three categories (shotgun, rifle and
pistol), and at stake in the 2019 edition
will be a number of quota places for the
Tokyo games.
G
The National Rifle Association of India’s
(NRAI) bid was approved by the
International Shooting Sport
Federation’s Executive Board.
Official Mascot Unveiled for
FIFA U-17 World Cup
India 2017
G
The FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017,
the Official Mascot of the tournament
was revealed on February 9, 2017.
G
The young and charismatic face of the
FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, a
clouded leopard called Kheleo, was
introduced to hundreds of fans and
media representatives.
G
The clouded leopard is a vulnerable wild
cat whose habitat extends from the
Himalayan foothills to mainland
South-East Asia.
Half Yearly 2017
Russia Banned from
London World
Athletics Championships
G
Russia will miss August’s
World Athletics Championships
in London after their doping ban
was extended on February 6,
2017.
G
So far in 2017, 35 Russian
athletes have applied to compete
as neutral athletes in
international competition.
G
Russia has been barred from
international competition since
November, 2015 following a
damaging report alleging that
State-sponsored doping was rife
in the country.
India to Host World
Billiards Championship
for Next Four Years
G
India will host the World
Billiards Championship for the
next four years, the Billiards and
Snoooker Federation of India
(BSFI) announced on February 5,
2017.
G
The premier event was held in
Bengaluru last year when
champion cueist Pankaj Advani
had triumphed in the 150-UP
format beating Peter Gilchrist
of Singapore.
India’s First Sports
Museum Opened
in Kolkata
G
Sports Museum opened to the
public in Kolkata on January 28,
2017.
G
Perhaps the first-of-its-kind
venture in the country, the
museum will display
memorabilia from cricket,
hockey, football and the
Olympics and Paralympics.
G
It is Inaugurated by stalwarts
(cricketers Sourav Ganguly and
Sachin Tendulkar, Olympic gold
winning shooter Abhinav Bindra,
shot put athlete Deepa Malik and
javelin thrower Devendra
Jhajharia) the museum boasts on
an impressive collection
painstakingly gathered by cricket
historian Boria Majumdar for
over 25 years.
 G

STATE It is celebrated for seven days and the farmers sow the fields for

SCENE
cultivation of paddy. Rice is the most important for farmers during
the festival. Dishes like pitha, larus (traditional food made of rice
and coconut) and jolpan are prepared on the day to get the
quintessence of the season.

Assam Budget for 2017-18

G
The Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the State
Budget for the session 2017-18 in the State Assembly on February 7,
2017. The budget was based on the theme ‘Resurgent Assam’.
G
As per the Minister the State Budget 2017-18 was ` 2349.79 crore
deficit Budget. The budget presented merged Plan and Non-Plan
expenditures. The government has redefined the role of Planning &
Development Department.
G
The department has been rechristened to the Department for
Development and Transformation of Assam (DDTA). The Budget
Estimates of 2017-18, proposes to have a receipt of ` 84732.16 crore
under consolidated fund of the State. Out of this, ` 70719.61 crore is
on Revenue account and ` 14012.55 crore is under Capital account.
G
The Assam government led by Sarbananda Sonowal, has proposed
to bring appropriate legislation to ensure that students of the State
must be taught one local language as inscribed in the 8th Schedule
of the Constitution of India, by all schools including public,
government, private up to Class 8. The government also aims to fill
vacant posts of Sanskrit teachers soon.
G
The budget has proposed to increase Other Backward Class (OBC)
reservation in the higher educational institutions from 15-29%. The
government proposed to provide two wheeler to top 1000 girl
students in 10+2 examinations in 2017.
G
The budget has proposed to introduce zero interest crop loans for
farmers. They would get 100% interest subvention on agricultural
loans up to ` 1 lakh. Besides, the budget has proposed to provide
` 3000 per inactive Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) as one time cash
incentive to increase the flow of credit to farmers.
G
The budget has proposed to give ` 5000 to each tea garden worker
in his or her bank account. ` 287 allocated for this. It also proposes
to set up Pravasi Asomiya Department. Each pregnant woman of
garden areas would be given a one-time payment of ` 12000.

Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana

Launched in Assam
The Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY)
Assam
G

launched in Assam on February 5, 2017.

Bihu Celebrated
G
The Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana is a mega
mission with a financial outlay of ` 30000 crore will be
G
One of the most auspicious and chief festivals
implemented in all the villages in Assam in the next five years
of Assam, Bihu celebrated on April 14, 2017.
culminating in 2021-22.
G
It derived from the word bishu, it means “to G
It has been aimed at bringing in revolutionary changes by doubling
ask for prosperity from the Gods during the
the farm income in the State. This scheme is launched in a move to
harvesting season.
bring about paradigm shift towards holistic development of villages
G
The three sets of festivals are: Rangali or Bohag in Assam.
Bihu celebrated as the Assamese new year G
Under the Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana
festival in April, Kangali or Kati Bihu celebrated
(CMSGUY) five teams will be constituted in each block to work as a
as a season of short supplies in October, and
catalyst to implement different missions of the programme. These
Bhogali or Magh Bihu celebrated to add flavour
teams will prepare development plans for them to be implemented
with special dishes in January.
in each village.
Two-day Assam Biotech
Conclave Began
G
The two-day Assam Biotech Conclave
began in Guwahati on January 4, 2017.
G
Then conclave was organised by
Guwahati Biotech Park in association
with industry body FINER.
G
This conclave will bring together the
policy makers, Industry professionals,
Investment bankers and academicians
to deliberate the latest trends in
this sector.
G
The conclave will create business and
partnering opportunities for its
stakeholders and to showcase the
facilities and opportunities offered by
Guwahati Biotech Park.
Andaman and
Nicobar Islands
Passenger-cum-Cargo
Vessels
G
Cochin Shipyard Ltd is constructing
four passenger-cum cargo vessels for
Andaman & Nicobar Administration
under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of
government of India.
G
As per orders placed by the A&N
Administration on May 12, 2017, two of
these vessels will have a capacity of 500
persons-cum-150 tonne cargo and the
remaining two will have a capacity of
1200 persons-cum-1000 tonne cargo.
G
The construction of the larger set of
vessels with 1200 passenger capacity
will start in June, 2017. These vessels
will ply between mainland and the
islands and will also be capable of
making international voyages.
Andaman’s First Film
Festival Held
G
The first-ever film festival of Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, ‘Indian
Panorama’, has begun here with the
screening of short film Three of US
directed by Umesh Kulkarni on
February 15, 2017.
G
Gandhi the Mahatma, a film by
Naresh Chander Lal, Aamir
Khan-starrer Three Idiots, Mani
Ratnam’s Raavan, Golden Peacock
winner Maner Manush by Gautam
Ghosh and documentaries Rupban by
Supriyo Sen are being screened at
the festival.
120 Current Affairs
Launched Scheme
Arunachal Pradesh to Check Infant
Arunachal Pradesh Mortality
Government Launched e-Inner G
Arunachal Pradesh launched
Line Permit Programme ‘Dulari Kanya’, a special
scheme to check infant
G
Chief Minister Pema Khandu has
mortality in the State, on the
launched a web portal ‘arunachalilp.com’
on July 2, 2017 to assist visitors to apply occasion of the
for and obtain the mandatory ILP, online 68th Republic Day on
from anywhere in the country. January 25, 2017.
G
Under which the
G
The e-Inner Line Permit (eILP)
government will
programme is a digital step for hassle-free
entry of domestic visitors to the State. deposit ` 20000 in the bank
account
G
Currently, there are 3 States (Arunachal
of a girl child, born in any
Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland) have a government hospital.
provision of Inner Line permit.
G
It would be paid along with
the accrued interest after she
Launched Scheme
attains 18 years of her age.
to Check Infant Mortality
G
Arunachal Pradesh launched ‘Dulari Budget for 2017-18
Kanya’, a special scheme to check infant G
The Finance Minister
mortality in the State, on the occasion of Chowna Mein presented a
the 68th Republic Day on February 27, ` 285 crore deficit budget for
2017. the 2017-18 fiscal with
G
Governor V. Shanmuganathan launched major thrust on women
the scheme, under which the government empowerment,
will deposit ` 20000 in the bank account infrastructure development
of a girl child, born in any government and law and order on
hospital. It would be paid along with the March 10, 2017.
accrued interest after she attains 18 years G
The Gross State Domestic
of her age. Product (GSDP) was
G
It would not only arrest infant mortality estimated to be ` 21414
but also keep a track of all pregnant crore in 2016-17.
mothers, so that they avail of pre-natal G
The share of central taxes
and ante-natal care in the government have grown from the actual
health centres and go for receipt of ` 7075.58 crore in
institutional deliveries. 2015-16 to ` 8388.3 crore in
the revised estimates
Sparsh Leprosy Awareness of 2016-17.
Campaign Launched G
The States own tax revenue
G
Along with rest of the country, ‘Sparsh’ in the revised estimates of
leprosy awareness campaign was launched 2016-17 is ` 650.63 crore as
in Arunachal Pradesh on January 30, against the actual receipt of
2017. ` 535.07 crore in 2015-16,
G
The programme aims at intensifying growing at 21.59%.
leprosy detection through community G
The non-tax revenue receipt
participation and treatment of the disease in the revised estimates of
at early stages besides eradicating the 2016-17 is estimated at
social stigma associated with it. ` 506.79 crore as against an
G
Leprosy is an infectious disease that actual collection of ` 392.12
causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and crore in 2015-16, showing a
nerve damage in the arms and legs. growth of 29%.
G
Although, the disease has been eliminated G
In the budget estimate of
at the national level, there are still some 2017-18, the State was
districts and blocks which are projecting a revenue receipt
continuously reporting Leprosy cases with of ` 14599 crore and a
PR (Prevalence Rate >1/10000 capital receipt of ` 1436.75
population). crore.
Half Yearly 2017

Andhra Pradesh
Implementation of India’s
First Rural LED Street
Lighting Project in
Andhra Pradesh
G
India’s first-ever Rural LED Street
Lighting Project will be implemented
by the government of India (GoI) in
Gram Panchayats of 7 districts in
Andhra Pradesh (AP).
G
This is the first project for rural LED
street lighting in the country under
the GoI’s Street Lighting National
Project (SLNP).
G
This replacement drive in rural areas
will help the gram panchayats to save
approximately 147 million units of
electricity annually and lead to
reduction of 12 crore tonne of CO2.
G
The entire capital cost of this project
is being funded by French
Development Agency AFD.
CM Relaunched
Adarana Scheme
G
Addressing the 191st birth anniversary
of social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao
Phule, being celebrated for the first
time as a State function. modern tools,
technology, marketing, and financial
support would be extended to artisans
and those pursuing traditional
occupations to raise their income
levels and provide employment in the
rural areas.
G
Reiterating his resolve for the uplift
and all-round development of people
belonging to the Backward Classes,
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu
announced the re-launch of ‘Adarana’,
a scheme for improving traditional
occupations on April 12, 2017.
ESIC Launched Mobile
Clinic Services in Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana
G
The Employees’ State Insurance
Corporation (ESIC) launched
Mobile Clinic Services for the
States of Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana on March 25, 2017.
G
Each mobile clinic will have a
vehicle with a doctor, pharmacist,
attendant, driver and the necessary
equipment and medicines.
G
The vehicle will visit two locations
in a day for three hours each and
do basic investigations. Each
location will be covered twice in
a week.
G
There are 4.30 crore workers in the
construction sector and out of
them 1.80 crore workers have
been registered.
Budget for 2017-18
G
Andhra Pradesh presented nearly
` 1.57 lakh crore budget for
2017-18, the first after moving the
State capital from Hyderabad to
Amaravati on March 14, 2017.
G
The Finance Minister Y.
Ramakrishnudu proposed total
expenditure at ` 1.57 lakh crore, an
increase of 15.71% over the
previous year.
G
This comprised revenue
expenditure of ` 1.26 lakh crore
and capital expenditure of ` 31087
crore.
G
The estimated revenue deficit is
around ` 416 crore and the fiscal
deficit is estimated at around
` 23054 crore, 0.05% and 3% of the
GSDP respectively.
G
The State allocated ` 9091 crore
constituting 5.79% of total
budgetary allocation to agriculture
and allied sectors, ` 19565 crore to
rural development which is 12.46%
of total budgetary allocation, and
` 12770 crore to irrigation sector
comprising 8.13 of total
budgetary allocation.
G
The allocation for industries
department has been hiked by
113% to ` 2086 crore. He proposed
` 20384 crore for general education
and ` 765 crore for technical
education. He allocated ` 11361
crore for welfare.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Mizoram
Mizoram Government
Launched Scheme for
Better Treatment of
HIV-Hit People
G
The Mizoram Health Minister Lal
Thanzara launched the ‘Test and
Treat Strategy’ of the Mizoram
State AIDS Control Society
(MSACS) on June 23, 2017 to
improve treatment for HIV affected
people
in the State.
G
The Test and Treat Strategy is a new
initiative of the Centre to combat
the HIV/AIDS disease.
G
Anti RetroviraTherapy (ART) has
been found to be able to resist TB
and other bacterial diseases.
Bihar
Bihar CM Dedicated Two
Road Bridges
G
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
dedicated two road bridges over the
Ganga to the people of the State on
June 11, 2017.
G
Nitish Kumar dedicated the bridges
namely Sonepur-Digha and Ara-
Chapra, by pressing the button of
remote control at a function in the
State capital attended by RJD
supremo Lalu Prasad and others.
G
The two bridges will go a long way
in improving road connectively
between South and North Bihar.
Became Second State to
Pass GST Bill
G
The Bihar Goods and Services Tax
(GST) Bill, 2017, was passed by the
bicameral State Legislature on April
24,2017, making Bihar the second
State after Telangana to adopt the
new tax reforms.
G
Bihar was also the second State in
the country, after Assam, to rectify
the constitutional amendment Bill.
G
Bihar Legislative Assembly and
Legislative Council unanimously
adopted the Bihar Goods and
Service Tax (GST) Bill, 2017 along
with Bihar Taxation (Amendment)
Bill, 2017.
121
Budget for 2017-18
G
The Bihar government presented a
` 1.60 lakh crore budget for 2017-18 on
February 27, 2017 with no proposals of
any fresh tax. Finance Minister Abdul
Bari Siddqiui presenting a revenue
surplus budget of ` 14555.59 crore in
the State Assembly.
Highlights
G
The State’s fiscal deficit has been
estimated at ` 18112 crore, which is
2.87% of the Gross State Domestic
Product (GSDP) estimated at
` 632180.00 crore.
G
The outstanding public debt is
estimated at ` 123104.09 crore in
2017-18 which is 19.47% of GSDP of
` 632180 crore.
G
The key departments of education,
rural development, rural works, energy,
health and road construction got a
major thrust in the State’s budget.
G
Education got the highest budgetary
allocation of ` 25251.39 crore against
the allocation of ` 21897.02 crore in
2016-17, followed by energy which was
allocated ` 10905.03 crore for 2017-18.
G
The health department’s allocation too
was reduced to ` 7001.52 crore in
2017-18 from ` 8234.70 crore of
2016-17, the budget document said.
G
The estimated revenue receipts of state
government have been put at
` 137158.41 crore in 2017-18 which is
` 12568.17 crore more than
` 124590.24 crore for 2016-17.
Government Introduced
Third Gender Category in
School Exams
G
For the first time since the Supreme
Court recognised transgender people as
a third gender in 2014, as many as
18 students in Bihar allowed to appear
for the Board exams conducted by the
Bihar School Examination Board
(BSEB) under the third-gender
category on February 3, 2017.
G
In March, 2016, the Bihar government
had said, it would positively consider
the demand for giving financial
assistance to those wanting to change
their sex by medical intervention.
G
According to board officials, 10
third-gender students will be taking
the class 12 exams and eight would be
writing the class 10 exams.
122 Current Affairs
Tamil Nadu
India’s First Ornamental
Fish Park
G
India's first Aquatic Rainbow
Technology Park will
become started at Chennai within
coming three months. The news
came up on
May 17, 2017.
G
This park will be an ultra modern
exclusive facility for ornamental
fish and live feed culture units.
G
This facility was developed by
Fisheries College and Research
Institute (FCRI), Ponneri in Tamil
Nadu.
G
Tamil Nadu is the second largest
exporter of ornamental fish after
West Bengal.
Delhi
Rajendar Pal Gautam,
Kailash Gehlot Inducted
into Delhi Cabinet
G
The President ‘Pranab Mukherjee’
has approved the appointment of
two ministers ‘Rajendar Pal
Gautam’ and ‘Kailash Gehlot’ on
May 19, 2017 to the cabinet of
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal.
G
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi
‘Anil Baijal’ administrated them
the oath as minister in a ceremony
at Raj Niwas in New Delhi. As per
the rules, the Delhi government
has to take permission of the
Centre before carrying out any
expansion in its Cabinet.
G
The depantments of both ministers
is an fallow Rajendar Pal Gautam -
Tourism, Art and Culture, Water,
Social welfare, SC/ST, Gurudwara
Elections, Languages. Kailash
Gahlot - Transport, IT,
Administrative Reform, Law, and
Justice.
Half Yearly 2017
India’s First-Ever
Micro-Drama Festival
Held
G
With the longest play running for
not more than 10 minutes to the
shortest one ending in 42 seconds,
India's first ever micro-drama
festival was held on April 8, 2017.
G
It named after Thespis of Icaria,
believed to be the first actor in
Greek drama (6th century BC), the
day-long event 'Thespis' saw
screening of 28 independent plays
at the Indira Gandhi National
Centre for the Art.
G
Organised by theatre group
'Vriksh', the festival marks the
debut of the micro-drama concept
in India.
Budget for 2017-18
G
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
government presented a
` 48000-crore tax-free budget for
Delhi for 2017-18, with focus on
improving education, transport,
health and water distribution on
March 7, 2017.
G
The lion’s share of the allocation
has been earmarked for education,
at ` 11300 crore, about 24% of the
total Budget, against ` 10690 crore
last year.
G
The AAP government, which
initiated ‘Mohalla Clinics’ to pep
up public health services, has also
set aside ` 5736 crore for the
health sector.
G
For the water sector and Yamuna
cleaning, ` 2100 crore has been
allocated, while ` 3100 crore has
been set aside for urban
development.
G
The power sector has been
allocated ` 2194 crore, with thrust
on solar energy and
waste-to-energy plants.
G
For the Delhi Metro, a sum of
` 1156 crore has been allocated for
phase four, while ` 100 crore has
been earmarked for developing bus
terminals and depots. The
government also proposes to buy
582 new coaches for Delhi Metro.
G
According to Delhi’s Economic
Survey, the national capital’s
economic growth is likely to slow
down to 8.26% during 2016-17,
from 8.82% last year.
Government Approved
around 37% Hike in
Minimum Wages
G
The Delhi government approved an
around 37% hike in the minimum
wages for unskilled, semi-skilled
and skilled persons in the national
capital on February 26, 2017.
G
The minimum wages for unskilled
persons will be ` 13350 per month
against the existing ` 9724 per
month.
G
For semi-skilled and skilled
persons, it will increase from
` 10764 to ` 14698 and from
` 11830 to ` 16182 per month,
respectively.
G
The minimum wages used to be
decided on the basis of three
points—housing, clothing and food.
But the committee, which held
seven meetings, has also included
education, electricity and fuel
considering their market prices.
Government Unveiled
‘Good Samaritan Policy’
G
The government approved ‘Good
Samaritan Policy’ under which
monetary incentive of ` 2000 and
appreciation certificate will be given
to people who help road accident
victims in the national capital on
January 6, 2017.
G
The scheme is intended to
encourage people to take accident
victims in emergency situation to
hospitals so that someone’s life
could be saved.
G
Mumbai had the highest number of
23468 number of road accidents
during 2015 while Delhi had the
highest number of 1622 deaths due
to road accidents, according to the
‘Road Accidents in India’ report
unveiled in June last year by Road
Transport and Highways Ministry.
Goa
Bans Thin Plastic Bags to
Tackle Garbage
G
The Goa government has decided
on June 1, 2017 to ban buying and
selling of plastic bags below 50
microns from July, 2017.
G
The Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar
announced the law will be
implemented starting with fine of
` 500 and then the fine will be
subsequently raised to ` 5000
depending upon the success.
G
Thin plastic has a tendency to cause
flooding by chocking drains, and can
easily travel by wind and water in flood
planes, thus increasing the flooding of
public places during rains.
First State to Send
Postal Ballots Via
Electronic Mode
G
Goa became the first State in the
country to opt for electronic
transmission of postal ballot to
service voters in the upcoming
assembly polls on January 23, 2017.
G
The returning officers will transfer
the postal ballots to service voters by
electronic means so that the service
voters can download it, fill it and
send it via e-mail to returning officer.
Goa has 822 service voters who are
either in the defence, para-military
forces or on diplomatic missions.
Gujarat
Final Raising of Sardar
Sarovar Dam Cleared by
Narmada Control Authority
G
Narmada Control Authority (NCA)
under the Chairmanship of
‘Dr. Amarjit Singh’ has cleared the
final raising of Sardar Sarovar Dam
(SSD) in Gujarat on June 18, 2017
by lowering of gates and impounding
of water in the reservoir up to its
Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of EL
138.68 m.
G
Now, the effective height of SSD
remained at EL 121.92 m with
backwater levels of EL 134.32 m at
dam site and the live storage capacity
would increase (267%) from 1565 to
5740 MCM.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
G
The clean (hydro-power generation)
would increase by present 1300 MW
to 1450 MW with an increase in
annual generation by about 1100
Million Units.
G
The Environment Sub-group has
also suggested the State
governments to complete leftover
works by June 30, 2017.
Assembly Passed Animal
Preservation Bill 2017
G
The Gujarat Animal Preservation Bill
2017 was passed by the majority
votes in the absence of opposition
member States on March 31, 2017.
G
The minimum jail term for illegal
ferrying of cows for slaughter has
been raised from 7 to 10 years
against the current provision of 3 to
7 years. Monetary penalty has also
been increased from ` 50000-1 lakh.
G
Further, the proposed amendment
bill also allows police to acquire the
forfeited vehicles seized for illegal
ferrying of cattle. Earlier, the police
had to release the vehicles after six
months of filing the FIR. The
proposed amendment bill also
makes offences under the act
cognizable and non-bailable.
Budget for 2017-18
G
The government presented a
populist budget in the election year,
with a slew of welfare initiatives and
no new taxes on February 21, 2017.
G
The Finance Minister Nitin Patel
presented the budget for 2017-18 in
the Assembly with overall layout of
` 172179 crore, which is ` 20327
crore more than last year.
G
The budget has overall surplus of
` 239.16 crore while the revenue
surplus is estimated at ` 6065.60 crore.
G
Of the total outlay of ` 172179 crore,
` 103498.49 crore has been
earmarked for developmental
expenditure while 66969 crore
allocated for non-developmental
expenditure.
G
The Agriculture, irrigation and rural
development will get the highest
share of 21.88% in the
developmental expenditure, followed
by education and sports (21.17%),
water supply, housing and urban
development (16.72%) and energy,
industry and minerals (10.42%).
123
Government Launched
Student Startup
Innovation Policy
G
The government has launched a new
Student Startup Innovation Policy
for students on January 9, 2017. The
government will provide financial
help of ` 200 for the innovative Ideas
propose by students.
G
The Student Startup Innovation
Policy aims to provide assistant to
around 1000 ideas or projects in a
year and will also provide
legal/paper work support to
students in all the universities in
Gujarat State.
G
By this policy, students will work on
innovative ideas that are beneficial for
the society instead of their rat-race
academic projects. Students can turn
their Proof of Concept (PoC) into a
MVC.
Gujarat Summit 2017
Concluded
G
8th edition of Vibrant Gujarat
Summit (VGS) concluded on
January 13, 2017 in Gujarat.
G
It focused on a series of Business-
to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-
Government(B2G) meetings.
G
It attracted maximum interest
include urban development (14
meetings), information technology
(12), agriculture (11), skill
development (8), AYUSH (8), clean
energy (8), healthcare (7) and oil &
sas (6 meetings).
Haryana
Haryana and Uttarakhand
Become Open Defecation
Free States
G
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission
Uttarakhand and Haryana have
become on June 22, 2017 the fourth
and fifth Open Defecation-free
States of India.
G
The two States have joined the
league of c, which were the first
three States to be declared open
defecation-free.
G
The Swachh Bharat campaign
was officially launched on October
2, 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
124 Current Affairs
Haryana CM Launched
Immunisation Campaign
G
Haryana Chief Minister ‘Manohar Lal’
has launched the immunisation
campaign on July 2, 2017 from
Gurugram by administering polio
drops to the children of age 0-5 years.
G
The Campaign is being carried out in
13 districts of the State.
G
The 451 transit teams have been
formed in each district of the State to
achieve the target of covering all
children in the slum areas and brick
kilns.
Government Announced
Every House to get Smart
ID
G
Under a special mission announced on
May 8, 2017 in Haryana, every house
will be allotted a smart house ID. The
project was announced by Haryana's
Chief Secretary, DS Dhesi.
G
The smart house ID would be
generated through a tablet by visiting
every house.
G
The work is expected to start from
June 15, 2017 and end by August 15,
2017.
G
During the survey, Aadhaar cards
would be made for those who don't
own one and bank accounts will be
opened for those who have no
account.
G
The unemployed youth would be
provided employment through this
survey under Saksham Yojana.
Government to Offer Meals
at Subsidised
Rates for Workers
G
The Haryana government has decided
on May 6, 2017 to open canteens
offering meals at subsidised rates to
registered construction workers under
the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).
G
The Quality meals would be served in
these canteens between 8 am and 2
pm. Mobile food vans will be started
at 23 convenient sites which have
large number of workers.
G
The AAY is a government of India
sponsored scheme to provide highly
subsidised food to millions of the
poorest families. AAY was launched by
the government on December 25,
2000 and first implemented in the
Indian state of Rajasthan.
Half Yearly 2017
Government Launched
Mobile App Kilkari
G
The National Health Mission
(NHM) in Haryana launched a
mobile-based application to create
awareness among pregnant
women, parents and health
workers on the importance of ante
and post natal care, institutional
delivery and immunisation on April
22,2017.
G
The application, Kilkari, was
launched during the concluding
day of the State-level Orientation
Workshop that began at the State
Institute of Health and Family
Welfare.
G
From the second trimester of
pregnancy till the child is
one-year-old, the application will
deliver 72 time appropriate audio
messages to registered mobile
numbers on pregnancy, child and
childbirth care every week.
Budget for 2017-18
G
The Finance Minister proposed a
budget of ` 102329.35 crore, which
is an increase of ` 9041.59 or
13.18% from the last budget.
G
The budget comprises 21.88% as
capital expenditure of ` 2393.52
crore and 78.12% as revenue
expenditure if ` 79935.84 crore.
G
No new taxes introduced by the
Finance Minister. The State
government has further decided to
make bio-diesel bio diesel (B-100)
and solar devices and parts used in
installation of solar power projects
tax-free by exempting them from
the levy of VAT.
G
Agriculture and allied sectors
(including Irrigation, Cooperation
and Rural Electrification subsidy)
 are to receive ` 4963.09 crore while
` 15546.65 crore has been proposed for
the education sector.
G
The Health and Family Welfare sector
has been allocated an amount of
` 3839.90 crore. ` 399.88 crore has been
earmarked for development of
Industries and Minerals. ` 6859.55 crore
has been proposed for Social Welfare,
Women and Child Development, and
Welfare of SCs and BCs. ` 12685.71
crore for power sector.
Government Announced
‘Tirtha Darshan’ Scheme
G
The State government had prepared a
‘Tirtha Darshan’ scheme under which
senior citizens above 60 years of age and
of Haryana domicile would be able to go
on a pilgrimage within the country at
government expense on March 3, 2017.
G
Under the scheme, the government
would bear the entire cost of the tour of
senior citizens belonging to Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families.
G
In case of a couple, the expenses of the
spouse belonging to BPL family would
also be borne by the government. They
would also be able to take along an
assistant. In case of senior citizens of
non-BPL families, the government
would bear only 70% of the cost.
G
The senior citizens would be selected for
the pilgrimage on the basis of draw of
lots. Over 400 destinations can be
visited under the scheme.
Himachal Pradesh
Launched LED Lights,
Energy Saving Fans
DistribuUttarakhandtion
Scheme
G
The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Virbhadra Singh launched a scheme
allowing distribution of LED tubelights
and energy-efficient fans as part of an
initiative to promote energy saving on
March 31, 2017.
G
Energy Efficiency Services Limited
(EESL), a joint venture of Public Sector
Units (PSU) of Ministry of Power,
government of India will implement
this programme across the State in a
phased manner in collaboration with
the State government and Himachal
Pradesh State Electricity Board
Limited (HPSEBL).
G
Approximately, 74 lakh bulbs to 12
lakh consumers had been distributed
which resulted into energy saving of
approximately 150 MU per annum.
Budget for 2016-17
G
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly
passed the general budget for 2016-17
and the related Appropriation Bill,
authorising the state government to
incur expenditure of ` 34738.72 crore
from consolidated fund on
March 31, 2017.
G
The House debated the demands in
respect of roads and bridges,
education and health and the
remaining demands were passed
without discussion after Speaker BBL
Butail applied guillotine.
G
The ` 1421.87 crore deficit for budget
for 2016-17 was presented.
Governor Launched
Campaign against
Drug Addiction
G
The Governor Acharya Devvrat called
for an ‘all out war’ against the menace
in the State on February 16, 2017.
G
The Drug trade had increased fivefold
in States like Manipur, Mizoram and
Punjab during past one year as
assessed from the seizures made by
the investigation agencies and the
quantity of drugs which escaped the
lenses of investigating agencies was
much more.
G
The use of intoxicants not only
negatively impacted the well being of
the individuals, but also distorted
society and led to heinous crime, poor
health, and poor performance
in education.
Kangra became First Ever
District to Geo-tag All
Assets under MGNREGA
G
Kangra became the first district in the
country to geo-tag 100% of the assets
generated under the MGNREGA on
January 18, 2017.
G
It allows the workers to click photo of
the asset and upload it to a ISRO-run
web portal thus digitally recording its
time and location. It allows the ease
in tracking the assets.
G
This step would help in integrated
development of all sectors like
agriculture, irrigation, education,
health etc.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Jharkhand
Separate 24×7
DD Channel
G
Minister for Information &
Broadcasting Venkaiah
Naidu announced a separate
24×7 DD channel for the
State of Jharkhand on
May 16, 2017.
G
This plan was announced at the
review meeting of the
programmes and initiatives of
Ministry of I&B held at Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
G
Till official launch of the
channel in Jharkhand, the
programmes would be provided
with a special window in
available 24×7 satellite channel
– DD Bihar.
Oracle Signed MoU
with Jharkhand
G
The government of Jharkhand
and Oracle signed a MoU on
May 8, 2017.
G
It intended to improve citizen
services and to make Jharkhand
an attractive destination for
startups.
G
Under the MoU, Oracle
and the government of
Jharkhand will collaborate to
create proof of concepts and
help new startups using
Oracle Cloud-based
platforms to operationalise
citizen services and start-up
centres aimed at increasing
employment and alleviate
poverty.
G
Earlier this year (2017),
Jharkhand received
investment support from the
Centre for an internal venture
capital fund to support start-ups
in the State.
125
Chief Minister
Launched UJALA
Scheme
G
The Chief Minister Raghubar
Das launched energy efficient
fans and LED tube lights
under the ‘Unnat Jeevan by
Affordable LEDs and
Appliances for All’ (UJALA)
scheme in the State on
February 7, 2017.
G
The UJALA scheme is being
implemented by Energy
Efficiency Services Limited
(EESL), a JV under the
administration of Ministry of
Power, government of India.
G
The schemes will help the
government manage peak
demand and reduce power
outage. We should all be
proud that we are helping
the environment by
mitigating climate change
through the adoption of
energy efficient appliances.
Jammu &
Kashmir
Prime Minister
Inaugurated India’s
Longest Road Tunnel
G
The Prime Minister
inaugurated the country’s
longest road tunnel,
Chenani-Nashri tunnel, that
links Kashmir with Jammu
by an all-weather route and
reduces the distance by
31 km on April 31, 2017.
G
The key features of the
tunnel are that it is a
single-tube bi-directional
tunnel, with a 9.35 m
carriageway, and a vertical
clearance of 5 m.
G
There is also a parallel escape
tunnel, with ‘Cross Passages’
connecting to the main
tunnel at intervals of 300 m.
G
It also has smart features
such as an Integrated Traffic
Control System; Surveillance,
Ventilation and Broadcast
Systems; Fire
Fighting System.
126
Karnataka
Smartcard-based Initiative
‘Trin Trin’ has been Launched
G
India’s first smartcard-based Public Bicycle
Sharing (PBS) initiative has been launched
in Mysuru, Karnataka on June 4, 2017.
G
The cost of the project, partly funded by
World Bank’s Global Environmental
Facility, for the next six years is ` 20.5
crore, covering the maintenance of the
docking stations and bicycles.
G
To rent a bicycle, the citizens of Mysuru or
tourists need to register themselves either
online or by visiting one of the 6
registration centres situated close to
tourism centres and obtain a smart card
after paying ` 350, including a refundable
deposit of ` 250.
President Inaugurated
Kempegowda Festival
G
The President P Mukherjee inaugurated
the Kempegowda Festival on April 15,
2017. The festival was organised by the
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Foundation.
G
His genius lay in the fact that he could
visualise and implement planned urban
development that stands out, as early as in
the 16th century A.D. It is a testimony to
the genius of Kempe Gowda that
Bengaluru, despite unprecedented
challenges of population, traffic and
environmental pollution, remains the
Garden City even today.
CM Launched ‘Pratibimba’ to
Project Achievements
G
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
launched a comprehensive web-based
platform showcasing the government’s
performance and achievements to the
citizens on March 7, 2017.
G
It developed as the Chief Minister’s dash
board, ‘Pratibimba’, which means
reflection, will serve as a tool to improve
efficiency in governance and allow citizens
to track government’s progress.
G
‘Pratibimba’ is a reflection of the growth
story and development of the State, and
the dash board will reflect the works of all
the departments across flagship schemes,
key programmes and projects undertaken
in the State.
G
The dash board is available both in English
and Kannada. Karnataka is the second
State in the country after Andhra Pradesh
to have such a dash board.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Assembly Passed Bill to
allow ‘Kambala’
G
The assembly passed a bill to
facilitate the conduct of ‘Kambala’, a
traditional annual buffalo race in
marshy fields, held in the coastal
districts of the State on February 13,
2017.
G
Kambla in its traditional form is
non-competitive with buffalo pairs
made to race one after another in
paddy fields, which is considered a
thanksgiving to the Gods for
protecting the animals from diseases.
G
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Act, 1960 (Central Act 59 of 1960)
was enacted to prevent the infliction
of unnecessary cruelty and suffering
on animals. It recognises the need to
exempt the application of its
provisions in certain circumstances.
Kerala
Kerala Government
Unveiled ‘Anuyatra’
Empowerment Programme
G
The Kerala government unveiled
‘anuyatra’, an empowerment
programme for the differently abled
persons on June 11, 2017.
G
As part of the programme, 23
differently abled children who were
given special training in magic at the
Thiruvananthapuram-based Magic
Academy were declared as the
ambassadors of ‘anuyatra’.
G
The initiative is aimed at
transforming the southern state to a
disabled-friendly one and empower
differently-abled children by bringing
them to the forefront of the society.
‘Back to School’
Programme Inaugurated
Against Child Labour
G
Krishna District Collector B.
Lakshmikantham inaugurated a
weeklong campaign against child
labour and ‘Back to School’
programme on June 11, 2017.
G
Children aged below 14 years should
be in school under the Right to
Education Act, 2009.
G
Persons having information on child
labour could alert the officials by
calling ‘100’ or ‘1098.
Government Made
Malayalam Compulsory in
All Schools Till Class 10
G
The Kerala government on April 11, 2017
promulgated an ordinance making
Malayalam a compulsory subject in all
schools in the State up to Class 10.
G
The law (ordinance) clearly states that
schools should not impose any direct or
indirect ban against speaking
Malayalam. It also states that no
boards should be erected in the campus
directing students to use any language
other than Malayalam.
G
However, Malayalam would not be
mandatory for foreign students and
those from other states to pass Class 10.
National Biodiversity
Congress Held
G
The National Biodiversity Congress
2017, one of the significant biodiversity
mega events of the country, held from
February 22, 2017.
G
It hosted by the Kerala State
Biodiversity Board, the present edition
of the biennial event comprises an
array of programmes including
conference, exhibition, capacity
building workshops and Children’s
Biodiversity Congress.
G
The conference aims to identify
practical evidence-based case studies at
regional level to support the plan of
action and has the focal theme
‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity for
Sustainable Development’ with four
sub-themes.
G
As part of the programme, a National
Biodiversity Conference, governed by a
national advisory committee
comprising biodiversity
conservation experts.
Job to Members from
Transgender Community in
Kochi Metro Rail
G
The Kochi Metro decided on May 10,
2017 to employ 23 members of the
transgender community.
G
This is the first time a government
owned company has formally
appointed members of transgender
community.
G
These 23 transgender workers will be a
part of 530 Kudumbasree workers to be
employed at 11 stations in the Kochi
Metro Station.
Madhya Pradesh
Government Banned Sand
Mining in Narmada River
G
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh,
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, ordered an
indefinite ban on sand mining in
Narmada River on May 22, 2017.
G
The government has also set up a
committee to suggest the scientific
ways of mining the rivers.
G
This committee will submit the report
to state government after exploring
ways for sand excavation without
harming rivers.
G
Narmada (giver of pleasure), is one of
the largest rivers of India, originating
in Amarkantak Hills and flowing
through Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
Maharashtra.
G
It is third largest river after Ganga and
Godavari to flow within political
boundaries of India.
Launched River
Conservation Project
G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched River Conservation project
Narmada Seva Mission in Madhya
Pradesh on May 14, 2017.
G
The Prime Minister will release a
roadmap for the conservation of the
Narmada, the lifeline of Madhya
Pradesh, at Amarkantak. The
programme gives the conclusion of
'Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra'
launched on December 11, 2016.
Changed Financial
Year to January-December
G
Madhya Pradesh is the first state to
shift its financial year from the modern
day April-March cycle to
January-December. A decision to this
effect was taken during the state
cabinet meeting held on May 2, 2017.
G
Changing the financial year format to
January-December would mean
shifting the tax assessment year,
changes in infrastructure, specially at
the company level.
G
Deciding of this Madhya Pradesh local
government comes in the backdrop of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
suggestion of shifting the fiscal year to
January-December period during NITI
Aayog governing council meeting on
April 23, 2017 held at New Delhi.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Government Started
‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojana’
G
The Madhya Pradesh
government kick-started its
ambitious ‘Deendayal Rasoi
Yojana’ on April 16, 2017, under
which subsidised meals will be
available at ` 5 per plate to
people, especially the
economically disadvantaged
sections of society.
G
The scheme will be launched in
Bhind and Umaria district later
on due to by-elections. In every
district headquarter; Deendayal
Rasoi Yojana will be
implemented in at least one
place. More than one centre
would be set up in the big cities
as per need.
G
Funds for setting up the
Deendayal Rasois would be
made available under chief
minister’s urban infrastructure
scheme. An account would be
opened for every centre at a
nationalised bank of the local
headquarters.
Annual Tribal Festival
‘Bhagoria’ Held
G
The annual tribal festival
‘Bhagoria’ began in four other
districts of Madhya Pradesh
from March 6, 2017.
G
The Bhagoria Haat Festival is
organised in Khargone district
and Jhabua. The haat is
organised in the form of a
‘swayamvar’ or a marriage
market where young girls and
boys are allowed to choose
their partners.
G
The Bhagoria Haat Festival has
an agricultural significance
attached to it, that is, it
coincides with the end of
harvesting. So, some people also
celebrate it to mark the
completion of harvesting.
127
Khajuraho Dance
Festival Inaugurated in
G
The Khajuraho Dance Festival
is the celebration of the
traditional dance forms against
the backdrop of the UNESCO
World Heritage Sites began on
February 19, 2017.
G
The cultural presentation is an
intriguing spectacle of art and
traditions of India presented in
the form of dance.
G
Khajuraho is an ancient site of
India. The temples of the area
were built during the rule of
Rajput Chandela Dynasty
dating back to the
10th century. For around
200 years there were numerous
beautiful monument erected
by the rulers.
Launched Digital Dakiya
Scheme for Digital
Maharashtra
Literacy National Children’s
G
Madhya Pradesh government Film Festival Began
inaugurated a first of its kind
scheme of the country, ‘Digital
Dakiya’ on January 14, 2017 to
encourage cashless transaction in
the State.
G
Under the scheme, a Digital
Postman referred as Digital Dakiya
would visit door-to-door in both
urban and rural areas to train
households specially women and
elderly people about G
A dance performance by the young team of
digitised transactions. Kuchipudi Kalaa Kendram, a brilliantly
G
The State government will provide coordinated shadow dance performance by
Identity cards to the volunteers Silhouette Squad of Mumbai and the
deployed in this programme. screening of the KNT Sastry’s film Shanu –
The Optimistmarked the inaugural
programme of the three-day National

Chief Minister
Announced Total Ban
on Polythene Bags
G
The Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chauhan announced a
total ban on polythene carry
bags from May 1 in Madhya
Pradesh in a bid to conserve
environment, protect cows and
promote cleanliness on
January 25, 2017.
Three months is being given to
G
polythene manufacturers
before the ban.
Government Launched
Aanandam Scheme
G
Madhya Pradesh became the
first State of the country where
Aanandam programme has
been started to help the needy
persons on January 18, 2017.
G
Places have been fixed in each
district where the economically
Manipur
Manipur Government
Launched 24/7 Helpline
for Women
G
First time in the history of Manipur
a helpline just for women has been
launched on June 26, 2017.
G
Manipur government has launched
a toll free 24/7 helpline number 181
for women in the State.
G
The helpline will provide a 24-hour
telecom service to women affected
by violence, seeking support and
information.
Economic Blockade Lifted
after 5 Months
G
The five-month-long economic
blockade in Manipur was
lifted after successful talks among
the centre, the State government
and the Naga groups on
March 19, 2017.
The blockade was imposed by the
G
Children’s Film Festival at VUDA
Children’s Arena on April 8, 2017.
G
It was organised by the Children’s Film
Society India (CFSI) in association with the
government of Andhra Pradesh.
G
The National Children's Film
Festival (NCFF) was established by
the Children's Film Society, India (CFSI),
in a bid to expand the market for
Children’s film and encourage talent in the
country.
Meghalaya
Budget 2017-18
G
The Meghalaya Assembly passed the
annual State Budget of over ` 13048 crore
for the year 2017-18 by a voice vote on
March 23, 2017.
G
It had presented a ` 1236 crore deficit
Budget for 2017-18, which is around 3.8%
of the Gross State Domestic Product.
G
The Budget also indicated that
interest payment during 2017-18 was
estimated at ` 589 crore and pensions at

sound citizens can donate United Naga Council on ` 730 crore.

items for the needy persons
under the programme.
G
Anandam has been started
primarily from the district
head quarters.
G
This will be launched at cities
and panchayat level also. He
stated clearly that Anandam
programme is a voluntary
programme. It is a project to
bring happiness.
November 1 to protest against the
G
For 2017-18, the total revenue has
creation of seven new districts by
been projected at ` 2072 crore, of which the
the erstwhile Okram Ibobi
State’s own tax revenue estimated at
Singh-led Congress government in
` 1559 crore and State’s own non-tax
the State.
revenue estimated at ` 513 crore.
G
The blockade on two national G
An amount of ` 712.80 crore was allocated
highways NH-2 and NH-37
for infrastructure like roads and bridges,
has led to steep rise in prices of
` 420.93 crore for Health and Family
essential commodities and severely
Welfare, and ` 285.94 crore for Agriculture
affected the normal life in
and Horticulture.
the State.

128 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

The First Investors’
Summit for the
North-East Held
G
The Union Ministry of textiles
organised the first investors’
summit for the North-East in
Shillong on January 28, 2017.
G
Summit aims to showcase the
region as a global destination and
explore the possibility of
convergence of efforts of various
ministries and northeastern States
to attract investment. The two-day
summit, to be held in association
with the DoNER Ministry, Ficci
and CII, will begin on January 30.
Nagaland
Budget for 2017-18
G
The Nagaland Chief Minister
Shurhozelie Liezietsu presented a
` 1437.84 crore deficit budget for
the 2017-18 fiscal in the State
Assembly on March 29, 2017.
G
He holded the Finance portfolio,
proposed the gross receipt for the
fiscal at ` 16657.26 crore and
expenditure at ` 16365.17 crore.
G
The budget emphasised on
upliftment of the poor and the
rural population.
Petroleum Awareness
Drive ‘Saksham 2017’
Launched
G
Petroleum awareness drive
‘Saksham 2017’ launched in
Nagaland on January 16, 2017.
G
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural
Gas (MOP & NG) conducted mass
awareness drive on oil and gas
conservation across the country on
January 16.
G
From this year onwards the theme
of the programme has been
redesigned as ‘Saksham 2017’ and
the programme duration has been
extended to one month.
Odisha
Introduce Boat Ambulances
in Four Districts
G
Odisha will introduce boat ambulance
service in four districts where
people face difficulties in getting health
service. This announcement was
made by Odisha government on
May 6, 2017.
G
The boat ambulance service will be
available in the districts of Koraput,
Malkangiri, Kendrapara and Kalahandi
where people face problems in availing
108 ambulance service due to
intervening large water bodies in the
form of rivers and dams disrupting
road communication.
G
The government will also shortly add
92 Basic Life Support ambulances to its
fleet of 420 ambulances that are now
in operation in different parts of the
state.
International Centre for
Foot and Mouth Disease
Unveiled
G
The Union Minister for agriculture and
farmers’ welfare Radha Mohan Singh
inaugurated International Centre for
Foot and Mouth Disease (ICFMD)
built at a cost of ` 200 crore at Arugul
on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on
April 1, 2017.
G
Since, foot and mouth diseases an
infectious and sometimes fatal viral
disease that affects cloven-hoofed
animals, including domestic and wild
bovids, such a research centre will be
beneficial to find out the remedies for
the disease.
G
Though 70 countries have eradicated
the disease successfully, it is still
endemic in India and has a direct
bearing on the rural economy and
farmers who depend on the cattle for
eke out their living.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Showed Decline in IMR
G
For the first time in the last
16 years, the Odisha’s Infant
Mortality Rate has come down to
40 per thousand live births, which is
below the national average of 41 on
March 3, 2017.
G
State has also achieved significant
reduction in Under-5 mortality rate,
anaemia, malnourishment, total
fertility rate.
G
The flagship MAMATA scheme,
which benefited 25 lakh women, has
also made a significant contribution
in ensuring safe delivery and
healthy infants.
Union Government
Modified Scheduled
Castes List
G
The Union Cabinet approved the
amendments in the
Constitution (Scheduled Castes)
Order, 1950, to modify the list of
Scheduled Castes in Odisha on
January 31, 2017.
G
The proposal of Sualgiri/Swalgiri
caste was eligible for inclusion as
a synonym of Sabakhia caste in
the list of Scheduled Castes
in Odisha.
G
The Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi,
also approved amending the
Constitution Scheduled Castes
Order, 1964, to change the name of
the union territory from
Pondicherry to Puducherry.
World’s Largest Open-air
Theatre Fest Started
G
The ‘reign of King Kansa’ started
with the beginning of Dhanu Yatra,
world’s largest open air theatre
festival, in Odisha’s Bargarh district
on January 3, 2017.
G
The 11-day festival is based on
Krishna Leela and Mathura Vijay.
G
The story begins with the legendary
king of Mathura, Kansa, also uncle
of Lord Krishna, ascending the
throne, and ends with Krishna
killing Kansa.
G
During the festival, Bargarh
becomes the city of Mathura,
the river Jeera becomes the
Yamuna and Ambapali situated on
the other side of Jeera
becomes Gopapura.
129

Punjab
Punjab Government
Announced Free Education
G
The Punjab government announced
free education for girls in government
Schools and colleges from Nursery to
Ph.D on June 20, 2016.
G
Reservation for women in
Panchayati Raj Institutions and
Urban Local Bodies has already been
increased by the government from
33 per cent to 50%. The free Wi-Fi
for 13,000 primary schools and all 48
government Colleges.
Punjab Government
Announced to Crop Loan
Waive off upto ` 2 Lakhs
G
The Chief Minister of Punjab
Captain Amarinder Singh has
announced to wave off entire crop
loans up to ` 2 lakh for small and
marginal farmers on June 20, 2017.
G
The State government will take over
the outstanding crop loan from
institutional sources of all the
families of farmers who committed
suicides in the State.
G
The Punjab has also decided to raise
the ex-gratia for suicide affected
families to ` 5 lakh (existing
` 3 lakh). The State will also
establish ‘Paddy Straw Challenge
Fund’ to stop the practice of crop
residue burning by farmers. Earlier,
the Uttar Pradesh government and
Maharashtra government waived off
farmer loans.
Government Allowed 33%
Reservation for Women in
State Jobs
G
In a major decision, the Punjab
Cabinet has decided to provide 33%
reservation for women in all the
government jobs on March 18, 2017.
Women will be given the reservation
also in the contractual appointments
of the State government. The Cabinet
also decided to increase their
representation in the Panchayati Raj
Institutions and Urban Local Bodies
from the present 33% to 50%.
G
It decided to provide a house to
every freedom fighter in the place he
resides, besides allocating 300 units
of free electricity every month.
130 Current Affairs
Banned
Manufacture of
Rajasthan
Gutkha, Pan Masala Budget for 2017-18
G
The Chief Minister G
The Rajasthan government presented a
Parkash Singh Badal budget of ` 166000 crore in which many
ordered ban on manufacture sectors infrastructure development,
of food products containing transport, agriculture, higher education and
tobacco or nicotine like water resources gets the major allocation on
‘gutkha’ and ‘pan masala’ in March 8, 2017.
the State with immediate G
No change in VAT except 15% increase on
effect on February 22, 2017. tobacco products. Internet service providers
G
The ban also applies on will be exempted from paying entertainment
processed, flavoured, tax on online booking of movie tickets.
scented, chewing tobacco, G
Recommendations of seventh pay
whether they are packaged commission to be implemented in the State.
or unpackaged or sold as Home department to get ` 5600 crore which
one or separate products. is 11.80% more than the previous year.
G
The decision has been taken G
Block headquarters will be connected with
in view of the orders of the fibre, eight lakh people will be given IT
Supreme Court wherein it training in 2017-18. ` 158.63 crore allocated
observed that to circumvent for art, culture and archaeology department
ban of sale of gutkha, the which is 49.42% more than the Revised
manufacturers are selling Estimates of 2016-17.
pan masala (without
G
` 36 crore allocated for basic infra,
tobacco) with flavored
chewing tobacco in conservation, beautification and renovation
works at various tourist places in State.
separate sachets.
New Government formed
in FIVE STATES
Election results for five States—Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
were announced on March 11, 2017. The Election Commission of India notified the
election schedule on January 4, 2017. Elections were conducted in One phase in Goa,
Uttarakhand and Punjab; Two Phases in Manipur and Seven Phases in Uttar Pradesh.
Manohar Parrikar was sworn-in as the 13th Chief Minister of Goa on March 14, 2017.
This will be the 3rd time that Parrikar will serve Goa as the Chief Minister.
Nongthombam Biren Singh was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Manipur at the Raj
Bhawan in Imphal on March 15, 2017. He will succeed outgoing Chief Minister Okram
Ibobi Singh.
Captain Amarinder Singh took oath as the 26th Chief Minister of Punjab on March 16,
2017 at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh thus paving way for the return of the Congress to
power in the State after a gap of 10 years.
BJP MP Adityanath Yogi took oath as the 32nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on March
19, 2017 at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan in Lucknow. However, in terms of individual Chief
Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath is the 21st Chief Minister. Besides, two Deputy
Chief Minister, nine MoS (independent charge), 24 Cabinet Ministers and 13 Ministers of
State also took the oath.
Former Uttarakhand BJP Chief Trivendra Singh Rawat was sworn-in as the new Chief
Minister of the State on March 18, 2017 at the Parade Grounds in State capital Dehradun.
Rawat is the 9th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and 5th BJP Chief Minister of the State.
Election Results
State BJP+ Congress+ Others
Uttar Pradesh (403) 325 54 24
Punjab (117) 18 77 22
Uttarakhand (70) 57 11 02
Goa (40) 13 17 10
Manipur (60) 21 28 11
Half Yearly 2017
Government
Inaugurated Medical
Project ‘RAHAT’
G
The Rajasthan Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje inaugurated a
medical project Rajasthan Heart
Attack Treatment (RAHAT)
programme, launched by a private
hospital on February 25, 2017.
G
The programme is a ST-Elevation
Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), a
very serious type of heart attack,
management telemedicines
platform that captures and
transmits patient’s EKG along
with clinical history from remote
geographical locations to heart
command center hub.
G
A team of expert cardiologists at
HCC-Hub provided immediate
EKG interpretation and real
time STEMI guidance and
management via tele-consultation
by instantly recognising fatal EKG
abnormalities.
Second Largest Crude
Oil Producer in Country
G
Rajasthan became the second
largest crude oil producer in the
country after the offshore field
Bombay High on
February 23, 2017.
G
Oilfields in the State were
producing nearly 90 lakh tonnes
oil annually, which is 24% of the
total domestic crude oil
production.
G
It will help in holistic
development of the country and
will create job opportunities for
youths, women and farmers.
9th Jaipur
International Film
Festival Inaugurated
G
The Jaipur International Film
Festival, the world’s fastest
growing film festival, is held every
year in January or February in
Jaipur, held on January 7, 2017.
G
The purpose of this film festival is
to promote new movie makers,
exchange of knowledge,
information, ideas & culture
between India & other nations in
context of their social and
cultural ethos.
Telangana
Telangana Government
Launched the ‘Hyderabad City
Wi-Fi’ Project Hotspots
G
Telangana government has launched the
‘Hyderabad City Wi-Fi’ project on June
19, 2017, providing the wireless
networking technology at over 1000
public places in the city.
G
People can use the service free for 30
minutes with broadband speeds in the
range of 5-10 Mbps.
G
The government has tied up with BSNL,
Airtel, ACT Fibernet and other ISPs to
set-up the Wi-Fi network, called Hy-Fi or
Hyderabad City Wi-Fi Project.
G
In June 2015, under the ‘Digital
Telangana’ umbrella, the government had
launched the pilot version of the
‘Hyderabad City Wi-Fi’ project.
Telangana Government
Launched Website for Online
Sale of Cattle
G
The Telangana government launched the
website 'Pashu-Bazar to facilitate online
sale or purchase of cattle on June 14, 2017.
G
New cattle rules issued by the Central
government were under study and the
rules would be applicable to online sale
too. Farmer can keep maximum five
registrations for sale at any time.
Single-Women Pension
Scheme Launched
G
The Telangana government has become
the only State government in India to
launch the ‘Single- Women Pension
Scheme’ on June 5, 2017.
G
Under the scheme, a financial assistance
of ` 1000 is given to single women of the
State per month on humanitarian
grounds.
G
The scheme will benefit unmarried
women, joginis and divorced women.
This scheme is the result of petitions filed
on the plight of single women deserted
by their husbands and relatives.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
CM Announced 6 Point
Comprehensive Plan
G
The Telangana Chief Minister
Chandrasekhar Rao announced a 6
point comprehensive plan for
farmers in Secunderabad on June 2,
2017. The plans include the
following points like 24/7
continuous electricity supply , crop
loan and support price for their yield
and`1.8 thousand cash assistance
per acre per annum to each farmer
in the State. He also announced
other welfares such as thousand
rupees social security pension for
single destitute women.
Government Launched
T-Wallet
G
The Telangana State government
has started its own 'T-Wallet', on
June 1, 2017, which doesn’t
charge transaction fee from
consumers.
G
It allows a maximum transaction
of ` 1 lakh for e-KYC (Know your
Customer) users. For non-KYC
users, the limit is set to ` 20,000.
G
The State government also got
clearance from the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) to launch the
e-payment facility.
Assembly Passed Bill to
Hike Muslim Quota to 12%
G
The Telangana Legislature passed
the Bill enhancing the reservations
for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes
(ST) to 12% and 10% respectively
for admission into educational
institutions and for the State
services on April 16,2017.
G
The Bill was proposed to address
concerns expressed over the
inclusive development of
marginalised population as the
proportion of Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled Tribes and minorities
— especially Muslims — had
increased post bifurcation.
G
The population of the STs, for
instance, increased to 9.08% post
bifurcation as compared to 7.11%
in the undivided State. The share
of Muslim population too
increased from 9.56% in the
united State to 12.68%
(population of 44.64 lakh) after
the formation of Telangana.
131
Architect Found World’s
Largest Capstone
G
The archaeology department of
Telangana has discovered the
world’s largest capstone after
excavating an ancient human burial
site in Siddipet district, on
March 25, 2017.
G
The Ancient human burial site
excavated by Telangana
Archaeology in Narmeta village in
Nangunuru mandal has led to a
stunning discovery of the worlds
largest capstone.
Budget for 2017-18
G
` 300 crore allocated for Warangal
Municipal Corporation. Warangal is
the second biggest city in Telangana
after Hyderabad. ` 1000 crore
allocated for Greater Hyderabad
Municipal Corporation.
G
Mission Bhagiratha, the piped
drinking water programme gets
` 3000 crore. The revised estimates
of 2016-17 budget expenditure was
86.02% or ` 112191.07 crore.
G
The Information technology
department gets ` 252.89 crore in
the budget. Expenditure in schemes
pegged at ` 88038.80 crore.
G
The Revenue surplus is of ` 4571.30
crore and fiscal deficit of ` 26096.31
crore. Total budget size is ` 149646
crore. Estimated committed
expenditure is of ` 61607.20 crore.
Irrigation continues to be priority
area for the State.
Launched India’s First
Social Innovation Hub
in Nizamabad
G
The Telangana government has
launched India’s first social
innovation centre—The ‘Kakatiya
Hub for Social Innovation’ in
Nizamabad on February 6, 2017.
G
The ‘Kakatiya Hub for Social
Innovation’ funded by the
Telangana government and
implemented through Kakatiya
Sandbox will function like a rural
incubator to encourage
entrepreneurship at the
grassroots level.
G
The move is expected to create a
model for promoting entrepreneurs
in rural and semi-urban areas in
the country.
132 Current Affairs
G
Allocation of ` 116 crore for Sri Lankan
Tripura refugee welfare funds. AIADMK’s poll
promise – 3.5 lakh poor families to be
North-East India’s given free land pattas. Allocation of
Largest IT Hub ` 567 crore for environment and forestry.
Allocation of ` 625 crore for providing
Inaugurated
G
North-East India's sixth and drinking water. Allocation of ` 194 crore
for handloom and khadi department.
largest Information Technology
(IT) hub was inaugurated in Allocation of ` 22394 to welfare fund of
government employees/ pensioners.
Tripura on April 24,2017 to
boost employment and
e-governance besides to export Jallikattu Ordinance got
Governor’s Nod
software technology.
G
The hub has been set-up at a
cost of ` 50 crore to boost
employment and e-governance
besides export of software
technology. The hub is expected
to create more employment
opportunities for the youths and
extend the e-governance to cover
all the people of the region.
Tamil Nadu G
A day after the Law Ministry cleared a
draft ordinance to allow Jallikattu, Tamil
Budget for 2017-18 Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao
promulgated the ordinance on
G
The Tamil Nadu Finance
January 20, 2017.
Minister D. Jayakumar presented
his maiden Budget on March 15,
G
Jallikattu is a traditional spectacle in
which a Bos indicus bull, commonly the
2017. This is also the first budget
of the AIADMK government Kangayam breed, is released into a crowd
of people and multiple human participants
headed by E. Palaniswami.
attempt to grab the large hump of the bull
G
The budget pegs growth at 9%
with both arms and hang on to it while the
from the current 7.49%.
bull attempts to escape.
Allocation of ` 48 crore for the
development of Tamil language.
G
Participants hold the hump for as long as
possible, attempting to bring the bull to a
Allocation of ` 469 crore for
poverty eradication in rural areas stop. In some cases, participants must ride
and ` 272 crore for poverty long enough to remove flags on the
bull’s horns. Jallikattu is typically
eradication in urban areas.
practiced in the Indian State of Tamil
G
Sugarcane cultivation to be
encouraged under the drip
Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on
Mattu Pongal day.
irrigation scheme. ` 1000 as food
allowance for college-going
hostel students; it is ` 875 now.
A new fishing harbour in
Kerala
Ramanathapuram district. Plus, International Coin Fair Held
` 4500 per month for fishermen G
More than 2500 coins from around
during non-fishing season. 500 regions, including those from the time
G
Allocation of ` 150 crore to of empires and princely States, were on
impart vocational training of display at an international coin fair which
youth. A new milk production was organised in Thiruvananthapuram
unit at Madurai exclusively for from February 13-15, 2017.
flavoured milk under the Aavin G
The District Tourism Promotion Council
brand. Allocation of ` 6400 crore (DTPC) organised the event. The
for Police; around 3000 houses to three-day event featured the collections
be constructed for police of Justin Gilbert Lopez, who holds a
personnel and ` 253 crore Guinness world record for the largest
allocation for fire service. coin collection.
Half Yearly 2017

Uttar Pradesh
UP Ranks First in Child
Labourers
G
According to Child Rights and You
(CRY) report on June 13, 2017
over 8 lakh children in India
between the age group 5 and 6
years are engaged in child labour .
G
Uttar Pradesh has the highest
number of 250672 children
engaged in labour, followed by
Bihar with 1,28,087 children and
Maharashtra where the number
stands at 82847.
G
CRY is a non-profit organisation
in India, which aims to restore
children's rights.
Government passed
GST Bill
G
The Uttar Pradesh legislature
passed the UP Goods and Service
Tax (GST) Bill 2017 on
May 16, 2017.
G
Four key GST legislations , the
Central GST Act, the Integrated
GST Act, the GST (Compensation
to States) Act and the Union
Territory GST Act , were passed by
Parliament in its last session. The
four legislations have since got the
President's approval.
G
Different indirect taxes like the
Central excise duty, Central Sales
Tax and Service Tax are to be
merged with the C-GST, while the
S-GST will subsume State Sales
Tax, VAT, luxury tax and
entertainment tax.
G
The Parliament, on April 6, passed
four legislations to facilitate the
roll-out of the new tax regime on
July 1, 2017.
G
UP and AP join around 8 other
States in passing the State GST,
including Uttarakhand, Jharkhand,
Telangana, Bihar and Rajasthan.
Government Scrapped
Samajwadi Pension
Scheme in Uttar Pradesh
G
The Uttar Pradesh government
scrapped the Samajwadi Pension
Scheme of the previous
Samajwadi Party government and
ordered a detailed review of its
beneficiaries on April 11, 2017.
G
The scheme provides a pension
of ` 500 per month to BPL
families. The Chief Minister
also directed the officials to
review doubling the pension
amount of ` 500 each in the
Widow, Divyang and Old Age
Pension Scheme and present it
before the cabinet.
G
The Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath, who was
reviewing various schemes
being run by the Social Welfare
Department of the State, asked
the officials to stall the pension
scheme and review the list of
beneficiaries to find out
whether they are deserving
candidates fulfilling the
eligibility criterion.
Waived ` 36359 Crore
Loan for UP Farmers
G
The BJP-led government in
Uttar Pradesh waive off crop
loans of up to ` 1 lakh of small
and marginal farmers in the
State, on April 4, 2017.
G
About 92.5% of the state’s
farmers fall in the small and
marginal categories.
Besides, the Cabinet also
G
decided to write off ` 5630
crore in Non-Performing Assets
(NPAs) of 700000 farmers.
The cash-strapped government
G
would float farmer relief
bonds, called Kisan Rahat
Bond, to generated funds to
implement the loan waiver.
Uttarakhand
Water Conservation
Campaign Launched
G
The Chief Minister of
Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh
Rawat has launched a
campaign on water harvesting
and conservation in Dehradun
on May 25, 2017.
G
He also flagged off two
mechanised rath, one each for
Kumaon and Garhwal regions.
G
The vans(rath) use audio
material and related literature
to broadcast information on
water conservation and spread
awareness in the two regions.
Current Affairs
West Bengal
Bengali Mandatory in Schools
G
The West Bengal State government has
made Bengali mandatory in all schools,
including private English medium schools
on May 15,2017.
G
Apart from Bengali, English and Hindi,
students can opt for other languages such as
Urdu, Gurmukhi, Nepali and Ol-Chiki as the
medium of instruction in schools of the State.
The decision was taken in schools comes at
the backdrop of Kerala government’s recent
promulgation of an ordinance in April making
Teaching of Malayalam compulsory in all
schools of Kerala.
‘Paschim Bardhaman’ Declared
as Bengal’s 23rd District
G
The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
declared Paschim Bardhaman as the
Bengal’s 23rd district on April 8, 2017.
G
The other part of bifurcated Burdwan
district will be known as Purba Bardhaman
henceforth.
Clinical Establishments
(Registration Regulations
Transparency) Bill, 2017 Passed
G
The West Bengal Clinical Establishments
(registration regulations transparency) Bill,
2017 was passed in the State assembly with
full support. The Bill will have provisions to
not only monitor private healthcare
institutes but also to impose penalty in case
of violations.
G
There are also provisions in the bill which
says that private healthcare institutes cannot
refuse admission and treatment in
emergency cases, such as acid attack, rape
and accident victims.
G
The hospital will have to admit these
patients and begin treatment, even if the
patient could not afford the
treatment immediately. The Bill comes in
the wake of the deaths of a few patients in
alleged cases of medical negligence against
private hospitals in the State.
Half Yearly 2017 133
 NEWS
ORBIT
Appointment
KK Venugopal
G
A noted constitutional expert and Senior advocate
KK Venugopal has been cleared for appointment as
the Attorney General for India on July 1, 2017
following the decision of ‘Mukul Rohatgi’ to step
down as the top law officer. He would become a law
officer for the second time after being an Additional
Solicitor General during the Morarji Desai
government during the seventies. Venugopal is the
recipient of ‘Padma Vibhushan’ and ‘Padma
Bhushan’. The Attorney General for India is the
Indian government's chief legal advisor and its
primary lawyer in the Supreme Court of India.
Achal Kumar Jyoti
G
Achal Kumar Jyoti will be the next Chief Election Commissioner
(CEC) of India. The news came up on July 1, 2017.
G
He would take charge from incumbent ‘Nasim Zaidi’, retired
from his post on July 6, 2017.
G
Currently, Achal Kumar Jyoti is the Election Commissioner of
India along with OP Rawat.
Rajesh Shah
G
The government has appointed Rajesh V. Shah as chairperson of
the Board of Governors for the National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT) on June 29, 2017, replacing veteran cricketer
Chetan Chauhan.
G
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) set-up in 1986
under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles, government of India, is a
Statutory Institute governed by the NIFT Act 2006.
Dr. Manoj Soni
G
Dr.Manoj Soni takes oath as Member of Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC) on June 28, 2017.
G
He was a former Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
Open University.
G
He has received several awards and recognition,s such as
‘Honorary Mayor-President of the City of Baton Rouge’ from
Mayor-President of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA and World
Education Congress Global Award for Distance Learning
Leadership.
Kaushik Basu
G
Kaushik Basu appointed as President of International Economic
Association (IEA) on June 27, 2017.
G
He will serve a three-year term as the President.
G
He also served as senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at
the World Bank from 2012-16.
Mihai Tudose
G
The President of Romania ‘Klaus Iohannis’ has appointed former
Economy Minister 'Mihai Tudose' as the Prime Minister on June
26, 2017.
G
The Prime Minister-designate ‘Mihai Tudose’ will have 10 days to
gain the vote of confidence.
G
Earlier, PSD (Social Democrat Party) filed a no-confidence
motion against ex-Prime Minister 'Sorin Grindeanu' for causing
delays in implementing reforms.
NN Vohra
G
Jammu & Kashmir Governor 'NN Vohra' has been asppointed an
the President of the India International Centre (IIC) on June 26,
2017, one of the premier cultural institutions in the country.
G
The appointment was made after eminent jurist ‘Soli Sorabjee’
quit the presidential post.
G
The India International Centre (IIC) is a non-official organisation
situated in New Delhi, India.
Rajiv Gauba
G
Rajiv Gauba, Home Secretary
has been appointed as Union
home Secretary by the
Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet on June 22, 2017.
G
In this top level bureaucratic
shuffle, Rajiv Gauba will replace
Rajiv Mehrishi who is set to
retire in August 2017.
G
Gauba is currently posted as
secretary in Ministry of Urban
Development as Officer on
Special Duty and will be
replaced by Durga Shanker
Mishra.
Amitabh Bachchan
G
The Central government roped
in Bollywood megastar Amitabh
Bachchan to promote Goods
and Services Tax (GST), ahead
of the sweeping tax reform’s
implementation scheduled from
July 1, 2017.
G
The Central Board of Excise and
Customs appointed Bachchan as
brand ambassador for GST on
June 21, 2017.
G
Ace badminton star PV Sindhu
was previously the GST
ambassador.
Keshari Nath Tripathi
G
The President has appointed
West Bengal Governor ‘Keshari
Nath Tripathi’ on June 21, 2017
to also discharge the function of
Governor of Bihar until further
notice.
G
The President 'Pranab
Mukherjee' has accepted the
resignation of Bihar Governor
‘Ram Nath Kovind’.
G
Earlier, National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) has announced
the name of Dalit leader Kovind
(71-year) as its nominee for the
president's post.
Mohammed-bin-Salman
G
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince
Mohammed-bin-Salman has
been appointed as the next
crown prince on June 21, 2017.
G
He will also retains defence, oil
and other portfolios.
G
He will replace Prince
Mohammed-bin-Naif.
Muzoon Almellehan
G
The United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) has appointed education
activist & Syrian refugee ‘Muzoon
Almellehan’ (19-year) as its newest and
youngest Goodwill Ambassador on
June 19, 2017.
G
Almellehan lived as a refugee for three
years in Jordan before being resettled
in the United Kingdom.
G
She will be the first person with official
refugee status to become an
Ambassador for UNICEF.
Dalveer Bhandari
G
India has re-nominated Justice ‘Dalveer
Bhandari’ as its candidate for another
term as Judge at the International Court
of Justice on June 19, 2017. He was
elected in April 2012 during
simultaneous balloting in both the
General Assembly and the Security
Council to a seat on the ICJ. His current
term runs through February 2018.
G
The ICJ elections will be held in
November and if elected, he will serve a
term of 9 years.
Ana Brnabic
G
Ana Brnabic became the first gay and
first female Prime Minister of Serbia,
following her nomination by the
nation’s President, Aleksandar Vucic.
She succeed Ivica Dacic on June 2017.
G
The role of the Prime Minister in Serbia
is to direct the work of the government,
and to submit to the National Assembly
the government’s Programme,
including a list of proposed ministers.
The resignation of the Prime Minister
will cause the fall of the government.
Yuvraj Singh
G
EazyDiner appointed cricketer Yuvraj
Singh as Global Brand Ambassador on
June 15, 2017. EazyDiner is an online
restaurant reservation platform.
G
EazyDiner is currently live in Delhi
NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata,
Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Goa in
India and Dubai.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Ramanathan Ramanan
G
Ramanathan Ramanan appointed as
the Mission Director of the Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM) on June 15,
2017 under the NITI Aayog.
G
The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet approved his appoint- ment
in the rank of Additional Secretary to
Government of India.
G
AIM is a flagship Innovation
Promotion Platform of NITI Aayog,
the think tank of Union government
for promotion of innovation and
entrepreneurship in India.
G
Leo Varadkar, Indian-origin scripted
history by becoming Ireland's
youngest and the first openly gay
Prime Minister of the Catholic-
majority country on June 14, 2017.
G
Mr. Varadkar, officially taken over as
Taoiseach, as the Irish prime
ministerial title is known in Ireland.
G
Varadkar came out as a gay man in
2015, when Ireland became the first
country in the world to legalise same-
sex marriage through popular vote.
Neeru Chadha
G
Neeru Chadha elected as the
International Tribunal for the Law of
the Seas (ITLOS) on June 14, 2017.
She is law expert.
G
She won a 9-year term on the
21-member court that adjudicates
disputes arising from the UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS) and agreements between
countries that give it jurisdiction.
G
Neeru is the 2nd Indian woman to
occupy a top position at the United
Nations after Lakshmi Pandit who
served as the President of the United
Nations General Assembly.
Vikram Limaye
G
The Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) has approved the
appointment of Vikram Limaye as the
new Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of
National Stock Exchange on
June 9, 2017.
G
Now, Vikram Limaye has to resign
from the Supreme Court-appointed
Committee of Administrators (CoA)
to oversee the BCCI.
G
He replaced by Chitra Ramakrishna
who quit the exchange in
December 2016.
135
Hoshiar Singh
G
Senior bureaucrat ‘Hoshiar Singh’ has been appointed as
Registrar of Copyrights for a period of five years on June
9, 2017. Copyright Office is under the control of a
Registrar of Copyrights, who acts under the super-
intendence and directions of the Central Government.
G
The Copyrights Office was established under Copyright
Act, mandated to protect the music and film industry.
Sher Bahadur Deuba
G
Sher Bahadur Deuba, the Nepali Congress President, has
been sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Nepal at
Rashtrpati Bhawan in Kathmandu, Nepal on June , 2017.
G
Deuba has taken the charge of Prime Minister for the 4th
time. The post of Prime Minister fell vacant after Maoist
leader Prachanda resigned in May under a power-sharing
deal with the Nepali Congress leader.
Dr. Sharad Kumar Jain
G
Dr. Sharad Kumar Jain has assumed the additional
charge of Director General (DG) of National Water
Development Agency (NWDA) under Ministry of Water
Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
on June 5, 2017. Presently, he is working as a Scientist
with National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee. Jain
succeeds S. Masood Husain who has moved over as
Member (WP&P), Central Water Commission.
Ranjit Kumar
G
Ranjit Kumar is the present Solicitor General of India,
whose tenure has been extended by the government of
India on June 5, 2017. Beside this, the terms of five other
senior law officers have also been extended. Additional
Solicitor Generals who have been given extension for an
indefinite period are Pinky Anand, Maninder Singh, PS
Patwalia, Tushar Mehta and PS Narsimha.
G
The Attorney General, along with the Solicitor General
and Additional Solicitor General, represents the
government in various courts and tender legal advice on
complex issues.
136 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Leo Varadkar
G
Leo Varadkar is set to become the next Prime Minister of
Republic of Ireland's after winning the leadership of the
Fine Gael party on June 2, 2017.
G
Leo will become the first ever gay Prime Minister. Ireland
is the first country to adopt same-sex marriage via a
popular vote in 2015.
Shashi Shekhar Vempati
G
Shashi Shekhar Vempati has been appointed new CEO of
Prasar Bharati on June 2, 2017 for next five years.
G
Vempati is currently serving as a Member (part time) of
the Prasar Bharati Board. Prasar Bharati (also known by
the name of Broadcasting Corporation of India) is a
public broadcasting organisation of India.
Ganesh Kumar
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed S. Ganesh
Kumar as Executive Director on June 1, 2017.
G
His appointment is consequent upon voluntary retirement
of Chandan Sinha. The Central Bank currently has 11
Executive Directors. Ganesh Kumar was Chief General
Manager-in-Charge, Department of Information
Technology in the Reserve Bank.
Tapan Ray
G
Tapan Ray took the charge as the new Economic Affairs
Secretary (EAS) on June 1, 2017 replacing Shaktikanta
Das. He is secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and
took the additional charge of EAS.
G
The Department of Economic Affairs (EA) is the nodal
agency of the Union government to formulate and
monitor country's economic policies and programmes.
Dhanraj Choudhary
G
India’s Dhanraj Choudhary has been re-elected as a Board
of Director (BoD) of International Table Tennis
Federation (ITTF) on May 31, 2017 for another 4 years
along with other continental representatives.
G
The list of 32 BoD has two newcomers in Olympic Games
gold medallist and world champion, Ryu Seungmin from
Korea and Jörgen Persson of Sweden.
G
The ITTF is the governing body for all international table
tennis associations. The ITTF was founded in 1926 by
William Henry Lawes.
Najma Heptulla
G
Najma Heptulla, the Governor of Manipur appointed as
the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia on May 29, 2017.
G
She is the first woman chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia
University for a term of five years. She will succeed
Lieutenant General (Retd.) MA Zaki.
G
She is a five-time member of the Rajya Sabha and also
served as the Deputy Chairman of the House for sixteen
years.
G
She took oath as the Union Minister of Minority Affairs
under Narendra Modi government on May 26, 2014 and
was replaced by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in July, 2016.
Anurag Tripathy
G
The Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) has appointed
Anurag Tripathy, as new Secretary of
Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) on May 25, 2017.
G
He will hold the post for a period of
five years. The CBSE is a Board of
Education for public and private
schools, under the Union
Government.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus
G
The World Health Assembly elected
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as
the new Director-General of the
World Health Organisation (WHO)
on May 23, 2017.
G
Ethiopia’s Ghebreyesus will begin
his five-year term on July 1, 2017.
G
Ghebreyesus will succeed
Dr. Margaret Chan, who has been
serving as WHO’s Director-General
since January 1, 2007.
Lenin Moreno
G
Lenin Moreno elected as the
President of Ecuador in Ecuador
Presidential Elections 2017 on May
23, 2017. Engineer Jorge Glas will
continue as Vice President.
G
Earlier, Moreno served as United
Nations(UN)Special Envoy on
Disability and Accessibility.
Hassan Rouhani
G
Hassan Rouhani re-elected as the
President of Iran on May 19, 2017.
He was elected as President for his
first term in 2013.
G
He won his second term by
presenting himself as the candidate
of change and social freedoms that
ended many sanctions and a 13-year
standoff over Iran’s nuclear
programme. He had spent 16 years
as secretary of the Supreme National
Security Council, which is Iran’s top
security post.
Ovais Sarmad
G
A senior Indian official Ovais
Sarmad was appointed as the Deputy
Executive Secretary of the United
Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change in the second week of
May, 2017.
G
At present, Ovais Sarmad serves as
Staff Chief to the Director General of
the International Organisation for
Migration (IOM).
G
The United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change is an
international environmental treaty
negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio
de Janeiro from June 3 to 14, 1992.
The treaty entered into force on March
21, 1994.
Harsh Vardhan
G
Union Minister ‘Harsh Vardhan’ has
given the additional charge of the
‘Environment Ministry’ on May 18,
2017 due to death of the Union
Environment Minister Anil Madhav
Dave. Now, Harsh Vardhan (MP of
Chandni Chowk) is in the charge of the
environment ministry along with the
2 ministries of Science & Technology as
well as that of Earth Sciences.
G
The Environment ministry is
responsible for planning, promoting,
coordinating, and overseeing the
implementation of environmental and
forestry programmes in the country.
Edouard Philippe
G
French President Emmanuel Macron
appointed Edouard Philippe as the new
Prime Minister of France on May 15,
2017. Edouard Philippe is the
second-youngest Prime Minister of
France after Laurent Fabius.
G
Philippe is the Mayor of the port city Le
Havre since 2010 and is a member of
the Les Republicans party.
Justice Mukul Mudgal
G
Justice (Retd.) Mukul Mudgal was
elected as head of FIFA’s governance
committee on May 12, 2017 at the
world football governing body’s
67th Congress in Bahrain’s capital
city of Manama.
G
He will take the office for four years
effective immediately.
G
Mudgal, who until now served as the
Deputy Chairman of the committee
after being appointed in May last year
during the FIFA Congress in Mexico.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Amitabh Bachchan
G
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) appointed popular
Bollywood actor Amitabh
Bachchan as a Goodwill
Ambassador on May 12, 2017 for
awareness of hepatitis in the
region of South-East Asia.
G
Apart from this honour, Bachchan
was also the Goodwill
Ambassador for the campaign to
eradicate polio in India, and has
also been a part of plenty of
support campaigns for health
issues in the country.
G
Hepatitis is an inflammation of
the liver. The condition can be
self- limiting or can progress to
fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or
liver cancer.
Moon Jae-in
G
South Korea's presidential
election has been won by Moon
Jae-in on May 10, 2017. With
100% of the votes counted, Moon
won with 41.08%.
G
He is a liberal who favors a more
open policy toward North Korea.
G
Moon is the Democratic Party's
candidate who replaced ousted
President Park Geun-hye.
G
Park is now in a jail cell as she
awaits trial on accusations of
taking about $ 52 million in
bribes from major companies,
including Samsung.
Prabhat Kamal
Bezboruah
G
The Commerce Ministry has
appointed the Chairman of Tea
Research Association (TRA)
Prabhat Kamal Bezbaruah as the
Chairman of Tea Board. He will be
in office till November 1, 2018.
G
At present, Bezboruah is the
chairman of the Tea Research
Association and owner of
Bokahola Tea Company Private
Limited, which manages around
12 gardens in Assam with an
annual production of about 55
lakh kg.
G
Beside this, MS Boje Gowda has
been appointed the new chairman
of the Coffee Board of India.
Gowda is a renowned coffee
grower and will be in the post till
December 14, 2018.
137
Venu Rajamony
G
Venu Rajamony has been appointed
as the India's Ambassador to the
Netherlands on May 8, 2017. He was
the Press Secretary to President
Pranab Mukherjee and senior
diplomat. Rajamony will also be
India’s Permanent Representative to
the Organisation for Prevention of
Chemical Weapons based in The
Hague and cover the International
Court of Justice, the Permanent
Court of Arbitration and other
international organisations based in
the Netherlands.
G
The Netherlands is one of India’s
leading trade and investment
partners. Total bilateral trade stood at
Euro 4.9 billion in 2016.
Neil Chatterjee
G
US President Donald Trump
Nominated Indian American Neil
Chatterjee as a member of Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) on May 9, 2017.
G
FERC is an agency responsible for
overseeing America’s power grid and
deciding on multi billion dollar
energy projects. His term will expire
on June 30, 2021. He is the 2nd
Indian American appointed by
Donald Trump to a major regulatory
position.
Shobana Kamineni
G
Executive vice chairperson of the
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited
Shobana Kamineni has been
appointed as the first Woman
President of Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) on May 2, 2017.
G
She will take over the top position
from the current President Dr
Naushad Forbes, Co-Chairman,
Forbes Marshall Limited.
G
CII founded in 1895, is a
non-government, not-for-profit,
industry-led and industry-managed
organisation, playing a proactive role
in India's development process.
138 Current Affairs
Braj Bihari Kumar
G
Editor of quarterly journals
Dialogue and Chintan Srijan,
Braj Bihari Kumar has been
appointed as the chairman of
the Indian Council of Social
Science Research (ICSSR) on
May 2, 2017.
G
The HRD Ministry took the
decision finalising his name for
the top post for a period of
three years and he succeeded
noted economist SK Thorat.
G
ICSSR is a council in India
which promotes research in the
field of social sciences. It was
established in 1969 as an
autonomous body under
Government of India with their
office in New Delhi.
Mallikarjun Kharge
G
The Congress leader,
Mallikarjun Kharge was
appointed as the new chairman
of the 21-member (14 from Lok
Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha)
Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) of Parliament.
G
He succeeded KV Thomas,
whose term ended on April 30,
2017.The Chairman of the PAC
is appointed by the Speaker of
Lok Sabha. The Committee on
Public Accounts is the oldest
Parliamentary committee that
examines the accounts showing
the appropriation of sums
granted by Parliament for
expenditure of government of
India and such other accounts
of autonomous and
semi-autonomous bodies.
Kalvakuntla
Chandrasekhar Rao
G
Telangana Chief Minister
Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao
has been re-elected as the
President of Telangana Rashtra
Samiti (TRS) on April 20,2017.
G
Telangana Rashtra Samithi is
an Indian regional political
party based in Telangana.
G
The TRS was founded on April
27, 2001 by K. Chandrashekar
Rao, with a single point agenda
of creating a separate Telangana
state with Hyderabad as its
capital.
Half Yearly 2017
Bounnhang Vorachit
G
Laos's National Assembly appointed
Communist Party chief Bounnhang
Vorachit as the country's new president
and named Foreign Minister Thongloun
Sisoulith as Prime Minister on April 21,
2017. The National Assembly approved
Bounnhang Vorachit as President, with
more than two-third of the votes.
Vinay Shah
G
Life Insurance Corporation of India has
appointed Vinay Shah as the new
Managing Director (MD) and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of its mortgage
loan arm and listed entity LIC Housing
Finance, after government elevates
Sunita Sharma.
G
Vijay Kumar Sharma is the Chairman of
Mumbai headquartered LIC. Vinay Shah
has been with LIC since 1983.
G
LIC Housing Finance Limited (LIC HFL)
is one of the largest Housing Finance
companies in India having its Registered
and Corporate office at Mumbai.
Gita Mittal
G
The seniormost Judge of the Delhi High
Court Justice Gita Mittal, has been
appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of
Delhi High Court on April 13, 2017.
G
She was appointed as additional Judge
of the Delhi high court in 2004 and was
made a permanent judge in 2006.
G
Since August 2008, Justice Mittal has
been a member of the governing council
of the National Law University, Delhi.
G
She is also a member of the governing
council of the Indian Law Institute, New
Delhi, since 2013 and has been nominated
to its administrative committee.
Malvika Sinha
G
RBI has appointed Malvika Sinha as
Executive Director (ED) on April 7,2017.
As Executive Director, she will look
after foreign exchange department,
department of government and bank
accounts and internal debt
management wing.
G
She had joined the RBI in 1982 and as a
career central banker served in the areas
of regulation and supervision, foreign
exchange and government and bank
accounts.
G
Prior to being promoted as ED, she was
Principal Chief General Manager,
Department of Cooperative Banking
Supervision in the Reserve Bank.
Geetha Johri
G
Senior Indian Police Service officer
Geetha Johri was appointed Gujarat’s new
DGP-in-charge on April 4, 2017 becoming
the State’s first woman police chief.
G
A 1982-batch IPS officer, Johri had a
controversial stint in the the Supreme
Court-appointed Special Investigation
Team appointed to probe the
post-Godhra riots and was discharged as
an accused in an alleged fake
encounter case.
G
Recently, she was in news for her role in
the SIT probing the post-Godhra riots
and as the investigation officer in the
Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram
Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases.
Raman Roy
G
IT industry body NASSCOM appointed
Quatrro CMD Raman Roy its chairman
for 2017-18, on April 7, 2017. It has also
named Rishad Premji, Wipro chief
strategy officer and son of technology
czar Azim Premji, as the vice chairman.
G
Raman Roy, served as the vice chairman
in the previous fiscal. The National
Association of Software and Services
Companies (NASSCOM) is a trade
association of Indian Information
Technology (IT).
Lenin Moreno
G
Socialist Lenin Moreno has been declared
the winner of Ecuador's closely contested
presidential election on April 3, 2017.
G
Earlier he served as Vice President from
2007 to 2013, serving under President
Rafael Correa. His election as Vice
President was notable because as a
paraplegic, Moreno was one of the world’s
few national leaders to have a disability.
G
For his advocacy for handicapped people,
he was nominated for the 2012 Nobel
Peace Prize.
Indira Banerjee
G
Justice Indira Banerjee was sworn-in as
the Chief Justice of the Madras High
Court on April 3, 2017.
G
Justice Banerjee enrolled as an advocate
in 1985 and practiced both in the
original and appellate sides of
Calcutta High Court in all branches of
law except criminal.
G
She was appointed permanent judge of
Calcutta High Court in February 2002
and was transferred to Delhi High Court
in August last.
Vanaja N. Sarna
G
Senior bureaucrat Vanaja N.
Sarna was appointed as
chairperson of Central Board of
Excise and Customs (CBEC) on
March 31, 2017.
G
She is, a 1980 batch officer of
Indian Revenue Service (customs
and central excise), is at present
member in the CBEC, an apex
policy making body for
indirect taxes.
G
She has also worked as
Additional Director General,
National Academy of Customs,
Excise & Narcotics (NACEN), in
Chennai.
G
She was also Additional Director
General in Directorate General of
Revenue Intelligence, New Delhi
G
She also served on deputation as
Under Secretary, Legislative
Department, Ministry of Law and
as Director/ Joint Secretary in the
Rajya Sabha Secretariat
G
The CBEC will be responsible for
ensuring successful roll out and
subsequent implementation of
the GST, with the help of VAT
officers of state governments and
others.
Siddhartha Upadhyay
G
Siddhartha Upadhyay has been
appointed to the governing body
of Sports Authority of India on
March 30, 2017.
G
He is the founder of Society for
Transformation, Inclusion, and
Recognition through Sports.
Siddhartha Upadhyay is a
recipient of prestigious Rashtriya
Khel Protsahan Puruskar, from
the President of India.
G
As the founder and secretary
general of STAIRS, he also
represents the organisation in
Steering Committee for FIFA
U-17 World Cup, BRICS U-17
Tournament, Mission XI Million
Programme and a programme of
Subroto Mukherjee Sports
Education Society, formed by
Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports.
G
STAIRS is a not-for-profit,
Non-Governmental Organisation
(NGO) which aims to empower
the underprivileged youth of
India through sports.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
David Beasley
G
Former South Carolina Governor
David Beasley has been formally
appointed to lead the United Nation’s
World Food Programme on March 30,
2017. He served as Governor from
1995-99, was among 23 applications
or nominations for the job.
G
He won a seat in the South Carolina
House of Representatives. He later
graduated from the University of
South Carolina and the University
of South Carolina School of Law.
Dr. Randeep Guleria
G
All India Institute of Medical
Sciences got a new director with the
appointment of Dr. Randeep Guleria
on March 28, 2017.
G
He joined AIIMS as an assistant
professor in 1992 and has been the
HoD of the department of
pulmonary medicine and sleep
disorders since April, 2011, has
taken charge of his office.
G
He has been appointed for five years
from the date of assumption of
charge or till attaining the age of 65
until further orders. He received
Padma Shri award in 2015 and Dr.
BC Roy award in the category
‘Eminent Medical Person’ in 2014.
Tanushree Pareek
G
Tanushree Pareek became the first
woman combat officer to be
commissioned in the 51-year history
of the BSF, the country’s largest
border guarding force on March 24,
2017. She will now be posted to
command a unit along the
India-Pakistan border in Punjab.
G
The BSF is primarily tasked to
guard two of the most sensitive
Indian frontiers with Pakistan and
Bangladesh while it is extensively
deployed for conducting anti-Naxal
operations and rendering other
duties in the internal
security domain.
139
TS Anantharaman
G
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
accorded approval for the appointment
of TS Anantharaman as part-time
chairman of Catholic Syrian Bank on
March 23, 2017. Anantharaman has
been holding the position of
non-executive director of the bank
since August 28, 2009.
G
Anantharaman is a senior chartered
accountant with wide and varied
experience in practice, industry,
teaching, consulting and service. He
had served with United Nations for
seven years.
G
Anantharaman was the President of
Chamber of Commerce, Thrissur,
Thrissur Management Association and
a number of other institutions.
Upendra Tripathy
G
The governments of India and France
jointly appointed Upendra Tripathy, as
the Interim Director General (IDG) of
the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
on a full time basis on March 21, 2017.
G
Upendra Tripathy was the Former
Secretary, Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy from April 1, 2014
until October 31, 2016. Tripathy is an
Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
officer of Karnataka Cadre.
G
He has worked with local, provincial
and the Union governments in India
for the last 36 years.
G
The International Solar Alliance (ISA)
was launched on November 30, 2015
as a coalition of the solar resource rich
countries jointly by Narendra Modi,
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and
François Hollande.
PV Sindhu
G
The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medal
shuttler PV Sindhu will be the Brand
Ambassador for Gatorade, PepsiCo’s
sports-based drink on March 21, 2017.
G
Plans are that Gatorade Sports Science
Insitute and Sindhu will work closely
to better understand her training and
match-day nutrition. Gatorade’s
formula claims the right amount of
carbohydrates, electrolytes and flavour
that will help athletes rehydrate,
replenish and refuel while playing.
G
The partnership is a reiteration of
PepsiCo India’s commitment to
popularise the benefits of its healthier
food and beverage offerings
to consumers.
140 Current Affairs
Yogi Adityanath
G
Yogi Adityanath, a five-time
parliamentarian was sworn-in as
the new Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh on March 18, 2017.
G
He has been winning the
Gorakhpur seat since 1998 and is
the head priest of
Gorakhnath Math. His two
deputies in Keshav Prasad
Maurya, the party’s Uttar
Pradesh Chief, and Dinesh
Sharma, Lucknow’s Mayor also
took oath.
G
He is also the founder of the
Hindu Yuva Vahini, a militant
youth organisation that has been
involved in communal violence.
N. Biren Singh
G
BJP leader N. Biren Singh took
oath as the new Chief Minister
of Manipur and formed the first
ever BJP-led government in the
State on March 14, 2017.
G
He joined politics in 2002 and
was elected to the Legislative
Assembly as a candidate from
the Democratic Revolutionary
People’s Party from Heinganag.
He held the post of a Minister of
State of Vigilance in the Manipur
State government in May, 2003.
G
He contested elections in 2007
and retained his seat, fighting
with a ticket from the Indian
National Congress.
G
He then took over the post of the
Minister of Irrigation and Flood
Control and Youth Affairs &
Sports. He retained his Assembly
seat for the third consecutive
term in 2012.
G
In October, 2016, after the
protests aginst the then Chief
Minister Okram Ibobi Singh,
Biren resigned from the Manipur
Legislative Assembly and the
Manipur Pradesh
Congress Committee.
Half Yearly 2017
Chittaranjan Sharma
G
Justice (Retd.) Chittaranjan Sharma
was sworn-in as Assam’s
Upalokayukta by Governor Banwarilal
Purohit on March 14, 2017. Justice
Sharma was a former Judge of the
Guwahati High Court. The Lokayukta
is an anti-corruption ombudsman
organisation in the Indian States.
G
The Administrative Reforms
Commission (ARC) headed by Morarji
Desai submitted a special interim
report on ‘Problems of Redressal of
Citizen’s Grievances’ in 1966. In this
report, the ARC recommended the
setting-up of two special authorities
designated as ‘Lokpal’ and ‘Lokayukta’
for the redressal of citizens’ grievances.
G
The LokAyukta, along with the
Income Tax Department and the Anti
Corruption Bureau, mainly helps
people publicise corruption among the
Politicians and Government Officials.
Many acts of the LokAyukta have
resulted in criminal or other
consequences for those charged.
Babul Supriyo
G
Union Minister Babul Supriyo has
been appointed as the Vice-President
of the FIFA U-17 World Cup
organising committee on March 14,
2017. Currently, he is a Minister of
State for Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprises, in the government of
India. He made a career as singer in
Hindi cinema, and contributed to
more than 70 films.
G
He has also done playback singing in
other Indian films including Bengali
and Odia. He entered politics in 2014
and joined Narendra
Modi’s government.
Manohar Parrikar
G
Former Defence Minister Parrikar took
oath as the Chief Minister of Goa for
the fourth time on March 13, 2017
after the BJP cobbled up a coalition
with two regional parties and some
Independent MLAs.
G
Along with Parrikar, governor Mridula
Sinha administered oath of office to
nine Ministers. Other than Parrikar,
the BJP will have only two members,
Francis D’Souza and Pandurang
Madkaikar, in the Council of Minister.
G
Three Ministers (Vijai Sardesai, Vinod
Palienkar and Jayesh Salgaonkar) are
from the Goa Forward Party.
Narendra Kumar
G
An officer of Central Water
Engineering Service Narendra
Kumar has assumed the charge of
Chairman, Central Water
Commission on March 12, 2017.
G
He has served in various capacities in
CWC as Assistant Director in Design
Organisation, Deputy Director in
Project Appraisal Directorate and
Director in Dam Safety Organisation
and Project Monitoring Directorate.
G
He has also served as Senior Joint
Commissioner in Command Area
Development wing of Ministry of
Water Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation from
2002-05.
G
From 2009-11, he served as Chief
Engineer, Brahmaputra and Barak
Basin, Shillong. He has also worked
as Commissioner of B&B wing of
Ministry of Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation during 2011-14.
Donald Tusk
G
The leaders of the EU delivered a
withering snub to Poland’s right-wing
government by disregarding its
objections and reappointing former
Polish premier Donald Tusk as
European Council President on
March 9, 2017.
G
Donald Tusk is a Polish politician
and historian. He has been President
of the European Council since
December 1, 2014. Previously, he
was Prime Minister of Poland
(2007-14) and a co-founder and
chairman of the Civic Platform party.
G
Tusk has been involved in Polish
politics since the early 1990s, having
founded several political parties and
held elected office almost
continuously since 1991.
G
He was elected Prime Minister
in 2007 and with his Civic Union
party’s victory in the 2011 Polish
parliamentary election, he became
the first Prime Minister to be
re-elected since the fall of
Communism in Poland.
G
In 2014, he became the President of
the European Council, and was
re-elected to this position in 2017.
He resigned as Polish Prime Minister
to take the role, having been the
longest-serving Prime Minister of the
Third Polish Republic.
Khurshid Ganai
G
In exercise of the powers vested in
him under the Jammu and
Kashmir Right to Information
Act, 2009 (Act No. VIII of 2009),
Governor NN Vohra has appointed
Khurshid A. Ganai. IAS (Retd.)
as the State Chief information
Commissioner on
February 27, 2017.
G
He retired in October, 2016 is
currently in-charge of
12 departments including,
Agriculture, Rural Development,
Forest, Environment, Labour and
Employment, Social Welfare and
Tribal Affairs.
G
An IAS officer of 1982-batch,
Ganai served in the Union
Ministries of Information &
Broadcasting and Home Affairs.
G
He also served as Advisor to
Governor NN Vohra for a brief
period in 2016 when State came
under Governor’s Rule following
the demise of then Chief Minister
Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.
Abhay Manohar Sapre
G
Supreme Court Judge Abhay
Manohar Sapre has been appointed
as the Chairman of the Cauvery
Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT),
which was headless for nearly a
year, on February 22, 2017.
G
The CWDT was constituted by the
Centre in 1990 to adjudicate the
water dispute regarding the
inter-State Cauvery river which
has Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala
and Puducherry as basin States.
G
Justice Sapre’s appointment will
mean the Supreme Court, which
has been hearing several cases
pertaining to the dispute over
sharing of water, particularly
between Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu, can now direct any matter if
need be to the tribunal.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Shurhozelie Liezietsu
G
The Nagaland People’s Front (NPF)
President Shurhozelie Liezietsu
sworn-in as the new Nagaland Chief
Minister on February 21, 2017.
G
TR Zeliang had stepped down as Chief
Minister on February 19, 2017 in the
wake of violent protests that broke
out when his government wanted to
hold municipal elections with
33% reservation for women.
G
Shurhozelie, an eight time MLA, did
not contested assembly elections in
2013 and will now have to get elected
through a byelection within
six months.
G
Shurhozelie, has held the office of the
Education Minister in State
government and has also been
associated with policy making and is
credited with introducing the
Compact Area Development Scheme,
later named Local Area Development
Fund, in Nagaland.
G
Shurhozelie has also authored four
novels and several collections of
poetry, he has also written
dictionaries and books related to
Tenyidie language and biogressays. He
is also the first to have been conferred
a DLit (honorary) by the Nagaland
University in 2003.
N. Chandrasekaran
G
Natarajan Chandrasekaran formally
took charge as the Chairman of Tata
Sons Limited on February 20, 2017.
G
He Joined TCS in 1987, Chandra took
over as CEO on October 6, 2009 prior
to which he was COO and executive
director of TCS.
G
Chandra is a senior member of
Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE), and an active
member of Computer Society of India
and British Computer Society.
G
He was nominated as the Chairman of
Indian IT industry body NASSCOM in
April, 2012. Presently, the head of the
TATA Sons limited Group.
141
Edappadi K. Palaniswami
G
Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar
Rao appointed Edappadi K.
Palaniswami as Chief Minister of
the State on February 15, 2017.
G
Edappadi K. Palaniswami is an
Indian politician who is the 13th
and current Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu.
G
He is a senior leader of the All India
Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK).
G
A kidnapping case has been filed by
Koovathur police against him under
IPC Section-365 for allegedly
involved in kidnapping Tamil
Nadu MLA’S.
G
Palaniswami has won the Assembly
election to the State Assembly four
times, in 1989,1991, 2011 and 2016
from the Edapadi constituency.
Sandeep Jajodia
G
Monnet Ispat & Energy Limited
CMD Sandeep Jajodia has been
appointed as the new President of
industry chamber ASSOCHAM on
February 12, 2017.
G
Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman,
Welspun Group and Kiran Kumar
Grandhi, Vice-Chairman of GMR
Infrastructure Limited, have taken
over as senior Vice-President and
Vice-President, respectively.
G
ASSOCHAM will continue to play a
transformational role both
nationally and globally and the
chamber will empower Indian
enterprises by focusing on the most
critical and relevant issues in a
highly impact-oriented manner.
Ajay Tyagi
G
Ajay Tyagi was appointed as
Chairman of Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on
February 10, 2017.
G
He is a 1984-batch IAS officer of
Himachal Pradesh cadre, is at
present Additional Secretary
(Investment) in the Department of
Economic Affairs and handles
capital market, among others.
G
As per the eligibility criteria, a
person can hold the position of
SEBI Chairman till the age of
65 years or for a term decided by
the government.
142 Current Affairs
Achamkulangare Gopinathan Vinod Rai
G
A top Indian diplomat, Achamkulangare
Gopinathan, has been re-appointed by
the UN General Assembly to the Joint
Inspection Unit, the only independent
external oversight body of the UN
system on February 5, 2017.
G
Gopinathan was first appointed to the
UN body for a term from January, 2013
to December, 2017.
G
Gopinath’s re-appointment follows his
nomination by India and endorsement
as the sole candidate of the G
The Supreme Court appointed a
Asia-Pacific Group. four-member Committee headed
G
The Joint Inspection Unit is the only by former Comptroller and
independent external oversight body of Auditor General (CAG) of India
the United Nations system mandated to Vinod Rai to manage the
conduct evaluations, inspections and Indian cricket board, on
investigations system-wide. January 28, 2017.
G
Vinod Rai was the 11th
Sanjeev Sanyal Comptroller and Auditor
G
The Union government appointed noted General of India. He assumed
economist Sanjeev Sanyal as Principal office on January 7, 2008 till
Economic Adviser in the Ministry of May 22, 2013.
Finance on February 3, 2017. G
He is the current Chairman of
G
He has been appointed in a pay scale of the UN Panel of External
` 67000-79000 for a period of 3 years. Auditors and Honorary Advisor to
G
Sanyal authored several books including the Railways and a member
‘Land of the Seven Rivers : A Brief of the Railway Kaya Kalp
History of India’s Geography’, ‘The Council.
Indian Renaissance : India’s Rise after a G
He holds a master’s degree in
Thousand Years of Decline’ and ‘The Economics from the University of
Incredible History of India’s Delhi, and Masters in Public
Geography’. Administration from
G
He has been a Fellow of the Royal Harvard University.
Geographical Society, London. G
He is widely considered as symbol
of the anti-corruption movement
Rex Tillerson and is credited with having turned
G
Rex Tillerson, the former Chairman and the office of CAG into a powerful
Chief Executive of Exxon Mobil, force for accountability and
sworn-in as President Donald Trump’s transparency in
Secretary of State after having been contemporary India.
confirmed by the Senate on '
A~ bú¶'hþAm AmgmZ
February 2, 2017.
G
He began his career as an
engineer and holds a
bachelor’s degree in civil
engineering from the
University of Texas at Austin.
G
Tillerson joined Exxon
in 1975, and by 1989 had
became General Manager of
the Exxon USA central `
G
production division.
In 1995, he became the
12
President of Exxon Yemen
Inc. and Esso Exploration and ñmånyU© H [a¶a ‘mJ©Xe©H ...
Production Khorat Inc.
Half Yearly 2017
Banwarilal Purohit
G
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed
Banwarilal Purohit, the Governor of
Assam to execute the functions of the
Governor of Meghalaya after accepting
the resignation of V. Shanmuganathan,
as Governor of Meghalaya and
Arunachal Pradesh on January 27, 2017.
G
President Mukherjee also appointed PB
Acharya, the Governor of Nagaland to
discharge functions as the Governor of
Arunachal Pradesh.
G
Banwarilal Purohit is an Indian
politician from Vidarbha region. He
earlier was appointed as Governor of
Assam State.
Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar
G
Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar, a technocrat
who is considered the father of the
Indian Supercomputer, appointed as the
new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda
University on January 27, 2017.
G
He will hold the office for a three-year
period from the date of his appointment
as per the Nalanda University Act,
Section-11(3).
G
He is known as the architect of India’s
initiative in supercomputing, the Centre
of Development of Advanced Computing
in Pune founded in 1988, leading to the
development of the first indigenous
supercomputer Param 8000 in 1991,
followed by Param 10000 in 1998.
G
He served as member, Scientific
Advisory Committee to the Cabinet at
the Centre, and governing board of
Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research. He has also been honoured
with the Padma Shri and Padma
Bhushan, the fourth and third highest
civilian honours in India.
Ajit Pai
G
President Donald Trump has appointed
Ajit Pai to head the powerful US
communications regulatory agency,
becoming the third Indian American
picked for key positions in his
administration on January 24, 2017.
G
He will be the chairman of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC),
the federal authority regulating
cellphone spectrum and services, radio,
television, phone, internet and satellite
and cable. The FCC also has a major role
in controlling the content of television
and radio, a sensitive issue given
Trump’s contentious relations with
the media.
Adama Barrow
G
Adama Barrow sworn-in as
Gambia’s President in Senegal
on January 19, 2017. He is a
member of the United
Democratic Party (UDP). Prior
to his Presidential campaign, he
was the treasurer of the UDP
and operated a Real
Estate agency. He established
the agency Majum Real Estate
in 2006, after returning from
studies in London.
Anurag Thakur
G
Ousted as BCCI President
following a Supreme Court
order, Anurag Thakur was on
January 21, 2017 unanimously
elected head of the Himachal
Pradesh Olympic Association
(HPOA) for a four-year term.
G
He had to step down as BCCI
President owing to the Supreme
Court ruling on Lodha
Committee reforms, was elected
at the HPOA’s Annual
General Meeting.
G
The HPOA decided to have a
Himachal Olympic Bhawan at
Shimla and to organise the
State Olympic festival on the
lines of the national games at
hamirpur from June 23 to 26.
Antonio Tajani
G
Italian conservative Antonio
Tajani elected the new President
of the European Parliament on
January 18, 2017. He is a former
spokesman for Italy’s Silvio
Berlusconi and an ex-European
commissioner.
G
He was one of the fourteen
Vice-Presidents of the European
Parliament and the European
Commissioner for Industry and
Entrepreneurship, and was also
one of the Vice-Presidents of
the European Commission.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Alok Verma
G
Delhi Police Commissioner Alok
Verma was appointed as the next Chief
of the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) on January 18, 2017.
G
His appointment was approved for a
period of 2 years by a three-member
selection panel headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and
comprising Chief Justice of India
Jagdish Singh Khehar and Congress
leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun
Kharge as members. He has also served
Delhi Police in number of positions,
including Deputy Commissioner of
Police, South District, Joint
Commissioner of the Crime Branch,
Joint Commissioner of Police, New
Delhi Range, Special CP (Intelligence)
and Special CP, Vigilance.
G
He had served as the Inspector
General of Police in Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and Director General
of Police (DGP) of Puducherry.
Verma, who is the 27th Director
(including two acting Chief) of the
CBI, has never worked in the central
probe agency.
Daniel Ortega
G
Daniel Ortega won third consecutive
term as President of Nicaragua after
winning more than 70% of the vote
on January 10, 2017.
G
Ortega led the country during the
1980s, when a civil war against
US-backed Contra rebels killed 30000
people and unleashed an
economic crisis. After losing the 1990
election, Ortega managed to
orchestrate a return to power when
he became President in 2006.
Kumar Sharadindu
G
The SBI Pension Funds, a subsidiary
of State Bank of India, appointed
Kumar Sharadindu as its Managing
Director and Chief Executive on
January 9, 2017.
G
The SBI Pension Funds is one of the
three pension fund managers
appointed by the regulator PFRDA to
manage the pension corpus of
employees enrolled under the
National Pension System for
government employees.
G
Prior to this assignment, Sharadindu
was a General Manager at the SBI
Corporate Centre, Mumbai, heading
the private equity business.
143
CG Weeramantry
G
Eminent jurist CG Weeramantry,
who was the first Sri Lankan to be
appointed to the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, and
acclaimed for his dissenting
judgment on nuclear weapons,
passed away on January 7, 2017.
G
Justice Weeramantry began his
judicial career in the 1950s, and
became Sri Lanka’s youngest
Supreme Court judge.
G
He later served as a senior judge
there before moving to Australia as
the Sir Hayden Stark Professor of
Law at Monash University.
G
In the early 1990s, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) sought an
advisory opinion from the ICJ on the
‘Legality of the threat or use of
nuclear weapons’.
G
He set-up the Colombo-based
Weeramantry Centre for International
Peace and also served as President of
the International Association of
Lawyers against Nuclear Arms, a
non-governmental organisation
headquartered in The Hague.
Jovenel Moise
G
Haitians chose banana exporter
Jovenel Moise as their next President,
provisional results released by the
election council on January 4, 2017.
G
Moise won 55.67% of the vote in the
November 20 election, a majority that
means the impoverished Caribbean
nation will avoid a runoff and a
political void, so long as the losing
candidates do not contest the result.
G
Moise, is a successful businessman,
running a banana export company
that he sees as a model for rural
development.
Karan Bajwa
G
IBM appointed Karan Bajwa as the
Managing Director of its India
operations on January 4, 2017.
G
He succeeds Vanitha Narayana, who
has been elevated as Chairman of
IBM India.
G
He joined IBM last year as Executive
for Strategy and Transformation in
the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, he
was Microsoft India’s managing
director. He was associated with
IBM’s networking business and was
based in Singapore in 2001-05.
144 Current Affairs
Surekha Marandi
G
The Reserve Bank Surekha
Marandi appointed as Executive
Director on January 3, 2016. She
replaced US Paliwal, who retired
on December 31, 2016.
G
As Executive Director, Marandi
will look after Consumer
Education and Protection
Department, Financial Inclusion
and Development Department and
Secretary’s Department.
G
Prior to being promoted as ED,
Marandi was Principal Chief
General Manager and Chief
Vigilance Officer in the RBI.
G
Marandi has over a span of three
decades served in regulatory and
supervisory, financial inclusion
and development and human
resource management areas in the
RBI.
G
She holds a Master’s Degree from
Jadavpur University.
Resignation
Anil Kumble
G
Former Indian Captain ‘Anil
Kumble’ has resigned from the
post of ‘Head Coach’ of the Senior
Indian Cricket team on June 20,
2017.
G
Earlier, one year contract of
Kumble expired at the end of the
Champions Trophy but he was
given the option to
travel with the team to the West
Indies tour.
G
The BCCI has deputed MV Sridhar
(General Manager of cricket
operations) to supervise the
team management for the West
Indies tour.
Half Yearly 2017
Ravi Narain
G
Ravi Narain, former managing director
and chief executive officer of the
National Stock Exchange (NSE)
resigned as the vice-chairman of the
bourse on June 3, 2017.
G
He has submitted his resignation to
NSE chairman Ashok Chawla. This is
the NSE’s second high-profile
resignation.
G
Chitra Ramkrishna, MD and CEO,
had resigned in December, 2016. Mr.
Narain and Ms.
G
Ramakrishna’s were part of the NSE’s
founding team of the NSE, having
joined the bourse in 1994.
G
Mr. Narain’s exit comes close on the
heels of the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) issuing
show-cause notices to top officials
employees of the NSE, including the
two former CEOs of the bourse.
G. Parameshwara
G
Karnataka Home Minister G.
Parameshwara resigned from his post
on June 1, 2017. Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah received his resignation
letter.
G
Dr. Parameshwar is the Karnataka
Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC)
president since 2010.
G
In 1993, Parmeshwar served as
Minister for Sericulture and from
1998-2004 served as Minister of
Higher Education.
G
He has been elected to the Assembly
four times (1989, 1999, 2004
and 2008).
Ramachandra Guha
G
Ramachandra Guha has resigned as
BCCI administrator due to personal
reasons on June 1, 2017.
G
He has submitted his resignation
letter to the Chairman of the
Committee of Administrators of the
BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in
India) Vinod Rai.
G
The Supreme Court had on January
30, 2017 appointed a 4
member-committee of administrators
led by former Comptroller and
Auditor General Vinod Rai to run the
BCCI.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
‘Prachanda’
G
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa
Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'
resigned after a brief stint of
nine months, honouring a
power sharing understanding
reached between his party and
the ruling partner Nepali
Congress on May 24, 2017.
G
He was elected as the 39th
Prime Minister of Nepal after
forging alliance with the Nepali
Congress on August 3, 2016.
G
The pact was to run the
government on a rotational
basis until elections to the
parliament are held in February
2018.
Park Geun-hye
G
Park Geun-hye became the first
democratically elected South
Korean President to be forced
from office, after the country’s
Constitutional Court upheld a
Parliamentary vote to impeach
her over a corruption and
cronyism scandal that could see
her face criminal charges on
March 9, 2017.
G
She became the first woman to
be elected as President of South
Korea served the 18th
Presidential term. She was the
first female President popularly
elected as head of State in
East Asia.
G
Prior to her Presidency, Park
was the chairwoman of the
conservative Grand National
Party (GNP) from 2004 to 2006
and from 2011 to 2012. She was
also a member of the National
Assembly, serving four
complete consecutive
Parliamentary terms as a
Constituency representative
between 1998 and 2012.
G
In 2013 and 2014, Park was
ranked 11th on the Forbes list
of the world’s 100 most
powerful women and the most
powerful woman in East Asia.
G
In 2014, she was ranked 46th
on the Forbes list of the world’s
most powerful people, the
third-highest South Koreanon
the list after Lee Kun-hee and
Lee Jae-yong.
Shashank Manohar
G
Shashank Manohar resigned as
ICC Chairman after merely eight
months in office citing personal
reasons on March 14, 2017.
G
Shashank Vyankatesh Manohar is
a prominent Indian lawyer and
cricket administrator.
G
He twice served as the President
of the Board of Control for Cricket
in India, from 2008-11 and from
November, 2015 to May, 2016.
G
He served as the chairman of the
International Cricket Council
(ICC) from November, 2015 to
March, 2017.
V. Shanmuganathan
G
Facing sexual harassment charges,
Meghalaya Governor
V. Shanmuganathan resigned
after a section of Raj Bhavan
employees demanded his removal
for ‘seriously compromising’ the
dignity of the gubernatorial office
on January 25, 2017.
G
Women activists had begun a
signature campaign here seeking
Shanmuganathan’s removal.
G
The campaign, spearheaded by
women-led Civil Society Women
Organisation (CSWO) and Thma u
Rangli (TuR), was launched
following reports of inappropriate
behaviour by the Governor. He
took over as the Governor of
Meghalaya in May, 2015.
Anerood Jugnauth
G
Indian-Origin Mauritius Prime
Minister Anerood Jugnauth
resigned and handed over the post
to his son on January 24, 2017.
G
According to the country’s
Constitution, the President
appoints a member of the
National Assembly as Prime
Minister who has the support of
the majority of members on
January 24, 2017.
G
According to the country’s
Constitution, the President
appoints a member of the
National Assembly as Prime
Minister who has the support of
the majority of members.
G
Pravind Jugnauth’s party has the
majority in the National Assembly
with 32 members.
Current Affairs
Persons Died
Swami Atmasthananda
G
The President of Ramakrishna Math &
Mission Swami Atmasthananda passed
away in a Kolkata hospital after a
prolonged illness on June 18, 2017.
G
He was elected as the President of the
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna
Mission in December 2007.
G
The ‘Ramakrishna Mission’ is a
philanthropic, volunteer organisation
founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple
‘Swami Vivekananda’ on May 1, 1897.
PN Bhagwati
G
Former Chief Justice of India (17th) PN
Bhagwati passed away after brief illness on
June 15, 2017. As a Supreme Court judge,
Bhagwati introduced the concepts of Public
Interest Litigation (PIL) and absolute
liability to the Indian judicial system.
G
In 2007, Bhagwati was awarded India's
second highest civilian award the Padma
Vibhushan in public affairs.
Preet Kaur Gill
G
Preet Kaur Gill has become the first Sikh to
be elected to the British Parliament’s House
of Commons on June 10, 2017.
G
Labour Party candidate Preet Kaur Gill won
her Birmingham Edgbaston seat by polling
24,124 votes, defeating ruling Conservative
party rival Caroline Squire by 6,917 votes.
G
Preet Kaur Gill has served as a board
member of the Sikh Network, an open
collective of Sikh activists and professionals
in UK from all backgrounds.
C. Narayana Reddy
G
Telugu poet and writer Cingireddi Narayana
Reddy passed away on June 12, 2017. He is
Jnanpith awardee and also the receipient of
country’s third-highest civilian honour,
Padma Vibhushan.
G
He also served as Vice-Chancellor of Telugu
University and held important academic
and administrative positions in the state.
Half Yearly 2017 145
P. Govardhan Reddy
G
Veteran Congress leader and Rajya
Sabha MP, Palvai Govardhan Reddy
passed away on June 9, 2017 after
suffering a cardiac arrest in Kulu,
Himachal Pradesh.
G
Reddy was an Indian politician from
the Indian National Congress Party. He
was was first elected to the Legislative
Assembly in 1967 from Munugodu
constitutency in Nalgonda district in
the United Andhra Pradesh.
Mehrunnisa Dalwai
G
Eminent rights activist Mehrunnisa
Dalwai and the protagonist of a
reformist movement 'Muslim
Satyashodhak Mandal' passed away in
Pune on June 8, 2017.
G
She worked for justice and equal rights
for Muslim women and spearheaded a
march in Mumbai seeking abolition of
triple 'talaq'. She founded Islamic
Research Institute and Maharashtra
Talaq Mukti Morcha.
Basudev Chatterji
G
Basudev Chatterji, the noted historian,
has passed away in Guwahati, (Assam)
on June 8, 2017. He was also the former
chairman of Indian Council for
Historical Research (ICHR).
G
The books ‘Trade, Tariffs and Empire :
Lancashire and British Policy in India’,
and ‘Dictionary of Martyrs India’s
Freedom Struggle’ were among his
works.
KPS Gill
G
Former DGP of Punjab and Assam, KPS
Gill passed away in Delhi on May 26,
2017. Gill was awarded the Padma Shri
for his work in the civil service in 1989.
G
Gill was also the President of the
Institute for Conflict Management and
Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).
Anil Madhav Dave
G
Environment Minister Anil Madhav
Dave passed away in Delhi after
suffering a cardiac arrest on May 18,
2017. Dave had been member of the
Rajya Sabha since August 2009. He was
re-elected to the Upper House in June,
2016.
G
Anil Madhav Dave was appointed as the
Minister of State (MoS) independent
charge of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change in the Narendra Modi
government on July 5, 2016.
146 Current Affairs
Reema Lagoo
G
Veteran actress Reema Lagoo died
at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai
on May 18, 2017. She reportedly
suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
G
Lagoo who appeared in several
Hindi and Marathi films also acted
in numerous television shows like
Tu Tu Main Main and Shrimaan
Shrimati.
G
She played the role of a mother in
several Bollywood films like Maine
Pyar Kiya, Aashiqui, Saajan, Hum Aapke
Hain Kaun, Vaastav, Kuch Kuch Hota
Hai, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Gumrah
and Hum Saath Saath Hain etc.
Subrahmanyan
Ramaswamy
G
Former Puducherry Chief Minister
Subrahmanyan Ramaswamy
passed away on May 15, 2017 in
Puducherry following an illness.
G
He was Home Minister in the
DMK-CPI coalition ministry from
1969-73.
G
He became Chief Minister of
AIADMK in 1974 heading the
AIADMK-CPI coalition ministry
for a short period.
G
He was also the Chief Minister in
the AIADMK government in 1977,
which lasted in office for a little
over one year.
Min Bahadur Sherchan
G
Nepali man who was attempting
to become the oldest person to
climb Mount Everest has died at
base camp on May 6, 2017.
G
Min Bahadur Sherchan, a former
British Gurkha soldier, was trying
to reclaim the record from Japan's
Yuichiro Miura, who climbed
Everest aged 80 in 2013.
G
Mr Miura broke Mr Sherchan's
own record set as a 76-year-old in
2008. Mr Sherchan began climbing
in 1960.
Half Yearly 2017
Vinod Khanna
G
Veteran actor and Member of
Parliament Vinod Khanna died on
April 27, 2017. He was reportedly
battling with bladder cancer for
years. Khanna was also an active
politician, and a Member of
Parliament from Gurdaspur,
Punjab. The sitting MP had won
the seat four times.
G
He served as the Union Minister
for Culture and Tourism in 2002
under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee
government. Later, he also became
a minister of state in the Ministry
of External Affairs.
Ali Mohammad Naik
G
Senior National Conference (NC)
leader and former speaker of
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative
Assembly, Ali Mohammad Naik,
passed away on April 21, 2017.
G
He had served as general secretary
of Plebiscite Front under NC
founder and former Chief Minister
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The
Plebiscite Front advocated holding
of a referendum in the state for
deciding its future.
Devineni Rajasekhar
G
Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
leader and former minister
Devineni Rajasekhar who is
popularly known as Nehru, died on
April 17, 2017.
G
Nehru served as technical education
minister in NT Ramarao cabinet. He
got elected to assembly for five times
from Kankipadu assembly segment
in Krishna district.
G
Nehru, a staunch follower of late
chief minister NT Ramarao, Joined
Congress party after the death of
founder of TDP. Although, he lost
his first election after parting ways
with TDP in 1999 elections, he
romped home in 2009 elections on
Congress ticket.
Emma Morano
G
Emma MartinaLuigiaMorano was
an Italiansuper centenarian who,
prior to her death at the age of117years
and 137days, was the world's oldest
livingperson whose age had been
verified, and the last livingperson to
have been verified as being born in the
1800sdied on April 17,2017.
G
In 2011, Morano was visited as part
of a worldwide study conducted
by George Church for Harvard
Medical School, to help understand
the secret of her longevity.
G
In December of that year, she was
awarded the honour of Knight of
the Order of Merit of the Italian
Republic by President Giorgio
Napolitano.
Narsingh Baitha
G
Former Bihar minister Narsingh
Baitha died on April 17, 2017. Baitha
was elected as MLA for three times
from Bagha reserved seat since 1962.
Later, he represented Sikarpur
reserved seat in West Champaran in
the State Legislative Assembly in 1985.
G
He was minister in Congress
government headed by Daroga
Prasad Rai and Jagannath Mishra.
Baitha was also a member of SC &
ST Commission.
Akhilesh Das Gupta
G
Former Union minister and
ex-Lucknow mayor Akhilesh Das
Gupta died on April 12, 2017.
G
Akhilesh Das began his political
career with a two-year stint as
Lucknow mayor from May 1993 to
November 1995. He was then
nominated to Rajya Sabha by the
Congress and remained a member of
the upper house from November
1996 to May 2008.
G
In 2009, Das contested the Lok
Sabha elections on a BSP ticket from
Lucknow, losing to BJP's Lalji
Tandon.
Carme Chacón
G
Spain’s first female defense minister
and a leading socialist politician,
Carme Chacón was found dead
on April 9, 2017.
G
Chacón had earlier been housing
minister under Zapatero, during his first
term, but she took on the defense
portfolio in April 2008 after he won a
second term. Nine of the 17 members of
his cabinet were women, and in 2005,
Spain legalized gay marriage, despite
conservative opposition and fierce
lobbying by the Roman Catholic Church.
Kishori Amonkar
G
Legendary Hindustani classical singer
Kishori Amonkar passed away on April
4, 2017. Her repertoire included light
classical geets, thumris, bhajans and
the heavy khayals, many interspersed
with her own innovations and
applications from other styles or
gharanas, for which she became
known and earned both bouquets and
brickbats.
G
Amonkar was conferred scores of
awards and honours, including the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985),
Padma Bhushan (1987), Padma
Vibhushan (2002), the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Fellowship (2009) and the
Dr. TMA Pai Foundation's Outstanding
Konkani Award (1991).
G
She modified the styles of the Jaipur
Gharana by introducing unique
characteristics of other gharanas,
bypassing traditions to prioritise
emotional expressions, and deviated
from the regular rhythmic, melodic or
structural norms.
Ikutaro Kakehashi
G
Tributes have been paid to the man
behind the synthesiser and drum
machines that revolutionised electronic
music in the 1980s and 90s, Ikutaro
Kakehashi, died on April 7, 2017.
G
The Japanese engineer founded the
Roland Corporation in 1972 and
invented a range of electronic drum
machines and synthesisers used
throughout popular music since the
mid-1970s – by performers from Prince
to New Order, Dr Dre to Kraftwerk.
G
Kakehashi led Roland for four decades,
and in his time developed one of
music’s best-known drum machines –
the TR-808 – which formed the
backbone of tracks in the hip-hop.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
TR Andhyarujina
G
Eminent jurist and senior
advocate TR Andhyarujina passed
away on March 28, 2017.
G
He served as Solicitor General
during 1996-98 was part of the
team of constitutional law expert
HM Seervai in his initial days as a
lawyer and witnessed from
close-quarters the history-defining
hearings in the ‘The Kesavananda
Bharati Case’.
G
He was selected for Indian Foreign
Services in 1958 securing third
rank in the then ICS exam.
G
He had also authored ‘Judicial
Activism and Constitutional
Democracy in India’ in 1992 and
‘Judges and Judicial
Accountability’ in 2002.
Gurdev Singh Badal
G
Former Punjab Minister and
senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
leader Gurdev Singh Badal passed
away on March 28, 2017.
G
Gurdev Singh contested first
election in 1977 and continued to
win the next Assembly elections
in 1980 and 1985.
G
In 1992, Gurdev had boycotted the
Assembly elections, along with the
SAD. In 1997 and 2002, he again
won the Panjgrain seat.
G
He, however, lost in 2007, for the
first time to Congress candidate
Joginder Singh, a new face in
active politics.
Dr. NM Nampothiri
G
Indian historian and former
college professor Dr. NM
Nampothiri was died on March 30,
2017 after prolonged illness.
G
He had worked at Christian
College Chengannur (1964-66),
Government Brennen College,
Tellicheri (1968-70), Government
Arts and Science College, Calicut
(1970-84), Government Evening
College, Calicut (1985-94),
Government Sanskrit College,
Pattambi. He has been guiding
scholars doing Ph.D., and supports
many non-academic scholars for
doing local history and other
researches. He has visited
Germany in 1993 to attend
Hermann Gundert Conference
held there.
147
Arun Sarma
G
Renowned playwright and Sahitya
Akademi Award-winning novelist
Arun Sarma died on March 27, 2017.
He has written more than 50 plays
and books in his career. He also won
a number of awards, including
Padma Shri, Sahitya Academi award
and Assam Valley Literary award.
Ashokmitran
G
Well-known Tamil writer
Ashokamitran passed away at
Velachery, after a brief illness on
March 23, 2017. He began his literary
career with the prize winning play
Anbin Parisu, followed by many
short stories and novels. A
distinguished essayist and critic, he
was Honorary Editor of Kanaiyazhi, a
Tamil literary magazine
during 1966-89.
G
His work includes over 200 short
stories, eight novels, some 15
novellas besides prose. He won
Sahitya Akademi Award, Akshara
Award, NTR National Literary
Award, Lily Memorial Award and
KK Birla Fellowship. He had received
the Tamil Nadu government award
thrice and the University of Iowa
Creative Writing fellowship
in 1973-74.
Dev Raj Sikka
G
Former Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology (IITM) director Dev Raj
Sikka, known as the ‘monsoon man’
for his role in helping scientists
develop better prediction systems
for India’s rainy season, died on
March 20, 2017.
G
He was honoured with the lifetime
achievement award by the Indian
Meteorological Society (IMD) in
December, 2016 in recognition of his
contribution to Indian meteorology
spanning over six decade. He was
also chairman of the CSIR’s
committee on climate change, and
chairperson of the Research and
Advisory Council of the National
Centre for Medium Range
Weather Forecast.
G
Dev Raj Sikka was the force behind
the Monsoon Mission, an India-UK
scientific collaboration that aimed at
setting up the infrastructure and
man-power to improve the prediction
at all-time scales.
148 Current Affairs
M. Chandrakasu
G
Former Agriculture Minister of
Puducherry M. Chandrakasu
died of renal failure in Chennai
on March 10, 2017.
G
Chandrakasu was first elected as
Congress legislator from
Neduncadu reserved
constituency in Karaikal in 1980.
G
He retained the seat in the 1985
polls and became Speaker of
the Assembly.
G
He was Minister in the Congress
Ministry led by V. Vaithilingam
between 1991 and 1996 after
being elected for the third
successive term
from Neduncadu.
G
He was Agriculture Minister in
the AINRC government formed
by Rangasamy in 2011.
Ronald Drever
G
Ronald Drever passed away on
March 7, 2017.
G
He was one of the co-founders of
the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational wave Observatory
(LIGO) detectors that detected
the gravitational waves set-off by
the merger of a binary black hole
pair eighteen months ago.
G
In 1984, the National Science
Foundation signed an agreement
for the construction of LIGO,
with Drever, Thorne and Weiss
as leaders.
G
They have also won many other
prizes for being the pioneers of
the discovery of gravitational
waves—The Special
Breakthrough Prize for 2016, The
Gruber Cosmology Prize, The
Kavli prize for astrophysics and
so on.
Half Yearly 2017
Dr. Thomas Starzl
G
Dr. Thomas Starzl, who pioneered liver
transplant surgery in the 1960s and was
a leading researcher into anti-rejection
drugs, died on March 6, 2017.
G
Dr. Starzl performed the world’s first
liver transplant in 1963 and the world’s
first successful liver transplant in 1967,
and pioneered kidney transplantation
from cadavers. He later perfected the
process by using identical twins and,
eventually, other blood relatives
as donors.
G
Dr. Starzl joined the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1981
as professor of surgery, where his
studies on the anti-rejection drug
cyclosporin transformed transplantation
from an experimental procedure into
one that gave patients a hope they
could survive an otherwise fatal
organ failure.
Taarak Mehta
G
An Indian columnist, humorist, writer
and playwright, Taarak Mehta, who was
also known for the popular column
Duniya Ne Undha Chashma in Gujarati
language, passed away.
G
His humorous column first appeared in
Chitralekha in March, 1971 and ever
since there was no looking back
for him.
G
In 2008, SAB TV started the popular
show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
that is based on his column and soon
became the flagship show of
the channel.
Kenneth Arrow
G
Kenneth J. Arrow, one of the most
brilliant economic minds of the
20th century, the youngest economist
ever to win a Nobel, died on
February 22, 2017.
G
Professor Arrow proved in his book
‘Social Choice and Individual Values’
(1951) was far more sweeping.
G
The Arrow ‘impossibility theorem’
ricocheted around the social sciences,
noteworthy for its use of abstract
mathematical concepts to generate a
conclusion of sweeping applicability.
G
In economics, he was a figure in
post-World War II neo-classical
economic theory. Many of his former
graduate students have gone on to win
the Nobel Memorial Prize themselves.
Vitaly Churkin
G
Russia’s Ambassador to the United
Nations, Vitaly Churkin, who for
years fended off Western criticism
and skillfully defended Moscow’s
actions in Ukraine and Syria, died
on February 21, 2017.
G
A career diplomat born in Moscow
who studied English from a young
age, Churkin had been UN
ambassador since April, 2006, after
serving as Russian ambassador to
Canada and to Belgium.
G
During that decade, relations
between Russia and the West grew
increasingly tense, culminating
with a major rift over Moscow’s
support for separatists in East
Ukraine and its military
intervention in Syria.
G
Churkin had served as Foreign
Ministry Spokesman in the
early 1990s and also as special
envoy to the former Yugoslavia.
Altamas Kabir
G
Former Chief Justice of India
Altamas Kabir died in Kolkata on
February 19, 2017. He practiced in
the Calcutta High Court and the
district Session Court between
early 1970s and late 1980.
G
He was appointed as a permanent
Judge in the Calcutta High Court
in 1990 and served as the acting
Chief Justice of Calcutta High
Court for a brief period of two
months in before being appointed
as the chief justice of Jharkhand
High Court in March, 2005.
G
In September, 2005, he was
appointed as a Supreme Court
Judge. In 2012, he became the
39th Chief Justice of India.
Jambuwant Rao Dhote
G
Former Member of Parliament
from Nagpur Jambuwant Rao
Dhote passed away on
February 17, 2017.
G
Popularly known as ‘Lion of
Vidarbha’, Dhote was a staunch
proponent of Vidarbha. He
founded Vidharbha Janta
Congress (VJC) Party in 2002.
G
Elected to Maharashtra Assembly
five times, Dhote was the
son-in-law of veteran Congress
leader late Ramrao Adik.
TV Parasuram
G
Veteran journalist TV Parasuram, a
former correspondent of the Press
Trust of India, died on
February 13, 2017.
G
He was a regular at the press
conferences of US Presidents
during his over five-decade stay
in America.
G
Parasuram authored two
books—‘A Medal for Kashmir’
(a first hand account of the Indian
Army’s operations in 1947-48 in
Jammu and Kashmir) and ‘India’s
Jewish Heritage’.
Pandit Dharmsheel
Chaturvedi
G
Eminent thinker, writer and
journalist Pandit Dharmsheel
Chaturvedi passed away on
February 11, 2017.
G
The Hindi Kavi Pt. Dharmsheel
Chaturvedi was considered
‘Swayam Mein Banaras’ means
‘Banaras in Himself’ in elite circle.
G
The Laughter Kind of Uluk Festival
organised by Kashi Nagari
Pracharini Sabha Pt. Dharmsheel
Chaturvedi devoted whole life to
culture of his land.
Peter Mansfield
G
MRI pioneer and Nobel laureate Sir
Peter Mansfield died on
February 9, 2017.
G
Sir Peter Mansfield led a team in
the 1970s that developed Magnetic
Resonance Imaging, one of the
most important breakthroughs in
modern medicine.
G
He is credited with further
developing the technology,
showing it can be mathematically
analysed and interpreted, creating
scans that take seconds rather than
hours and generating much
clearer images.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Racharla Samrajyam
G
Racharla Samrajyam, a veteran freedom
fighter, passed away on February 6, 2017.
G
While leading the protests during the
Quit India Movement, she was arrested
at Vijayawada and was sent to the Raya
Vellore Jail for six months in 1944.
G
She underwent training in rural
development activities in 1945 in
Kasturi Ba Smaraka Trust at Seva Gram
under the leadership of
Mahatma Gandhi.
G
She worked in various capacities at the
Kasturi Ba Gandhi Rashtriya Smaraka
Trust’s Regional Office at
Seethanagaram in East Godavari
district, where she served the trust for
34 years, beginning from June, 1946.
She received the ‘Tamra Patra’ from the
Union government in the year 1972.
Asim Basu
G
Eminent stage craft director, theatre
personality, actor, director, artist,
painter and writer Asim Basu passed
away on February 2, 2017.
G
He has received the state Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award in 1998. Besides, giving
stage craft and art direction in more
than 500 plays and films, Basu directed
over 200 plays.
Joginder Singh
G
Former CBI Director Joginder Singh was
passed away on February 3, 2017.
G
He had occupied prominent posts,
including Superintendent of Police in
Bihar, Director of Youth Services in
Karnataka, DIG and IG Police in
Karnataka, Ministry of Commerce,
Director General, Narcotics Control
Bureau, Special Home Secretary to the
government of Karnataka, Director
General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police
Force, Special Secretary in the Union
Home Ministry and many others.
G
Back in 2012, he faced allegations of
financial irregularities in his own group
housing society called Nav Sansad Vihar
Cooperative Group Housing Society in
Dwarka area of New Delhi.
G
He also served as Inspector General in
the Central Reserve Police Force, and led
a number of delegations to the UK, the
USA, Germany, France, Japan, South
Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia,
New Zealand, Iran, the UAE, Hong
Kong and Switzerland on behalf of
the government.
149
E. Ahamed
G
Former Union Minister E.
Ahamed passed away on
January 31, 2017. He was elected
to the Kerala Legislative
Assembly in 1967, 1977, 1980,
1982 and 1987.
G
From 1982 to 1987, he served as
Cabinet Minister for Industries,
government of Kerala.
G
From 1971-77, Ahamed was the
Founding Chairman of the
Kerala State Rural Development
Board. From 1979-80 he was the
Executive Chairman of the
Kerala State Small Scale
Industries Development
Corporation. From 1981-83 he
was the Chairman of the
Municipal Council in
Kannur (Kerala).
G
He was elected to the Lok Sabha
in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004
and 2009. During 2004-09, he
served as the Minister of State
for External Affairs.
G
From April, 2009 to January,
2011, he was Minister of State
for Railways. He assumed charge
again as Minister of State of
External Affairs on January 24,
2011. Ahamed also held the
additional charge of the Ministry
of Human Resource
Development from July, 2011 to
October, 2012.
Devdutt
G
Veteran journalist Devdutt died
early morning on January 27,
2017.
G
Devdutt brought out a journal of
political opinion called Point of
View after giving up a lucrative
assignment in the World Health
Organisation (WHO).
G
He was associated with many
newspapers and periodicals and
was highly respected by leaders
of all political shades and hues.
G
He was associated with the
Punjab-based Hind Samachar,
Gujarat’s Sandesh and Odia
newspaper Pragativadi.
G
He is survived by his son, Prof.
Savyasaachi, who teaches
sociology at Jamia Millia Islamia,
and daughter Gopi Tripathi, a
senior teacher of sociology at
Kamala Nehru College.
150 Current Affairs
Surjit Singh Barnala
G
Former Punjab Chief Minister,
Union Minister and Governor of
Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and
Andhra Pradesh Surjit Singh
Barnala died on January 13, 2017.
G
He served Governor of Tamil Nadu
(1990-91 and 2004-11) and
Andhra Pradesh (2003-04), he was
the first Governor of the then
newly-created State of Uttaranchal
(now Uttarakhand) from
November, 2000 to January, 2003.
G
He also held additional charge of
Governor in Orissa (now Odisha).
G
He was also Lieutenant Governor
of Andaman and Nicobar and
Pondicherry (now Puducherry).
G
He was Union Agriculture Minister
in the Janata Party government of
Morarji Desai (1977-79), he held
the portfolio of Chemicals and
Fertilizers in the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee government in 1998.
Roman Herzog
G
Roman Herzog, who as German
President was a powerful advocate
of economic reforms in the 1990s
after the fall of the Berlin Wall,
has died, on January 10, 2017.
G
Herzog was a member of
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s
conservative Christian Democratic
Union.
G
He served as the Chief justice of
Germany’s highest Court before
being elected to a five-year term as
President in 1994, four years
after reunification.
G
Herzog also chaired the first
European convention that drafted
the European Union’s Charter of
Fundamental Rights.
Half Yearly 2017
Chandrakant Chhajed
G
Senior Congress leader and former
Maharashtra minister Chandrakant
Chhajed passed away on January 13,
2017.
G
He was Minister of State for Tourism in
the Sushilkumar Shinde State
government in 2003.
G
He served the party as a State unit general
secretary and coordinator of the Congress
Legislature Party till the last.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
G
Iran’s ex-President Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani, a dominant figure in the
country’s politics since the 1980s, has died
on January 9, 2017.
G
He played a pivotal role in the 1979
revolution but later in life became a
counterpoint to hardline conservatives.
G
In the last year of the 1980-88 war with
Iraq, Ayatollah Khomeini appointed him
acting Commander-in-Chief of the
armed forces.
G
He was seen as the main mover
behind Iran’s acceptance of the UN
Security Council resolution that ended
the war.
G
Rafsanjani was also a key player in
the development of Iran’s nuclear
programme.
G
He advocated progressive economic
policies, encouraging private businesses
and improving infrastructure. His own
business holdings were reported to
be widespread.
Mario Soares
G
Mario Soares, a former Prime Minister
and President of Portugal who helped
steer his country toward democracy after
a 1974 military coup and grew into a
global statesman, has died on January 7,
2017. He was 92.
G
Soares, a moderate Socialist, returned
from 12 years of political exile after the
so-called Carnation Revolution toppled
Portugal’s four-decade dictatorship.
G
He was elected Prime Minister and
thwarted Communist Party attempts to
bring Portugal under Soviet Union
influence during the Cold War.
G
Soares eventually helped guide his
country from dictatorship to a place
in the European Union. In 1986, he
became Portugal’s first civilian President
in 60 years and served two
five-year terms.
Saral Deb
G
Veteran All India Forward Bloc leader and former
Person in News
West Bengal Minister Saral Deb passed away on Meira Kumar
January 7, 2017. G
Opposition parties announced that former Lok Sabha
G
He was the State Library Minister from 1977-82 and Speaker Meira Kumar was their pick for the next President
held the Cooperative portfolio from 1982-87. on June 22, 2017. Meira Kumar, a five time MP, was
G
He was a six-time State legislator, winning from Barasat elected unopposed as the first woman Speaker of Lok
constituency of North 24 Parganas district. Sabha in 2009. She is the daughter of Dalit leader and
G
He was the front runner to organise cooperative former Deputy Prime Minister late Jagjivan Ram.
movement in the State. Deb initiated several G
Earlier this week, the Bharatiya Janata Party had chosen
agricultural programme with NABARD in the State. former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind to be their
candidate for the post.
Om Puri
G
Veteran actor Om Kulbhushan Jadhav
Puri, who gave G
The Pakistan army announced on June 21, 2017 that
countless Kulbhushan Jadhav, awaiting death sentence in its
memorable country, has filed a mercy petition before its army chief
performances in General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Pakistan claims that Jhadav
movies of diverse has admitted to his involvement in espionage, terrorist and
genres, died on subversive activities in Pakistan. International Court of
January 6, 2017. Justice in May halted the execution on India’s appeal.
G
He made his film
debut in the 1976 Ram Nath Kovind
Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal. G
Ram Nath Kovind, the present Governor of Bihar has been
G
xHe was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth announced as BJP’s presidential nominee on June 18, 2017.
highest civilian award, in 1990.
G
Some of his most notable films include Bhavni Bhavai,
Sandgate, Ardh Satya, Mirch Masala, Dharavi.

Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan

G
Renowned sitar player Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, the
last survivor of the ‘Sitar Trinity’ of India along with the
late Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan died
on January 5, 2017.
G
During his music career spanning over six decades,
played the sitar for various bollywood films, including
Mughal-e-Azam, Kohinoor, Goonj Uthi Shehnai and Jhanak
Jhanak Payal Baaje, among many others.
G
He conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and
Sangeet Natak Akademi awards.
G
Khan hailed from the Indore Gharana and is credited
for innovating the unique music style of
‘Jafferkhani Baaj’.

Gangumei Kabui
G
Former Minister Prof. Gangmumei Kabui passed away
on January 4, 2017.
G
He was Founder President of the erstwhile Federal
Party of Manipur (1993-2001).
G
He had served as a Cabinet Minister twice in the
nineties and was elected twice from Nungba
constituency.
G
He joined BJP in 2013 and was involved in various
socio-cultural and political activities. G
He has been a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh for two
G
He had established several social bodies related with consecutive terms from 1994-2000 and 2000–06. He has also
history and performing arts, he has credit more than served as the national spokesperson for BJP and was
15 books related with the history of Manipur and the appointed as the Governer of Bihar on 8th August 2015.
various ethnic groups settled in the State. G
He is an advocate and has practised in both the Delhi High
Court and the Supreme Court.

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 151

Katy Perry
G
Singer Katy Perry has become the
first Twitter user to reach 100
million followers on June 18, 2017.
G
She joined Twitter in February
2009, reached 50 million followers
by mid-2012.
G
The second most-followed Twitter
account belongs to Justin Bieber
with 96.7 million followers
followed by Barack Obama.
Padmalaya Nanda
G
A 12-year-old Padmalaya Nanda
has became the youngest girl to bag
the ‘Little Miss Universe Internet
2017’ and ‘Little Miss Actress'
crowns at the Little Miss Universe
2017 at the Port City of Batumi in
Georgia on June 12, 2017.
G
Nanda, who hails from Odisha, is the
first Indian girl to win the crown.
G
Now, she will participate in the
‘Little Miss World 2017' competition
that will be held at Greece from
September 25 to Oct 1, 2017.
Sahithi Pingali
G
Sahithi Pingali (from Bengaluru)
will get a minor planet in Milky
Way named after her. The news
came up on June 8, 2017.
G
It is a reward for her for developing
an integrated mobile phone app
and lake monitoring kit to monitor
pollution in water bodies.
G
Sahithi Pingali had presented her
paper titled ‘An Innovative
Crowdsourcing Approach to
Monitoring Freshwater Bodies' at
the Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair).
G
Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair is considered as
the largest pre-college scientific
research event in the world.
Ananya Vinay
G
Indian-American girl Ananya Vinay
(12-year) has won the 90th Scripps
National Spelling Bee competition
of the United States on
June 2, 2017.
G
The competition was held in
Washington’s Gaylord National
Resort and Convention Center. She
has become the 13th
Indian-American in a row to win
this spelling bee competition.
152 Current Affairs
VVS Laxman
G
VVS Laxman joins the prestigious list
of the latest former India player to be
awarded an honorary life membership
of the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) on May 14, 2017.
G
The right-handed batsman becomes
the 5th Indian player to be honoured
with the highly coveted membership.
G
Apart from Laxman, four other
legends of Indian cricket- Sachin
Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav
Ganguly and Zaheer Khan have been
previously honoured by the MCC.
G
In 2002, Wisden named him as one of
the five Cricketers of the Year
whereas, in 2011, he was awarded the
Padma Shri award, India’s fourth
highest civilian award.
G
MCC was founded in the year 1787.
There are more than 300 honorary life
members of MCC.
Sujal Kahar
G
A 12-year-old football enthusiast and
goal-keeper from Mumbai, Sujal
Kahar, has been shortlisted on
April 26, 2017 to represent India at
the global Football For Friendship
(F4F) social programme.
G
The F4F programme, supported by
Gazprom and FIFA, focuses on the
development of childrens football,
fostering tolerance and respect for
different cultures and nationalities
among children from different countries.
Man Kaur
G
101-year-old woman Man Kaur from
India wins 100m sprint in the 100+
age category at the World Masters
Games at Trusts Arena in Auckland
on April 23, 2017.
G
Kaur clocked one minute 14 seconds
ending a mere 64.42 seconds off Usain
Bolt's 100m world record set in 2009.
G
This is the 17th gold medal in the
Indian athlete's remarkable
late-blooming career.
Half Yearly 2017
Sudarshan Pattnaik
G
Internationally renowned sand artist
Sudarsan Pattnaik from Odisha won
the jury prize gold medal at the 10th
Moscow Sand art Championship.
G
The competition was held between
April 22 and 28 at Kolomenskoye,
Moscow in Russia. The theme for
the competition was ‘The world
around us’.
G
Last year, Sudarsan had won the
gold medal in Moscow for his sand
sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi on
world peace. Recently, he created the
world's tallest sand castle on Puri
beach in Odisha which got a place in
the Guinness World Records.
Rodrigo Duterte
G
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
won the 2017 TIME 100 poll after
consistently leading the survey on
April 16, 2017.
G
Duterte has waged an aggressive war
on drugs that has killed more than
8,000 people in the Phillippines.
G
US’ Bernie Sanders won the reader
poll in 2016 while Russian President
Vladimir Putin took the lead in 2015.
Bahadur Singh
G
Principal Judge of a family court in
Muzaffarnagar, Tej Bahadur Singh
has set a Guinness World Record for
disposing of 6065 cases in just 327
working days on April 9, 2017.
G
The officials of the Guinness Book of
World Records has confirmed the
entry of the judge in the list of
record holders.
G
His aim was to minimise the
number of pending cases in the
court in order to provide justice to
the litigants.
MS Dhoni
G
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was
appointed as CEO of Gulf Oil India,
albeit for a day on April 4, 2017.
G
MS Dhoni attended important
meetings and took key decisions as
CEO of Gulf Oil India for a day.
G
Dhoni has been in top form since
stepping down as India's
limited-overs captain in January.
Against England, he smashed his
first ODI hundred since 2013 and
later hammered his maiden T20
International fifty.
Priti Patel
G
Britain’s seniormost Minister
Priti Patel, received her ‘Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman’ on
March 29, 2017.
G
She has been awarded for her
exceptional contribution to
national and international
politics, her role in strengthening
UK-India relations, and for
supporting the Indian Diaspora
in the UK.
G
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
(Overseas Indian Honour/Award)
is an award constituted by the
Ministry of Overseas Indian
Affairs, government of India in
conjunction with the Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (Non-Resident
Indian Day), to honour
exceptional and meritorious
contribution in their chosen
field/profession.
Shilpa Shetty
G
The government roped in actress
Shilpa Shetty as a brand
ambassador for the Modi
government’s cleanliness
initiative Swachh Bharat Mission
on February 23, 2017.
G
She will feature in TV and radio
campaigns aimed at discouraging
people from littering on roads.
G
Soon, campaign posters featuring
her will be displayed at various
places across the country.
VK Sasikala
G
The Supreme Court convicted
AIADMK General Secretary
Sasikala in the more than a
decade old disproportionate
assets case on February 13, 2017.
G
“Since the charges framed by the
trial court have been restored
against all of them they will
surrender forthwith before the
trial Court and serve the
remaining part of the sentence”.
G
According to the charges filed,
former Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa allegedly
conspired with the co-accused
Sasikala, Ilavarasi and
Sudhakaran to amass assets to
the tune of ` 66.65 crore, which
was disproportionate to her
known sources of income.
Sachin Tendulkar
G
After transforming the lives of
villagers in Puttamraju Kandriga in
Andhra Pradesh, Indian cricket
icon and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin
Tendulkar is now set to adopt
Donja in Osmanabad
(Maharashtra) under the Sansad
Adarsh Gram Yojana.
G
He sanctioned over ` 4 crore from
his MPLAD fund for development
of Donja.
G
The amount will be spent on
development of a new school
building, a water Supply scheme
that would provide potable water to
each household, concrete roads and
a sewage line attached to the same.
G
The initial planning has already
been completed and the issuing of
tenders for the various works is
expected to commence after the
Zilla Parishad elections in
the region.
Yana Kudryavtseva
G
Russian rhythmic gymnast Yana
Kudryavtseva retired from
competition on January 10, 2017.
G
Kudryavtseva won 13 world
championships from 2013-15,
making her the early favorite for
the all-around gold medal at the
Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
G
Kudryavtseva was the latest in a
long line of world-class rhythmic
gymnasts from Russia, which has
won every Olympic gold medal in
the discipline since 2000 with stars
such as Alina Kabaeva and
Evgeniya Kanaeva.
Michelle Obama
G
Michelle Obama selected
16-year-old Indian-American
Swetha Prabakaran to serve in the
inaugural Student Advisory Board of
an education campaign which seeks
to provide educational opportunities
for teenagers in America on
January 6, 2016.
G
Swetha, a senior at Thomas
Jefferson High School for Science
and Technology in Virginia, is the
founder and CEO of Everybody
Code Now!, a non-profit body
working to empower the next
generation of youth to become
engineers, scientists
and entrepreneurs.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Place in News
Leh (Jammu & Kashmir)
G
Indian Railways started the final location
survey of the 498 km long
Bilaspur Manali Leh line at Leh in
Jammu and Kashmir.
G
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
inaugurated the work for the final
location survey on June 27, 2017 at an
estimated cost of ` 157.77 crore.
G
The proposed new rail line will connect
all important locations between Bilaspur
and Leh namely Sunder Nagar Mandi,
Manali, Tandi, Keylong, Koksar, Darcha,
Upshi and Karu.
G
Coming up at a height of 3,300 metres,
the strategically important rail project is
touted to become the highest rail track in
the world, overtaking China’s
Qinghai–Tibet Railway.
Puri (Odisha)
G
The 135 JagannathYatra starts from June
25, 2017 and ends on July 3, 2017 is
celebrated every year on Ashadh Shukla
Dwitiya in Puri (Odisha).
G
This yatra includes three majestic chariots
Nandighosa (Lord Jagannath), Taladwaja
(Balabhadra) and Darpadalan (Subhadra).
G
Sudarsan Pattnaik has carved beautiful
art on RathYatra of Lord Jagannath at
the Puri beach in Odisha with message
“Let us all immerse in the spirit of unity
& brotherhood".
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
G
Mumbai is the most expensive city in
India and is ranked higher than major
global cities, such as Paris, Canberra,
Seattle and Vienna.
G
According to Mercer's 23rd annual Cost
of Living Survey on June 23, 2017,
Mumbai is placed 57th on the list while
New Delhi was placed at 99.
G
Chennai (135), Bengaluru (166) and
Kolkata (184) were the other Indian
cities on the list.
153
Guwahati (Assam)
G
The Assam Governor
‘Banwarilal Purohit’ has
inaugurated the ‘Guwahati
International Documentary
Film Festival (GIDFF) in
Guwahati, Assam on
June 21, 2017. He invited
filmmakers to explore the
beauty of the North-East.
G
The event is being organised
by Films Division, Ministry
of Information and
Broadcasting and
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika
Regional Film and
Television Institute.
Sydney (Australia)
G
World’s largest festival of
light, music and ideas, Vivid
Sydney entered into
Guinness World Book of
Records on June 17, 2017.
G
Vivid Sydney is an annual
outdoor lighting festival
held in Sydney city of
Australia.
G
The Guinness World Record
has given the Vivid Sydney
installation Dreamscape the
title for the ‘Largest
interactive lighting display’.
Mughalsarai
(Uttar Pradesh)
G
The Yogi Adityanath cabinet
in Uttar Pradesh decided on
June 6, 2017 to rename
Mughalsarai railway station
near Varanasi after RSS
ideologue Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyaya.
G
A meeting of State cabinet
was held under the
chairmanship of Chief
Minister Adityanath Yogi
that gave its approval
for the renaming of the
station.
G
Upadhyay had died under
mysterious circumstances
while travelling in a train at
Mughalsarai station on
February 11, 1968.
Mughalsarai is one of the
busiest stations of the
Eastern Railway.
154
Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh)
G
The Taj Mahal is the only Indian
monument which has featured to figure
in the list of world's top 10 Travellers'
Choice awards for Landmarks on May
27, 2017.
G
The historic monument Taj Mahal has
ranked at the fifth position in the list.
G
The top spot clinched by the world’s
largest religious monument 'Angkor Wat'
in Cambodia followed by Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque Center (Abu Dhabi) ,
Mezquita Cathedral de Cordoba (Spain)
and St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican City).
G
The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble
mausoleum on the south bank of the
Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra.
G
It was commissioned in 1632 by the
Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house
the tomb of his favourite wife,
Mumtaz Mahal.
Dailong Village (Manipur)
G
The Manipur government has declared
Dailong village of Tamenglong district as
a Biodiversity Heritage Site of the state.
G
A notification in this connection was
issued on May 27, 2017 by joint secretary
of forest and environment, Kengoo
Zuringla.
G
Dialong village, covering an area of 11.35
sq km, has been declared as Biodiversity
Heritage Site under Section 37(1) of
Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Nagpur (Maharashtra)
G
Nagpur has now become the first city in
India on May 12, 2017 to get a fleet of
electric cabs. The pilot project will launch
around 200 electric cabs.
G
The Centre currently runs the Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric
Vehicles scheme and it plans to go
completely electric by 2030
G
Mahindra & Mahindra has supplied the
electric vehicles to the Nagpur
government, most likely the e-Verito and
the e20 Plus.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
(Mumbai)
G
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and
headquarters of the Central Railway
renamed as by adding 'Maharaj'.
G
Western Railway's Elphinstone Road
Railway station renamed as 'Prabhadevi'
station on May 7,2017. The resolution
was moved by Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis and the Central government yet
to approve the rename.
Raipur (Chhattisgarh)
G
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
has shifted its strategic anti-Maoist
command headquarters to Raipur from
Kolkata to bring focus on combing
operations in Chhattisgarh on May 7,
2017. The CRPF has been shifted to
Chhattisgarh by the Centre in the wake
of 37 men of the paramilitary being killed
by Naxals in a span of less than 2
months. 7 years ago, the command
headquarter was shifted to Kolkata due
to logistical and connectivity issues.
Nirjuli Village (Arunachal
Pradesh)
G
Nirjuli village in Papum Pare district was
declared as the first digital village of
Arunchal Pradesh on April 24, 2017.
G
Digital village aims at cashless
transcations even in sabji mandis to
make payment through mobile.
G
The State government also promised to
promote V set linked Customer Service
Point (CSP) for digitalisation.
Ballabhgarh (Haryana)
G
The Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar has announced to change the
name of Ballabhgarh to Balramgarh on
April 23, 2017.
G
Ballabhgarh is a town and a tehsil
(sub-district) in Faridabad District of
Haryana and is part of the National
Capital Region (NCR). The name
Ballabgarh is a corruption of Balramgarh
(the fort of Balram).
Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
G
The Ministry of Culture is organising the
5th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM)
2017 from March 23 to 31, 2017 in the
North Eastern Region of India.
G
The 9-days cultural festival will be
inaugurated at Parade Ground, Tawang
in Arunachal Pradesh on March 23, 2017
 by Governor of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh
Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya. Books & Authors
G
The festival will be implemented through the 7 Zonal Book Author
Cultural Centres and other organisation under The Ministry of Utmost Happiness Arundhati Roy
Ministry of Culture. The North East Zone Cultural
Indira Gandhi : A Life in Nature Former Union Minister Jairam
Centre (NEZCC), Dimapurhas will be the nodal agency Ramesh
to carry forward the execution of the National
Cultural Festival. Yug Purush, Bharat Ratna, Atal Ji Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank
‘Emergency – Indian Democracy’s Surya Prakash
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) Darkest Hour’
G
National Theatre Festival 2017, organised by Lalan Shah Fakir Ke Geet Prof. Muchkund Dubey
Information Public Relations Department, government Colour Atlas of Oral Implantology Dr. Praful Bali and Dr. Lanka Mahesh
of Kerala was held in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)
Conservative Dentistry – basics Dr. RK Bali and Dr. Mazumder
from March 16 to 24, 2017.
G
The 2017 edition of the festival was dedicated to one Garuda Purana Dr. Anant Narain Singh
of the doyens of Indian theatre, the late Kavalam The Emergency-Indian Democracy’s Surya Prakash
Narayana Panikkar. Darkest Hour
G
The festival featured seventeen plays. Eight plays were 60 Indian Poets Jeet Thayil
staged in the theatre, Six plays in Kavalam Outdoor Adiyoga : The Source of Yoga Sadhguru
Stage and Two plays in Kanhailal Outdoor Arena; both
Beren and Luthien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
in the premises of Tagore Theatre and One play:
‘Legends of Kazakh’ outside Tagore Theatre campus at Color Atlas of Oral implants Dr. Praful Bali and Dr. Lanka
Mahesh
Attakulangara Central School ground.
G
The festival has participation by some of the seasoned Confessions of a Dying Mind : The Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and IAS
Blind Faith of Atheism officer Haulianlal Guite
theatre campaigners as well as upcoming youngsters
who have already made their respective marks Conservative Dentistry – Basics Dr. Dildeep Bali and Dr. Deepika
Chandhok
in theatrics.
Hema Malini : Beyond the Dream Girl Ram Kamal Mukherjee
Jaipur (Rajasthan) Home of the Brave Nitin A. Gokhale, SK Chatterji
G
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Hope in a Challenged Democracy Ashwani Kumar
Nirmala
Sitharaman India’s Indira : A Centennial Tribute Anand Sharma
inaugurated the Kalkatta Kunal Basu
4th India CLMV Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution Rajesh Jain
Business on Radio
Conclave here Marching with a Billion-Analysing Uday Mahurkar
on February 28, Narendra Modi’s Government at
2017. Midterm
G
The 4th India Matoshree Sumitra Mahajan
CLMV Metaphysics, Morals and Politics Prof. Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay
(Cambodia, Laos, PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam)
Business Conclave will have deliberations on MS Swaminathan: The Quest for a Dr M.S. Swaminathan
World without Hunger
manufacturing, renewable energy, agriculture and
skilling among others. It aimed at identifying specific My Story Michael Clarke
project opportunities and seek business partnerships in Numbers Do Lie Aakash Chopra
the region, the two-day programme will consist of Raising Happy Children and Providing Ministry of Women and Child
business to business meetings and sectoral sessions. Safe Childhoods Development
Story of an Escape Surjit Singh Barnala
Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir)
The Book Thief Markus Zusak
G
In Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, the annual
centuries old two-day long Liker and Leh Dosmochey The Karachi Deception Shatrujeet Nath
festival has begun on February 26, 2017. The Peoples Maharaja Khushwant Singh
G
Dosmochey is the major festival in the Ladakh region Veerappan, Chasing the Brigand K. Vijay Kumar
during the winter season.
Winning like Virat: Think & Succeed like Abhirup Bhattacharya
G
The Lamas from Takthok Monastery (the only Kohli
remaining Nyingmapa school monastery) who are
experts in astrology and tantric practices prepare the
complex thread crosses to capture evil spirits.

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 155

 AWARDS/
PRIZES
Queen’s Young Leaders
Award for 2017
G
Anti-hunger activist Ankit Kawatra has been
awarded the Young Leaders Award for 2017 on
July 1, 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II at a
ceremony in the Buckingham Palace.
G
The Queen’s Young Leaders Award recognises
exceptional work towards solving hunger and
malnutrition.
G
Ankit Kawatra is the founder of Feeding India,
an organisation which works towards
eradicating hunger and food wastage in India.
Award of Excellence
G
Uttarakhand was conferred with the ‘Award of Excellence’ at the
2nd Global Skill Development Summit held in Paris.
G
News came up on June 28, 2017. The award was for innovations
and extensive use of IT for skilling the States youth.
G
Project Director of Uttarakhand Skill Development Committee
Pankaj Kumar Pandey received the honour on behalf of the State.
Bharat Gaurav
G
Former Indian hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay honoured with
East Bengal football club’s highest honour Bharat Gaurav on
June 28, 2017.
G
The East Bengal club chosen former India footballers Syed
Nayeemuddin and Subhas Bhowmick for the Lifetime
Achievement Awards at the function.
G
India’s hockey team won the Asian Games in 2002 under Pillay’s
captaincy.
Best Parliamentarian Award
G
RSP leader and Lok Sabha member NK Premachandran has
been selected on June 26, 2017 for the Best Parliamentarian Award
for 2016.
G
The award will be conferred on him by Vice-President Hamid
Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan during the
upcoming session of Parliament.
G
NK Premachandran, the member of Lok Sabha from Kollam in
Kerala is a central secretariat member of the RSP.
SJFI Annual awards
G
The Sports Journalists Federation of India, at its annual general
meeting on June 25, 2017, decided to confer the ‘Best Sportsperson
of the Year’ award on the ace shuttler and Rio Olympics silver
medallist PV Sindhu.
G
The ‘Best Team of the Year’ award was bagged by the Indian junior
hockey squad which won the World Cup in Lucknow last
December.
G
Sindhu clinched the silver medal at last year’s Olympic Games in
Rio. The Indian junior hockey squad won the Junior World Cup
title by defeating Belgium 2-1 in the final.
G
Both the awards would be presented at the 40th convention of the
SJFI to be held in Indore in September, 2017.
UN Public Service Award
G
The United Nations has awarded the first prize for public service to
the West Bengal Government for its girl child scheme titled
Kanyashree Prakalpa on June 24, 2017.
G
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received a trophy
and the certificate for the first prize on behalf of her government
at the UN Public Service Forum 2017 in The Hague, the
Netherlands.
G
Kanyashree Prakalpa is a targeted conditional cash transfer
scheme aimed at retaining girls in schools and other educational
and skill development institutions along with preventing child
marriage.
7th Asian awards
G
Nisha Dutt, Chief Executive Officer
of Intellecap, has become the first
Indian woman leader to have been
honoured with the ‘Social
Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at
the 7th Asian Awards in London.
G
The news came up on June 23, 2017.
The previous winners of the award
include Ratan Tata, Amitabh
Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Asha
Bhosle, Zayn Malik etc.
G
Nisha Dutt has been honoured in
recognition of her work in making
Intellecap a globally known
enterprise that focuses on social
capital.
G
Her key contribution lies in
integrating technology with
challenges of healthcare, financial
services, incubation and
conceptualising programmes, such
as Innovations Labs.
Environment Award
G
Indian agricultural microbiologist
Shrihari Chandraghatgi
conferred the Ministry of
Environment Award for 2017 in
Japan on June 23, 2017. The award
conferred for developing cutting
edge technologies to address
burning environmental problems.
G
The Ministry of Environment Award
is the highest honour given in the
environmental sector every year.
Biju Patnaik Award 2017
G
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik conferred the prestigious
Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific
Excellence to Lalit Mohan Das
for his outstanding contribution
to science and research on
June 23, 2017.
G
The Chief Minister also felicitated
Pradeep Kumar Chand, Swati
Mohanty and Ajay Parida with
Samanta Chandra Sekhar award.
G
In the young scientist category,
Biswaranjan Paital, Samanta
Mohapatra, Milan Kumar Biswal
and Swarup Kumar Parida were
awarded with cash prize of
` 25,000 for their contribution in
the field of science.
G
Jibananda Mohanty, Khageswar
Pradhan and Dhurba Raj Nayak
were also felicitated on the
occasion.
Skytrax World Airline
Awards 2017
G
Qatar Airways has won the World’s
best Airline at the SKYTRAX World
Airline Awards 2017 at the Paris Air
Show France on June 21, 2017.
G
Qatar Airways also won the World’s
Best Business Class, the World’s Best
First Class Lounge, and the Best
Airline in the Middle East awards. 105
nationalities participated in the survey
from August 2016 to May 2017.
Prime Minister Award
for Yoga
G
Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga
Institute has been selected as the
first recipient of the Prime Minister’s
Award for outstanding contribution
for promotion and development of
yoga on June 20, 2017.
G
The selection was done from among
85 nominations received and 15 more
recommended by the screening
committee. On the occasion of the
second International Day of Yoga PM
Narendra Modi had announced the
institution of awards for the
promotion of Yoga.
Nanniyode Rajan Award
G
Elattuvalapil Sreedharan has been
selected for the Nanniyode Rajan
Memorial Award on June 16, 2017.
G
Sreedharan has been appointed as
the Principal Advisor of the Kochi
Metro Rail Project.
G
This award was instituted by the
Milma Thiruvananthapuram
Regional Cooperative Milk
Producers’ Union (TRCMPU) in
memory of its former chairman.
The Man Booker
International Prize 2017
G
David Grossman has won the
‘Man Booker International
Prize 2017’ for his novel ‘A Horse
Walks Into a Bar’ on June 15, 2017.
G
David Grossman is the first Israeli
author to win the Man Booker
International Prize.
G
From 2016, the Man Booker
International Prize has evolved to
encourage more publishing and
reading of quality fiction in
translation and the prize is awarded
annually on the basis of a
single book.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
5th Bhupen Hazarika
National Award 2017
G
Eminent writer Yeshe Dorjee
Thongchi has been selected for the
5th Bhupen Hazarika National Award
2017 on June 14, 2017.
G
The award has been instituted by a
Maharashtra-based social
organisation ‘Sarhad’ for outstanding
literary work at national and
international level.
G
The award consists of ` 51000, a
memento and a certificate.
Legion of Honour
G
Bengali actor, Soumitra Chatterjee
conferred with the France's highest
civilian honour, the Legion of Honour
on June 12, 2017.
G
The award will be presented by the
Ambassador of France to India
Alexandre Ziegler.
G
After 30 years of Satyajit Ray got the
same honor by the French President
Francois Mitterrand in 1987.
AIFF Player of the
Year Award
G
India and Mohun Bagan striker Jeje
Lalpekhlua received the All India
Football Federation's (AIFF)
inaugural ‘Player of the Year 2016’
award on June 12, 2017.
G
Sasmita Malik was adjudged the 2016
AIFF ‘Women's Player of the Year.
The All India Football Federation, is
the governing body of association
football in India.
Kalinga Literary Awards
G
Popular writer Anand Neelakantan,
Odia poet Haraprasad Das and
author Paramita Satpathy were
announced as the winners of the
Kalinga Literary Awards 2017 on
June 10, 2017.
G
They received the award during the
Kalinga Literary Festival 2017 which
held from June 10-12, 2017.
157
G
Neelakantan was chosen for the
Kalinga International Literary
Award, Haraprasad Das was chosen
for the Kalinga Literary Youth
Award and Satpathy was chosen
for the Kalinga Karubaki Award.
G
This was fourth edition of Kalinga
Literary Festival that inaugurated
by Union Petroleum and Natural
Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
RedInk Award 2017
G
Veteran journalist Vinod Dua was
honoured with the RedInk Award
for Lifetime Achievement (LTA) in
Journalism for 2017 by the
Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis on June 7, 2017
in Mumbai.
G
The award was given in recognition
of his extensive and versatile
contribution in different formats
and subjects.
G
The awards are part of the National
RedInk Awards for Excellence in
Journalism and instituted by the
Mumbai Press Club.
MGNREGA
National Award
G
The Ministry of Rural Development
has selected Vizianagaram as one
among the 17 districts for
MGNREGA annual award on June
3, 2017.
G
Vizianagaram is a district in the
State of Andhra Pradesh.
G
Vizianagaram awarded for its
effective implementation of the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act during
the time period 2015-16.
APQN Quality Award 2017
G
National Assessment and
Accreditation Council (NAAC) of
India received prestigious
International Award of Asia-Pacific
Quality Network (APQN) titled
APQN Quality Award 2017 on
June 1, 2017 in Moscow.
158 Current Affairs
G
APQN Quality Award is among the
most prestigious International
Awards in quality assurance of
higher education.
G
The NAAC and its faculty have
worked with the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) on various
projects, events, publications.
European Golden
Shoe Award
G
Argentine Professional football
player Lionel Messi (plays for
Barcelona) has won the European
Golden Shoe on June 1, 2017.
G
He scored 37 goals in 2016-17
season and secured 74 points.
Previously Messi won the award in
2010, 2012 and 2013.
G
The European Golden Shoe, formerly
known as the European Golden
Boot, is an association football
award presented each season to the
leading goal scorer in league
matches from the top division of
every European national league.
PEN/Malamud Award 2017
G
Professor of Creative Writing
Jhumpa Lahiri is the recipient of
the 2017 PEN/Malamud Award for
Excellence in the Short Story on
May 31, 2017.
G
Her most recent books include in
other words (Knopf, 2016) and a
translation of Domenico Starnone’s
novel, Lacci, entitled Ties (Europa
Editions, 2017).
G
The PEN/Malamud Award and
Memorial Reading honours
‘excellence in the art of the short
story’, and is awarded annually by
the PEN/Faulkner Foundation.
Hindi Sevi Samman
G
President Pranab Mukherjee has
presented the ‘Hindi Sevi Samman
for 2015’ to 26 eminent Hindi
scholars at a function held in
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on
May 30, 2017.
G
The scholars received awards in 12
different categories for their
contribution in the field of Hindi
language and literature.
G
The awards instituted by Central
Hindi Institute, Agra in 1989 carry a
cash prize of ` 5 lakh and citation.
Half Yearly 2017
Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskars
G
The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee presented the Malti Gyan
Peeth Puraskars for the year 2017 at a
function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan,
New Delhi on May 29, 2017.
G
The Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar was
instituted by Mohinder Singh Syngle
Education & Research Society in
honour of its founder Malti Mohinder
Singh Syngle, on eminent
educationist and social worker.
G
Every year government school teachers
from Punjab Government’s High &
Higher Secondary Schools receive this
award for their contributions in the
field of education. The award carries
` 1 lakh, certificate of excellence, a
robe of honour and a medal.
Sangeet Natak
Akademi Puraskar
G
Three well-known artists from Odisha
selected for Sangeet Natak Akademi
Awards in their respective fields on
May 29, 2017.
G
Odissi dance Guru Ratikant
Mohapatra, playwright and director
Prof. Satyabrata Rout and Pala
artist Laxmidhar Rout have been
selected for the prestigious Central
Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for
the year 2016.
G
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar
(Akademi Award) is an award given
by the Sangeet Natak Akademi,
India’s National Academy of Music,
Dance, theatre and other traditional
arts and puppetry .This award was
instituted in 1952.
CEAT Cricket Rating
International Awards 2017
G
Indian off spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin has won the International
Cricketer of the Year award at the
CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR)
International awards 2017 on May 23,
2017.
G
The award was presented to Ashwin
by Sunil Gavaskar (former Indian
skipper) and Harsh Goenka
(Chairman of RPG Enterprises) at a
function held at the Cricket Club of
India in Mumbai.
G
Ashwin has taken 99 wickets in the
past 12 months. In others award ,
Shubhman Gill won the Young player
of the year.
WWF International
President’s Award
G
Indian wildlife and environment
cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty
has won WWF International
President’s Award 2017 on May
22, 2017 for his efforts to inspire
change and attitudes towards
nature in Manado, Indonesia,
G
Chakravarty, under the banner of
Green Humour has published
several wildlife and environment
magazines and newspapers.
G
The WWF International
President’s Award is the global
conservation organisation’s top
honour to recognise outstanding
leadership in young
conservationists from around the
world.
Banga Samman Awards
G
Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee
and YC Deveshwar conferred the
West Bengal's Highest Civilian
Banga Samman award by the
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
on May 21, 2017.
G
Two categories of awards were
presented as part of Banga
Samman - Banga Bhushan and
Banga Bibhushan.
G
The Banga Bibhushan recipients
are Deveshwar(Industrialist),
Dhiman Ganguly(pulmonologist),
Arun Prasad Mukherjee (former
Mizoram Governor), veteran actor
Chatterjee, and acclaimed poet
Nirendranath Chakraborty.
G
The Banga Bhushan recipients are
Rezwana Choudhary Banya
(Bangladeshi singer), Hidmat
Fakir (folk singer), Chapal
Bhaduri, (impersonator in folk
theatre), Lakshman Das Baul(baul
exponent) and Abhijit Choudhary
(Liver Foundation secretary and
gastroenterologist).
G
The award was conceived by
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister
of West Bengal, on July 25, 2011.
Intel Science Award
G
An Indian boy Prashant
Ranganathan won the world’s
largest pre-college science competition,
The Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), in the
US in the environmental engineering
category for his project on bio
degradation of pesticides on May 21,
2017.
G
Prashant Ranganathan is a student of
Carmel Junior College in Jamshedpur.
His project titled ‘Biodegradation of
Chlorpyrifos using native bacteria’ is
aimed at helping farmers to biodegrade
the harmful pesticides.
Other Winners are
G
Indian American Pratik Naidu
(Computational biology and
bioinformatics category).
G
Adam Nayak (Earth and
environmental sciences category)
G
Karthik Yegnesh (Mathematics
category)
G
Rahul Subramaniam
(Microbiology category).
International Humanitarian
Award
G
Bollywood actor Jacqueline
Fernandez on May 19, 2017, awarded
with the International Humanitarian
Award in Editor's Choice category of
Asian Voice Charity Awards.
G
Fernandez was awarded for her
philanthropic work in India. She has
been working with the charity 'Habitat
for Humanity for last 5 years.
G
This organisation works to help people
to live with dignity by giving them
homes to live in. The award recognises
the work of charity organisations in
the United Kingdom (UK) and abroad.
Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
G
Former Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh presented the Indira Gandhi
Prize for Peace 2014 to the Indian
Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on May 18, 2017.
G
ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar received
the award in New Delhi on behalf of
the space body. Singh presented the
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace 2015 to
the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.
G
The Indira Gandhi Peace Prize is the
prestigious award accorded annually
by India. It was first awarded in 1986.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Dan David Prize
G
Indian scientist and astronomer
Shrinivas Kulkarni has won the
prestigious Dan David prize for his
work in the field of astronomy on
May 17, 2017.
G
Shrinivas Kulkarni, a professor of
astrophysics and planetary science at
California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena.
G
Kulkarni would share the award
with Andrej Udalski of the
University of Warsaw and Neil
Gehrels of NASA for their
discoveries on time-domain
astrophysics in the ‘Future’ category
of the prize.
G
The Dan David Foundation was
established in 2000 by the late Dan
David, an international businessman
and philanthropist.
Whitley Awards 2017
G
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman,
wildlife biologist and conservationist
of Assam, has been awarded the
prestigious Whitley Awards 2017
also known as the Green Oscars on
May 17, 2017.
G
Barman has been nominated from
among 166 researchers from 66
countries for this award.
G
Other winners are Sanjay Gubbi
from India, Alexander Blanco
from Venezuela, Indira
Lacerna-Widmann from
Philippines, Ian Little from South
Africa and Ximena Velez-Liendo
from Bolivia.
G
The Whitley Awards are made
annually by the Whitley Fund for
Nature (WFN) to recognise and
celebrate effective national and
regional conservation leaders across
the globe. The Whitley Awards were
established in 1994.
INSA Young
Scientist Award
G
Aravind Kumar, Assistant
Professor, Department of Biomedical
Engineering at IIT Hyderabad
awarded the prestigious Indian
National Science Academy (INSA)
medal in the Young Scientist
category for 2017.
G
A total of 30 scientists have been
chosen for the prestigious award on
May 17, 2017.
159
G
The INSA Young Scientists Award
is considered to be the highest
recognition of promise, creativity
and excellence in a young scientist.
G
The award was instituted in 1974
by the Indian National Science
Academy. The INSA Young
Scientist Medal award carries a
bronze medal and a cash prize of
` 25,000.
BS Shekhawat Award
G
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan
Kumar Chamling was conferred
with the first Bhairon Singh
Shekhawat Lifetime Achievement
Honour in Public Service by
President Pranab Mukherjee on
May 15, 2017.
G
The award was conferred during
the first Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
memorial lecture delivered by the
President.
G
Sikkim is known as the 'Land of
Flowers' with a population of around
six lakhs, It is gaining popularity as a
fully organic State in India.
Smart Village Award
G
Govardhan Eco Village, set up
by the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
in adjoining Thane district, won a
Smart Village award for being a
sustainable project in rural
Maharashtra on May 14, 2017.
G
The village of Wada taluka is
located 108km North of Mumbai at
the foothills of the Sahyadri
mountains.
G
The award, ‘Smart Village,’
instituted by the ITPO, which also
gives awards in other categories.
Florence Nightingale
Awards
G
The President of India Shri Pranab
Mukherjee conferred the Florence
Nightingale Awards to 35 nurses
across the country on the occasion
of International Nurses Day at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on
May 13,2017.
G
The Florence Nightingale awards
are given to the outstanding
nursing personnel employed in
Central, State/Union Territories.
G
The Florence Nightingale Awards
carries ` 50000 cash, a certificate, a
citation certificate and a Medal.
160 Current Affairs
NewYork Indian Film
Festival 2017 Awards
G
The 17th Annual New York Indian
Film Festival took place from April 30-
May 7, 2017.
G
Konkona Sen Sharma got an award
for Best director for ‘A Death in Gunj’
and best actress for the film ‘Lipstick
under My Burkha’.
G
The list of other Indian Award
winners for different categories are :
G
Best Film Mukti Bhawan
G
Best Actor Kaladharan Malayalam
film Ottayaal n Paatha
G
Best Documentary An Insignificant
Man
G
Best Screenplay Kammatipaddam
G
Best Gujarati Film Wrong Side Raju
G
Best Short Film Aaba
G
Best Child Actors Colours of
Innocence
G
Special Mention Adil Hussain
(Hotel Salvation).
Woodrow Wilson Award
G
ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar
become the first Indian woman on
May 11, 2017 to get the prestigious
Woodrow Wilson Award for Global
Corporate Citizenship.
G
The former Indian recipients of this
award are APJ Abdul Kalam and
Infosys director Narayana Murthy.
G
This award was instituted in the year
1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center
to honour individuals in both the
public sphere and business.
7th Annual Asian Awards
G
Sachin Tendulkar has received the
Fellowship Award at the 7th annual
Asian Awards in UK on May 5, 2017.
G
Indian Actor Om Puri who died earlier
this year (2017) has been
posthumously conferred the award for
outstanding achievement.
G
Also, India’s playback singer Adnan
Sami won the award for outstanding
achievement in Music.
Half Yearly 2017
G
The Asian Awards is an award
ceremony which takes place in the
United Kingdom that recognises and
rewards exemplary achievement
across 14 categories that include
business, philanthropy,
entertainment, culture and sport.
Football Writers’
Association Award
G
N’Golo Kante has won the Football
Writers' Association Footballer of the
Year award 2017.
G
He received the prestigious FWA
award at a gala dinner in London
when the association marks its 70th
anniversary.
G
Kante is a French footballer who
plays as a central midfielder for
English club Chelsa and France
National Team. FWA award has
been awarded since 1948.
44th Annual Daytime
Emmy Awards 2017
G
The National Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has
announced the winners of the 44th
Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held
in California, USA on May 3,2017.
G
The NATAS is a professional service
organisation dedicated to the
advancement of the arts and
sciences of television and the
promotion of creative leadership for
artistic, educational and technical
achievements within the television
industry.
G
The NATAS was created in 1955 to
advance the arts and sciences of
television, headquartered in
New York.
64th National Film Awards
G
The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee presented the 64th
National Film Awards on May 3,
2017 in New Delhi.
G
Akshay Kumar was chosen as Best
Actor for Rustom, Surabhi C.M. was
named Best Actress for Malayalam
movie Minnaminungu - The Firefly.
Sonam Kapoor won National Film
Award Special Mention for her
performance in Neerja.
G
The National Film Awards is the
most prominent film award
ceremonies in India. Established
in 1954.
Houston International
Film Festival Award
G
Hollywood Film 'The Black Prince',
starring Indian actress Shabana
Azmi and singer-poet Satinder
Sartaaj, was awarded the Special
Jury Remi Award at the 50th
annual WorldFest - Houston
International Film Festival on
May 3, 2017.
G
'The Black Prince' is a historic biopic
on the emotional life story of the last
king of Punjab - Maharajah Duleep
Singh and his fragile relationship
with Queen Victoria, who was
Godmother to his children.
G
WorldFest - Houston International
Film Festival was founded over 50
years ago as Cinema Arts in August
1961. WorldFest evolved into a
competitive International Film
Festival in April 1968.
Avvaiyar Award
G
Tamil Nadu government conferred
‘Avvaiyar Award’ upon social
worker Padma Venkataraman
(daughter of former President of
India, the late R Venkataraman)
for 2017 on May 2, 2017.
G
Chief Minister K. Palaniswami gave
away the award to Venkataraman ,
which carried a cheque for ` 1 lakh,
a gold medal weighing 8 gm, and a
certificate.
G
The ‘Avvaiyar Award’ was
constituted by late Chief Minister
J. Jayalalithaa in 2012 to honour
women actively working in the
areas of social reform, women’s
development, culture, media,
inter-faith harmony, and
administration, among others.
Pierr L’Enfant
Awards 2017
G
Bhubaneswar, the capital city of
Odisha, on April 27, 2017 was
selected for the Pierre L'Enfant
Planning Excellence and
Achievement Awards-2017.
G
The city was selected for the award
for good and advanced town
planning and engaging its residents
in the planning process.
G
The awards will be conferred at an
awards lunchon at the association’s
National Planning Conference in
New York.
Jnanpith Award
G
Sankha Ghosh, eminent Bengali
poet and literary critic, was honoured
with the 52nd Jnanpith Award on
April 27, 2017 by President Pranab
Mukherjee in New Delhi.
G
He also been awarded Sahitya
Akademi Award (1999), Saraswati
Samman , Narsingh Das Puraskar,
Padma Bhushan (2011) and Rabindra
Puraskar among others.
G
Jnanpith Award is India’s highest
literary honour. It was instituted in
1961 by Bharatiya Jnanpith trust
founded by the Sahu Shanti Prasad
Jain family that owns the Times of
India newspaper group.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
International Foundation
Award
G
The youngest ever chancellor of any
university in India Dileep K. Nair,
has received Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar International Foundation
Kerala State award for the year
2016-17 on April 27,2017 for excellent
performance in the field of education.
G
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ
Kurien gave away this award to Nair
in Trivendrum, Kerala.
G
Nair is the current Chancellor of the
North East Frontier Technical
University (NEFTU) in Arunachal
Pradesh. Nair is also the founder of
The Automobile Society (India) and
The Engineer’s Outlook Magazine.
Golden Peacock Award 2017
G
India’s 5th largest private sector
Bank, the Yes Bank has won the
prestigious ‘Golden Peacock
Innovative Product/Service Award
2017’ (in Financial sector Banking)
on April 25, 2017.
G
Yes Bank received the prize for its
innovative mobile technology
product, SIMsePAY at the Dubai
Global Convention 2017 for the 27th
World Congress on Leadership for
Business Excellence & Innovation
and Presentation of Golden Peacock
Awards.
G
SIMsePAY is a unique innovation
that allows any account holder to do
money transfers, pay utility bills and
other mobile payment services,
without the need for smart phones or
internet.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Ghantasala National
Award
G
Versatile playback singer Vani
Jairam was presented the
Ghantasala National Award
instituted by the Ghantasala
National Art Academy Andhra
Pradesh on April 24, 2017.
G
She has won the National Film
award for Best Female Playback
singer thrice and has also received
several State government awards
from States such as Odisha, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
She was honoured with the Filmfare
Lifetime Achievement award in 2012.
G
She is known in the North as
Meerabai for her rendition of songs
sung by the medieval poet in praise
of Lord Krishna.
Dinanath Mangeshkar
Award 2017
G
In the presence of the legendary
songstress Lata Mangeshkar, Aamir
Khan was presented the prestigious
Vishesh Puraskar award for his film
Dangal on April 24, 2017. He was
honoured by RSS chief Mohan
Bhagwat.
G
Cricket legend Kapil Dev and
veteran actor Vyjayanthimala Bali
were also honoured in the function.
G
The Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards,
which marked the 75th death
anniversary of Lata Mangeshkar's
father, recognised eminent
personalities in various fields.
Dadasaheb Phalke
Award 2016
G
Renowned Director and actor
Kasinathuni Viswanath has won
the Dadasaheb Phalke award for the
year 2016 for his outstanding
contribution to the film industry on
April 24, 2017.
G
He will be the 48th recipient of the
award, the highest recognition in
Indian cinema, which consists of a
golden lotus, a cash prize of
` 10 lakh and a shawl.
161
G
The ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’ is
India's highest award in cinema and
first presented in 1969.
G
It is presented annually at the
National Film Awards ceremony by
the Directorate of Film Festivals, an
organisation set up by the Ministry
of Information and Broadcasting.
80th BFJA Awards
G
Veteran actress Moushumi
Chatterjee has received the lifetime
achievement award, at the 80th
Bengal Film Journalists' Association
(BFJA) awards on April 22, 2017.
Bengali film actor Prosenjit
Chatterjee was given the best actor
award for his role in ‘Sankhachil’,
Rituparna Sengupta was given the
best actress crown for her role in
‘Rajkahini’ along with Paoli Dam for
‘Natoker Moto’ (2015).
G
The BFJA, the oldest association of
film scribes in the country was
founded in 1937.
Golf Industry Association
Awards 2017
G
Golfers Aditi Ashok, SSP
Chawrasia and Ali Sher has won
the second edition of the Golf
Industry Association (GIA) Awards
2017 on April 21, 2017.
G
Recently, Aditi finished second in
the Ladies European Tour (LET)
order of merit in 2016. SSP
Chaurasia has won the Men's Player
of the Year (2016).
G
Indian professional Golfer Ali Sher
has won an Arjuna Award in 1991
and then went on to win the Indian
Open again in 1993.
Sahitya Akademi Award
G
Writer Perumal Murugan’s novel
Mathorubhagan (One Part
Woman) has won the Sahitya
Akademi award 2016 for translation
in English.
G
The translation was done by
‘Aniruddhan Vasudevan’ and the
book was published by ‘Penguin’.
The prize in the form of a casket
containing an engraved copper
plaque and a cash component of
` 50000.
G
The book ‘One Part Woman’ is a
novel based on a possible ancient
cultural practice among people
living around Tiruchengode.
162 Current Affairs
Goldman Environmental
Prize
G
Social activist Prafulla Samantra
was announced one of six winners of
the Goldman Environmental Prize, in
San Francisco on April 22, 2017.
G
The other five person are Uros Macerl
(Slovenia), Mark Lopez (United
States), Rodrigo Tot (Guatemala),
Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo
(Democratic Republic of Congo) ,
Wendy Bowman (Australia).
G
The Goldman Environmental Prize
was created in 1990 to honour
grassroots environmentalists
undertaking risk to their lives for the
cause of protecting the environment.
The prize is also called as the Green
Nobel.
UNESCO Peace Prize
G
The UNESCO has awarded the ‘Félix
Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize’ on
April 20, 2017 to the mayor of the
Italian island of Lampedusa
Giuseppina Nicolini for her
commitment to saving the lives of
migrants and refugees.
G
Nicolini was bestowed with the
honour for her effort that saved
thousands who fled across the
Mediterranean often on unseaworthy
boats to find a better and peaceful
life.
Golden Peacock Award
G
The Gujarat Narmada Valley
Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited
(GNFC) has won the prestigious
Golden Peacock Award.
G
It was given at a ceremony at the
27th World Congress at the Dubai
Global Convention on April 19, 2017.
G
The Golden Peacock Awards has been
established by the Institute of
Directors (IOD) in India in 1991.
G
It won in the category of Innovative
Product/Service for pioneering a
cashless township transformation
model.
Half Yearly 2017
Shambhavi Puraskar 2017
G
The prestigious Shambhavi
Puraskar, 2017 was persented to
Hari Sankar Rout for his
outstanding contribution towards
social change on April 17, 2017.
G
The award carrying a trophy, citation
and a cash prize of ` 2.5 lakh was
presented.
G
The Shambhavi Puraskar was
instituted in 2014 by Bansidhar and
Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF).
G
His significant contribution is
installation of a 7.5 KW
micro-hydroelectric project, diverting
water from a stream through
pipeline to Dangarpadar village of
Tumudibandha Block.
MS Swaminathan Awards
G
Chairperson of the Protection of
Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights
Authority, New Delhi, Rayappa
Ramappa Hanchinal, has been
chosen for the sixth Dr. MS
Swaminathan Award of retired
Indian Council for Agricultural
Research Employees’ Association
and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited on
April 15, 2017.
G
The Swaminathan award, conferred
biennially on eminent Indian
scientists who worked on Indian
agriculture and allied sectors, carries
a cash prize of ` 2 lakh, a medal and
citation.
Krishi Karman
Award 2015-16
G
The Union Ministry of Agriculture
has selected Himachal Pradesh for
the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16
for commendable increase in food
grains production on April 13, 2017.
During last five years, the total food
grains production has increased from
14.94 lakh tone to 16.34 lakh tone.
G
Besides, the department has done
considerable work in promoting poly-
house cultivation, crop diversification,
micro irrigation, organic farming and
soil health management. The award
would carries a trophy, citation and
cash prize.
G
The State was also conferred the
Krishi Karman Award for 2011-12
for increase in wheat production
and in 2014-15 for increasing
foodgrains production.
IIFF Lifetime
Achievement Award
G
Padam Vibhushan and tragedy
king of Bollywood Dilip
Kumar was conferred ‘Lifetime
Achievement Award’ for his
contribution to Indian cinema on
April 13, 2017.
G
Actor Anupam Kher received the
award carrying a citation, shawl
and srifal (coconut) by the Jaipur
International Film Festival (JIFF)
organising team, led by its founder
chairman Honu Roz.
G
The Filmfare Lifetime
Achievement Award, initially
named Raj Kapoor Award for
Lifetime Achievement after Raj
Kapoor is given by the Filmfare
magazine as part of its annual
Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
SCOPE Awards 2017
G
The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee presented the Standing
Conference of Public Enterprises
(SCOPE) Awards at the 8th Public
Sector Day function held in New
Delhi on April 11, 2017.
G
Gold Trophies of SCOPE
Excellence Awards in the
Institutional Category I
(Maharatna, Navratna) were
presented to Rural Electrification
Corporation Limited, National
Aluminium Company Limited,
Engineers India Limited (Special
Commendation).
G
In the Institutional Category II
(Miniratna I & II), Mineral
Exploration Corporation, ONGC
Videsh Limited and WAPCOS
Limited (Special Commendation
bagged the awards.
G
In the Institutional Category III –
Other Profit Making PSEs,
Electronics Corporation of India
Ltd. received the award. Goa
Shipyard Limited received the
award in the Special Institutional
(Turnaround) Category.
G
The SCOPE Excellence Awards in
the Individual Leadership
Category were given to Dr. Anoop
Kumar Mittal (CMD, NBCC),
B. Ashok (Chairman, IOCL),
AK Jain (MD, RECIL) and
KS Popli (CMD, IREDA).
G
Ms Pooja Kapoor (Head, Business
Development, WAPCOS) and Ms
Seema Gupta (ED, Power Grid)
(Special Commendation) received
the award in the Outstanding
Woman Manger in PSEs
Category.
National Hindi Sevi
Samman Awards
G
Central Hindi Institute Director
NK Pandey announced the names
of 26 writers from different
categories for the prestigious
Hindi Sevi Samman Awards on
April 11, 2017.
G
The awardees will receive ` 5 lakh
each, a citation and a shawl from
President Pranab Mukherjee.
G
The Union Human Resource
Development Ministry instituted
the Hindi Sevi Samman in 1989.
More than a hundred Hindi
writers have received the
prestigious awards till now.
National Geoscience
Awards 20016
G
President Pranab Mukherjee
conferred the National Geoscience
Awards 2016 at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan on April 11, 2017.
G
The National Geoscience Awards,
previously known as the
National Mineral Awards,
were instituted by the Ministry of
Mines in 1966, to honour
individuals and teams of
scientists for their extraordinary
achievements and outstanding
contributions in fundamental,
applied geosciences, mining and
allied fields.
G
The National Geoscience Awards
includes one Award for Excellence,
one Young Scientist Award and
nineteen individual and/or team
awards in 16 fields of geosciences.
G
This year, 27 geoscientists are
received the National Geoscience
Awards, as individuals or team,
for meritorious contributions in
eleven fields of geosciences.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Pulitzer Prize 2017
G
Literary blockbuster novel The
Underground Railroad, which depicts
the journey of a young woman escaping
from slavery via a fantastical train
system, has won the Pulitzer prize for
fiction on April 10, 2017.
G
Author Colson Whitehead has collected
multiple newspaper, magazine and online
journalism, literature, and musical
composition in the United States.
G
It was established in 1917 by provisions
in the will of American (Hungarian-born)
Joseph Pulitzer who had made his
fortune as a newspaper publisher, and is
administered by Columbia University in
New York City.
64th National Film Awards
G
The 64th National Film Awards were
announced Sonam’s Neerja was
declared the Best Hindi Film of 2016,
Rustom won Akshay Kumar the Best
Actor award on April 7, 2017.
G
Best Popular Film Providing
Wholesome Entertainment
Sathamanam Bhavath
G
Best stunt choreography Peter Hein
(Pulimurugan)
G
Best Children’s Film Dhanak (Hindi)
G
Best Film on social issue Pink
G
Best Direction Rajesh (Ventilator)
G
Best Actor Akhay Kumar (Rustom)
G
Best Actress Surabhi Lakshmi
(Minnaminungu).
Kirti Chakra
G
The second highest peacetime
gallantry award, Kirti Chakra was
posthumously conferred on Lance
Havildar Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar of
Gorkha Rifles by President Pranab
Mukherjee at the defence investiture
ceremony on April 7, 2017.
G
The late Lance Havildar eliminated four
terrorists during an operation in Jammu
and Kashmir on June 16 last year.
NTR Award National Film
Awards
G
Andhra Pradesh government has
announced NTR National Film Award to
renowned singer SP
Balasubrahmanyam for the year 2012
and to Hindi Film actor and Hema
Malini for the year 2013 on April 6, 2017.
G
The NTR award carries a cash award of
` 5 lakh and a citation.
163
UNESCO/Guillermo
Cano World Press
Freedom Prize 2017
G
Dawit Isaak, an imprisoned
Eritrean-Swedish journalist, has
been chosen to receive the 2017
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World
Press Freedom Prize.
G
Danut Isaak was arrested in a
crackdown on the media that
occurred in September 2001.
G
The last time he was heard from
was in 2005. His present location
is unknown.
G
Created by UNESCO’s Executive
Board in 1997, the annual
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World
Press Freedom Prize honours a
person, organisation or institution
that has made an outstanding
contribution to the defence and,
or promotion of press freedom
anywhere in the world, and
especially when this has been
achieved in the face of danger.
India Pride
Awards 2016-17
G
The Airports Authority of
India won Dainik Bhaskar’s India
Pride Awards 2016-17 for
‘Excellence in Infrastructure
Development’ in the category of
Public Sector Undertaking—
Central on March 31, 2017.
G
Airports Authority of India has
the mandate of building new
airports heading on to the
capacity of existing airports and
running airports in
efficient manner.
G
Dainik Bhaskar has instituted
‘India Pride Awards’ as a tribute
to honour and recognise the
contributions made and
excellence achieved in public
services especially by the Public
Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
BC Roy Award
G
Dr. PVLN Murthy (Hyderabad)
and Dr. Rama Reddy Karri
(Rajamahendravaram) (both for
2014) and Dr. Raghuram
(Hyderabad) and
Dr. Raghunadh Rao (for 2016)
received the awards for significant
contributions in their field of
work on March 29, 2017.
164 Current Affairs
G
Bidhan Chandra Roy Award was
instituted in 1962 in memory of
BC Roy by Medical Council of India.
G
The award is given annually in each of
the following categories—Statesman-
ship of the Highest Order in India,
Medical man-cum-Statesman,
Eminent Medical Person, Eminent
person in Philosophy, Eminent person
in Science and Eminent person in Arts.
Hari Om Ashram Alembic
Research Award
G
President Pranab Mukherjee presented
Hari Om Ashram Alembic research
Award for 2016, to Neena Srivastava
from King George’s Medical College
Lucknow to recognise the basic
research in medical science, on
March 29, 2017.
G
In achieving this, the nominee is
required to identify the problem,
formulate a hypothesis and then
collect the relevant data, design, proper
experiments followed by induction and
inference leading to a logical
conclusion. The value of each award is
` 10000.
G
Hari Om Ashram Alembic Research
Awards presented in Basic Research in
Medical Sciences Clinical Research and
Operational Research category.
Sikh Jewel Award
G
Indian-origin British director
Gurinder Chadha has been honoured
with the Sikh Jewel Award for 2017
for her immense contribution to
British cinema on March 28, 2017.
G
Her films include Bhaji on the Beach,
Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and
Prejudice, received the award from UK
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon at
the Vaisakhi Dinner organised by the
British Sikh Association on March 28,
2017.
G
Her latest film, ‘Viceroys House’ tells
the true story of the final five months
of British rule in India and coincides
with the 70th anniversary of the
Independence of India and the
founding of Pakistan.
United Nations Award
G
ISKCON’s Govardhan Eco Village at
nearby Wada taluka in Thane district
has been conferred the United Nations
award for taking innovative measures
of ’sustainable tourism’ in country on
March 27, 2017.
Half Yearly 2017
G
The award was presented at the
annual United Nations World
Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
Awards for Excellence and Innovation
in Tourism at Madrid in Spain.
G
In its biggest international
recognition to date, Govardhan Eco
Village won the UNWTO Award for
Innovation in the category of
Non-Governmental Organisations,
the highest honour given to an
NGO for shaping global tourism
through sustainable
innovative initiatives.
Best Small Bank Award
G
Karur Vysya Bank bagged the
Institute for Development and
Research in Banking Technology
Award for the seventh year in a row
in recognition of its efforts towards
technology implementation, resulting
in improved customer service and
convenience on March 27, 2017.
G
KVB also bagged the ‘Best Bank
Award for Electronic Payment
Systems among Small Bank for the
year 2014-15’.
Kala Ratan Award
G
Veteran actor Anupam Kher
honoured with a Kala Ratan Award
by the Vice-President of India
Mohammad Hamid Ansari on
March 26, 2017.
G
Kala Ratan award carries cash award
of ` 31000, the annual award in
professional category is for ` 21000
and student category ` 11000, besides
a citation, certificate and a fulkari.
G
He appeared in a variety of films and
many plays. Anupam has also
appeared in acclaimed international
films such as the 2002 Golden Globe
nominated ‘Bend It Like Beckham’,
‘Lust, Caution’ and ‘Silver Linings
Playbook’.
G
He honoured with the Padma Shri in
2004 and the Padma Bhushan in
2016 for his contribution in the field
of cinema and arts.
Lifetime Achievement
Award
G
Photojournalist Raghu Rai was
conferred with a Lifetime
Achievement Award by the
Information and Broadcasting
(I&B) Ministry for ‘his
remarkable contribution to the
field’ on March 23, 2017.
G
He is best known for his book
Raghu Rai’s India : Reflections in
Colour and Reflections in Black
and White, Rai has 18 titles in his
kitty including Raghu Rai’s Delhi,
The Sikhs and Calcutta.
G
He has won acclaim for his series
on Great Masters of Indian
classical music, Satyajit Ray and
Mother Teresa. Rai was awarded
‘Photographer of the Year’ award
by the USA in 1992.
G
National Photography Awards is
an annual event organised by the
Ministry to promote art,
technique of photography and to
encourage professional and
amateur photographers from all
corners of the country.
Kuldip Nayar Journalism
Awards
G
Ravish Kumar was honoured
with the first Kuldip Nayar
journalism award on March 22,
2017.
G
He was conferred with an award
plaque along with a cash amount
of ` 1 lakh.
G
Ravish Kumar is a senior
executive editor at NDTV India,
the Hindi news channel of the
NDTV news network and hosts a
number of programmes including
the channel’s flagship weekday
show Prime Time, Hum Log and
Ravish Ki Report.
Abel Prize 2017
G
French mathematician Yves Meyer
was awarded the 2017 Abel Prize for
his work on wavelets, a mathematical
theory with applications in data
compression, medical imaging and
the detection of gravitational waves
on March 22, 2017.
G
He received 6 million Norwegian krone
(about £ 600000) for the prize, which
recognises outstanding contributions
to mathematics and is awarded by the
Norwegian Academy of Science
and Letters.
G
The Abel Prize has been awarded
annually since 2003 and was last year
won by Briton Andrew Wiles for his
work on solving Fermat’s Last
Theorem.
G
It is considered by many to be a
maths equivalent of the Nobel Prize,
which has no prize for mathematics.
Global Teacher Prize
G
A Canadian, Maggie MacDonnell
who teaches at a school in a
fly-in-only village in the Arctic
has won the Global Teacher Prize
at a ceremony in Dubai on
March 20, 2017.
G
She has taught for the past six years
in the Inuit village of Salluit, Québec,
in the Canadian Arctic, which has a
high rate of suicide, according to her
biography provided by the
award organisers.
G
The Nobel-style award was set up
three years ago by the Dubai-based
Varkey Foundation. The prize is paid
in instalments and requires the
winner to remain a teacher for at
least five years.
Kirti Chakra
G
The second highest peacetime
gallantry award ‘Kirti Chakra’ went to
a young officer, Major Rohit Suri,
who was part of the surgical strikes
last year on March 21, 2017.
G
The seniormost Lieutenant General
Eastern Army Commander Praveen
Bakshi, who was side stepped in the
appointment of the Army Chief, was
awarded the Param Vishisht Seva
Medal, the highest Distinguished
Service Medal.
G
Major Rohit Suri was the mission
leader of the team which was tasked
to carry out operations against
terrorist’s hideout in J&K.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
NSF Career Award
G
An Indian-American computer
scientist, Anshumali Shrivastava
has won NSF’s prestigious career
award for his research on redesigning
current machine-learning processes on
March 18, 2017.
G
The National Science Foundation
CAREER awards are the National
Science Foundation’s most prestigious
awards in support of junior faculty
who exemplify the role of
teacher-scholars through research,
education and the integration of
education and research within the
context of the mission of
their organisations.
G
The award comes with a federal grant
for research and education activities
for five consecutive years. NSF grants
these awards once a year. The
reviewing, award and selection process
is one of the most competitive within
the NSF.
Regeneron Science Talent
Search Award
G
Indian-American teenager Indrani
Das won the top prize of $ 250000
(` 1.63 crore) in the Regeneron Science
Talent Search competition in the USA
for her research on treating brain injury
and disease on March 16, 2017.
G
A contributor to neuron death is
astrogliosis, a condition that occurs
when cells called astrocytes react to
injury by growing, dividing and
reducing their uptake of glutamate,
which in excess is toxic to neurons.
G
Another Indian-American teen, Arjun
Ramani, took the third place, which
carries a prize of $ 150000, for his
project on networks using
mathematical field of graph theory
and computer programming.
IIT-M Solar Inverter System
Won Award
G
Indian Institute of
Technology-Madras won the 2017
IEEE Spectrum Technology in the
Service of Society Award for its
solar-Direct Current (DC) inverter
system on March 10, 2017.
G
The system, developed using micro
grid technology, converts in-home
power distribution from 230V Analog
Current to 48V DC to directly power
appliances and devices.
165
G
The system is also equipped to tap
rooftop solar power, making it the
most energy efficient solution for
homes and offices.
G
The system consists of DC solar
generation, DC power-line, DC
appliances and battery. Currently,
the system has been deployed in
4000 off-grid homes in Jodhpur
and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and is
being deployed in around 7200
homes in Assam.
G
The inverter system has been
installed in villages in Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana.
Saraswati Samman 2016
G
Eminent Konkani writer
Mahabaleshwar Sail honoured
with the Saraswati Samman 2016
for his novel Hawthan on March 8,
2017. He was known for his work,
Paltadcho Munis, which inspired a
film by the same name, Sail is a
renowned bi-lingual writer based
in Goa.
G
He has four Marathi dramas and
seven Konkani novels to his credit.
He has also written short stories
and a novel in Marathi.
G
It published in 2009, Hawtha is a
work of fiction presenting the
cultural map of the traditional
potter community of Goa.
Most Popular Tourism
Destination Award
G
Sri Lanka won the ‘Most Popular
Tourism Destination Award’ at the
Guangzhou International Travel Fair
(GITF) in China, on March 2, 2017.
G
The island nation won the prestigious
award for the second consecutive year
which is a testament to its growing
popularity among Chinese
travel enthusiasts.
G
China has been Sri Lanka’s second
largest source market for tourism
since 2014.
Glasgow Film
Festival Awards
G
Director Alankrita Shrivastava’s
Lipstick Under My Burkha which
was considered unfit for public viewing
by the censor board, has won the
audience award at the Glasgow Film
Festival on February 28, 2017.
G
The film, which stars Ratna Pathak
Shah and Konkona Sensharma in key
roles, revolves around the lives of four
Indian women seeking more from life
than docile domesticity.
89th Academy Awards
Vishakha Awards
G
Yogini Satarkar-Pande (Nanded),
Mohan Kumbhar (Sindhudurg)
and Vishnu Thore (Nashik) have
been selected for the first Vishakha
awards on February 25, 2017.
G
Vishakha awards instituted in the
memory of late poet Kusumagraja
alias VV Shirwadkar.
G
Yogini got the award for her poem
Janivanche Hirave Kombh, while
Kumbhar was named for his
collection Jaganyachi Gatha and
Thore for Dhulpera Usavata.
Stya Paul Memorial Award
G
One of Britain’s senior-most
Indian-origin MPs, Virendra
Sharma, awarded the first Dr. Stya
Paul Memorial Award for his
‘outstanding contribution’ to
India-UK ties on February 23, 2017.
G
The event, organised by Great Place
to Study (GPTS) Research Institute
(an international auditing firm for
Indian colleges) and UK-based
consultancy Sterling Media, is held
annually to celebrate achievements
in the field of education and
economic development.
G
The Global Icon Award for 2017
went to Rajesh Agrawal, Londons
Indian-origin Deputy Mayor
for Business.

30th Moortidevi Award Global Green Future

G
Eminent Malayalam author and
journalist MP Veerendra Kumar
was presented the 30th Moortidevi
award by Bharatiya Jnanpith
organisation on March 4, 2017.
G
He was chosen for the prestigious
award for his Malayalam
travelogue ‘Hymavathabhoovil’,
which dwells upon ancient trails
of Indian culture, myth, literature
and people strewn in the plains,
valleys and mountains of India.
G
The book also highlights
environmental concerns over
‘fragile mountain ecosystem’ and
calls for action over lack of water
resources and waste
disposal systems.
G
The Moortidevi Award is an
annual literary award in India
presented by the Bharatiya
Jnanpith organisation for a work
which emphasises Indian
philosophy and culture.
Leadership Awards
G
Tata Steel’s Katamati iron mine
has been honoured with the Best
Green Organisation of the Year
G
The 89th Annual Academy Awards Award at the Global Green Future
ceremony was held on February 26, Leadership Awards in recognition of
2017. Academy of Motion Picture Arts its environmental protection
and Sciences, honoured the Best measures on February 19, 2017.
films/personalities of 2016. G
Katamati iron mine has been
List of Winners engaged in environmental
protection efforts for years and has
Category Winner
successfully implemented
Best Film Moonlight
Environmental Management
Best Actress Emma Stone
(La La Land)
System as per the requirements of
ISO 14001:2004.
Best Actor Casey Affleck
(Manchester By G
The Global Green Future Leadership
The Sea) Awards is for any organisation that
Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis (Fences) participates in environmentally
Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali friendly or green activities to ensure
Best Direction Damien Chazelle (La La that all processes, products, and
Land) manufacturing activities adequately
Film Editing Hacksaw Ridge address environmental concerns
Foreign Language Film The Salesman while maintaining a profit.

166 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

International Mercury
Award 2016-17
G
The Ahmedabad-based
Entrepreneurship
Development Institute of
India (EDII), an acknowledged
national resource institute for
entrepreneurship education,
research, training and
institution-building, has received
the prestigious International
Mercury Awards for the year
2016-17 for the best overall
presentation of its 2015-2016
annual report on February 20,
2017.
G
It is Instituted by MerComm,
Inc. the world’s only
independent awards
organisation, the International
Mercury Awards, honour
outstanding achievement in
professional communications in
around 80 countries.
G
It was founded in 1987, the
Mercury Awards promote
excellence, quality and
performance in the various fields
of public relations.
G
The award entertains
participation from agencies,
associations, corporations,
government agencies, nonprofit
groups, and organisations from
around 80 countries worldwide
every year.
G
Judges from the International
Academy of Communications
Arts and Sciences (IACAS)
evaluate entries on the basis of
objectivity, audience connection,
use of imagination and original
solutions, use of illustration and
overall expression of the message.
Bravery Awards
G
A heroic Indian-origin Scotland
Yard officer, Shand Panesar,
honoured with a top bravery
award in the UK for risking his
own life to save a family trapped
in a burning house, winning the
vote of thousands of Londoners
on February 15, 2017.
G
Shand Panesar, along with
colleague Craig Nicholson, won
the Total Excellence in Policing
Awards at the annual ceremony
last week for rescuing a couple
from a burning building.
67th Berlin International Film
Festival Awards
G
Rajkumar Rao and Anjali Patel starrer
political comedy Newton, which had its
world premiere at 67th Berlin
International Film Festival, won the Art
Cinema award in the Forum segment on
February 17, 2017.
G
It is directed by Amit Masurkar, Newton
revolves around a clerk placed on election
duty in a conflict-ridden area
of Chhattisgarh.
G
The Berlin International Film Festival, also
called the Berlinale, is one of the world’s
leading film festivals and most reputable
media events. It is held annually in
Berlin (Germany).
G
It was founded in West Berlin in 1951, the
festival has been celebrated annually in
February since 1978.
Legendary Award
G
Indian melody queen Lata Mangeshkar
has been honoured with the ‘Legendary
Award’ by The Brand Laureate on
February 17, 2017.
G
The Brand Laureate recognises world-class
achievement in branding amongst
individuals and companies.
Vyas Samman 2016
G
Well known Hindi scholar and writer
Surendra Verma has been selected for
Vyas Samman 2016.
G
Verma has been chosen for this
prestigious award for his novel Kaatna
Shami Ka Vriksha : Padma Pankhuri Ki
Dhar Se, published in 2010.
G
The award instituted by KK Birla
Foundation carries a cash award of
` 3.50 lakh.
Kayakalp Awards
G
Premier health institute AIIMS, New
Delhi, has won the first prize, and a cash
reward of ` 5 crore, for maintaining high
standards of sanitation and hygiene under
the government’s Kayakalp awards.
G
AIIMS was followed by North Eastern
Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health
and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS),
Shillong, which got a cash prize of
` 3 crore.
G
Postgraduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research (PGIMER),
Chandigarh, received the third prize of ` 1
crore.
G
The Kayakalp award scheme was launched
in 2015.
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
Grammy Awards
G
Sandeep Das along with his
group the Silk Road Ensemble
won the Grammy for Best Global
Music at the Grammy awards in
Los Angeles held on February 13,
2017.
G
He composed for and performed
internationally with the Silk Road
Ensemble of Yo-Yo Ma since the
group’s founding in 2000.
G
When he started playing with the
Silk Road, Yo-Yo Ma was
surprised to learn that, Das did
not read music scores, but could
memorise a piece.
G
In 2012, Sandeep Das was invited
by the School of Education,
Harvard University to teach a
course on Arts in Education.
G
He has taken masterclasses at
Juilliard School of Music, Berkley
School of Music, Rhodes Island
School of Design, Harvard
University Academy of Music in
Villecroze, France and
Stanford University.
70th British Academy
Film Awards
G
The 70th British Academy Film
Awards were held on February 12,
2017, at the Royal Albert Hall
in London.
G
The honorary award show which
is recognises the best brutish as
well as international contributions
to movies in 2016.
G
The list of important the winners at
the BAFTA 2017
G
Best Film La La Land (Fred
Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc
Platt)
G
Best Director Damien Chazelle
(La La Land)
G
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Emma Stone (La La Land)
G
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Casey Affleck (Manchester by
the Sea)
167
Miss Universe 2017
G
Miss France was crowned Miss
Universe on January 28, 2017.
G
Iris Mittenaere, a dental surgery
student from Lille in the North of
France, beat 85 of the world’s most
beautiful women at the event in the
Philippines scheduled for primetime
viewing in the USA.
G
She marks the first European Miss
Universe since 1990. Miss Haiti
Raquel Pelissier, who
enthusiastically hugged.
G
Mittenaere after she won was the
first runner-up, while Miss
Colombia Andrea Tovar came in as
this year’s second runner-up.
Padma Awards 2017
G
The eight sportspersons were among
89 Padma Awardees announced by
the government on January 26, 2017.
G
Besides Virat Kohli, the seven other
sportspersons named for the award
are Rio Olympics bronze medallist
wrestler Sakshi Malik, Paralympians
Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa
Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar,
Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh,
discus thrower Vikas Gowda and blind
cricket team captain Shekar Naik.
National Geoscience
Award
G
Keshav Krishna, a scientist at the
National Geophysical Research
Institute (NGRI) has been selected
for the National Geoscience Award
for 2016 on January 25, 2017.
G
The award given by the Union
Ministry of Mines is in recognition
of his work in the field of
geo-environmental studies.
G
Krishna is presently involved in
studies on environmental risk
assessment related heavy metal
contamination in soil, sediments
and water in industrial areas,
abandoned mine sites and their
interactions with the environmental
pollutants.
168 Current Affairs
Golden Peacock Awards
G
Delhi International Airport
Limited (DIAL) bagged the
prestigious Golden Peacock Award
for Corporate Social Responsibility
in the aviation transport sector for
2016 on January 22, 2017.
G
The Delhi airport has been
adjudged as the world’s No.1
airport in ACI ASQ survey in the
25-40 million passengers per
annum category for two
consecutive years from 2014.
G
The Golden Peacock Awards were
founded by the Institute of
Directors, India, in 1991 and are
globally regarded as a benchmark
of corporate excellence.
43rd People’s Choice
Awards
G
Priyanka Chopra won the
favourite dramatic TV actress at
the 43rd People’s Choice Awards
that was held on January 18,
2017. The bollywood actress who
rose to international fame with
her role as Alex Parish on the ABC
thriller series Quantico in 2015.
G
She went on to became the first
South Asian woman to headline
in an American network series.
G
People’s choice Awards is an
American awards show,
recognising the people and the
work of popular culture, voted on
by the general public.
G
The show has been held annually
since 1975. The People’s Choice
Awards is broadcast on CBS and is
produced by Procter & Gamble
and Mark Burnett.
Crafoord Prize 2017
G
The Royal Science Academy of
Sciences awarded the 2017 Crafoord
Prize in Polyarthritis to Shimon
Sakaguchi, Osaka University
(Japan), Fred Ramsdell, Parker
Institute for Cancer Immun-
otherapy, San Francisco, CA (USA)
and Alexander Rudensky,
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, New York (USA), on
January 13, 2017.
G
Three immunology researchers
share 2017’s Crafoord Prize in
Polyarthritis, for which the prize
money is 6 million Swedish krona.
Half Yearly 2017
G
The research being rewarded deals with
the discovery of regulatory T cells, cells
that can be regarded as our immune
system’s security guards.
TS Eliot Prize 2016
G
Jacob Polley won the 2016 TS Eliot
Prize for poetry on January 16, 2017.
G
He won the coveted £ 20000
award with his fourth collection,
Jackself, a sequence of narrative poems
partly inspired by his childhood
in Cumbria. The book draws on English
myths and folklore to tell the story of a
young boy’s coming of age.
74th Golden Globe Awards
G
La La Land hit all the high notes
during the Golden Globes, taking home
seven awards — a new record on
January 7, 2017.
G
The Lionsgate movie-musical beat the
previous mark for most Golden Globes
won by a single film that achievement
was shared by the 1975 release One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the
1978 movie Midnight Express, with six
wins apiece. La La Land won in each
category for which it was nominated,
including best musical/comedy film.
G
Damien Chazelle won the awards for
directing and screenplay; Ryan Gosling
and Emma Stone took home the
awards for best actor and actress.
US Embassy Award
G
Amitabh Bachchan has been
honoured by the US Embassy to
acknowledge his immense contribution
to the India– US ties on tuberculosis on
January 7, 2017.
G
US government has been working with
the Indian government for over
20 years on tuberculosis.
G
Over $ 100 million have been
invested in treating over 15 million
people with our Indian partners, saved
millions of lives from the disease.
Yash Chopra
Memorial Award
G
Shah Rukh Khan, received the fourth
National Yash Chopra Memorial Award
on January 5, 2017.
G
The award (whose previous recipients
were Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh
Bachchanand Rekha) will be presented
on February 25, 2017. The award is
given to those who are icons, who we
know are legends.
 CURRENT AFFAIRS

500 MCQs
1. In the government’s
Swachh Survekshan Survey
2017, which is the only State in
the country which did not take
part citing multiple reasons?
a. Arunachal Pradesh
b. Himachal Pradesh
c. Tamil Nadu
d. West Bengal
2. Which State government
has made Aadhaar cards
mandatory in place of Ration
cards for all financial
assistance schemes?
a. Arunachal Pradesh
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Punjab
d. Haryana
3. In which district India’s
First Bio Refinery Plant
inaugurated recently?
a. Guntur (Andhra pradesh)
b. Rahu Pune (Maharashtra)
c. Balrampur (Chhattisgarh)
d. Aurangabad (Bihar)
4. Which Indian village has
won the 2017 Smart Village
Award?
a. Punsari
b. Mawlynnong
c. Govardhan Ecovillage
d. Dharnai
5. Which State has topped the
2017 Public Affairs Index (PAI)
in governance?
a. Kerala b. Gujarat
c. Karnataka d. Maharashtra
6. Which of the following
hosted the India Integrated
Transport and Logistics
Summit 2017?
a. Hyderabad
b. New Delhi
c. Bengaluru
d. Jaipur
7. Which Union Minister
stated about the word
SAMADHAN recently?
a. Rajnath Singh b. Arun Jaitley
c. Vijay Prasad d. Sakthi Menon
8. Which State announced to
give an interim pension to
Muslim women who have been
divorced using the triple talaq
provision?
a. Assam b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Manipur d. Nagaland
9. Which State government
has launched digital wallet
‘T-Wallet’ for people w ith and
w ithout mobile phones?
a. Karnataka b. Odisha
c. Telangana d. Manipur
10. India’s first automatic
coastal warning for disasters
w ill come up in which State?
a. Tamil Nadu b. Maharashtra
c. Odisha
d. Andhra Pradesh
11. Which State government
has launched ‘Mahaswayam
portal’ for job seekers and
employers?
a. Maharashtra b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Kerala d. Haryana
12. Which State government
has recently declared Dailong
village as biodiversity heritage
site of the State?
a. Arunachal Pradesh
b. Mizoram
c. Tripura
d. Manipur
13. What product being
banned by the State
government of Goa?
a. Plastic bags
b. Mobile phones
c. Water Facility
d. Police force
14. India’s first private sector
small arms manufacturing
plant has set-up in which
State?
a. Assam
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Madhya Pradesh
d. Maharashtra
15. 23 employees are being
employed in transgender
category at
a. Kochi Metro
b. Delhi Metro
c. Jaipur Metro
d. Bengaluru Metro
16. Which service is newly
introduced by the Indian
Railways recently?
a. Train service
b. IRCTC app
c. Buy Now, Pay Later
d. Wi-Fi Services
17. Which metro station in
India constructed the first
underground tunnel?
a. Chennai Metro Station
b. Mumbai Metro Station
c. Kolkata Metro Station
d. Delhi Metro Station
18. Which high-level
committee has recently
submitted its report on Scouts
and Guides to the Union
government?
a. Harsh Malhotra Committee
b. Ratan Watal Committee
c. Injeti Srinivas Committee
d. Abhijit Sen Committee
19. Which State government fly 128 routes to five airlines.
has launched e-textbook portal Which of the following airlines
for school students?
a. Assam
b. Kerala
c. Karnataka
d. Haryana
?
20. Which of the following has
been adjudged as the cleanest
railway station in category A1,
as per recently released report
by the Ministry of Railways?
a. Vishakhapatnam
b. Jammu Tawi
c. Secunderabad
d. Anand ViharTerminal
21. Which Union Minister has
launched Operation Clean
Portal for transparent tax
administration?
a. Sushma Swaraj
b. Arun Jaitley
c. Narendra Modi
d. Rajnath Singh
22. Which committee has been
constituted by the Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Board of India
(IBBI) to lay down technical
standards for performance of
core services?
a. RB Barman Committee
b. Nand Lal Sarda committee
c. Pulak Ghosh Committee
d. VG Kannan Committee
23. An exhibition titled
‘Swachhagraha–Bapu Ko
Karyanjali’ has inaugurated in
which city to mark 100 years of
the historic Champaran
Satyagraha?
a. Kanpur
b. Porbandar
c. Lucknow
d. New Delhi
24. Under UDAN scheme,
government awards rights to
does not got that rights?
a. Air India
b. Turbo Megha
c. IndiGo
d. SpiceJet

1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (a) 6. (c) 7. (a) 8. (a) 9. (c) 10. (c)
11. (a) 12. (d) 13. (a) 14. (c) 15. (a) 16. (c) 17. (c) 18. (a) 19. (d) 20. (a)
21. (b) 22. (a) 23. (d) 24. (c)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 169

25. Recently, which scheme is
launched by Indian
government for powerloom
sector development?
a. MegaTex India
b. PowerTex India
c. CurrentTex India
d. ElecTex India
26. Which yojana has
introduced by West Bengal
government that converging
five separate beneficiary
schemes for workers in
unorganised sectors and
self employed people?
a. Kanyashree Yojana
b. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
c. Social Security Yojana
d. Janani Suraksha Yojana
27. To provide a comprehensive
digital solution for enforcement
of traffic rules, Union Ministry
of Road Transport and
Highways has launched two
mobile apps named
a. e-Transport and m-Parivahan
b. e-Challan and m-Parivahan
c. e-Road and e-Challan
d. m-Traffic and e-Transport
28. India signs first loan
agreement w ith BRICS NDB
for Development and
Upgradation of Major District
Roads Project in
a. Andhra Pradesh
b. Arunachal Pradesh
c. Uttar Pradesh
d. Madhya Pradesh
29. In India, e-visa has been
sub-divided into three
categories— e-tourist visa,
e-business visa and
a. e-Medical visa
b. e-Clinical visa
c. e-Hospital visa
d. e-Treatment visa
30. Following the Supreme
Court's ruling to ban the sale
of BS-III compliant vehicles in
the country, the government of
India has now launched Bharat
Stage (BS) -IV grade fuel
across the nation. Who
launched it in Bhubaneswar?
a. Dharmendra Pradhan
b. Piyush Goel
c. Manohar Parrikar
d. Arun Jaitley
31. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is all set to connect the
100th anniversary of
Champaran Satyagraha with
a. Bal Swachhta Mission
b. Make in India
170
c. Digital India
d. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
32. NITI Aayog’s Lucky Draw
schemes for consumers and
merchants are Lucky Grahak
Yojana (LGY) and
a. Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana
b. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay
Shramev Jayate Yojana
c. Digital India
d. Swadesh Darshan Yojana
33. Which state government
has launched ‘e-Nagarpalika’
app to provide municipal
services online?
a. Jharkhand
b. Bihar
c. Uttar Pradesh
d. Madhya Pradesh
34. Which state government
w ill provide one-time grant of
` 21000 to families for third
girl child?
a. Assam b. Haryana
c. Punjab d. Manipur
35. Which state government
has recently signed MoU w ith
Indian Railways to expand
green cover?
a. Kerala b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Maharashtra d. Rajasthan
36. Which State’s Chief Minister
bans names of ministers, MLAs
on inaugural stones?
a. Kerala b. Karnataka
c. Punjab d. Andhra Pradesh
37. Which State government
has launched ‘Kilkari’ app to
create awarness among
pregnant women?
a. Punjab b. Haryana
c. Assam d. Uttar Pradesh
38. Which State government
has recently signed a reworked
MoU w ith Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited
(HPCL) for Barmer refinery?
a. Uttar Pradesh
b. Madhya Pradesh
c. Rajasthan d. Gujarat
39. Which railway station in
Bhopal has become India’s first
privately run railway station?
a. Raniganj b. Habibganj
c. Kunwarganj d. Sahibganj
40. Pana Sankranti is celebrated
by Buddhists and Hindus
residing in which State?
a. Assam
b. Odisha
c. Sikkim
d. Himachal Pradesh
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
41. Railway Minister Suresh 51. Which country has become
Prabhu has flagged off the trial the largest stainless steel
run of the new …..... coaches producer in the world in 2016,
according to data released by
between Visakhapatnam and
the International Stainless
Araku.
a. Altadome b. Vistadome Steel Forum (ISSF) 2017?
c. Transdome d. Prismdome a. India b. Japan
c. The USA d. China
42. Which State government
has decided to provide 52. With whom, DIPP signed
an agreement to establish
accidental insurance cover to
Technology and Innovation
all residents of the State in the
Support Centers (TISC) ?
age group of 18 to 70 years?
a. World Health Organisation
a. Haryana
b. World Press Council
b. Gujarat
c. World Intellectual Property
c. Madhya Pradesh
Organisation
d. Karnataka
d. World Recovery Fund
43. What is the India’s rank in
the 2017 global
53. India will provide how
much amount to Bangladesh
Multi-dimensional Poverty
under new ‘Muktijodha
Index (MPI)?
Scholarship’ scheme?
a. 45th b. 58th c. 37th d. 26th
a. ` 30 crore b. ` 5 crore
44. What is the India’s rank in c. ` 25 crore d. ` 20 crore
the 2017 Global Peace Index,
54. India has ranked at ……….
as per global think tank position in the 2017 AT
Institute for Economics and Kearney Foreign Direct
Peace? Investment (FDI) Confidence
a. 141st b. 133rd Index.
c. 155th d. 137th a. 8th b. 9th
c. 10th d. 11th
45. What is the India’s rank in
women workforce, as per 55. What is the India’s rank in
recently released ‘India the 2017 WEF’s Global Travel
Development Report’ of World
and Tourism Competitive Index
Bank? (GTTCI)?
a. 110th b. 115th a. 40th b. 52nd
c. 120th d. 131st c. 63rd d. 67th
46. How many agreements 56. Union Cabinet has
were signed between India and approved signing of the
Spain recently? Protocol amending the
a. 7 b. 5 c. 8 d. 3 Convention between India and
………… for avoidance of
47. Which country has become Double Taxation.
the first Asian country to a. Portugal b. France
recognise same sex marriage? c. Germany d. Spain
a. Taiwan b. Lebanon
c. Timor-Leste d. Jordan 57. According to the new
citizenship law proposed by
48. Which country is hosting the Australian Prime Minister
the 2017 North Atlantic Treaty recently, at least how many
Organisation (NATO)? days would it be to remain
a. Romania b. Belgium permanent resident of
c. Italy d. Latvia Australia for an applicant
applied for a citizenship,?
49. Which country agreed w ith a. 2 yr b. 4 yr
India on cooperation in the c. 6 yr d. 8 yr
field of Organ Transplant
Services recently? 58. Which one of the following
a. Canada b. The USA Indians has been included in
c. Spain d. North Korea the Fortune list of the 50
greatest leaders of the world
50. Among the given cities for year 2017?
which city in India is most a. Narendra Modi
populated in the World? b. Kailash Satyarthi
a. Mumbai b. Chennai c. Arundhati Bhattacharya
c. Kolkata d. Goa d. Chanda Kochhar
59. Which Indian-origin
personality has become first
non-white judge at the Old
Bailey Court of London?
a. Kirti Solanki
b. James Miskin
c. Tayeb Salih
d. Anuja Ravindra Dhir
60. The first-ever G20 Digital
Ministerial Meeting on Digital
Economy was held in which
country?
a. Japan b. India
c. Russia d. Germany
61. Malaysian Prime Minister
who was on six day India tour is
a. Najib Razak
b. Justin Trudeau
c. Dusko Markovic
d. Malcolm Turnbull
62. What is the India’s rank in
the world’s largest tourism
economy in terms of GDP,
according to the latest report
of the World Travel and
Tourism Council?
a. 9th b. 7th c. 5th d. 4th
63. Who is the present
Secretary-General of United
Nations?
a. Amina J. Mohammed
b. Ban Ki-moon
c. Stephane Dujarric
d. Antonio Guterres
64. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on April 8, 2017, flagged
off the trial run of a passenger
train named ‘Maitree
Express-2’, which is the second
passenger train between India
and
a. Bangladesh b. Pakistan
c. Nepal d. Bhutan
65. ‘India Steel 2017’, the 3
edition of International
Conference and Exhibition on
Steel Industry was held from
April 19-21, 2017 in which
city?
a. New Delhi
b. Mumbai
c. Varanasi
d. Visakhapatnam
66. Which Asian country will
host this year’s ‘UN Day of
Vesak’ celebrations on May 12,
2017?
a. Thailand b. Bhutan
c. Nepal d. Sri Lanka
67. Which entity will issue
special stamps commemorating c. Punjab National Bank
the International Yoga Day on
June 21 this year?
a. South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
b. European Union
c. Royal Mail UK’s postal service
company
d. United Nations
68. As per World Bank report,
the Indian economy is
expected to grow at … in 2017. grow th forecast for financial
a. 7.2% b. 7.5% 3
c. 7.8% d. 8%
69. The first-ever Nepal-China a. 7.2%
joint military exercise
‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017
has started in which of the
following cities?
a. Guangzhou b. Beijing
c. Butwal d. Kathmandu
70. The 2017 United Nations
Oceans Conference will be
held in which city?
a. Lisbon b. Beijing
c. New York d. Thimphu
71. Which country to host 15th a. Indian Petroleum Organisation
edition of International
Musculoskeletal Congress
(IMC)-2017?
a. India b. China
c. Japan d. South Korea
72. Which committee has been
formed by the Securities and
Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) on corporate
governance?
a. Uday Kotak Committee
b. Naysa Modi Committee
c. Tejas Muthusamy Committee
d. Saketh Sundar Committee
73. Which country to host
2017 board of governors
meeting of Asian Infrastructure b. Financial Analysis Department
Investment Bank (AIIB)?
a. South Korea b. China
c. India d. South Africa d. Credit Rate List Department
74. Which Indian bank has got
$100 million Asian
Development Bank (ADB) loan
to finance solar rooftop
projects in India?
a. ICICI Bank
b. State Bank of India
d. Allahabad Bank
75. Which country has the
most complex tax jurisdiction
in Asia-Pacific, as per Asia
Pacific Tax Complexity Survey
2017 conducted by Deloitte?
a. China b. Australia
c. Japan d. India
76. What is the India’s GDP
year 18, as per World Bank
(WB)’s latest report ‘India
Development Report’?
b. 7.4%
c. 7.7% d. 7.5%
77. Which scheme is initiated
by the Union government for
the proper sanitation recently?
a. Darwaza Band
b. Make in India
c. Incredible India
d. Sanskirti Bharat Abhiyan
78. With which organisation
Bank of Baroda joined to give
co-branded debit card?
b. Indian Farmers Fertilizer
Cooperative Limited
c. Indian Council for Cultural
Relations
d. Imperial Legislative Council
79. Which country to host the
2018 annual convention of
African Development Bank
(AfDB) Group?
a. China b. Sri Lanka
c. India d. South Korea
80. Who allows the investors
digital wallets to buy Mutual
Funds recently?
a. Stock Exchange Board of India
c. Monitoring Mutual Fund
Investments
81. What is the India’s GDP
grow th forecast for 2017, as
per recently revised UN ‘World
Economic Situation and
Prospects (WESP) as of
mid-2017’ report?
a. 7.9% b. 7.7%
c. 7.3% d. 7.1%
82. With which government
proof has to be connected to
Aadhaar Card filing of Income
tax returns?
a. Ration Card
b. Voter Id
c. Permanent Account Number
(PAN)
d. Passport
83. Which organisation has
been instructed by Home
Ministry to use core banking
services?
a. Indian Institute of Packaging
b. Agricultural and Processed
Food Products Export
Development Authority
c. Non Government Organisation
d. Indian Institute of Foreign
Trade
84. In April, 2017, Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) opened
ombudsman offices in which
two cities?
a. Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and
Ranchi (Jharkhand)
b. Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and
Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir)
c. Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and
Bhubaneswar (Odisha)
d. Ranchi (Jharkhand) and
Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir)
85. What is the current
reverse repo rate, as per first
bi-monthly monetary policy
review for 2017-18 of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?
a. 6.0% b. 6.25%
c. 6.5% d. 7.75%
86. The deadline for getting
the PAN or form 60 (if PAN is
not available) by banks ended
on February 28, 2017, and has
been now extended till
a. April 30 b. May 30
c. June 30 d. July 30

25. (b) 26. (c) 27. (b) 28. (d) 29. (a) 30. (a) 31. (d) 32. (a) 33. (d) 34. (b)
35. (c) 36. (c) 37. (b) 38. (c) 39. (b) 40. (b) 41. (b) 42. (a) 43. (c) 44. (d)
45. (c) 46. (a) 47. (a) 48. (b) 49. (c) 50. (a) 51. (d) 52. (c) 53. (b) 54. (a)
55. (a) 56. (a) 57. (b) 58. (c) 59. (d) 60. (d) 61. (a) 62. (b) 63. (d) 64. (a)
65. (b) 66. (d) 67. (d) 68. (c) 69. (d) 70. (c) 71. (d) 72. (a) 73. (a) 74. (c)
75. (a) 76. (a) 77. (a) 78. (b) 79. (d) 80. (a) 81. (c) 82. (c) 83. (c) 84. (b)
85. (a) 86. (c)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 171

87. In the latest World
Economic Outlook (WEO),
International Monetary Fund
(IMF) has cut down India’s
grow th forecast for year
2017by 0.4 percentage points
to ……… .
a. 6.8% b. 7.0%
c. 7.2% d. 7.4%
88. The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has permitted banks to
invest up to ……… of the unit
capital of the Real Estate
Investment Trust (REITs) or
Infrastructure Investment
Trusts (InvITs)
a. 10% b. 12%
c. 14% d. 16%
89. The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has inked a supervisory
cooperation pact with the
Central bank of which Asian
country for information
sharing?
a. Thailand b. Bangladesh
c. Bhutan d. Sri Lanka
90. Aditya Birla will start the
Payments Bank, which is a 51 :
49 joint venture between
Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (ABNL)
and telecom major
a. Vodafone b. Idea
c. Aircel d. Airtel
91. Which bank will become
the first bank to integrate
Aadhaar offering OTP-based
financial services?
a. Kotak Mahindra Bank
b. City Union Bank
c. Karur Vysya Bank
d. IndusInd Bank
92. Tax evasion exceeding an
amount of ……… under the GST
regime w ill be a non-bailable
offence.
a. ` 5 crore b. ` 4 crore
c. ` 3 crore d. ` 5 crore
93. Who took over as the new
Deputy Governor of the
Reserve Bank of India?
a. Prasanna Kumar Mohanty
b. Sunil Mitra
c. Bibhu Prasad Kanungo
d. Dilip S. Sanghvi
94. Which country has
officially recognised Bitcoin
and digital currencies as legal
money?
a. Australia
b. China
c. North Korea
d. Japan
172
95. Recently, the Cabinet
Committee on Economic
Affairs approved unrestricted
export of organic farm
products. Which of the
following is not included?
a. Biological pulses and lentils
b. Organic sugar
c. Biological sugar
d. Organic wheat
96. Which State
government has tied up w ith
World Health Organisation
(WHO) for eradication of
Rubella measles?
a. Haryana
b. Maharashtra
c. Assam
d. Uttar Pradesh
97. ‘Amul’ has signed MoU
w ith which organisation for
fodder acreage estimation
using space technology?
a. Indian Space Research
Organisation
b. Antrix Corporation Limited
c. National Remote Sensing
Centre
d. Satish Dhawan Space Centre
98. India’s first multi-modal
electric vehicle project has
launched in which city?
a. New Delhi b. Kolkata
c. Chennai d. Nagpur
99. What is the name of the
satellite which is used by Japan
for the improvement of Global
Positioning System ?
a. Michibiki No.2
b. Ariel 1
c. San Marco
d. Lomonosov
100. Which missile was
successfully test Fired In
Chandipur in June,2017?
a. Agni-V b. Brahmos - II
c. Akash - II d. Prithvi-II
101. Which Indian bank has
got $100 million Asian
Development Bank (ADB) loan
to finance solar rooftop
projects in India?
a. ICICI Bank
b. State Bank of India
c. Punjab National Bank
d. Allahabad Bank
102. Which country test fired
Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile (ICBM)?
a. United States of America
b. Canada
c. England
d. Japan
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
103. Which Institute develops
new technology to
manufacture biofuel ?
a. Anna University
b. Kerala University
c. Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur
d. Nagaland University
104. Which company
Co-founder built the world’s
largest plane to launch rockets
into space ?
a. Infosys b. Amazon
c. Wipro d. Microsoft
105. Which probe does the
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA)
planned to launch in 2018 ?
a. Surveyor programme
b. Mariner Programme
c. Landsat programme
d. Parker Solar Probe
106. The Union Environment
Ministry has organised the
first-ever ‘Ozone2Climate tech-
nology roadshow’ in which city?
a. Kolkata b. Agra
c. Bhopal d. Jaipur
107. Which new service did
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) unitedly launched
satellite service recently?
a. Free Wi-Fi
b. Broadband 4G Speciality
c. International Maritime Satellite
Organisation
d. Launch of Free sim
108. Which missile was
successfully tested from the
indigenously built small
combat plane ‘Tejas’ recently?
a. Akash
b. Dhanush
c. Trishul
d. Derby air-to-air Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) missile
109. World’s lightest satellite
‘KalamSat’ has been built by
a. Rifath Sharook
b. Sheikh Farooq
c. Dilip Sangvan
d. None of the above
110. India recently test fired a
surface-to-air missile ‘Spyder’.
What does the word ‘spyder’
stand for?
a. Surface-to-air PYthon and
DERby
b. Surface-to-air PAnther and
DERby
c. Surface-to-air PYthon and
SPyder
d. None of the above
111. Recently, South Asia
Satellite GSAT-9 was
successfully launched into a
Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
(GTO) via which of the
following rocket?
a. GSLV-L09 b. GSLV-F09
c. GSLV-F06 d. GSLV-F05
112. Recently joint bilateral
naval exercise ‘Varun’ has been
concluded between
a. India and Russia
b. India and America
c. India and France
d. India and Britain
113. The 2017 HADR exercise
‘Karavali Karunya’ has started
by Indian Navy in which State?
a. Andhra Pradesh
b. Karnataka
c. Kerala
d. Tamil Nadu
114. Rifath Sharook has
designed the world’s lightest
satellite ‘KalamSat’. He hails
from which country?
a. China b. Malaysia
c. India d. Japan
115. What are the two
warships send by India to
Egypt recently?
a. INS Kolkata , Destroyers
b. INS Mumbai and INS Aditya
c. Frigates (15) ,Corvettes (25)
d. Anti Mine Ships, Patrol Ships
116. The South Asia satellite
‘GSAT-09’ w ill be launched by
ISRO from which launch
vehicle?
a. GSLV Mk-III
b. GSLV Mk-II
c. GSLV Mk-IV
d. GSLV Mk-V
117. Indian Navy’s
indigenously designed guided
missile destroyer …… was
formally dedicated to the city
on April 17,2017
a. ‘INS Mumbai’
b. ‘INS Chennai’
c. ‘INS Kochi’
d. ‘INS Kandla’
118. The Union government
has launched CPS programme
to deal w ith autonomous
unmanned vehicles. What does
‘CPS’ stands for?
a. Cyber Physical Science
b. Cyber Physical Systems
c. Cyber Physical Security
d. Cyber Physical Securitization
119. India has signed defence
deal w ith which country for
advanced Medium-Range
Surface-to-Air Missile
(MRSAM) systems?
a. Japan b. South Korea
c. Israel d. Russia
120. Sai Kiran P has won the
NASA ‘Moon’ prize for
proposing an elevator from
Earth to the Moon. He belongs
to which Indian State?
a. Tamil Nadu
b. Kerala
c. Andhra Pradesh
d. Telangana
121. Recently between the
navies of which of the
following countries, joint
bilateral naval exercise ‘Varun’
has been started?
a. India and Russia
b. India and America
c. India and Britain
d. India and France
122. Which armed force
recently tested the Brahmos
land attack supersonic cruise
missile successfully?
a. Indian Army
b. Indian Coast Guard
c. Indian Navy
d. Indian Air Force
123. During April 5-18 , 2017,
joint military training exercise
‘Nomadic Elephant- 2017’ is
being organised to increase
military cooperation between
India and which other country?
a. Australia b. Sri Lanka
c. Vietnam d. Mongolia
124. Recently, from which
vessel, Indian Navy
successfully tested the short
range surface to air Barak
missile?
a. INS Godavari
b. INS Kolkata
c. INS Vikramaditya
d. INS Arihant
125. The National Disaster
Management Authority
(NDMA) has conducted its
first-ever mock exercise on
forest fire in which state?
a. Madhya Pradesh
b. Jharkhand
c. Odisha
d. Uttarakhand
126. Which airline will become
the world’s first airline to
adopt new satellite-based
airplane tracking system?
a. Japan Airlines
b. Singapore Airlines
c. Asiana Airlines
d. Malaysia Airlines
127. India has recently signed
pact w ith which country for
defence shipbuilding?
a. Japan b. Australia
c. South Korea d. China
128. Which IIT institute w ill parameters under the Union
start ‘Vastu Shastra’ classes for Ministry of Shipping?
architecture students?
a. IIT-Kharagpur b. IIT-Bombay
c. IIT-Madras d. IIT-Indore
129. India’s first
industrial-articulated robot
‘TAL Brabo’ has been launched a. Alok Kumar
by which Indian company?
a. Tata Motors
b. Maruti Suzuki
c. Mahindra & Mahindra
d. Eicher Motors
130. The Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)
has tied up with which PSU
company to develop low-cost
lithium ion batteries for
electric vehicles?
a. Antrix Corporation
b. Bharat Dynamics
c. Bharat Electronics Limited
d. Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited
131. Which country has
become the world’s largest
importer of Liquefied
Petroleum Gas (LPG),
according to Petroleum
Planning & Analysis cell?
a. China b. India
c. Japan d. Bhutan
132. Which country is the
world’s largest military
spender, as per latest report by
the SIPRI?
a. India b. China
c. The USA d. Russia
133. The 15th edition of 141. Where did the first Asian
Indo-French naval exercise Snooker (women)
‘Varuna’ has started in which championship held?
of the following sea ports? a. Chandigarh b. Lucknow
a. Toulon port c. New Delhi d. Bhopal
b. Port of Quilon
c. Visakhapatnam port 142. Who has won the ACBS
d. Kochi port Asian Snooker Championship
2017?
134. Which State government a. Thor Chuan Leong
has launched ‘Operation Durga’ b. Lyu Haotian
to ensure women safety? c. Mohamed Shehab
a. Punjab d. Pankaj Advani
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Madhya Pradesh 143. In which of the followings
d. Haryana States of India Bharat Kesari
Dangal 2017 was the organised?
135. Which port has topped a. Punjab
the list in the first-ever ranking b. Haryana
of the ports on sanitation c. Rajasthan
d. Uttar Pradesh
a. Haldia Port b. Kandla Port 144. Who won ‘India Open
c. Cochin Port d. Vizag Port Badminton Championship
2017’ title in women's singles
136. Who was the winner of category?
16th Asian Billiards (Men) a. Carolina Marin
Championship 2017? b. Koharu Yonemoto
c. PV Sindhu
b. B. Bhaskar d. Shiho Tanaka
c. Saurabh Kothari
145. Malaysia Open 2017
d. Pankaj Advani
badminton champion in men’s
137. Who amongst the singles category
followings has won the men’s a. Lin Dan
singles title in Singapore Open b. Lee Chong Wei
Super Series, badminton 2017? c. Son Wan Ho
a. Lee Hyun-il d. Wong Wing Ki Vin
b. Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati
c. HK Vittinghus 146. Who has won the 2017
men’s singles title of Monte
d. Kidambi Srikanth
Carlo Masters tennis
138. Which company has been tournament?
named the official Innovation a. Albert Vinolas
Partner for the ICC Champions b. Roger Federer
Trophy 2017? c. Novak Djokovic
a. Reliance b. IBM d. Rafael Nadal
c. Google d. Intel
147. Carolina Marin, who was
139. Who among the following defeated by PV Sindhu in the
became the first cricketer to final of Yonex Sunrise India
score 10000 runs in T20 Open Super Series-2017;
cricket? belongs to
a. Virat Kohli b. McCullum a. Spain b. France
c. Chris Gayle d. AB de Villiers c. Germany d. Italy
140. Who is the coach of 148. Who has won the Formula
Indian Hockey team? One Bahrain Grand Prix 2017?
a. Roelant Oltmans a. Sebastian Vettel
b. Dhanraj Pillai b. Felipe Massa
c. Balbir Singh c. Lewis Hamilton
d. Vikas Dahiya d. Valtteri Bottas

87. (c) 88. (a) 89. (c) 90. (b) 91. (a) 92. (a) 93. (c) 94. (d) 95. (a) 96. (b)
97. (a) 98. (d) 99. (a) 100. (d) 101. (c) 102. (a) 103. (c) 104. (d) 105. (d) 106. (a)
107. (c) 108. (d) 109. (a) 110. (a) 111. (b) 112. (c) 113. (b) 114. (a) 115. (b) 116. (b)
117. (b) 118. (b) 119. (c) 120. (d) 121. (d) 122. (c) 123. (d) 124. (c) 125. (d) 126. (d)
127. (c) 128. (a) 129. (a) 130. (d) 131. (a) 132. (c) 133. (a) 134. (d) 135. (a) 136. (d)
137. (b) 138. (d) 139. (c) 140. (a) 141. (a) 142. (b) 143. (b) 144. (c) 145. (a) 146. (d)
147. (a) 148. (a)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 173

149. Indian women’s team
defeated which team in the
final of Hockey World League
(Round 2)?
a. Pakistan b. Chile
c. Canada d. Belarus
150. Who has won the men’s
singles title of Singapore Open
Badminton tournament 2017?
a. Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati
b. NS Reddy
c. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting
d. Kidambi Srikanth
151. The National Basketball
Association (NBA) recently
announced the setting up of its
first basketball school in which
of the following cities?
a. New Delhi b. Mumbai
c. Kolkata d. Chennai
152. Who represents India in
World Masters Games going to
held at Auckland?
a. Mann Kaur b. Wilma Ramsay
c. Carol Wayne d. Mary Kom
153. Who has won the Asian
Billiards Championship 2017?
a. Pankaj Advani
b. Michael Ferreira
c. Sourav Kothari
d. Subhash Agarwal
154. Which country hosted
the 26th edition of the Sultan
Azlan Shah Cup in 2017?
a. Australia b. New Zealand
c. Malaysia d. Japan
155. Who has won the 2017
Formula-1 Monaco Grand Prix
World Championship?
a. Kimi Raikkonen
b. Sebastian Vettel
c. Valtteri Bottas
d. Daniel Ricciardo
156. Which country has won
the Badminton Sudirman Cup
2017?
a. Hong Kong b. Germany
c. South Korea d. China
157. Alexander Zverev has won 167. Which Indian squah
the men’s singles Rome Masters
tennis tournament 2017. He
hails from which country?
a. Germany b. Romania
c. Ukraine d. France
158. Who is elected as the Asia
‘s International Table Tennis
Federation (ITTF) as a Board of
Director?
a. Dhanraj Choudhary
b. Mukesh Sharma
c. Anil Yadav
d. Kamal Singh
159. Which Indian State to
host 2017 Asian Junior Tennis
Championship?
a. Punjab b. West Bengal
c. Kerala d. Maharashtra
160. Which Indian
sportsperson has elected as
the new member of BWF
Atheletes’ commission?
a. Jwala Gutta
b. Ashwini Ponnappa
c. PV Sindhu
d. Aparna Popat
161. Who won the
International Cricketer of the
Year Award recently?
a. Zaheer Khan
b. Ravichandran Ashwin
c. Anil Kumble
d. Yuvaraj Singh
162. Which country won the
26th Azlan Shah Cup ?
a. India b. Thailand
c. Great Britain d. North Korea
163. Which football team has
won the 38th edition of Indian
Federation Cup Football
tournament 2017?
a. Mohun Bagan
b. Bengaluru FC
c. Churchill Brothers
d. Shillong Lajong
164. The World Table Tennis
Championships (WTTC) 2017
held in which country?
a. Germany b. France
c. Japan d. Singapore
165. Which country has won
the Ice Hockey World
Championship 2017?
a. Canada b. Sweden
c. Russia d. Finland
166. Which of the following is
the official mascot of the 22nd
edition of Asian Athletics
Championships 2017?
a. Bawean Deer b. Misha
c. Olly Turtle d. Flying Squirrel
player has won gold at Asian
Continental Women Blitz Chess
Championship 2017?
a. Padmini Rout
b. Vinita Gujrathi
c. R Vaishali
d. Soumya Swaminathan
168. Which Indian squash
player has won the 2017 Men’s
Makati Open Squash
tournament?
a. Mohd Syafiq Kamal
b. Harinder Pal Sandhu
c. Saurav Ghosal
d. Abhay Singh
169. Who has become the first
Indian driver to win the race in
the GP3 Series?
a. Dinesh Singh
b. Sanjay Sharma
c. Karun Chandhok
d. Arjun Maini
170. Who has become the first
Indian to win gold at the 2017
Asian Wrestling
Championship?
a. Sumit Kumar b. Bajrang Punia
c. Sarita Mann d. Amit Sangwan
171. Who has won the 2017
men’s singles Mutua Madrid
Open tennis tournament?
a. Rafael Nadal
b. Novak Djokovic
c. Andy Murray
d. Dominic Thiem
172. Which team won The
Union of European Football
Associations (UEFA)
Champions League title ?
a. Real Madrid Team
b. Portugal National Team
c. France National Team
d. Italy National Football Team
173. Who has been appointed
as the new CEO of Prasar
Bharati?
a. CK Prasad
b. Shashi Shekhar Vempati
c. Rajeev Singh d. SC Panda
174. Which Indian
organisation has won the 2017
Asia Pacific Quality Network
(APQN) Award?
a. Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India
b. National Assessment and
Accreditation Council
c. Indian Space Research
Organisation
d. Defence Research and
Development Organisation
175. Who is the newly
appointed Executive Director
(ED) of RBI?
a. Chandan Sinha
b. Arvind Mayaram
c. S Ganesh Kumar
d. Rajiv Mehrishi
176. Who will lead the toilet
usage campaign ‘Darwaza Band’
of the Union government?
a. Aamir Khan
b. Mary Kom
c. Geeta Phogat
d. Amitabh Bachchan
177. Who is the newly elected
Chancellor of Jamia Millia
Islamia (JMI)?
a. Talat Ahmad
b. Najma Heptulla
c. Hakim Ajmal Khan
d. Anwar Jamal Kidwai
178. Who has been bestowed
w ith the 2016 Sangeet Natak
Akademi Puraskar?
a. Parassini Kunhiraman
b. Satyabrata Rout
c. Sreedharan Nair
d. Kalamandalam Ramankutty
179. Who resigned the post of
BCCI administration recently ?
a. Rajeev Shukla
b. Amitabh Choudhary
c. Vinod Rai
d. Ramachandra Guha
180. Who is the author of the
book “Confessions of a dying
mind: the blind faith of
atheism”?
a. Albert Dyers
b. David Syiemlieth
c. Kiren Rijiju
d. Haulianlal Guite
181. What is the name of the
book published by the
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju
recently?
a. Confessions of a dying mind:
the blind faith of atheism“
b. The Inheritance of Loss
c. Interpreter of Maladies
d. The Blue Umbrella
182. The book “Mann Ki Baat:
A Social Revolution on Radio”
has been authored by whom?
a. Jitendra Singh
b. Uday Mahurkar
c. Pankaj Kumar
d. Rajesh Jain
183. Anshu Jamsenpa has
become the world’s first woman
to scale Mt. Everest twice
within 5 days. She hails from
which Indian State?
a. Mizoram
b. Manipur
c. Assam
d. Arunachal Pradesh
184. What is the 2017 theme
of International Day for
Biodiversity (IDB)?
a. Convention on Biological
Diversity
b. Biodiversity and Sustainable
Tourism
c. Invasive Alien Species
d. Biodiversity and Agriculture

174 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

185. The International
Museum Day (IMD) is
observed on which date?
a. May 22 b. May 21
c. May 18 d. May 19
186. Anil Madhav Dave, who
passed away recently, was the
Union Minister of which
department?
a. Labour and Employment
b. Petroleum and Natural Gas`
c. Health & Family Welfare
d. Environment, Forest and
Climate Change
187. Who has been appointed
as the new Prime Minister of
France?
a. Edouard Philippe
b. Bernard Cazeneuve
c. Manuel Valls d. Michel Debre
188. The International
Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is
observed on which date?
a. May 3 b. May 4
c. May 5 d. May 6
193. Who is the director of the
film ‘Poorna’, which is based
on a true story of Poorna
Malavath, the youngest girl to
climb Mount Everest in May
2014?
a. Rahul Bose b. Guru Dutt
c. Ritwik Ghatak d. Bimal Roy
194. The singer who was
awarded the Nobel Literature
prize in October but failed to
travel to pick up the award and
finally accept his prize, is
a. Bruno Mars b. Justin Bieber
c. Bob Dylan d. Katy Perry
195. Union Minister of Railways
Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu
released the book titled “Indian
Railway. The Weaving of a
National Tapestry” jointly
authored by Sanjay Chadha,
Vidya Krishnamurthi and
a. Bibek Debroy
b. Andy Marino
c. Rakesh Mohan
d. Sreedharan
200. Which historical
anniversary was recently
celebrated by the American
state of Alaska by the then
Russian empire?
a. 75th b. 100th
c. 125th d. 150th
201. Which system of firing is
used by the US developed
electromagnetic rail gun?
a. Purse firing b. Pulse firing
c. Shell firing d. Rapid firing
209. What was the theme of
202. Which INS fired the Barak the 23rd Conference of
missile on March 22, 2017?
a. INS-Vikramaditya
b. INS-Shardul
c. INS-Kaveri
d. None of the above
203. Which regulator for
modern medicine is National
Medical Commission set
to replace?
a. Medical Council of India
b. Central Council of Indian
Medicine
a. Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB
Spectroscopic Terahertz
Observatory
b. Galactic/Extragalactic UNDB
Spectroscopic Terahertz
Observatory
c. Galactic/Extragalactic UMDB
Spectroscopic Terahertz
Observatory
d. Galactic/Extragalactic UCDB
Spectroscopic Terahertz
Observatory
Auditors General of
Commonwealth Countries and
British Overseas Territories?
a. Fostering Partnerships for
Capacity Development
b. Fostering Partnerships for
Capacity Development in
Public Audit
c. Fostering Partnerships for
Capacity Development in
Private Audit
d. None of the above

189. Who has been appointed 196. Bollywood star hononred c. Central Council of Ayurveda
210. Where was the 5th
at the 60th San Francisco d. Central Council of Unani
the new chairman of the Indian edition of the Rashtriya
International Film Festival Medicine Sanskriti Mahotsav 2017 held?
Council of Social Science
(SFILM) on April 14 is a. Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
Research (ICSSR)?
a. Amitabh Bachchan 204. India has became the
a. Ashok Modak third largest aviation market b. Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh)
b. Braj Bihari Kumar b. Hrithik Roshan c. Dimapur (Nagaland)
c. Aamir Khan beating which country?
c. Jitendra Mohan a. The USA b. China d. Dispur (Assam)
d. Shah Rukh Khan
d. SK Thorat c. Japan d. The UK
211. Where was the third
197. Surabhi Lakshmi has
190. In India, the National been honoured w ith the Best 205. How many chromosomes edition of the International
Anti-Child Labour Day is do people w ith Down’s Conference on Alternate Fuels
Actress award at 64th National
observed on Syndrome have? and Raw Materials in the
Film Awards for the Film
a. April 24 b. April 26 a. 45 b. 46 c. 47 d. 48 Cement Industry held?
a. Dangal b. Dashkriya
c. April 28 d. April 30 a. New Delhi b. New Bombay
c. Minnaminungu d. Rustom
206. Who organised the World c. Kolkata d. Chennai
191. Who was recently 198. Kishori Amonkar, the Conference on Environment on
announced to be awarded the renowned Hindustani classical March 25, 2017? 212. Who has won the Kuldip
Dadasaheb Phalke Award of vocalist, has passed away. She a. NGT b. MoEF Nayar journalism prize on
the year 2016? hailed from c. WWF d. PETA March 26, 2017?
a. Salim Khan b. Nitin Mukesh a. Maharashtra b. Tamil Nadu a. Ravish Kumar
c. Prem Chopra c. Kerala 207. Who is Hong Kong’s first b. Barkha Dutt
d. K. Vishwanath d. Andhra Pradesh female Chief executive w.e.f. c. Rajdeep Sardesai
March 26, 2017? d. Prannoy Roy
192. Which novel by 199. What is the theme of a. Park Gyuen Hye
Aniruddhan Vasudevan has International Mine Awareness b. Caroline Lam 213. The CCEA approved
been chosen for the translation Day (IMAD) 2017? c. Carrie Lam North-East Road Network
prize in English 2016 by a. Mine Action & Women d. None of the above Connectivity Project covers
Sahitya Akademi? Dominance which States?
a. Women In India b. Needs driven. People Centred 208. NASA will launch a a. Meghalaya and Mizoram
b. Plight of Women c. Mine Action is Humanitarian balloon-based observatory b. Mizoram and Manipur
c. One Part Woman Action called GUSTO, which c. Manipur and Meghalaya
d. Journey of a Woman d. More than Mines stands for? d. Meghalaya and Assam

149. (b) 150. (a) 151. (b) 152. (a) 153. (a) 154. (b) 155. (b) 156. (c) 157. (a) 158. (a)
159. (d) 160. (c) 161. (b) 162. (c) 163. (b) 164. (a) 165. (b) 166. (c) 167. (c) 168. (b)
169. (d) 170. (b) 171. (a) 172. (a) 173. (b) 174. (b) 175. (c) 176. (d) 177. (b) 178. (b)
179. (d) 180. (d) 181. (a) 182. (d) 183. (d) 184. (b) 185. (c) 186. (d) 187. (a) 188. (b)
189. (b) 190. (d) 191. (d) 192. (c) 193. (a) 194. (c) 195. (a) 196. (d) 197. (b) 198. (a)
199. (b) 200. (d) 201. (b) 202. (a) 203. (a) 204. (c) 205. (c) 206. (a) 207. (c) 208. (a)
209. (b) 210. (a) 211. (a) 212. (a) 213. (a)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 175

214. Who has been awarded
the Ellis Island Medal of
Honour 2017?
a. Indra Nooyi
b. Farid Zakaria
c. Yashvant Patel
d. All of the above
215. What does the anti-EU
British UKIP party stand for?
a. United Kingdom
Independence Party
b. United Kingdom Initiative Party
c. United Kingdom Initiative
Policy
d. None of the above
216. Where is the National
War Memorial being set-up?
a. New Delhi b. Kochi
c. Mumbai d. Kolkata
217. Which of the following is
the apex policy making body
for indirect taxes?
a. CBEC b. CBAC
c. CBUC d. CBIC
218. What is this year’s theme
of World TB day on March 24,
2017?
a. Unite to End TB
b. Meet to End TB
c. Join to End TB
d. Work to End TB
219. Which well known
photojournalist was honoured
w ith Lifetime Achievement
Award by I&B Ministry?
a. Raghu Rai
b. Altaf Qadri
c. Rajan Devadas
d. Dilip Mehta
220. Who has been awarded
the Abel Prize 2017 by
Norwegian Academy of
Science and Letters?
a. John Nash b. Yves Meyer
c. Andrew Wiles d. Jacob Sinai
221. Which of the following
are provisions of the Finance
Bill 2017?
a. Aadhaar card mandatory for
filing income tax returns.
b. Aadhaar card to be made
compulsory for applying for
PAN.
c. Cash transaction limit to be ` 2
lakh.
d. All of the above
222. Who has been sworn-in as 231. World Bank Group
the Kerala CJI?
a. Justice Navanithi Prasad Singh
b. Justice Bobde
c. Justice CP Thakur
d. None of the above
176
223. Which Bill aims at equal
rights while seeking treatment,
education and job by HIV
positive people?
a. HIV and AIDS (Prevention and
Control) Bill 2014
b. HIV Prevention and Control Bill
2014
c. AIDS Prevention and Control
Bill 2014
d. None of the above
224. Which of the Rockerfeller
family served in the US army?
a. David Rockerfeller
b. John D. Rockerfeller III
c. Laurence Rockerfeller
d. None of the above
225. Which river became the
first in the world to get same
legal rights as a human being?
a. River Amazonb. River Ganges
c. River Whanganui
d. River Nile
226. With which country did
India hold a military industrial
conference?
a. Russia b. The USA
c. The UK d. Germany
227. The Union Ministry for
textiles has announced a solar
energy scheme for which units
from April 1, 2017?
a. Solar Energy Scheme for
Small Powerloom Units
b. Solar Energy Scheme for
Medium Powerloom Units
c. Solar Energy for Large
Powerloom Units
d. None of the above
228. Which province has its
own law to regulate the
marriage of Hindus
in Pakistan?
a. Khyber Pakhtunwala
b. Sindh
c. Peshawar
d. None of the above
229. Agricultural growth has
risen to what value in 2017?
a. 3% b. 4% c. 5% d. 6%
230. India and which country
has signed a long term
agreement for Sukhoi Su-30
MKI combat aircraft fleet?
a. Russia b. Siberia
c. Tanzania d. None of these
approved $ 210 million loan for
strengthening gram
panchayats in which State?
a. West Bengal b. Bihar
c. Jharkhand d. None of these
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
232. Who has been named as
the new Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister on March 18, 2017?
a. Yogi Adityanath
b. Sakshi Maharaj
c. Keshav Prasad Maurya
d. Manoj Sinha
233. What was the theme of
13th Economic Cooperation
Organisation Summit held
in Islamabad?
a. Listening to Regional Voices
b. Connectivity for Regional
Prosperity
c. Connectivity for Regional
Profitability
d. None of the above
234. Which city in South India
has achieved 100% waste
segregation?
a. Tirunelveli b. Trivandrum
c. Tuticorin d. None of these
235. Which is the world’s
oldest aircraft carrier in
active service?
a. INS-Shardul
b. INS-Kaveri
c. INS-Viraat
d. INS-Vikrant
236. IT major Symantec
released an automated solution
to counter which cloud bug?
a. Cloudburst b. Cloudbleed
c. Cloudbust d. None of these
237. Amrita University TBI and
CCSN have set-up India’s first
startup hub for?
a. Cybersecurity
b. Online operations
c. e-Commerce
d. Mobile banking
238. What is Udan?
a. Civil aviation/Regional
connectivity scheme
b. Defence procurement scheme
c. IAF scheme
d. None of the above
248. The Ministry of Railways
239. Which playback singer set signed a letter of intent with
a new world record playing
most songs on the
Gayathri Veena?
a. Vaikom Vijaylakshmi
b. Kavita Krishnamurthy
c. Sunidhi Chauhan
d. Alka Yagnik
240. Where is Bhagoria
festival held?
a. Jhabua
b. Dhar
c. Chambal
d. Both (a) and (b)
241. The scientists have
developed a new brain
computer interface to read
people’s thoughts and correct
robotic errors relying on?
a. Error related potentials
b. Brain signals that occur
automatically
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
242. Which country has the
highest bribery rate in the Asia
Pacific region?
a. Japan b. China
c. Pakistan d. India
243. Which country is
developing stealth military
drones to evade anti-aircraft
weapons?
a. China b. Japan
c. North Korea d. None of these
244. ICC has appointed whom
as the official ambassador of
the Women’s Cricket World
Cup 2017?
a. Sachin Tendulkar
b. Anil Kumble
c. Sunil Gavaskar
d. Rahul Dravid
245. Which bank has signed a
loan agreement with EESL for
energy efficiency in India?
a. World Development Bank
b. Asian Development Bank
c. German Development Bank
d. Japan Development Bank
246. Which country barred
Turkey’s Foreign Minister?
a. The Netherlands
b. Denmark
c. Finland d. Hungary
247. Eminent Konkani writer
Mahabaleshwar Sail has been
honoured for which work?
a. Hawthan
b. Pelthadcho Manis
c. Kali Ganga d. None of these
the UNEP programme for?
a. Environmental cooperation
b. Joint cooperation mechanism
in the field of environment and
sustainability
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
249. Indian researchers have
found mole- cular evidence of
the presence of which species
more than 25000 years ago?
a. Ostrich b. Eagle
c. Kite d. Peacock
250. Punjab Agricultural
University has developed the
country’s first GM variety of
cotton namely?
a. PAU Bt 1 b. F1861
c. Both of these d. None of these
251. Who won the Best Male
Actor award at the Zee Cine
Awards 2017?
a. Amitabh Bachchan
b. Aamir Khan
c. Salman Khan
d. Rishi Kapoor
252. ‘World Kidney Day 2017’
was observed w ith the theme
a. Kidney Disease and Obesity :
Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy
Kidneys
b. Chronic Kidney Disease and
Aging
c. Kidney Health for All
d. Kidney Disease and Children.
Act Early to Prevent It!
253. Senior officials from
Bhutan and which Indian State
w ill work on the
happiness model?
a. Madhya Pradesh
b. Chhattisgarh
c. Jharkhand
d. Bihar
254. Who has been appointed
as the Chief Minister of Goa
following 2017 State elections?
a. Manohar Parrikar
b. Laxmikant Parsekar
c. Sudin Dhavalikar
d. None of the above
255. Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley has been appointed as
the Defence Minister in Modi
government for
a. fourth time b. third time
c. second time d. fifth time
256. Who has been appointed
as the Group Chairman
of HSBC?
a. Mark Tucker b. Simon Tucket
c. Stuart Gulliver
d. None of these
257. The US chipmaker Intel is 265. Commonwealth Day 2017
to buy which Israeli firm?
a. Mobileye b. Mobilquick
c. Mobilex d. None of these
258. What is Mission
Fingerling for?
a. Holistic development and
management of fisheries
b. Initiating Blue Revolution
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
259. TATA Sons has appointed
whom to join its holding
company?
a. Ankur Verma b. Ankur Mehta
c. Ankur Sharma
d. None of the above
260. LS passed the Enemy
Property (Amendment and
Validation) Bill 2016 for
a. denial of inheritance rights for
heirs whose ancestors left
India for Pakistan
b. denial of inheritance rights for
heirs whose ancestors left
India for China
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
261. Narendra Kumar was
appointed as the new
Chairman of
a. CWC b. BMC
c. NDMC d. MCD
262. AIADMK announced
which first of a kind women
safety app in Tamil Nadu?
a. Ammavin Jagran
b. Ammavin Aran
c. Ammavin Sharan
d. None of the above
263. Where was the first
fluorescent frog in the
world discovered?
a. Santa Monicab. Santa Ana
c. Santa Barbara
d. Santa Fe
264. Pakistan has suspended
which cricketers in a spot
fixing case?
a. Mohammad Irfan
b. Shazaib Hassan
c. Zulfiqar Babar
d. All of the above
was celebrated on which date?
a. March 12 b. March 14
c. March 13 d. March 15
266. NTPC has installed 274. The SEBI has allowed
India’s largest floating solar celebs to endorse
photo voltaic plant at which products?
a. Kayamkulam (Kerala) a. Stocks and shares
b. Medak Andhra (Pradesh) b. Mutual funds
c. Thrissur (Kerala) c. Dividends
d. Salem (Tamil Nadu) d. Insurance
267. Joanna Rowsell Shand is 275. Who has been sworn-in as
an Olympic winner associated the 26th Chief Minister
w ith which sports? of Punjab?
a. Cycling a. G. Badal
b. Swimming b. Capt. Amarinder Singh
c. Weightlifting c. Navjot Singh Sidhu
d. Discus throw d. None of the above
268. MoU in shipping was 276. FTII and Canon signed an
approved by the Union Cabinet MoU to promote
on March 15, 2017 with a. film education
a. Bangladesh b. Pakistan b. film funding
c. Nepal d. Sri Lanka c. film production
d. None of the above
269. Who has been sworn in as
Manipur Chief Minister? 277. What does TIES stand for?
a. Trade Infrastructure for Export
a. Okram Ibobi Singh
b. Biren Singh Scheme
c. Yumnan Joykumar Singh b. Trade Investment for Export
d. None of the above Scheme
c. Trade India for Export Scheme
270. Who has been appointed d. None of the above
as the administrator for
medicare and medicaid 278. The Union Cabinet on
March 15, 2017 approved MoU
services in the USA?
a. Seema Verma for border haats with
b. Nikki Haley which country?
a. Bangladesh b. Burma
c. Sunita Williams
c. Bhutan d. Borneo
d. Priti Patel
271. Pakistan is planning to 279. Which singer turned
Union Minister has been
declare which region as its
appointed as the
5th province?
Vice-President of U-17 FIFA
a. Khyber Pakhtunwala World Cup committee?
b. Gilgit Baltistan a. Babul Supriyo
c. Northern Area b. Hema Malini
d. Both (b) and (c) c. Lata Mangeshkar
272. Which Asian vendor d. None of the above
become the first platinum 280. Royal assent has been
member of OpenStack given to Brexit Bill to trigger
Foundation? which Article of the EU
a. Xiaomi b. Honor Lisbon Treaty?
c. Huawei d. Baidu a. Article-50 b. Article-51
c. Article-52 d. Article-53
273. Clean Ganga mission saw
20 more projects launched in 281. The students of MIT-Pune
which States? and IBM have developed which
a. Uttarakhand robot to assist senior citizens
b. Uttar Pradesh in everyday tasks?
c. Bihar a. Chintu b. Mintu
d. All of the above c. Chintan d. None of these

214. (d) 215. (a) 216. (a) 217. (d) 218. (a) 219. (a) 220. (b) 221. (d) 222. (a) 223. (a)
224. (a) 225. (c) 226. (a) 227. (a) 228. (b) 229. (b) 230. (a) 231. (a) 232. (a) 233. (b)
234. (a) 235. (c) 236. (b) 237. (a) 238. (a) 239. (a) 240. (d) 241. (c) 242. (d) 243. (a)
244. (a) 245. (c) 246. (a) 247. (a) 248. (c) 249. (a) 250. (c) 251. (a) 252. (a) 253. (a)
254. (a) 255. (c) 256. (a) 257. (a) 258. (c) 259. (a) 260. (c) 261. (a) 262. (b) 263. (d)
264. (d) 265. (c) 266. (a) 267. (a) 268. (a) 269. (b) 270. (a) 271. (d) 272. (c) 273. (d)
274. (b) 275. (b) 276. (a) 277. (a) 278. (a) 279. (a) 280. (a) 281. (a)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 177

282. What will be the impact
of World Bank approving $ 175
for India’s Hydrology Project?
a. Strengthening the capacity of
existing institutions to assess
the water situation
b. Equipping them with real time
flood forecast systems across
the nation
c. Helping new states to better
manage water flows from
reservoirs
d. All of the above
291. Modi government has
283. The Union Cabinet on initiated which prison reform?
March 15, 2017 approved the
National Health Policy for
a. increasing public healthcare
expenditure to 2.5% of GDP
b. allocation of more than
two-thirds of the resources
towards primary healthcare
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
284. Where is Asia’s first
greenfield training facility
being set-up?
a. Pakistan b. India
c. Sri Lanka d. Bangladesh
285. Parliamentary panel has
suggested merger of which
two PSU firms for their long
term survival?
a. MNTL, SAIL b. BSNL, SAIL
c. MTNL, BSNL d. None of these
286. BJP has picked Trivendra
Singh Rawat as the new Chief
Minister of
a. Manipur b. Goa
c. Uttar Pradesh d. Uttarakhand
287. Bandhan Bank has signed
an agreement with which
payment solutions provider to
offer seamless access to PoS?
a. Avenues India Private Limited
b. Paytm c. BillDesk
d. DirecPay
288. Who has became the
Chairperson of the National
Commission for Safai
Karamcharis?
a. Manhar Valji b. Manju Diler
c. Dalip Kallu Hathibed
d. None of these
289. The Union Cabinet has
approved an MoU between
LBSNAA and
a. Namibia Institute of Public
Administration and
Management
b. Namibia Institute of
Management and Public
Administration
178
c. Namibia Institute of
Management
d. Namibia Institute of Public
Administration
290. NITI Aayog w ill start a
process to make States
prepare WMI. What does WMI
stand for?
a. Water Management Index
b. Water Maximum Index
c. Water Mineral Index
d. None of the above
a. Migrating to e-prisons, a
software to integrate prison
data across the nation
b. Attempt at long pending
prison reforms
c. Release of under trials booked
for petty crimes
d. All of the above
292. Which Coal Ministry
outfit has been tasked with
grading and notifying Coal
India Limited mines?
a. Coal Controller’s Organisation
b. Coal Controller’s Association
c. Coal Controller’s Agency
d. None of the above
293. North Korea has
conducted a new test of a high
thrust rocket engine at
which site?
a. Sohae b. Kaesong
c. Hamhung d. Pyongyang
294. The RBI w ill create
polymer-based currency notes
of which denomination?
a. ` 5 b. ` 10
c. ` 20 d. ` 25
295. India and which country
has signed a long term
agreement for Sukhoi Su-30
MKI combat aircraft fleet?
a. Russia
b. Siberia
c. Tanzania
d. None of the above
296. World Bank Group
approved $ 210 million loan for
strengthening gram
panchayats in which State?
a. West Bengal b. Bihar
c. Jharkhand d. None of these
297. The scientists have
discovered a new w ireless
internet based on
a. Harmless infrared rays
b. X-rays
c. UV rays
d. Gamma rays
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
298. Which University
Institute has entered into an
agreement w ith
Indian Railways?
a. Monash b. Macquerie
c. Canberra d. Adelaide
299. The Union Ministry for
textiles has announced a solar
energy scheme for which units
from April 1, 2017?
a. Solar Energy Scheme for
Small Powerloom Units
b. Solar Energy Scheme for
Medium Powerloom Units
c. Solar Energy for Large
Powerloom Units
d. None of the above
300. ICAR and ICRISAT signed
an agreement for
a. crop improvement
b. transfer of agricultural
technologies between two
institutes
c. development of climate smart
crops, smart food
d. All of the above
301. Which former Union
Minister passed away in
Hyderabad and was Governor
of Sikkim and Kerala?
a. P. Shiva Shankar
b. D. Shiva Shankar
c. T. Shiva Shankar
d. None of the above
302. Neil Fingleton was known
for playing which giant in GoT?
a. Mag the Mighty
b. Kag the Mighty
c. Hag the Mighty
d. None of the above
303. Chandra Shekhar Azad’s
martyrdom day was celebrated
on
a. February 25 b. February 26
c. February 27 d. February 28
304. FORPHEUS is the world’s
first ……… tutor.
a. academic b. cricket
c. tennis d. table tennis
305. AIADMK General
Secretary VK Sasikala has
been appointed as
a. Legislature party leader
b. Tamil Nadu Cheif Minister
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
306. Who has been appointed
as new CEO and MD of NSE?
a. Vikram Limaye
b. Chitra Ramkrishna
c. Raghuram Rajan
d. Arvind Panagariya
307. Who has been appointed
principal economic adviser,
finance ministry on February 3,
2017?
a. Sanjeev Sanyal
b. Brijesh Mishra
c. Joginder Singh
d. None of the above
308. Which royal monarch
released a new digital green
app for Indian farmers?
a. Queen Elizabeth
b. Queen Victoria
c. Prince Charles
d. Prince William
309. Which gardens did the
Udaynotsav of Rahstrapati
Bhavan open to the public?
a. Mughal Garden
b. Spiritual Garden
c. Bonsai Garden
d. All of the above
310. GTU has set-up a Centre
of Excellence in
a. automation technologies
b. software technologies
c. innovator technologies
d. None of the above
311. China has tested which
missile with 10 nuclear
warheads?
a. DF-6C b. DF-7C
c. DF-8C d. None of these
312. Which company will start
making smartphones in India
from 2017?
a. Apple b. Honor
c. Redmi d. Nokia
313. A US Court ordered
against which policy of Trump
government?
a. Visa ban on 7 Muslim States
b. Wall in Mexico
c. H1B visa restrictions
d. All of the above
314. Which former CAG officer
has been appointed as a whole
time IBBI member?
a. Vinod Rai b. Suman Saxena
c. Navrang Saini d. None of these
315. Who has been appointed
as chairman and CEO of
KPMG India?
a. Arun Kumar b. Richard Rekhy
c. Rajat Gupta d. None of these
316. Which English cricket
player received the CBE in
February, 2017?
a. Alastair Cook b. Joe Root
c. Ben Stokes
d. None of the above
317. Which American startup
is acquiring Google’s Terra
Bella satellite business?
a. American Planet
b. Animal Planet
c. Planet Labs
d. None of the above
318. Which top Indian
diplomat has been appointed to
the top UN oversight body?
a. Vikram Swarup
b. Achamkulangare Gopinathan
c. Sujata Singh
d. None of the above
319. Which new vaccine
campaign was added to the
government’s Universal
Immunisation Programme?
a. Measles rubella
b. German measles
c. Chicken pox
d. Small pox
320. An MoU was signed for
implementing Tourism projects
in which State on February 6,
2017?
a. Jammu-Kashmir
b. Himachal Pradesh
c. Uttar Pradesh
d. Uttarakhand
321. Which North-East State
w ill submit memo to exempt it
from Part IXA of
the Constitution?
a. Assam b. Nagaland
c. Mizoram d. Manipur
322. Where is India’s first
social innovation
centre located?
a. Nizamabad b. Nellore
c. Guntur d. Medak
323. Israeli Parliament has
legalised dozens of Jewish
outposts in which area?
a. West Bank b. Gaza Strip
c. Jerusalem d. None of these
324. Which eminent literary
figure received the Kendriya
Sahitya Akademi award in
2010 for his autobiography?
a. Pathani Patnaik
b. Sudarshan Patnaik
c. Asim Basu
d. None of the above
325. What is Samudra Pavak?
a. Pollution Control vessel series
of ICG
b. Nuclear testing vessel series
of ICG
c. EEZ surveillance vessel
d. Both (a) and (c)
326. India w ill host the
implementation and assessment
meeting of GICNT standing for?
a. Global Initiative to Combat
New Terrorism
b. Global Initiative to Combat
Nuclear Terrorism
c. Global Initiative to Combat
Nuclear Terror
d. Global Initiative to Counter
Nuclear Terrorism
327. Which Indian UT got
approval for its first
railway line?
a. Daman and Diu
b. Lakshadweep
c. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
d. None of the above
328. Which medicinal plant
endemic to Western Ghats and
Sri Lanka can cure cancer,
wounds and burns?
a. Neurocalyx calycinus
b. Neurocalyx dalycinus
c. Neurocalyx talycinus
d. Neurocalyx kalycinus
329. Which sitting High Court
Judge for the first time, has
been issued contempt
of Court?
a. CS Karnan
b. Dipak Misra
c. J. Chelameswar
d. Ranjan Gogoi
330. Who has been appointed
as the US Education Secretary
in a historic vote?
a. Nancy Pelosi
b. Nikki Haley
c. Susan Collins
d. None of the above
331. Which words made it to
the Merriam Webster
Dictionary for the first time?
a. Face Palm
b. FLOTUS
c. Net Neutrality
d. All of the above
332. Which new novel is to be
released by Salman Rushdie?
a. The Satanic Verses
b. Midnight’s Children
c. The Golden House
d. None of the above
333. The ISRO has realised the
indigenous development of
TTCP, which stands for
a. Telemetry and Telecom
Processor
b. Telecom and Telemetry
Processor
c. Telecommand and Telemetry
Processor
d. None of the above
334. The MIT researchers
have developed a small battery
running on
a. stomach acids b. stomach bile
c. gastric juice
d. None of the above
335. The Parliament passed
the Payment of Wages
(Amendment) Bill 2017 for
a. Payment of wages via cheque
b. Payment of wages through
cash transfer
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
336. What does the new IIM
Bill 2017 offer?
a. IIMs can set-up campuses
abroad
b. IIMs will have statutory powers
c. IIMs will grant degrees
d. All of the above
337. India will host the NSA
meeting of which grouping?
a. BIMSTEC b. SAARC
c. OPEC d. None of these
338. Britain’s House of
Commons approved the Bill to
start exit talks with
a. EU b. Ireland
c. Wales d. Scotland
339. Who was social reformer
Gora’s younger sister that
joined the Quit
India movement?
a. Racharla Samrajyam
b. Rachana Samrajyam
c. Rasana Samrajyam
d. None of the above
340. Who has been appointed
as Director on the RBI central
board?
a. Ashok Gulati
b. Rajiv Kumar
c. Manish Sabharwal
d. All of the above
341. Who is the third woman
of Indian origin to fly on a
NASA spacecraft?
a. Sunita Williams
b. Kalpana Chawla
c. Shawna Pandya
d. None of the above
342. Who has been appointed
the new SEBI Chief w.e.f.
March 1, 2017?
a. UK Sinha
b. Ajay Tyagi
c. Brijesh Mishra
d. None of the above
343. On February 11, 2017,
India tested the BMD related
missile which stands for
a. Ballistic Missile Defence
b. Ballistic Missile Interceptor
Defence
c. Ballistic Missile Detector
d. None of the above
344. Who has been elected the
new President of Germany?
a. Martin Schulz
b. Joachim Gauck
c. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
d. None of the above
345. A new species of birds in
Nepal discovered in February,
2017 is called
a. Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush
b. Rufous-tailed Rock Swallow
c. Rufous-tailed Rock Sparrow
d. Rufous-tailed Rock Pigeon
346. Which digital payment
platform has been launched on
iOS platform for fast
secure transactions?
a. BHIM b. AEPS
c. IMPS d. USSD
347. Horse antibodies could
treat which disease?
a. Ebola
b. MERS
c. Avian flu
d. None of the above

282. (d) 283. (c) 284. (b) 285. (c) 286. (d) 287. (a) 288. (a) 289. (a) 290. (a) 291. (d)
292. (a) 293. (a) 294. (b) 295. (a) 296. (a) 297. (a) 298. (a) 299. (a) 300. (d) 301. (a)
302. (a) 303. (c) 304. (d) 305. (a) 306. (a) 307. (a) 308. (c) 309. (d) 310. (a) 311. (d)
312. (a) 313. (a) 314. (b) 315. (a) 316. (a) 317. (c) 318. (b) 319. (a) 320. (a) 321. (b)
322. (a) 323. (a) 324. (a) 325. (d) 326. (b) 327. (c) 328. (a) 329. (a) 330. (d) 331. (d)
332. (c) 333. (d) 334. (a) 335. (c) 336. (d) 337. (a) 338. (a) 339. (a) 340. (d) 341. (c)
342. (b) 343. (a) 344. (c) 345. (a) 346. (a) 347. (a)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 179

348. Single entrance exam for
engineering from 2018 will be
modelled on
a. GATE
b. NEET
c. UGC NET
d. None of the above
349. Which car brand was sold a. final regulations on food
to Peugeot?
a. Datsun b. Maruti
c. Ambassador d. Fiat
350. UNESCO World Heritage
status was given to which site
in Himachal Pradesh?
a. Great Himalayan National Park
b. Kaziranga National Park
c. Manas National Park
d. None of the above
351. Which MRI pioneer was a
British Nobel prize winner?
a. Sir Peter Mansfield
b. Sir Peter Chesterfield
c. Sir Peter Kensfield
d. None of the above
352. The ISRO w ill launch
India’s second mission to
Moon called
a. Chandrayaan-2
b. Chandrayaan-3
c. Chandrayaan-4
d. None of the above
353. What is the theme of
‘Hunar Haat’ this year?
a. Crafts Aur Cuisine Ka Sangam
b. Art Aur Crafts Ka Sangam
c. Art Aur Cuisine Ka Sangam
d. None of the above
354. What was the theme of
the India Pharma and Medical
Device International
Conference?
a. For Responsible Healthcare
b. For Affordable Healthcare
c. For Advanced Healthcare
d. None of the above
355. Which famous sand artist
created the world’s tallest
sand castle?
a. Ted Siebert
b. Sudarsan Pattnaik
c. Naveen Pattnaik
d. Sudarshan Das
356. Why do pitcher plants
turn carnivorous?
a. They need nutrients
b. They live in nutrient poor
habitats
c. Their habitat does not provide
enough nitrogen and
phosphorous for growth
d. All of the above
180
357. Which Indian origin actor
won the BAFTA for best actor
in supporting role?
a. Frieda Pinto b. Dev Patel
c. Saaed Jaffreyd. None of these
358. FSSAI has set-up a
scientific panel on
fortification
b. preparing strategies to
address malnutrition
c. boosting production and
consumption of fortified foods
d. All of the above
359. Where has the world’s
first scuba restaurant ‘The
Pearl’ opened?
a. Brussels b. Copenhagen
c. Paris d. Milan
360. Which famous singer(s)
won 5 Grammies in 2017?
a. Adele b. David Bowie
c. Both (a) and (b)
d. Beyonce
361. China is launching its
first cargo resupply
spacecraft called
a. Tanzhou-1 b. Tianzhou-1
c. Dianzhou-1 d. None of these a. Kolkata
362. Which engineering major
has entered into a JV with
MBDA for joint
missile development?
a. L&T b. Honeywell
c. TASL d. None of these a. HC Hong b. Oh-Hyun Kwon Asian Cup for women for
363. What does AISEF stand
for, in context of spice farming? 373. Which NASA mission is
a. All India Spices Exporters
Forum
b. All India Spices Education
Forum
c. All India Spices Employment
Forum
d. None of the above
364. Which is the latest private a. Hindu Marriage Bill 2017
airline to go operational from
February, 2017, and has
joined RCS?
a. Zoom Air b. Vistara Airlines
c. Zexus Air d. Both (a) and (c)
365. Which country has the
highest premature deaths due
to ozone pollution?
a. India b. Bangladesh
c. Pakistan d. None of these
366. Which veteran AP
photographer won the World
Press award 2017?
a. Nick Ut b. Rodrigo Abd
c. Burhan Ozbilici
d. None of these
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
367. What does NPPA stand for,
in the context of healthcare?
a. National Pricing
Pharmaceutical Authority
b. National Pharmaceutical
Pricing Authority
c. National Pharmaceutical
Pricing Association
d. National Pricing
Pharmaceutical Association
368. Which of the following
became the first cashless
township in India?
a. GNFC b. GIFT-TECH
c. Both of these d. None of these
369. Who is the new ICAI
President for 2017-18?
a. Nilesh Vikamsey
b. Nilesh Mehta
c. Nilesh Singh d. None of these b. Lower House
370. Who has won the 2016 d. Both (a) and (b)
Vyas Samman?
a. Surendra Verma
b. Surendra Singh
c. Surendra Mehta
d. Surendra Arora
371. Where was the first
Indian Seed Congress held?
b. Mumbai
c. Delhi d. Chennai
372. Who is the Samsung
executive who was arrested in
South Korea’s
corruption scandal?
c. Jay Y. Lee d. None of these
studying Ceres?
a. Cassini b. Juno
c. Chandrayaan d. Dawn
374. Pakistan’s senate passed b. Economist Meghand Desai
which landmark Bill, the first
personal law for Hindus in
the country?
b. Hindu Succession Bill 2017
c. Hindu Marriage and
Succession Bill 2017
d. None of the above
375. Australia’s CSIRO has
made graphene using
a. soybean b. soybean oil the famous novel Raja Gidh?
c. soybean concentrate
d. None of the above
376. Which CBI Chief headed
the agency when Deve Gowda
was Prime Minister?
a. Joginder Singh
b. Manvinder Singh
c. Tejinder Singh
d. None of the above
377. NASA has spotted
farthest galaxies powered by
a. black holes
b. white dwarf stars
c. brown dwarf stars
d. None of the above
378. The RTI Act has came
into force in which of the
following countries?
a. India
b. Pakistan
c. Sri Lanka
d. Both (a) and (b)
379. British Prime Minister
Theresa May receives UK
Parliament approval to
commence Brexit process after
w inning a vote in
a. House of Commons
c. House of Lords
380. Who is the interim Prasar
Bharati CEO?
a. Rajeev Singh
b. Rajiv Singh
c. Ramesh Singh
d. None of the above
381. India’s first CoE for
differently abled sportsmen
was launched where?
a. Baroda b. Surat
c. Jamnagar d. Gandhinagar
382. India will host the FIBA
which year?
a. 2017 b. 2018 c. 2019 d. 2020
383. Which Indian origin
British personality won the
Genesis Prize or Jewish Nobel?
a. Lord Swraj Paul
c. Sculptor Anish Kapoor
d. None of the above
384. How many businesses
were affected by adware in
2016, according to the CISCO
Annual Report?
a. 75% b. 78% c. 80% d. 85%
385. Which renowned
Pakistani Urdu novelist wrote
a. Bano Aliyah b. Bano Ali
c. Bano Qudsia d. None of these
386. Who is the first Dubai
ruling family member’s woman
commercial pilot?
a. Shaikha Mozah Al Maktoum
b. Shaikha Latifa Al Maktoum
c. Shaikha Ali Al Maktoum
d. None of the above
387. Recently, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has raised
the ceiling of gold loans given
by Regional Rural Banks
(RRB) to
a. 1 lakh b. 2 lakh
c. 2.50 lakh d. 3 lakh
388. Which State government
has launched ‘RAHAT’ project
for treatment of heart disease
in remote and rural areas?
a. Rajasthan
b. Madhya Pradesh
c. Chhattisgarh
d. Odisha
389. Which Indian
sportsperson will represent
IOC’s Athletes’ Commission in
the Badminton World
Federation (BWF)?
a. Saina Nehwal
b. PV Sindhu
c. Pullela Gopichand
d. Prakash Padukone
390. What was the theme of
the International ‘Mother
Language Day’?
a. Promoting your Mother
Language
b. Promoting English as medium
of conversation
c. Learning through Mother
Language
d. Towards Sustainable Futures
through Multilingual Education
391. Which country to host the
9th edition of BRICS
Summit 2017?
a. Pakistan b. China
c. India d. Russia
392. Who has been appointed
the new Prime Minister of
Federal Republic of Somalia?
a. Hassan Abshir Farah
b. Ali Mohammed Ghedi
c. Hassan Ali Khayre
d. Omar Abdirashid Ali
393. Who has became the new passed away. She hailed from
Brand Ambassador for ‘Swachh
Bharat Mission’?
a. Shilpa Shetty
b. Priyanka Chopra
c. Deepika Padukone
d. Kangana Ranaut
394. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who 401. Jammu and Kashmir 409. Which country has
has won the 2017 Rotterdam Assembly passed a resolution launched a 10 year plan to cut
Open tennis tournament, is calling for the return of which dependence on vegetable
belonged to which country? community? imports from India?
a. Belgium b. France a. Kashmiri migrants a. Nepal
c. The USA d. Germany b. Kashmiri Pandits b. Pakistan
c. Kashmiri Hindus c. Bangladesh
395. Which State government d. Both ‘a’ and ‘b’ d. None of the above
has approved cloud seeding
programme to produce 402. Who has been appointed 410. Who headed the
adequate rain? as the next Director of CBI? Committee to review the Fiscal
a. Punjab b. Haryana a. Alok Verma b. Anil Sinha Responsibility and Budget
c. Bihar d. Maharashtra c. Anil Verma d. None of these Management (FRBM) Act?
a. NKP Salve b. NK Singh
396. What is the name of the 403. Who is Bulgaria’s new c. VK Singh d. None of these
instant chat service launched President w.e.f. January 19,
by Citi Bank on February, 2017 2017? 411. What does RubSIS stand
to resolve the customers a. Rumen Radev for in the context of commerce
queries instantly? b. Bumen Radev and industry?
a. Citibank Chat c. Rumen Radec a. Rubber Soil Information
b. Citibank Online d. None of the above System
c. Instant CitiChat b. Rubber Solar Information
404. ISRO has realigned which System
d. CitiChat Online
mission’s orbit to prevent c. Rubber Soil Info System
397. According to the global impact of long d. None of the above
duration eclipse?
financial services major
Nomura, the GDP grow th of a. Mangalyaan 412. Which bodies will work to
India is estimated to be ……… b. Chandrayaan develop the India
in January-March c. Mars Orbiter Mission Innovation Index?
quarter 2017. d. Both (a) and (c) a. WEF, NITI Aayog, WIPO,
a. 5% b. 5.7% Cornell University
405. Which of the following b. IMF, NITI Aayog, WTO, Cornell
c. 6.3% d. 7.1% are Non-communicable
University
diseases?
398. Which Committee will be c. IMF, NITI Aayog, WIPO,
a. Heart attacks b. Stroke
constituted by the Reserve Cornell University
c. Diabetes d. All of these
Bank of India (RBI) on d. WEF, NITI Aayog, WTO,
cyber security? 406. Ace Indian shuttler Saina Cornell University
a. NK Singh Committee Nehwal won her overall 23rd
b. Meena Hemachandra title at 413. The government has
Committee a. Malaysia Masters Grand Prix
constituted a negotiation
c. Ravi Iyer Committee Committee for Mahanadi
Gold 2017
d. Tushar Krishna Committee among which States?
b. China Superseries 2017
a. Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
c. Indian Badminton Tournament
399. Which of the following Pradesh, Maharashtra and
2017
cities to host the 11th Jharkhand
d. None of the above
International Aerospace and b. Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Defence Exhibition – Aero 407. Which bank launched the Pradesh, Maharashtra and
India 2017? FI@School programme to Bihar
a. Bengaluru b. Patna financial literacy promote? c. Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
c. Chennai d. Kolkata a. Punjab National Bank Pradesh, Maharashtra and
b. Kerala Gramin Bank Utttar Pradesh
400. Bano Qudsia, the c. Both of the above d. None of the above
renowned Urdu author has
d. None of the above
414. Which Ministry has linked
which of the 408. The scientists have an MoU to co-regulate ads
following countries? developed a new method for w ith ASCI?
a. India medical testing of a. AYUSH
b. Bangladesh which diseases? b. MoEF
c. Afghanistan a. Rotavirus b. Lyme c. WCD Ministry
d. Pakistan c. HIV d. All of these d. MEA

348. (b) 349. (c) 350. (a) 351. (a) 352. (a) 353. (a) 354. (a) 355. (b) 356. (d) 357. (b)
358. (d) 359. (a) 360. (c) 361. (b) 362. (a) 363. (a) 364. (d) 365. (a) 366. (c) 367. (b)
368. (a) 369. (a) 370. (a) 371. (a) 372. (c) 373. (d) 374. (a) 375. (b) 376. (a) 377. (a)
378. (d) 379. (d) 380. (a) 381. (d) 382. (a) 383. (c) 384. (a) 385. (c) 386. (a) 387. (b)
388. (a) 389. (a) 390. (d) 391. (b) 392. (c) 393. (a) 394. (b) 395. (d) 396. (b) 397. (b)
398. (b) 399. (a) 400. (d) 401. (d) 402. (a) 403. (a) 404. (d) 405. (d) 406. (a) 407. (b)
408. (d) 409. (a) 410. (b) 411. (a) 412. (a) 413. (a) 414. (a)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 181

415. Which is India’s biggest
aircraft carrier?
a. INS-Vikrant
b. INS-Virat
c. INS-Vikramaditya
d. None of the above
416. Which are the lucky draw
schemes for digital payments?
a. Lucky Grahak Yojana
b. Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
417. What does IORA
stand for?
a. Indian Olympic Residents
Association
b. Indian Ocean Rim Association
c. Indian Ocean Region
Association
d. None of the above
418. The scientists have
developed a smart needle w ith
a tiny camera for making
which surgery safer?
a. Brain
b. Heart
c. Neurosurgery
d. Both ‘a’ and ‘c’
419. The Netherlands is
hosting a festival of India at
which city in 2017?
a. The Hague b. Amsterdam
c. Rotterdam d. All of these
420. Which dedicated portal
has been launched for SSA by
the MHRD?
a. ShaGun b. AvGun
c. NirGun d. None of these
421. West Bengal fisheries
department w ill give legal
protection to which fish?
a. Rohu b. Betki
c. Hilsa d. None of these
422. India has entered into a
collaboration with which
country for freight rail?
a. China b. Japan
c. South Korea d. None of these
423. Simplygon, a privately
held Swedish company, has
been acquired by
a. Microsoft b. Oracle
c. Apple d. None of these
424. What is the name of the
BNHS AI online platform that
identifies Indian bird species?
a. Internet of Birds
b. Encyclopedia of Birds
c. Webpedia of Birds
d. None of the above
182
425. Karang, a small lake
island in Manipur reached
which important milestone?
a. First cashless island
b. First ODF island
c. First island to have wireless
technology
d. None of the above
426. Who has been elected the
new President of the
European Parliament?
a. Martin Schulz
b. Gianni Pitella
c. Silvio Berlusconi
d. Antonio Tajani
427. Yes Bank has started
which business accelerator
programme in partnership
w ith startup incubator T-hub
and Anthill, a speed
scaling platform?
a. Yes FinTech b. Yes FinCash
c. Yes FinDraw d. None of these
428. Which two airports will
be privatised according to
the AAI?
a. Jaipur, Delhi
b. Jaipur, Mumbai
c. Jaipur, Kolkata
d. Jaipur, Ahemedabad
429. What does the Supreme
Court appointed EPCA
stand for?
a. Environment Protection Control
and Prevention Authority
b. Environment Pollution Control
and Prevention Authority
c. Environmental Pollution
Contamination and Prevention
Authority
d. None of the above
430. Which PSU lender has
announced cashless
transactions through mobile
phones for which only aadhaar
is required?
a. State Bank of India
b. Punjab National Bank
c. Andhra Bank
d. Dena Bank
431. Which Chinese linguist is
credited w ith developing the
Pinyin system?
a. Zhou Youkang
b. Zhou Youguang
c. Zhou Li d. None of these
432. Who has won the Hindu
Prize 2016 for ‘Jinnah Often
Came to Our House’?
a. Kiran Doshi
b. Shashi Tharoor
c. Shobhaa De
d. Vikram Seth
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
433. Who was the President of
the All India Tribes and
Minorities Front till
January, 2017?
a. Ram Charan Singh Negi
b. Mangal Singh Negi
c. Mahesh Prasad Negi
d. None of the above
434. The WCD Ministry is to
form a National Alliance on
which issue?
a. Online child sexual abuse and
exploitation
b. Women sexual abuse and
exploitation online
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
435. The SECC Expert Group
has just submitted its report to
the MoRD. Who is heading it?
a. Sumit Bose
b. Sumit Chauhan
c. Sumit Singh
d. None of the above
436. The MEA has joined
hands with which US
corporation for strengthening
regional integration?
a. MCC b. FTC
c. USFDA d. USDA
437. What is the name of the
mobile app specially developed
for SEZs?
a. SEZ India
b. SEZ Asia
c. SEZ Bharat
d. SEZ Hindustan
438. Which Indian actress won
the best actor female filmfare
award for the first time?
a. Alia Bhatt
b. Sonam Kapoor
c. Kareena Kapoor
d. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
439. Which financial body has
asked intermediaries and
companies to make regulatory
payments in digital mode?
a. Security and Exchange Board
of India
b. Reserve Bank of India
c. National Stock Exchange
d. Bombay Stock Exchange
440. Which company signed an
MoU w ith Gujarat’s Tribal
Development Department on
January 11, 2017?
a. Amazon India
b. Amazon Africa
c. Amazon-US
d. Amazon LLC
441. A US-based company has
developed a smartphone that
can be rolled-up around the
wrist. What is it called?
a. FlexPhone b. FlexMobile
c. FlexCall d. None of these
442. Which government has
issued a tax strike on
digital economy?
a. Australia b. India
c. Africa d. None of these
443. Whom has China
appointed as the new Governor
of Tibet?
a. Luosang Jiangcun
b. Qi Zhala
c. Qi Jiangcun
d. Luosang Zhala
444. Which is the world’s
largest library?
a. Indian Parliamentary Library
b. British Council Library
c. American Consulate Library
d. US Library of Congress
445. The BSF launched which
operation at Rajasthan on
January 15, 2017 to
check infiltration?
a. Sard Hawa b. Sardi Yojana
c. Sard Control d. None of these
446. Who has been
posthumously awarded Sena
medal on January 15, 2017?
a. Lance Naik Hanamanthappa
Koppad
b. Lance Naik Mohan Goswami
c. Lance Naik Karam Singh
d. None of the above
447. The Portuguese honoured
which former Union Minister
of State for External Affairs
w ith a national knighthood?
a. Sushma Swaraj
b. Shashi Tharoor
c. Eduardo Faleiro
d. None of the above
448. Which airline is
participating in the ‘Aakhri
Aahuti’ initiative?
a. Indigo b. Jet Airways
c. Spice Jet d. Indian Airlines
449. The Indian army launched
which rocket in its guided form
on January 13, 2017?
a. Pinaka b. Astra
c. PSLV d. GSLV
450. The ABU International
Dance Festival was held for the
first time in which Indian city?
a. Delhi b. Mumbai
c. Kolkata d. Hyderabad
451. Which country has 460. Who has a new species of 467. International Kite Festival 476. Who has been inducted
banned the sale and Gibbon in China been was held in which city? into the PDP on January 7, 2016?
production of burqa? named after? a. Kota b. Palanpur a. Omar Abdullah
a. Saudi Arabia b. Pakistan a. Skywalker c. Rajkot d. Ahmedabad b. Mehbooba Mufti
c. Iran d. Morocco b. Star WarsCharacter c. Mufti Tassaduq Hussain
c. Both of these 468. Who has been named as d. None of the above
452. China’s first aircraft d. None of these the new CEO of Flipkart?
formation comprised which a. Binny Bansal 477. Who has taken over as
aircraft carrier? 461. Which Indian Scorpene b. Kalyan Krishnamurthy India’s limited overs captain,
a. Liaoning b. Xiaoning submarine is the second c. Gopal Krishnamurthy becoming India’s first skipper
c. Jiaoning d. None of these indigenously built, launched on d. None of the above in all 3 formats of the game?
January 12, 2017? a. MS Dhoni b. Virat Kohli
453. What is India’s first solar a. INS-Shivaneri b. INS-Khanderi 469. Which bank became the c. Rahul Dravid d. None of these
powered boat called? c. INS-Bhamre d. None of these third lender in the country to
a. Kiran b. Jyoti announce block 478. Which country became
c. Surya d. Aditya 462. Which financial body has chain solutions? the first in the world to
asked intermediaries and a. Axis Bank b. ICICI Bank switch-off FM radio?
454. Which airport is the first companies to make regulatory c. HDFC Bank d. Yes Bank a. Norway b. Sweden
in the world to adopt digital payments in digital mode? c. Denmark d. Finland
platform Arc? a. Security and Exchange Board 470. Pakistan has launched a
a. Indira Gandhi International
of India submarine launched cruise 479. The MIT researchers
Airport missile called have discovered a 3-D version
b. Reserve Bank of India
b. Beijing Capital International a. Babur b. Akbar of which element?
c. National Stock Exchange
Airport c. Birbal d. Taimur a. Graphene b. Carbon
d. Bombay Stock Exchange
c. Sydney Kingsford-Smith c. Hydrogen d. None of these
471. Where has India’s first
Airport 463. Which legislation against
d. London Heathrow Airport tax avoidance has CBDT
International exchange India 480. What does GMRT stand
INX been inaugurated? for in astronomy?
initiated from April, 2017?
455. The engineers have built a. GAAR b. GAAT
a. GIFT city (Gandhinagar, a. Great Metrewave Radio
an ultra low cost blood Gujarat) Telescope
c. GATT d. None of these
centrifuge powered by b. Gurugram (Haryana) b. Giant Metrewave Radio
humans. What is it called? 464. Dhanush, an ATAGS c. Delhi (India) Telescope
a. Humanfuge b. Paerfugep system is set to be inducted in d. None of the above c. Galaxy Metrewave Radio
c. Bloodfuge d. None of these the Army. What does ATAGS Telescope
stand for?
472. Who won the FIFA best d. None of the above
456. Japanese scientists a. Advanced Towed Artillery Gun
player of the year award?
indicated which constituent of System
a. Lionel Messi 481. Which government
the Earth’s inner core to be a b. Cristiano Ronaldo approved the Good
b. Advanced Towed Army Gun
mystery element? c. Antoine Greizmann Samaritan Policy?
System
a. Silicon b. Silica d. None of the above a. Delhi b. Odisha
c. Advanced Tow Army Gun
c. Sulphur d. Nickel c. Haryana d. Punjab
System 473. Who has been appointed
457. Which telecom company d. None of the above as White House Senior Advisor 482. Who is the first and only
launched its first Payments on January 9, 2016 despite the American to have won the Man
Bank on January 12, 2017? 465. The MEA has announced anti-nepotism law? Booker Prize?
a. Vodafone b. Airtel the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas a. Jared Kushner a. Amanda Foreman
Yojana. Who does this b. Ivanka Trump
c. BT d. None of these b. Paul Beatty
scheme target? c. Both of these c. Mart Twain
458. Who is the first host of a. Indian youth seeking overseas
d. None of these d. Jonathan Swift
Indian- American descent on employment
Saturday Night Live, appearing b. NRIs 474. Who became the first UK 483. Where is the world’s
on January 21, 2017? c. PIOs male to give birth? largest street light
a. Jimmy Fallon b. Aziz Ansari d. None of the above a. Hayden Smith b. Hayden Jones replacement programme being
c. Saeed Jaffreyd. None of these c. Hayden Cross d. None of these implemented?
466. The 74th Annual Golden a. Delhi b. Chandigarh
459. Who has became the first Globe Awards honoured whom 475. Who became the oldest c. Mumbai d. All of these
non-Parsi Chairman of w ith the Cecil B. DeMille woman to perform
TATA Sons? lifetime achievement award? a spacewalk? 484. Where is China setting-up
a. N. Chandrasekaran a. Meryl Streep a. Peggy Watson the world’s highest altitude
b. K. Gopinath b. Diane Keaton b. Peggy Wilson gravitation wave telescopes?
c. Cyrus Mistry c. Susan Sarandon c. Peggy Whitson a. Hong Kong b. Taiwan
d. None of the above d. None of the above d. None of the above c. Tibet d. None of these

415. (c) 416. (c) 417. (b) 418. (d) 419. (a) 420. (a) 421. (c) 422. (b) 423. (a) 424. (a)
425. (a) 426. (d) 427. (a) 428. (d) 429. (a) 430. (c) 431. (b) 432. (a) 433. (b) 434. (a)
435. (a) 436. (a) 437. (a) 438. (a) 439. (a) 440. (a) 441. (a) 442. (a) 443. (b) 444. (d)
445. (a) 446. (a) 447. (c) 448. (a) 449. (a) 450. (d) 451. (d) 452. (a) 453. (d) 454. (a)
455. (b) 456. (a) 457. (b) 458. (b) 459. (a) 460. (c) 461. (b) 462. (a) 463. (a) 464. (a)
465. (a) 466. (a) 467. (d) 468. (b) 469. (a) 470. (a) 471. (a) 472. (b) 473. (a) 474. (c)
475. (c) 476. (c) 477. (b) 478. (a) 479. (a) 480. (b) 481. (a) 482. (b) 483. (d) 484. (c)

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 183

485. NASA’s Hubble space
telescope is creating a roadmap
for which spacecrafts?
a. Voyager b. Challenger
c. Cassini d. None of these
486. Which IRCTC scheme has
been renamed?
a. IRCTC Connect
b. IRCTC Rail Connect
c. IRCTC Map
d. IRCTC Rail Map
487. A massive ice block off
the Antarctica ……… ice shelf,
100 times the size of
Manhattan, will break off,
say ecologists.
a. Larsen A b. Larsen B
c. Larsen C d. None of these
488. What is the new scheme
backed by WB to manage
groundwater resources
called?
a. National Groundwater
Management Improvement
Scheme
b. National Water Resources
Management Improvement
Scheme
c. National Groundwater
Management Improvement
Initiative
d. None of the above
489. Which ex-Iranian President
passed away in January, 2017?
a. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
b. Hassan Rouhani
c. Mahmoud Ahmednijad
d. None of the above
490. What is another name for
fat cells?
a. Adipocytes b. Leucocytes
c. Erythrocytes d. None of these
491. Which two missions
under the Discovery
Programme of NASA will focus
on different types of asteroids?
a. Lucy, Psyche
b. Psyche, Cassini
c. Rosetta, Lucy
d. None of the above
492. Dell’s Latitude 7285 is
the first 2-in-1 to enable
what technology?
a. Freedom from all wires to the
device
b. Wireless charging
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
493. Which country is building
the world’s tallest solar tower
to harness solar energy?
a. Israel b. India
c. Sri Lanka d. Germany
494. Island Tourism Festival is
being held at which city?
a. Port Blair b. Colombo
c. Diu d. None of these
495. Which eminent jurist was
the first Sri Lankan to be
appointed to the ICJ?
a. CG Weeramantry
b. BG Weetamantry
c. DG Weeramantry
d. None of the above
496. Which former NPPC
President was also an AICC
member and passed away on
January 2, 2016?
a. I. Imkong b. K. Therie
c. KV Pusa d. None of these
497. Supreme Court has
extended judicial review
powers in what way on
January 2, 2017?
a. Re-promulgation of ordinance
is illegal.
b. Ordinances passed by
President and State Governors
by bypassing legislature are
not immune from
judicial review.
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
506. The US Transport
498. A Nobel laureate scientist Department proposed new
and her team have discovered
a drug molecule to fight
antibiotic resistant pathogens.
Its name is
a. Lefamulin b. Defamulin
c. Tefamulin d. None of these
499. Which famous cricketer has
been inducted into the ICC Hall
of Fame on January 3, 2017?
a. Alan Border
b. Craig McDermott
c. Steve Waugh
d. Arthur Morris
500. Which government is
levying a terror tax?
a. France b. Germany
c. Iran d. None of these
501. Book entitled ‘Courts of
India-Past to Present’ was
compiled by the Supreme
Court Editorial Committee,
headed by whom?
a. Justice TS Thakur
b. Justice Kehar
c. Justice Bobde
d. None of these
502. World Bank Group on
December 13, 2016 halted the
processes by India and
Pakistan under which treaty?
a. Indus Water Treaty
b. Sutlej Water Treaty
c. Beas Water Treaty
d. None of the above
503. Who has been appointed
as the new chairman of
National Commission for
Scheduled Castes (NCSC)?
a. Keshav Prasad Maurya
b. Ram Shankar Katheria
c. PM Kamalamma
d. PL Poonia
504. The UNCTAD rereleased
a report which found that
4 nations moves from UN LDC
list in 45 years. They include
a. Botswana b. Ghana
c. Maldives d. Both (a) & (c)
505. The NGT on December 14,
2016 imposed an interim
nationwide ban on what?
a. Plastic bags
b. Glass coated manja
c. Electric wires
d. Electric wires
coarsened trucks should do
what to avert crash?
a. Have automatic gear system
b. Talk to each other using short
range wireless technology
c. Both (a) & (c)
d. None of the above
507. The National Association
of Software and Services
Companies (NASSCOM) has
released a cybersecurity
roadmap in partnership
w ith whom?
a. Data Security Council of India
b. ASSOCHAM
c. None of the above
d. FICCI
508. Who has been appointed
on Trump’s Advisory Council?
a. Indra Nooyi b. Elon Musk
c. Both of these d. None of these
509. The researchers have
discovered a novel method
using honeycomb like
microscopic organic metallic
structures to trap what?
a. Vehicular emissions
b. Gases emitted by coal factory
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
510. Where was Asia’s first
and longest cycle highway
was inaugurated?
a. Madhya Pradesh
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Uttarakhand
d. Uttaranachal
511. Parliament of Thailand
invited whom to be the new
king of the country?
a. Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn
b. Crown Prince Thajiralongkorn
c. Crown Prince Cajiralongkorn
d. Crown Prince Sajiralongkorn
512. Opposition party has won
near majority in Kuwait early
elections. How many seats they
won out of 50?
a. 23 b. 24
c. 25 d. 26
513. Which Indian snooker
player won the bronze at IBSF
World Snooker Championship?
a. Pankaj Advani
b. Pankaj Seth
c. Pankaj Mehta
d. None of the above
514. Magical Piano has won
the UNESCO Salon Youth
Video Competition 2016.
Which media groups
collaborated for
this production?
a. Toonz (Zee)
b. Toonz (Dreamworks)
c. Toonz (Walt Disney)
d. None of the above
515. WHO for the first time
has recommended a home
testing kit for which disease?
a. Cancer b. Malaria
c. TB d. None of these
516. The CSO has announced
that India’s GDP has
accelerated in Q2 (2016-17) to
what percent?
a. 7.1% b. 7.2%
c. 7.3% d. 7.4%

485. (a) 486. (a) 487. (c) 488. (a) 489. (a) 490. (a) 491. (a) 492. (c) 493. (a) 494. (a)
495. (a) 496. (c) 497. (c) 498. (a) 499. (d) 500. (a) 501. (c) 502. (a) 503. (b) 504. (d)
505. (b) 506. (b) 507. (a) 508. (c) 509. (c) 510. (b) 511. (a) 512. (b) 513. (a) 514. (c)
515. (d) 516. (c)

184 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

 ONE Liners
C U R R E N T A F FA I R S
National
I
Which State introduced boat
ambulance service in four districts,
Koraput, Malkangiri, Kendrapara and
Kalahandi as part of an MoU signed
between State government and
Ziquitza Health Care? Odisha
I
A five day cultural festival organised in
Cairo Embassy of India in Cairo and
Maulana Azad Centre to mark the
155th birth anniversary of
Rabindranath Tagore
I
India has decided to replace the Maitri
research station at which place with a
new one in the next three or four
years? Antarctica
I
IRCTC is now offering which service of
rail tickets and will allow passengers to
make payment through any payment
mode, including cash? Home delivery
I
The Union Cabinet recently approved
setting up of a new All India Institute of
Medical Sciences in Kamrup, (Assam)
I
Presiding over a review meeting of the
states affected by Left-Wing Extremism
(LWE), Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh announced a new strategy
against the Maoists Samadhan
I
The Income Tax department has
launched a new e-facility to link
Aadhaar with the Permanent Account
Number, (incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in)
a mandatory procedure for filing
IT returns
I
Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh
launched the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) Mobile Application ‘BSFMyApp’
for Grievance Redressal of the
Central Armed Police Forces Personnel
I
Which State’s Chief Minister has
launched a water harvesting and
conservation campaign to resolve the
state’s acute water crisis? Uttarakhand
I
The Election Commission of India has
launched the National Contact Centre
and also gives a toll-free number
1800111950. Public can make a call to
this number to get any information or
to complaints either in English or Hindi
186 Current Affairs
Telangana in the First State to have
I I
logo for vehicles driven by person with
hearing impairment
‘Driver is Deaf — Please Watch Out’
I
The government has exempted residents
of Assam, Jammu and Kashmir,
Meghalaya, Non-Resident Indians,
foreigners or any citizen above 80 years
of age from mandatory quoting of
Aadhaar while filing Income tax returns
I
Which Indian court has decided to go
completely paperless and adopt digital
management system? Supreme Court
I
Which State’s government is planning
to launch district-level action plans to
reduce infant mortality rate? Rajasthan
I
India’s first-ever ‘village of books’ will
open in which State to promote?
tourism Maharashtra
I
PM Narendra Modi unveils conclusion
of ‘Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra’,
conservation of the Narmada River in
Madhya Pradesh at Amarkantak
I
Vishakhapatnam and Beas railway
stations are the cleanest railway
stations out of the how much station in
India? 407
I
Modi will become the first Indian
Prime Minister to visit Israel
I
India’s first International Centre for
Foot and Mouth Disease has set-up at
Argul in Odisha
I
India has decided to liberalise e-visa
regime by increasing the time limit for
seeking the entry permit from existing
30 days to a maximum of 4 Months
I
A national conference on
communicating India has been
inaugurated by the Minister of State
for Information and Broadcasting
Rajyavardhan Rathore in New Delhi
I
The Chief Minister of West Bengal
'Mamata Banerjee' has declared the
22nd district of the State Jhargram
I
The State government will provide
` 21000 to all those families whose
third girl child was born under the
'Aapki Beti, Hamari Beti' scheme (after
August 24, 2015) Haryana
Half Yearly 2017
The State government will start a
one-year diploma course on ‘Hindu
Purohityam’ Madhya Pradesh
I
Who has ranked best educational
institution by HRD Ministry?
IISc Bengaluru
The high-level committee has been
I
set-up to examine working of
regulatory bodies for AYUSH system of
medicine Arvind Panagariya Committee
The Union government has launched
I
two mobile apps to provide access to
various services and information to
enable citizens to report any traffic
violation e-Challan and m-Parivahan
Who has launched an app named ‘MP
I
e-NagarPalika’ to provide various
municipal services online in the State?
Shivraj Singh Chauhan
I
The State government has imposed ban
on the use of polythene bags
manufactured below fifty microns in
the State Jammu and Kashmir
I
Who has conducted its first mock drill
exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand?
National Disaster Management Authority
Which State government has launched
I
'Deendayal Rasoi Yojana' to provide food
at subsidised rate? Madhya Pradesh
I
Which app has been launched as a
mobile app as well as a web portal to
help in contributions towards the
families of soldiers who lost their lives
while on duty? Bharat ke Veer
I
The State government has launched
‘Operation Durga’ to ensure women
safety in the state Haryana
I
Which Tiger Reserve in India has
become the first in India to official
mascot named, Bhoorsingh the
Barasingha? Kanha Tiger Reserve
(Madhya Pradesh)
I
Which State to have India’s first
privately-run railway station?
Madhya Pradesh
I
Which State will become the first
Indian State to invite all Twitter and
Facebook users to interact with the
Chief Minister? Haryana
 Which Union Ministry has made a
I I
provision enabling people to apply
online for passports in Hindi?
Ministry of External Affairs
I
Which State government has launched
‘Kilkari’ app to create awareness
among pregnant women? Haryana
I
The National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) has conducted its
first-ever mock exercise on forest fire
in Uttarakhand
I
Who will head the committee formed
by the Union Ministry of Human
Resource Development to review UGC
recommendations? Secretary,
Department of Higher Education
I
Which State has become the first Indian
State to launch a special awareness
drive to ensure that transgenders in the
State register as voters? Maharashtra
I
The Union government will launch
‘SAMPADA’ scheme for which sector?
Food Processing
I
Which committee has been constituted
by the Union government to monitor
the regional air connectivity scheme
‘UDAN’? RN Chaubey Committee
I
Which portal has been launched by the
Survey of India that offers free
download of Indian maps? Nakshe
I
Which State government has imposed
a 10% cow cess as surcharge on stamp
duty for protection and propagation of
cows? Rajasthan
I
The 2017 National Tuberculosis (TB)
Summit has started in which city?
Dharamsala
I
Which movie has won the best film
award in the 64th National Award 2017?
Kaasav
I
The Committee, who has submitted
report to the government of India to
strengthen border protection
Madhukar Gupta Committee
I
Who has inaugurated the 5th
foundation day function of BIRAC?
Harsh Vardhan
I
The Union Minister Arjun Ram
Meghwal has inaugurated a passport
seva kendra at a post office in Bikaner
I
The Parliamentary Committee has
suggested merger of State-run telecom
firms BSNL and MTNL for their
long-term survival
Bhagat Singh Koshyari Committee
I
Which Court accorded the status of
‘living human entities’ to the India’s
most sacred Ganga and Yamuna rivers?
Uttarakhand High Court
Which city is hosting the 15th edition
of ‘All India Meet of State Legal
Services Authorities? New Delhi
I
The first fully India-made 12-coach
train has flagged off between Dadar to
Borivali at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
in Mumbai, Maharashtra Medha
The country is hosting the
I
International Diamond Conference
‘Mines to Market 2017’ India
I
Which State government has launched
‘Adarsh Gram Yojana’ for rural poor?
Arunachal Pradesh
I
The Union Minister has launched the
first-of-its-kind Air Conditioned jacket
made of cotton fabric Giriraj Singh
I
The largest flag inaugurated on India’s
tallest post at Attari Border
I
Who has launched the web portal for
obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone
clearances in New Delhi?
Anil Madhav Dave
I
Who has launched ‘Swachh Shakti
Saptah’ to raise awareness on sanitation
and cleanliness in Gurugram, Haryana?
Narendra Singh Tomar
I
The city hosted the 4th India-CLMV
Business Conclave 2017 Jaipur
I
The first North-Eastern State
government has implemented
e-Cabinet solution for the State
Cabinet members Arunachal Pradesh
I
India’s first a-political three-days
National Women’s Parliament (NWP)
was held in Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh)
I
The world’s first Braille Atlas for
visually impaired persons has been
launched by Dr. Harsh Vardhan
I
The Central Advisory Board of
Education (CABE) has constituted a
sub-Committee to boost girls’
education Kadiyam Srihari Committee
I
Who has inaugurated a two-day
seminar on Bonded Labour at Nehru
Memorial Museum and Library, Teen
Murti Bhawan, New Delhi
Justice HL Dattu
I
Which first floating elementary school
of India has been inaugurated at
Langolsabi Leikai of Champu
Khangpok floating village on Loktak
Lake in Manipur?
Loktak Elementary Floating School
I
The first Indian State to establish
cashless system for distribution of
food grains Gujarat
I
Which State government has launched
‘Aardram’ a public health initiative?
Kerala
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
International
I
Which State government of India
signed a MoU with US-based
technology major Oracle to enhance its
IT infrastructure delivery of services?
Jharkhand
I
………. has been unanimously elected
as the President of the UN-Habitat, to
promote sustainable human
settlements across the globe? India
I
India has signed a joint declaration
with which country for cooperation in
the field of alternative medicine?
Germany
I
The Union Cabinet has approved MoU
between India and which country in
the field of Organ Transplant Services
Spain
I
The liberal politician who was recently
sworn-in as the President of South
Korea is Moon Jae-in
I
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
in May 2017 stayed the execution of
Indian national who was sentenced to
death by a Pakistani military court for
alleged spying Kulbhushan Jadhav
I
Which country recently organised a
seminar to strengthen the bilateral
relations between the two nations?
Egypt
I
Which country has become the first
country to open an honorary consulate
office in Gujarat International Finance
Tec-City (GIFT City)? Belgium
I
As per the revised UN report 2017,
Norway is the world’s happiest
country. In the study of 155 countries,
India ranked at 122
I
Italy ranks first in the world’s
healthiest country list and India ranks
143 in a list of 188 countries
I
India notified the Third Protocol
amending the existing India-Singapore
Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement
I
India ranks ……………. globally in terms
of representation of women in
executive government and parliament,
by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
survey. 148th
I
India and Pakistan agreed on
redesigning the Miyar Hydroelectric
project, of Indus Water Commissioners
in Islamabad
According to a report released by
I
Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI), ………. emerged as the
world’s largest importer of major arms
during 2012–16. India
187
I
Pakistan’s Parliament passed landmark
bill to regulate …………… of minority
Hindus in the country. Marriages
I
Who has become the 7th member of
South Asia sub-regional Economic
Cooperation (SASEC) programme of
the Asian Development Bank (ADB)?
Myanmar
I
Who has officially recognised Bitcoin
and digital currencies as legal money
with effect from April 1, 2017? Japan
I
The G-7 Foreign Ministers meeting
was held in which country Italy
I
The first NIMCARE World Health Day
Summit 2017 has started in city
New Delhi
I
The centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's
has been celebrated in London with the
screening of a documentary to re-tell
Gandhi's story Sabarmati Ashram
Gurudwara in Dubai has broken the
I
world record for serving free breakfast
to the maximum number of people
from diverse nationalities on 'Baisakhi'
Guru Nanak Darbar
I
Which country is hosting the 3rd
edition of World Conference on
Environment? India
I
India inked MoU with which country
for defence shipbuilding South Korea
I
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated UN Vesak Day in Sri Lanka
I
The country hosted the 23rd
Conference of Auditors General of
Commonwealth Countries and British
Overseas Territories New Delhi
I
Scientists of this country developed a
terahertz transmitter that is capable
of transmitting data 10 times faster
than 5G, is Japan
I
The Central American country which
has become world’s first country to
ban metal mining is El Salvador
I
What is the theme of the 2017 World
Immunisation Week? Vaccines Work
I
Which country will host 2017 BRICS
Film Festival? China
I
Which international organisation has
observed the 2017 World Day on
Safety and Health at Work?
International Labour Organisation
I
The 13th edition of Indo-French naval
exercise ‘Varuna’ has started in which
of the following sea ports? Toulon Port
I
Which country has become the world’s
largest importer of Liquified Petroleum
Gas (LPG), according to Petroleum
Planning and Analysis Cell? China
188 Current Affairs
I
Which country is the world’s largest
spender, as per latest report by the
Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI)? The USA
I
Which city has been designated
UNESCO World Book Capital 2018?
Athens
I
The 2017 United Nations Oceans
Conference will be held in which city?
New York
I
What is the theme of the 2017 World
Heritage Day (WHD)? Cultural Heritage
and Sustainable Tourism
I
Which two countries will hold their
first-ever joint military exercise
‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’?
China and Nepal
I
Which country’s honorary citizenship
has been received by Nobel Peace
Laureate Malak Yousafzai? Canada
I
India has signed MoU with which
neighbouring country for extending
Hindi language course? China
I
Kristin Davis has been appointed the
new UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
She hails from which country? The USA
I
Who has won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in
Fiction? Colson Whitehead
I
What is the India’s rank in the 2017
WEF’s Global Travel and Tourism
Competitive Index (GTTCI)? 40th
I
Which country will become the world’s
first country to neutralise gender pay
gap? Iceland
I
Who will host the 25th edition of
Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) in April, 2018?
United Kingdom
I
This city has topped the list in the
Mercer’s 2017 Quality of Living index
Vienna
I
As per latest UN report ‘Women in
Politics 2017 Map’ India’s rank in the
world for the number of MPs
in Parliament 148th
Economy & Banking
I
India has jumped 12 places to 40th
rank globally in travel and tourism
competitiveness list by
World Economic Forum
Rank of India in terms of stainless steel
I
producing countries in the world
according to data released by the
International Stainless Steel Forum is
Second largest
I
Which Indian city was ranked second
in the world’s most crowded cities list
released by World Economic Forum?
Mumbai
Half Yearly 2017
I
Cashback portal Cashkaro.com tied up
to launch card-linked offers with
Yes Bank
I
India’s largest cab aggregator Ola
partnered to launch a range of
integrated digital offerings to
customers with Airtel
I
According to Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley Indian economy will grow at a
clip of 7.5% this fiscal, up from
7.1% in 2016-17
I
Mastercard to Provide Payments
Processing Solution for Airtel Payment
Bank, also launched India’s first online
debit card along with a prepaid card,
both of which is accessible through
the Myairtel App
I
Karnataka Bank Launches National
Pension System in Mangaluru
I
Life insurance firm, HDFC life launched
a traditional life insurance plan, Pragati
for Low Income Group People
I
Mumbai-based Citi Bank has launched
instant chat services for customers
named Citibank Online (CBOL)
I
The five associates banks of SBI and
which other Bank became part of the
State Bank of India?
Bharatiya Mahila bank
I
Who has been appointed as the new
Executive Director (ED) of Reserve
Bank of India (RBI)? Malvika Sinha
I
Who has become the seventh entity to
receive a final license from the RBI to
set-up a payments bank?
Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd.
I
India’s rank in the world’s largest
tourism economy in terms of GDP,
according to the latest report of the
World WTTC 7th
I
The beneficiaries of Prime Minister’s
'Yojana’ has reached more than 2
crores in less than a year is Ujjwala
I
Who has launched its revamped
website having several user-friendly
features and compatible for desktop
and mobile devices? SEBI
I
Who has launched a comprehensive
scheme for power loom sector
development ‘PowerTex India’ in
Bhiwandi, Thane district
(Maharashtra)? Smriti Zubin Irani
I
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
projected India’s growth forecast for
the financial year 2017-18 is 7.4%
I
India's largest online retailer buys
eBay's India business Flipkart
I
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval
for listing of how many Central Public
Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on stock
exchanges? 11
I
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set
up two new Offices of the Banking
Ombudsman in Jammu and Raipur
I
Who has launched the BHIM-Aadhaar
service which enabled every Indian
citizen to pay digitally just with their
thumb impression, in Nagpur
(Maharashtra)? PM Narendra Modi
I
Who has launched a web portal
'isnp.irda.gov.in' for insurers that will
allow them to register and sell policies
online? IRDAI
I
India’s GDP growth forecast for FY 18,
according to the World Bank’s latest
report ‘Globalisation Backlash’ is 7.2%
I
Bank that launched mobile App Mission
FINFIT in collaboration with Bangalore
startup Fisdom is Lakshmi Vilas Bank
I
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
proposed a set of regulations regarding
mergers and acquisitions. The
proposed regulations will be brought
under the FEMA rules of 1999
I
Which Indian bank has won the 2017
Golden Peacock Innovative Product/
Service Award (GPIPSA)? Yes Bank
I
Which bank became India’s
most-valued Public Sector Unit (PSU)
in terms of market valuation?
State Bank of India
I
Which bank was adjudged the ‘Best
Small Bank for 2016’? Karur Vysya Bank
I
Which bank has launched a unique
credit card ‘Unnati’ to spread credit
inclusion? State Bank of India
I
India’s first biometric-based payment
system Aadhaar Pay was launched by
which bank? IDFC
I
Which entity was granted the
payments bank Licence by the RBI
recently? India Post
I
In order to bring transparency in
electoral funding, the cash donation to
political parties from one person is
limited to ` 2000
I
Wave N Pay contactless card was
launched by which bank?
Punjab National Bank
I
Under the GST regime, tax evasion of
this sum would be considered as the
non-bailable offence ` 5 crore
I
The branches of the associate banks of
SBI started functioning as branches of
SBI from April 1, 2017
I
Which bank has launched an instant
digital Loan Against Securities (LAS)
facility? HDFC
I
How much amount will be provided by
NITI Aayog to every district to
encourage digital payment system?
` 5 Lakh
I
As per an estimate of the IMF, the
projected global economic growth for
2017 is 3.5%
I
What is the India’s GDP growth
forecast for Financial Year 18,
according to the World Bank’s report
‘Globalisation Backlash’? 7.2%
I
Which bank has signed MoU with
CREDAI to work towards providing
housing for all? State Bank of India
I
Which Indian bank has launched a
mobile banking app ‘Mera iMobile’ for
rural customers? ICICI Bank
I
Bandhan Bank Limited has signed an
agreement with a payment solution
provider in Kolkata is
India Avenues India Private Limited
I
The Union government has swapped
the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of
Indian Bank & IDBI Bank
I
The loan amount has been approved by
the World Bank for the National Hydr-
ology Project of India $ 175 Million
I
Who has launched an artificial
intelligence-based chatbot, Electronic
Virtual Assistant (EVA) for customer
services in India? HDFC
I
which bank is now the first bank in the
country to launch Aadhaar Pay?
IDFC Bank
Science & Technology
I
Two Indian warships, …………… visited
Egypt on Indian Navy’s overseas
deployment to the Mediterranean Sea
and the west coast of Africa.
INS Mumbai and INS Aditya
I
Third generation ‘fire and forget’
anti-tank missile that was recently
test-fired by DRDO is ‘Nag’
I
West Bengal decided to set-up a
state-of-the-art plant tissue culture
laboratory at ………… to enhance
production and quality of plants and
vegetables. Kolkata Biotech Park
I
Japan launched a new satellite in
Tanegashima to track land and
maritime movements in North Korea
I
India test-fires ……… surface-to-air
missile from Odisha test range to
neutralise enemy targets up to a
distance of 15 km and at heights
between 20-9000m. ‘Spyder’
Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017
I
Which Indian Navy Ship is currently
undertaking a hydrographic survey of
Weligama Bay along with Sri Lankan
Navy? INS Darshak
I
Saurabh Sing hand Vikas Pandey have
developed a rapid diagnostic method
for typhoid with diagnosis time of
Seven Hours
I
Four new tiny frog species found in
Western Ghats discovered by a team of
researchers from the University of Delhi
and the Kerala Forest Department
I
` 17000 crore deal jointly developing
with Israel a medium-range
surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) for the
Indian army with strike range of 70 km
I
Indian Space Research Organisation is
turning its attention to India’s second
lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2,
scheduled for 2018
I
India successfully test fired Supersonic
cruise missile Brahmos at Balasore
Odisha coast and successful test fired
the extended range beyond 400 km
I
Indian Navy has recently launched
Integrated Automatic Aviation
Meteorological System (IAAMS) at
Rajali Air Station in Tamil Nadu
I
The World's oldest and most
experienced spacewoman is getting
three extra months Peggy Whitson
I
Which bank would be set-up by the
scientists of Indian Veterinary Research
Institute (IVRI), Bareilly? DNA Bank
I
Which airline will become the world’s
first airline to adopt new satellite-based
airplane tracking system?
Malaysia Airlines
I
North-East India’s largest Information
Technology hub has been inaugurated
in which city? Agartala (Tripura)
I
Which fighter aircraft was inducted by
Indian Air Force into 221 Squadron,
‘Valiants’? Su-30MKI
I
NASA successfully launched its
heavy lift Super Pressure Balloon (SPB)
from New Zealand
I
Indian Navy’s indigenously designed
guided missile destroyer ………… was
formally dedicated to the city on
April 17, 2017. INS-Chennai
I
To boost growth in India's iOS
developer community, recently, Apple
has announced the opening of its new
App Accelerator in Bengaluru
I
Agni-II missile is a nuclear-capable,
surface-to-surface missile which forms
a part of India’s strategic forces arsenal
for nuclear deterrence with a range of
over 2000 km
189
I
The Department of
Telecommunications has launched a
web portal called the Tarang Sanchar
I
The land to land configuration of
Brahmos block III version was
launched from a
Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL)
I
The ENOC opened United Arab
Emirates first solar powered gas
station. What is ENOC
Emirates National Oil Company
I
Which Indian organisation has launched
a solar calculator app that can calculate
the benefits of installing solar panels in
different regions of the country? ISRO
I
TAL manufacturing solutions, has
unveiled India’s first ‘conceptualised,
designed and manufactured articulated
industrial robot’ called BRABO
I
Which department has launched a
programme Cyber Physical System
(CPS)?
Department of Science and Technology
I
Tree-dwelling crab Kani Maranjadu
has been found in which State? Kerala
I
The scientists of which country have
identified a soil fungus Aspergillus
tubingensis that uses enzymes to rapidly
break down plastic materials? China
I
‘TMP’ extension refers usually to what
kind of file? Temporary File
I
The transformer that develops the high
voltage in a home television is
commonly called a? Flyback
I
GRAPES-3 Telescope upgrade
to control Solar Storms
I
The scientists have discovered a way to
accurately predict whether a child has
autism spectrum disorder by analysing
Blood Sample
I
Five new sub-atomic particles
discovered at CERN using the
Large Hadron Collider
I
India launched phase-out plan of the
harmful refrigerant HCFC
I
Who has launched a record 104
satellites in a single flight in one go on
board a single rocket PSLV-C37? ISRO
I
Who has unveiled a new communica-
tion radio for the Indian armed forces
(STARS-V Mk III) at the Aero India 2017
show? Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
I
The Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) has successfully
ground tested its indigenously
developed Cryogenic Upper Stage
engine for GSLV Mark III
I
The portal has been launched by the
Union government to ensure trans-
parency in mining operations TAMRA
I
The country who has successfully test
a new version of missile Dongfeng-5C
missile China
I
Who has launched two-wheeler
aggregation service UberMOTO
in Hyderabad? Uber
The Director General of Police Jammu
I
I
The Indian all-round cricketer who
recently became the highest
wicket-taker in Women’s One-Day
Internationals is Jhulan Goswami
I
The winners of the Monte Carlo
Masters Men’s Doubles title are
Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas
I
Ankur Mittal clinched the double trap
gold in the final of the
Shotgun World Cup
I
Norman Isaac has become the first
Indian ever to be promoted by the
International Basketball Federation
(FIBA) as Technical Delegate
I
Which has become the second Indian
woman, after Saina Nehwal, to break
into the top 5 after the latest BWF
world rankings? PV Sindhu
I
Roger Federer claimed a record-
equalling fifth ATP Indian Wells
Masters title with Novak Djokovic
I
……………. became a five-time winner of
the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Tamil Nadu
I
India to host Combined World Cup
2019 for shooting which will be a
qualifying event for the
2020 Tokyo Olympics
I
World Toe Wrestling Championship is
held annually in England
I
The Haryana Education Minister has
been nominated as Chairman of
Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation of
India (ACKFI) for the next four years

Ram Bilas Sharma

and Kashmir SP Vaid has launched
I
‘JPG’ extension refers usually to what
a website suvidhajkpolice.in I
Who has won the India Open
kind of file? Image File
I
The scientists synthesised world’s badminton title 2017? PV Sindhu
I
What are three types of lasers?
strongest material grapheme using I
Who has won Miami Open 2017 at
Gas, Solid State, Diode
Soyabean Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida,
I
‘DTP’ computer abbreviation usually United States? Roger Federer

I
means Desktop Publishing
Name of the two countries which have
Sports I
FIFA (International Federation of
I
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Association Football) has banned
signed two long-term support Guatemala's former football chief for
Patnaikun veiled the logo and mascot
agreements for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI life from all football-related activities
of the Asian athletics championship, is
combat aircraft fleet India and Russia at national and international level
‘Olly the turtle’
I
The SRCC Global Millennium Summit Brayan Jimenez
I
Who became the new owner of the
2017 has started in the city Dubai I
Who has won the 2017 Formula 1
four new Pro Kabaddi League
I
The world’s oldest serving aircraft (PKL)teams in the fifth season of the Chinese Grand Prix tournament
carrier in active service will be tournament, to be played from July to Lewis Hamilton
decommissioned with a ceremonial October,2017. Sachin Tendulkar I
India’s first NBA Basketball School has
send-off in Mumbai INS-Viraat started in the city Mumbai
I
Bajrang Punia of India won gold medal
I
The interceptor missile tracked the on the Asian Wrestling Championship, I
Who has won the 2017 men’s singles
enemy’s ballistic missile and fired from in the men’s 65kg freestyle category at title at Singapore Open Badminton
Interim Test Range at Chandipur the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex tournament? B Sai Praneeth
in Odisha is Prithvi
I
The Chairman of the Cmmittee ICC I
Who has won the 71st edition of
I
Who has successfully test-fired an Cricket Committee is Anil Kumble premier domestic football tournament
anti-ship missile from an indigenously ‘Santosh Trophy’ by defeating Goa at
built INS-Kalvari submarine in
I
The winner of the 2016–17 UEFA
Europa League is Manchester United Bambolim? West Bengal
Arabian sea? Indian-Navy

190 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017

I
Who has won the Deodhar Trophy I
Who has won his third consecutive I
Veteran Hindi Scholar and Novelist
2017 at Visakhapatnam? Tamil Nadu Brazil Open title by beating Albert Surendra Verma Selected for
I
India forward SV Sunil has been named Ramos-Vinolas? 2016 Vyas Samman
Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) Shilpa Shetty appointed as the
the Asian Player of the Year 2016 in I

the senior men’s category by the I

Asian Hockey Federation
I
Who is the newly elected President of
Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India
(AKFI)? Mridul Bhadauria
I
Man Kaur, who has won Gold at the
2017 World Masters Games, is
associated with Sprint
I
Which Indian State has hosted India’s
first ever transgender athletic meet?
Kerala
I
Manpreet Kaur, who recently clinched
Gold at the 2017 Asian Grand Prix
Meet, is associated with Shot Put
I
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)
has offered honorary life membership
to which Indian women cricket player?
Sandhya Agarwal
I
Which Indian cricketer will be
honoured with the 75th Master
Dinanath Mangeshkar award for his
outstanding contribution to Indian
cricket? Kapil Dev
I
Who has won the men’s singles title of
Monte Carlo Masters Tennis
tournament 2017? Rafael Nadal
I
Which State team has won the 2017
National Youth Athletics
Championships Haryana
I
Who has won the award for the 2016
Men’s Player of the Year by the Golf
Industry Association (GIA)?
Shiv Chaurasia
I
Who has become the India’s first
visually impaired runner to compete the
historic Boston Marathon? Sagar Baheti
I
Gayatri Pullela is associated with
which sports? Badminton
I
Who has won the 2017 men’s singles
Singapore Open Badminton
tournament? Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati
I
Who has won the 2017 Asian Billiards
Championship title? Pankaj Advani
I
India has signed sport partnership
agreement with which country to
increase cooperation in sports? Australia
I
Which company has been named as the
official innovation partner for the 2017
ICC Champions Trophy 2017? Intel
I
Who has been honoured as the
Wisdon’s leading cricketer in the
World for 2016? Virat Kohli
I
Which cricket team has won the 2017
Deodhar Trophy? Tamil Nadu
Who has won the bronze in Asian 20 km
Race Walk Championship? KT Irfan
I
Name the Indian sportsperson which
has won silver at 2017 Eden World
Women Snooker Championship
Vidya Pillai
I
Who has won the Vijay Hazare
Trophy 2017? Tamil Nadu
I
Who has won the ATP Indian wells
Masters title in California (USA)?
Roger Federer
I
The new brand ambassador for 2018
ODI Blind Cricket World Cup)
Shahid Afridi
I
Who has won the 2017 ATP Mexico
Open hard court tennis tournament?
Sam Querrey
I
Who has lifted the men’s singles crown
at the All England Open badminton
championships?
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
I
Teenage spinner of Bangladesh has
won the Debutant of the Year Award
for his 19 wickets in the 2 match Test
series against England
Mehedi Hasan Miraj
Miscellaneous
I
The Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar
was awarded ‘The Fellowship Award’
at the Asian Awards in London
I
Prime Minister of Nepal who resigned
recently Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda
I
Ministry that launched the Pt Deen
Dayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill
Excellence Awards
Ministry of Telecommunication
I
Which Indian monument has made it
to the world’s top ten landmarks list?
Taj Mahal
I
Which Indian actress won the best
actress award at the New York Indian
Film Festival (NYIFF) 2017
Konkona Sen Sharma
I
All India Radio (AIR) station that was
honoured with the prestigious ‘Lelte
Award’ is AIR Aizawl
I
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred
the 52nd Jnanpith Award to this
eminent Bengali poet Sankha Ghosh
I
Which was conferred by the CII
President’s Award for Lifetime
Achievement by the President Pranab
Mukherjee? Rahul Bajaj
Ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission
I
Punjab Congress Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh’s biography, ‘The
People’s Maharaja‘, written by
Khushwant Singh
I
Kanungo was appointed as the Deputy
Governor Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
for Three Years
I
Who has been appointed as the new
Chief Justice of the Madras High
Court? Justice Indira Banerjee
I
Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist
passed away in Mumbai after a brief
illness Kishori Amonkar
I
The senior-most judge of Delhi High
Court has been appointed as the acting
Chief justice of Delhi High Court
Justice Gita Mittal
I
India’s first-ever micro-drama festival
‘Thespis’ has started in New Delhi
I
The State has selected for the ‘Krishi
Karman Award 2015-16’ for the
commendable increase in foodgrains
production Himachal Pradesh
I
The movie has won the Best Children’s
Film in the 64th National Awards 2017
Dhanak
I
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
released a book authored by Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New
Delhi Matoshree
I
Who has been posthumously conferred
the 2016 Kirti Chakra award by President
Pranab Mukherjee Lance Havildar
Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar
I
Who has appointed as the MD and
CEO of the LIC Housing Finance?
Vinay Sah
I
Which State government will set-up
‘Book Banks’ in schools to provide old
books to the students? Punjab
I
Who has been selected for 'Rashtriya
Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar 2017?
Bhalkhi Gram Panchayat
I
Writer of novel Mathorubhagan (One
Part Woman) has won the Sahitya
Akademi award 2016 for translation in
English is Perumal Murugan
I
Who will be honoured with the 75th
Master Dinanath Mangeshkar award
for his outstanding contribution to
Indian Cricket? Kapil Dev
I
Who has been honoured with the
Kuldip Nayar journalism award 2017
Ravish Kumar

Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017 191

I
The former President of Germany who I
Who took charge as the Acting Chief I
Indian health institute has won first
passed away recently Roman Herzog Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High prize for sanitation & hygiene under the
I
Who has been sworn-in as the 44th Court? Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar Kayakalp awards 2017 All India Institute
of Medical Sciences New Delhi
Chief Justice of India (CJI)? I
Who has been conferred with the 2017
Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar Harvard Humanitarian of the I
Indian-origin personality has been
I
The author of the book ‘Gandhi in Year award? Robyn Rihanna Fenty awarded the 2017 United Kingdom’s
Champaran’ is DG Tendulkar I
The university who has won the annual (UK) Outstanding Bravery of the
Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best University Year Award Shand Panesar
I
AIIMS becomes India’s first public
hospital for ………… tumours. Eye
2017’ Jawaharlal Nehru University I
Who will be honoured with the
I
Eminent Malayalam journalist and 4th National Yash Chopra Memorial
I
The Central government has informed Award-2017? Shahrukh Khan
the Supreme Court to provide unique author will be presented the
identification number for which 30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya I
Hindi litterateur and playwright has
animal? Cow
Jnanpith organisation been selected for ‘Vyas Samman 2016’
MP Veerendra Kumar is Surendra Verma
I
The prisoners of which country in
Israeli prisons have started a hunger
I
The book ‘The Wrong Turn : Love and I
Which Indian professional hockey
strike? Palestine
Betrayal in the Time of Netaji’ has player has been honoured with an
been authored by Honorary Doctorate Degree by Desh
I
Name the progressive rock and jazz Sanjay Chopra/Namita Roy Ghose Bhagat University? Sandeep Singh
fusion guitar pioneer who passed away
recently. Allan Holds Worth
I
The author of the book ‘Mr. and I
Who is the author of the book ‘A Great
Mrs. Jinnah : The Marriage that Shook Reckoning – A Chief Inspector
I
Former director of the Indian Institute India’? Sheela Reddy Gamache Thriller’? Louise Penny
of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) passed
away at Pune Dev Raj Sikka
I
Who has been conferred honorary I
Who has released the annual year book
degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) by ‘India-2017’ and ‘Bharat-2017’ at a
I
A Nobel-prize winning poet, the city-based Maharashtra Animal function in Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi
playwright, and painter has passed and Fishery Sciences University? Venkaiah Naidu
away at his home in Cap Estate, Mohan Bhagwat
Saint Lucia Derek Alton Walcott
I
The book ‘The Man Who Became Khali’
I
Indian institute has won the 2017 IEEE has been authored by Dalip Singh Rana
I
Who has awarded with 2017 Spectrum Technology in the Service of
Regeneron Science Talent Search?
I
Who has been selected as the new Chief
Society Award IIT-Madras
Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing
Indrani Das I
Who has been crowned the new Miss Director (MD) of National Stock
I
Indian personality has been selected to International Queen 2016? Exchange (NSE) of India Limited?
newly formed United Nations (UN) Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin Vikram Limaye
group on anti-microbial resistance
Soumya Swaminathan. Which
I
Who has honoured with the Harvard I
Who is the author of the book ‘Jobless
institution has topped the Times foundation ‘Artist of the Year 2017’ Clueless Reckless’? Revathi Suresh
Higher Education (THE)’s Asia award in Cambridge? Viola Davis I
Former Union Minister has passed
University ranking 2017 I
Who has became the first Indian away in the after suffering from heart
National University of Singapore (NUS) educational institution to make it to attack E. Ahmad
I
The author of the book ‘When Breath the top 10 of a global ranking for I
Which Former Central Bureau of
Becomes Air’ is Paul Kalanithi
universities? Indian Institute of Science Investigation (CBI) Chief has passed
(IISc), Bangaluru
I
Indian-American personality has won away? Joginder Singh
the National Science Foundations
I
Which Indian city has topped in city I
The World Cancer Day is observed
(NSF)’s Career Award 2017 Anshumali governance ranking of the Annual every year on February 4
Survey of India’s City Systems (ASICS)
I
The author of the book ‘So You Want 2016? Thiruvananthapuram I
Which renowned actress and wife of
to Know About the Environment’ is film maker Mrinal Sen has
Bijal Vachharajani
I
Who is the author of the book ‘Army passed away? Gita Sen
and Nation : The Military and Indian
I
The author of the book ‘The Democracy since Independence’? I
Rajasthan Freedom fighter passed
Sleepwalker’s Dream : A Novel’ is Steven Wilkinson away in Sriganganagar district
Dhrubajyoti Borah of Rajasthan? Mohan Singh Josan
I
Who took charge as Chairperson of
I
Who has launched the world’s first National Commission for Scheduled I
Who has won the prestigious award
mobile app on breast health? Tribes (NCST) recently? ‘The Hindu Prize’? Kiran Doshi
Amitabh Bachchan Nand Kumar Sai I
Who has won the 2016 TS Eliot Prize
I
Who has became the new Chief I
The author of the book ‘Hema Malini : for poetry? Jacob Polley
Minister of Uttar Pradesh? Beyond the Dream Girl’ is I
Indian cricketer has been inducted into
Yogi Adityanath Ram Kamal Mukherjee Legends Club ‘Hall of Fame’? Kapil Dev
I
Who has been appointed as the Chief I
Who is the author of the book ‘Every I
Indian film has won the best motion
Secretary of Punjab? Karan Avtar Singh Time It Rains’? Nikitha Singh picture award at the 2017 Golden
Globes awards? Moonlight

192 Current Affairs Half Yearly 2017