Christine Lagarde has been re-appointed as its Managing Director for a second five-year term after an uncontested election. The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday selected 60-year-old Lagarde to serve as IMF Managing Director for a second five-year term starting on July 5, 2016, IMF said in a statement.

The Board’s decision was taken by consensus. France’s former finance minister secured early backing from many of the fund’s most powerful members when the IMF’s executive board launched the selection process in January, keeping other contenders from making an alternate bid and ensuring her a second term.

President Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Geoscience Awards – 2014 today on Tuesday at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said that availability and use of minerals in any country has been one of the factors determining self-sufficiency of its economy. These natural resources have to be explored, extracted, refined and processed to use them for national building. At the same time, we must understand that sustenance of mankind depends only on environmentally sustainable mining practices. Our effort to use our natural resources should be informed by the dangers of natural and man made disasters. He stated that he was happy to note that the Geo scientists of the country are working hard to meet these challenges. The diverse fields work of the awardees are testimony to this inherent spread of the geo scientific developments in the country.

Here is the list of National Geo science Award – 2014

The World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2016 was observed on 15 March 2016. The day was celebrated by the Consumers International (CI) across the world with the theme Antibiotics off the Menu. The theme was taken up to ensure that fast food companies make a global commitment to stop the sale of meat raised with the routine use of antibiotics important to human medicine.

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday released revised pensionary benefits under One Rank One Pension (OROP) to over two lakh beneficiaries drawing service or disability pension. The amount along with first instalment of arrears had been released and credited by the Defence Ministry to the accounts of pensioners on March 1, 2016.

“In the case of remaining 1,46,335 family pensioners drawing pension from Departmental Pension Drawing Officers ( DPDOs), payment along with arrears is expected to be released by March end. Banks are under process of revision work,” a Ministry of Defence press release explains.

The total additional annual financial increase for grant of One Rank One Pension (OROP) is Rs 7488.70 crores. The total amount on account of arrears to be paid for the period July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015 is Rs 10925.11 crores.

The release states,” Out of total annual liability of Rs 7488.70 crores, Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) family pensioners shall get Rs 6,405.59 crores, which works out to 85.5% of total expenditure of OROP.”

Due to increase in defence pension budget, the additional liability for current financial year 2015-16 shall be Rs 4,721.34 crores which will increase the current defence pension liability of Rs 60,238 crores to Rs. 64,959.34 crores for the year 2015-16.

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world. The official website for the day says: “Celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. “Yet let’s also be aware progress has slowed in many places across the world, so urgent action is needed to accelerate gender parity. Leaders across the world are pledging to take action as champions of gender parity.

Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar will be conferred the 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015. A five member jury consisted of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Salim Khan, Nitin Mukesh and Anup Jalota unanimously recommended Kumar for the prestigious Award. Manoj Kumar is remembered for his films Hariyali Aur Raasta, Woh Kaun Thi, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Do Badan, Upkaar, Patthar Ke Sanam, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, and Kranti. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes.

Logical Reasoning Aptitude questions answers (MCQ) are important for BANK PO, Clerk, IBPS, SBI-PO, RBI, MBA, MAT, CAT, IIFT, IGNOU, SSC CGL, CBI, CPO, CLAT, CTET, NDA, CDS, Specialist Officers and other competitive exams. Statement and Argument Questions Answers (MCQ) of Logical Reasoning include questions based on Statements and Arguments which are important for all competitive exams.

Directions to Solve: In each question below is given a statement followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. You have to consider the statement and the following assumptions and decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement.
(A) If only assumption I is implicit
(B) If only assumption II is implicit
(C) If either I or II is implicit
(D) If neither I nor II is implicit
(E) If both I and II are implicit.

1.Statement: “You are hereby appointed as a programmer with a probation period of one year and your performance will be reviewed at the end of the period for confirmation.” – A line in an appointment letter.
Assumptions:
I. The performance of an individual generally is not known at the time of appointment offer.
II. Generally an individual tries to prove his worth in the probation period.

2.Statement: It is desirable to put the child in school at the age of 5 or so.
Assumptions:
I. At that age the child reaches appropriate level of development and is ready to learn.
II. The schools do not admit children after six years of age.

3.Statement: “In order to bring punctuality in our office, we must provide conveyance allowance to our employees.” – In charge of a company tells Personnel Manager.
Assumptions:
I. Conveyance allowance will not help in bringing punctuality.
II. Discipline and reward should always go hand in hand.

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The student leader in his fiery address took a dig at PM Modi, the BJP, Smriti Irani and RSS along with emphasizing his stand on wanting “freedom in India, not freedom from India”. Here are the top 10 quotes from his speech:

# We will fight for Umar (Khalid) and Anirban (Bhattacharya). Let the courts decide what is ‘deshdroh’ (anti-national) and what is ‘deshbhakti’ (patriotism), Madam Smriti Irani will not decide this because we are not her children.

# Modiji was talking about Stalin and Khrushchev in Parliament. When I heard him speaking I felt like jumping into the TV screen, grabbing his suit and saying — ‘Modiji, please speak about Hitler a little’. Forget about Hitler, talk about Mussolini whose black cap you wear, who (RSS founder M S) Golwalkar sahab went to meet.

# They said I raised slogans about freedom. They asked me why I wanted freedom from India. But I want to set this straight. I do not want freedom from India, but freedom in India.

# Modiji tweeted Satyamev Jayate. I also say ‘PMji, I have huge differences in opinion with you, but Satyamev Jayate is from the Constitution. Today, I also say to you Satyamev Jayate’.

# A BJP MP in parliament said that ‘jawans are dying on the border’. I want to ask you. Is your brother there? In this country, the crores of farmers who are dying.

# Do not try to separate the constable, the farmer, the soldier, poor people like me, by creating distorted binaries. I salute the soldiers but have you ever thought of their families, the families of farmers who are forced to commit suicide?

# I told my mother that she took a nice dig at Modiji. But my mother said she was not taking a dig at him, she was only expressing her pain. Those who understand that pain, cry, and those who do not understand, laugh.

# If you speak against this anti-people government, then their cyber-cell will send doctored videos, they will abuse you and count how many condoms there are in your dustbin.

# 69 per cent of the country do not believe in your (BJP) ideology. Even the 31 per cent who voted for you were fooled by your jumla. We Indians forget easily but we still remember all the ‘jumla’ used during election campaign.

# All this was planned. All this was planned to derail the movement seeking justice for Rohith Vemula and Occupy UGC (the recent agitation against the proposed scrapping of PhD fellowships). I have not said this before, but my family earns Rs 3,000 a month. Without JNU, I would not be able to do a PhD.

Cheque Truncation System (CTS) was pioneered by the Reserve Bank of India – RBI, for faster clearing of cheques. It involves sending an electronic image of the cheque together with its Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) data, and other relevant fields like date of presentation, presenting bank’s name, etc. This procedure would eliminate the need for physical transfer of cheques across branches, except in certain cases

Directions to Solve: In each question below is given a statement followed by two courses of action numbered I and II. You have to assume everything in the statement to be true and on the basis of the information given in the statement, decide which of the suggested courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing.

(A) If only I follows
(B) If only II follows
(C) If either I or II follows
(D) If neither I nor II follows
(E) If both I and II follow.

1. Statement: A large number of people in ward X of the city are diagnosed to be suffering from a fatal malaria type.

Courses of Action:

1. The city municipal authority should take immediate steps to carry out extensive fumigation in ward X.
2. The people in the area should be advised to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.
3. Statement: Severe drought is reported to have set in several parts of the country.

Courses of Action:

1. Government should immediately make arrangement for providing financial assistance to those affected.
2. Food, water and fodder should immediately be sent to all these areas to save the people and cattle.
   1. Statement: Since its launching in 1981, Vayudoot has so far accumulated losses amounting to Rs 153 crore.

Courses of Action:

1. Vayudoot should be directed to reduce wasteful expenditure and to increase passenger fare.
2. An amount of about Rs 300 crore should be provided to Vayudoot to make the airliner economically viable.
   1. Statement: Exporters in the capital are alleging that commercial banks are violating a Reserve Bank of India directive to operate a post shipment export credit denominated in foreign currency at international rates from January this year.

Courses of Action:

1. The officers concerned in the commercial banks are to be suspended.
2. The RBI should be asked to stop giving such directives to commercial banks.

Download practice Set Click here

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has presented the Union Budget 2016. With an eye on supporting the small tax-payer and the small investor, the Minister announced a slew of schemes, and income tax exemptions. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley did not change income tax slabs in his third Budget, but he did tweak some deductions and announced multiple new cesses, which will impact tax liability for the common man.

Highlights of Union Budget 2016

Tax

• Infrastructure and agriculture cess to be levied.
• Excise duty raised from 10 to 15 per cent on tobacco products other than beedis
• 1 per cent service charge on purchase of luxury cars over Rs. 10 lakh and in-cash purchase of goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh.
• SUVs, Luxury cars to be more expensive. 4% high capacity tax for SUVs.
• Companies with revenue less than Rs 5 crore to be taxed at 29% plus surcharge
• Limited tax compliance window from Jun 1 – Sep 30 for declaring undisclosed income at 45% incl. surcharge and penalties
• Excise 1 per cent imposed on articles of jewellery, excluding silver.
• 0.5 per cent Krishi Kalyan Cess to be levied on all services.
• Pollution cess of 1 per cent on small petrol, LPG and CNG cars; 2.5 per cent on diesel cars of certain specifications; 4 per cent on higher-end models.
• Dividend in excess of Rs. 10 lakh per annum to be taxed at additional 10 per cent.

Personal Finance

• No changes have been made to existing income tax slabs
• Rs 1,000 crore allocated for new EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund) scheme
• Govt. will pay EPF contribution of 8.33% for all new employees for first three years
• Deduction for rent paid will be raised from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000 to benefit those living in rented houses.
• Additional exemption of Rs. 50,000 for housing loans up to Rs. 35 lakh, provided cost of house is not above Rs. 50 lakh.
• Service tax exempted for housing construction of houses less than 60 sq. m
• 15 per cent surcharge on income above Rs. 1 crore

Social

• Rs. 38,500 crore for Mahatma Gandhi MGNREGA for 2016-17
• Swacch Bharat Abhiyan allocated Rs.9,500 crores.
• Hub to support SC/ST entrpreneurs
• Government is launching a new initiative to provide cooking gas to BPL families with state support.
• LPG connections to be provided under the name of women members of family: Rs 2000 crore allocated for 5 years for BPL families.
• 2.87 lakh crore grants to gram panchayats and municipalities – a quantum jump of 228%.
• 300 urban clusters to be set up under Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
• Four schemes for animal welfare.

Health

• 2.2 lakh renal patients added every year in India. Basic dialysis equipment gets some relief.
• A new health protection scheme for health cover upto 1 lakh per family.
• National Dialysis Service Prog with funds thru PPP mode to provide dialysis at all district hospitals.
• Senior citizens will get additional healthcare cover of Rs 30,000 under the new scheme
• PM Jan Aushadhi Yojana to be strengthened, 300 generic drug store to be opened

Education

• Scheme to get Rs.500 cr for promoting entrepreneurship among SC/ST
• 10 public and 10 private educational institutions to be made world-class.
• Digital repository for all school leaving certificates and diplomas. Rs. 1,000 crore for higher education financing.
• Rs. 1,700 crore for 1500 multi-skill development centres.
• 62 new navodaya vidyalayas to provide quality education
• Digital literacy scheme to be launched to cover 6 crore additional rural households
• Entrepreneurship training to be provided across schools, colleges and massive online courses.
• Objective to skill 1 crore youth in the next 3 years under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojna-FM Jaitley
• National Skill Development Mission has imparted training to 76 lakh youth. 1500 Multi-skill training institutes to be set up.

Energy

• Rs. 3000 crore earmarked for nuclear power generation
• Govt drawing comprehensive plan to be implemented in next 15-20 years for exploiting nuclear energy
• Govt to provide incentive for deepwater gas exploration
• Deepwater gas new disc to get calibrated market freedom, pre-determined ceiling price based on landed price of alternate fuels.

Investments and infrastructure

• Rs. 27,000 crore to be spent on roadways
• 65 eligible habitats to be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road. Current construction pace is 100 kms/day
• Shops to be given option to remain open all seven days in a week across markets.
• Rs. 55,000 crore for roads and highways. Total allocation for road construction, including PMGSY, – Rs 97,000 crore
• India’s highest-ever production of motor vehicles was recorded in 2015
• Total outlay for infrastructure in Budget 2016 now stands at Rs. 2,21,246 crore
• New greenfield ports to be developed on east and west coasts
• Revival of underserved airports. Centre to Partner with States to revive small airports for regional connectivity
• 100 per cent FDI in marketing of food products produced and marketed in India
• Dept. of Disinvestment to be renamed as Dept. of Investment and Public Asset Management
• Govt will amend Motor Vehicle Act in passenger vehicle segment to allow innovation.
• MAT will be applicable for startups that qualify for 100 per cent tax exemption
• Direct tax proposals result in revenue loss of Rs.1060 crore, indirect tax proposals result in gain of Rs.20,670 crore

Agriculture

• Total allocation for agriculture and farmer welfare at Rs 35984 crores
• 28.5 lakh hectares of land wil be brought under irrigation.
• 5 lakh acres to be brought under organic farming over a three year period
• Rs 60,000 crore for recharging of ground water recharging as there is urgent need to focus on drought hit areas cluster development for water conservation.
• Dedicated irrigation fund in NABARD of Rs.20.000 cr
• Nominal premium and highest ever compensation in case of crop loss under the PM Fasal Bima Yojna.

Banking

• Banks get a big boost: Rs 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of public sector banks. Jaitley says: Banking Board Bureau will be operationalised, we stand solidly behind public sector banks.
• Target of disbursement under MUDRA increased to 1,80,000 crore
• Process of transfer of government stake in IDBI Bank below 50% started
• General Insurance companies will be listed in the stock exchange.
• Govt to increase ATMs, micro-ATMs in post offices in next three years.

Following is a list of items that will turn costlier

1.Cars
2.Cigarettes
3.Cigar
4.Tobacco
5.All services like bill payments, eating out, air travel
6.Ready made garments and branded apparel of more than Rs 1,000
7.Gold and Silver; jewelery articles excluding silver
8.Water including mineral water, aerated water containing added sugar or sweetening matter
9.Goods and services above Rs 2 lakh in cash
10.Aluminum foil
11.Air Travel
12. Plastic bags and sacks
13.Ropeway, cable car rides
14.Imported imitation jewellery
15.Industrial solar water heater
16.Legal services
17.Lottery tickets
18.Traveling by hiring stage carriage
19.Hiring of packers & movers
20.E-reading devices
21. Instruments for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
22.Imported Golf Cars
23. Gold bars

Following is a list items that will turn cheaper

1.Footwear
2.Solar lamp
3.Router, broadband modems and set top boxes, Digital video recorder and CCTV cameras
4.Hybrid electric vehicles
5.Sterilised dialyser
6.Low cost houses with less than 60 sq mt carpet area
7.Hiring of folk artists for performance
8.Refrigerated containers
9.Pension plans
10.Microwave ovens
11.Sanitary pads
12.Braille paper.

Theme of the Budget Overcoming challenges – Reorganize, Restructure Rejuvenate Indian Railways: ‘Chalo, Milkar Kuch Naya Karen’

Three pillars of the strategy i.e. Nav Arjan – New revenues, Nav Manak – New norms, Nav Sanrachna – New Structures.

• Financial Performance 2015-16- Savings of Rs. 8,720 crore neutralizing most of the revenue shortfall, expected OR 90%;
• 2016-17- Targeted Operating Ratio (OR) – 92%, restrict growth of Ordinary Working Expenses by 11.6% after building in immediate impact of 7th PC, reductions planned in diesel and electricity consumption, Revenue generation targeted at Rs. 1,84,820 crore.
• Investments and Resources
  By 2020, long-felt desires of the common man to be fulfilled i.e, reserved accommodation on trains available on demand, time tabled freight trains, high end technology to improve safety record, elimination of all unmanned level crossings, improved punctuality, higher average speed of freight trains, semi high speed trains running along the golden quadrilateral, zero direct discharge of human waste.
• 2015-16-Achievements Action initiated on 139 budget announcements of 2015-16.
  Project execution 2015-16 – assured funding through LIC; commissioning of 2,500 kms Broad Gauge lines; commissioning of 1,600 kms of electrification, highest ever.
• In 2016-17 – targeted commissioning 2,800 kms of track; commissioning Broad Gauge lines @ over 7 kms per day against an average of about 4.3 kms per day in the last 6 years. Would increase to about 13 kms per day in 2017-18 and 19 kms per day in 2018-19; will generate employment of about 9 crore man days in 2017-18 and 14 crore man days in 2018-19. Outlay for railway electrification increased in 2016-17 by almost 50%; target to electrify 2,000 kms.
• Jammu and Kashmir Work on Katra-Banihal section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project progressing satisfactorily- 35 kms of tunnelling out of total of 95 kms completed; Decongestion work on Jalandhar – Jammu line in full swing and doubling of two bridges to be commissioned by March 2016, while the other two bridges will be completed by 2016-17.
• Make in India: Finalised bids for two loco factories; proposed to increase the current procurement of train sets by 30%. Capacity Building for the future through:
• Digital India: application of Track Management System (TMS) launched, inventory management module of TMS has resulted in inventory reduction by 27,000 MT resulting in saving of Rs.64 crore and scrap identification of 22,000 MT equivalent to Rs.53 crore. The Way Ahead Improving quality of travel For the unreserved passenger –
• Antyodaya Express unreserved, super fast service.
• Deen Dayalu coaches – unreserved coaches with potable water and higher number of mobile charging points. For the reserved passenger.
• Humsafar – fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals
• Tejas – will showcase the future of train travel in India. Will operate at speeds of 130 kmph and above.Will offer on board services such as entertainment, local cuisine, WiFi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction. Humsafar and Tejas to ensure cost recovery through tariff and non-tariff measures.
• UDAY – overnight double-decker, Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri Express on the busiest routes, has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%. Ticketing: Sale of tickets through hand held terminals; e-ticketing facility to foreign debit/credit cards; bar coded tickets, scanners and access control on a pilot basis.
• Rail Mitra Sewa: expanding Sarathi Seva in Konkan Railway to help the old and disabled passengers, strengthening the existing services for enabling passengers to book battery operated cars, porter services, etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop, and wheel chair services.
• SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) Coaches – design and layout of our coaches to ensure higher carrying capacity and provision of new amenities including automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible dustbins, ergonomic seating, improved aesthetics, vending machines, entertainment screens, LED lit boards for advertising, PA system.
• Mobile Apps – integrate all facilities into two mobile apps dealing with ticketing issues and for receipt and redressal of complaints and suggestions. Improving customer interface- skilling our front-end staff and those we employ through our service providers, information boards in trains enumerating the on-board services and also GPS based digital displays inside coaches to provide real time information regarding upcoming halts. Work underway on installation of a high-tech centralized network of 20,000 screens across 2000 stations for enabling real time flow of information to passengers and also unlock huge advertising potential. All A1 class stations will be manned with duly empowered Station Directors supported by cross functional teams; to make one person accountable for all facilities on trains.
• EPC projects standard document finalized, will implement at least 20 projects through this mode in 2016-17; by 2017-18, endeavour to award all works valuing above Rs. 300 crore through EPC contracts.
• Sashaktikaran – Improving our planning practices To set up a Railway Planning & Investment Organisation for drafting medium (5 years) and long (10 years) term corporate plans; identify projects which fulfill the corporate goal. Prepare a National Rail Plan to harmonise and integrate the rail network with other modes of transport and create synergy for achieving seamless multi-modal transportation network across the country. Aekikaran – Consolidation: Forming a holding company of companies owned by IR
• Gross Traffic Receipts kept at Rs 1,84,820 crore . Passenger earnings growth has been pegged at 12.4 % and earnings target budgeted at Rs. 51,012 crore. The freight traffic is pegged at incremental traffic of 50 million tonnes, anticipating a healthier growth in the core sector of economy. Goods earnings is accordingly proposed at Rs. 1, 17,933 crore. Other coaching and sundries projected at Rs. 6,185 crore and Rs. 9,590.3 crore respectively.
• OWE provides for the implementation of the 7th CPC.
• Pension outgo budgeted at Rs 45,500 crore in 2016-17.
• Higher staff cost and pension liability impacts the internal resource position of the Railways. Accordingly, appropriation to DRF from revenue placed at Rs 3,200 crore and that from Production Units at Rs 200 crore. A withdrawal of Rs 3,160 crore from DRF on net basis proposed though the gross expenditure to be met from DRF in the Annual Plan estimated at Rs 7,160 crore. Rs 5,750 crore proposed to be appropriated to the Capital fund. With a draw-down of Rs 1,250 crore from previous balances in the fund, plan requirement of Rs 7,000 crore for repayment of principal component of lease charges to IRFC met.
• Railways are preparing a Plan size of Rs. 1,21,000 crore in 2016-17

Full E-Book Railway Budget Click here

Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India Limited (MSEI) on 22 February 2016 appointed Udai Kumar as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment was approved by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
The SEBI’s approval comes after a stringent short-listing process and interviews by the selection committee to select a suitable candidate for the role.

In order to enhance economic cooperation and strengthen financial stability, RBI has extended the USD 2 billion currency swap arrangement to SAARC nations till mid-November 2017. The Reserve Bank said that it has decided to extend the SAARC Currency Swap Arrangement till November 14, 2017. Under the arrangement, RBI is to offer swap arrangement up to an overall amount of USD 2 billion both in foreign currency and Indian rupee.

The SAARC Swap Arrangement was offered by the RBI to SAARC nations on November 15, 2012. The facility will be available to all SAARC member countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The swap amount available to various member central banks has been arrived at broadly based on two months import cover subject to a floor of USD 100 million and a maximum of USD 400 million per country

Q1. Since 1950-51 the annual growth rate that the Indian Railways have recorded in terms of freight traffic is approximately
(a) 3%
(b) 4%
(c) 4.3%
(d) 6%
Ans. C)
Q2. Railway finances separated from general revenues in the year
(a) 1924–25
(b) 1930–31
(c) 1950–51
(d) 1951–52
Ans. a)
Q3. What is the maximum speed touched by the fastest train in India?
(a) 120 km/h
(b) 130 km/h
(c) 135 km/h
(d) l40 km/h
Ans. d)
Q4. Which one is not a port on the east coast?
(a) Kolkata
(b) Kochi
(c) Paradeep
(d) Vishakhapatnam
Ans. b)
Q5. ‘One of the most daunting engineering tasks under-taken by the Indian railways, across the wilderness of the Eastern Ghats’. This description fits the
(a) Konkan railway connecting Trivandrum with Mumbai
(b) Koraput–Rayagada rail line
(c) Guwahati–Silchar rail line
(d) Dibrugarh–Gorakhpur rail line
Ans. b)

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Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma died on 4 March 2016. He was 68 years old. He is  survived by daughter Agatha Sangma, former Minister of State in the UPA-led Government and Conrad Sangma, the Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

In independent India’s history, he was the first tribal person to hold the post of cabinet minister in 1995. He was also the first tribal person to become the Lok Sabha Speaker in 1996.

Dr. Shahid Rasool, a communication technology specialist, has taken charge as the new director of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia(CEMCA).

A Fulbright Fellow with an MS in communication technology from Syracuse University, Rasool will guide CEMCA – an arm of the Vancouver-based Commonwealth of Learning (COL) – in its mission to ensure effective utilisation of educational media resources for distance education.

Rasool, who also has a doctorate in mass communication and journalism from the University of Kashmir, was earlier director of the university’s Educational Multimedia Research Centre.

Headquartered in New Delhi, CEMCA was set up in 1994 in response to calls by Asian Commonwealth countries for a greater focus on distance education.

World Population Day 2016 would be celebrated all over the world by the people on 11thof July at Monday.World Population Day has gained much popularity with support from organizations and masses around the world. It also focuses on challenges presented by world of 7 billion people. Reproductive Health services are one of the main targets set by UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) by 2015. So World Population Day is observed in more than 200 countries to bring awareness to people about importance of small families and living healthy lives. On this day, several programs are initiated to educate people about family planning methods. The day is observed every year to bring awareness in people about living a healthy life with benefits of having a small family.

World Population Day was observed on 11 July 2016 with theme Investing in teenage girls. The theme focuses on the empowerment of teenage girls.

“On this World Environment Day, I urge people and governments everywhere to overcome indifference, combat greed and act to preserve our natural heritage for the benefit of this and future generations.” — Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

World Environment Day aims to inspire more people than ever before to take action to prevent the growing strain on planet Earth’s natural systems from reaching the breaking point. The2016 theme highlights the fight against the illegal trade in wildlife, which erodes precious biodiversity and threatens the survival of elephants, rhinos and tigers, as well as many other species. It also undermines our economies, communities and security. This year’s slogan “Go Wild for Life” encourages you to spread the word about wildlife crime and the damage it does, and to challenge all those around you to do what they can to prevent it.

2016 Theme: Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife

The booming illegal trade in wildlife products is eroding Earth’s precious biodiversity, robbing us of our natural heritage and driving whole species to the brink of extinction. The killing and smuggling is also undermining economies and ecoystems, fuelling organized crime, and feeding corruption and insecurity across the globe.

Wildlife crime endangers iconic elephants, rhinos, tigers, gorillas and sea turtles. In 2011, a subspecies of Javan rhino went extinct in Vietnam, while the last western black rhinos vanished from Cameroon the same year. Great apes have disappeared from Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo, and other countries could quickly follow. Lesser-known victims include helmeted hornbills and pangolins, as well as wild orchids and timbers like Rosewood – flowers and timber are also considered wildlife! Learn more about this year’s World Environment Day theme.

Host Country: Angola

This year’s World Environment Day celebrations are hosted by Angola, a country seeking to restore its elephant herds, conserve Africa’s biodiversity-rich wildlife, and safeguard the environment as it continues to rebuild after more than a quarter-century of civil war.

“Angola is delighted to host World Environment Day, which will focus on an issue close to our hearts,” said Angolan Environment Minister Maria de Fatima Jardim. “The illegal wildlife trade, particularly the trade in ivory and rhino horn, is a major problem across our continent. By hosting this day of celebration and awareness-raising, we aim to send a clear message that such practices will soon be eradicated.” See more information on the host country.

Directions (1-5) : Rearrange the given six sentences/group of sentences A, B, C, D, E and Fin a proper sequence so as to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the given questions. A. Anansi was just about to eat them when he noticed smoke in the distance. He learnt from the cassava that the smoke was from the town of rice. B. “Rice is much better than cassava!” Saying this Anansi promptly journeyed to the town of rice. When he reached there he noticed smoke in the distance. So he left the rice village and headed for the smoke, greedily thinking that he’d get something better. C. Alas, when he reached there he found it was his own village and he had no food for the villagers or himself. Greed had got him nowhere. D. He left his village to find food for his people and himself. After walking miles and miles he saw smoke from a distant village. E. Anansi, the spider was very unhappy. There was a drought and all his people were starving. F. When he reached, the only food he found was cassava. The cassava asked Anansi, “Would you like us roasted, fried or boiled?” Anansi told them that he did not have a particular choice and so they roasted themselves.

1. Which of the following should be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after the rearrangement?

(1) A

(2) B

(3) C

(4) E

(5) F

Solution: 3

1. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement?

(1) A

 (2) B

(3) D

(4) E

(5) F

Solution: 4

1. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement?

(1) A

(2) B

(3) C

(4) E

 (5) F

Solution: 2

1. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?

(1) A

(2) C

(3) D

(4) E

(5) F

Solution: 3

1. Which of the following should be the THIRD sentence after the rearrangement?

(1) A

(2) C

(3) D

(4) E

(5) F 
Solution : 5

Directions (6­-10): Read each of the following sentences to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. Select the part with the error as your answer. If there is no error, select `No error’ as your answer. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any)  

1. It seems like that I (1)/ am the most (2)/ beautiful girl on(3)/ this planet.(4) No error(5)

Solution: 1 

1. Whoever covers the longer distance (1)/ and returns home before sunset (2)/ will get wealth in proportionate to (3)/ the distance they cover.(4) No error(5)

Solution: 4

1. Shyam realised (1)/ his mistake and (2)/ recognised the importance (3)/ of practicality in life.(4) No error(5)

Solution: 5

1. Two little boys were (1)/ playing together,(2)/ when one them saw/(3) a nut on the ground.(4) No error(5)

Solution: 3

1. Nick’s father was (1)/ a hardworking man(2)/ and hardly spend any time(3)/ with his son.(4) No error(5)

Solution: 3

Directions (11­-15): In each of these questions, sentence with four bold words is given. One from four words given in the bold may be either wrongly spelt or inappropriate in the context of the sentence. Find out the word which is wrongly spelt or inappropriate. If any, that word will be your answer. If all the words given in the bold are correctly spelt and also appropriate in the context of the sentence, then All correct’ is your answer.

1. Soon farmers will be able (1)/ to sell their produce to whoever they want to instead (2)/ of only to wholesale (3)/ tradars.(4)/ All correct(5)

Solution: 4

1. ‘La Nina’ is a weather phenomenon which (1)/ is associated (2)/ with abundant (3)/ rainfall in India say experts. (4)/ All correct(5)

 Solution: 2

1. With the aim (1)/ of achieving xero (2)/ accidents,(3)/ the Indian Railways has sought funds to upgrade(4)/ tracks and signalling systems. All correct (5)

Solution: 2

1. It is better (1)/ to go slow (2)/ on labour reforms and hold (3)/ discussions with all parties(4)/ concerned with the matter. All correct (5)

Solution: 5

1. Payments bank can collectt (1)/ deposits and offer (2)/ different payment solutions to customers but are not allowed (3)/ to lend.(4)/ All correct(5)

Solution: 1

Directions (16-­25): Read the passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions. Long time ago, in a forest, there lived a young antelope. He was fond of the fruits of a particular tree. In a village bordering the forest, there lived a hunter who captured and killed antelopes for various reasons. He used to set traps for animals under fruit­bearing trees. When the animal came to eat the fruit, it would be caught in the trap. He would then take it away and kill it for its meat. One day, while visiting the forest in search of game, the hunter happened to see the antelope under its favourite tree, eating fruit. He was delighted. ‘What a big, plump antelope!’ he thought. ‘I must catch him. I will get a lot of money from selling his meat.’ Thereafter, for many days, the hunter kept track of the antelope’s movements. He realised that the antelope was remarkably vigilant and fleet footed animal that it would be virtually impossible for him to track him down. However, he had a weakness for that particular tree. The crafty concluded that he could use this weakness to capture him. Early one morning, the hunter entered the forest with some logs of wood. He climbed the tree and put up a machan (platform used by hunters) on one of its branches by tying the logs together. Having set his trap at the foot of the tree, he then took up position on the machan and waited for the antelope. He strewed a lot of iy ,ovef mrui bts eo rn2thoeig6round beneath the 11.004.3, tree to conceal the trap and lure the antelope. Soon, the antelope came strolling along. He was very hungry and was eagerly looking forward to his usual breakfast of delicious ripe fruits. On the tree­top, the hunter, having sighted him, sat with bated breath, willing him to come closer and step into his trap. However, the antelope was no fool. As he neared the tree he stopped short. The number of fruits lying under the tree seemed considerably more than usual. Surely, something was amiss, decided the antelope. He paused just out of reach of the tree and carefully began examining the ground. Now, he saw what distinctly looked like a human footprint. Without going closer, he looked suspiciously at the tree. The hunter was well hidden in its thick foliage, nevertheless the antelope, on close scrutiny, was now sure that his suspicions had not been unfounded. He could see a corner of the machan peeping out of the leaves. Meanwhile the hunter was getting desperate. Suddenly, he had a brainwave. Let me try throwing some fruit at him,’ he thought. So the hunter plucked some choice fruits and hurled them in the direction of the antelope. Alas, instead of luring him closer, it only confirmed his fears! Raising his voice, he spoke in the direction of the tree —”Listen, my dear tree, until now you have always dropped your fruits on the earth. Today, you have started throwing them at me! This is the most unlikely action of yours and I’m not sure I like the change! Since you have changed your habits, I too will change mine. I will get my fruits from a different tree from now on­one that still acts like a tree!’ The hunter realised that the antelope had outsmarted him with his cleverness. Parting the leaves to reveal himself, he I grabbed his javelin and flung it wildly at the antelope. But the clever antelope was well prepared for any such action on his part. Giving a saucy chuckle, he leapt nimbly out of the harm’s way.

1. As mentioned in the story, which of the following can be said about the hunter? (1) He was a very good cook. (2) He was not as smart as the antelope. (3) He was growing old. (4) He had never missed any of his prey. (5) He was humane.

Solution: 2

1. Which of the following is most nearly the same in meaning as the word ‘AMISS’ as used in the story? (1) Perfect (2) Forgotten (3) Obvious (4) Assumed (5) Fishy

Solution: 2

1. Which of the following statements is true in the context of the story? (1) The hunter captured antelopes only for their skin. (2) The hunter came to know about the antelope through his friends. (3) The hunter learnt his lesson eventually and never killed any antelope. (4) The hunter and the antelope lived in the same village. (5) None of the given statements is true. Solution: 5
2. Which of the following is most nearly the opposite in meaning as the word ‘VIGILANT’ as used in the story?

(1) High

(2) Loyal

(3) Rigid

(4) Inattentive

(5) Alert

Solution: 4

1. As mentioned in the story, the antelope told the tree that he would not have its fruits anymore as……………. A. he had sensed danger as everything around the tree appeared different than usual. B. he felt insulted by the tree. C. he started liking fruits from the adjacent tree as they were more juicy.

(1) Only A

(2) Both A and B

(3) Only B

(4) Both A and C

(5) Only C

 Solution: 1

1. As mentioned in the story, the hunter prepared a machan on the tree to……….

(A) live peacefully

(B)keep a watch on the entire forest.

(C)catch his prey.

(1) Only A  

(2) Only C

(3) Only B

(4) Both A and C

(5) None of the given options

Solution: 2

1. Which of the following could be a suitable title to the story?

(1) The Hunter Who Loved Fruits

(2) The Lazy Hunter

(3) The Clever Antelope

(4) The Hunter and His Love for Wild Animals

(5) Antelopes­ an Endangered Species

Solution : 3

1. Which of the following is most nearly the opposite in meaning as the word ‘PLUMP’ as used in the story?

(1) Hefty

(2) Chirpy

(3) Long

(4) Boring

(5) Lean

Solution: 5

1. Which of the following correctly explains the meaning of the phrase, ‘bated breath’ as used in the story?

(1) Turned blue

(2) Without breathing at all

(3) Waited anxiously

(4) Bad breath

(5) Unconscious

Solution: 3

1. Which of the following is most nearly the same in meaning as the word ‘LURE’ as used in the story? (1) Lie (2) Beat , (3) Fight (4) Attract (5) Hit

Solution: 4

Directions (26­-30): In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer to each question out of the five alternatives and fill in the blanks.

There lived an old tiger in a forest. It was becoming..(26)… for him to catch a prey. The Tiger thought, “I no longer have the strength and speed of a youth. …(27)… I find some trick, I will starve to death.” On thinking hard, the tiger came upon a plan. He began shouting loudly, ‘I am very old. I have turned into a vegetarian. I have become a saint and will not eat animals anymore.’ These words spread like …(28)… in the jungle. Innocent animals came to pay respect to the tiger thinking that the tiger had changed into a saint. In turn, the tiger pounced on the animals when they came to his cave. One day, a witty fox heard the words of the tiger. The fox began to wonder, “Can a tiger become a saint?” So stealthily, the fox approached the tiger’s cave. He carefully examined the footprints of animals. He found that all the footprints were going towards the cave but none were … (29)… from the cave. He quickly alerted all animals in the forest. “The Tiger is a cheat. Don’t go to the cave.” No animal ever … (30)… the cave again and the tiger died of starvation.

1. (1) simple (2) toughly (3) thin (4) difficult (5) stricter

Solution: 4

1. (1) Unless (2) If (3) Although (4) Before (5) Till

Solution: 1

1. (1) fast (2) wildfire (3) plane (4) epidemic (5) that

Solution: 2

1. (1) entering (2) returning (3) left (4) escaped (5) seen

Solution: 2

1. (1) bothered (2) dealt (3) ventured (4) visited (5) approach

Solution: 4

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs to win their maiden Indian Premier League title.

Virat Kohli own 973 runs and the ‘Orange Cap’  and Kohli said: “It is a nice incentive, but it does not feel good to be at the other side of the result. Why Sunrisers won is because they have a strong bowling attack. I knew I was hitting the ball well and I just wanted to keep contributing. Why not, records are meant to be broken.”

Here is the full list of award winners and important statistics from

IPL 2016 Champions – Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Prize money – Rs 15 crore
Runner-up – Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Prize money – Rs 10 crore
Orange Cap (Most runs) – 973 runs (16 innings) – Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Purple Cap (Most wickets) – 23 wickets (17 innings) – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Emerging Player – 17 wickets – Mustafizur Rahman (SRH)
Man of the match in final – Ben Cutting (SRH)
Most Sixes in the final – 8 – Chris Gayle (RCB)
Most Valuable Player – Kohli (356.5 points)
Fairplay Award – SRH
Most Sixes – 38 – Kohli

About IPL:

IPL, which stands for Indian Premier League, is one of the most popular cricketing events in India, which is awaited and watched all over the country and the world by avid cricket fans every year. The event, which was started in 2008 by the BCCI, is played in T20 format of the game and is contested between franchisee teams from various cities, which are currently eight in number. Commercially, it is one of the most successful and lucrative sporting events in the country, with its brand value reaching a whopping US $ 3.2 billion. Till date, eight IPL events have been organized in India and the ninth one is running in 2016.

Bharti Enterprises founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal (58) was bestowed with 2016 Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award. Sunil Mittal is Indian telecom tycoon, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises, which has interests in telecom, financial services, retail and agri business. The Group flagship Bharti Airtel, with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa and has customer base of over 275 million. It is India’s largest telecom company and world’s third largest mobile operator. He is listed as the eight richest person in India by Forbes with a Net worth of 7 billion dollars. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour.

Six new IITs will come up at Tirupati, Palakkad, Dharwar, Bhilai, Goa and Jammu while ISM Dhanbad will also be upgraded to an IIT.

The Union Cabinet which met today gave its ex post facto approval to amend The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 for incorporation of new IITs at Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Palakkad (Kerala), Dharwar (Karnataka), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Goa, Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) and conversion of Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad to an IIT under the law.

“The approval will bring six new Indian Institutes of Technology within the ambit of The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 and declaring them as the institutions of national importance,” an official statement said in New Delhi.

The amendment will also help convert ISM, Dhanbad into an IIT by bringing it into the ambit of the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961

Simplification

1. Table
2. Square Table
 Practice Set – 1
3. Square Root
 Practice Set – 2
4. Cube Table & Cube Root.
 Practice Set – 3
5. VBODMAS
 Practice Set – 4
 Practice Set – 5
 Answers Key – 5
6. Series
7. Fraction
8. Approximate

BODMAS rule defines the correct sequence in which operations are to be performed in a given mathematical expression to find its value.

In BODMAS, 
B = Bracket,
O = Order (Powers, Square Roots, etc.)
DM = Division and Multiplication (left-to-right)
AS = Addition and Subtraction (left-to-right)

This means, to simplify an expression, the following order must be followed.

• Do operations in Brackets first, strictly in the order (), {} and []
• Evaluate exponents (Powers, Roots, etc.)
• Perform division and multiplication, working from left to right. (division and multiplication rank equally and done left to right).
• Perform addition and subtraction, working from left to right. (addition and subtraction rank equally and done left to right).

Examples

1. 12 + 22 ÷ 11 × (18 ÷ 3)2 – 10
   = 12 + 22 ÷ 11 × 62 – 10 (∵ Brackets first)
   = 12 + 22 ÷ 11 × 36 – 10 (∵ exponents)
   = 12 + 2 × 36 – 10 = 12 + 72 – 10 (∵ division and multiplication, left to right)
   = 84 – 10 = 74 (∵ Addition and Subtraction, left to right)
2. 4 + 10 – 3 × 6 / 3 + 4
   = 4 + 10 – 18/3 + 4 = 4 + 10 – 6 + 4 (∵ division and multiplication, left to right)
   = 14 – 6 + 4 = 8 + 4 = 12 (∵ Addition and Subtraction, left to right)

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A Probationary Officer (PO) can reach up to the level of Chairman of a bank. You will be surprised to know that a number of heads of PSBs have started their career as a PO. Normally, the probation period is of two years in which the officer is exposed to different types of bank-related work. There are frequent transfers during the probation period. Once the probation period is over, the officer is appointed as an Assistant Manager and gets his or her permanent posting. Now a day, some banks are placing officers as Deputy Managers also, provided they pass the test conducted by the bank. After confirmation, officers can be posted in specific areas of banking.

Selection Procedure for Bank PO Exams:

Bank Probationary officer recruitment conduct by bank or IBPS organization. Written (prelim & main) examination contain five paper Numerical Ability, Reasoning, English, General awareness and computer/marketing each paper objective type after a qualifying minimum cutoff marks in written examination thereafter you qualified to the personal interview that is final round of bank officers selection.

Eligibility Criteria

A Degree (Graduation) in any discipline from a University recognised by the Govt of India or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by the Central Govt. All the educational qualifications mentioned should be from a University/ Institution/Board recognised by Govt of India/ approved by Govt Regulatory Bodies.

Age Limit

The candidate must be between the age of 20 and 30 years. Reservations and age relaxation are according to the Govt notification.

Relaxation of Upper Age Limit

Structure of the Examination

Syllabus for Bank P.O Prelims Online Examination:-

Syllabus for Bank P.O mains Online Examination:-

After qualified Prelims online examination then you appear for Mains Exam.

After qualified Mains online examination then you appear for GDPI (conducted by IBPS/SBI/RBI)

Each candidate will be required to obtain a minimum score in each test and also a minimum total score to be considered to be shortlisted for interview. Depending on the number of vacancies available, cutoffs will be decided and candidates will be shortlisted for interview. Prior to the completion of the interview process, scores obtained in the online examination will not be shared with the candidates shortlisted for interview. MARKS OBTAINED ONLY IN THE MAIN EXAMINATION WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR SHORTLISTING FOR INTERVIEW AND ALSO FOR FINAL MERIT LISTING.

Interview

Candidates who have been shortlisted in the main examination for CWE PO/MT will subsequently be called for an Interview to be conducted by the participating organisations and coordinated by the nodal bank in each State/UT with the help of the Institute for Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) will be informed to the shortlisted candidates in the call letter. Candidates are required to download their interview call letters from the authorised IBPS website www.ibps.in. Please note that any request regarding change in date, centre etc of interview will not be entertained. However, the conducting agencies reserve the right to change the date/venue/time/centre etc of interview or hold supplementary process for particular date/session/venue/centre/set of candidates at its discretion, under unforeseen circumstances, if any. The total marks allotted for Interview are 100. The minimum qualifying marks in interview will not be less than 40% (35% for SC/ST/OBC/PWD candidates). The weightage (ratio) of CWE (Main exam) and interview will be 80 : 20. The combined final score of candidates shall be arrived at on the basis of scores obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination of CWE PO/MT-V and Interview. Interview score of the candidates failing to secure minimum qualifying marks or otherwise barred from the interview or further process shall not be disclosed. A candidate should qualify both in the CWE and interview and be sufficiently high in merit to be shortlisted for subsequent provisional allotment process, details of which will be made available subsequently on the IBPS website.

Emoluments

Following would be the new pay structure of newly joined Probationary Officers:

A clerk is mostly a front staff in a bank. Depending on the requirement, clerks are placed at different counters of the banks, e.g. savings, deposit, current deposit, term deposit, retail loans, cash credit, agricultural loans, credit cards, govt business, cash receipt or payment, etc. Maximum customer interface in banks occurs at these counters managed by clerical staff. Bank Clerk recruitment examination conduct by IBPS or specially Bank (SBI/RBI).

Eligibility

The minimum age for applying for the position of a clerk in nationalised or private sector banks is 20 years. The maximum age limit is 28 years. The candidate has to be a Graduate in any discipline. As most of the recruitment in clerical cadre in public sector banks are made state-wise, the candidate applying for the post in a particular State is expected to be proficient in the language of the State. Proficiency means knowing to read, write, speak and understand the language.

Structure of the Examination

The structure of the examinations, which will be conducted online, is as follows:Preliminary Examination

Main Examination

A candidate should qualify both prelims and mains. Mains exam score high in the merit to be shortlisted for subsequent provisional allotment process, details of which will be made available subsequently on IBPS website.

Emoluments:

 more details Call: 986 913 9632 

World Oceans Day is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future. This site serves as the central coordinating platform for World Oceans Day, with free resources and ideas for everyone – no matter where you live – to help expand the reach and impact of World Oceans Day on June 8 and year round.

This year’s theme is “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet” and individuals and organizations across the planet are taking action for prevention of plastic pollution in our ocean.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 June 2016 concluded five-nation visit to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico.

During the five-day tour between 4 June and 8 June 2016, Modi met with Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani; Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani; President of Swiss federation, Johann Schneider-Ammann; US President Barack Obama; and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieta.

During this visit, he held high level meetings on a wide range of bilateral issues and matters of regional and global concern. With US President, Swiss President and Mexico President, Modi discussed India’s NSG membership issue and secured their constructive support.

Major Highlights of the visit to Afghanistan

• In Herat, Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani dedicated Afghan-India friendship dam, earlier known as Salma dam to the people.

• The project built by India at a cost 1700 crore rupees will irrigate 75 thousand hectares of land, generate 42 megawatt power and also supply drinking water in 620 villages.

• Afghan President conferred the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award on Narendra Modi.

Major Highlights of the visit to Qatar

• The two nations signed 7 agreements in various fields.

• Prime Minister as a rare and special gesture shared meal with workers at a medical camp in Doha.

• The two sides agreed to constitute an inter-ministerial High Level Joint Committee to regularly review all bilateral matters, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.

• Modi held detailed talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and addressed the business community of Qatar, a country which is India’s largest supplier of LNG requirements, accounting for 65% of the country’s total imports in financial year 2015-16.

Major Highlights of the visit to Switzerland

• Prime Minister meets Indian scientists and students at CERN in Geneva.

• Delegation level talks were held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Switzerland President Johann Schneider Ammann in Geneva.

• Switzerland supported India’s membership in the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

witzerland agreed to provide mutual support to India for becoming non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

• Switzerland agreed to help India in combating the menace of black money and tax evasion

• The country agreed to build Swiss style vocational and educational training centres in India that suit India’s requirements.

• It also agreed to share clean technology and work on energy security and sustainable development.

Major Highlights of the visit to the US

• Modi addressed a joint session of the US Congress. 

• He met the Congressional Leadership at Capitol Hills.

• He addressed the gathering at 40th AGM of US India Business Council in Washington.

• He interacted with think tanks in Washington.

• He attended ceremony for repatriation of cultural objects in Washington.

• He laid wreath at Space Shuttle Colombia Memorial at Arlington Cemetery in Washington.

• The two nations announced the creation of a 20 million dollar US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) initiative. The initiative will be equally supported by both and is expected to mobilize up to 400 million dollar to provide clean and renewable electricity to up to 1 million households by 2020.

• The two nations signed and exchanged 6 MoUs and 2 documents.

Modi was the fifth Indian prime minister to address a joint session of US lawmakers. Other four Prime Minister’s to address the joint session include Rajiv Gandhi (June 1985), P V Narasimha Rao (May 1994), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (September 2000), Manmohan Singh (July 2005).

Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the House and Senate separately in 1949 when he was the head of the interim government.

Major Highlights of the visit to Mexico

• Prime Minister meets Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico during his visit to Mexico

• Mexico is an important partner for India’s energy security. We are now looking to move beyond a buyer-seller relationship, and into a long-term partnership.” – Prime Minister

• Foreign Ministers of the two countries were instructed to develop the roadmap of the Privileged Partnership suitable for the 21stCentury, in the framework of the Seventh Mexico-India Joint Commission Meeting to be held in Mexico in 2016.

Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) on 10 June 2016 released the 2016 Global Peace Index (GPI). It is 10th edition of GPI that measured peace, its causes and its economic value during 2015 for 163 countries.

India ranked 141 among the 163 countries with 2.566 GPI score. It showed an improvement in peace building as it held 143th rank in 2014 and 2015.

Highlights of 2016 GPI

• The Index shows that the world became less peaceful in 2015, reinforcing the underlying trend of declining peace over the last decade.

• The GPI records a historically less peaceful and more unequal world in which many countries also improved.

• The countries improved in Peace are 81 while deteriorated counts 79.

• The countries that topped the 2016 GPI for being most peaceful are Iceland (1), Denmark (2), Austria (3), New Zealand (4), Portugal (5), Czech Republic (6), Switzerland (7), Canada (8), Japan (9) and Slovenia (10).

• The least peacepul countries are Pakistan (153), Libya (154), Sudan (155), Ukraine (156), Central African Republic (157), Yemen (158), Somalia (159), Afghanistan (160), Iraq (161), South Sudan (162) and Syria (163).

Pakistan (153rd), Libya (154th), Sudan (155th), Ukraine (156th), Central African Republic (157th), Yemen (158th), Somalia (159th), Afghanistan (160th), Iraq (161st), South Sudan (162nd) and Syria (163rd).

• The majority of the global deterioration is due to the developments in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) which is already the least peaceful region in the world.

• It shows that amidst the global deterioration the world continues to spend enormous resources on creating and containing violence but very little on peace.

• The indicators with the largest yearly deterioration were the impact of terrorism and political instability.

• The countries with the largest deteriorations were Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Poland, Burundi, Kazakhstan and Brazil.

• The indicator with the largest improvement is UN peacekeeping funding, while the second largest improvement was recorded in the security officers and police rate indicator.

• UN member states have formally recognised the critical nature of peacefulness in advancing global development for the first time.

• The 17 SDGs are a new set of goals to target poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change by 2030.

• IEP recommends that independent third party organisations provide complimentary support to NSOs and offer a useful benchmark against which to compare results.

World Blood Donors Day (WBDD) 2016 was observed on 14 June 2016.

The theme of the 2016 World Blood Donor Day campaign is Blood connects us all. The theme highlights the common bond that all people share in their blood.

The slogan for 2016 WBDD is Share life, give blood. The slogan focuses on voluntary donation systems. The voluntary donation systems play a pivotal role in encouraging people to care for one another and promoting community cohesion.

• The theme of 2015 was “Thank you for saving my life”.

The United States and India should consider permanently expanding their annual naval exercise to include other like-minded partners as part of their joint cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, a U.S. defense official said earlier this week.

Exercise MALABAR, which initially began as a bilateral naval exercise between the United States and India back in 1992, has at times been expanded to include other partners as well. The 2007 iteration included Japan, Australia, and Singapore, while Tokyo also participated in 2009 and 2014. This year, Japan has been included but Australia has reportedly been left out (See: “Japan to Join US, India in Military Exercises This Year”).

But Robert Scher, the assistant secretary of defense for the Office of Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, told an audience at a Washington, D.C.-based think tank on July 13 that the United States and India should consider permanently expanding the exercise to include these partners instead of doing so on an ad hoc basis. Scher said that expanding the exercise would be one tangible demonstration of Washington and New Delhi working together on maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

About Malabar Exercise 2016
• Malabar 2016 will be conducted with the harbour phase at Sasebo and with the sea phase in the Pacific Ocean. 
• The scope of MALABAR-16 includes professional interactions in harbour and a diverse range of activities at sea, including complex surface, sub-surface and air operations. 
• This year, four Indian ships are participating in the exercise including INS Satpura, INS Sahyadri, INS Shakti and INS Kirch.
• The ships have embarked one Sea King 42B ASW helicopter and two Chetak utility helicopters. 
• The US Navy will be represented by ships from CTF 70 of the USN 7th fleet, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan. 
• The CTF will include the aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis (CVN 74), Ticonderoga class Cruiser USS Mobile Bay and Arleigh Burke class destroyers USS Stockdale and USS Chung Hoon. 
• In addition, one nuclear powered submarine, carrier wing aircraft and Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft will also participate in the exercise. 
• Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) will be represented by JS Hyuga, a helicopter carrier with SH 60 K integral helicopters and Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft.
• Additionally, the Special Forces (SF) of the three navies will also interact during the exercise.

Australia on 18 June 2016 won Hero Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. It defeated India 1-0 in a shoot-out.

The game finished with the score locked at 0-0 but later Australia scored a goal in the shoot-out reducing the score to 1-0 and won the final match to win the Gold medal. Australia’s Blake Govers missed a penalty stroke, while India was dominant in the third and fourth quarter before losing the shoot-out.

With this victory, Australia claimed the Champions Trophy title for the 14th time.

Germany defeated Great Britain to win the bronze medal.

Diversity of yoga 

Part of yoga’s appeal and rising popularity is its ability to be interpreted and shaped by the culture or society in which it is practised. Traditional styles of yoga such as Iyengar or Ashtanga co-exist alongside more new-age forms such as boxing yoga or rave yoga, even Christian yoga.

Some religious conservatives complain that yoga is rooted in the religions of the Indian sub-continent, notably Hinduism and Buddhism. This perception has restricted the rise of yoga in conservative Islamic societies such as Qatar, where it can be seen as blasphemous. The small Gulf nation is governed by an austere form of Islam known as Wahhabism, which views yoga with suspicion. Despite its global popularity, many Muslims feel that practising yoga is tantamount to practising another religion.

Noor disagrees. “Yoga is not a religion,” she told Al Jazeera. “It is a discipline.” 

The reason Noor is able to practise and teach yoga at all, is because of Valerie Jeremijenko. She is an early pioneer of yoga in Qatar, perhaps the earliest. Valerie has been a yoga teacher in Qatar for the past 15 years and has operated her own studio, Yama Yoga, since 2009. She also runs a successful teacher-training programme. However, while the perception of yoga is changing, she still faces some, mostly cultural or social, difficulties.

“This has less to do with yoga and more to do with Qatar’s licensing laws that do not like mixed male-female classes or recognise yoga outside of a sport,” Valerie told Al Jazeera.

Valerie said that the kinds of yoga that took off in the West, physically demanding practices such as Ashtanga and hot yoga, were rooted in the Protestant work ethic, and as such, don’t really suit traditional Qatari society.

“The daily ethic of a rigorous practice is not really part of the Qatari culture, nor is individual expression … so yoga as it is practised in the West does not really work with the traditional Qatari way of life,” she added.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 21 June 2016 released a report entitled World Investment Report 2016 – Investor Nationality: Policy Challenges.

The report examines international production by multinational enterprises (including sales, exports, employment and value added), as well as their ownership structures and control of affiliates.

In a novel analysis, the report focuses on how policymakers can distinguish between “domestic” and “foreign” companies in a globalized economy and provides with a new framework for handling ownership issues in 21st century investment policymaking.

While the USA surpassed Hong Kong and China in terms of FDI inflows in 2015 with 380 billion US dollars, India continues to be at the 10th position with 44 billion US dollars.

Highlights of World Investment Report 2016

• FDI inflows: Top 10 countries in terms of FDI inflows in decreasing order – The USA, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Brazil, Canada and India.

• Ireland and Switzerland registered considerable progress in 2015. While Ireland attracted additional 71 billion US dollars in 2015 compared to 2014, in the case of Switzerland it was 62 billion US dollars

• Global investment trends: The flows jumped by 38 per cent to 1.76 trillion US dollars, their highest level since the global economic and financial crisis of 2008–2009.

• Inward FDI flows to developed economies almost doubled to 962 billion US dollars. As a result, developed economies tipped the balance back in their favour with 55 per cent of global FDI, up from 41 per cent in 2014.

• FDI flows are expected to decline by 10-15 per cent in 2016, reflecting the fragility of the global economy and persistent weakness of aggregate demand, sluggish growth in some commodity exporting countries.

• Regional investment trends: Developing Asia saw FDI inflows increase by 16 per cent to 541 billion US dollars – a new record. The significant growth was driven by the strong performance of East and South Asian economies.

Investor Nationality-Policy Challenges

• More than 40 per cent of foreign affiliates worldwide have multiple “passports”. These affiliates are part of complex ownership chains with multiple cross-border links involving on average three jurisdictions.

• “Multiple passport affiliates” are the result of indirect foreign ownership, transit investment through third countries, and round-tripping.

• These types of affiliates are much more common in the largest Multi National Enterprises (MNEs). 60 per cent of their foreign affiliates have multiple cross-border ownership links to the parent company.

• The larger the MNEs, the greater is the complexity of their internal ownership structures. The top 100 MNEs in UNCTAD’s Transnationality Index have on average more than 500 affiliates each, across more than 50 countries.

• The blurring of investor nationality has made the application of rules and regulations on foreign ownership more challenging.

• Policymakers in some countries have developed a range of mechanisms to safeguard the effectiveness of foreign ownership rules, including anti-dummy laws, general anti-abuse rules to prevent foreign control, and disclosure requirements.

• The report advised the policy makers to find a balance between liberalization and regulation in pursuing the ultimate objective of promoting investment for sustainable development.

Report with respect to India

• Globally, India was at the top tenth position in terms of FDI inflows in 2015. Compared to 35 billion US dollars in 2014, it received 44 billion US dollars of investments in 2015.

• India’s and Bangladesh’s FDI performance pushed inflows to South Asia to 50 billion US dollars, an increase of 22 per cent from 2014.

• India became the fourth largest recipient of investment in developing Asia.

• Outward FDI from India, South Asia’s dominant investor, dropped by more than one third which resulted in an overall 36 per cent decline of outflows from the region to 8 billion US dollars in 2015

Utpal Bora who served as the Executive Director in Mehsana asset, has been appointed as the new Chairman and the Managing Director CMD of Oil India Limited (OIL). Till now the Public Enterprise Selection Board has held two interview for the selection of CMD of OIL. Rupshika Saikia Borah was elected earlier as the CMD but her appointment was rejected by the Prime Minister’s Office. After conducting interview of many more applicants, the PSEB finally selected Utpal Bora as the new CMD. Bora after assuming his office said he will put sincere efforts into generating employment oppurtunities for the youths of Assam.

Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling was conferred the ‘Yug Kavi Siddhicharan Award’ by Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday for his commendable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in India.

Siddhicharan Shrestha Academy organised an event in Kathmandu on the occasion of 105th birth anniversary of the late poet Shrestha.

The award carries a certificate of appreciation and a sum of NRs 100,000. Chamling, 65, was not present to receive the award

Madrid: The 17th edition of the IIFA Awards took place in Spain’s capital Madrid on Saturday in a high-voltage extravaganza.

Here is the list of winners:-
Best Director – Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao Mastani
Best Film – Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Best Actress – Deepika Padukone for Piku
Best Actor – Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani
Best Supporting Actress – Priyanka Chopra for Bajirao Mastani
Best Supporting Actor – Anil Kapoor for Dil Dhadakne Do
Best Story – Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku
Special Award for Woman of The Year – Priyanka Chopra
Special Award for Woman of The Year – Priyanka Chopra
Best Debut Couple Award – Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty
Best Performance in a Negative Role – Darshan Kumaar for NH10
Best Performance in Comic Role – Deepak Dobriyal for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Best Debut (Female) – Bhumi Pednekar for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Best Debut (Male) – Vicky Kaushal for Masaan
Best Playback Singer (Female) – Monali Thakur for Moh Moh Ke Dhaage from Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Best Playback Singer (Male) – Papon for Moh Moh Ke Dhaage from Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Best Lyrics – Varun Grover for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
​

IIFA, which takes the power of Bollywood to international shores every year, celebrated 60 years of India’s diplomatic relations with Spain here with close to 150 film celebrities and over 20,000 fans in attendance.
 

Under the provisions of the Notice as referred above, the Commission has decided to reduce the Number of Questions from 200 to 100 in Tier-I of the above Examination which would continue to carry 200 marks. The duration of the Tier-I examination would be for a period of 75 minutes. It has also been decided to conduct the Tier-I and Tier-II in computer based examination mode in place of OMR based examination mode. Tier-I is scheduled to be held from 27th August, 2016.

more detail click here

The State Bank of India conducts the Clerical exam every year to recruit candidates for the post of Clerical Cadre. For the year 2016-17, the notice has been released. The exam will be held online tentatively in the month of May-June 2016. However, the candidates can fill the application form up to 25 April 2016. Aspirants will have to appear in the online examination to be selected the post. Aspirants must be wondering how to prepare for the exam in order to successfully crack it. For the same, we have introduced some preparation tips which can help candidates to clear the exam and make their preparation process all the more easier. Take notes and follow these to prepare nicely. Read the SBI Clerk 2016 Preparation Tips below.

SBI Clerk Preparation Tips:-

Aspirants can follow the SBI Clerk Preparation Tips 2016 given below and act accordingly to obtain a reasonable score and make it up to the selection.

• Reading skills: Since, some of the sections asked in the exam such as General Awareness require the knowledge of all the current affairs of the society. For that, the candidate must develop a good reading skill where they can read newspapers and magazines at a good rate so as to increase their domain of knowledge. This Preparation Tip of SBI Clerk 2016 Exam can help candidates in the long run also.
• Go thorough with the Syllabus: Before starting any preparation process, it is utterly important that the candidate is completely aware of all the syllabus contents. Candidates must have a complete knowledge of how topics are structured in the syllabus and get clear about each and every topic. The key tip to preparation according to the SBI Clerk Preparation Tips 2016 is to cover every topic mentioned in the syllabus.
• Online/Offline Practice: Along with the other things, the one best thing anyone can do is practice stuff enough so as to master that area of knowledge. This is how you can get the most out of your preparation routine. Practice the different type of questions from different places for the topics you have covered and strengthen your base.
• Study materials: Before starting the preparation, candidates must collect all the resources necessary for preparation such as books, practice papers, syllabus, notes etc. Also, candidates must clarify their doubts on time so as to not leave anything behind. Group study or recorded lectures are seen as quite helpful in such areas.
• Give enough time: Time is the most basic and important asset that one needs to invest to prepare effectively. Along with all the SBI Clerk 2016 Preparation Tips, this one is also necessary. Give enough time to topics and areas as they deserve so that they are clarified and no doubts are left in that domain and time management during the examination very important to qualify prelim and mains examination. 

• Attempt questions carefully: While answering the questions, this is very important that the candidates read the questions very carefully and answer them with utmost care. Never misread the question and manage time well so as to attempt every question nicely. Examination training is important part to qualify the any exams… 

For Inquiry Call: 986 913 9632

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April 2016 inaugurated the Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016) in Mumbai. While inaugurating the summit, the PM invited investors to come to India. Maritime India Summit 2016 is a maiden flagship initiative of the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India that provides a unique platform for participants to explore potential business opportunities in Indian Maritime Sector.

The two-day summit, which will conclude on 15 April 2016, will host forums to foster interaction between stakeholders through B2B and G2B meetings. It will also organise special sessions on investment opportunities in maritime sector, setting up of new ports and capacity augmentation of existing ports, development of inland waterways for cargo and passenger transportation, coastal shipping and other services related to Indian Maritime Sector.

The summit will project vast investment opportunities in each of the Indian Maritime States and Union Territories, including an exclusive partner country session by Republic of Korea.

The Summit will showcase exciting investment opportunities in:
• Shipbuilding, Ship Repair and Ship Recycling
• Port Modernization and New Port Development
• Port-based Industrial Development, Port-based Smart Cities and Maritime Cluster Development
• Hinterland Connectivity Projects and Multi-Modal Logistics Hubs
• Inland Waterways and Coastal Shipping for Cargo and Passenger movement
• Dredging
• Lighthouse Tourism and Cruise Shipping
• Renewable Energy Projects in Ports
• Other Maritime Sector related services (Financing, Legal, Design etc.)

Directions (Q. 1–5): What value should come in the place of question mark (?) in the following questions?

1. [63 × 54] ÷ 43 = ?

1) 2109.375

2) 2019.375

3) 2209.435

4) 2108.275

5) 2014.275

2. (1.8 * 3.6)/ 0.9 = ?

1) 6.2

2) 8.4

3) 9.2

4) 5.2

5) 7.2

3. (7897 + 4596 + 3128) ÷ 30 = ?

1) 510.7

2) 518.7

3) 520.7

4) 525.7

5) 530.7

4. (104)^2 ÷ ? = 338

1) 1124

2) 1024

3) 961

4) 1089

5) 1156

5. 9880 – ? % of 750 = 9625

1) 34

2) 32

3) 36

4) 30

5) 38

6. 3√103823 = ?

1) 67

2) 37

3) 27

4) 47

5) 57

7. (27894 + 26588 – 13892) ÷ ? = 324720

1) 1.25

2) 0.325

3) 0.75

4) 0.125

5) 0.25

8. 1/8 * 6824 * 1/9 * 279 = ?

1) 27543

2) 26443

3) 26543

4) 28443

5) 26344

9. (28 * 15 – 50)/(25 * 6 / 15) = ?

1) 35

2) 37

3) 39

4) 47

5) 32

10. 46% of 4900 × 0.4% of 1200 = ?

1) 10819.2

2) 10719.2

3) 10809

4) 10919.2

5) 10839

Explanation:

1. 1; ? = 2109.375
2. 5;
? = (1.8 * 3.6)/0.9 = 1.8 * 4 = 7.2
3. 3;
? = (7897 + 4596 + 3128) / 30 = 15621 / 30 = 520.7
4. 2;
√? = (104 * 104)/ 338 = 32
? = 1024
5. 1;
? = 9880 – 9625 = (? * 750)/100
? = (255 * 100)/ 750 = 34
6. 4;
? = 47
7. 4;
? = 0.125
8. 2;
? = 853 × 31 = 26443
9. 2; ? = 370/10 = 37
10. 1; ? = 10819.2

Most people know Chanda Kochhar as the top honcho of one of India’s largest private banks, an inspiration for working women across the globe, a Padma Bhushan awardee, and recently also listed among the most powerful businesswomen in Asia by Forbes. However, this letter from the ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO to her daughter gives us an insight to the woman and working mother behind the super-achieving professional. And for every daughter growing up with a working mother, this letter is a must read.

“As a parent with a full time job, one must not let work affect the way you relate to your family. Remember the time you were studying in the US and the announcement of my becoming MD and CEO of ICICI was splashed across all newspapers? I remember the mail you wrote to me a couple of days later. ‘You never made us realize that you had such a demanding, successful and stressful career. At home, you were just our mother,’ you wrote in your email. Live your life in the same way, my darling,” says the top banker in the letter, which appears in Sudha Menon’s book ‘Legacy: Letters from Eminent Parents to Their Daughters’. The letter has received a lot of appreciation on social media. Ms Kochhar has even been trending on Facebook since Thursday.

In her poignant letter, Ms Kochchar talks about growing up without her father who died when she was only 13 and her mother became a working single parent. She relates the lessons she learnt as a child to the time she became a working mother herself to her children, Aarti and Arjun.

“If you had complained and whined about my extended absence from home, I would never have had the heart to make a career for myself. I am blessed with a great and supportive family and I really hope you too will be as fortunate when you set out on your own,” she writes in the letter, which is full of heartfelt advice for her daughter, coupled with anecdotes from both her personal and professional life. 

The letter makes for a beautiful read for all women, mothers or daughters. Read the letter in its entirety below. This one cannot be missed.

Dear Aarti, 

It makes me feel so proud today to see you standing in front of me as a confident young woman right on the threshold of an exciting journey through life. I am looking forward to seeing you grow and flourish in the years ahead.

This moment has also brought back memories of my own journey, and the life lessons I learnt along the way. When I think of those times, I realize that most of these lessons were actually learnt in my childhood, mostly through examples set by my parents. The values that they instilled in my formative years gave me the foundation on which I try to live my life even today.

Our parents treated all three of us – two sisters and a brother – equally. When it came to education, or our future plans, there was no discrimination between us based on our gender. Your grandparents always had the same message for the three of us – that it was important to focus on what gave us satisfaction and to work towards it with utmost dedication. That early initiation enabled us to develop into confident individuals capable of taking decisions independently. This also helped me when I started out on my own journey of self- discovery.

I was only a young girl of 13 when my father passed away from a sudden heart attack, leaving us unprepared to take on life without him. We had been protected from life’s challenges so far. But without warning, all that changed overnight. And my mother, who had been a homemaker till then, faced the responsibility of raising three children all on her own. It was then that we realized how strong she was and how determined to do her duty in the best possible manner. Slowly, she discovered a flair for designing and textiles, found herself a job with a small firm, and quickly made herself indispensable to them. It must have been challenging for her to shoulder the responsibility of bringing up her family single- handed, but she never let us feel like it was a task for her. She worked hard till she saw all of us through college and we became independent. I never knew that my mother had such a wealth of self-assurance and belief within her.

As a parent with a full time job, one must not let work affect the way you relate to your family. Remember the time you were studying in the US and the announcement of my becoming MD and CEO of ICICI was splashed across all newspapers? I remember the mail you wrote to me a couple of days later. ‘You never made us realize that you had such a demanding, successful and stressful career. At home, you were just our mother,’ you wrote in your email. Live your life in the same way, my darling.

I also learnt from my mother that it is very important to have the ability to handle difficult situations and keep moving forward in life, no matter what. Even today I can remember the equanimity and calmness with which she handled the crisis on hand when my father passed away. You have to handle the challenges and emerge stronger from them, rather than allow them to bog you down. I remember how, in late 2008, we were faced with a situation where ICICI Bank’s survival was in jeopardy in the face of a global economic meltdown. The situation was being analysed with a hawk’s eye by major media platforms and debated widely in the public space… I got down to work, systematically communicating with all stakeholders – from the smallest depositor to the sophisticated investors, and from regulators to the government – the bank was sound and its exposure to these institutions involved a small portion of its assets. I understood their concern because so many of them feared that their hard earned savings in our bank could be at risk. I also advised staff across the bank’s various branches to lend a sympathetic ear to those depositors who turned up to withdraw their money, telling them to also offer the depositors a seat and a glass of water while they waited. And though, depositors were welcome to withdraw their money if they wanted to, our staff also took care to explain to them that it would not help them to take their money away, because there was no real crisis situation.

It was during this period that I took a couple of hours off one day to attend your brother’s squash tournament. I did not know it then, but my very presence at the tournament went a long way in reinstalling customer confidence in the bank. A few mothers at the tournament came and asked me if I was Chanda Kochhar from ICICI Bank and when I replied in the affirmative they said that if I could still find time to attend a tournament in the midst of a crisis, it meant that the bank was in safe hands and they need not worry about their money!

It was also from my mother that I learnt the importance of adapting to circumstances and not being afraid of the unknown. While working hard for my career, I looked after my family, and have been there for my mother and in-laws when they needed me around. They reciprocated in kind with their unconditional love and support for my career. Remember that relationships are important and have to be nurtured and cherished. Also keep in mind that a relationship is a two way street, so be ready to give a relationship just as you would expect the other person to be giving to you.

My career would not have progressed the way it did were it not for your father who never once complained about the time I spent away from home. Your father and I nurtured our relationship despite the fact that we were both busy with our own careers, and I am confident you will do the same with your partner, when the time comes. If you had complained and whined about my extended absence from home, I would never have had the heart to make a career for myself. I am blessed with a great and supportive family and I really hope you too will be as fortunate when you set out on your own!

I remember the day your board exams were about to commence. I had taken leave from work so that I could take you to the examination hall myself. When you realized I was coming, you told me how you were used to going for your exams alone for so many years. It hurt me to hear you say that, but I also think in some ways, having a working mother made you much more independent from a very young age itself. You not only became independent, but also stepped into the nurturer’s role for your younger brother and never let him miss my presence. I learnt to have trust and faith in you and you have now grown into a wonderful, independent woman. I now use the same principle at work to make our growing population of younger talent take on larger responsibilities.

I believe in fate but I also believe that hard work and diligence plays a very important role in our lives. In a larger sense, we all write our own destiny. Take destiny in your own hands, dream of what you want to achieve, and write it in your own way. As you go ahead in life, I want you to climb the path to success one step at a time. Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.
 
As you go forward, you will sometimes have to take difficult decisions, decisions that others might scorn at. But you must have the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Make sure you have that conviction to do what you know is right, and once you have it, don’t let skeptics distract you from your path.

Aarti, there is no limit to what a determined mind can achieve, but in achieving your goal, don’t compromise on the values of fair play and honesty. Don’t cut corners or compromise to achieve your dreams. Remember to be sensitive to the feelings of people around you. And remember, if you don’t allow stress to overtake you, it will never become an issue in your life. 

Remember that good times and bad times will be part of your life equally, and you have to learn to handle both with equanimity. Make the most of life’s opportunities and learn from every opportunity, and challenge that life brings along.

Lovingly yours, 
Mumma

Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, a Central government’s campaign to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony, empowerment of women and uplift of farmers will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh in April, on the occasion of 125th Birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.

Rural Development Minister Birender Singh told reporters on Friday here that the campaign would be held all over the country from April 14 to 24.The topics of discussions in these Gram Sabhas will include :-
• Gram Panchayat Development Plans for local economic development,
• Optimum utilization of funds available with Panchayati Raj Institutions,
• Clean drinking water and sanitation,
• Role of women in village and rural development.
• Social inclusion including welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, person with Disabilities and other marginalized groups.

“The campaign will be run jointly by Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, Social Justice, Labour and Information and Broadcasting Ministries along with States and will culminate on April 24 on the Panchayati Raj Day with the Prime Minister addressing villagers in Jamshedpur.

“During the campaign, discussions on issues pertaining to rural development, improving farmers’ income, SC and ST welfare and social harmony programmes will be held on different platforms,” he said.

Air Force Common Aptitude Test

Air Force Common Aptitude Test is conducted by IAF. It is conducted twice a year. Those candidates who want to make their career in Indian Air Force will have to qualify this test. Recently AFCAT  was successfully conducted at various centres in India. Large number of candidates took this examination.
Air Force Common Admission Test also known as AFCAT is conducted for the admission of eligible candidates in Flying Branch, Technical Branch and Ground Duty Branches of Indian Air Force. AFCAT Exam is scheduled to be held every year for all the eligible applicants. You can find the details of the examination. The Air Force Common Admission Test will consist of 100 questions and each question will be of three marks. So total marks for all questions will be 300. As far as negative marking is concerned, there is one-third negative marking in AFCAT exam. For every wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted as penalty.

Applications are invited from Men and Women candidates for Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) 02/2016 for the Courses commencing July 2017

Invites applications from bright young engineers to join in the Air Force for grant of Short Service Commission in Flying Branch and Permanent/ Short Service Commission (PSC/ SSC) in Technical and Ground Duty Branches for the following courses for Men and Women.
– Flying Branch Short Service Commission (SSC) Men, Age : 20-­24 years 
– Technical Branch Short Service Commission (SSC) Men, Age : 20­-26 years
– Technical Branch Permanent Commission (PC) Men, Age : 20-­26 years 
– Ground Duty Branch Short Service Commission (SSC) Men, Age : 20­-26 years 
– Ground Duty Branch Permanent Commission (PC) Men, Age : 20­-26 years
– Flying Branch Short Service Commission (SSC) Women / Female, Age : 20­-24 years 
-Technical Branch Short Service Commission (SSC) Women / Female, Age : 20-­26 years 
– Ground Duty Branch Short Service Commission (SSC) Women / Female, Age : 20­-26 years 

The AFCAT paper will consist of four sections:

1. General Awareness
2. Verbal Ability
3. Numerical Ability
4. Reasoning & Military Aptitude Test

There will be Multiply Choice Based Questions of 3 marks each. The candidates will be penalized in the form of deduction of 1 marks for every wrong answers attempted by them. The duration of AFCAT Exam will be 2 Hours.

AFCAT Syllabus:

(a) AFCAT Exam Syllabus for General Awareness: History, Sports, Geography, Environment, Culture, Current Affairs, Politics , Civics, Basic Sciences, Defence, Art etc

(b) Verbal Ability in English: Comprehension, Error Detection, Synonyms, Antonyms, and Testing of Vocabulary, Sentence Completion etc.

(c) Numerical Ability: Decimal Fraction, Simplification, Average, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, and Simple Interest, Profit & Loss, Time and distance etc.

(d) Reasoning and Military Aptitude Test section: Verbal Skills Non Verbal Ability and Spatial Ability etc.

Last Date online apply: 30 June 2016

more details: click here

Private sector lender ICICI Bank became the first financial institution in the country to tie up with the BRICS Grouping-promoted New Development Bank (NDB) for a partnership in bond issuances, co-financing, treasury management and human resources. As part of the pact, the two lenders — NDBs first president is ICICI Bank veteran KV Kamath — will look at each other as “preferred partners”.

ICICI Bank and NDB will also leverage a mutually beneficial partnership in other areas such as treasury risk management, account and cash management services and human resource development.

Beyond this, there will be continuous dialogue and regular exchange of information between the two banks for exploring potential partnerships in other areas as well. Headquartered in Shanghai, the NDB began operations with an initial capital of USD 100 billion last year as a multilateral development bank promoted by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Half of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India, said a World Health Organization report released on Thursday, indicating industrial and vehicular exhaust were choking large parts of the country with little oversight or monitoring mechanism.

The Capital is no longer the world’s most polluted city, dropping to 11th position with smaller towns galloping past Delhi to grab second and third spot.

The top spot is taken by the Iranian city of Zabol that falls in the middle of a dust bowl. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh take the second and third spot, respectively

FERA : The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was legislation passed in 1973 that imposed strict regulations on certain kinds of payments, the dealings in foreign exchange and securities and the transactions which had an indirect impact on the foreign exchange and the import and export of currency. FERA was introduced at a time when foreign exchange (Forex) reserves of the country were low

FEMA : The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) is an Act of the Parliament of India “to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India”. It paved the way for the introduction of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, which came into effect from 1 July 2005.

1. FEMA replaced FERA: FERA was repealed in 1998 by the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and replaced by the Foreign Exchange Management Act, which liberalised foreign exchange controls and restrictions on foreign investment.

2. FEMA became an act on 1 June 2000.

3. FEMA was intoduced because the FERA did not fit in with the Post-Liberalization Policy.

4. What Changes FEMA bring? – It made all offence regarding Foreign Exchange Civil Offence, as opposed to criminal offences as dictated by FERA.

5. Main objective of FEMA : Conolidate (strengthen) and amend the law relating to Foreign Exchange. AND

To Promote the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.

6. FEMA is applicable to all parts in India (abroad also if agency owned by an Indian).

7. The FEMA head-office, also known as Enforcement Directorate is situated in New Delhi and is headed by a Director. The Directorate is further divided into 5 zonal offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Jalandhar and each office is headed by a Deputy Director.

BJP leader and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Puducherry on 22 May 2016. Puducherry will now have a full time Lt. Governor after a gap of two year.

She will succeed Ajay Kumar Singh, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who was holding the additional charge of Puducherry since July 2014. The LG post of Puducherry was vacant after the union government in July 2014 sacked Virendra Kataria from the post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday left for Iran on a two-day official visit, during which the trilateral agreement between India , Iran and Afghanistan to develop the Chabahar port in that Gulf nation will be signed.

Modi will be accorded an official welcome in Tehran on Monday following which he will hold talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani .

Connectivity, energy security and bilateral trade are on top of Modi’s agenda during his visit which comes a little over a month and a half of his trip to Saudi Arabia. The prime minister will also inaugurate an Indian cultural festival in Iran.

The visit will feature discussion on terrorism in the region as well as extended neighbourhood.  It will also focus on New Delhi’s desire to secure energy assets for a fast growing economy.  After reaching Tehran, PM Modi will visit a Gurudwara there

Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods

International Day for Biological Diversity 22 may 2016

Biodiversity is the foundation for life and for the essential services provided by ecosystems. It therefore underpins peoples’ livelihoods and sustainable development in all areas of activity, including economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism, among others. By halting biodiversity loss, we are investing in people, their lives and their well-being.

The thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13) to be held in Cancun, Mexico from 4 to 17 December 2016 will focus on the mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors, which is closely linked to this year’s IDB theme.

We invite Parties and organizations that have already initiated national plans for activities to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity to keep the Secretariat informed of such plans and other noteworthy activities organized by NGOs or other organizations so that they may be included in these pages.

Senior advocate of Bombay High Court Atma Ram Nadkarni on 9 May 2016 was appointed as Additional Solicitor General (ASG).

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Nadkarni as Additional Solicitor General in Supreme Court for a period of three years.

As we all know that every year thousands of student appear for NDA written examination and due to its difficulty level only few candidates are able to crack it. The right preparation strategy to clear NDA Exam begins sudden after +2 Board Examinations.
This type of examination requires a good level of intelligence with great practice & lots of motivational sessions. In our Institute we give complete training and best support to the candidates to get success in NDA exams. Indian Armed Forces is the best respectful and influential opportunities for the students. Delhi Career Group is one of the Best Coaching Institutes for NDA IPCI.
It consists of two papers which are given in table as below:

• First paper is Mathematics which is of 300 Marks. The duration for this paper is 2:30 hours
• Second paper is of General Ability of 600 marks. The duration of this Exam also is 2:30 hours
  Thus Toal Marks are 900 with total duration of 5 Hours Mathematics includes following topics for Nda Exam :
• Algebra
• Probability
• Analytical Geometry
• Integral Calculus
• Trigonometry
• Matrices & Determinants
• Differential Calculus & etc.
  General Ability includes following topics for Nda Exam:
• English
• General Knowledge
  English includes following topics for Nda Exam:
• Grammar and usage
• Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• General Knowledge:
• Physics
• General Science
• Geography
• Chemistry
• Social Studies & Current Events.

16 September: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

Layer is observed every year on September 16 for the preservation of the Ozone Layer. Significance of the Day: The day is commemoration of the date in 1987 on which the Montreal Protocol was signed on substances that deplete the ozone layer. 2016 theme: “Ozone and climate: Restored by a world united”. The theme recognizes the collective efforts of the parties to the Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention towards the restoration of the ozone layer over the past three decades and the global commitment to combat climate change.

• After PM Narendra Modi pitched for shifting to a January-December financial year, Madhya Pradesh has decided to adopt the January-December financial year format from the present April-March cycle.
  • Important Note : With this, Madhya Pradesh has become the first in the country to adopt the change.
  • With this, the next budget in Madhya Pradesh will be presented in December 2017.
• India’s third largest IT firm Wipro has replaced its multi-coloured sunflower logo, which was introduced in 1998, with a new one.
  • The new logo comprises dots, which according to Wipro, represent the way the company “connects the dots” for its clients.
• In just six months of launching its telecom operations, Reliance Jio has accounted for nearly 40% of India’s broadband connections, according to data by telecom regulator TRAI.
  • Reliance Jio accounted for 102.84 million users, the highest, followed by Bharti Airtel at 46.69 million broadband connections.

IAS officer Alka Sirohi has been appointed as chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), in place of Deepak Gupta who demits office on Tuesday. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Sirohi to perform the duties of the post of the chairman, UPSC, with effect from September 21, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said. She is presently member in the Commission.
The appointment is till further orders or till completion of her term as member on January 3, 2017, whichever is earlier, it said.
The post of chairman, UPSC, will fall vacant on Tuesday, consequent upon demitting of office by Gupta on attaining 65 years of age of superannuation, the order said.
Incidentally, the Centre had in November 2014 appointed Gupta as the UPSC chief, breaking away from the tradition of appointing the chief from the serving members of the commission.

The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was announced on 18 September 2016 at the Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Game of Thrones won best drama series at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards, while Veep took home the top comedy award.

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story also earned several awards, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus won her fifth consecutive Emmy in the lead comedy actress category.

Complete list of the winners

SSC CGL result is round the corner! Response sheet for answer key of SSC CGL Exam 2016 Tier 1 has been released by the Commission. Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released response sheet and correct answers for the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam 2016. The Commission has sought for representations from candidates regarding the answer key.

Submission of representations can be done before 26 September 2016 (till 05.00 pm). Candidates are required to pay Rs 100 per answer.

For accessing the response sheets candidates are required to login using their same User Id and Password which were used during the SSC CGL exam 2016.

SSC CGL exam was held from 27 August till 11 September 2016 www.ssc.nic.in

India has climbed 16 places to the 39th rank on the Global Competitiveness Index prepared by the World Economic Forum as improved business sophistication and goods market efficiency pushed its ranking higher.

For the eighth straight time, the list is topped by Switzerland as the most competitive economy. Singapore and the US are at the second and third positions, respectively. The jump of 16 places for India from last year’s 55th place is the highest for any economy this year. India is also the second-most competitive among BRICS nations behind neighbouring China, which is ranked at the 28th position.

On the index, India has a score of 4.52 while that of Switzerland is 5.81.

At the fourth spot is Netherlands, followed by Germany (5), Sweden (6) and the UK (7), Japan (8), Hong Kong SAR (9) and Finland (10).

India’s “competitiveness has improved across the board, in particular in goods market efficiency, business sophistication, and innovation”.

UPSC Exam Syllabus

CDS Exam Syllabus

• The Indian T20I team slipped a spot to the 4th place in the ICC T20I team rankings, according to the latest ICC rankings released today.
  • Indian team, with 118 rating points, is three points behind World T20 2009 winner Pakistan and World T20 2010 winner England.
  • New Zealand with 125 rating points is the top-ranked T20I team.
  • Top 10 in the List :
    • New Zealand
    • England
    • Pakistan
    • India
    • South Africa
    • Australia
    • West Indies
    • Sri Lanka
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh

Computer

In a computer, basic questions are asked on the definition, parts, hardware, software & functions of the computer. The questions are based on the basic devices of the computer. The questions asked in PO/Clerk level examinations.

• Computer Basic
• Input/output
• Software
• Internet
• Miscellaneous

Computer Basics

Define the term computer?

A Computer is an automatic electronic apparatus for making calculations or controlling operations that are expressible in numerical or logical terms.

The Basic function performed by a computer is the execution of the program.  A program is a sequence of instructions, which operates on data to perform certain tasks. In modern digital computers data is represented in binary form by using two symbols 0 and 1 which are called bi nary digits or bits. Computers use eight bits to represent a character internally. This allows  upto 2(8)=256 different items to be represented uniquely. This collection of eight bits is called a byte. Thus, one byte is used to represent one character internally.  One of the most common codes to represent characters in computer is ASCII( American Standard Code for Information Interchange.)

Normally, a word may be equal to 8,16,32 or 64 bits.  The terms like 32 bit computer, 64 bit computer etc. basically point to the word size of the computer.

Von Neumann proposed that there should be a unit performing arithmetic and logical operations on the data.  This unit is termed as Arithmetic Logic Unit(ALU). A control unit directs the ALU to perform specific arithmetic and logical functions on the data.

A program consists of a sequence of steps.

The ALU and the CU together are termed as the central processing Unit(CPU).  The CPU is the most component of a computer hardware. The ALU performs the arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and the logical operations.

All the arithmetic and logical operations are performed in the CPU in special storage areas called registers. The size of the registers is one of the important considerations in determining the processing capabilities of the CPU.  The larger the register size, the faster may be the speed of processing.  A CPU’s processing power is measured in Million Instructions Per Second(MIPS)

The instructions and data are to be supplied by external environment.  Therefore, an input module is needed.  Similarly, we need another component that will report the results in proper format and form.  This component is called output module.

It was pointed out by Von Neumann that the same memory can be used for storing data and instructions. The memory unit stores all the information in a group of memory cells, also called memory locations, as the binary digits (bits).  The amount of information that can be held in the main memory is known as memory capacity. The capacity of the main memory is measured in kilobytes (KB) or Megabytes(MB). One kilobyte stands for 2(10) kilobytes, which is approximately little over one million bytes.

A bus is a set of wires (lines) which you can visualize on the motherboard of a computer. It is a shared media. A bus connecting the CPU, memory and I/O components is called a system bus.  A system bus may consist of 50 to 100 separate lines.

A CPU which includes a ALU and CU.

A main memory system

An Input/Output System

The Von Neumann machine use stored program concept, i.e., the program and data are stored in the same memory unit. A Von Neumann machine has only a single path between main memory and control unit(CU).

The Computer and Integrated circuit technology.

In an integrated circuit, the components such as transistors, resistors and conductors are fabricated on semiconductor material such as silicon.  Hundreds or even thousands of transistors could be fabricated on a single wafer of silicon. An integrated circuit is constructed on a thin wafer of silicon that is divided into a matrix of small areas (size of the order of a few millimeters squares).

Initially, only a few gates were integrated reliably on a chip and then packaged.  This initial integration was referred to as small-scale integration(SSI). The SSI gave way to Medium Scale Integration where 100s of gates were fabricated on a chip.  Then came large Scale Integration(1000 gates) and very large integration (VLSI 100,000,000 components are expected to be fabricated on a single chip.

Semi conductor Memories

Initially pace with electronics as more and more component were fabricated on single chip, fever chips are needed to construct a single processor. Intel in 1971 achieved the breakthrough of putting all the components on a single chip  The single chip processor is known as microprocessor. The Intel 4004 was the first microprocessor.

Classification of Computers:

Microcomputers

A microcomputers CPU is a microprocessor.  The first microcomputers were built around 8 bit microprocessor chips. The 8-bit Chip can retrieve instructions/data from storage,manipulate, and process an 8-bit data at a time or we can say that the chip has a built in 8 bit data transfer path. An improvement on 8-bit chip technology was seen in early 1980s, when a series of 16-bit chips namely 8086 and 8088  were introduced by Intel corporation.

Minicomputer

The minicomputer is used as a multi-user system, which can be used by various users at the same time. Gradually, the architectural requirement of minicomputers grew and a 32-bit minicomputer, which is called supermini, was introduced. Few of the popular mainframe series are IBM, HP, etc.

Mainframes

Mainframe computers are generally 32-bit machines or on the higher side.Mainframes are also used as central host computer to distributed systems.  Libraries of applications programs developed for mainframe computers are much large than those of the micro or minicomputers because of their evolution over several decades as families of computing.

Super Computer:

A commercial computer with vector instructions and pipelined floating point arithmetic operations is referred to as supercomputers. They are very powerful, high performance machines used mostly for scientific computations. A supercomputer is a computer best known for its high computational speed, fast and larger memory system and the extensive used for parallel processing.

• Maharashtra today became the first state to install first-of-its-kind automated weather stations for farmers in the region.
  • The state government aims to install a total of 2,065 such units at the village/mandal level across Maharashtra.
• Uttar Pradesh state government is going to waive loans of up to ₹1lakh of ‘Divyangs’(differently-abled).
  • The government also plans to hold “Samadhan Diwas” every month to resolve their problems.
• Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain today flagged off Assam‘s first Shatabdi Expressfrom Dibrugarh.
• Haryana police today relaunched ‘Operation Durga‘ to ensure women’s safety.
  • The state government had started the operation earlier this month but it was stopped within a week.
• Women and children will be allowed to use toilet facilities at hotels and restaurants, including five-stars, in South Delhi for free from today (1st May 2017).
• The Real Estate Act which aims to protect the interests of homebuyers by ensuring transparency has come into effect.

• The “South Asia satellite” for use by countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region will be launched on 5th May 2017.
  • Important Points to Note :
    • During the 2014 SAARC summit that held in Nepal, the plan for the satellite was announced and subsequently all SAARC countries have joined it except Pakistan.
    • Hence, the beneficiaries of the satellite will be Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
  • Dubai government today announced the launch of “Dubai Font“, the world’s first typeface developed by Microsoft for a city.
    • The font will be available in 23 languages to users of Office 365.
    • Dubai’s Crown Prince, Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum, has urged all government institutions to adopt the font in official correspondence.

ElonMusk-led aerospace startup SpaceX today successfully launched a spy satellite into orbit for the US military.

• International Workers’ Day, also called Labour Day or May Day, is being observed today.
  • This day is celebrated on May 1stevery year to commemorate the struggles of working people throughout the world.
  • May Day originated in late 19th century when labour movement to gain the 8-hour work day began.
• European Union leaders have promised to embrace the British province of Northern Irelandafter Brexit if it ever unites with Ireland.
• India will give  35crore rupees to children of freedom fighters in Bangladesh under the new ‘Muktijodha scholarship’ scheme in the next five years.
  • Under the scheme, students at higher secondary level will get a one-time grant of 20,000 (Rs 15,370) and students at the undergraduate level will get a grant of 50,000 (Rs 38,430).

• India and Turkey have signed 3 agreements following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
  • The signed agreements are :
    • Agreement for a cultural exchange programme for the years 2017-2020.
    • MoU between the Foreign Services Institute (FSI) of India and the Diplomacy Academy of Turkey.
    • MoU for cooperation in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT).

• Spain’s Rafael Nadal today defeated Austria’s Dominic Thiem to win his 10thBarcelona Open title.
  • It was Nadal’s second title of the season and 71st of his career.
  • Note : Last week, Nadal had won the Monte Carlo Masters for the 10th time becoming the first men’s player in the Open era to win the same title 10 times.
• Barcelona Open Doubles Title was won by Florin Mergea (Romania) and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan)
• Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa today defeated compatriot Dipika Pallikal in the women’s singles final to become the first Indian to clinch the Asian Squash Championship title.
• Mercedes’ Finnish Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas claimed his first ever Grand Prixvictory after winning the Russian Grand Prix
• The top-seeded Indo-American pair of Leander Paes and Scott Lipsky defeated Argentine third seeds Leonardo Mayer and Maximo Gonzalez to win the Tallahassee Challenger title of the men’s double.

• India’s largest lender the State Bank of India (SBI) has cut its term deposit rates by up to 50 basis pointsfor various maturities.
  • The rates have been revised for medium and long term deposits and for amount below ₹1 crore.
  • The lender will be offering the new rates for fresh deposits and renewals, applicable from April 29, 2017.

The 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit was the eleventh meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20). It was held on 4–5 September 2016 in the city of Hangzhou. It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China and the second Asian country after 2010 G20 Seoul summit was hosted in South Korea.

It is noted that Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced the ratification of the Paris Agreement of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference by their countries. After they did it, it is 26 countries which have ratified the agreement so far; the United States and China represent respectively 18 percent and 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

G20 countries score poorly in climate goals report

The theme of 2016 G20 Summit was Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy.

It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China and the second Asian country to host the Summit. Before China, Seoul, South Korea, hosted the 2010 G20 Summit.

It was the 11th summit since the inception of G20 in 1999.The summit was attended by all the leaders of the G20 including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The chair of the summit was Xi Jinping, President of China.

Key highlights of the summit

• On 3 September 2016, Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced the ratification of the Paris Agreement of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference by their countries. The United States and China represent respectively 18 percent and 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

• The world leaders endorsed free trade and a crowded agenda that included the Koreas, Syria and refugees.

The main themes final communiqué of the summit are:

• Fight against tax evasion
• Favour international trade and investments and opposition to protectionism
• Fiscal stimulus and innovation to boost economic growth
• Combating populist attacks against globalisation
• Strengthen support for refugee

The guest invitees in the summit were: Egypt, Kazakhstan, Laos, Senegal, Spain, Singapore and Thailand.

The 2017 G20 Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany, under the leadership of Angela Merkel.

G20 Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and European Union.

On 8th September 2016 the 28th and the 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit concluded at Vientiane, Laos.  However, the main theme for the 2016 summit was Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community.

The Chairperson of the summit was H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR.

India-ASEAN Highlights

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had represented India at the ASEAN summit at the 14th ASEAN-India summit.
• ASEAN-India adopted a document aiming at politically cohesive, economically integrated, socially responsible and people oriented people centered ASEAN-India Community.
• The document recognizes the vital importance of the planned review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods (AITIG) Agreement.
• It seeks to ensure that the agreement is trade-facilitative and remains relevant to the current global trading practices.
• The document also emphasizes the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability, unimpeded commerce, freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea.

Mr. Modi, who was addressing the 14th ASEAN-India summit here, noted that growing radicalism through the ideology of hatred and spread of extreme violence were the other security threats.

“Export of terror, growing radicalisation and spread of extreme violence are common security threats to our societies,” he said in his second attack on Pakistan in two days amid escalating war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad. Laos Premier Thongloun Sisoulith complimented India’s Act East policy and its contribution to ASEAN, and hoped the summit will provide the future direction.

• Sanjay Pratihar, a scientist at Assam’s Tezpur University, has been selected for the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal for the Young Scientist Award, 2017, for his contribution to “multi-metal complexes, theoretical understanding, selective sensing of Hq2+ions and important applications in agriculture”.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has been selected for the ‘Transformative Chief Minister Award‘ in recognition for his role in advancing the US-India partnership at the state level.

Kerala Tourism bagged the award in recognition of its trend setting marketing initiatives, which have given a boost to the state’s profile as a must-visit destination.

The awards were in the categories of Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media and E-Newsletter, which were grabbed by the successful Visit Kerala television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter, respectively.

The awards will be presented at the PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and Presentation on 9 September 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2015, Kerala Tourism was also awarded PATA Gold in the Heritage and Culture category for Muziris Heritage Project.

UNITED NATIONS: India has ranked a low 110 out of 149 nations assessed on where they stand with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, according to a new index which is topped by Sweden and shows all countries face major challenges in achieving these ambitious goals.
 

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung launched a new Sustainable Development Goal Index and Dashboard to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) progress and ensuring accountability.

The index collected available data for 149 countries to assess where each country stands in 2016 with regard to achieving the SDGs. It ranks countries based on their performance across the 17 global goals, a set of ambitious objectives across the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, underpinned by good governance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of the disease was registered in the last year. In the coming months, the WHO will issue a certification for the eradication of measles to Brazil.

       The eradication of measles is the conclusion of work spanning several years. Brazil saw no domestic cases of measles from 1985 to 2000, although it broke out in 2013 in the northeastern states of Pernambuco and Ceara.

• The WHO said it had worked alongside the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to stamp out the disease, with a joint investment of 1.2 million reais ($335000) going towards measles control and the hiring of 165 dedicated nursing staff in Brazil.
• Measles can be transmitted orally, through mucus or saliva and mainly affects children. It can be spread rapidly through the air due to sneezing or a cough, and the first symptoms appear after 10 days with red spots on the skin.

        While most patients recover within three weeks, it can cause pneumonia, blindness or even death in malnourished children.

• Global measles deaths have decreased by 79 per cent, according to WHO, from about 546,800 in 2000 to 114,900 in 2014.

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Wikipedia
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: April 7, 1948
Head: Margaret Chan

India moved a step closer to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, as its Parliament’s Upper House, the Rajya Sabha, approved The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 with 203 votes in favour and none against. The GST, which is expected to be implemented from April 1, 2017, aims to replace multiple state and central levies with a single tax. Since the central and state taxes are likely to be included under GST, it may result in reduction of tax credits across intra- and inter-state transactions.

What is GST?

GST is one indirect tax for the whole nation, which will make India one unified common market. GST is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer.  The final consumer will thus bear only the GST charged by the last dealer in the supply chain, with set-off benefits at all the previous stages.

In other words, the prices that we pay for goods and services have the taxes embedded in them. Mostly, the consumers are not even aware of or ignore the tax they pay for things they buy. This is because there is a list of indirect taxes such as sales tax, excise and VAT, which leads to increased complexity. The GST seeks to sort out this and include all in one single tax, thereby making India an economically unified market. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, which deliberated on the tax and its implications, has recommended what all taxes are to be included in the GST:

In the Central taxes: 1) Central Excise Duty; 2) Additional Excise Duties; 3) The Excise Duty levied under the Medicinal and Toiletries Preparation Act Service Tax; 4) Additional Customs Duty, commonly known as Countervailing Duty (CVD); 5) Special Additional Duty of Customs – 4% (SAD); 6) Surcharges, and 7) Cesses.  State taxes: 1) VAT / Sales tax; 2) Entertainment tax (unless it is levied by the local bodies); 3) Luxury tax; 4) Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling; 5) State Cesses and Surcharges in so far as they relate to supply of goods and services; and 6) Entry tax not in lieu of Octroi.

“According to analysts from a macro-economic perspective, the short-term impact of GST could be mixed, the long-term impact will be positive”

What will be the Impact??

GST will turn India into one common market, leading to greater ease of doing business and big savings in logistics costs from companies across all sectors. Some companies will gain more as the GST rate will be lower than the current tax rates they pay, others will lose as the rate will be higher than the present effective rate. While the rate of GST is yet to be decided, industry observers have assumed an 18% rate recommended by a government panel in making their impact calculations.

What will the Bill in Parliament today do?

It basically seeks to amend the Constitution to empower both the Centre and the states to levy GST. This they cannot do now, because the Centre cannot impose any tax on goods beyond manufacturing (Excise) or primary import (Customs) stage, while states do not have the power to tax services. The proposed GST would include various central (Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duty, service tax, Countervailing or Additional Customs Duty, Special Additional Duty of Customs, etc.), as well as state-level indirect taxes (VAT/sales tax, purchase tax, entertainment tax, luxury tax, octroi, entry tax, etc). Once the Bill is passed, there will only be a national-level central GST and a state-level GST spanning the entire value chain for all goods and services, with some exemptions.

You should follow these given tips and tricks for IBPS exam to quickly prepare for bank exams online. And by the help of these skills, you can also, easily prepare for ibps exam at home.

1. Proper planning – First of all you should have made a plan for your studies. Better understand about your IBPS exam syllabus and find that in which weak section you must pay more attention and then prepare a study schedule. And IBPS preparation tips.
2. Update yourself – You should read newspaper, magazines regularly and also update with current affairs, daily events and activities. Especially from banking and finance industry. It is the master key to preparing for ibps exam online.
3. Study Topic wise – Students needs to concentrate on a single topic at a time do not just turn one to another pay serious attention to each and every topic. Practice more questions on the various topics.
4. Make GK a weapon – General Knowledge is one of the best marks gaining subject in all over banking exams. You should command on it by daily newspaper reading habit, Try some latest GK books and magazines which also clear your doubt about current affairs. Focus majorly on these topics – Current events, banking awareness, sports, business news, political news and film & television, etc.
5. Proper Time Management – You should practice more and more to be able to solve all questions in good timing. Most of the students ask this question that How much time is required to prepare for IBPS Exam? The answer is as you manage. Practice as much as you can don’t waste time in just thinking about the exam. Solve previous year questions and more practice can easily save your time in ibps exam. Read more about time management tips for ibps exam.
6. Trial with Mock test – You must try yourself with the online mock test. With properly complete your IBPS Exam Syllabus you should try some mock tests to judge yourself in the exam with proper time duration. Solve mock test to have a decent idea of the paper.
7. Revision – Revise all your syllabus topics before few days once again and focus more on the weak section that time.
8. Perform Like a Hero – While entering the examination hall, you should perform as a hero does not hesitate about anything. Take section first on which you have command and less time consuming then go for the long part.
9. Proper Diet & Tension-free – This is the last minute tips for IBPS Exam. Students need to be calm during preparation time. Take your love, friendship and family problems away from your mind for few days. Feel free and the only target one thing. Avoid junk food it turns you more lazy, drink lots of water and get enough sleep.

These are some of the best IBPS exam preparation tips which increase your chances to qualify in any of banking sector examination and also check IBPS Exam study material for preparation here.

This Editorial is used here for Study Purpose. Students are advised to learn the word-meaning,  The Art of Writing Skills and understand decisive of this Editorial.MEANINGS are given in BOLD.

The Mental Health Care Bill, 2016, passed by the Rajya Sabha is a watershed (turning point) legislation that lays down clear responsibilities for the state and has provisions that empower individuals and families. Crucially, it can expand access to treatment, which is dismally (unequal to the purpose) poor today. According to a recent review in The Lancet, of gaps in mental health treatment, although both India and China have renewed their commitment to address the problem through national programmes, it is Beijing that has done better in terms of improving coverage. India allocates just over 1 per cent of the Centre’s health budget to mental health, with States making comparable allocations (to distribute according to a plan).

This situation should change if the provisions of the bill are to be meaningful. The legislation, inter alia (among other things), gives everyone the right to access mental health care as well as treatment from mental health services run or funded by the government; it also provides for supply of all notified essential medicines free of cost to those with mental illness, through the government. The situation today is a far cry from what is promised. While the bill says mental health services should be available at the district level, even States with well-functioning district hospitals do not offer regular psychiatric outpatient services, leave alone in-patient facilities. In government hospitals, medication to treat even the more common psychiatric disorders is not always available. These and other deficiencies need not have waited for a law.

In a much-needed change, the Centre has adopted a medicalised approach to attempted suicide, treating it as the outcome of severe stress. The bill rightly blocks the application of the Indian Penal Code section that criminalises it. A duty is also cast on the authorities to care for and rehabilitate (to restore; to return to its original condition) such individuals. What this means is that official policy must strive (to try to achieve a result) to strengthen the social determinants of health, especially when it comes to universal welfare support systems against catastrophic(a disaster ; any large event of great significance) events in people’s lives. Reliable (suitable ; fit) and free professional counselling must be widely offered.

For too long, mental health treatment in India has existed with the colonial legacy of large asylums (a place of safety) and degrading (to lower in value) confinement (the state of being confined ; not free to move). Many who are held in such places have nowhere else to go, as families facing stigma (the condition of being out of favour) have abandoned (to give up) them. There is much to be said, therefore, in favour of the halfway home system that the bill provides for, where supportive families, medical care and a better quality of life will help many recover. The success of this more progressive law brought in to replace the Mental Health Act, 1987, will depend ultimately on the community keeping up the pressure on the designated Central and State authorities to implement it in letter and spirit.

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The trio notched a few firsts for India; Sindhu, at 21, became the youngest to win an Olympic medal, a silver which was never achieved in badminton; and Sakshi’s bronze was also a first for women’s wrestling.

BADMINTON:

# P V Sindhu secured a silver medal after losing to Carolina Marin in the women’s singles final.

# Saina Nehwal failed to progress beyond the league stage in women’s singles.

# Kidambi Srikanth lost in the men’s singles quarterfinals against Lin Dan.

# Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to advance to the knock—out stage of women’s doubles.

# Men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also failed to make the knock—out stage.

WRESTLING:

# Sakshi Malik won bronze in women’s 58kg freestyle.

# Vinesh Phogat retired after suffering an injury in the quarterfinal of women’s 48kg.

# Babita Kumari lost in the pre-quarterfinal round of the women’s 53kg freestyle.

# London Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt lost in qualification round of men’s 65kg freestyle.

# Sandeep Tomar lost his pre-quarterfinal bout of men’s 57kg freestyle.

# In Greco-Roman, both Ravinder Khatri and Hardeep Singh lost in the pre-quarterfinals of 85kg and 98kg, respectively.

# Narsingh Yadav was ruled out from representing India in men’s 74kg freestyle category after he was slapped with a four-year ban by Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for flunking a dope test after WADA challenged the clean chit given to him by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

GYMNASTICS:

# Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in Vaults final.

The 2016 Summer Olympics concluded on 21 August 2016 at ceremony held at the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

More than 11000 athletes from 207 National Olympic Committees, including first time entrants Kosovo, South Sudan and the Refugee Olympic Team, took part in the games.

The games featured 28 Olympic sports, including rugby sevens and golf, which were added to the Olympic programme in 2009.

The United States topped the medal table for the fifth time in the past six Summer Olympics, winning 46 gold medals and 121 medals overall. Great Britain and China finished in second and third respectively.

India at the Rio Olympics 2016

• The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had sent a total of 117 athletes, the nation’s largest ever delegation in Summer Olympic history.

• Indian bagged a total of two medals, one silver and one bronze, in the games, and stood at the 67th place in the medal tally.

• Badminton player P V Sindhu won historic silver medal in women’s singles badminton event. With this, she became the first Indian woman to clinch a silver medal in Olympics.

• Wrestler Sakshi Malik secured a bronze in the 58 kg category to become India’s first female wrestler to win an Olympic medal.

• India had qualified one artistic gymnast into the Olympic competition for the first time since 1964. Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian female ever to book an Olympic spot in the apparatus events and all-around event at the Olympic Test Event. She narrowly missed out in the bronze medal, finishing 4th in the finals of the event with a score of 15.066.

• Abhinav Bindra came fourth in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle singles event after losing a shootoff for the top 3 to Serhiy Kulish, who finally won the silver.

• At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Indian long distance runner Lalita Babar scored a time of 9:19.76 in her heat, qualifying to the final. With this, she became the first Indian in 32 years to enter a final in any track event. At the final, she finished 10th with a time of 9:22.74.

Key highlights of the 2016 Summer Olympics

• The opening ceremony took place in the Maracana Stadium on 5 August 2016.

• The Games were officially opened by Acting President of Brazil Michel Temer.

• These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Thomas Bach.

• Rio became the first South American city to host the Summer Olympics.

• The two new sports for 2016 Olympic Games were golf and rugby sevens.

• Due to the European migrant crisis and other reasons, the International Olympic Committee allowed athletes to compete as Independent Olympians under the Olympic Flag.

• Due to the suspension of the National Olympic Committee of Kuwait, participants from Kuwait were allowed to participate under the Olympic Flag as Independent Olympic Athletes.

• The official mascot of the 2016 Summer Olympics was Vinicius. It is named after musician Vinicius de Moraes. The mascot represented Brazilian wildlife and carries design traits of cats, monkeys and birds.

About 2020 Summer Olympics

• The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

• The city was announced as the host at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires on 7 September 2013.

• The games are planned to be held from 24 July 2020 to 9 August 2020.

Dr. Urjit R Patel as the 24th governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will be having tenure of three years with effect from 4 September 2016. He will succeed the present RBI Governor Dr. Raghuram Rajan, the former International Monetary Fund chief economist.

At present, Dr Patel is the Deputy Governor of RBI and is holding this assignment since 2013. With this appointment, he also becomes the eight Deputy Governor to be elevated as the Governor at RBI.

Dr. Urjit R Patel

• He headed a panel that recommended landmark changes to monetary policy in India, which included a switch to inflation-targeting and the creation of a panel to set interest rates.

• In January 2016, he was reappointed as the deputy governor in charge of monetary policy, the department he ran since 2013.

• Earlier between 1990 and 1995, he had worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) covering US, India, Bahamas and Myanmar.

• He carried a doctorate from Yale University.

• He also carries M Phil from Oxford.

Jammu-born poet and novelist Padma Sachdev has been chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2015 for her autobiography written in Dogri language. The 76-year-old writer’s autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’, published in 2007, was selected from 22 works in as many languages published between the years 2005-2014. The award is given every year for an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language by an Indian citizen and published during last 10 years. It carries award money of Rs 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque.Sachdev, who writes in Hindi and native Dogri, has 60 books to her credit.

She has been a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award in 1971 for her book of poetry ‘Meri Kavita Mere Geet’. In her 662-page autobiography, Sachdev has included some historic photographs with dignitaries from her state, nation and the world.

It was a celebration of woman power in sports as Olympic stars PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar were today conferred India’s highest sporting honour — the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — along with shooter Jitu Rai in a gleaming awards ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Four sports person from different discipline of sports were chosen for the award and they are P.V. Sindhu for Badminton, Dipa Karmakar for Gymnastics, Jitu Rai for Shooting and Sakshi Malik for Wrestling.
The award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.

Dronacharya Awards

Six sports coaches will be honoured with Dronacharya Awards and they are Nagapuri Ramesh for Athletics, Sagar Mal Dhayal for Boxing, Raj Kumar Sharma for Cricket, Bishweshwar Nandi for Gymnastics, S Pradeep Kumar for Swimming (Lifetime) and Mahabir Singh for Wrestling (Lifetime).
Dipa Karmakar’s coach Bishweshwar Nandi will receive the award for Gymnastics.
The award is conferred on coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events.

Arjuna Awards

15 sports person from different discipline of sports were selected for the award and they are Rajat Chauhan for Archery, Lalita Babar for Athletics, Sourav Kothari for Billiards & Snooker, Shiva Thapa for Boxing, Ajinkya Rahane for Cricket, Subrata Paul for Football, Rani for Hockey, Raghunath VR for Hockey, Gurpreet Singh for Shooting, Apurvi Chandela for Shooting, Soumyajit Ghosh for Table Tennis, Vinesh for Wrestling, Amit Kumar for Wrestling, Sandeep Singh Mann for Para-Athletics and Virender Singh for Wrestling (Deaf).
The award is given for consistently outstanding performance for four years.

Dhyan Chand Award 2015

Three sports person were selected for the awards and they are Athlete Satti Geetha, hockey player Sylvanus Dung Dung and Rower Rajendra Pralhad Shelke.
The award is conferred for life time contribution to sports development.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar

Seven organisations were selected for Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar, 2016 and they are Reserve Bank of India (Employment to sportspersons and other welfare measures), India Infrastructure Finance Corporate Limited (Encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility), and Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (Sports for Development). Four organisation who were chosen for the award for identification and nurturing of budding and young talent includes Hockey Citizen Group, Dadar Parsee Zorostrian cricket club, Usha School of Athletics and STAIRS.
The award is given to the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Punjabi University, Patiala.

The trophy is given to the overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.
The awardees will receive their awards from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29 August 2016, which is celebrated as the National Sports Day.
Apart from a medal and a citation, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee will receive a cash prize of 7.5 lakh rupees.
Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awardees will receive statuettes, certificates and cash prize of five lakh rupees each. Recipients of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar will be given Trophies and certificates. Award money of ten lakh rupees and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy will be given to Punjabi University, Patiala for overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.
Selection Committee for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards was headed by Justice SK Agarwal, Retired Delhi High Court Judge.
Selection Committee for Dronacharya Awards and Dhyan Chand Awards was headed by MC Mary Kom.
Selection Committee for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar was headed by Rajiv Yadav, Secretary (Sports).

Mr. Krishna will receive the award for “social inclusiveness in culture,” while Wilson was named as an awardee for “asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity.”

Bezwada Wilson, a renowned campaigner against manual scavenging, and Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna from Chennai were named for the prestigious Magsaysay Award on Wednesday.

he first BRICS Film Festival will kick started on 2 September 2016 at the Sirifort Auditorium Complex, New Delhi. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore inaugurated the festival.

The five-day festival aims at providing a platform for people of the film industry of member countries to explore areas of cooperation in the domain of cinema, culture and cuisine.

Key highlights of the BRICS Film Festival

• The idea of BRICS film festival has been conceived to build bridges and bring harmony amongst the BRICS countries, i.e., Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

• The opening film for the festival will be the world premiere of the Malayalam movie, Veeram.

• The closing film will be the Chinese movie, Skiptrace, starring Jackie Chan directed by Renny Harlin.

• In the course of 5 days of the event, 20 movies will be screened in the competition section, 4 from each of the countries.

• The festival that kick started on 2 September 2016 will conclude on 6 September 2016.

International news Affairs

• Today (21st June) is World Music Day (Fête de la Musique)
  • This day is celebrated in an attempt to promote peace and spread goodwill through melodies.
  • The day is originated in France in 1982 and is now observed in over 120 countries.
  • Aim of this day: To encourage free and accessible concerts or events for the public.
• India is Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner, the Pentagon has recently announced in its first Afghan report.
  • The report further stated that India provides training opportunities for Afghan officers.

• China unveils World’s First Train that runs on Virtual Tracks

China has unveiled world’s first train that operates on a virtual track using sensor technology instead of metal rails. This Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) has been developed by China’s CRRC Zhuzhou Institute

Salient Features of World’s First Train that runs on Virtual Tracks:

• The train can move at a maximum speed of 70 km/hour. Instead of railway tracks, the train runs on rubber tyres.
• The 30­metre train has three carriages as of now and can carry 300 passengers. More carriages can be added – taking the total capacity up to 500 passengers.
• This train is equipped with sensors that allow it to read the dimensions of roads and plan its own route.
• It is environment friendly as it is powered by electricity. On a full charge, the train can travel for distances up to 40 km.
• China plans to build a 6.5­kilometre ART line through downtown Zhuzhou for this new train and operations will start some time in 2018.

Railway facts:

♦ The Qinghai Tibet Railway, China – World’s highest train journey.

♦ Beipanjiang River Railway Bridge, China – World’s highest railway bridge

♦ India is building world’s highest rail bridge in Jammu and Kashmir over river Chenab

National news Affairs

• 3rd International Yoga Day is being celebrated today with participation of Crores of people around the world.
  • PM Narendra Modi participated in International Yoga Day celebrations in Lucknow along with UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik.
  • Speaking at the third edition of the festival, Modi said the UN had accepted his proposal in record time to celebrate June 21 as International Yoga Day.
  • Modi also described yoga as a “free life insurance”.
• Under Kaushalya Karnataka scheme, the Karnataka government is going to launch a skill development programme for providing vocational training to domestic workers, which includes people employed as cooks, house help and gardeners.
  • The month-long certification programme,  aims to help workers learn standardised skills in their line of work to enable them to access better employment opportunities.
• The Karnataka government has re-introduced garbage bins in Bengaluru after seventeen years.
  • Bengaluru’s municipal corporation will install 2,232 pairs of bins for wet and dry waste across the city at a cost of over ₹4 crore.
  • Note : Earlier, Bengaluru followed a dustbin-free policy and garbage was collected by municipal workers from door-to-door.
• Mumbai will get a suite of floating restaurants by 2018.
  • These restaurants will be located on multiple decks of a ship sailing between Gateway of India and Girgaum Chowpatty.

New Appointments

• Saudi Arabia has relieved Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince, replacing him with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s son Mohammed bin Salman.
  • Note : Salman, who is now first in line to the throne, was also named Deputy Prime Minister.
• India has re-nominated Justice Dalveer Bhandari for another term as a Judge at the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations
  • Bhandari was elected in 2012 and his current term runs through February 2018.
  • Note: The ICJ elections will be held in November and if elected, Bhandari will serve another term of nine years.

People in News

• Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Daniel Day-Lewis, known for films like Lincoln, My Left Foot and Gangs of New York, has announced his retirement from acting.
  • Phantom Thread, scheduled to release on December 25, is likely to be Daniel’s last film.

Obituary

• Padma Shri-awardee Predhiman Krishan Kaw (69), widely considered the father of India’s nuclear fusion programme, has passed away.
  • He founded the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR),Gandhinagar, which built India’s first tokamak fusion device.
• Italian fashion designer Carla Fendi (79), the former President of the luxury fashion brand Fendi, passed away today.
• Veteran actor Amrit Pal (76) passed away.
  • Pal, who made his Bollywood debut with the Jeetendra-Sridevi starrer film ‘Jaal’, was known for his negative roles.

Banking, Business & Economic news

• The Royal Canadian Mint has unveiled a specially designed two-dollar coin, or ‘toonie‘.
  • This is world’s first glow-in-the-dark coin to enter circulation.
  • The coin features two people paddling under the Northern Lights.
  • The coin, created to mark the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation, is also the world’s first coloured bimetallic coin.
• The government has asked banks and post offices to deposit demonetised ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes collected by December 30, 2016, with the RBI within 30 days.
  • Further, cooperative banks have also been allowed to exchange old notes collected by them by November 14, 2016.
  • Entities that don’t submit the notes will have to provide reasons for the same.
• Mumbai is the most expensive Indian cityfor expatriates and is ranked above major cities like Paris, Canberra, Seattle and Vienna, a report by consulting firm Mercer revealed.
  • Globally, Mumbai was ranked 57 on the list while New Delhi was ranked 99.
  • Further, the capital of Angola, Luanda was named the costliest city globally for expats followed by Hong Kong.
• The first cargo flight of the Afghanistan-India air freight corridorcarrying Afghan goods to India landed in New Delhi today.
  • The flight from Kabul to Delhi was packed with 60 tonnes of Afghan plants with medicinal uses.
  • The new air corridor aims to boost trade between India and Afghanistan to $1 billion in three years.

Science & Technology

• Estonia will be opening the world’s first-ever data embassynext year in Luxembourg, to keep backup files of its vital information on cloud servers and double secure its data digitally.
  • Luxembourg has been chosen as the location for the embassy, since it has capabilities to provide a high level of security for the stored data, Estonian PM Jüri Ratas said.
• June 21 marks the beginning of summer in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, referred to as the ‘summer solstice’, the year’s longest day and shortest night.

Current Sports Affairs

• Anil Kumble stepped down as Team India coach today amid reports of a rift with Virat Kohli Following his, BCCI has named its general manager MV Sridhar as the supervisor for the Windies tour.
  • Meanwhile, Sanjay Bangar and R Sridhar are set to continue as the Batting Coach and Fielding Coach respectively.
  • Note: Under Kumble, India won Test series against West Indies, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia.

International News Affairs

• Today (4th June) is International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.
  • This day affirms the UN’s commitment to protect the rights of children.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-started the final leg of his six-day, four-nationEuropean trip with a visit to France.
  • He held bilateral talks with  newly – elected French President Emmanuel Macron.
  • The two world leaders discussed a wide range of issues including counter-terrorism, trade as well as the Paris climate agreement of 2015.
  • India and France decide to cooperate in fight against terrorism and climate change.
  • Modi invited Macron to visit India.
  • Macron to visit India towards the end of this year for a meeting of the International Solar Alliance.
• Nepal Parliament is going to elect a new Prime Minister today.
  • Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba likely to be elected.

National News Affairs

• Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today announced that women will soon be inducted in combat roles in the Army, the process for which has started.
  • Currently, women are only allowed in medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the Army.
  • Note : Most countries do not allow women in combat roles, with USA, UK and Germany being among the few who do.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Tax rates on various commodities under GST
  • The GST Council today cleared the pending rules, including transition provisions and returns, with all the states agreeing to roll out GST from July 1.
  • The Council has fitted over 1,200 goods and 500 services in four tax brackets.
  • The Council announced that Gold, silver, and processed diamonds will be taxed at 3% under GST.
  • The tax slab for footwear below ₹500 has been fixed at 5%, while more expensive footwear will be taxed at 18%.
  • Readymade garments will be taxed at 12%, while apparel costing below ₹1,000 will attract a tax of 5%.
  • The Council has fixed the tax rate for biscuits at 18%.
  • Yarn and fabric cotton will be under the 5% tax slab.
  • Beedis will be put in the highest tax bracket at 28% without cess.

Science & Technology

• Elon Musk-led aerospace startup SpaceX successfully launched a used Dragon spacecraft for the first time in the company’s eleventh cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
  • The mission marked the 100th launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, which was also used for the first moon landing missions.
  • Dragon is carrying instruments for first-ever neutron stars’ study by NASA.
• India test-fired its indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM)for the first time from Chandipur, Odisha today.
  • The QR-SAM, developed jointly by DRDO and Bharat Electronics Ltd. for the Indian Army, is an all-weather, truck-mounted missile system with a range of 30 kilometres.
  • It is intended to replace the Army and Navy’s ageing quick reaction air defence systems.
• The first ever developmental flight of the launch vehicle GSLV Mark III D-1 (GSLV Mk III D-1) will be held tomorrow by the Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, and the 25-and-a-half hour countdown for the epoch making launch will begin at 3.58 pm today at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.
  • The most powerful ever rocket developed by the ISRO, will lift off the communication satellite GSAT-19 to a Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit GTO in space, after its ignition at 5.28 hours on Monday.

Current Sports Affairs

• Indian shuttler Sai Praneeth won the Men’s singles title at the Thailand Open, defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie  in the final today.
  • This is the first Grand Prix Gold win and second title in a row for Praneeth, who had won the Singapore Open earlier this year.
• Real Madrid became the first team to win back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles, defeating Juventus 4-1 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff today.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Affairs

• Aimed at minimising the risk of injuries and casualties, Philippines President Rodrigo Dutertetoday signed an executive order banning the private use of firecrackers in the country
• According to the United Nations’ annual population survey, the Global population will hit 8 billion in 2023.
  • The survey found that the world’s population has been increasing by roughly 83 million annually, and the number of people aged over 60 will top 1 billion next year.
  • Important Note : According to this survey, India will overtake China to become the world’s most populous nation by 2024.
• New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an anti-child marriage law to increase the marriageable age from 14 to 18.
• India and Russia are celebrating 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
  • To commemorate this, a series of events has been planned in Russia and in India during 2017.
  • India will also be the Guest Country at the  Petersburg International Economic Forumin June 2017.

National news Affairs

• A total of 23 Guinness World Records were set at an International Yoga Day event in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 21st June 2017.
  • More than 54,000 people participated in the event, beating the earlier record of most people doing yoga by a margin of over 18,000.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has designed flags to be displayed on the state’s IAS officers’ cars after the central government banned beacons.
  • The flags for chief secretary and additional chief secretaries will be rectangular, while those of secretaries will be swallow-tailed and junior administrative grade or selection grade officers will get triangular flags.
• The government has made it mandatory for the tuberculosis patients to submit their Aadhaar number for availing benefits under the Central government scheme.
  • The move has been made to check fraud and corruption in government schemes.
• In an attempt to prevent road accidents, police in Andhra Pradesh have launched a ‘Face Wash and Go‘ initiative on national and state highways from 1 AM to 4:30 AM.
  • As part of the programme, the police stopped vehicles on highways and asked drivers to wash their faces.
• Victims of acid attacks and people with autism, mental illnesses, and intellectual disabilitieswill get 1% reservation for central government jobs and promotions.
  • The move has been proposed by the Department of Personnel and Training and includes vacancies, promotion quotas, and age relaxation.
• Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryanahave been declared as the 4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF) States of India.
  • Note : Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala  have already been declared as Open Defecation Free.

People in News

• The opposition led by Congress today announced former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as its candidate for the Presidential polls.
  • The Dalit leader from Bihar, will contest the elections against BJP-led NDA’s candidate Ram Nath Kovind, who is also a Dalit.

Banking, Business & Economic news

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to resolve 55 identified high value cases of bad loans within a period of six months.
  • Otherwise, the central bank would examine those cases and refer for resolution under the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
  • Earlier this month, RBI had identified 12 accounts for insolvency proceedings, which accounted for 25% of total bad loans of banks.
• China today announced plans to link its economic corridor in Pakistan to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) involving India.
  • The BRI is a part of China’s initiative to link Europe with Asia.
  • Note: India has raised concerns about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through PoK, as a threat to its sovereignty.

Science & Technology news

• Social networking platform Facebook has announced India-specific tools that will let users set up a ‘guard’ on their profile picturesto prevent others from downloading and sharing them.
  • Facebook also announced an Android-only tool that will prevent others from taking a screenshot of users’ profile pictures.
  • Note: A blue border and shield will be displayed around the protected pictures.
• The Delhi Metro has introduced its own smart watches, Watch2Pay.
  • Watch2Pay will enable commuters’ faster entry and exit at metro stations.
  • The watches, priced at ₹6,000 per year, made in partnership with an Austrian company, will have a sim card inside for recharging, but won’t require mobile network to function.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

• US President Donald Trump’s top aide Kenneth Juster is set to be US’ new ambassador to India.
  • Juster will replace acting US ambassador to India MaryKay Carlson.
• The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed Russian diplomat Vladimir Voronkov to head the newly established UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), despite growing tensions between the US and Russia.
• Rajiv Gauba was appointed as the new Home Secretary.
  • He is presently working as a Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development.
• Pakistan’s limited overs captain, Sarfraz Ahmed, who led Pakistan to their maiden ICC Champions Trophy title, is set to be appointed as the captain of Pakistan’s Test team.
  • The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman will be replacing Misbah-ul-Haq, who retired last month after serving as captain for seven years.

AWARDS & HONORS

• Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune has become the 1st recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for outstanding contribution to promotion and development of Yoga.
• Indo-Canadian YouTube personality Lilly Singh, also known as Superwoman, was ranked 1st in the Entertainment category of 2017 Top Influencers list by Forbes.
  • American YouTuber Tyler Oakley was ranked second.

Current Sports Affairs

• Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth defeated world number one Son Wan-ho for the second time in a week to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Super series
  • World number 11 Srikanth had earlier defeated the South Korean in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open, which he eventually won.
  • Note: Srikanth will face compatriot B Sai Praneeth in the quarters.
• The Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) chief N Ramachandranhas revealed that IOA has asked the government for permission to bid for the 2032 Olympics and 2030 Asian Games.
  • Ramachandran said the IOA also wanted India to host the Asian Beach Games in 2020 alongside hosting 2020’s Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly meeting and the International Olympic Committee’s 2021 session.

International News Affairs

• India has been ranked 137th in the Global Peace Index 2017
  • Last Year’s Rank :141st
  • Top 10 Countries in the List : 
    • Iceland
    • New Zealand
    • Portugal
    • Austria
    • Denmark
    • Czech Republic
    • Slovenia
    • Canada
    • Switzerland
    • Ireland
  • The UN Security Council has unanimously voted to expand sanctions against North Korea in response to its repeated missile tests this year.
    • The measures impose a travel ban and asset freeze on North Korean officials and state entities that deal with the country’s nuclear program.
  • Japan‘s Navy and Air Force began a 3-day military exercise with two US aircraft carriers in the Sea of Japan adding pressure on North Korea to block its ballistic missile program.
    • The exercise came just two days after the US tested its missile defence capability by intercepting a mock intercontinental ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean.
  • Danish lawmakers have repealed a 334-year-old blasphemy law that forbids public insults of a religion, such as the burning of holy books.
    • However, remarks and acts that threaten or demean certain groups of people because of their religious beliefs will still be punishable.
    • Important Note : Denmark was the only Scandinavian country with a blasphemy law.

New Appointments

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)has appointed Ganesh Kumar as Executive Director (ED) after the voluntary retirement of Chandan Sinha.
• Indian-origin Minister Leo Varadkar has been elected the Prime Minister of Ireland.
  • With this, he became the country’s youngest (38) and first openly gay Prime Minister.
• The United Nations General Assembly today picked Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak to be its next President.
  • Lajcak, who was a contender to succeed Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary General last year, will succeed Fijian diplomat Peter Thomson.
• Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer has become the 1st Indian to be nominated as a member of the Umpires and Referees Committee (URC) by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
  • He will serve for a term of two years which is further extendable.
• Shashi Shekar Vempati has been appointed as the CEO of Prasar Bharati.
  • He will hold the post for a period of five years.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Anil Ambani today announced that the merged entity of Reliance Communications and Aircel will be called Aircom.
  • Note  : RCom will hold a 50% stake in the new company.

Recent Committees in News

• Market Regulator Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (SEBI) has formed a Committee on Corporate Governance.
  • The move is aimed at improving the standards of corporate governance of listed companies.
  • The panel has been mandated to submit the report within a period of four months.
  • Head of this Committee: Uday Kotak (MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank).

MOUs & Agreements

• Samsung India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) for setting up two new Samsung Technical Schools in Bengaluru and Jamshedpur as well as to renew the partnership for 10 existing schools being run across the country.

Science & Technology

• A Chinese malware named ‘Fireball‘ has hit 25 crore computers worldwide, infecting them with malicious code designed to change the default search engine.
  • The malware further tracks the infected computer’s web traffic on behalf of a Beijing-based digital marketing firm called Rafotech.
  • The malware also has the ability to remotely run any code on the victim’s machine.
• The ‘Stratolaunch‘ aircraft built by Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen to launch rockets into space.
  • This is the world’s biggest aircraft with a wingspan of 385 feet
• NASA is all set to launch the world’s first ever mission devoted for studying neutron stars.
  • NASA will launch the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR(NICER), aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur has developed a wireless technology called ‘AmbuSens‘ for remote monitoring of condition of those patients who are ferried in ambulances.

Current Sports Affairs

• Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is going to launch Messi Experience Park, an Amusement park themed around him in China in 2019.

International News Affairs

• Today (2nd June) is International Sex Workers Rights Day.
  • This day honours sex workers and recognises their often exploited working conditions.
• In a move honouring his campaign promise,US President Donald Trump today pulled the country out of the Paris climate agreement.
  • The US would join Syria and Nicaragua as the world’s only non-participants in the 195-nation accord which is the first legally binding global deal to fight climate change.
• The US has granted emergency approval for a new questionnaire asking US visa applicants social media handles of the last five years and biographical information of the last 15 years.
  • Officials can request prior passport numbers, addresses and employment history.
  • While the questions are voluntary, failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of visa applications.
• PM Narendra Modi will arrive  Paris, France tonight.
  • There he will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow.
• The SCO’s summit is going to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from 8th and 9th June 2017.
  • This summit will complete the admission proceduresfor India and Pakistan’s admission to the China-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

MOUs & Agreements

• India and Russia today signed 5 MOUs. They are :
  • Agreement between the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) and the Council of India on Scientific and Industrial Research to provide access to Rospatent experts to the Indian Digital Library of Traditional Knowledge (TKDL).
  • An agreement for the construction of the third stage of the Kudankulam NPP (KK5 & KK6) along with the Credit Protocol been signed between NPCIL and ROSATOM.
  • An agreement on cultural exchanges for a period of two years (2017-2019).
  • Contract between JSC (Russian Railways) and the Ministry of Railways on the preparation of the justification for the implementation of the high-speed service at the Nagpur-Secunderabad section.
  • Memorandum of cooperation between ALROSA Joint Stock Company and the Council for the Promotion of the Export of Precious Stones and Jewellery of India.

National News Affairs

• The state of Telangana is celebrating the 3rd anniversary of its foundation.
  • Telangana is 29th state of India, which came into being on June 2nd 2014, after Andhra Pradesh was split into two states —Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Important Points to Note :
    • Capital : Hyderabad
    • Total Districts : 31
    • Official Languages : Telugu, Urdu
    • Chief Minister : K Chandrasekhar Rao
  • The Haryana government has changed the name of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).
    • The state’s Health Minister Anil Vij said HUDA was often misunderstood as it rhymed with the name of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
  • From July, Odisha will commission the ambitious Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS)to warn the vast population residing along its 480 km-long coast in the event of the occurrence of natural disasters like a tsunami or a cyclone.
    • Note : Andhra Pradesh is also reportedly developing such system to alert the people in case of natural calamities.

Awards & Honours

• Indian-origin student Ananya Vinay today won the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, held annually in the United States of America.
  • She spelled French word ‘Marocain’, a dress fabric made of silk or wool, to win the contest.
• Indian film Ralang Road has been chosen to compete for the top prize at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic this year.
  • The film has been nominated for the Crystal Globe Award along with eleven other films.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• China has overtaken India to become the World’s Fastest Growing Economy after India reported slow economic growth for the fourth consecutive quarter.
  • In the last quarter of the 2016-17 fiscal, India had a 6.1% growth, as against China which recorded a growth rate of 6.9% during the period.
  • The GDP growth for the year also fell from 8% to 7.1%.
• Bharti Airtel has got approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) for the proposed scheme of merger with Telenor (India) Communications Private Ltd.
  • Bharti Airtel now has filed the joint company application before the New Delhi Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal for approval.

Science & Technology

• The land version of the short range surface–to–surface ballistic missile Prithvi-II was successfully test-fired from a defence base off Odisha coast.
  • The test was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Army with logistics support from DRDO.
• Social media giant Facebook is developing a new app called ‘Talk‘ for teenagers that would come with parent-centric features.
  • With the new app, parents would be able to see and filter the people to whom their children are talking to.

Books & Authors

• A new Middle-earth love story by JRR Tolkien (‘Lord of the Rings’ author)has been published 100 years after being written.
  • ‘Beren and Lúthien‘ has been referred to as a “personal story” written after Tolkien returned from World War One’s Battle of the Somme.

Current Sports Affairs

• The West Indies cricket team has been officially renamed as ‘WINDIES‘ while the West Indies Cricket Board has rebranded itself as ‘Cricket West Indies’ on its 90th anniversary.
  • The new name will apply to all teams representing the Board and will be used on all team playing shirts.
• Manika Batra and Mouma Das become 1st Indian pair to reach quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships in Dusseldorf.

National News Affairs

• Inaugurating India’s first electric mass mobility system, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off 200 electric public transport vehicles in Nagpur 
  • The pilot project, comprising 100 e-taxis and 100 e-rickshaws with four charging stations, would run on Ola’s app.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the Foundation Stone of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute at Gogamukh in Assam’s Dhemaji district located on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
  • This will be the third Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
  • Note : Apart from IARI in the national capital, the work on setting up of second IARI in Ranchi, Jharkhand has commenced.
• Modi also laid the foundation stone for All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari in the Kamrup District of Assam.
  • The institute will be constructed at a distance of 26 km from Guwahati and will be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,123 crores as part of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana’.
• The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has been given back the power to grant licenses for defence manufacturing.
  • Note : Earlier the Home Ministry had this responsibility.
• The candidates fighting election will now have to declare their as well as spouse’s sources of income while filing nominations.
  • The government has amended the Conduct of Election Rules to include a fresh column in the affidavit relating to the source of income of self and spouse.

MOUs & Agreements

• India and Mauritius today signed 4 agreementsafter delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritius counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth in New Delhi.
  • The Signed Agreements are :
    • Memorandum of Understanding Between Government of the Republic of India and Government of the Republic of Mauritius for Setting up of Civil Services College in Mauritius;
    • Agreement on Maritime Security;
    • Memorandum of Understanding between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India and Mauritius Oceanography Institute, Mauritius for Research and Education in Marine Sciences and Technology;
    • Dollar Credit Line Agreement Between SBM Mauritius Infrastructure Development Co. Ltd and Export-Import Bank of India
  • Note : India also announced $500 million line of credit for Mauritius.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar has drawn ₹7.85 crore as total remuneration in 2016-17, a jump of nearly 64% from a year ago.
  • The hike was primarily driven by performance bonus, which Kochhar had forgone a year ago owing to the bank’s weak financial results.
  • Note : In 2015-16, Kochhar was the third-highest paid bank chief with a pay of ₹4.79 crore.
• Apple has opened its first store in Southeast Asia at Singapore’s upmarket shopping district.

Science & Technology

• The construction of the world’s largest optical and infrared telescope has begun in Chile‘s Atacama Desert.
  • Named Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), it will have a 39-metre-diameter primary mirror housed in an 85-metre rotating dome weighing 5,000 tonnes.
  • ELT will gather 100 million times more light than the human eye to observe Universe’s first galaxies and search for “Earth 2.0”.

New Appointments

• Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy has taken additional charge of the Human Resourcesat the e-commerce startup amid merger talks with Snapdeal.
  • He took over the HR function from Chief Operating Officer Nitin Seth.

General Knowledge

• Longest Bridges in India
  • The 9.15-kilometre long Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Assam, which was inaugurated yesterday by the Prime Minister Modi, is the longest bridge in India.
  • It is followed by the 5.6-kilometre Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai, which was built in 10 years.
  • The Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Bihar, which is 5.58 kilometres in length, is the third-longest.
  • Important Note : Five of India’s 10 longest bridges are in Bihar.

Current Sports Affairs

• In a bid to boost sports in the state, Jammu and Kashmir‘s 1st professional football academywas launched in Srinagar 
  • Initially, the academy will train footballers in the age groups of 13, 15 and 18, and three professional coaches will be employed for the purpose.

Note : India footballer Mehrajuddin Wadoo would be the head of the academy.

International News Affairs

• In a crackdown on child sex tourism, Australia will ban convicted paedophiles from leaving Australia and cancel their passports.
  • The new laws, to be introduced in Parliament, will apply to convicts while they are on the offenders’ register.
  • Paedophile meaning :a person who is sexually attracted to children.

National News Affairs

• Today isHindi Journalism Day.
  • On this day in the year 1826, the first Hindi newspaper of India called Udant Martand (The Rising Sun) was edited and published.
  • With this, the Hindi Journalism completed its 187 years in India.
• Goa is celebrating its30th Statehood Day
  • It was on this day in 1987 that Goa became the 25th state of India.
  • It was a Union Territory along with Daman and Diu from December 1961 onwards when Goa was liberated from the colonial rule.
• The government is going to bring 14 new categories, including acid attack survivors, under the Disability Act, 2016.
  • Currently, it provides benefits to seven categories including blindness, hearing impairment, mental illness and leprosy.
  • The new categories which will be added include muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, thalassemia, multiple disabilities (two or more disabilities).
• The government today launched the ‘Darwaza Band’ campaign supported by the World Bank, to promote the use of toilets and freedom from open defecation across the country.
  • Note : Several Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Anushka Sharma will help promote the campaign.
• Goa CM Manohar Parrikar today announced that buying or selling of plastic bags in the state will be an offence from July and defaulters can be fined up to ₹5,000 for it.
• In support of the Indian Army, Cricketer Gautam Gambhir has started a campaign titled #SoldierSelfies.
  • Under this campaign he asked people to take selfies with soldiers and post them on social media with the above hashtag.
• Mumbai MLA Bharati Lavekar has launched India’s first digital bank for sanitary pads on the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day on Sunday.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon put into circulation new notes in One Rupee denomination while existing notes and coins will continue to be legal tender.
  • Features of this new Rupee Note :
    • The new notes, printed by the Government of India, will be predominantly pink-green in colour.
    • The design on the reverse side will consist of the picture of ‘Sagar Samrat‘, the oil exploration platform.
    • The notes will have the watermark of Ashoka Pillar in the window.
    • The notes will have the hidden numeral ‘1’ in the centre and the hidden word ‘Bharat’ (in Hindi) vertically arranged on the right.
    • They will also feature a replica of new one rupee coin with ₹ symbol of 2017.
  • Russia’s largest bank Sberbank is going to deliver cash via drones, its Deputy Chairman Stanislav Kuznetsov has announced today.
    • The cash delivered through the drones would come with certain security features like permanent ink taint to catch the thieves red-handed.

Awards & Honours

• 6th Lonely Planet India Travel Awards 
  • Thailand was named the world’s best destination for relaxation
  • Austria was named the Best destination for Romance
  • Spain was named the Best destination for food and drink
  • Japan was named the Best destination for culture.
  • Singapore was named the Best family destination.

New Appointments

• The UN has appointed Indian Supreme Court advocate and human rights lawyer Indira Jaisingto lead a probe into alleged rape, torture, and killings by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Obituaries

• Yoshie Oka (86), the first person to raise the alarm outside Hiroshima that the Japanese city had been hit by an atomic bomb, has died today.
  • Oka, who was then 14 years old, was working in Hiroshima as a communications operator at an underground command centre of the Imperial Japanese Army.
• Veteran Telugu director-actor Dasari Narayana Rao (75) passed away.
  • The two-time National Award-winning filmmaker has directed over 140 films.
  • He is known for films like ‘Premabhishekam’, ‘Meghasandesham’, ‘Osey Ramulamma’ and ‘Tata Manavadu’.
  • Note : He held the record for directing the most number of films

International News Affairs

• Today (28th May) is Menstrual hygiene day.
  • This is an annual awareness day which aims to break taboos and raise awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for women and adolescent girls worldwide.
  • Theme of Menstrual hygiene day 2017 :  “Education about Menstruation Changes Everything.”

National Current Affairs

• The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed India’s first three cases of Zika virusinfections, all from the same area in Ahmedabad.
  • The first detection was made in February 2016, the second was reported in November 2016, and third in January 2017.
  • About Zika Virus :
    • The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, that breeds in fresh water and bites during the day.
    • The virus causes birth defects and neurological problems like microcephaly (which leads to unusually small heads in babies) and Guillain-Barre syndrome (disorder that causes paralysis).
    • Its symptoms are mild fever, skin rash, muscle and joint pain, headache and body ache.

Science & Technology

• Preparing for North Korea’s growing threat, the US Defence Ministry will try to shoot down anInter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) for the first time in a test next week.
  • The goal is to simulate a North Korean ICBM aimed at the US homeland, officials said. Notably, the US interceptor has succeeded only once in the last four non-ICBM attempts.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Indian tax laws are perceived to be second most complex in the Asia Pacific region, a Deloitte survey has recently announced.
  • India ranks only after China in having most complex jurisdiction for taxation and most complicated requirements of tax.
  • Top 6 in the Tax Complexity Index :
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • South Kore
  • Delhi‘s taxi drivers have launched their own taxi app called ‘Sewa Cab‘ to take on Uber and Ola.
    • The service, which offers fares starting from ₹5 per km, was announced during the drivers’ strikes protesting a decrease in incentives given by existing ride-hailing services.

Awards & Honours

• 12-year-old Padmalaya Nanda from Odisha is set to represent India at the Little Miss Universebeauty pageant, to be held in Georgia, US from 31st May to 6th June 2017.
  • She is one of the 16 contestants who were selected from across the world.
  • Note : She  has also been nominated to represent India at the Little Miss World contest in Greece.

Deaths

• Allman Brothers Band Co-founder Gregg Allman (69) passed away today.
  • Allman’s band played a key role in pioneering Southern rock music in the 1970s.
  • Note : The band received the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2012.

Sports Current Affairs

• India’s CA Bhavani Devi has won the Gold medal in the Sabre event of the Turnoi Satellite Fencing Championship held at Reykjavik in Iceland.

International News Affairs

• Today (29th May 2017) is International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
  • The day was established to:
    • Honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace;
    • Pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.
  • Theme of International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2017 : “Investing in Peace around the world”
• The Russian parliament‘s lower house has passed anAnti-Suicide bill to combat the Blue Whale suicide challenge, which has caused over 100 teen deaths in the country.
  • The bill proposes a maximum punishment of six years in jail for driving children towards suicide.
  • However, the bill mandates that criminal cases against suspects can be stopped if they cease their activities.
  • What is Blue Whale suicide Challenge ?
    • The Blue Whale suicide game is believed to be an online social media group which is encouraging people to kill themselves.
    • A group administrator assigns daily tasks to members, which they have to complete over 50 days.
    • The horrific tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies and waking up at unusual hours.
    • On the 50th day, the controlling manipulators behind the game reportedly instruct the youngsters to commit suicide.

National News Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today started off on his journey to 4 countries in a tourlasting six days.
  • The 4 Countries he is visiting are :
    • Germany
    • Spain
    • Russia
    • France
  • He will reach Germany today, where he’ll meet Chancellor Angela Merkel.
  • He will head to Spain on Tuesday evening, after which he’ll be in Russia from Wednesday to Friday.
  • Lastly, he’ll be in France till Saturday.
  • Aime of this Tour : To strengthen bilateral ties.
• HRD minister Prakash Javadekar today launched an Anti-Ragging Mobile App introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) at New Delhi.
  • This app will work on android system and students can log in and register their complaints instantaneously.
  • Accordingly, all concerned will be informed and action will be initiated immediately.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Kazakhstan, the world’s biggest uranium producer, will start producing nuclear fuel for Chinese power plants in 2019 through a joint venture set up by the two countries.
  • The first stage of the joint venture will produce about 200 tonnes of ready-to-use nuclear fuel assemblies a year, using technologies and equipment supplied by France.

Science & Technology

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will commence the operation of India’s own ‘GPS’or positioning system, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), in early 2018.
  • This would make India part of an elite group of countries that have their own positioning system.
  • The ISRO has spent ₹1,420 crore on building and setting up seven IRNSS satellites in space.
• A malware named ‘Judy‘ has attacked over 3.65 crore Android users through simple fashion and cooking game apps on Google Play Store, according to security firm Check Point.
  • Once these apps are installed, the malware uses the infected phone to click on certain Google Ads to increase the attacker’s revenue.
• North Korea today test-fired a short-range ballistic missile that flew 450 kilometres before landing in Japanese waters.
  • This was North Korea’s third missile launch in last three weeks, with previous two launches being medium to long range missiles.
  • The launch comes a day after state news agency reported that leader Kim Jong Un supervised test of new anti-aircraft weapon system.

Awards & Honours

• Visual theatre pioneer Satyabrata Rout has been awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskarfor the year 2016.
  • He has been awarded for developing a unique method of teaching and practicing direction and design achieved from his experience working with eminent theatre practitioners and scholars.
• The Swedish film ‘The Square‘, directed by Ruben Östlund won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at Cannes Film Festival.
  • The film ‘120 Beats Per Minute!’ won the Grand Prix, the runner-up prize.
  • Further, the Best Actor prize was awarded to Joaquin Phoenix for ‘You Were Never Really Here’ while Diane Kruger won Best Actress for ‘In the Fade’.

Current Sports Affairs

• World Table Tennis Championships begin in Dusseldorf, Germany today with the Qualification matches.
  • This is the 54th edition of the competition, and hosted by Germany for the seventh time.
  • Top-ranked Indian in the world, Achanta Sharath Kamal will lead the 8-member Indian squad.

The team also includes Soumyajit Ghosh, Harmeet Desai, reigning national champion Madhurika Patkar, Manika Batra and Mouma Das.

International News Affairs

• Today (31st May) is World No Tobacco Day.
  • This day is an annual awareness day sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1987 to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and encourage governments to adopt effective policies to reduce smoking and other tobacco use.
  • Theme of World No Tobacco Day 2017 : “Tobacco – a threat to development”
• Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM to visit Spain in nearly 30 years, after he reached the country yesterday’s night.
  • The previous Indian PM to visit Spain was Rajiv Gandhi, in 1988.

MOUs & Agreements

• India and Spain have signed 7 agreementsfollowing talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace in the Spanish capital.
  • The agreements signed were :
    • Agreement for Transfer of Sentence Persons
    • Agreement on visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports
    • MoU between Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain
    • MoU on Cooperation in Cyber Security
    • MoU on Cooperation in Organ Transplantation
    • MoU on Cooperation in Renewable Energy
    • MoU on Technical Cooperation in Civil Aviation
  • Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)which markets its product under the brand name ‘Amul’ has signed an MoU with ISRO for fodder acreage assessment using satellite observation and space technology.
  • India and Germany has inked 12 agreements after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Modi and German chancellor Angela Merkel on a range of issues like trade, skill development, cyber security and terrorism.
  • India and Fiji have signed an MoU on defence cooperation after the delegation level talks between Minister of Defence, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley and the Minister of Defence and National Security of Fiji, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in New Delhi.
    • The MoU envisaged cooperation on defence industry, military training, humanitarian assistance & disaster management.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• 3 day India Mobile Congress 2017 (IMC 2017) is scheduled to be held from 27th to 29th September 2017 in New Delhi.
  • This is the first time India is hosting its own mobile mega show.
  • Note : With a total subscriber base of over 1.18 billion, Indian telecom market is the second-largest in the world after China.
• The Indian Railways has introduced ‘Buy Now, Pay Later‘ service for passengers to book tickets online first and make payment for the reservations within a window of 15 days.
  • The facility, which allows passengers to travel after five days of booking the ticket, is available for confirmed, waitlisted, and Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) berths.
• The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Income Tax Department has the powers to seize undisclosed money even from bank accounts not owned by a person being probed, as long as the department is satisfied the money belongs to that person.
• MoS for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha today announced that India has emerged as the world’s third largest aviation market, with passenger traffic exceeding 10 crore in 2016-17.

New Appointments

• The Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has appointed a renowned social and educational activist George Kurian as Vice-Chairman of National Commission for Minorities.
  • The other appointed members of the National Minority Commission are :
    • Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi (Chairman)
    • Sulekha Kumbhare
    • Sunil Singhi
    • Vada Dasturji Khurshed Kaikobad Dastoor
    • Important Points to Note :
      • For the first time a Jain member (Sunil Singhi) has been appointed to the panel after the community was notified as minority in January 2014.
      • Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Parsi and Jain are the six notified minority communities in the country.

Current Sports Affairs

• Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli has become the only cricketer to get featured in the top 10 of the ICC Players Rankings for ODIs as he managed to stick to the third spot in the ODI batsman’s chart.

Careers

• The results of the Civil Services Examination 2016 were declared by the Union Public Service Commission today.
  • The top three positions were secured by Nandini KR, Anmol Sher Singh Bedi andGopalakrishana Ronanki  A total of 1,099 candidates were recommended for appointment based on the written examinations held in December 2016 and a personality test.

National News Affairs

• PM Narendra Modi today inaugurated India’s longest bridge, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, in Assam.
  • The 9.15-km-long bridge located over the Brahmaputra replaced Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link as India’s longest bridge.
  • It will reduce Assam-Arunachal Pradesh travel time by four hours, and also boost defence along the border.
  • Note : Modi announced that the bridge will be named after Dr Bhupen Hazarika, a noted playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, and filmmaker from Assam.
• The Ministry of Environment and Forests have come up with new regulations that bans the sale of cattle for slaughter.
  • The rules have been notified under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.
  • Note : Slaughter of cows are banned in most parts of the country except parts of the north-east India and Kerala. The new rules will be implemented in the next three months.
• As the Aadhaar ID for cattle process begins in Gujarat to prevent cow slaughter, a team of technicians in the state has started implanting GPS-enabled microchips in the animal’s ears.
  • The microchips will have details such as the animal’s age, breed, milk yield, owner’s name, cow’s identification number, date of birth, health records, and migration status.
• The government has renamed the Matritva Sahyog Yojana, a scheme launched in 2010 by the Congress for pregnant and lactating mothers, as ‘Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana‘.
  • Note : While the Centre dropped ‘Indira Gandhi’ prefix from the scheme after coming to power in 2014, it added ‘Pradhan Mantri’ to it now, claiming that the earlier name did not ring a bell.
• I & B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu announces setting up of 24×7 satellite channel of Doordarshan for the state of Chhattisgarh.
  • Govt of India is going to distribute 10,000 DD Free Dish DTH Set Top Boxes in remote & tribal areas of Chhattisgarh.
  • The minister also announced setting up of3 new FM transmitters in Chhattisgarh, one each in Bastar, Surguja & Rajnandgaon.

Science & Technology

• American aerospace corporation Rocket Lab has become the first company to successfully launch an orbital-class rocket into space from a private launching facility.
  • The test flight from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula was also the first rocket launch for the country.
  • The firm launched 17-metre ‘Electron‘ rocket, which harbours 3D-printed engines and can carry 150-225 kg payload into a 500-km orbit.
• Iran has built a 3rd underground ballistic missile production factory and vowed to keep developing its missile program.
  • The development is likely to increase tensions between Iran and the US, which has accused Iran of sponsoring militant groups and posing a threat to countries in the Middle East.

General Knowledge

• The Tanggula Railway Station (Tibet) holds the Guinness World Record for being the highest railway station in the world, as it is 5,068 metres above sea level.

New Appointments

• The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has appointed Anurag Tripathy, a 1998 batch officer of Indian Railway personnel Service (IRPS) as the new Secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
  • He will hold the post for a period of five years.
• Socialist Lenin Moreno was sworn in as Ecuador’s President 
  • Note : He won April’s presidential election, beating conservative Guillermo Lasso.
• The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has appointed Google India managing director and angel investor Rajan Anandan as its new Chairman.
  • He is going to relace Kunal Shah (FreeCharge co-founder and chairman).
  • Deep Kalra (Chairman and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip), is the new vice-chairman of the association.
• India’s Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu became one of the members of the BWF Athletes’ Commission.
  • Note : She has been elected for four years and will join Saina Nehwal as the member of the players’ representative body.
• United States senate has confirmed Amul Thapar as a Judge to the Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • With this appointment he has become only the second Indian-American judge of an appeals court.
  • Note ; In 2013, Srnivasan became the first Indian to get appointed to the DC circuit court of appeals by President Barak Obama.

Deaths

• Former DGP of Punjab KPS Gill(82), who is credited with wiping out militancy in the state, passed away today.
  • Dubbed “supercop” by the media for his crackdown on Khalistani terrorists, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 1989 for his work in the civil service.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Digital currency Bitcoin, whose value surged this month, is now worth almost double an ounce of gold, with a single coin priced at about $2,500 (₹1.61 lakh).
  • In just five days, Bitcoin rose to over 40% and has gone up by 88% so far this month.
  • Note : Bitcoin surpassed the price of gold for the first time in March.

Books & Authors

• Two books based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ have been launched today by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan at Rashtrapati Bhawan’s Darbar Hall. They are,
  • ‘Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio’ :
    • This book was compiled by Rajesh Jain.
    • This is a compilation of the prime minister’s addresses to the nation on radio every month under the programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
    • It contains a comprehensive, qualitative and academic analysis of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ — the themes, the choice of topics, the salient features.
  • ‘Marching With A Billion Dreams’ :
    • This book is written by eminent journalist Uday Mahurkar.
    • This book analyses the monumental changes that Modi has brought on multiple fronts as the prime minister on India’s governance landscape by ushering in an unprecedented culture of transparency to create a level playing field so necessary in a developing country.
  • President Pranab Mukherjee received the first copies of these book.

International News Affairs

• Today is World Milk Day
  • This day was initiated on 1st June 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) of the United Nations to celebrate all aspects of milk as a global food.
  • Important Note:Don’t be confused this day with National Milk Day. National Milk Day is different. We observe National Milk Day on 26th November to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr.Verghese Kurien.
• Today (1st June) isGlobal Day of Parents.
  • This is a United Nations (UN) observance to honor parents and their commitment to children worldwide.
• Iceland has been named the World’s Most Peaceful Country, topping the Global Peace Indexfor the tenth consecutive year.
  • New Zealand stood at 2nd position and 3rd place was occupied by
  • Syria has been named the least peaceful country, followed by Afghanistan and Iraq.
  • Important Note: India is ranked 137 out of 163 (last year’s rank 141).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attended the 18th India-Russia annual Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at St Petersburg.
  • He  also attended the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
  • Modi and Putin held wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interests, including ways to boost energy and trade ties.

National News Affairs

• Responding to an RTI query on Subhash Chandra Bose, the Central government has announced that Netaji died in a plane crash in 1945.
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs further clarified that man named Gumnamibaba or Bhagwanji, who was rumoured to be Bose reportedly living incognito in Uttar Pradesh till 1985, was not the nationalist leader himself.

Science & Technology

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is launching an unmanned spacecraft named ‘Parker Solar Probe‘ to the Sun on 31st July 2018.
  • The mission to “touch” the Sun would reach within 60 lakh km of the solar surface, eight times closer than any man-made object before.
  • The mission would study why Corona, Sun’s outer atmosphere (17 lakh ºC) is hotter than the surface (5,500 ºC).

Awards & Honours

• India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the 3rd most followed leader on Twitter in the world with over 3 crore 58 thousand followers, according to Twiplomacy Study 2017.
  • While Pope Francis is the most followed world leader with over 3.37 crore followers across his nine language accounts, US President Donald Trump is ranked second with 3.01 crore followers.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• The new₹1 note, which will be printed with a new design, is the only note to be printed by the Central government and not the RBI.
  • It will have ‘Bharat Sarkar’ on its masthead.
  • The notes will also have signatures of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das and Rajiv Mehrishi, who was the Finance Secretary in 2015, when printing started.
• Telangana has launched a digital wallet namedT-Wallet for people to make public and private financial transactions.
  • The service has been launched as “anytime anywhere digital payment option for everyone”.
  • Note : This is first such initiative by any state government in the country.

Current Sports Affairs

• The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 began in London today with hosts England facing Bangladesh in the Opening match.
  • India to play their first match with Pakistan on Sunday.
  • The final of the Champions Trophy will be played on the 18th of June.
• Top 10 in ESPN’s 100 most famous active athletes in the world :
  • Christiano Ronaldo
  • Lebron James
  • Lionel Messi
  • Roger Federer
  • Phil Mickelson
  • Neymar
  • Usain Bolt
  • Kevin Durant
  • Rafael Nadal
  • Tiger Woods
  • Indians in the List :
    • Virat Kohli(13th)
    • Mahendra Singh Dhoni (15th)
    • Yuvraj Singh(90th)
    • Suresh Raina (95th)

International News Affairs

• Today (8th June) is World Oceans Day.
  • This is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future.
  • This day was officially recognized by the United Nations in late 2008.
  • The 2017 World Oceans Day will coincide with the The United Nations Ocean Conference.
  • Theme of World Oceans Day 2017 :  “Our Oceans, Our Future
• Today is World Brain Tumor Day.
  • This day was initiated by German Brain Tumor Association in the year 2000.
  • Aim of this Day : To spread awareness about this lethal disease.
• Voting in UK’s general election began today with Conservative Party’s Theresa May and Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn contesting to become Britain’s next PM.
  • The vote will determine who gets to negotiate Britain’s departure from the EU over the next two years.
• The BRICS grouping has established a1 million dollar fund for boosting media cooperation.
  • BRICS – Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa

National News Affairs

• The government is planning to introduce “Digital Unique Identification”, such as Aadhaar, PAN, or passport number for air travel, Union Minister Jayant Sinha announced today.
  • Air travellers are already required to carry a copy of their identity while entering an airport.
• The Centre has drafted a proposal to allow mercy killing of wild animals in order to control their population and also to save crops.
  • Mercy killing involves killing animals for reasons of space, lack of proper centres, resources and personnel, according to the draft of the policy.
  • The plan also recommends identifying the relevant procedures for mercy killing.
• Health Secretary C K Mishra has inaugurated the ‘Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh’, a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) in New Delhi.
  • This centre would be the largest public sector human milk bank and lactation counselling centre available in North India
• The government has directed all colleges and universities to stop accepting students’ fees in cash and resort to digital modes from the next academic session.
  • Campus canteens were “encouraged” to use the government’s BHIM payments app for all transactions.
• The Union Ministry of Law and Justice has cleared the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2017, and thus legalising Kambala. The bill will now be sent to the President for getting his assent.
  • Kambala : This is the traditional slush track buffalo race that is held annually in coastal districts of Karnataka to entertain rural people of the area.

New Appointments

• US Air Force’s Lt Col Raja Chari has been selected by NASA from over 18,300 applicants for its 2017 Astronaut Class.
  • The 39-year-old, whose father hails from India, is the 3rd Indian-origin NASA astronautafter Sunita Williams and late Kalpana Chawla.
• Flipkart-owned fashion e-tailer Myntra has appointed former Amazon and Snapdeal executive Jeyandran Venugopal as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
  • Note : Venugopal would be Myntra’s third CTO in less than a year.
  • He will replace Ajit Narayanan, who held the responsibility since September last year.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Retail giant Walmart has topped Fortune’s annual list of America’s top 500 companies for the fifth consecutive year with a revenue of $485.8 billion.
  • Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway emerged at the second position on the list followed by tech giant Apple.
• Oil marketing companies will extend the new pricing mechanism for fuel across India from June 16.
  • Under the new system, companies won’t wait for 15 days to adjust prices, and instead change them everyday based on crude price movements.
  • This will move India to an international fuel pricing standard and prevent losses due to crude movements over a 15-day period.
• India ranked 15thin the global 4G availability list, according to OpenSignal’s State of LTE report, up nine places from its November 2016 rank of 24.

Awards & Honours

• A minor planet in the Milky Way galaxy would be named after 16-year-old Sahithi Pingalifrom Bengaluru.
  • The class 12 student represented India and finished second at ISEF, world’s largest international pre-college science competition, following which MIT decided to name a planet after her.
  • She had developed a mobile application which obtains data by crowdsourcing to measure pollution in lakes.
• Union Minister of Health and Family WelfareJ P Nadda has been conferred the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award for global tobacco control.
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has surpassed the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, to become the top-ranked Indian institute according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
  • Note : With rankings of 172 (IIT-Delhi), 179 (IIT-Bombay) and 190 (IISc), three universities have found a place in the top 200 for the first time.

Current Sports Affairs

• Indian professional tennis player Rohan Bopanna has become the 4th Indian to win a Grand Slam, winning the French Open mixed doubles along with Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski today.
• Forbes’ world’s highest-paid athletes list of 2017
  • Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list followed by American basketball player LeBron James and Argentine footballer Lionel Messi.
  • Virat Kohli (89th Spot) is the only Indian and lone cricketer in Forbes’ world’s highest-paid athletes list of 2017.
  • Tennis player Serena Williams is the only woman in Forbes’ 2017 list of world’s 100 highest paid athletes.
  • Top 10 in the List :
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • LeBron James
    • Lionel Messi
    • Roger Federer
    • Kevin Durant
    • Andrew Luck
    • Rory McIlroy
    • Stephen Curry
    • James Harden
    • Lewis Hamilton

International News Affairs

• The 17th SCO Summit is being held in Astana, Kazakhstan during 8th to 9th June 2017.
  • Highlights :
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with the leaders of Kazakhstan, China and Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of this Summit.
  • India and Pakistan joined SCO, potentially making way for joint military exercises in the future.
  • India’s membership was strongly pushed by Russia while Pakistan’s entry into the group was backed by China.
  • As an SCO member, India is expected to have a bigger say in pressing for concerted action in dealing with terrorism.
  • Note : India and Pakistan signed the memorandum of obligations on 24 June 2016 at Tashkent, thereby starting the formal process of joining the SCO as full members
  • About SCO :
    • SCO – Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
    • Formed on – 26th April 1996
    • Headquarters – Beijing, China
    • Member Countries –  8 (India,  Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
    • Secretary General – Rashid Olimov
    • Deputy Secretaries General :
      • Sabyr Imandosov
      • Wang Kaiwen
      • Aziz Nosirov
      • Vladimir Potapenko
    • The upper house of the Japanese parliament today passed a legislation paving the way for 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to abdicate.
      • The law sets the stage for the first abdication of a reigning monarch in two centuries.
    • The UK elections today ended in a hung parliament, as PM Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority after calling an election to strengthen it.
      • Although May’s Conservative Party lost the majority, it emerged as the largest and was followed by the Labour Party.
      • The Conservative government will remain in office until it is decided who will form the new government.
    • India and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation have launched a partnership fund to promote sustainable development projects across the developing world.
      • Note : The India-UN Development Partnership Fund was launched on occasion of the World Oceans Day at a special ceremony held at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.

National News Affairs

• Following the misuse of biometrics by a developer working for Aadhaar’s parent body UIDAI, new security features have been added to make the enrolment process secure.
  • The previous system of taking biometrics allowed operators to store data.
  • The new system will eliminate this vulnerability by attaching the biometric reader’s serial number with the fingerprint to generate an encrypted Personal ID.
• The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has launched a mobile Application ‘Selfie with Daughter’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.
  • This App is aimed at raising awareness among people about female foeticide and sex selection.
  • Aim of this Campaign : To motivate society to feel proud to be parents of a girl child which in turn is expected to have a positive impact in improving the child sex ratio.
  • Note : This campaign was started in village Bibipur, Jind, Haryana by a former Sarpanch Sunil Jaglan in June 2015.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• The State Bank of India (SBI) has reduced rates for home loans above ₹75 lakh by 10 bps.
  • The revised interest rates will be 8.55% per annum for salaried women and 8.60% per annum for others.
  • The revised interest rates on home loans by the SBI will come into effect from June 15 this year.
• Wipro has become the first Indian IT firm to declare US President Donald Trump a potential threat to business, by officially mentioning it in its filings.

MOUs & Agreements

• India has signed the OECD multilateral convention that aims to check cross-border tax evasion by multinational companies.
  • This will modify India’s treaties to curb revenue loss through treaty abuse and profit shifting strategies by ensuring that profits are taxed where substantive economic activities generating the profits are carried out.
  • Note : More than 65 countries signed the convention.
  • OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

International News Affairs

• Today (5th June 2017) is World Environment Day.
  • This day is observed to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
  • This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1972 on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began.
  • This year’s host country : Canada
  • Theme of World Environment Day 2017 : “Connecting people to nature”
• The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt today broke off all diplomatic ties and land and sea contact with fellow Gulf Arab state Qatar, citing “terrorism” and “flagrant violation” of international law.
  • This comes after Qatar’s state news reported that a Qatari emir criticised Donald Trump and praised Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran, although Qatar claimed this was fake news.
• For the first time, Pakistan’s Sindh government has recruited 46 women in the police’s counter-terror department for combat operations and intelligence gathering.
  • Note : Less than 2% of Pakistani police officers are women.

Awards & Honours

• The Ministry of Rural Development has selected Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh) as one among the 17 districts for MGNREGA annual award.
  • The award will be given to Vizianagaram for its effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during the time period 2015-16.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• 2017 Global Retail Development Index
  • The 2017 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) titled ‘The Age of Focus‘ has placed India at the top position among 30 developing countries on ease of doing business in the retail sector.
  • China stood at the second place and Malaysia has been ranked third.
  • Top 10 in the List
    • India (71.7)
    • China (70.4)
    • Malaysia (60.9)
    • Turkey (59.8)
    • United Arab Emirates (59.4)
    • Vietnam    (56.1)
    • Morocco (56.1)
    • Indonesia (55.9)
    • Peru (54.0)
    • Colombia (53.6)
  • Note: This is the 16th edition of the Global Retail Development Index (GRDI).
• Khadi yarn, Gandhi topi, and India’s national flag will not attract any tax under the new GST regime, which is to be implemented from July 1.
  • Further, chandan tika, unbranded honey, and wick for diya have also been exempted under the new indirect tax regime.
• The World Bank has projected 2 per cent growth for India this year against 6.8 per cent last year.
• State-run NTPC today announced that the company has forayed into electric vehicle charging business and has set up first such charging stations at its offices in Delhi and Noida.

Science & Technology

• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)today successfully launched India’s heaviest rocket ‘Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III‘ carrying the 3,136 kg communication satellite GSAT-19.
  • The 43.43-metre rocket that weighs 640 tonnes is capable of lifting payloads of up to 4,000 kg into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
  • It was developed in 15 years at a cost of ₹300 crore.

Current Sports Affairs

• India defeated Pakistan by 124 runs (D/L method) in their opening encounter of the Champions Trophy 2017, achieving the biggest margin of victory by runs against the arch-rivals in an ICC tournament.

International News Affairs

• The United States today warned that it might withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Councilunless reforms are ushered in including the removal of what it sees as an “anti-Israel bias”.
  • Important Note : The US earlier boycotted the body for three years on its stance on Israel under President George W Bush before rejoining under Barack Obama in 2009.
• US Defence Department Pentagon has said that China is likely to establish additional military bases in Pakistan and other countries with which it has friendly relationships.

• This reflects China’s growing influence and expansion of its armed forces, the Pentagon added.
• Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake on a visit to India.
  • He called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanked him for India’s quick assistance in the aftermath of the recent floods and landslides.
  • He also called on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj  and discussed a number of key issues besides exploring ways to further ramp up bilateral ties.
  • Note : This is his first visit overseas as Minister of Foreign Affairs

MOUs & Agreements

• India has signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide USD 318 million as line of credit for developing Sri Lanka’s railway sector.
  • The agreement was signed between Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance and Mass media, and Managing Director of India’s Export Import Bank in Colombo.

National News Affairs

• Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi today announced that the last date for nomination of candidates for Presidential elections is June 28 and the polls (if needed) will be held on July 17.
  • The vote counting for the elections will take place on 20th July 2017.
  • Note : The term of incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee will end on July 24.
• As a part of the government’s anti-plastic drive and Green-Kerala Mission, the Kerala State government has come out with a Green Protocol to make the weddings in the state more nature-friendly.
  • As per this protocol, plastic and other non-biodegradable articles including disposable glasses and plates and thermocol decorations will not be permitted to be used in wedding ceremonies.
  • Instead of these non-biodegradable articles, the marriage parties would be persuaded to use tumblers, plates and other utensils made of glass and environment-friendly metals.

New Appointments

• Hoshiar Singh, a 1994 batch officer of the Indian Telecom Service has been appointed as Registrar of Copyrights.

Awards & Honours

• Calvin Klein’s creative director Raf Simons won both the Menswear Designer of The Year and Womenswear Designer of The Year at the CFDA Fashion Awards.
  • CFDA – Council of Fashion Designers of America

Science & Technology

• The world’s first hybrid ‘Aeroboat’ which has been built by an Indo-Russian joint venture has been unveiled at a start-ups event organized by Russia’s state-run Skolkovo Foundation.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)kept the Repo Rate unchanged at 6.25% during its bimonthly monetary policy review today.
  • This is the fourth time in a row that the repo rate has been kept unchanged.
  • The reverse repo rate also remains unchanged at 6%.
• India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) launched the country’s largest institutional share sale programme today, to raise up to ₹15,000 crore.
  • With this, SBI looks to strengthen its capital base to increase loan growth and protect the balance sheet from bad loans.
  • SBI also broke its own record of 2014 when it raised ₹8,032 crore through qualified institutional placement (QIP).

International News Affairs

• Yemen and Libya have followed the decision by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

National Current Affairs

• Habibganj Railway Station (Bhopal) is going to become India’s first railway station to be redeveloped in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
  • The idea is to develop Habibganj railway station as a world-class transit hub equipped with all amenities.
• The government has changed an over 50-year-old rule by setting a deadline of six months to complete probes in corruption cases involving government employees.
  • It has amended the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, in order to speed up investigation in such cases.
  • Earlier, there was no such time frame to complete such enquiries.
• India saw its hottest winter in recorded history in 2016-17, with temperatures reaching 2.95ºC above the 1901-1930 baseline , according to the Centre for Science and Environment.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that it is working on a forecasting system that will give a  15 day warnings on the likelihood of Malaria or Chikungunya outbreak across different regions of the country.
• The Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (ESSL)has initiated a French agency funded project to retrofit 10 lakh conventional street lights with LED lights in Gram Panchayats of 7 districts in Andhra Pradesh.
  • This is the first project for rural LED street lighting in the country under the Centre’s Street Lighting National Project (SLNP).

Science & Technology

• The National Board of Wildlife has approved Rutland Island in South Andaman to be the site for India’s long-range missile test facility.
• Technology major Apple today announced that Safari will be the “world’s fastest desktop browser” with its latest High Sierra OS for Mac
  • The company claims that its web browser will be 80% faster than its Google competitor, Chrome.

New Appointments

• Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba (70) elected new Prime Minister of Nepal.
  • He will take charge of Prime Minister fourth time.
  • He will be 40th Prime Minister of Nepal.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Vijaya Bank has today announced that it is going to develop as many as 100 digital villages in various States across the country as part of its initiative to promote digital banking among the rural population.
  • Important Note :As of now, Vijaya Bank is the only public sector financial institution to develop digital villages with focus on rural population.
• Adani Group will proceed with its $16.5 billion Carmichael coal project in Australia’s Queensland after its board approved a final investment decision.
• South Africa‘s economy, one of Africa’s biggest, falls into recession.
  • A 0.7 percent decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year followed a 0.3 percent contraction in the last quarter of 2016, meeting the definition of a recession as two or more quarters of negative growth, the South African government announced today.

MOUs & Agreements

• Nepal has signed a major deal with a Chinese company China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) to develop a1,200 MW hydroelectric project, the biggest hydro project in the landlocked country that could resolve its perennial power crisis.

Current Sports Affairs

• Sachin Tendulkar joined stars from various fields including David Beckham, Hugh Jackman, Lewis Hamilton and Novak Djokovic among others for UNICEF’s ‘Super Dads’ campaign.
  • Note : The aim of this campaign isto highlight the significance of fathers in children’s early development.

International News Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted an invitation to meet US President Donald Trump for the first time during his two-day visit to Washington DC from June 25.
  • The two leaders will hold discussions on enhancing bilateral ties in the meeting.
• The poverty-stricken unincorporated US territory of Puerto Rico today voted in favour of becoming the 51st US state with 97% voters supporting the referendum.
  • The final decision to accept Puerto Rico as a state lies with US Congress.

National News Affairs

• Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has inaugurated the upgraded version of police helpline Namma 100, where police officials will be deputed within 15 minutes to the spot of emergency, for Bengaluru.
  • Based on the model adapted in London, which has helpline 999, and USA, where 911 helpline operates, Namma 100 helpline allows the public to access several facilities on a single number.
• The Meghalaya Assembly today passed a resolution against the Centre’s ban on sale of cattle for slaughter.
  • It said that “the order will hamper the rights of the people”, adding that laws for cattle are already in place.
• Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu has demand for a separate time zone for the northeastern states to improve work efficiency and save electricity in the region. According to him, several daylight hours are getting wasted as government offices opens only at 10am and closes as early as 4pm.

Awards & Honors

• Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar was today honored with the Bharat Gaurav Award at the United Nations hall in New York.
  • He dedicated his win to the Indian Armed Forces and their families.
  • Note : Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and late astronaut Kalpana Chawla were among the other honourees this year.

New Appointments

• Amit Sinha, the Vice President of business and human resources at Paytm’s parent company One97 Communications, has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Paytm Mall.
  • He will be responsible for Paytm Mall’s overall operations, hiring, and logistics.
  • Note : Last year, Paytm de-merged its three-year-old e-commerce business into a separate unit—Paytm Mall.
• Technocrat Shashi Shekar Vempati took over as the CEO of Prasar Bharti 
  • Note : He is the first non-Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer to head the public broadcaster which runs Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR).

Science & Technology

• The US Navy today commissioned a new warship, USS Gabrielle Giffords, in the name of former Arizona congresswoman who was severely injured in a 2011 shooting, as a tribute to her perseverance.

Deaths

• Legendary Telugu poet and writer C Narayana Reddy (85), a recipient of the prestigious Jnanpith award, passed away today.

Current Sports Affairs

• Mercedes’ British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton registered his Formula One career’s 6th Canadian Grand Prix title in Montreal today.
• Indian shooters Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu won Gold in the 10-metre air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup
• Rafael Nadal has won his 10th French Open Title in Men’s singles category by beating Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.
  • French Open 2017 Winners List
    • Men’s Singles : Rafael Nadal (Spain)
    • Women’s Singles : Jeļena Ostapenko (Latvia)
    • Men’s Doubles : Ryan Harrison (United States) / Michael Venus(New Zealand)
    • Women’s Doubles : Bethanie Mattek-Sands (United States) / Lucie Šafářová (Czech Republic)
    • Mixed Doubles : Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) / Rohan Bopanna (India)

International News Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today joined several global leaders at the inauguration of Kazakhstan’s Astana World EXPO 2017 which showcases vital innovation and technological prowess of the resource-rich central Asian country.
  • Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, and UAE Minister of State Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Jaber opened the UAE’s pavilion at the Astana Expo 2017.
  • What is Astana Expo 2017 ?
  • This is an International Exposition (large international exhibition designed to showcase achievements of nations) being held at Astana (Kazakhstan) today.
  • Subtitle : “Solutions for Tackling Humankind’s Greatest Challenge.”
  • Theme of this expo : “Future Energy”
  • Aim : To create a global debate between countries,  nongovernmental organizations, companies and the general public on the crucial question: “how do we ensure safe and sustainable access to energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions ?”
  • Note : India is among over 100 countries which are presenting their pavilions at the expo which is expected to be visited by millions of visitors over the next three months.
• Canada has introduced a bill that will decriminalise practising witchcraft and challenging people to duels.
  • The nation is set to decriminalise 20 criminal offences, including telling fortunes and publishing crime comics.

National News Affairs

• The Union Minister for Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley will chair the 16th Meeting of the GST Council scheduled to be held tomorrow (11th June, 2017) at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
  • The one day Meeting will also be attended among others by the Finance Ministers of different States and UTs (having elected assembly) being the members of the GST Council.
  • Important Note : This meeting will be important in the sense that the GST Law is going to be rolled-out with effect from 1st July, 2017.
• Government has awarded a Rs 1,600-crore contract for constructing 109-km road connecting Paletwa river terminal to Zorinpui in Mizoram border as a part of the$484-million Kaladan multi-modal transport (KMTT) projects in Myanmar which will offer connectivity to Mizoram.
• A week after announcing that combat roles for women would be open soon, Army chief General Bipin Rawat today said, “Firstly, we will start with women as military police jawans, will take next step after success.”
  • The Indian Army had kept combat roles off limit for women until now reportedly due to operational concerns and logistical issues.
• NITI Aayog has launched SATH‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital’ with the State Governments for furthering the agenda of cooperative federalism.
  • NITI Aayog under the SATH initiative plans to identify and build three future ‘role model’ states for health systems.
  • After identification of three states, NITI Aayog will work in close collaboration with the state machinery of these three states.
  • Note : SATH program will be implemented by NITI Aayog along with McKinsey & Company and IPE Global consortium.

New Appointments

• 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 the National Stock Exchange (NSE) today subject to his resignation from India’s cricketing body.
  • The conditional approval has come four months after the exchange selected Limaye for the job following Chitra Ramkrishna’s sudden exit.
• Preet Kaur Gill has become the first Sikh to be elected to the British Parliament’s House of Commons.
• Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has become the first turban-wearing Sikh to be elected to the House of Commons.
  • Note : In a first, the House of Commons will have a record 12 Indian-origin MPs, which will be two more than the present record of 10 (five each from Labour and Conservative).

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• India’s forex reserves surged by $2.404 billion to reach life-time high of $381.167 billion in the week to June 2 on account of rise in foreign currency assets, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced today.
  • In the previous week, the reserves had declined by $547 million to $378.763 billion.
  • Foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of overall reserves, increased by $2.748 billion to $357.290 billion in the reporting week, RBI said.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)today declared that Aadhaar will be a “must” for filing of Income Tax Returns or for obtaining a new PAN from July 1.

Current Sports Affairs

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially included mixed gender relay racing and 3-on-3 men’s and women’s basketball as Olympic events for the Tokyo Games to be held in 2020.
  • The committee has added a total of 15 events, including mixed gender relays in swimming, track and triathlon, mixed team events in archery and judo, and mixed doubles in table tennis.

International News Affairs

• The United Nations held its first-ever Ocean Conference to renew member nations’ commitment to combatting rising sea levels, pollution, and harmful fishing practices for the protection of world’s waterways.
  • This conference ended with the adoption by consensus of a ’14-point Call for Action’ to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
• The voters of France began voting today in the first round of a parliamentary election.
  • The vote to elect the lower house’s 577 members comes a month after the presidential victory of Emmanuel Macron, who requires a majority in the National Assembly to implement reforms he promised during his campaign.
• Aiming to reduce emissions and promote sustainability to help India’s smart city programme, France and the European Union today extended a grant of€3.5 million (nearly ₹25 crore) to India.
  • Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad will get the grant as part of the EU’s commitment under the Paris Climate agreement for implementing the ‘Mobilise Your City’ (MYC) initiative.

National News Affairs

• West Bengal’s capital Kolkata will get India’s first underwater metro system, which will pass through the Hooghly river.
  • The first tunnel, which has been completed, is built 30 metres below the earth’s surface, near the Howrah Bridge.
  • Note : This is the first time in India that a tunnel has been made under a flowing river.
• The government has proposed to the Supreme Court an NEET-like examination to recruit judges to the lower judiciary.
  • There were vacancies of 4,452 judges in subordinate courts in India as per the figures released on December 31, 2015.
  • Besides the NEET model, the law ministry has also proposed a “centralised examination” that could be held by a “recruitment body”.

Awards & Honours

• Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee will be honored with Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian award.

Science & Technology

• Israel is going to offer manufacturing of Spike hand held ‘fire and forget‘ Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) to India under Make in India.
  • This comes as Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, also the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, will be on a four-day visit to Israel from today.
• US-based aviation company Cirrus Aircraft has launched the world’s smallest and most affordable private jet called ‘Vision Jet‘ for ₹12.62 crore.
  • The jet which had been in making for a decade has only one engine and can cruise at 555 kmph.
  • It has a maximum operating altitude of 28,000 feet, and takes off from just 620 metres of runway.

Obituary

• Adam West (88), who played Batman in American Broadcasting Company’s (ABC) 1960’s television series, has died of leukaemia.
  • The actor also voiced characters from several shows including Rugrats, The Simpsons, Goosebumps, Johnny Bravo and SpongeBob SquarePants among others.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today announced that the GST Council has decided to reduce tax levels of 66 items.
  • The council has lowered tax rates on insulin from 12% to 5%, packaged food including some fruits and vegetables from 18% to 12%, and agarbatti from 12% to 5%.
  • Additionally, tax rate on computer printers has been lowered to 18%.
• India has moved the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the US as it has not yet complied with the rulings of the WTO pertaining to imposition of high import duty on certain Indian steel products.
  • In December 2014, the WTO’s appellate body pronounced a ruling against the act of US 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.

Current Sports Affairs

• Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko (20) became the first ever unseeded women’s singles player in the Open Era to win the French Open after defeating Romania’s Simona Halep in the final today.

Careers

• The result of the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2017 were announced today morning.
  • At least 1.7 lakh candidates had registered for the exam, which was held on May 21 and conducted by IIT Madras
  • Sarvesh Mehtanifrom Panchkula, Haryana, has secured All India Rank 1 with 339 marks out of 366.
• The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today announced that candidates who bring any gadgets inside the examination hall will be barred from giving the exam in future as well.

It included all electronic gadgets like cellular/mobile phones, any other devices for communication, laptops, bluetooth devices, and calculators in the list of banned gadgets.

International NEWS Affairs

• Britain and France have announced a new joint campaign to stop the internet from being a safe space for terrorists as they plan tougher action to tackle online radicalisation.
• Israel has approved the construction of over 8,000 new homes in West Bank, making it the largest expansion of Jewish settlements in the area in 25 years.
• Panama has established formal diplomatic ties with China and broke all of its relationship with Taiwan in a move that is seen as a victory for China in its drive to isolate Taiwan from the rest of the world.
  • Note : China claims Taiwan as its own territory.
  • Panama has established formal diplomatic ties with China and broke with Taiwan on 12 of June.

Key Notes:

• Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said to media that Panama was upgrading its commercial ties with China.
• Panama is establishing full diplomatic links with the second most important customer of its key shipping canal.
• China has commended Panama for its decision.
• The Panamanian government has announced that it is breaking its ‘diplomatic ties’ with Taiwan, and pledges to end all relations or official contact with Taiwan.
• Panama is one of the Taiwan’s oldest friends. vi. Some diplomats in Beijing had speculated that the Central American country could become the next nation to break ties.
• Taiwanese President Tsai Ing­wen visited Central American allies earlier this year but did not stop in Panama.

About Panama :

♦ Capital : Panama City

♦ President: Juan Carlos Varela

♦ Vice President: Isabel Saint Malo

SRK, Salman, Akshay part of Forbes’ highest­ earning

• The Forbes list of the ‘World’s Highest­Paid Celebrities of 2017‘ has been topped by American rapper and entrepreneur Sean Combs, known by his more famous stage name ‘Diddy’, with earnings of 130 million dollars. It was published on 13th of June 2017.

• Indian superstars Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar are among Forbes’ annual list of the highest­earning entertainers in the world.

• The list includes American singer and icon Beyonce on the second spot with earnings of USD 105 million.Author J K Rowling, is at number three with USD 95 million.

National nEWS Affairs

• MHA panel to examine rules on people’s movement near Indo­ Myanmar border On June 12, 2017, Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh decided to set up an expert committee to examine the rules which allows free movement of Indian and Myanmarese citizens within 16 kms of the border.
  • The decision to setup the committee was taken by Rajnath Singh while chairing the meeting of Indo­Myanmar Border States in Aizawl, Mizoram on June 12, 2017.
  • The committee will be headed by the special secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• With 2.5 lakh Child labourers, Uttar Pradesh ranks first – CRY report As per a report released by Child Rights and You (CRY), Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of children (250672) engaged in labour.
  • Over 8 lakh children in India between the age group 5 and 6 years are engaged in child labour.Over 60% of these children do not attend school. Majority of these kids are engaged in family based employments.
  • Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of children engaged in labour, followed by Bihar (128087 children) and Maharashtra (82847 children).

• Sikkim govt signs Mou with British Council

The Human Resource Development department of Sikkim government has signed a MoU with the British Council on 13 of June, 2017

Key Notes:

i.Objective: To enhance the quality of education in the state.

1. The MoU was signed by G P Upadhaya, additional chief secretary cum principal Human Resource Development department and Alan Gemmell, Head of British Council.

iii. The main aim of signing the MoU is to improve the educational structure of the schools of Sikkim.

1. The purpose of the MoU is to support the aims and aspirations of the young people of Sikkim through collaborative projects.
2. The CM of Sikkim also planned his vision to revolutionise Sikkim’s education and help children achieves greater feats in life.
3. The programme includes capacity building in teaching, learning and research pedagogy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Social Science teachers from undergraduate colleges and universities in Sikkim by UK higher education experts along with internship of young faculties at relevant UK Universities.

About Sikkim

• Capital: Gangtok
• Governor: Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil
• Chief Minister: Pawan Chamling

Recent Committees in News

• Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted an expert committee to examine the rules which allow free movement of people near Indo-Myanmar border.
  • This expert committee would be headed by the special secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• BJP constitutes 3-member high level committee to consult political parties for reaching consensus on Presidential candidate.
  • Members of this Committee :
    • M Venkaiah Naidu
    • Rajnath Singh
    • Arun Jaitley

New Appointments

• Uber has appointed Wan Ling Martello, the Executive Vice President of Nestle in South Asia, as an independent board director.
  • Note : Martello is only the second woman on Uber’s seven-member board after Arianna Huffington, who joined the board in April 2016.

Awards & Honors

• ‘Project Jal Sanchay’, a water conservation model which is successfully adopted in Nalanda district of south-central Bihar, has been chosen for the National Award for excellence inMGNREGP (Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee programme) by the Ministry of Rural Development.
  • The award will be conferred on June 19 at a function held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Science & Technology

• In the first-ever study of dating Jupiter‘s age, an international group of scientists have confirmed that Solar System’s largest planet is also the oldest.
  • Scientists showed through analyses of meteorites that Jupiter’s solid core was the first to form after the explosion of a nebula (cloud of dust and gas) 4.6 billion years ago, that led to Solar System’s formation.

Business & Economic Affairs

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is going to introduce a new batch of₹500 currency notes, which will have inset letter ‘A‘.
  • However, old notes, which were introduced following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move, will continue to remain legal tender.
  • The note will bear the signature of RBI Governor Urjit Patel and will have the year of printing ‘2017’.
• India’s retail inflation in May cooled to a record low of 2.18% from 2.99% in April, according to government data.
  • May’s inflation level is the lowest since India began measuring consumer price inflation in 2012, and remains well below RBI’s 4% target for the seventh straight month.
  • The drop was due to lower prices of pulses, cereals, and perishable goods.
• Government imposes anti­dumping duty on Chinese ceramic items India has imposed an anti­dumping duty on import of ceramic table and kitchen ware items from China.

Key Notes:

• The government has done to protect domestic industry against goods being sold at below normal value.
• The anti­dumping duty imposed shall be levied for a period not exceeding six months (unless revoked, amended or superseded earlier).
• The main reason of dumping is that the ceramic tableware and kitchenwareare being exported from China to India below its normal value.
• The Directorate General of Anti­Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has recommended the imposition of provisional anti­dumping duty in order to remove the injury to the domestic industry

Current Sports Affairs

• Golden State Warriors have been crowned NBA Champions for the fifth time after defeating LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the best-of-seven NBA Finals today.
• In a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, South Korean President Moon Jae-inoffered to co-host the 2030 World Cup with rival North Korea and other northeast Asian countries in an attempt to promote peace in the region.
• Virat Kohli has become the Top-ranked ODI batsman, rising two places in the ICC ODI rankings after scoring 157 runs in three matches in the ongoing Champions Trophy.
  • Top 10 in the List
    • Virat Kohli (India)
    • David Warner (Australia)
    • AB de Villiers (South Africa)
    • Joe Root (England)
    • Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

International News Affairs

• Today (14th June) is World Blood Donor Day
  • This day  is celebrated every year on the day of birth anniversary of Austrian-American biologist and physician Karl Landsteiner (14th of June in 1868) who discovered the existence of different types of blood groups in 1901.
  • He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930 for his discovery.
  • This day is observed to raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation.
  • Theme of World Blood Donor Day 2017: “Give Blood. Give Now. Give Often”
  • Important Note: World Blood Donor Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with
    • World Health Day,
    • World Tuberculosis Day,
    • World Immunization Week,
    • World Malaria Day,
    • World No Tobacco Day,
    • World Hepatitis Day and
    • World AIDS Day.
  • Pakistan has claimed that its ally China will fund its long-delayed ₹77-crore mega dam project over the Indus basin in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
    • India has opposed the construction of the dam ever since it was proposed. The dam aims to generate 4,500 MW of electricity and to regulate the water flow to farmlands that are vulnerable to increasingly erratic weather patterns.
  • Indian warships have reached Australia’s port city of Freemantle to take part in AUSINDEX, a week-long naval exercise off the Western Australian coast.
    • Exercise Australia-India (AUSINDEX) was first conducted off the East Coast of India in September 2015.
    • AUSINDEX-17 will be the second overall bilateral drill between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy.
    • AUSINDEX bilateral exercise aims to enhance interoperability and professional interaction between two navies.

Australia

♦ Capital: Canberra

♦ Currency: Australian Dollar

♦ PM: Malcolm Turnbull

National News Affairs

• The Telangana government today launched the website ‘PashuBazar‘ to facilitate online sale or purchase of cattle.
  • The online platform has been developed to help farmers in selling their animals without physically taking them to weekly markets.
• Recent Approvals by Central government –On June 14, 2017, Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved following bilateral agreements and initiatives:

1. i) The Central Government will provide interest subvention of 5% per annum to all prompt payee farmers for short term crop loan up to one year for loan up to Rs. 3 lakhs borrowed by them during the year 2017­18.
2. ii) Union Cabinet has given its ex­post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture in the State of Palestine on agriculture cooperation.

iii) On June 14, 2017, Union Cabinet was apprised about an Memorandum of Understanding which has already been signed in April 2017, between India and Armenia for cooperation on youth matters.

1. iv) Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to introduce a Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017. v. Cabinet was apprised about an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which has already been signed in April 2017, between India and Bangladesh for promoting cooperation in the field of Information Technology and Electronics (IT&E).
   • Ministry of Railways launches Mission Retro ­Fitment
     • Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has launched Mission Retro­Fitment to enhance the passenger experience by upgrading the existing fleet of coaches.
     • Key Notes:

i)Mission Retro­ Fitment is a program of railways to upgrade the level of furnishing & facilities in the coaches of Indian Railways.

1. ii) It aimed at providing a safe and comfortable travel to the railway passengers.

iii) The refurbished coaches will have the following features will be World class ambiance, Enhanced Passenger Safety, Caring for the Environment, Enhanced Passenger convenience.

1. iv) The mission will be carried out without affecting the traffic operation.

v)The mission will be one of the largest retro fitment projects in the world.

1. vi) Under Mission Retro­ Fitment, 40,000 coaches will be refurbished and retrofitted in the next five years.

vii) The mission aims to induct about 40,000 coaches with upgraded interiors by 2022­23. viii. The cost of refurbishing per coach will be approximately Rs 30 lakhs.

Banking, Business & Economic News

• The government today approved the Interest Subvention Scheme for 2017-18 under which it will give an interest subsidy of 2% per annum to farmers for short term loans of up to ₹3 lakh.
• Technology giant Google has topped the 2017 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list, with a brand value of over $245 billion.
  • Further, US tech giants Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook were also among the five most valuable brands.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to introduce a Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 which will provide a comprehensive resolution framework for financial sector entities to deal with bankruptcy situation in banks, insurance companies, and other entities.
• Telecom giant Verizon has acquired Yahoo’s core business for $4.48bn (£3.51m), thus ending Yahoo’s two-decade long run as an independent company.
  • Note : Verizon is the No.1 wireless operator in the US.

• IDBI Bank only PSB to get ‘high’ rating for code compliance According to the Code Compliance
  • Rating of banks done by the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI) 2017, out of 26 public sector banks and 8 out of 17 private sector banks got ‘high’ rating for their adherence to code compliance.

Key Notes:

i)IDBI Bank was the only public sector bank that got ‘high (H)’(85   and above score out of 100) rating in two successive surveys.

1. ii) 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.

iii) The three foreign banks — Citibank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank — that were surveyed got ‘high’ ranking.

1. iv) The code compliance rating, which is based on five parameters: Information dissemination, transparency, grievance redressal, customer­ centricity, and customer feedback.
2. v) A total of 51 banks were surveyed for code compliance in 2017 and in the latest round, five urban co­operative banks were included.
3. vi) The survey is based on a sample size of 2.5 per cent of the branch network of 51 major banks.

vii)12 banks got ‘high’ rating in the survey, 29 got ‘above average (AA)’ rating (70 to less than 85 score) and 10 got ‘average (A)’ rating (60 to less than 70 score).

viii)The public sector banks, the ratings of which improved in the latest round, are: Central Bank of India, Corporation Bank, UCO Bank and Union Bank of India, with their rating going up to AA from A.

1. ix) The public sector banks, the ratings of which came down a notch, are: Andhra Bank and Bank of Maharashtra (to A from AA).
2. x) In the private sector banks category, while DCB Bank’s rating improved to ‘H’ from ‘AA’, Dhanlaxmi Bank’s rating declined to ‘AA’ from ‘H’.
3. xi) BCSBI chairman: AC Mahajan

IDBI Bank :

♦ Headquarters: Mumbai

♦ CEO: Mahesh Kumar Jain

• Emkay and DBS Ink Pact For Equity Research Distribution
  • Emkay Global Financial Services has entered into an exclusive pact with DBS Bank arm DBS Vickers Securities (Singapore) on 13 of June.

Key Notes:

1. The pact has signed for co­-branding and distribution of equity research to the latter’s global clients.
2. The agreement involves sharing of knowledge, co­branding of research and its distribution to the global clients of DBS Vickers.

• The agreement involves Emkay and DBS Vickers to jointly organise, arrange and participate in events to showcase and market India Research Reports and India Equities.

1. Emkay Global Managing Director is Krishna Kumar Karwa. v. The alliance will enable both DBS and Emkay to expand their horizon and benefit from each other’s knowledge and expertise.

DBS Bank :

♦ Headquarters: Singapore

♦ CEO: Piyush Gupta

Awards & Honors

• IIT Kanpur is set to confer an honorary doctorate on former sprinter PT Usha on June 16 to mark the 50th convocation of the institute.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

• India appoints Envoys to Italy, Denmark, Belgium and EU– The government has appointed ambassadors to three European countries, Italy, Denmark th and Belgium.
  • Key Points:

i.Gaitri Issar Kumar is a 1986­batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to Belgium.

1. According to the external affairs ministry she will also be accredited as India’s ambassador to the European Union (EU).

iii. Reenat Sandhu, a 1989­batch IFS officer, will head India’s diplomatic mission in Italy.

1. Ajit Vinayak Gupte from the 1991 batch, who is presently joint secretary in the ministry, has been appointed as ambassador to Denmark.

Denmark:

♦ Capital: Copenhagen

♦ Currency: Danish krone

Science & Technology

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired anti-tank ‘Nag’ missile in Rajasthan.
  • This test was conducted by Scientists of the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Missile Complex at Hyderabad, Defence Laboratory at Jodhpur, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) at Pune and Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) at Pune.
  • Important Points to Note :
    • Nag missile is one of the five missile systems developed by DRDO under the integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP).
    • The four other missiles developed under this programme include Agni, Akash, Trishul and Prithvi.

 Current Sports Affairs

• Pakistan defeated hosts England by 8 wickets to reach the final of the Champions Trophy tournament for the first time.
  • Note : Pakistan last played the final of an ICC ODI tournament 18 years ago, in the 1999 World Cup.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Affairs

• Today (23rd June) is International Olympic Day.
  • This day was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris.
  • The goal of this day is to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.
• Today (23rd June) is the World Public Service Day.
  • This day is dedicated by the United Nations to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community”.
  • Since 2003, this day is marked with UN Public Service Awards Ceremony wherein works of public servants are recognised and they are awarded for their contributions in the field.
  • Theme of World Public Service Day 2017 :  ‘The Future is Now’
• Today (23rd June) is International Widows Day.
  • This day is a United Nations ratified day of action to address the “poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries”.
  • This day was established by The Loomba Foundation to raise awareness of the issue of widowhood.
  • The significance of 23 June is that it was on that day in 1954 that Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba, mother of the foundation’s founder, Lord Loomba, became a widow.
  • Theme of International Widows Day 2017 : “Empowering Women for Greater Achievements”
• UK PM Theresa May has told European Union leaders that any EU citizen living in UK for five years will be given “UK settled status” after Brexit.
  • The new immigration status would grant EU citizens the right to stay in the UK and get health, education and other benefits.
• Saudi Arabia has recently introduced a ‘family tax’ of 100 riyals (₹1,700 approx) on immigrants living there.
  • Expats employed in Saudi are required to pay the fee per dependent per month in advance.
  • The move which will be effective from July 1 is expected to put a financial strain on 41 lakh Indians living there, reports said.

National news Affairs

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today announced that all passports from now on will be in English and Hindi languages as against the existing passports which are only in English.
  • Swaraj also announced a 10% reduction in passport fee for applicants who are under 8 years of age and for those over 60 years of age.
• As part of its ‘Power for All’ scheme, the Uttar Pradesh government will be providing free electricity connections to all urban Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
• The government today released a new list of 30 cities to be developed as smart cities under the Smart City Mission.
  • Kerala’s Trivandrum has topped the list, while Chhattisgarh’s Naya Raipur and Gujarat’s Rajkot bagged the second and third spots.
  • This new list has four cities from Tamil Nadu (Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tiruchirappalli) and three each from Uttar Pradesh (Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh) and Gujarat (Rajkot, Gandhinagar and Dahod).
• The central government is going to increase the speed limit on highways and expressways up to 120 kilometres per hour across India.
  • Currently, all national highways in the country have a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour, except the Yamuna Expressway that has a 100 kilometres per hour speed limit.
• Department of Science and Technology has launched VAJRA (Visiting Advance Joint Research) Faculty scheme.
  • This scheme enables NRIs and overseas scientific community to participate and contribute to research and development in India.

Science & Technology

• India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in its 40th flight today successfully launched 31 satellites in one gointo a 505 km polar Sun-Synchronous Orbit.
  • The ISRO-made rocket carried a 712-kg Cartosat-2 series Earth-observing satellite and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing 243 kg.
  • The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 nano satellites from 14 countries and one from India.
• NASA today launched satellite ‘KalamSat‘ which is developed by Indian teenagers hailing from Tamil Nadu.
  • Made of reinforced carbon fibre polymer, the 64-gram satellite named after former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam is the smallest and lightest satellite in the world.
  • Note: It is the first time that NASA has carried out an Indian students’ experiment.
• The United States has cleared the sale of the state-of-the-art Guardian 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India.
  • The deal to sell UAV drones to India is estimated to be worth $2 to $3 billion.

Current Sports Affairs

• Former powerlifter Kavita Devi will become the first Indian woman wrestler in WWE, after getting selected for the company’s first-ever tournament for women, Mae Young Classi
  • Kavita, who trained at The Great Khali’s wrestling academy in Punjab, appeared at the WWE Dubai tryout this year where she was selected.
  • She will compete at the 32-competitor event in Florida next month.

International  News Affairs

• PM Narendra Modi will become the 1st foreign dignitary to have dinner at the White House with US President Donald Trump. 
  • Modi, who is on a three-day US visit, will have a working dinner with Trump on Monday, after a one-on-one interaction followed by bilateral meetings.
  • Note: Modi is on a three-nation tour to USA, Portugal and Netherlands.
• The Pakistan government has tasked the country’s National Council of Arts with the responsibility to rearrange the musical rendition of its national anthem ‘Qaumi Taranah‘ using a world class orchestra in order to represent cultural diversity.
  • The anthem, which is also called ‘Pak Sarzamin‘, was written by Hafeez Jullundhri in 1952 and was officially adopted in 1954.
• Egypt‘s parliament has approved President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s proposal to extend the state of emergency in the country for three more months. 
  • An emergency has been declared in Egypt since April after Islamic State-affiliated militant groups began targeting Coptic Christians, following which the government launched a crackdown on the attackers.

National  News affairs

• The urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has today launched ‘City Liveability Index’, the 1st Liveability index which will rank the country’s 116 major cities on the basis of the quality of life.
  • This index will cover cities with a population above one million, including the capital cities.
  • The rankings based on the index would be released in 2018.
• Telangana Cabinet has approved an ordinance which will make online rummy illegal in the state.
  • The ordinance, which will now need Governor E S L Narasimhan’s approval, amends the Gaming Act to include and ban online gambling.

New Appointments

• Palbinder Kaur Shergill has become the 1st turbaned Sikh woman to be appointed a Judgeof Canada’s Supreme Court of British Columbia today.
  • She is going to replace Justice EA Arnold-Bailey, who retired on May 31.
• Anantha P Chandrakasan, an India-born professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been named Dean of the University’s School of Engineering.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Imran Khawaja as its Deputy Chairman.

Science & Technology

• The European Space Agency has approved €1.05-billion Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission that will search for minute ripples in space-time called gravitational waves.
• Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal has launched Weather Portal for Power Sector & Web Portal titled ‘MERIT’ (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency).

BANKING, BUSINESS & ECONOMIC NEWS

• The Indian government has today approved the proposal for setting up a Greenfield airport in Jewar (Greater Noida).
  • This airport is likely to be operational in the next five-six years.
• The United States of America (USA) has approved the sale of 22 Guardian drones India had sought for its navy.
  • The deal, estimated to be worth $2-3 billion, is one of the key defence agreements that the US has approved ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s maiden meeting with President Donald Trump in the US next week.

AWARDS & HONORS

• The United Nations today honoured West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee with the highest public service award for her girl empowerment initiative Kanyashree Prakalpa.
• The Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma starrer ‘Sultan‘ won the Best Action Movie award at the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival.
• Nisha Dutt, Chief Executive Officer of Intellecap has received the “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” award at The 7th Asian Awards in London.
  • With this, she became the 1st Indian woman leader to have been honoured with this award.

Madhya Pradesh Signs MoU with IIT-Kharagpur for Developing Happiness Index

IIT Kharagpur’s Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness and Madhya Pradesh government’s ‘Rajya Anandam Sansthan’ (Department of Happiness) has signed an MoU to collaborate on the development of a Happiness Index for measuring the well-being of the residents of the state. The MoU was signed in the presence of MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and IIT-KGP Director Prof P P Chakrabarti at Bhopal.

World’s First Philosophical Novel on God Unveiled IAS officer

Haulianlal Guite has recently published a philosophical novel for God titled ‚Confessions of a dying mind: the blind faith of atheism‚. The book was unveiled by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at august gathering of Civil Services Officers’ Institute in New Delhi. The book is touted as ‚the world’s first philosophical novel for God‚. Haulianlal Guite is hailed as the first civil servant to write on Philosophy after John Stuart Mill’s work titled ‚On Liberty‛ published in 1858. The book explores interesting arguments against atheism. It also explores the nature of science, religion, evidence and love in light of latest findings of modern science and the solid theories in philosophy. The unveiled book is the first part of the three volumes. The book is published by a UK based Bloomsbury Publishing.

PM Inaugurates African Development Bank’s 52nd Annual General Meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 52nd Annual General Meeting of the African Development Bank in Gandhinagar. The AGM will be held in from May 22-26. This is the first time that India is hosting the annual meetings of the AfDB and its sister institutions, including of finance ministers of member countries, who comprise the AfDB board of governors. India had joined the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 1983. The Annual Meetings are the Bank’s largest annual event and offers a unique forum for representatives of government, business, civil society, think-tanks, academia and the media to debate key issues on Africa’s development. The event will see the participation of 4500 delegates including finance ministers and central bank governors belonging to AfDB’s 54 member countries and 26 non-member countries. The event is expected to deepen India’s ties with African continent.

Paytm Launches Payments Bank

Paytm has rolled out its Payments Bank operations by launching its first physical branch in Noida. With this launch, there are three payments bank operational in the country, the other two being Airtel Payments Bank Ltd and India Post Payments Bank Ltd. The Paytm Payments Bank will be the first bank in the country to offer cashbacks on deposits. Significance :As a Payments Bank, Paytm will be able to accept deposits upto Rs 1 lakh per customer in wallet and savings/current accounts. Further it can also offer other services like Debit Cards, Online Banking and Mobile Banking. It will not be allowed to lend to customers. However, it will be able to offer financial products like loans, insurance, mutual funds, pension funds etc by partnering with other financial institutions and banks.

India soon to become the second largest producer of steel in the world

Steel Minister Birender Singh said India has registered a 102 percent growth in steel exports in 2016-2017. Addressing a press conference on the 3-year achievements of his ministry in New Delhi today, Mr Singh said, the country has become net exporter of steel, with 8.2 million tonnes of exports in 2016-2017. “We have become the second largest producer of stainless steel in the world, leaving behind Japan. Besides, we have gained third spot in steel production, leaving behind America. We are moving fast to reach the 2nd position.” The Minister said, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for National Steel Policy this month, after a gap of 12 years. Mr Singh said, GST will give a big boost to steel industry.

IMD predicts normal monsoon this year

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the onset of the monsoon in Kerala on the 30th of this month but there is a possibility that it may hit the state a day before that. With chances of continuation of the El Nino effect, a phenomena associated with warming of Pacific waters, the IMD has predicted a normal monsoon this year.

Trump admin proposes to reduce 190 million Dollar in financial grant to Pakistan

In US, the Trump administration has proposed to reduce 190 million US Dollar in financial grant to Pakistan in foreign military funding as compared to the 2016 fiscal. This Year, the US administration has proposed 344 million US Dollar in financial assistance to Pakistan including 100 million US Dollar in foreign military funding. Last year, the US assistance to Pakistan under the State Department budget was 534 million US Dollar, which included 225 million US Dollar towards foreign military funding. The Trump administration’s budget proposal would convert some of the United States’ foreign military grants to loans, affecting several countries, including Pakistan. The White House said yesterday that the proposals are a part of a larger effort to slash spending on diplomacy, aid and programmes abroad by more than 29 per cent. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the proposal, said the foreign military grants could affect Pakistan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Ukraine, Colombia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

World’s largest aircraft Airlander 10 completes test flight

The world’s largest aircraft has successfully completed a test flight, bringing the massive heliumfilled airship one step closer to commercial use. The hybrid aircraft dubbed the Airlander 10 combines technology from airplanes, helicopters and airships. It is designed to fly at altitudes of 6,100 meters for up to five days. with a length of 92 metres, it is the largest aircraft currently flying. On May 10th, the Airlander 10 flew for a total of 180 minutes to test the aircraft’s handling, improved landing technology and more. Dave Burns, Airlander 10’s Chief Test Pilot said that during the successful test flight in Cardington, UK, the Airlander 10 handled superbly.

Australian indigenous leaders meet for historic summit

In central Australia, hundreds of indigenous leaders have gathered for a historic summit on formally recognising the country’s first inhabitants. The three-day summit at Uluru coincides with the 50th anniversary of a vote that allowed indigenous Australians to be included on a national census. Australia does not mention Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in its constitution. The summit aims to reach consensus on the best method of recognition. The recommendations may result in a referendum to be voted on by all Australians.

Terror Attack in Manchester City leaves 22 killed and 59 injured

The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for today’s deadly attack at the Manchester Arena which claimed 22 lives and injured 59 people. The attacker died while detonating the explosive device planted at a pop concert. The blast took place in the foyer area of Manchester Arena around 3 AM Indian time today. Manchester Victoria station has been closed and all trains cancelled. British police have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the terror attack. After chairing a meeting in the wake of the blast, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the people of Manchester have fallen victim to a callous terrorist attack. This was among the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the United Kingdom. It would take some time to establish these jact and the investigation will continue. We can continue to resolve to thwart such acts in future, to take on and defeat the idealogy that often fuels this violence and if there turn out to be others responsible for this attack, to seek them out and bring them to justice. Official sources in New Delhi said they are ascertaining if there are any Indian casualties in the blast. The Indian High Commission tweeted, any Indians injured during Manchester attack may reach the Public Response Unit of High Commission of India at 020 7632 3035. President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have strongly condemned the attack.

Roger Moore of James Bond fame dies

Roger Moore, the handsome English actor who appeared in seven films as James Bond and as Simon Templar on “The Saint” TV series, has died in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer. He was 89. His family announced the death on Moore’s official Twitter account

Today (25th May) is International Missing Children’s Day.

• Emblem of International Missing Children’s Day : forget-me-not flower
• Today is Towel Day.
  • This day is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute to the author Douglas Adams by his fans.
  • On this day, fans openly carry a towel with them, as described in Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or share their folded animal towels to demonstrate their appreciation for the books and the author.
• Mumbai has been ranked the world’s second most densely populated city with 31,700 people per sq km, by the World Economic Forum (WEF) citing UN Habitat Data.
  • Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka topped the list with 44,500 people per sq km.
  • Rajasthan’s Kota has been ranked the world’s seventh most densely populated city with 12,100 people per sq km.
  • Top 10 in the List
    • Dhaka (Bangladesh)
    • Mumbai (India)
    • Medellin (Columbia)
    • Manila (Philippines)
    • Casablanca (Morocco)
    • Lagos (Nigeria)
    • Kota (India)
    • Singapore
    • Jakarta (INdonesia)
  • Bihari delicacy litti-chokha will represent India at the5-day World Street Food Congress to be held in the Philippines capital, 
  • Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as ‘Prachanda’, resigned today honouring a power-sharing agreement between his party and the ruling Nepali Congress party.
    • Prachanda resigned just nine months after coming to power, weeks ahead of the final round of local body elections which are taking place for the first time in over two decades in the country.

National News Affairs

• The Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha has launched3 new initiatives. They are :
  • BSNL’s Satellite Phone Service :
    • The service will cover areas where no networks are present and will be provided by INMARSAT which has 14 satellites.
    • This service will be initially offered to government agencies and later opened for others citizen in phased manner.
  • Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Sanchar Kaushal Vikas Pratisthan Scheme :
    • This is a skill development scheme named after RSS ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya that will train rural youth to maintain mobile towers, repair optical fibres and fix other communication technologies across India.
  • Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Award Scheme : The government will reward people doing innovative work in the telecom space under this scheme.
• It is not mandatory to provide age proof for Aadhaar enrolment but a valid document is required to correct the date of birth registered for the unique identity, UIDAI announced today.
• Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has launched Swachh Bharat app at the National Museum in New Delhi today.
  • This app will enable visitors to report garbage on the premises of the ASI monuments across the country.
  • Around 30 galleries in the National Museum have already been equipped with a device that will make use of the intranet to connect to the app.

Banking, Business & Economic Affairs

• The Union Cabinet today approved abolition of foreign investment regulator the Foreign Investment Promotion Board(FIPB).
  • The 25-year-old body responsible for approving foreign investment proposals was constituted under the Prime Minister’s Office in the wake of the economic liberalisation of the early 1990s.
  • Note : In the Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed to abolish the body.
• The Union Cabinet has given its approval for allocating 5%of the Central Road Fund (CRF) for the development of the National Waterways.