EXCLUSIVE May 2018 GA Refresher FOR DENA BANK … · It has barred Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of deteriorating financial health due to mounting non-performing assets

www.bsc4success.com www.bscacademy.com mailto:[email protected]

EXCLUSIVE May 2018 GA Refresher FOR DENA BANK PGDBF

Banking & Economy

Bank of Baroda locates major operations at GIFT City

Bank of Baroda has successfully located most of its operational activities at a shared service center (SSC) at the

GIFT City near Ahmedabad.

The bank will now offer its services including retail loan processing, deposit account opening, forex and call

center from the SSC, which will have staff strength of 200.

The bank will thus become one of the largest employers in the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar region.

MCX launches India’s first copper options contracts

India’s largest commodities exchange platform, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) has

launched the country’s first copper options contracts.

The option contract will provide physical market participants additional instrument to hedge their price risk.

The copper option contracts were launched with lot size of 1 tonne in three contracts expiring in Jun, Aug and

Nov 2018.

Copper is third-most-consumed industrial metal in the world, after iron and aluminium.

SBI Q4 loss at Rs 7,718 crore

India's largest lender, State Bank of India reported a whopping Rs 7,718 crore loss for Mar 2018 quarter as bad

provisions doubled to Rs 22,096 crore from Rs 11,740 crore in the same quarter last year. NPA provisions stood

at Rs 18,876 crore for Dec quarter.

The PSU bank had reported net loss of Rs 3,442 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

RBI slaps ₹ 5 cr. fine on South Indian Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of ₹5 crores on South Indian Bank (SIB) for non-

compliance with its directions on Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms, Know Your

Customer (KYC) norms and treasury function.

The penalty has also been imposed on the Thrissur-headquartered private sector bank for deficiencies in its

compliance function and compliance culture.

In the fourth quarter ended Mar 31, 2018, SIB had reported a 51 per cent jump in net profit at ₹114 crore

against ₹76 crore in the year-ago period.As of March-end 2018, the bank’s deposits increased 9 per cent year-on-

year (y-o-y) to ₹72,030 crore and advances were up 17 per cent at ₹55,109 crore.

RBI tweaks norms for setting up of IFSC Banking Units

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) modified norms for setting up International Financial Services Centres (IFSC)

Banking Units (IBUs) by banks in IFSCs.

In April 2015, RBI had formulated scheme for setting up of IFSC IBUs by banks in IFSCs.

The parent bank will be required to provide and maintain at all times a minimum capital of USD 20 million or

equivalent in any foreign currency to its IBU.

India’s economy to grow at 7.6% in 2018-19: UN WESP

According to UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), India’s economy has been projected to grow

at 7.6% in fiscal year 2018-19, making it fastest growing economy in the world.

GDP growth in India is expected at 7.5 and 7.6% in fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively. This is a

substantial recovery from 6.7% growth India registered in fiscal year 2017.

World economy is projected to reach 3.2% both in 2018 and 2019, an upward revision by 0.2 and 0.1%,

respectively.

http://www.bsc4success.com/

http://www.bscacademy.com/

mailto:[email protected]


BSE becomes first Indian stock exchange to get US SEC’s DOSM recognition

BSE Ltd (earlier known as Bombay Stock Exchange) has become the first Indian exchange to be designated as

Designated Offshore Securities Market (DOSM).

DOSM status was given by United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US-SEC).

DOSM status will allow sale of securities to US investors through trading venue of BSE without registration of

such securities with US SEC.

BSE is Indian stock exchange located at Dalal Street, Mumbai (Maharashtra).

India’s economic growth to accelerate at 7.3%: Fitch

Credit rating agency, Fitch in its second-quarter of Sovereign Credit Overview for Asia Pacific region has

projected that India’s economic growth will accelerate to 7.3% in the current financial year FY19 and 7.5% in the

next fiscal.

The growth rate will accelerate as money supply has recovered to its pre-demonetisation level and disruptions

related to the rollout of GST have diminished.

India was world’s largest remittance-receiving country in 2017

According to recently released report 'RemitSCOPE – Remittance markets and opportunities – Asia and the

Pacific', India was largest remittance receiving country in the world with US $69 billion in 2017.

Top five remittance receiving countries in 2017 in the world were India ($69 billion), China ($64billion) and

Philippines ($33 billion), Pakistan ($20 billion), and Vietnam ($14 billion).

RBI puts Dena Bank under prompt corrective action

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) put state-run lender Dena Bank under prompt corrective action (PCA)

framework.

It has barred Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of deteriorating financial health due to mounting

non-performing assets (NPAs) and mounting losses.

With this, Dena Bank becomes the first lender to face curbs on lending under PCA framework.

PCA is process or mechanism to ensure that banks don’t go bust.

Under it, RBI has put in place some trigger points to assess, monitor, control and take corrective actions on banks

which are weak and troubled.

Top 30 Innovations showcased in Atal Tinkering Marathon

Atal Tinkering Marathon’s top 30 Innovations to be supported through industry partnerships were showcased on

the eve of the National Technology Day.

Atal Tinkering Labs of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog had organized an Atal Tinkering Marathon

in an effort to identify India’s best student innovators.

India to grow 7.4% in 2018

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook report reaffirmed that

India will be the fastest growing major economy in 2018, with growth rate of 7.4% and 7.8% in 2019.

Medium-term consumer price index inflation is forecasted to remain within but closer to upper bound of Reserve

Bank of India’s (RBI) inflation-targeting band of 4% with a plus or minus 2% change.

The region contributes more than 60% of global growth and three-quarters of this comes from India and China,

which is expected to grow 6.6 % in 2018 and 6.4% in 2019.

Govt launches Digital India Internship Scheme portal

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) launched the website of Digital India

Internship Scheme.

It was launched by Information Technology Minister Ravi Prasad Shankar in New Delhi.

15th Finance Commission forms constitutes advisory council over terms of reference issue

The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FCC), headed by NK Singh, constituted Advisory Council to advise and

assist Commission on issue or subject related to Terms of Reference (ToR) to quell strong opposition from some

states over 2011 census.

The council comprises Arvind Virmani, former chief economic advisor, Surjit S Bhalla, Sajjid Chinoy, Neelkanth

Mishra, Sanjeev Gupta, and Pinaki Chakraborty.





The recommendations of 15th Finance Commission (FFC) will come into effect from Apr 01, 2020.

The ToR of 15th Finance Commission have drawn protests from many states, especially from southern ones, over

its mandate to use 2011 Census data over 1971 Census data for resource allocation.

ADB projects India's GDP to grow at 7.3% in 2018-19

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected India to remain the fastest growing Asian nation with 7.3%

growth in 2018-19 and 7.6% in 2019-20.

Chief Economist of ADB, Yasuyuki Sawada stated that India should not worry about not achieving 8% growth

but focus on increasing domestic demand by reducing the income inequality.

RBI announces Rs. 10,000 Crore Bond Purchases

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would buy Rs. 10,000 crore ($1.50 billion) of govt bonds via open market

operation (OMO), after failing to sell all the debt it had offered to bidders earlier.

It was the third straight week when the RBI couldn't sell everything on offer, leading to a spike in bond yields.

The 10-year govt bond yield rose to 7.75 percent from 7.74 percent before the auction result was announced.

The RBI will buy 8.12 percent 2020 bond, 6.84 percent 2022 bond, 7.72 percent 2025 bond, 6.79 percent 2027

bond, and 8.24 percent 2033 bond via open market operation on May 17.

GST Council approves converting GSTN into govt owned entity

The 27th meeting of GST Council chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has approved the proposal of

converting GST Network (GSTN) into govt entity from current private entity status by taking over stakes held by

private entities.

Following the move, central govt will own 50% in GSTN and the remaining will be collectively held by state

govts.

Currently its 24.5% is owned by central govt and similar percentage is held by state govts collectively.

The remaining 51% is owned by five private financial institutions- ICICI Bank, NSE, HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank

and LIC Housing Finance Ltd.

GST Council approves simplified tax return filing system

The 27th meeting of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced

new and simplified return filing process.

All taxpayers excluding few exceptions like composition dealer will file one monthly return.

Taxpayer will be given user-friendly IT interface and offline IT tool to upload the invoices.

GST Council constitutes 2 GoM

The GST Council in its 27th meeting constituted two Group of Ministers (GoM) to consider issues related to

incentivizing digital payments in GST regime & imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST.

Both GoMs will submit their reports within period of 15 days.

First GoM will consider the issues relating to incentivizing digital payments in GST regime. Sushil Kumar Modi,

(Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar) is its convenor.

Second GoM will consider issues relating to imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST. Himanta Biswa Sarma

(Finance Minister of Assam) is its convenor.

HDFC Bank launches interactive humanoid IRA 2.0

India's private sector lender, HDFC Bank has launched Interactive Robotic Assistant (IRA) 2.0, an interactive

humanoid at its Koramangala Branch in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

HDFC Bank has developed IRA 2.0 in collaboration with its technology partners Invento Makerspaces and

Senseforth Technologies.

IRA 2.0 is more advance than first version IRA 1.0.

HDFC was the first bank in India to introduce humanoid IRA 1.0 for customer service at Kamala Mills Branch in

Mumbai in Jan 2o18. Currently, IRA 1.0 is stationed at Palarivattom Branch in Kochi.

EPFO launches View Pension Passbook Service

Retirement fund body, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) launched View Pension Passbook

Service for pensioners on Umang App.





This facility was launched part of EPFO’s plan to go paperless by August this year and provide all services

online.

UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app aims to build common, unified platform

and mobile app to facilitate single point of access for government services (centre, state and utility services)

through mobile.

It had won Best m-Govt Service Award for Accessible Government Category at World Government Summit

2018.

Manufacturing growth improves slightly in Apr 2018

The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 51.6 in Apr 2018 form from 51 in

Mar 2018.

PMI showed that manufacturing conditions improved for ninth consecutive month in Apr 2018.

Inflationary pressures continue to ease in Apr 2018, with softest increases for input costs and output charges

reported since Sept 2017 and Jul 2017 respectively.

Core sector growth slows to 4.1% in Mar 2018

According to index of eight core industries released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry, core sector growth in

Mar 2018 slowed to 4.1%, a three-month low due to weak performance in six sectors.

These sectors are coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel and electricity.

Cumulatively, the eight core sectors grew 4.2% in 2017-18 as compare to 4.8% in the previous fiscal.

The previous low was 3.8% in Dec 2017.

Atal Pension Yojana’s subscriber base crosses 1 cr mark

The subscriber base of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) crossed 1 crore subscribers mark since its launch in May

2015. It has been reported by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

The scheme has collected Rs. 3,950 crore of contribution from subscribers.

It has generated around 9.10% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) since inception till Mar 2018.

Uttar Pradesh (1,401,631) topped the APY mobilisation followed by Bihar (1,061,660) and Tamil Nadu

(814,917).

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandan Yojana

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved doubling of investment limit from Rs

7.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh under Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY).

It also extended time limits for subscription from May 2018 to March, 2020.

It will boost social security initiatives for senior citizens and enable them upto Rs.10,000 pension per month.

PMVVY aims to provide social security during old age and protect elderly persons aged 60 years and above

against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions.

National News

NITI Aayog ink SoI with ABB India

NITI Aayog and ABB India signed Statement of Intent (SoI) to help India leverage power of advanced

technologies, including robotics and artificial intelligence.

NITI Aayog will work with ABB across various sectors of economy, such as power and water utilities, industries

like food, heavy industries and transport (rail and metro), electric mobility and infrastructure to suggest solutions

for digitalization, incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) and AI technologies.

ABB is Zurich-based Technology Company with presence across 100+ countries and over 1.3 lakh employees.

India’s first National Sports University in Manipur

The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in in Imphal

(west), Manipur.





The ordinance is on the lines of National Sports University Bill, 2017 which is pending in Parliament (introduced

in Lok Sabha in August, 2017).

The specialised university will be the first of its kind in the country and adopt best international practices.

It was approved in 2014-15 budget with Rs. 100 crore allocation.

Habitat loss may have triggered Nipah outbreak

According to a report by World Health Organisation (WHO), human-triggered factors like habitat loss due to

deforestation and climate change set off infectious outbreaks such as recent Nipah cases in Kerala.

Due to habitat destruction by human activity, flying fox (fruit bat), a natural host of Nipah virus get stressed and

hungry, which weakens its immune system, increasing virus load.

It results in lot of virus spilling from urine and saliva of bats.

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is zoonotic disease (disease transmitted to humans from animals) that causes severe

disease in both animals and humans.

Ministry of Civil Aviation notifies Draft Passenger Charter

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation notified Draft Passenger Charter defining rights for air passengers.

It aimed at improving hassle-free air travel experience of air passengers in the country.

Passenger can cancel air ticket within 24 hours of booking it and if provided travel is to take place after 96 hours,

then passenger will be able to cancel ticket without any charge.

If delay results in flight departing next day, then airline will have to offer free hotel stay.

If a delay results in a passenger missing a connecting flight, then airline will have to pay Rs.5,000 to

Rs.20,000. In case of lost baggage, the minimum compensation proposed is Rs.3,000 per kg.

If baggage is delayed or damaged, airline is liable to pay Rs. 1,000 per kg.

If passenger doesn’t receive due compensation, grievances can be filed on Ministry of Civil Aviation’s AirSewa

app or at Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) portal.

Election Commission to launch App

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is planning to launch multi-lingual mobile application called Model

Code of Conduct Violation Reporting App ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The app was made available for first time in Bengaluru (capital of Karnataka) in run-up to recently concluded

state assembly elections.

ECI is permanent and independent constitutional body established directly by Constitution of India to ensure fair

and fair elections in the country.

Govt releases draft Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming Act, 2018

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Famers Welfare unveiled Model Agriculture Produce and Livestock

Contract Farming and Services (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2018 to ensure better price to farmers.

Justice B N Srikrishna chairs panel on 'Future of Governance'

Justice B N Srikrishna, who heads the high-level committee on framing new data protection norms for India, has

chaired a panel discussion on ‘Future of Governance’.

It will focus on various aspects related to data privacy, an issue that has become increasingly relevant in the

digital era.

It is hosted by India International Centre (IIC) in collaboration with NITI Aayog and Centre for Policy Research

(CPR).

Worsening air quality major cause of premature deaths in India

According to latest research, worsening air quality in last two decades has emerged as one of major reasons for

high numbers of premature deaths in India.

The research has been conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi in collaboration with

environmental NGO Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED).

The study was conducted on eleven north Indian cities i.e. seven in Uttar Pradesh (Allahabad, Kanpur, Lucknow,

Meerut, Varanasi and Gorakhpur), three in Bihar (Patna, Muzaffarpur and Gaya) and one in Jharkhand (Ranchi).





Kanpur recorded highest number of premature deaths per year (4,173) due to chronic exposure to air pollution,

followed by Lucknow (4,127), Agra (2,421), Meerut (2,044), Varanasi (1,581), Allahabad (1,443) and Gorakhpur

(914).

DAC approves measures to simplify DPP

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, approved

various measures to simplify Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).

These measures will be incorporated in DPP-16, the manual governing defence procurement procedure.

India to achieve 9% growth rate by 2022

NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar has exuded confidence that Indian economy will achieve 9 per cent

growth rate on sustained basis by 2022 on the back of reforms like GST, demonetisation and the Insolvency and

Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Indian economy grew by 6.6 per cent in 2017-18 and expected to grow at 7.5 per cent this fiscal.

India receives first crude oil cargo from UAE

India has received the first consignment of 2 million barrels of crude oil from United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its

strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) at Mangaluru (on west coast), Karnataka.

This first consignment from UAE filled one of two strategic reserve caverns at Mangaluru under agreement

between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Govt earns Rs.1,400 crore

According to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Govt earned Rs 1,400 crore as revenue from highly successful e-

Visa scheme since its launch in 2014.

19 lakh tourists made use of e-Visa scheme in 2017 and fees are divided into four slabs of zero, $25, $50 and $75,

which were fixed on reciprocity and depending on nationality.

e-Visa scheme provides pre-authorization of visa to foreigners prior to travel to India.

India is sixth wealthiest country in the world

According to AfrAsia Bank Global Wealth Migration Review, India is the sixth wealthiest country in the world

with total wealth of $8,230 billion.

US is the richest nation globally with total wealth of $62,584 billion followed by China ($24,803 billion), Japan

($19,522 billion), UK ($9,919 billion), Germany ($9,660 billion), India ($8,230 billion).

CRPF raises Bastariya Battalion

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commissioned special unit called Bastariya Battalion (numbered 241)

to combat Naxals activities in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

This is for first time CRFP raised special battalion that includes local representation to enhance combat

capabilities in Naxal-hit area of Bastar district.

IIT Kanpur sets up India’s first advisory centre

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur set up India’s first Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) with the

help of Govt of United Kingdom.

The first of its kind centre in India aims at providing independent advisory on policy and regulatory matters in the

power and energy sector.

EESL distributes over 30 crore LED bulbs across the country

The state run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) distributed over 30 crore light emitting diode (LED) bulbs

across country under zero-subsidy Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme.

The distribution of 30 crore LED bulbs has led to energy savings of over 38,952 million kWh, annually,

amounting to energy savings of Rs. 15,581 crore.

The implementation of scheme has increased penetration of LED in domestic market to 10% from mere 0.4%

earlier.

It has also increased India’s share in global LED market to 12% from a mere 0.1%.

India drags US to WTO

India dragged United States (US) to World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Mechanism over

imposition of import duties on steel and aluminium.





The decision of imposition of import duties impact its exports of these products to US and is not in compliance

with global trade norms.

India has sought consultations with US as first step of dispute settlement process under the WTO’s dispute

settlement mechanism.

PM Modi launches construction of Asia’s longest road tunnel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated construction of Rs 6,809 crore Zojila tunnel project in Jammu and

Kashmir’s Leh.

It will be India’s and Asia’s longest and strategic bi-directional road tunnel, which will provide all-weather

connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

It will be situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway (NH-1A).

CSTT adopts AYUSH word

The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT) adopted the word 'AYUSH' in Hindi and

English languages for scientific and technical purposes.

AYUSH word has become popular as acronym for five traditional and complementary systems of medicine,

namely Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.

Supreme Court approves draft Cauvery Management Scheme

The apex court has approved Centre’s draft Cauvery Management Scheme for smooth distribution of water

among four southern riparian states/UT viz. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

The apex court also modified Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 and made it clear that it

will not be extending time for its implementation on any ground.

It also raised Karnataka’s share of Cauvery water by 14.75 tmcft saying that issue of drinking water of Southern

Karnataka region has to be placed on a higher pedestal.

PM Narendra Modi inuagrates Kishanganga Hydroelectric project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated 300 MW Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project in Bandipora District

of Jammu & Kashmir.

He also laid foundation stone of 1000 MW capacity Pakal Dul Power Project.

Pakal Dul Dam is proposed 167m concrete-face rock-fill dam (CFRD) on Marusadar River, a tributary of Chenab

River in Kishtwar district of J&K.

Parcel Cargo Express Train begins operation

Northeast Frontier Railway of the Indian Railway started operating one lease Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET)

connecting northeastern part of the country to West Coast on fortnightly basis.

It has been launched on line of Govt’s priority to provide connectivity to northeast region and empowering local

industries of this region.

India saw 211 tuberculosis cases in 2016

According to the World Health Statistics 2018 released by World Health Organisation (WHO), India saw

estimated 211 cases of tuberculosis (TB) per 1,00,000 people in 2016.

India has pledged to eradicate tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of global target set by WHO.

Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in India was 174 per 1,00,000 births in 2015.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 is to lower MMR for all countries to less than 70 per

1,00,000 births.

IISER develops device to detect and remove arsenic from water

The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in collaboration with private company developed

a new device-Arsenic Sensor and Removal Media to detect and remove arsenic content from water and make it

safe and usable by households.

It uses very simple and household detection sensing methodology. It is capable of sensing soluble arsenic (3)

which cannot be easily detected and removed.

Commerce Ministry establishes DGTR

The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a notification for creation of Directorate General of

Trade Remedies (DGTR) in Department of Commerce.





DGTR will be apex national authority for administering all trade remedial measures including anti-dumping,

countervailing duties and safeguard measures.

Tata Steel to acquire Bhushan Steel

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved Tata Steel's bid for Bhushan Steel Limited (BSL),

clearing the deck for the bankrupt mill’s acquisition by India’s oldest maker of the primary infrastructure alloy.

The NCLT also dismissed a plea filed by the employees of Bhushan Steel opposing Tata Steel's bid.

Bamnipal Steel Limited (BNPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, will initially subscribe to 72.65 per

cent equity share capital of BSL at face value i.e. at Rs 2 per share, for an aggregate amount of Rs 158.89 crore.

Union Environment Ministry launches Green Skill Development Programme

The Union Environment Ministry, Harsh Vardhan has launched its full fledged Green Skill Development

Programme (GSDP).

It aims to train over 5.5 lakh workers in environment and forest sectors in the country through 30 courses by

2021.

A related mobile app ‘GSDP-ENVIS’ has also been launched to boost employability and entrepreneurship of the

youth in the country.

Suresh Prabhu launches IP mascot – IP Nani

The Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu has launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot – IP Nani

– at the conference on National Intellectual Property Rights Policy in New Delhi.

Mascot IP Nani is a tech-savvy grandmother who helps the government and enforcement agencies in combating

IP crimes with the help of her grandson “Chhotu” aka Aditya.

India emerges third largest solar market in the world

According to recently released report by Mercom Communications, India has emerged as the third largest solar

market in world in 2017 behind China and United States.

India has set new record with 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017, which was more than double the 4.3 GW

installed in 2016.

In 2017, India’s solar market had grown at Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 170%

since 2010.

National Conference of 244 Districts under BBBP held in New Delhi

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has conducted National Conference of 244 Districts

under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) in New Delhi.

The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi was the Chief Guest.

Govt launches Pilot scheme Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW

The Ministry of Power has launched Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW on

competitive basis for 3 years.

It aims to revive commissioned power plants which are unable to sell electricity in absence of valid power

purchase agreements (PPAs). The scheme will assure minimum off-take of 55% contracted capacity.

India, US hold round 3 of Maritime Security Dialogue

India and United States held the third round of the India-US Maritime Security Dialogue in Goa focussing on

cooperation and developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

The next round of the dialogue will be held in the US on mutually convenient dates.

Kisan Kalyan Karyashala organised

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has organised Kisan Kalyan Karyashala at the block level

across the country in which farmers from that block will participate.

Awareness campaigns and training programmes will disseminate information about steps for doubling the

farmers’ income by 2022 and other measures taken by the NDA government for their welfare.

Task Force on Establishment of CDRI submits report to MHA

The Task Force constituted on "Establishing a Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)" has

submitted its report to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).





The Task Force was constituted by MHA in Aug, 2017 and was headed by Preeti Saran, Secretary (East),

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Varanasi in Jan 2019

The 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in the holy city of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) from Jan 21 to Jan 23,

2019 with the theme "Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India".

It will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year in India on Jan 09.

The day commemorates return of the father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in Mumbai (then

Bombay) on Jan 09, 1915.

Govt launches Pilot scheme Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW

The Ministry of Power has launched Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW on

competitive basis for 3 years.

The main purpose is to revive commissioned power plants which are unable to sell electricity in absence of valid

power purchase agreements (PPAs). Under this scheme, these plants will be allowed to bid for power supply.

GOBAR-DHAN Scheme launched

The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation launched GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) –

DHAN scheme at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) Karnal.

The GOBAR-DHAN Scheme aims to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from

cattle and organic waste.

It was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) by Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation

Uma Bharti.

It also aims at creating new rural livelihood opportunities and enhancing income for farmers and other rural

people.

9th India-Japan Energy Dialogue held in New Delhi

The 9th India Japan Energy Dialogue held in New Delhi.

Both countries issued Joint Statement at conclusion of the meeting, agreeing to work together for energy security,

energy access and climate change issues.

The meeting was chaired by Minister of State (MoS) for Power and New & Renewable Energy R.K Singh and

Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Hiroshige Sekosigned.

14 Indian cities figure in World’s 20 most polluted cities list

According to Global Urban Air Pollution database released by World Health Organisation (WHO), 14 Indian

cities have been figured in the list of world’s 20 most polluted cities in terms of particulate matter PM2.5 levels in

2016.

These 14 cities include Delhi, Varanasi, Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon,

Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur.

They were followed by Ali Subah Al-Salem (Kuwait) and few cities in China and Mongolia.

President to preside over PM-headed panel on Gandhi 150th birth Anniversary

President Ram Nath Kovind will preside over first meeting of the National Committee for Commemoration of

150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019.

The committee is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has 114 members on board including Vice

President M. Venkaiah Naidu, former Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India, Lok Sabha Speaker, members of

union cabinet, political party leaders, chief ministers, Gandhians, spiritual gurus and social workers among others.

The birth anniversary of father of the nation will be commemorated from Oct 02, 2019 to 02 Oct, 2020.

National Digital Communications Policy 2018

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) released draft of new Telecom policy – National Digital

Communications Policy, 2018.

Calls for Universal broadband coverage, creating four million additional jobs in tdigital communications sector,

enhancing contribution of digital communications sector to 8% of India’s GDP from around 6% in 2017,

enhancing India’s contribution to global value chains and ensuring digital sovereignty.





These objectives will be achieved by 2022.

Shivangi Pathak becomes India’s youngest women to scale Mt Everest

At the age of 16, Shivangi Pathak has become the India’s youngest women to scale Mt Everest from Nepal side.

Shivangi climbed Mt Everest to spread the message that women could overcome any obstacle to achieve their

goals.

NDMA conducts workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction database

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has conducted two-day National Workshop on Data

Requirements for Disaster Risk Reduction Database in New Delhi.

The workshop was held in collaboration with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund

(UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

(UNISDR).

Integrated Centre for Crisis Management for CBRN emergencies at BARC

President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management (ICCM) at Bhabha

Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

It will help nation to respond more effectively to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN)

emergencies.

President Kovind also remotely inaugurated three other nuclear facilities of Department of Atomic Energy (DEA).

IIM Ahmedabad unveils $25 million initiative to fund start-ups

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad’s (IIMA’s) centre for innovation, incubation and

entrepreneurship (CIIE) launched $25 million 'Bharat Inclusion Initiative' to fund start-ups.

CIIE was founded at IIMA to support entrepreneurs and turn business ideas into viable businesses models.

Govt to link 200 more mandis to eNAM

Union Govt is planning to link additional 200 wholesale mandis to online trading platform eNAM (electronic

National Agriculture Market) this fiscal (2018-19) and also encourage inter-mandi transactions.

At present, 585 regulated mandis in 14 states are linked with the eNAM.

So far, 73.50 lakh farmers, 53,163 commission agents and over 1 lakh traders are registered on it from these 14

states.

Govt launches full-fledged Green Skill Development Programme

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched full-fledged Green Skill

Development Programme (GSDP).

It aims to train over 5.5 lakh workers in environment and forest sectors in the country through 30 courses by 2021

for sustainable conservation and management of natural resources.

GSDP-ENVIS mobile application was also launched to provide more information and applying to courses under

GSDP programme.

Govt issues National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy with an aim to

boost renewable power generation by promoting new projects as well as hybridisation of existing ones.

It has been provided in hybrid project, subject to condition that, rated power capacity of one resource be at least

25% of rated power capacity of other resource for it to be recognised hybrid project.

UNDP to set up skill development centre in Hyderabad

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is planning to set up skill development centre for clients of

Bharosa, an integrated support centre for distressed women and children in Hyderabad, Telangana.

It aimed at empowering vulnerable and marginalised women by imparting skills training.

Bharosa is an initiative of Hyderabad City Police launched in 2016.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), headquartered in New York City, US, is United Nations’

global development network.It is.

Gender bias caused excess deaths of girls under 5

According to recent study of Lancet Global Health, 2,39,000 excess deaths per year of girls under age of five in

India due to gender bias have been reported.





Excess mortality is difference between observed and expected mortality rates in both genders.

The excess mortality accounted for about 2.4 million deaths in decade of study period 2005-2015.

Four largest states in northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, accounted for two

thirds of the total excess deaths of females under five. In Uttar Pradesh, excess female mortality was calculated at

30.5. In Bihar it was 28.5, in Rajasthan it was 25.4, and in Madhya Pradesh it was 22.1.

More tests required for release of GM mustard

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) demanded more tests for genetically modified mustard-

Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11) for “commercial cultivation.

It has called for 'field demonstrations' of GM mustard in an area of 5 acres at two or three different locations

across the country to study possible impact transgenic crop could have on honey bees and seeks additional data on

these and other pollinators and also on soil microbial diversity.

Indian Customs and Department of India Posts Conference held in New Delhi

The first-ever joint conference of Indian Customs and Department of India Posts held at Vigyan Bhavan in New

Delhi to deliberate on streamlining of imports and exports by post.

Imports and exports by post are the 6th highest cited citizen grievances under under Centralized Public Grievance

Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMs).

Govt to expand Buddhist tourism circuit to 21 more states

The Ministry of Tourism decided to expand Buddhist tourism circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme to 21 more

states to make it India’s first trans-national tourist circuit.

It was envisaged only to seven major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The states now that will be covered includes Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, West Bengal, Goa, Gujarat and

Jammu & Kashmir.

Parliamentary panel decides to study the recovery of black money

The parliamentary panel, headed by veteran BJP MP Murali Manohar Joshi decided to study the recovery of black

money and performance of public sector banks among a host of subjects.

The 30-member Estimates Committee has decided to study a host of subjects related to various ministries in the

year 2018-19.

India’s installed clean energy capacity touched 70 GW

According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s installed clean (renewable) energy

capacity touched 70 Gigawatts (GW) and 38 GW is under implementation.

This shows that India is progressing fast in areas of renewable energy and it is committed to meeting target of

having 175 GW renewable energy (100 GW Solar, 60 GW Wind, 10 GW Biomass and 5 GW Hydro) by 2022.

Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) held in New Delhi

India hosts the 15th edition of the Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) in New Delhi with the theme 'Telling our

Stories- Asia and More'.

New Delhi is hosting the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD)

Kuala Lumpur for the first time.

Govt approves green licence plates for private electric vehicles

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) approved green licence plates bearing numbers in white

fonts for private e-vehicles and yellow for taxis to promote electric vehicles (e-vehicles) in India.

The purpose behind distinctive green number plates is easy identification of electric vehicles for preferential

treatment in parking, free entry in congested zones besides other proposed benefits like concessional toll.

As per estimate, India at present has 1 to 1.5 lakh electric vehicles.

IPC approves modern animal-free testing for drugs

Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) in its 2018 edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia approved modern, animal-

free tests for drug manufacturers. It will spare animals from suffering due to drug experiments.

It provides guidelines on tests for drugs manufactured and marketed in India.

It replaces pyrogen test carried out on rabbits and abnormal toxicity test carried out on guinea pigs and mice with

tests that can be done in test tubes.





TRAI releases draft of telecom interconnection regulation

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued draft of Telecommunication Interconnection

(Amendment) Regulations 2018 to amend interconnect regulations, proposing certain changes in terms and

conditions for operators to seek fresh call connect ports from other telecom operators.

Service provider can ask another operator for additional ports or Point of Interconection (POI), in case projected

utilisation of capacity is likely to exceed 85% over 60 day period.

Govt to expand Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in Tribal Districts

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) is planning to expand Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in tribal districts across

the country.

About 3000 such kendras are proposed to be set up in two years in all forested Tribal Districts.

Initially, it will be taken up on priority in 39 districts with more than 50% tribal population and then gradually

will be expanded to other Tribal Districts across the country.

Van Dhan Yojana aims at mainstreaming tribal community by promoting primary level value addition to Non

Timber Minor Forest Produce (MFP) at grassroots level.

Naval Commanders’ Conference held New Delhi

The first edition of 2018 bi-annual Naval Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi.

The new deployment philosophy is in furtherance of Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the

Region (SAGAR).

NITI Aayog ink SoI with Google

The NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with search engine giant, Google to work together to foster

growth for India’s nascent artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) ecosystem.

Under the aegis of this program, Google will train and incubate Indian AI startups in accelerator program.

Google will also conduct hands-on training programs to sensitise policymakers and technical experts in

governments about relevant AI tools, and to use them for streamlining governance.

NITI Aayog and Google will jointly organize AI/ML hackathon that will be focused on solving key challenges

within healthcare, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, transportation and mobility etc.

Govt to set up additional 100 One Stop Centres for women safety

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in its Programme Approval Board (PAB) meeting

approved setting up of additional 100 One Stop Centres (OSCs) for women affected by violence.

These OSCs will be set up in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland,

Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) had launched Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up

One Stop Centres (OSC). It is funded from Nirbhaya Fund.

UNPCAP-03 held in New Delhi

The third edition of United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP) has been held in New

Delhi.

The course was conducted by Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with

United States.

The first and second editions of the course were held in New Delhi in 2016 and 2017.

India is the largest cumulative troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping Missions mandated to maintain stability and

negotiate peace settlement in turbulent regions across the world.

2018 International Children’s Theatre Festival to be held in Kolkata

The 2018 International Children’s Theatre Festival will be held at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata, West

Bengal from Jun 17 to 21.

The participating countries are France, Slovenia, Swaziland, Mexico, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal and

Bangladesh.

Children of theatre groups from Indian states such as Kerala, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha and West

Bengal will also be participating in the 5-day festival.

India to host 15th Asia Media Summit





India will host 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) in New Delhi from May 10-12, 2018.

It is being organised by Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with its

partners and international organisations.

The theme of the annual summit is "Telling our Stories- Asia and More".

AIDB is regional inter-governmental organisation servicing countries of United Nations Economic and Social

Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in field of electronic media development.

TOONZ Animation Masters Summit 2018 held in Thiruvananthapuram

The 19th edition of TOONZ Animation Masters Summit 2018 held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

It was inaugurated by Ashish Kulkarni, Chairman of FICCI for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics

Forum, and was organized by the Technopark-based Toonz Media Group.

Legendary masters including Kiran Antony- Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, Resul Pookutty-

Oscar winning sound engineer and Paul Robinson- International Media Executive, also took part in the event.

Sports initiative ‘Star Khel Mahakumbh’ launches

The sports initiative, 'Star Khel Mahakumbh' has been launched by BJP MP Anurag Thakur and cricketing great

Sachin Tendulkar at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh in the presence of 1,500 athletes.

NMCG approves used of GIS technology

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has partnered with Board Survey of India to facilitate the Ganga

rejuvenation task under Namami Gange programme by using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology.

NMCG aims to strengthen planning and implementation at national, state and local levels.

Regional Conference on 'Futuristic, Resilient and Digital Infrastructure' held in Bengaluru

The 4th Regional Conference on ‘Futuristic, Resilient and Digital Infrastructure’ has been held in Bengaluru.

The Conference was organized by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with the

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).

Vibrant North East 2018 held in Guwahati

The fourth edition of ‘Vibrant North East 2018’ has been started in Guwahati, Assam on May 03, 2018 in which

people would be made aware of central government’s schemes and programmes.

It is organised by Delhi-based NGO, Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) and is supported by

the North Eastern Council, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of

Commerce and Industry and All India Farmers Alliance.

Google.org grants $3 mn to two Indian non-profit organisations

The philanthropic arm of Google, Google.org has announced additional grants of $3 million to two Indian non-

profit organisations – Central Square Foundation and The Teacher App.

With a $1 million grant to The Teacher App in India, Google.org aims to provide teachers with training and

resources on the concepts of math, science, language, and pedagogy.

Govt notifies 75 National Resource Centres

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launched initiative of online professional development

of 1.5 million higher education faculty using massive open online course (MOOC) platform SWAYAM.

Under its first phase of implementation, 75 discipline-specific National Resource Centres (NRCs) have been

identified. SWAYAM stands for Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) programme.

Meteorological Department issues warning of another dust storm in UP, Rajasthan

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warning of another dust storm and thunderstorm in parts of

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

It has also forecasted thunderstorm accompanied with squall is also likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand,

Sikkim, West Bengal and Odisha.

Rainstorms (thunderstroms) and duststorms arise from similar meteorological conditions.

Thunderstorms occur when atmosphere has moisture and duststorms take place when moisture is not present.

BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation held in New Delhi

The first meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation held in New Delhi, India.





Delegates from all the BIMSTEC Member States, i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka

and Thailand attended the meeting.

STATE News

Maharashtra Govt introduces new scheme to help the landless labourers

The Maharashtra Govt introduced a new scheme to help the landless labourers among the Scheduled Castes (SCs)

to acquire agricultural land.

The landless among the SCs can now purchase for acres of rainfed agricultural land or two acres of irrigated land

by paying only 5% of the cost.

Smart Cities India 2018 Expo starts in New Delhi

Smart Cities India 2018 Expo started in New Delhi on May 23, 2018.

The mega event, consisting five expos is being held with a vision to help develop attractive and safe cities that

evoke pride, passion and a sense of belonging among citizens.

The five expos are: Building India Expo, Solar India Expo, Transport India Expo, Smart Cities India Expo and

Water India Expo.

Kalinga literary festival 2018 to be held in Bhubaneswar

The 5th edition of Kalinga literary festival 2018 will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

It will explore concepts of equality, equity and humanity in literature.

Rajasthan Govt launches software for disease monitoring

Rajasthan Govt has launched new software known as Nidaan for disease monitoring and strengthening tele-

medicine services in the govt hospitals.

Nidaan will help for providing presumptive diagnosis and monitoring of seasonal and non-communicable diseases

as well as trends of ailments found in specific areas.

First commercial flight of Arunachal Pradesh lands

The first commercial flight (42-seater ATR aircraft of the Alliance Airlines) of Arunachal Pradesh under UDAN

scheme has been landed at Pasighat airport or Advance Landing Ground (ALG) in East Siang district.

Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, will operate flight services on Kolkata-Guwahati-Pasighat route thrice a

week – on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Chhattisgarh to get specialised anti-Naxal combat force

Chhattisgarh will get specialised anti-Naxal combat force known as Black Panther on the lines of the Greyhounds

unit of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

It was announced by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh after chairing meeting on Left-Wing Extremism

(LWE).

Madhya Pradesh launches 'My MP Rojgar Portal'

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched 'My MP Rojgar Portal' to provide jobs to

youths as per their educational qualification, skills and interest and ensure availability of able candidates to

employers as per the need of their business.

It was launched as a part of the 'Ham Chhu Lenge Asman' Mukhyamantri Career Counselling programme ‘Pahal'

in Model School of Bhopal.

Tamil Nadu to build India’s Next Generation Stealth Fighter Jet

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which had conceived and designed the Light Combat Aircraft

(LCA) Tejas, has set the ball rolling for building the next generation defense aircraft, the Advanced Medium

Combat Aircraft (AMCA), by extending an invitation to private players in Coimbatore to build a technology

demonstrator.

The proposal is not only the first time an indigenous military aircraft programme is seeing the involvement of

private players, but it is also the first time a defense plane development project is proposed to be executed outside

Bengaluru.





Venture Capital Symposium 2018 held in New Delhi

The Venture Capital Symposium 2018 has been organized by NITI Aayog in association with Vision India

Foundation in New Delhi. It aims to deepen the economic relationships between France and India.

Gujarat govt launches free treatment scheme

The Gujarat government has launched free treatment scheme for the road accident victims.

Under this scheme, the state govt will bear medical expenses of up to Rs 50,000 for each victim of road accident

in the state for the first 48 hours.

Free treatment includes dressing of wounds, X-ray, blood transfusion, treatment in ICU and MRI, and all other

treatment available in a hospital.

Haryana Govt to launch ‘Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana’

The Haryana Government is planning to launch the ‘Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana’ to ensure safety of girl

students.

For facilitating women, the state govt has opened women police stations in districts. Besides, women help desks

have also been set up.

'Physical and Social Infrastructure for Regional Development' Conference held in Guwahati

The two days regional conference on 'Physical and Social Infrastructure for Regional Development' has been held

in Guwahati, Assam.

It was inaugurated by Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, the Governor of Assam.

HP govt sanctions Rs 25 cr for renovating Bantony Castle

The Himachal Pradesh govt will spend Rs 25 crore on renovating and developing the historic British Raj 'Bantony

Castle Estate' as a major tourist attraction.

The castle was one of the historic and monumental buildings of Shimla town with a very rich history.

'Gram Shilp Mela' was a new beginning for the Bantony Castle as artisans from different parts of the state got an

opportunity to exhibit their artifacts.

Indore ranked India’s first cleanest city

According to the Swachh Survekshan 2018, Indore has been ranked India’s first cleanest city, as per latest survey

‘Swachh Survekshan-2018’.

Bhopal ranked second whereas Chandigarh third in the survey at the national level.

Besides, Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh is India’s cleanest big city with a population of over 10 lakh.

Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh is ‘Fastest Mover’ big city.

New Delhi Municipal Council is country’s cleanest small city having a population between one lakh to three lakh.

First International Rail Coach Expo held in Chennai

The first-ever International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE) held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to focus on Rail Coaches and

train sets.

Many reputed rail car and equipment builders showcased their technology and products in this expo.

The three day expo was hosted by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, under the Ministry of Railways, in

coordination with CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) and RITES Ltd.

ICF is manufacturer of rail coaches located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

4th GES-2018 inaugurated in Mumbai

The fourth edition of Global Exhibition on services (GES-2018) has been inaugurated by President Ram Nath

Kovind at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

The event is organised by the Department of Commerce, Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and the

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Sikkim govt nominates Mohit Chauhan as Green Ambassador of state

The Sikkim govt has nominated Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan as the Green Ambassador of the state for

promoting Sikkim as a Green Destination, nationally and internationally, on voluntary basis.

First Apex Conference for CEOs of Smart Cities held in Bhopal

The First Apex Conference for CEOs of Smart Cities has been organised by Union Urban Affairs Ministry in

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.





It was inaugurated by Minister of State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs.

It also aimed to provide momentum to cities and platform for cross-learning, sharing and disseminating

experience gained over past two and a half years.

It enabled CEOs to learn from experiences of all city leaders to understand in greater details both successes and

failures.

Manipur Govt launches ‘Go to Village’ mission

The Government of Manipur has launched ‘Go to Village’ mission across the State from Konuma ground of

Komlakhong gram panchayat in Imphal West district.

The mission was launched simultaneously in 60 villages in all 60 constituencies.

Maharashtra becomes 1st Indian state to provide digitally-signed land record receipts

Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to provide digitally-signed land record receipts (also known as 7/12

receipts).

The 7/12 receipt is the most important document which establishes the ownership of the land, and is primarily

used by farmers while applying for loans.

Presently, eight lakh 7/12 receipts come with digital sign, and the aim is to complete the digitisation of all 2.5

crore receipts by Aug 01.

To get the 7/12 receipt with digital sign, one must go to https://mahabhulekh.maharashtra.

4th meeting of SAWEN held in Kolkata, India

The fourth meeting of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), an inter-governmental wildlife law

enforcement agency was in Kolkata, West Bengal (India).

South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) is a regional inter-governmental wildlife law enforcement

support body of South Asian Countries.

It was launched in Jan, 2011 in Paro, Bhutan during the second meeting of the South Asia Expert Group on Illegal

Wildlife Trade. Its secretariat is in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Its regional network comprises of eight South Asia countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan,

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

First all-woman Post Office Passport Seva Kendra starts in Phagwara, Punjab

The Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) run by an all-woman team has begun its operations Phagwara,

Punjab.

It was was formally inaugurated by Union Minister Vijay Sampla in the local head Post Office of Phagwara.

This kendra was 192nd POPSK in the country and first one to be operated by an all-woman team.

It was launched as part of Central Govt’s initiative for women empowerment.

Meeting of Stakeholders of Samarth Scheme held in New Delhi

A meeting of stakeholders on Samarth Scheme (Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector) under Skill India

Mission has been held in New Delhi to familiarize the stakeholders about scheme and its guidelines.

The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani.

It is scheme of Ministry of Textiles, approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in December

2017.

Telangana govt launches investment support scheme for farmers

Telangana govt launched an investment support scheme, Rythu Bandhu (friend of farmers) Scheme to support

livelihood of farmers.

It is first of its kind investment support scheme for farmers to be launched by any state in India.

They will get an investment support of Rs 8,000 per acre every year (Rs. 4000 each for monsoon and Rabi

season) as crop investment support.

Stanford University to assist UP

United States' prestigious Stanford University agreed to assist Uttar Pradesh Govt to combat chronic disease like

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

It has been announced by Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh who had headed high-powered

delegation of top state officials to United States.




https://mahabhulekh.maharashtra/


JE is a mosquito-borne flavivirus. It belongs to the same genus as dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses.

Madhya Pradesh launches India’s first Integrated Control and Command Centre

Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd. (BSCDCL) launched the India’s first cloud-based Common

Integrated Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Centre and Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC).

It is powered by Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise’s Universal Internet of Things (IoT) Platform.

ICCC will enable Madhya Pradesh State administration to monitor and administer multiple city civic utilities and

citizen services across seven smart cities in state through central cloud.

These seven cities include Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain, Satna, and Sagar.

International News

India-Netherlands-Sweden to collaborate for research programme

The Govts of India, Netherlands and Sweden have launched first-of-its-kind collaborative research programme on

HIV/AIDS.

It aims at harnessing complementary research strengths and diverse expertise across three nations to catalyze

development of better tools to understand and address burgeoning global epidemic of HIV.

Nepal becomes first country in south-east Asia

The World Health Organization (WHO) validated Nepal for having eliminated trachoma, a contagious bacterial

infection of the eye.

It makes Nepal first country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to defeat trachoma, world’s leading infectious

cause of blindness.

India had self-declared itself free from infective Trachoma in Dec 2017 after it met goal of trachoma elimination

as specified by WHO under its GET2020 (Global Elimination of Trachoma by the year 2020) program.

Pakistan hosts SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure meeting

Pakistan hosted the first ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS)

legal experts meeting in Islamabad.

The three day meeting saw participation of legal advisors from eight SCO member states including China,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan as well as representatives of the SCO-

RATS executive committee.

SCO-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is permanent organ of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

(SCO). It is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

71st World Health Assembly (WHA-2018) starts in Geneva

The 71st World Health Assembly (WHA-2018) held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda is leading the Indian Delegation.

In the plenary meeting of WHA, he spoke on the theme “Health for All: Commit To Universal Health Coverage”.

The Indian govt has recently launched the Ayushman Bharat programme, which rests on the twin pillars of health

and well-ness centres, and the National Health Protection Mission for 100 million families covering 500 million

individuals.

The programme will approximately cover 40% of the India’s population, who will be provided an insurance cover

of Rs 500,000 per year. India has set an ambitious plan to end TB by 2025.

Pakistan named among top 3 sources for money laundering

United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) in its report listed Pakistan among top three sources for money

laundering in the country. The other two countries are Nigeria and Russia. The NCA is non-ministerial UK

government law enforcement agency.

UK is prime destination for foreign corrupt and politically exposed people (PEPs) to launder money.

BASIC Ministerial Meeting of Environment Ministers held in Durban

The 26th BASIC Ministerial Meeting of Environment Ministers held in Durban, South Africa.





The grouping is a bloc of four countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.

It was attended by from BASIC countries and Michal Kurtyka of Poland, next president of Conference of Parties

(COP-24) under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). India was represented

by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

BASIC countries are bloc (geopolitical alliance) of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South

Africa, India and China.

Emergency Summit of OIC held in Istanbul

The 57-members Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has held extraordinary summit in Istanbul, Turkey to

discuss recent Israeli violence against Palestinian protesters in Gaza Strip.

The summit has been convened at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

It condemned massacre of Peaceful Palestinian civilian protestors by the Israeli forces as well as on the official

opening of US Embassy in Jerusalem in defiance of international law, UN Security Council (UNSC) and General

Assembly (UNGA) Resolution.

Guatemala becomes 2nd country to open Jerusalem Embassy

Guatemala has become the second country after US to open its Embassy in Jerusalem.

The U.S. moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the Guatemalan embassy’s opening in west Jerusalem.

Paraguay has said it will follow the U.S. and Guatemala by moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by

the end of May.

WHO publishes its first Essential Diagnostics List

The World Health Organisation (WHO) published its first Essential Diagnostics List, a catalogue of tests needed

to diagnose most common diseases along with number of global priority diseases.

It contains overall 113 products which comprises 58 tests for detection and diagnosis of a wide range of common

conditions.

WHO launches REPLACE campaign

World Health Organization (WHO) launched comprehensive plan "REPLACE" to eliminate industrially-produced

artificial trans-fats from global food supply by 2023.

REPLACE is abbreviated in six strategic actions as Review, Promote, Legislate, Assess, Create awareness and

Enforce.

The campaign provides step-by-step guide in six strategic actions of 'REPLACE' package to ensure prompt,

complete, and sustained elimination of industrially-produced trans-fats from global food supply.

Three million new jobs by 2030: ILO Report

International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) World Employment and Social Outlook Report projected increase in

surface temperature due to global warming.

The increase in surface temperature will lead to around 2,59,000 job losses in India by 2030, especially in carbon-

and resource-intensive industries.

According to report, global temperature rise of 1.5°C by end of 21st century will result in heat stress, which will

reduce total number of working hours by 2030.

China launches first India-dedicated investment fund

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), a top state-run Chinese bank launched China’s first India-

dedicated publicly offered investment fund.

The fund has been named as Industrial and Commercial Bank Credit Suisse India Market Fund.

ICBC is the largest in the world with over $3.6 trillion in assets.

The ICBC Credit Suisse Indian Market Fund (LOF) will invest in exchange-traded funds listed on more than 20

exchanges in Europe and US that are based on the Indian market.

Nepal to host 2018 BIMSTEC summit

Nepal will host the 2018 Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

(BIMSTEC) summit.





It was announced by Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi in Kathmandu (capital city ).

BIMSTEC is the sub-regional group of seven countries in South Asia and South East Asia lying in the littoral and

adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.

BIMSTEC countries are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Myanmar, Thailand

from South East Asia.

SCO Tourism Ministers' conference held in Wuhan, China

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tourism Ministers' conference has been held in Wuhan, China.

It was the first meeting of SCO tourism ministers since the organization was established in 2001 in Shanghai.

From India Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism K. J. Alphons attended the conference.

The meeting approved joint action plan that will serve as guideline for tourism cooperation between SCO member

states for 2019-2020.

The full members of organization are China, Russia, KazakhstanUzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and

Pakistan.

2018 World Robot Conference (WRC) to be held in Beijing

The 2018 World Robot Conference (WRC) is going to be held in Beijing, China from Aug 15-19 under the theme

of creating new intelligent power and sharing the new opening-up era.

A robot competition will be held during the conference where participants will compete in five categories viz.

robots, artificial intelligence, automation, robotics and control systems.

President Donald Trump withdraws US from Iran nuclear deal

United States President Donald Trump has unilaterally withdrew US from historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal or Joint

Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal signed between Iran and P5+1 countries.

It also reimposed sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the JCPOA.

Google launches Android Things for IoT platform

Alphabet Inc’s Google has launched Android Things (codenamed Brillo), a variant (or spinoff) of Android

operating system for Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as smart home appliances and other smart machines.

It aims to enable IoT machines developers to be built faster, cheaper and more secure.

Android Things is Android-based embedded operating system (OS) platform developed by Google.

Meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers held in Manila

The 12th informal meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers held in Manila, Philippines on May 04, on the sidelines

of the 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Finance Minister of Nepal Yuba Raj Khatiwada chaired the meeting.

The Finance Ministers/Heads of Delegation briefed the meeting about the current status of economic progress

achieved by their countries.

An Indian delegation was headed by Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary of Department of Economic Affairs

(DEA).

California's economy passes UK's to become world's fifth biggest

California’s economy has surpassed the United Kingdom to become the world’s fifth largest.

Despite having a population of only 40 million compared with the UK’s 65 million people, California’s gross

domestic product of $2.7 tn has overtaken the UK’s $2.6tn.

The so-called Golden State’s GDP rose by $127bn in the period from 2016 to 2017, while the UK’s economic

output fell slightly over that time when measured in US dollars, due in part to exchange rate fluctuations.

ISABS – 2018 held in Johannesburg

The first-ever India-South Africa Business Summit (ISABS 2018) has been held at the Sandton Convention

Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The tag line of the Summit was "United by Legacy, Unified for Prosperity" and was attended by the Minister of

Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu.





Science & Defence

Alien asteroid discovered in Solar system

Scientists have discovered an asteroid named Oumuamua (or (514107) 2015 BZ509) nestling in Jupiter’s orbit

that had migrated from another star system. It makes it first known permanent immigrant to our solar system.

It confirms suspicions of scientists’ that asteroids from other stars have arrived in our solar system.

The asteroid Oumuamua was actually first discovered in 2014, but after four years of tracking it, scientists were

able to determine that it had arrived in our solar system some 4.5 billion years ago – just as Earth was beginning

to form.

SpaceX launches NASA satellites to track Earth’s water Cycle

Elon Musk-led SpaceX successfully launched twin NASA satellites GRACE-FO (Follow-On) that will track

Earth’s water Cycle i.e. water movement and icemelt.

It was launched onbaord of SpaceX’s preflown Falcon 9 Rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California,

US.

Indian Navy’s all-women crew completes circumnavigating globe expedition

The Indian Navy’s six-member all-women Navy crew onboard of INSV Tarini vessel reached Panaji, Goa after

circumnavigating around globe in 254 days under Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition.

It was the first-ever all women Asian and Indian circumnavigation expedition of globe.

The expedition had started on Sept 10, 2017 in Goa and was aimed at promoting women empowerment aligned

with Govt of India’s thrust for ‘Nari Shakti’.

The crew covered 21,600 nautical miles in Indian-built sailing vessel INSV Tarini that visited five countries and

crossed Equator twice.

It sailed across four continents and three oceans and passed south of the Great Capes – Leeuwin, Horn and Good

Hope.

The expedition was completed in six legs, with five stopovers at Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand),

Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), Cape Town (South Africa) and Port Louis (Mauritius).

Chetak Corps of South Western Command conduct military exercise

Chetak corps of South Western Command of Indian Army has conducted military exercise Gandiv Vijay in

Mahajan field firing ranges of Rajasthan.

The Gandiv Vijay miliarty exercise was based on central role of carrying out offensive operations through joint

air-land battle in network-centric environment employing modern intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance

concepts and equipment.

India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

India successfully test-fired the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a test range

along the Odisha coast to validate some new features.

The missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher stationed at Launch pad 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at

Chandipur.

The trial was conducted to validate its "life extension" technologies developed for the first time in India by DRDO

and team BraHmos.

China launches relay satellite

China has launched relay satellite named Queqiao (Magpie Bridge) to establish communication link between

earth and its planned Chang’e-4 lunar probe (rover) that will explore the dark side of moon.

It was launched as part of Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) onboard of Long March-4C rocket from

Xichang launch centre.

Queqiao (meaning bridge of magpies) satellite will serve as communications relay for future Chang’e-4 rover that

will explore in South Pole-Aitken Basin in moon’s far side.

India’s freshwater stocks in danger

According to the first of its kind study of NASA, India is among hotspots where overuse of water resources has

caused sharp decline in availability of freshwater.





The study has been conducted by the scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre by using an array of

NASA satellite observations to track global hydrologic changes.

This is for first time scientists had used observations from multiple satellites for assessment of how freshwater

availability is changing everywhere on Earth.

IMD issues advisory to 5 states and 1 UT

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued advisory to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa,

Maharashtra and Lakshadweep archipelago (UT) over cyclonic storm ‘Sagar’.

The cyclonic storm was developed as low pressure area in Arabian Sea which gained strength and intensified into

depression and later into a cyclone ‘Sagar’.

It is the first cyclonic storm of season to develop in Indian waters.

Russia unveils world’s first floating nuclear power plant

Russia unveiled world’s first floating nuclear power station at port city of Murmansk.

The Nuclear plant will be loaded with nuclear fuel at Murmansk and will be towed to port of Pevek in

autonomous Chukotka region in Russia’s far northeast in Arctic Circle region.

Akademik Lomonosov was constructed by Russian state nuclear power firm Rosatom.

It has length of 144 metres and width of 30 metres. It is named after Russian Academician Mikhail Lomonosov.

Indian Army flags of Women Officers' Mountaineering Expedition

Indian Army flagged off Women Officers’ Mountaineering Expedition to Mt. Bhagirathi-II to explore maximum

potential of women officers in the field of adventure sports.

Mt. Bhagirathi-II (6512 metres) is located in the Garhwal Himalayas in Gangotri National Park.

Indian Army finalises Rs. 15000 cr indigenous ammunition project

Indian Army finalised Rs. 15,000-crore indigenous ammunition project under which range of ammunition for its

critical weapons and tanks will be produced indigenously.

It is claimed to be the biggest ever initiative for indigenisation of ammunition.

It aims to overcome long delays in imports and address problem of dwindling stockpile.

The overall cost of project has been pegged at Rs. 15,000 crore.

IMD to deploy 30 more doppler radars across India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is planning to deploy 30 more doppler radars in the next two-three

years across the country.

14 will be located in the northeast, four in Jammu and Kashmir and three each will be Uttarakhand and Himachal

Pradesh. The first Doppler radar in India was installed in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 2002.

The hilly states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and J&K had witnessed erratic patterns like thunderstorms and

heavy rains and snowfall, so do north eastern states.

Bangladesh's first communication satellite to be launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9

The first communication satellite of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu-1 will be launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket

from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.

It has been built by Thales Alenia Space, a Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer.

It is named after Bangladesh’s 'Father of the Nation'- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

US cancels NASA's carbon monitoring project

US President Donald Trump's administration cancelled NASA’s Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) programme

citing reasons of budget constraints and higher priorities within science budget.

It was also in line with Donald Trump’s latest broad attack on climate science.

NASA’s CMS Programme costing $10 million per year was meant to track carbon and methane, key greenhouse

gases that contribute to global warming.

China launches communication satellite

China has successfully launched 'APSTAR-6C', a new communication satellite into orbit.

It was launched onboard of Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

This was overall 273rd mission of Long March rocket series.

Both satellite and rocket were developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.





New frog species discovered in coastal Karnataka

Scientists discovered new frog species named Microhyla kodial or Mangaluru narrow-mouthed frog in a small

industrial region in coastal Karnataka.

It is christened Microhyla kodial after city of Mangaluru (called kodial in Konkani language) from where they

spotted it two years ago.

World's second oldest rock discovered in Odisha

Scientists discovered world’s second oldest grain of magmatic zircon (a mineral that contains traces of radioactive

isotopes) from Champua from Singhbhum rock sample in Odisha’s Kendujhar district.

It is an estimated 4,240 million years old, making it world’s second oldest rock ever to be discovered. It is oldest

magmatic zircon on earth.

Western Ghats’ forests vital for monsoon rainfall

Researchers have found that the dense vegetation in Western Ghats determines amount of rainfall that Tamil Nadu

gets during the summer monsoon.

The study highlights importance of urgent need to stop deforestation in the Western Ghats.

World’s second oldest grain of magnetic zircon discovered

Scientists discovered the world’s second oldest grain of magnetic zircon from the Singhbhum rock at the

Champua in Kendujhar district of Odisha.

The zircon is a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes.

ISRO developing environment-friendly propellant Scientists at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) has been developing environment-friendly

propellant propellant blend based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) to power satellites and spacecraft.

HAN-based monopropellant formulation consists of HAN, ammonium nitrate, methanol and water.

China’s first indigenous aircraft carrier begins sea trial

China’s first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier known only as "Type 001A" started sea trials from Dalian

port in Liaoning province.

The ship’s engine, propulsion and navigation systems will be tested at sea for first time, a year after it was

officially launched.

The name of the carrier was not revealed at the launch ceremony, but it is speculated that it will be named

Shandong after province of same name.

6th US-India Aviation Summit held in Mumbai

The 6th United States-India Aviation Summit, formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh

Prabhu, has been held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The biennial Summit was jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation and US Trade and Development Agency

(USTDA).

IAF successfully conducts online scheduled test

The Indian Air Force (IAF) for the very first time successfully conducted scheduled test for airmen recruitment

(STAR) online, taking forward Digital India Initiative of Govt.

This makes IAF first of any of three services to undertake selection tests online.

The first online examination of IAF was conducted successfully through computer based online tests in

collaboration with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) Pune.

Vijay Prahar exercise of Indian Army concludes

Indian Army’s month long Vijay Prahar exercise has been concluded in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.

It was conducted by South Western Command of Indian Army.

The month-long exercise was aimed to orchestrate wide spectrum of threats including Nuclear, Chemical or

Biological (NCB) attack which are planned to be tackled through high tempo joint air and land operation.

CSWRI comes up with new sheep insemination technique

Scientists at Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI), Avikanagar, Rajasthan have come up with new

laparascope-assisted insemination technique for sheep breeding.





It is minor invasive laparascopic technique involves passing rigid fibre-optic laparoscope into abdomen through

small incision.

Using it, reproductive tract of sheep is located through camera and frozen semen is deposited into uterus.

Border Roads Organisation celebrates 58th Raising Day

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has celebrated its 58th Raising Day on May 07, 2018.

BRO is leading government organisation in arena of infrastructural development in the border areas of the

country.

Since its inception in 1960, it has grown from 02 to 19 projects.

Hidden reserves of water ice discovered

Scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have found mineral called moganite in lunar meteorite that point to

presence of abundant hidden reserves of water ice under the surface of the moon.

The mineral discovered in a desert in northwest Africa could be potentially useful for future human exploration of

moon. Moganite is a crystal of silicon dioxide (SiO₂). NASA launches robotic lander to explore Mars

NASA has launched first-ever InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat

Transport) lander dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars.

It was launched aboard United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at

Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Scientists identify key peptide to develop a vaccine for leptospirosis

Researchers from Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar successfully identified key peptide that

can be used to develop a new preventive vaccine against leptospirosis.

The researchers had used bioinformatics (computational biology analysis) approach to study whole protein set of

bacteria Leptospira interrogans key peptide and narrowed search down to one effective immunogenic protein.

India emerges as fifth largest military spenders in 2017

According to recently released report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India emerged

as fifth largest military spender in 2017.

India had spent $63.9 billion on defence in 2017, an increase of 5.5% compared with 2016, when it was in the

sixth spot overall.

The world’s five biggest military spenders in 2017 are United States ($610 billion), China ($228 billion), Saudi

Arabia (69.4 billion), Russia (66.3 billion) and India ($63.9 billion).

They together accounted for 60% of global military spending.

The total global military expenditure in 2017 rose to $1,739 billion, a marginal increase of 1.1% in real terms

from 2016.

SIPRI is an international institute based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Bilateral border trade between India & China from Nathu La border resumes

The 12th edition of the bilateral border trade between India and China from Nathu La border in Sikkim has

resumed for the scheduled period from May 1 to Nov 30.

The trading days are from Monday to Thursday and the trade will continue till Nov 30.

The announcement in this regard was made by the General Secretary of the Indo-China Border Traders’ Welfare

Association, Tenzing Tsepel. In 2017, the trade was disrupted following the Doklam standoff.

India and France conduct final phase of Varuna naval exercise

Indian and French navies have conducted final and third phase of Varuna naval exercise 2018 near Reunion Island

in Indian Ocean region (IOR) to enhance their operational coordination.

2018 Varuna naval exercise between Indian and French Navy was conducted in three phases and included anti-

submarine, air defence and asymmetric engagement exercises.

India and Malaysia joint military exercise begins

The first ever bilateral joint military training exercise, HARIMAU SHAKTI 2018, between India and Malaysia

has begun in dense forests of Sengai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Malaysia.

The exercise aims at bolstering cooperation and coordination between armed forces of both nations.





It also seeks to share expertise of both contingents in conduct of counter insurgency operations in jungle terrain.

South Western Command conducts Exercise Vijay Prahar in Rajasthan

South Western Command of Indian Army is conducting 'Vijay Prahar' exercise in Mahajan area close to Suratgarh

in Rajasthan.

The month-long exercise is aimed to orchestrate wide spectrum of threats which are planned to be tackled through

high tempo joint air and land operation.

Book "Across the Bench – Insight into the Indian Military Judicial System" launched

The book ‘Across the Bench – Insight into the Indian Military Judicial System’ has been released by Gen Bipin

Rawat, Chief of Army the Staff.

The book has been authored by Lt Gen Gyan Bhushan, former Army Commander and Member ‘A’, Armed

Forces Tribunal of Lucknow Bench.

RANKING & REPORTS

India ranks 145th in healthcare access, quality

India ranked 145th among 195 countries in 2016 Healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index.

India is behind its neighbours like China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

The index was released as part of Global Burden of Disease study released by Lancet, one of the world’s oldest

and best known peer-reviewed general medical journal.

Healthcare access and quality (HAQ) Index used index to measure quality and accessibility of healthcare, based

on 32 causes of death which should be preventable with effective medical care. Iceland topped the index followed

by Norway, Netherlands.

India slips to 6th on Global Optimism Index

After topping the chart for four years, India slipped to sixth position globally on the Global Optimism Index in the

first quarter of 2018.

Global Optimism Index is prepared as per the survey by Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR).

The report says the business optimism in India has deteriorated while entering the last year of the current regime.

Austria topped the index followed by Finland, Indonesia.

India ranks fourth in Asia-Pacific region in Asia Power index

India ranked fourth out of 25 nations in Asia-Pacific region in the inaugural Asia Power Index released by

Australian think tank Lowy Institute.

It measures overall power of countries and territories in Asia-Pacific region.

Three of the world’s four largest economies are in Asia and United States is Pacific power.

US remained to be pre-eminent power in Asia, while China, an emerging superpower is rapidly closing in on

United States.

It ranked Russia, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam,

Taiwan, Pakistan, Philippines and North Korea as middle powers, while Bangladesh, Myanmar, Brunei,

Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Laos and Nepal as “minor powers."

India slips to 6th position globally in first quarter of 2018

India ranked 6th on Global Optimism Index released as part of Grant Thornton’s International Business Report

(IBR) in the first quarter of 2018.

Austria topped among the nations followed by Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and US.

India with a score of 89 ranked at the sixth place in the index.

India had topped the chart for four years, but business optimism in India deteriorated while entering the last year

of the current Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India ranks 11th in FDI Confidence Index 2018

India has been ranked 11th in the FDI Confidence Index 2018 released by global consultancy firm A T Kearney.

It has slipped by three notches in 2018 as it was ranked 8th in 2017 and 9th in 2016.





This is the first time India fell out of the top 10 since 2015.

United States topped the FDI Confidence Index 2018 followed by Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, China,

Japan, France, Australia, Switzerland and Italy.

India ranks joint-sixth in latest WADA report

India has been ranked at joint-sixth in the list of doping violations with 69 cases, same as that of Russia,

according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report for samples collected in 2016.

India improved its position to sixth after being joint-third for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015.

Though, the number of dope violations for India has reduced but the trend of sports which are mostly under the

scanner remain same.

Italy topped the rankings of drug cases in 2016, followed by France (86), United States (76), Australia (75),

Belgium (73).

APPROVALS & MoUs

Union Cabinet Approvals

Approves USOF scheme for Meghalaya under CTDP The Union Cabinet approved implementation of Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) Project for

North Eastern Region (NER) in Meghalaya to improve mobile services.

The project has provision of 2G and 4G mobile coverage in identified uncovered areas of Meghalaya and

seamless mobile coverage along National Highways in state.

It will be funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

Approves proposal to set up 4072 towers in Left Wing Extremism Areas The Union Cabinet approved Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA’s) proposal of setting up 4,072 mobile towers to

improve telecom connectivity network in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Areas.

These towers will be set up at cost of Rs. 7,330 crore in 96 districts of 10 naxal affected states through Universal

Service Obligation Fund (USOF) of Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

These states are Jharkhand (1,054 towers will be installed), Chhattisgarh (1,028), Odisha (483), Andhra

Pradesh (429), Bihar (412), West Bengal (207), Uttar Pradesh (179), Maharashtra (136), Telangana (118) and

Madhya Pradesh (26).

Approves National Policy on Biofuels, 2018 The Union Cabinet approved National Policy on Biofuels – 2018 in order to promote biofuels in the country.

Biofuels in India are of strategic importance as it augers well with ongoing initiatives of Government such as

Make in India, Skill Development and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Approves Micro Irrigation Fund under NABARD The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved initial corpus of Rs.5,000 crore for setting up of

dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) in NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development)

under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).

The allocation of MIF under PMKSY will be made in instalments of Rs 2,000 crore and Rs 3,000 crore in 2018-

19 and 2019-20. Under it, NABARD will extend loans to state governments during this period.

Approves enhancement of budget for Network for Spectrum Project The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its approval for enhancement of budget by Rs.11,330

crore for Network For Spectrum (NFS) project.

This is over and above Rs.13,334 crore already approved by Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure in July, 2012.

With this, total budget for the network for Defence services has now gone up to Rs. 24,664 crore.

Approves setting up of Central University in Andhra Pradesh The Union Cabinet has given its in-principle approval for establishing Central University by name of Central

University of Andhra Pradesh in Janthaluru village of Ananthapur District of Andhra Pradesh.

It also approved the proposal for operationalization of Central University in transit campus.





Approves setting up of new AIIMS in Deoghar, Jharkhand The Union Cabinet approved setting up of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Deoghar,

Jharkhand under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

Under PMSSY, Government is planning to set up 20 AIIMS across the country.

So far AIIMs have been established in Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Raipur (Chattisgarh),

Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) and Patna (Bihar).

Approves strengthening commercial disputes resolution mechanism of CPSEs The Union Cabinet approved strengthening commercial disputes resolution mechanism of Central Public Sector

Enterprises (CPSEs) inter se and also between CPSEs and other Government Departments and Organizations.

Approves establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation at Bhopal The Union Cabinet approved establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

NIMHR, Bhopal will be first of its kind institute in country in area of mental health rehabilitation.

Approves ordinance to amend law for speedy disposal of commercial disputes The Union Cabinet approved promulgation of Ordinance amend a law for speedy disposal of commercial

disputes.

It aims to improve India’s ranking in World Bank’s ease of doing business index.

Approves Restructuring of Indian Bureau of Mines The Union Cabinet approved restructuring of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) by upgradation, creation and

abolition of certain posts of Joint Secretary-level and above.

The Union Ministry of Mines had constituted Committee for comprehensive ‘Review and Restructuring of

Functions and Role of IBM’ in the light of ‘National Mineral Policy’ (NMP) 2008.

PGCIL inks pact with power ministry for Rs.25,000 crore capex

State-run Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has inked a pact with the Ministry of Power to incur capital

expenditure of Rs.25,000 crore for the current fiscal.

The MoU includes various targets to be achieved by Powergrid during 2018-19.

Capex target for the year has been set as Rs.25,000 crore.

The MoU was signed by Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary, Ministry of Power and I S Jha, Chairman and and

Managing Director.

NITI Aayog ink SoI with IBM

NITI Aayog signed Statement of Intent (SoI) with IBM to develop crop yield prediction model using Artificial

Intelligence (AI) to provide real time advisory to farmers in Aspirational Districts.

The first phase of project will focus on developing model for 10 Aspirational Districts across states of

Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The project will introduce and make available climate-aware cognitive farming techniques.

Cabinet approves setting up of 20 AIIMS under PMSSY

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved plan to set up 20 All India Institute of

Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country and upgrade 73 medical colleges.

The decisions are part of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), which has been extended by

two years till 2020 with financial outlay of Rs.14,832 crore.

The decision to extend PMSSY is aimed at meeting shortfall in healthcare professionals and facilities across the

country.

Setting up of new AIIMS in various states will transform health education and training and also help to address

shortfall of healthcare professionals.

CBDT inks 200th Unilateral APA

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) entered into 200th Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreement (UAPA)

after it singed one in April 2018.

With the signing of the agreement, CBDT has achieved another milestone of having signed its 200th UAPA.

The total number of APAs entered into CBDT so far has gone up to 220, which include 20 Bilateral APAs.





The UAPA entered in April, 2018 pertains to provision of sourcing support services.

APA scheme launched by Govt endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in domain of transfer pricing by

specifying methods of pricing and setting prices of international transactions in advance.

4 states, 1 UT sign MoUs

Four States and one Union Territory signed the first MoU with National Health Mission, Govt of India for

implementing Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM).

These states/UTs are Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh (UT).

These MoUs were signed during Ayushman Bharat Northern Region’s first workshop on PMRSSM at Shimla,

Himachal Pradesh.

NTPC signs MoU with Bihar Govt

The NTPC Limited signed an MoU with Bihar Govt to improve performance of power sector in the state.

The MoU envisages transfer of three power generation facilities in Bihar to NTPC.

It has been undertaken as part of NTPC’s strong capability in turning around under-performing state owned power

stations.

These three power generation facilities are Barauni Thermal Power Station, Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited

(KBUN) and Nabinagar Power Generating Company (Pvt.) Limited (NPGC).

Approves accession to WHO protocol The Union Cabinet gave its approval to accede to Protocol under World Health Organization (WHO) Framework

Convention on tobacco control to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.

It will be applicable to both smoking and chewing or smokeless tobacco (SLT) forms as negotiated and adopted

under Article 15 of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

India and Peru signs agreement

India and Peru have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy at Lima.

The pact was signed in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and the Prime Minister Cesar

Villanueva Arevalo.

Peru is a founder member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), established with India taking the initiative.

India, Nepal inaugurates bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya under Ramayan Circuit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated direct bus

service between Janakpur (Nepal) and Ayodhya (India) under Ramayan circuit.

Both are sacred cities for Hindus and bus service was launched as part of India’s Ramayan Circuit under Swadesh

Darshan Scheme to promote religious tourism in Nepal and India.

Janakpur is known as birth place of Sita, the wife of Lord Rama. Janaki temple was built in memory of Sita in

1910.

India, Panama sign two agreements

India and Panama signed two agreements on exemption of Visas for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports

and in the field of Agriculture.

These agreements were signed in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and President of Panama

Juan Carlos Varela Rodrigues in Panama city.

India, Guatemala ink MoU

India and Guatemala inked a pact for strengthening diplomatic cooperation through Respective Foreign Service

Institutes in educational field.

The agreement was signed after meeting between Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his Guatemala

counterpart, Jafeth Cabrera Franco in Guatemala City.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visit Guatemala as part of his first official foreign visit to three countries

Guatemala, Panama and Peru to strengthen India’s relations with them.

Nepal grants license to India’s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd to generate power

Nepal Govt granted power generation licence to Indian government-owned subsidiary Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam

Ltd (SJVNL) from a 900-megawatt (MW) Arun-3 Hydropower Project located in eastern Nepal.





The permit was granted in line with the decision of meeting of Investment Board Nepal (IBN) board of directors

chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Nepal govt will also receive benefits worth Rs. (Nepali) 348 billion from project as royalty, income tax, customs

tariff and free energy in concession period of 25 years.

The project will also provide 21.9% or 197MW s of the generated energy free of cost to Nepal.

India inks $200 million loan agreement with World Bank

The Union Govt has signed $200 million loan agreement with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission

(POSHAN Abhiyaan) for 315 districts across all states and union territories.

It will be used for reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by 2022 under POSHAN

Abhiyaan.

POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) was launched in Jhunjhunu,

Rajasthan in Mar 2018.

CBDT notifies Protocol amending DTAA between India and Kuwait

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notified protocol to amend existing Double Taxation Avoidance

Agreement (DTAA) between India and Kuwait.

The DTAA between both the countries was signed in Jun 2006 for the avoidance of double taxation and for

prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.

DTAA is a tax treaty signed between countries (or any two/multiple countries) so that taxpayers do not pay

double taxes on their income earned from source country as well as their residence country.

Cabinet Approvals

Approves continuation of Umbrella Scheme in agriculture sector The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved continuation of Umbrella Scheme, Green

Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana in agriculture sector beyond 12th Five Year Plan from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

The Umbrella scheme comprises of 11 Schemes and Missions.

The 11 schemes and missions were clubbed together under one umbrella scheme ‘Green Revolution – Krishonnati

Yojana in 2017-18.

These schemes will be now continued for three financial years, i.e., 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 with an

expenditure of Rs.33,269 crore.

Approves financial assistance to sugar mills for clearing cane dues of farmers The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved proposal to provide financial assistance of Rs.

5.50 per quintal of cane crushed in sugar season 2017-18.

It will help to sugar mills to offset the cost of cane which will inturn help sugar mills to clear cane dues of

farmers.

Appointments

Appointments Appointee Former SC Judge as Chairman of Press Council of India

(PCI) for 2nd term

CK Prasad

Chief Minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy

BHEL Director Pravin L. Agrawal

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro Moro

First Female Chief of New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Stacey Cunningham

CMD of Coal India Limited Anil Kumar Jha

Fifth Chief Justice of Manipur HC Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar

Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University Firoz Bakht Ahmed





(MANUU)

Chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation

(OTDC)

Dilip Tirkey

Vice-President of Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) Himanta Biswa Sarma

New President of Hockey India (HI) Rajinder Singh

Regular Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi Uttam Pacharne

Head of U.S India Business Council for India Ambika Sharma

Member of the Board of Commissioners of Multnomah

County in Oregon in western US State

Susheela Jayapal

Additional Charge of National Highways Authority of India

(NHAI) chairman

Yudhvir Singh Malik

India’s Youngest Women to scale Mt. Everest Shivangi Pathak

President of Hockey India (HI) Rajinder Singh

President of Badminton Association of India (BAI) Himanta Biswa Sarma

Chief Justice of Manipur HC Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar

Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University

(MANUU)

Firoz Bakht Ahmed

CMD of Coal India Limited Anil Kumar Jha

Chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation Dilip Tirkey

Second country after US to open its Embassy in Jerusalem Guatemala

Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi Uttam Pacharne

U.S India Business Council head for India Ambika Sharma

Additional charge of NHAI Yudhvir Singh Malik

Member of Board of Commissioners of Multnomah County

in Oregon

Susheela Jayapal

Second two-year term of International Cricket Council

(ICC)

Shashank Manohar

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Col Rajyavardhan Rathore

Ministry of Finance to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal

‘Eminent Jurist' in Lokpal selection committee Mukul Rohatgi

Green Ambassador of Sikkim state Mohit Chauhan

3 months extension as CEO of FSSAI Pawan Kumar Agarwal

PM of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad

Additional (Independent) Director of ICICI Bank’s board Radhakrishnan Nair

Interim judge to a US civil court Deepa Ambekar

Acting Governor of Manipur Jagdish Mukhi

Re-appointed as chairman of 22-member Public Accounts

Committee (PAC) of Parliament

Mallikarjun Kharge

India’s longest-serving Chief Minister Sikkim’s CM Pawan Chamling

Principal director general of PIB Sitanshu Kar





Awards

Indian charity 'Jagriti Yatra' has won the Charity Clarity award

The Indian charity 'Jagriti Yatra' won the Charity Clarity award for Outstanding Impact at the 3rd annual Asian

Voice Charity Awards 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

The event was organized by Britain’s oldest Asian diaspora publication ‘Asian Voice’ and Europe’s first

independent charity due diligence platform ‘Charity Clarity’.

The ‘Cleft Lip and Palate Association’ won the Charity of the Year award & ‘Road To Freedom’ won Startup Of

The Year.

Polish novelist wins Man Booker International Prize

An English translation of Polish novel Flights, which interweaves narratives of travel with explorations of the

human body, has been named as the winner of the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

The novel was written by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft, won the £50,000 (US$67,000) prize after

coming top of a shortlist of six titles.

The Man Booker International Prize celebrates the English translations of works of international literature.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran won T.K. Ramanathan Award For 2017-18

Prajnesh Gunneswaran won the prestigious T.K. Ramanathan award for the year 2017-18 at the Tamil Nadu

Tennis Association (TNTA) annual day function at the SDAT tennis stadium.

He received a cash prize of Rs. 30,000.

NMDC bags the S&P Global Platts Global Metals Award

The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC Ltd) bagged the S&P Global Platts Global Metals

Award 2018 in the corporate social responsibility category at London Grosvenor Square Marriott Hotel in the UK.

This is the first time since inception of the awards that an Indian company has bagged an award in this category.

Nirmala Sitharaman gave away the DRDO Awards- 2016 & 2017

The Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave away the DRDO Awards- 2016 & 2017 to various DRDO

scientists for their outstanding contributions to commemorate the National Technology Day (NTD-2018).

Dr V K Saraswat, the former Secretary Department of Defence R&D, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri and

Director General of DRDO, has been honoured with the DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award – 2017.

The DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award – 2016 has been conferred to Dr Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre, the former

Secretary Department of Defence R&D, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri and DG of DRDO.

Meanwhile, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, the Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri, Distinguished Scientist & Director

General (Missiles & Strategic Systems), won the Technology Leadership Award – 2016, etc.

Sridevi honoured at Cannes Film festival

Veteran Bollywood actor Sridevi was honoured with the TITAN Reginald F Lewis Film Icon Award at the

ongoing 71st Cannes Film Festival.

The award traditionally celebrates women of the film industry all over the world and also salutes the multi-

cultural impact on the world of cinema.

Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai and producer Namrata Goyal received the award on behalf of Sridevi's family.

Amitabh Bachchan honoured by European Union

The Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been honoured by European Union for strengthening Europe-India cultural

ties.

Bachchan, whose last release “102 Not Out”, co-starring Rishi Kapoor, was well-received by critics as well as

audiences, will next be seen in “Thugs of Hindostan”.

Anindita Anaam honoured with prestigious 'Shri Jayadev Rastriya Yuva Pratibha Puraskar 2018'

US-based Kathak dancer, Anindita Anaam honoured with the prestigious 'Shri Jayadev Rastriya Yuva Pratibha

Puraskar 2018' for her outstanding contribution to the field of art.

The award was presented to the Kathak exponent during the ‘Jayadev International Dance Festival’.

Shoplifters receives award for best film, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival





The Japanese family drama 'Shoplifters' received the coveted award for best film, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes

Film Festival.

Poland’s Pawel Pawlikowski won the best director award for his love story ‘Cold War’.

Little-known Italian actor Marcello Fonte won best actor for his role as a hapless cocaine-dealing dog groomer

who faces down a thug in ‘Dogman’.

The Best actress award went to Samal Yeslyamova for Kazakh writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy’s “Ayka.”

A special Palme d’Or was awarded to French-Swiss Jean-Luc Godard for the film ‘Image Book’.

John Gregory honoured with Special Achievement Award by England’s LMA

Chennaiyin FC head coach John Gregory has been honoured with a Special Achievement Award by England’s

League Managers’ Association (LMA) in London for becoming the first Englishman to win the Indian Super

League (ISL).

Chennaiyin FC beaten Bengaluru FC in the ISL final in March 2018 to claim the trophy.

The LMA is a body in England for English coaches and all managers in English football.

Akshay Kumar bags best actor award at 2018 Dadasaheb Phalke awards

Indian Superstar, Akshay Kumar has bagged the best actor award at the 2018 Dadasaheb Phalke awards for his

role in 'Padman (Jury)' and for 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha'.

The awards were given by Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation in Mumbai on Apr 29.

Bhumi Pednekar won the best actress trophy for her work in Toilet Ek Prem Katha.

Manisha Koirala won the 'Most Versatile Actress' award.

Mubina wins 2018 Miss Koovagam beauty pageant title

Chennai-based transgender Mubina won the 2018 Miss Koovagam beauty pageant title in Villupuram, Tamil

Nadu.

This year, nearly 40 transgenders in the age group of 18 and 35 contested for the ‘Miss Koovagam’ title.

William Mark Tully chosen for 2018 RedInk award

The veteran British journalist and former BBC India correspondent, Sir William Mark Tully has been chosen for

2018 RedInk award for lifetime achievement in journalism.

Meanwhile, Faye D’Souze, the executive editor of Mirror Now channel, has been selected as the winner of the

RedInk award for ‘journalist of the year’.

The RedInk awards for excellence in journalism are instituted by the Mumbai Press Club.

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak honoured with Nikkei Asia Prize

The founder of Sulabh International, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has been honoured with the Nikkei Asia Prize in

Japan for his contribution to Asia’s development.

He was among three who were conferred with this award.

Nikkei Asia Prize Nikkei Inc. is one of the largest media corporations in Japan.

Lata Mangeshkar honoured with the Swara Mauli title

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar honoured with the Swara Mauli title by Shankarcharya Vidyanarsimha

Bharati Swami at her residence Prabhu Kunj in Mumbai.

The veteran singer has several awards to her credit in her over 7-decade-long career, including three National

Awards.

Muhammad Yunus conferred with the 11th KISS Humanitarian Award

The Nobel laureate and noted economist, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, has been conferred with the 11th KISS

Humanitarian Award 2018 for his unwavering commitment to eradicate global poverty and foster economic and

social development.

He is the founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and is widely known as the Father of Microfinance.

Nisha Bhalla conferred with the 'Excellent Woman of Excellence' award

A holistic coach & consultant from Mumbai, Nisha Bhalla has been conferred with the 'Excellent Woman of

Excellence' award for her spiritual service at the Women Economic Forum (WEF) 2018 in Delhi.

The WEF is the largest global gathering of women entrepreneurs and leaders worldwide.

Nisha conducts holistic courses at her institute ‘Sai Institute of Kosmic Sciences’ in Mumbai.





Mohamed Salah named Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year

Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah from Egypt named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the

Year for 2017/18.

With this, Salah became the first African to be given the accolade after edging out Manchester City midfielder

Kevin De Bruyne by less than 20 votes in a ballot of more than 400 FWA members.

G Sathiyan signed with club ASV Grunwettersbach Tischtennis

India’s top table tennis player, G Sathiyan officially signed with German Bundesliga’s top division club ASV

Grunwettersbach Tischtennis for 2018/19 season.

He won three medals at his Commonwealth Games debut on Apr 2018.

Important days

Sports

Srinath Narayanan becomes champion of LIC 3rd Kolkata Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament

Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan from Chennai become the champion of the LIC 3rd Kolkata Open International

Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2018 and clinches a prize purse of Rs 3 lakh at The Newtown School.

He registered a quick draw against Shyam Sundar M to won the final match of the tournament.

AB de Villiers retires from international cricket

Star South African batsman AB de Villiers has announced his retirement from international cricket with

immediate effect.

After 114 Test matches, 228 ODI's and 78 T20 Internationals, he has taken his retirement.

Date Days Theme

May 22 International Bio-diversity Day "Celebrating 25 Years of Action for

Biodiversity"

May 21 Anti-Terrorism Day

May 18 International Museum Day 'Museums and Hyper Communication – New

Approaches and New Public.'

May 17 International Day Against

Homophobia, Transphobia and

Biphobia

'Alliances for Solidarity'

May 17 World Telecommunication and

Information Society Day

"Enabling the positive use of Artificial

Intelligence for All"

May 15 International Day of Families "Families and inclusive societies."

May 12 International Nurse Day 'Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human

Right'

May 11 National Technology Day 'Science and Technology for a Sustainable

Future'

May 05 World Cartoonist’s Day

May 03 World Press Freedom Day 'Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and

The Rule of Law'

May 01 International Labour Day "Uniting Workers for Social and Economic

Advancement"





He finishes his career with a staggering 20,014 international runs and averages over 50 in both Tests and ODIs.

Lionel Messi wins the 2018 European Golden Shoe

An Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona, Lionel Messi won the

2018 European Golden Shoe.

He claimed the prize after scoring 34 goals in La Liga this season, helping his club to a 25th league triumph.

With this, he becomes the first player to win the European Golden Shoe for a record 5 times.

He won the award in 2017, as well as in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Rafael Nadal wins Italian Open title

Rafael Nadal has beaten defending champion Alexander Zverev by 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to win Italian Open title for a

record 8th time.

With his victory in Rome, Nadal regained the World No. 1 ranking before the 2018 French Open.

First Para-National Games to be held in Bengaluru

The inaugural National Para Games, on the lines of National Games for able-bodied athletes, will held under

the Khelo India Scheme from Jun 28 to Jul 07 in Bengaluru.

The Paralympic Committee of India will be responsible for the technical conduct of the Games while all the

funding will be done by the sports ministry under the Khelo India Scheme.

Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix tournament

Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, won

the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix tournament 2018 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes stood second in the race.

Lewis Hamilton wins the 2018 Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2018 Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix tournament at the Baku

City Circuit in Baku. In it, both Red Bulls sensationally collided with each other.

Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari finished second and Sergio Perez of Force India ended third in the Race.

Neeraj Goyat conferred with WBC Asia Boxer of the Year Award

Indian pugilist, Neeraj Goyat has been conferred with the WBC Asia Boxer of the Year Award.

He is the current WBC Asia champion in welter weight category.

Ramit Tandon wins Abu Dhabi Open squash title

Ramit Tandon from India won the Abu Dhabi Open squash title.

In the final in Abu Dhabi, Ramit toppled number one seed Omar Abdel Meguid of Egypt with scores of 11-6, 6-

11, 11-3, 11-2. It was their first meeting on Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour.

Gagan Narang & Pooja Ghatkar clinches Silver in Grand Prix of Liberation International competition

Olympian Gagan Narang and Pooja Ghatkar clinched a Silver medal in the 10-meter Air Rifle Mixed Team

Shooting event in the Grand Prix of Liberation International competition at Pilsen in the Czech Republic.

Beside this, Shri Nivetha Paramanantham and Amanpreet Singh claimed the Mixed Air Pistol Silver after topping

the qualification with a score of 775. Earlier in the tournament, Nivetha had bagged a Gold medal in the Women’s Air Pistol, while Mihika Poore took

home the top honours in the Women’s Air Rifle event Heena Sidhu clinches gold at the International Shooting Competitions

Indian Shooter, Heena Sidhu has clinched the gold medal while compatriot P Shri Nivetha settled for bronze in

the women’s 10m air pistol event at the International Shooting Competitions of Hannover, Germany.

She was in a rollicking form in the final where she was tied with France’s Mathilde Lamolle on 239.8 points.

Anikta Raina included in the Govt of India (GoI)’s TOPS

Tennis player Anikta Raina, who has displayed good form this season both in the Fed Cup and the professional

circuit, has been included in the Govt of India (GoI)’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).

She recently broke into the top-200, reaching a career-best 197 in the WTA rankings released earlier this month.

With this, she became only the 5th Indian woman singles tennis player after Sania Mirza, Nirupama

Vaidyanathan, Sunita Rao and Shikha Uberoi to break into the world’s top 200.





Beside Raina, Mehuli Ghosh, Om Prakash Mitharwal, Gaurav Solanki, Shahzar Rizvi, Hussamuddin Mohammad,

Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala and Gaurav Solanki were also included in the TOPS list.

Obituaries

Veteran film and theatre actor, Dr Hemu Adhikari

Veteran Telugu writer & novelist Yaddanapudi Sulochana

Rani

Jewish-American historian Bernard Lewis

Lone freedom fighter of Muzaffarnagar district,

UP

Raghuvir Singh

Noted tribal Artist (popularized the Warli

paintings)

Jivya Soma Mashe

Lavani singer & Padma Shri recipient Yamunabai Waikar

Tamil Novelist Balakumaran

Veteran Journalist from Chhattisgarh Govind Lal Vora

Early practitioner of “new journalism” Tom Wolfe

Globally-recognised Theoretical Physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan

British film Editor Anne V Coates

Malayalam film-theatre Actor Kalasala Babu

Pakistan’s World Cup-winning hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed

Noted Hindi film lyricist, poet and politician Nandram Das Bairagi

Former Delhi cricketer Rajinder Pal

Former Madhya Pradesh minister Dr Nirmal Hirawat

The veteran Marathi singer Arun Date

BJP MLA from Jayanagar B. N. Vijay Kumar

Gandhian, freedom fighter and writer Keyur Bhushan

Former Air Chief Marshal Idris Hassan Latif

Malayalam detective Novelist Kottayam Pushpanath

Renowned sculpture & mentor of Artists Guruji Ravinder Sharma

Former President of AIFF P P Lakshmanan

All the BEST !! Join Our Telegram Group




https://web.telegram.org/#/im?p=s1359375937_15298254925607847443





https://bsccareer.com/product/magical-book-on-quicker-maths/

https://bsccareer.com/

https://bsccareer.com/product/analytical-reasoning/

Documents

EXCLUSIVE May 2018 GA Refresher FOR DENA BANK … · It has barred Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of deteriorating financial health due to mounting non-performing assets