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General Awareness Bullet- 2015 (Comprehensive summary of current affairs for November 2015)

Dear PaGaLGuY readers,

This General Awareness Bullet is a comprehensive summary of important news and events that occurred in

November 2015. This bullet is relevant for Banking, SSC, Insurance and UPSC Exams. We intend to release

monthly bullets for various exams.

Do print out a hard copy of this for your regular use. Our goal is to ensure that you have the necessary material

readily available to prepare thoroughly and perform well in your exams.

To access all of the material that we provide, log on to http://www.pagalguy.com

Prepared by - Shraddha Kakade

(http://www.pagalguy.com/@shraddha141)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in News Current Policy Rates and Reserve Ratios:

Repo Rate 6.75%

Reverse Repo Rate 5.75%

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4%

Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 21.5%

Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 7.75%

Bank Rate 7.75%

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1. RBI's approval mandatory for companies buying over 5% stake in private

banks: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it is mandatory for indi-

viduals and companies to take its approval before acquiring shares or voting

rights in a private bank for increasing the aggregate holding to 5% or more. As

per the notice, the RBI will evaluate the applicant's status before granting or

denying permission. However, the existing major shareholder will not be re-

quired to obtain approval from the RBI for fresh incremental acquisition of

shares or voting rights if the proposed aggregate holding is up to 10%.

2. ICEGATE to be integrated into the banking system: India's intelligence agen-

cies and the RBI recently announced a proposal to integrate the Indian Customs

Electronic Commerce and Electronic Data Interchange Gateway (ICEGATE)

into the banking system to curb illegal forex remittances and money laundering.

The decision comes after the CBI and Enforcement Directorate have filed cases

involving illegal forex remittances by banks, the recent being Bank of Baroda's

illegal transfers to Hong Kong amounting to Rs.6000 crores. ICEGATE is an in-

frastructure project that fulfils the customs department's electronic com-

merce/electronic data interchange and data communication requirements. It is the

electronic depository comprising bills of entry, shipping bills, electronic mes-

sages and other import-export documents. Presently, it has about 24,000 regis-

tered users serving around 6.72 lakh importers/exporters.

3. Not more than 4 expatriates in branches of foreign banks in India: As per a recent RBI notification, a foreign

bank can employ only four expatriates for each branch opened in India and not over six expatriates for its head

office operations. The central bank has eased the numerical restriction on involvement of expatriate officers (ear-

lier it was two officers for the head office and one officer for every other branch) considering the operational dif-

ficulties foreign banks face in conducting their business. However, rules pertaining to the posting of trainee offic-

ers and remittance facilities by the expatriate officers remains unchanged.

Financial and Banking News

1. Axis Bank opens representative office in Bangladesh: Axis Bank recently opened a representative office in

Dhaka, Bangladesh. Axis Bank group executive P Mukherjee said, "The bank aims to leverage the growing eco-

nomic integration between the two countries by actively facilitating trade transactions, both inbound as well as

out-bound. The bank will also contribute towards employment generation, both directly and indirectly in the

country." Axis Bank has branches in Singapore, Hong Kong, Colombo and Shanghai, representative offices at

Dubai and Abu Dhabi and a fully-owned subsidiary in the UK.

2. SEBI signs MoU with Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission: The Securities and Exchange Board

of India (SEBI) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bangladesh Securities and Ex-

change Commission (BSEC) to enhance cooperation and technical assistance. Signed by the chairmen of the bod-

ies in the presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the pact will enable the nation's capital

market to gain from SEBI's extensive experience besides improving investor protection and promoting economic

links. SEBI has thus far signed such agreements with 21 nations.

3. Vijaya Bank seeks Rs.5,000 crore from the Centre under capital infusion plans: Recently, south-based Vi-

jaya Bank sought Rs.5,000 crore from the Centre under the capital infusion plans. MD and CEO Kishore Sansi

said that the bank has submitted a proposal to the Union Finance Ministry for the same. Presently, the gross NPA

of the bank is 3.90 %, which is lowest among PSBs. The bank's target is to reduce it to 3 % by March 2016.

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4. HSBC to close down its India private banking operations: HSBC Holdings Plc decided to close down its India

private banking operations after a strategic review. Its customers will have the option to be a client of HSBC

Premier—its global retail banking and wealth management proposition. The Indian private banking arm of HSBC

has about 70 clients, who will be transferred.

5. SBI and Emirates NBD join hands for easier remittances for NRIs: State Bank of India (SBI) and Emirates

NBD have announced a deal to help Non-Resident Indian (NRI) customers in the UAE to transfer their remit-

tances with ease. Emirates NBD has decided to include SBI in its partner bank network in India for the Direc-

tRemit 60 seconds remittance platform. The deal will enable fund transfers to SBI bank accounts across India in

60 seconds at zero fees.

6. IHFL acquires 40% stake in OakNorth Bank of UK: Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. (IHFL) recently ac-

quired a 40% stake in OakNorth Bank of UK for $100 million and became the largest shareholder of the bank.

The investment has been approved by the Strategic Investment Committee for Liability Franchise Development,

headed by KC Chakrabarty, an independent director on the board and ex-Deputy Governor of the RBI, specially

constituted by the Board for creating a practical roadmap to a deposit-taking franchise. This acquisition symbol-

ises Sameer Gehlaut-led IHFL's foray into deposit taking franchise in the UK.

7. HDFC and YES Bank to list bonds on LSE: India’s largest mortgage lender HDFC recently announced its

plans to list overseas rupee-dominated bonds or masala bonds on the London Stock Exchange and raise an equiv-

alent of $750 million. Private lender YES Bank is also planning to list a green bond (i.e. its proceeds will be used

to fund renewable energy and emission reduction projects) of upto $500 million on the LSE. This is part of the

bank's larger plan to raise $1 billion equity capital.

8. ICICI Bank to sell 6% stake in its life insurance arm: ICICI Bank, India's largest private sector lender, is set

to sell 6% stake in ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, of which, 4% will be sold to Premji Invest and its affiliates.

The remaining 2% will go to Compassvale Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore-based invest-

ment company Temasek Holdings.

Reports and Studies

1. India ranks 108 on Global Gender Gap Index: As per the World Economic Forum's recently released Global

Gender Gap Index, Iceland is placed first followed by Norway, Finland and Sweden. Among developing coun-

tries, Brazil was ranked 85th, China 91st and India 108th. This marked a six-point improvement for India, as it

held 114th position last year. This index is developed on the basis of the gap between men and women in a coun-

try across four parameters, namely, economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and

survival, and political empowerment.

2. India is 4th most vacation-deprived country: India ranks 4th in the list of world's most vacation-deprived

countries. As per a recent survey, 65 % of Indians feel very or somewhat vacation-deprived. UAE has topped this

list (76 %), followed by Malaysia (73 %) and Singapore (71 %).

3. Seventh Pay Commission submits report: Justice A K Mathur-headed Seventh Pay Commission submitted its

recommendations to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The recommendations will be implemented with effect from

January 1, 2016, benefitting over 47 lakh central government employees. An overall 23.55 % increase has been

suggested in pay, allowances and pensions of employees depending on 'business as usual scenario’. The break-up

of this hike is as follows: 16 % hike in basic pay, 24 % increase in pension and 63 % increase in allowances.

4. India behind China in gender diversity at MNCs’ R&D centres: As per a study by research firm Zinnov, the

average gender diversity in multinational companies' Indian R&D centres at 21%, far below China’s 30% and the

global average 31%. The study cites marriage, maternity, spouse's relocation and family problems as top reasons

for high attrition among women employees. Cultural factors are more to blame in India, wherein women are en-

couraged to take up support job roles. This is why women in top positions (8%) are less than those at the junior

positions (23%) in India.

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5. Forbes releases list of the World's Most Powerful People 2015: Forbes released the list of the World's Most

Powerful People 2015. It provides the annual ranking of the world's 73 most powerful people. Russian President

topped the list, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US president Barack Obama in second and

third places respectively. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ranked 9th on the list.

Important Committees

Committee/Panel head(s) Objective of the committee

1. Vijay Kelkar panel Former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar-lead panel on re-

viving the public-private-partnership (PPP) model for in-

frastructure development recently submitted its report to

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The panel was appointed

to look into problems related to contractual, financing

and implementation issues ailing the PPP sector.

2. Arvind Subramanian panel The panel led by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subra-

manian is expected to suggest multiple revenue-neutral

rates (RNR) for the proposed goods and services tax

(GST) based on different scenarios and let the proposed

GST council decide on the rates. The panel may also rec-

ommend separate rates for two items, which are not

likely to be incorporated under GST - petroleum for the

time being and alcohol permanently.

3. The Committee of Eminent Persons (CEP) headed by

Ashok Misra

The Committee of Eminent Persons (CEP) submitted a

report suggesting reforms to the Joint Entrance Examina-

tion (JEE).

Some of the recommendations are:

(i)A National Testing Service has been mandated to con-

duct an Aptitude Test to test scientific aptitude and inno-

vative thinking ability.

(ii) The aptitude test should be offered 2 or more times

and would be in online mode.

(iii) Based on this performance, around four lakh candi-

dates shall be selected for taking the JEE, which will be

similar to the current JEE (Advanced) and prepared to

test their knowledge in Physics, Chemistry and Mathe-

matics.

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New Appointments - India and Abroad

INDIA

1. Harshavardhan Neotia - President, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry

2. Zarin Daruwala - CEO of Standard Chartered India

3. Anju Bobby George - Chairperson, Target Olympic Podium Scheme

4. Sunil Kanoria - President of ASSOCHAM

5. P K Gupta - Managing Director of State Bank of India

6. Lionel Messi - Tata Motors, Global Brand Ambassador

7. Deepak Singhal - Executive Director of the RBI

8. Suresh Patel - Managing Director and CEO of Andhra Bank

ABROAD

1. Swati Dandekar - Executive Director of Asian Development Bank

2. Michael Keating - New Special Representative for Somalia and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia

3. Patricia Scotland - Secretary General of the Commonwealth Nations

4. Subir Gokarn - Executive Director on the board of the International Monetary Fund

5. Syed Akbaruddin - India’s permanent representative to UN

Summits/Conferences around the World

1. Queen Elizabeth II opens the Commonwealth meeting in Malta: Queen Elizabeth II opened the Common

wealth meeting in Malta, a Mediterranean island. The meeting will focus on climate change and the threat of ex-

tremist violence. The 53-nation Commonwealth links over 2 billion people across five continents, including huge

countries like India, Australia and Canada and small island-states like Tonga and Vanuatu.

2. APEC Philippines 2015: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was held on November 18-19,

2015 at Pasay, Philippines. The summit was held amid increasing tensions between various Asia Pacific nations

because of China’s aggressive policy of claiming several uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. The theme

for this year was, "Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World.” The goal to promoe inclusive growth

is divided into three stages: domestic/national, regional, and macro levels. The four priority areas for the APEC

2015 are:

* Investing in Human Capital Development

* Fostering Small and Medium Enterprises’ Participation in Regional and Global Markets

* Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities

* Enhancing the Regional Economic Integration Agenda

3. COP21: UN Climate Change Convention 2015 began in Paris, France in November 30 and will continue till De-

cember 11. In the Conference of Parties or COP21, bureaucrats from across 195 nations are in attendance to dis-

cuss the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change and negotiate new agreements or set goals

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aimed at cutting carbon emissions both by developed and developing countries. Every year, since 1992 the COP

has taken place with negotiators trying to put together a practical plan of action to stabilise the greenhouse gases

in atmosphere.

Deaths Name Field of work

1. Shankaran Nair Former RAW Chief

2. T S Papola Noted Indian economist

3. Mahip Singh Noted journalist and short story writer

4. Kamala Laxman Noted children's book writer

New Books and Authors Title Author

1. Vanessa and Her Sister Priya Parmar

2. Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah

3. What happened to Netaji Anuj Dhar

Persons in News

1. Benoit Peeters: Benoit Peeters, 59, a French novelist and critic, who is also an expert in the Tintin comic series,

is set to become first ever professor of graphic fiction and comic art in the UK. He will start as a visiting faculty

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at Lancaster University in north-west England for three years starting summer 2016. He will conduct creative

writing workshops, give lectures and supervise post-graduate students.

2. Herve Falciani: Whistleblower Herve Falciani, who leaked wrongdoings at the HSBC Swiss private bank, was

sentenced to five years in prison by a Switzerland court for industrial espionage and violation of banking secrecy.

Falciani, a former employee of HSBC, leaked documents which revealed that the bank's Swiss private banking

arm aided over one lakh clients to evade taxes worth more than $200 billion.

3. Akkai Padmashali: In a first, the Karnataka government chose a transgender for the prestigious Rajyotsava

Award in the social service category. Akkai Padmashali received the award, which included Rs.1 lakh, a 20-gram

gold medal and a citation. Some of the other 60 personalities chosen for the award include Indian Space Research

Organisation Chairman A S Kiran Kumar, cricketer Vinay Kumar, writer Aryamba Pattabhi, former judge A.J.

Sadashiva, film actors 'Sowcar' Janaki, Sadashiva Brahmavar, Shani Mahadevappa and Sadhu Kokila, and theatre

actor H G Somashekar Rao.

4. Arundhati Bhattacharya: As per Fortune India's recent report, SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya was

named the Most Powerful Woman in the Indian business sector. The magazine stated, "In her short career as the

first woman heading one of the oldest commercial banks in the region, Bhattacharya was instrumental in pushing

several reforms, including revision of terms for infrastructure loan." ICICI Bank's Chanda Kochhar and Axis

Bank's Shikha Sharma ranked second and third respectively on the list.

Science, Defence, Technology and Environment

1. Intel launches ‘Ek Kadam Unnati Ki Aur’: To support the government's Digital India initiative, technology

giant Intel has launched yet another campaign called 'Ek Kadam Unnati ki Aur'. Its objective is to work with na-

tional and regional governments and bring about technology-enabled transformation in rural areas in 10 states,

starting with Telangana.

2. TCS and Intel launch Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things: Software giant Tata Consultancy Services

in collaboration with Intel launched a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Internet of Things (IoT). The CoE is

located at TCS Campus in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The centre will concentrate on creating new use cases for

various industries and develop solution accelerators around Intel technologies for global customers across manu-

facturing, retail, hi-tech, semiconductors, healthcare and telecom industries.

3. Japan launches its first commercial satellite: The Japanese national space programme launched its first com-

mercial satellite, thereby entering a business mainly dominated by Russian and European firms. The H-IIA rocket

carried the TELSTAR 12V communications and broadcasting satellite for Canadian satellite operator Telesat.

The launch was overseen by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from

Tanegashima Space Centre in southwest Japan.

4. India test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile: India test-fired its 'nuclear-capable' surface-to-sur-

face Dhanush ballistic missile from INS Subhadra in the Bay of Bengal. Dhanush is considered the naval variant

of India's 'indigenously-developed' Prithvi missile and has a strike range of 350 km. The missile can carry con-

ventional as well nuclear payload of 500 kg and can hit both land and sea-based targets within its specified range.

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5. Bombay HC directs NEERI to study pollution of River Godavari: The Bom-

bay High Court asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Insti-

tute (NEERI) to study the pollution of River Godavari caused by the Shahi

Snaan (royal bath) during the Kumbh Mela, which began in July 2015 in Nasik.

The division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oak also ordered authorities not to

release water from Godavari as it may have been polluted.

6. Facebook partners with BSNL to create 100 rural WiFi hotspots: Facebook

has partnered with state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) to create

100 WiFi hotspots in rural India in order to increase the digital penetration in the

country. Facebook will annually invest Rs.5 crore for buying bandwidth from

BSNL. Nearly 25 villages will be covered under the pilot project in southern and

western India and it is likely to be extended from the current three-year partner-

ship.

7. Government issues show cause notice to Volkswagen: The Indian government

issued a show cause notice to global car manufacturer Volkswagen after the test-

ing agency Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) found "signifi-

cant variations" in the emission levels of the firm's three diesel models in India,

namely Jetta, Audi A4 and Vento. Volkswagen admitted that 11 million diesel

engine cars worldwide were fitted with the software that facilitated manipulation

of emission tests. It faces a fine of up to $18 billion in the US.

8. Microsoft to fund India's start-ups aligned to smart cities: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that the

firm will fund scores of new generation entrepreneurs in India's 'smart cities' space. The tech giant will offer a

special cloud initiative for start-ups aligned to smart cities, and provide flagship devices such as the Microsoft

Lumia 950 and 950 XL, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, among others. Microsoft said that the aim is to impact over 50

smart cities in the next year through a catalogue of over 50 start-ups and ISV solutions. Nadella informed that 2

pilot projects are already underway in Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

9. Belgian court directs Facebook to stop tracking activities of non-users: Belgian court directed global social

networking site Facebook to stop tracking the activities of non-users of the site. The order also stated that on fail-

ing to obey, Facebook would have to pay a fine of up to 250,000 euros per day. In response, the company said

that it will appeal against the decision and that the order relates to a cookie which FB has been using for five

years. The cookie is installed when an internet user visits a Facebook page even if they are not members, so as to

assess user activity and their preferences, among other things.

10. Defence Minister hands over Maareech to the Indian Navy: Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar dedi-

cated a Seakeeping and Manoeuvering Basin (SMB) to the Indian Navy at the Naval Science and Technological

Laboratory (NSTL) in Visakhapatnam. The SMB is a top-notch hydrodynamic testing infrastructure facility to

validate the design of naval platforms and weapon systems and will aid in making naval combatants such as

ships, torpedoes, submarines, etc. Further, Parrikar handed over DRDO-developed Advanced Torpedo Defence

System "Maareech", a state-of-the-art indigenous system for torpedo detection and countermeasures.

Awards

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Title of the Award Award Winner Details

1. Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,

Disarmament and Development for

2015

The Office of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR).

The jury headed by Indian Vice

President Hamid Ansari announced

that the award was conferred on UN-

HRC for its "immense contributions"

in assisting millions of refugees

seeking asylum and for working un-

der difficult circumstances to reduce

the flow of refugees.

2. Honorary doctorate by University

of East London

Ashok Amritraj Tennis champion-turned film pro-

ducer Ashok Amritraj was recently

awarded honorary doctorate by the

University of East London for pro-

moting talented movie-makers glob-

ally. He has the record of having

brought over 100 films to theatre,

creating a remarkable $2 billion

revenue.

3. Ramnath Goenka Lifetime

Achievement Award

Kuldip Nayar Veteran Indian journalist Kuldip Na-

yar was conferred the Ramnath

Goenka Lifetime Achievement

award at the eighth edition of the

Ramnath Goenka Excellence awards

for 2013 and 2014. Nayar was the

former editor of The Indian Express

and during the 1970s emergency, he

was jailed under the Maintenance of

Internal Security Act (MISA) for

spearheading a protest against the

highhandedness of the administra-

tion.

4. The New York Global Leader Dia-

logue Humanitarian Award

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak Renowned Indian sanitation activist

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak won the New

York Global Leader Dialogue hu-

manitarian award that will be pre-

sented to Pathak in April 2016.

Pathak is a social activist and

founder of 'Sulab International',

which primarily works in construc-

tion of toilets based on innovative

design. He also leads a movement to

discourage manual cleaning of hu-

man waste.

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Title of the Award Award Winner Details

5. Aditya Vikram Birla Kala Shikhar

Award for lifetime achievement

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar

Rao recently presented the Aditya

Vikram Birla Kala Shikhar Award

for lifetime achievement to Santoor

maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.

Other musicians like Murad Ali

Khan (Sarangi) and Satyajit Talwal-

kar (Tabla) were bestowed with the

Kala Kiran Award.

6. International Children's Peace

Prize 2015

Abraham Keita Liberian teenager Abraham Keita

was awarded with the prestigious In-

ternational Children's Peace Prize

2015. Keith received this award from

Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee for

his peaceful yet effective fight for

justice for children who have been

victims of sexual and physical vio-

lence. Further, his campaigns for

Child Rights got the Liberian Parlia-

ment to adopt Children's Law.

Important News - India and Abroad

1. France and Russia join hands to fight ISIS militants: Russia and France recently agreed to coordinate military

and security services in Syria in order to counter increasing atrocities of ISIS militants in Syria and end the Syrian

war that has continued for around five years. The terror outfit’s recent incidents include the brutal attacks in Paris

and the bombing of the Russian plane in Egypt. Warplanes from the two countries led attacks on the ISIS strong-

hold area of Raqa.

2. EU-Ukraine free trade zone to be launched in 2016: European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mog-

herini and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko recently met in Kiev and the latter confirmed that an EU-Ukrain-

ian free trade zone will be launched on January 1, 2016. The deal between EU-Ukraine was to take effect from

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January 2015. However, Russia objected to it and still continues to do so. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malm-

strom said, "Once implemented, the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) would send

a powerful signal that the regulatory environment in Ukraine is modern and efficient”.

3. Russia signs deal with Egypt to build a nuclear power plant: Russia signed a deal to build a nuclear power

plant Dabaa, north of Egypt. Russia has decided to extend a loan to cover the plant's construction costs. This

would be the first nuclear plant in Egypt and is expected to be completed by 2022.

4. Mahatma Gandhi International Centre opened in Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena inau-

gurated the Mahatma Gandhi International Centre (MGIC) in Matale, Sri Lanka. Built at a cost of over Rs.4 crore,

the centre comprises an auditorium, library, meditation hall and a conference hall. It will focus on spreading Ma-

hatma Gandhi's teachings, promote cultural activities and practices like meditation and yoga.

5. US launches Operation Inherent Resolve to fight ISIS: The US-led coalition army attacked the Islamic State

militant group in Iraq and parts of Syria in a joint task force mission called the Operation Inherent Resolve. Be-

sides the US, coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,

France, Jordan, Netherlands, and the UK. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,

United Arab Emirates, have carried out attacks in Syria. The objective is to eliminate IS and the threat it poses to

Iraq, Syria, and the world.

6. Tunisia declares state of emergency after bomb attack: Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a nation-

wide 30-day emergency in late November after a presidential guard bus was bombed in the capital Tunis, which is

under curfew. Around 12 people were killed and around 20 were wounded in the attack. Tunisia has been the tar-

get of Jihadist attacks since its 2011 democratic revolution.

7. PM Modi and French President Hollande launch International Solar Initiative: Indian Prime Minister Naren-

dra Modi and French President Francois Hollande invited over 100 countries for the launch of the International

Solar Initiative on November 30, 2015 at the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21). The rationale behind the

invitation was that combined efforts of leaders to speed-up development of solar power would help achieve the

goal of sustainable development, universal energy access and energy security.

8. Orange the World campaign launched by UN: The UN recently launched the 'Orange the World' campaign in

order to garner support for global action to end violence against women and girls. As a part of this campaign,

which will continue till December 10, several Indian monuments, including the India Gate, were illuminated in

orange lights on the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women that was observed on November

25.

9. Turkey and EU seal migrant deal: Turkey has signed a deal with the EU, promising to cut the flow of migrants

to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed talks of joining the union. One of the main features of the deal is

€3 billion ($3.2 billion) in EU aid for the 2.2 million Syrians now in Turkey. Turks can benefit from visa-free

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travel to Europe's Schengen zone within a year if Turkey manages to tighten its

borders in the east to Asian migrants

10. Russia considers retaliatory economic measures against Turkey: Russian

President Vladimir Putin accused Turkey's leaders of forcing mutual relations

"into a dead end" as the latter brought down one of its warplanes on the Turkey-

Syria border. Russia thus decided to implement a series of retaliatory economic

measures against Turkey. Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev said, "Under Russian

law, the broad punitive steps could include halting joint economic projects, re-

stricting financial and trade transactions and changing custom duties. Measures

could also target the tourism and transport sectors, labour markets and "humani-

tarian contacts.”

11. Japan to provide loan for Chennai and Ahmedabad metro rail: Japan com-

mitted to provide Official Development Loan Assistance (ODA) worth Rs.5,536

crore for Chennai and Ahmedabad metro rail projects. Of the whole, around

Rs.1,080 crore is for the Chennai Metro Rail Project (IV phase) and Rs.4,456

crore is for Ahmedabad Metro Project. S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Depart-

ment of Economic Affairs and Yutaka Kikuta, from the Embassy of Japan to

India recently exchanged notes for the same.

12. BRICS sign Moscow Declaration to support multilateral science projects: The third meeting of the BRICS

Ministers for Science, Technology and Innovation was recently held in Moscow. The member countries agreed to

co-invest for resources in support of multifaceted research and development on mutually-agreed areas. The Indian

delegation, which was led by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan,

signed the 'Moscow Declaration'. It reflects BRICS partnership in addressing common global and regional socio-

economic challenges through the use of science, technology and IT.

13. Magufuli elected as the President of Tanzania: John Magufuli, member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)

ruling party, won the presidential elections in Tanzania. He defeated his opponent Edward Lowassa, thereby ex-

tending the rule of his party for the next five years. CCM ruling party has been in power in Tanzania since its inde-

pendence in 1961 and now Magufuli will replace outgoing President Jakaya Kikwete. Samia Suluhu was sworn in

as the first female Vice President at the country's financial capital Dar es Salaam.

14. Pakistan loses in re-election to UN Human Rights Council: Pakistan recently lost in a re-election to the UN

Human Rights Council as it could only gather 105 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. Eighteen new

member countries were elected, namely Belgium, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany,

Kenya, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Togo, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Arab

Emirates and Venezuela. These countries will start term from January 1, 2016 and continue for the next three

years.

15. Punjabi is the third most common language in Canadian Parliament: After English and French, Punjabi be-

came the third most common language in the House of Commons after 20 Punjabi-speaking candidates were

elected to the Canadian Parliament in October. Reportedly, 23 lawmakers of Indian-origin were elected, out of

which, three do not speak Punjabi.

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16. Maldives declares emergency for period of 30 days: The Maldives government declared a state of emergency

for 30 days as it perceived a threat to the national security and safety of citizens. This decision was taken after a

cache of arms was discovered by the police at the nation's capital. Concerns about national security was high after

the explosion on President Abdulla Yameen's speed boat on September 28. Article 253 of Maldivian constitution

gives powers to the President to declare emergency and suspend certain laws and citizens' rights.

17. Sierra Leone declared Ebola-free: Sierra Leone, a country in west Africa, has been declared Ebola-free by the

World Health Organisation as 42 days passed without any fresh case being reported. So far, the disease has killed

3,589 people in Sierra Leone-221 of them health workers, including 11 of the country's 120 doctors. Overall, the

death toll for the outbreak in west Africa stood at 11,313.

18. China ratifies the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): China ratified the Asian Infrastructure In-

vestment Bank (AIIB) agreement. The multilateral institution is tasked with funding infrastructure projects across

Asia. The approval will set out the legal framework for the $100 billion-bank, of which India and 56 other coun-

tries are founder members.

19. Chinese President visits Taiwan for the first time in 66 years: On November 7, 2015, Chinese President Xi

Jinping met with his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore for the first time in 66 years following the

two sides' split in 1949 post the Chinese civil war. Media reports earlier confirmed that while no agreement or

joint statement would be issued, the two leaders across Taiwan Strait would exchange views over key issues.

Holding on to its one 'China policy', the nation claims sovereignty over Taiwan and views the island as a breaka-

way province that will one day be reunited with the mainland.

20. Iran appoints its first woman ambassador since 1979: Iran appointed its first woman ambassador since its

1979 Islamic revolution. Iran declared foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Af-kham as the head of its embassy

in Malaysia. Iranian Foreign Minister congratulated Af-kham, who was also the first woman in the country to

serve as foreign ministry spokeswoman. He stated that she had carried out her duties for two years with "dignity,

bravery and particular insight".

21. UNESCO rejects membership of Kosovo: UNESCO rejected the membership bid of Kosovo in early November

2015 after the voting results. Of a total of 142 votes, 92 voted in favour, 50 voted against and 22 abstained over

the southeastern European nation's UNESCO membership. For Kosovo to be a member it needed 2/3rd majority of

the members' votes, i.e. 95 votes.

22. India re-elected to the UN Commission on International Trade Law: India was re-elected to the UN Commis-

sion on International Trade Law for another six years' term, i.e. 2016-2022. With this, it is the only country to have

been re-elected to the commission. "India will continue to play a constructive role in the UNCITRAL, which is

recognised as the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law," an official

statement stated. Some of the other member nations that have been elected for a six-year term starting June 27,

2016, are Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, Turkey, the US and Venezuela.

23. Bilateral talks between Indian PM and Australian counterpart in Turkey: Indian Prime Minister Narendra

Modi and his Australia counterpart Malcolm Turnbull held bilateral meetings on the sideline of G20 summit at

Antalya in Turkey. They announced the completion of procedures for bringing the two nations’ nuclear deal into

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force. With completion of the procedures, the Indo-Australia civil nuclear deal will come into force, thereby mak-

ing India the only country which will be able to buy uranium from Australia without being signatory to Nuclear

Non-proliferation Treaty.

24. Safran SA drops plans to develop engine parts for Rafale combat aircraft in India: French company Safran

SA dropped its plans to make engine parts for Rafale combat aircraft with state-run defence contractor Hindustan

Aeronautics Ltd as India reduced the purchase of warplanes. Safran’s India Chief Executive officer Stephane Lau-

ret informed that the company will not make the components since the nation ordered only 36 jets rather the origi-

nally decided 126 jets. However, the company will continue other businesses with HAL.

Important Agreements and Deals in India and Abroad

1. Union Cabinet approves Tripartite Agreement with Brazil, South Africa: The Union Cabinet approved the

signing of Tripartite Agreement between India, Brazil and South Africa for the IBSA Fund for Alleviation of Pov-

erty and Hunger. It was set up in 2004 as one of the three pillars of cooperation under IBSA Dialogue Forum and

since then India has contributed $9.1 million to the fund. As of January 2015, it had a total of $28.2 million con-

tributed by IBSA members.

2. ASEAN Economic Community to be established soon: In the recently concluded 13th Association of Southeast

Asian Nation (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, leaders declared the creation of a European Union-

style regional economic bloc called ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). It would serve as a single market with

free flow of goods, capital and skilled labour in the region. A Kuala Lumpur declaration to that effect was signed

by the leaders of 10 nations in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

3. India signs MoU with Vietnam for cooperation in animal health: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime

Minister gave the ex-post facto approval for an MoU with Vietnam for cooperation to ensure better animal health.

The MoU between the two countries was signed in September 2014, in certain areas, such as exchange of general

information on animal health, including disease of common concern, health standards, training of personnel, set-

ting up mutual recognition on veterinary hygiene, sharing of health certificates between competent authorities of

the two countries, among others.

4. India, Malaysia sign pacts for cyber security, cultural exchange and infrastructure development: PM Naren-

dra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak agreed to sign three agreements to deepen cooperation in

various areas during the former's recent visit to the Southeast Asian country. The cyber security agreement was

signed between Indian Computer Emergency Team (CERT-IN) and Cyber Security, Malaysia, while the cultural

exchange pact was inked between the culture ministries. The infrastructure development agreement was signed

between India's NITI Aayog and Malaysia's Performance Management and Delivery Unit.

5. India signs 10 pacts with Singapore: India and Singapore pledged to enhance their ties and signed several bilat-

eral agreements in areas like cyber security, shipping and civil aviation. The 10 agreements included a joint decla-

ration by both the Prime Ministers on a strategic partnership, as per which the two countries will broaden engage-

ment in existing areas of cooperation and catalyse new ones ranging from political, defence and security coopera-

tion to economic, cultural and people-to-people contact.

6. Bangladesh to obtain 100 MW power from Tripura-based project: Bangladesh and India signed a pact that

would enable the former to obtain 100 megawatt (MW) power from Tripura's gas-fired thermal power project at

Palatana in Gomati district. The agreement will also stipulate the tariff rate. Bangladesh has opted to get the trans-

mission done on its Victory Day on December 16.

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7. France to contribute 2 billion euros for smart cities project in India: France

became the first country to have committed 2 billion Euros to India's Smart City

Project. Francois Richier, ambassador of France in India announced that around

€2 billion will be provided to convert Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry into

smart cities. Besides France, other countries, including the US, Japan, Spain, Ger-

many, Netherlands and Singapore have entered into partnerships and have chosen

their preferred cities to invest in.

8. UDAY plan to rescue bankrupt power distribution companies: Power Minis-

ter Piyush Goyal announced that the rescue plan called Ujwal Discoms Assurance

Yojna (UDAY) provides "a permanent resolution of past as well as potential fu-

ture issues of the sector" and empowers the utilities to break-even in next 2-3

years. State governments owning the discoms can take over 75 % of their debt

and pay back lenders by selling bonds. For the remaining 25 %, discoms will is-

sue bonds. The Centre will make the rules flexible in order to permit states partic-

ipating in the scheme to borrow more.

9. Union govt. signs a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank: The Cen-

tre signed a $273 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB)

in order to improve roads in rural areas of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,

Odisha and West Bengal. The loan will facilitate construction of over six thou-

sand kilometers of all-weather rural roads in the states, thereby benefiting over

4200 rural habitations. This is the third and last tranche of the $800 million funding facility under the Rural Con-

nectivity Investment Programme.

10. India, UK sign civil nuclear agreement: India recently signed a civil nuclear deal along with other deals worth 9

billion pounds with the UK on the first day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day visit. In an address,

Prime Minister David Cameron announced that UK supports India's bid for permanent membership in the UN Se-

curity Council. He said that the progress of India is the destiny of one sixth of humanity.

Important News - India and the States

1. Rs.2,000 crore for rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants: The Union Cabinet recently approved a proposal worth

Rs.2,000 crore in order to rehabilitate Kashmiri migrants in the country. Further, the cabinet approved increasing

monetary relief to migrants in the hills of Jammu to a monthly assistance of Rs.2500 per head, an improvement

vis-a-vis the existing Rs.400. This step will benefit about 62,000 Kashmiri Pandit migrants families registered with

the government. Jobs and transit accommodation will also be provided for these migrants in J&K.

2. India's first AMRIT outlet inaugurated in New Delhi: The Union Health Minister J P Nadda inaugurated India's

first Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) pharmacy outlet in AIIMS, New Delhi.

The AMRIT outlet will provide drugs for cancer and cardiovascular diseases at a discounted rate, making it highly

affordable for patients. The outlet will have 202 drugs of cancer and cardiovascular diseases with discounted price

on an average by 60 - 90 %.

3. 50 of UP's 75 districts battling severe drought: Uttar Pradesh declared 50 of its 75 districts as drought-hit. Dis-

tricts that received less than 60 % rainfall during the months of June-September or those wherein 33 % crops were

ruined have been added to the list.

4. First broad gauge passenger train flagged off from Silchar to Guwahati: The Union Railway Minister Suresh

Prabhu flagged off the first broad gauge passenger train from Silchar to Guwahati. While it took 12 hours to cover

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the distance on the meter gauge line, this line will now help passengers cover the 210 km distance within 8 hours

through Lumding. The broad gauge connectivity to Silchar will benefit not just the residents of Assam's Barak

Valley but also other north-eastern states like Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.

5. Rajasthan and South Australia sign historic sister-state agreement: South Australia signed a historic sister-

state agreement with Rajasthan in order to boost export and investment opportunities between the two states. This

agreement enables a two-way exchange of research, policy and technical capacity with collaborative opportunities

in key sectors where South Australian businesses can offer support and service.

6. UP enters Guinness Book of World Records for planting 10 lakh saplings in 8 hours: Uttar Pradesh earned

itself a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for its massive green drive. Under the state government's

'Clean UP, Green UP' initiative, over 10 lakh saplings were planted at 10 places within eight hours. Chief Minister

Akhilesh Yadav received the award for the state's achievement, which was completed with joint efforts of the for-

est and irrigation departments.

7. Telangana declares 231 of its mandals drought-hit: The Telangana government recently declared 231 of its

mandals as drought-hit due to scanty rainfall. The government submitted a report to the Centre, listing the drought-

prone mandals and has requested immediate monetary assistance worth Rs.1,000 crore. The Chief Minister K

Chandrashekhar Rao has urged the Union Government to send a team to assess drought conditions in the state.

8. Lanco Pvt Ltd to help Chhattisgarh govt. set up 100 MW solar cell manufacturing plant: Lanco Solar Pvt.

Ltd., a subsidiary of Lanco Infratech Limited (LITL), signed an agreement with the Chhattisgarh government to

set up a 100 MW solar cell manufacturing plant in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh. The project will be developed un-

der the National Solar Mission objective of achieving domestic PV cell production of 2200 MW/year and the

Make in India initiative.

9. Railway ministry signs MoU with TERI University: The Ministry of Railways signed an MoU with TERI Uni-

versity, New Delhi, to set up a railway research chair on sustainable mobility at the university. The MoU was

signed in the presence of Union Minister Suresh Prabhu. The chair will promote research in finding innovative

solutions for issues related sustainable mobility, use of energy-efficient technology, green energy projects. The

ministry has allocated Rs.20 lakh per annum for the research chair.

10. Eiffel Tower replica to come up in Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation

stone for the 55-metre replica of the 324-metre Eiffel Tower that will be constructed in Kolkata's Eco Park, in New

Town. The Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation announced that the project would take three years to

complete and nearly 300 tonnes of steel would be used to build the replica. The project has been conceived by

HIDCO to pay tribute to the 129 victims of the November 13 terror attack in Paris, France.

11. Chhattisgarh to get solar power under the Remote Village Electrification Programme: Under the Remote

Village Electrification Programme, the Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Department Agency (CREDA) will

provide solar power to 140 Naxal-hit villages that are mainly located in the Bastar and Sarguja divisions of the

state. The agency has provided solar power in around 1,700 villages/hamlets across the state since 2003 and has

also involved villagers to ensure proper maintenance of the systems installed.

12. Tamil Nadu is preferred state among women working force: As per the India Skills Report 2016, Tamil Nadu

is the preferred state for working among India's women workforce as compared to all other states. ISR 2016 is an

initiative of talent assessment company Wheebox, the Confederation of Indian Industry, among others. Responses

of five lakh candidates across 29 states and seven UTs were collated, based on parameters like numerical and logi-

cal ability, communication skills and domain knowledge. Tamil Nadu is followed by Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,

Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, and Punjab.

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13. Bihar to ban liquor from April 2016: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently announced his decision to ban liq-

uor in Bihar from April 1, 2016 in keeping with the promise made before the assemble polls. Though, Bihar annu-

ally earns Rs 4,000 crore from liquor sale, the CM stated that alcohol is the main cause of several social evils

plaguing the state. Within few hours of the announcement, shares of liquor companies plummeted.

14. Aalmi Tablighi Ijtima ends in Madhya Pradesh: On November 26, 2015, Aalmi Tabligi Ijtima (World Islamic

Congregation), which is considered to be one of the largest gathering of Muslims, concluded at Intkheri, on the

outskirts of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The event saw participation of scores of preachers from India and abroad.

Renowned Islamic scholars delivered religious discourses at the congregation.

15. Karnataka seeks to share waters of river Mahadayi: Drought-hit Karnataka is planning to file an Interlocutory

Application (IA) before a tribunal on sharing waters of river Mahadayi. It will also seek permission to bring 7.56

TMCft of water from two tributaries of the river to meet drinking water needs of districts in North Karnataka,

which is among the worst-hit regions. Marathwada in Maharashtra is also battling effects of drought as this year's

monsoon ended with 14 % deficit.

16. SunEdison to supply cheapest solar power to India: SunEdison won the bid to sell solar power in India at a

record low tariff-the firm quoted Rs.4.63 per KW as its tariff and won the auction for a 500MW project in Andhra

Pradesh. Narendra Modi-led NDA government has been pushing for clean energy in order to combat climate

change and reduced rates mean that the government would enhance its support for wind and solar energy. The

government expects clean energy to yield business worth $160 billion in India in the next five years, and experi-

enced US-based firms like SunEdison and First Solar Inc are likely to reap the benefits.

17. National Green Tribunal directs Delhi and Northern states to check crop burning: The National Green Tri

bunal (NGT), taking into consideration the increasing pollution in capital due to spate of crop burning, asked states

to notify steps to check the menace and imposed fines on farmers indulging in such activities. NGT has asked

states governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi to issue notifications in this regard and

fine farmers indulging in these activities. The fine is expected to be in the range of Rs.2,500 - Rs 15,000.

18. Andhra Pradesh to link all important rivers soon: The Andhra Pradesh government announced that it would

link all important rivers in the north coastal Andhra including Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers in order to give

priority to irrigation projects. State Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said this will be done with

the same inspiration of linking of Krishna-Godavari Rivers. The minister further added that despite its huge deficit

budget, the government has allocated Rs 16,500 crore for the construction of irrigation projects.

19. President gives assent to cow protection bill in Haryana: On November 12, President Pranab Mukherjee as-

sented to cow protection bill in Haryana. It was passed by Haryana Assembly in March 2015 with voice vote.

With the 'Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill' turning into a law with immediate effect, cow slaughter

shall now attract a rigorous imprisonment ranging from three to 10 years.

20. Madame Tussauds to open in New Delhi by 2017: The world famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds, will

open its new venture in New Delhi for Bollywood stars as a part of India-UK Year of Culture in 2017. Bollywood

stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh khan are among the most popular exhibits at the London museum.

The Merlin, which is the parent group of Madame Tussauds, is set to invest £50 million in India over 10 years,

opening other UK favourites such as Sea Life aquariums and Legoland Discovery Centres across Indian cities.

21. Grameen Vidyutikaran Android app launched: The Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched Grameen Vidyu-

tikaran app, which allows any individual to track the progress in the field of rural electrification through a real-

time dashboard. The ministry informed that this move served as a step in the direction of allowing Indian people to

track the development of Union government's Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), which was

aimed at electrification of all the un-electrified villages by 31 March 2017.

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22. National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) declared a terrorist out-

fit: The Union government recently declared the National Socialist Council of

Nagaland (Khaplang) as a terrorist organisation. An official release said, “NSCN

(K), and all its formations and front organisations have been declared as a terror-

ist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.” The

group has resorted to terrorism by killing civilians and security forces and was en-

gaged in other violent activities including the attack on an Army convoy in Chan-

del district of Manipur in June 2015.

Important Schemes—Union Government and State Governments

1. Maharashtra launches accident insurance scheme for farmers: The Maha-

rashtra government has decided to launch an accident insurance scheme for

farmers. It will be named after the late BJP leader Gopinath Munde and will be

implemented from 2015-16. Under this scheme, each farmer will get Rs. 2 lakh

annual insurance cover. Around 1.37 crore farmers are likely to be benefitted in

the state.

2. Centre grants Odisha Rs.456 crore under AMRUT scheme: Nine cities from

Odisha will get Rs.456 crore from the Centre under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation

(AMRUT) scheme for development of basic infrastructures during 2015-16. The AMRUT scheme will cover cities

of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Balasore and Baripada. The scheme

will not just cover infrastructure development but the water systems and sewage systems in these cities will also be

looked into.

3. Tourist Mitra initiative launched by Karnataka govt.: A joint initiative called Tourist Mitra has been started by

the Tourism Department, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation and Home Department. Tourist Mi-

tra team comprises Home Guards trained to ensure tourists' safety and maintain law and order at select destinations

across 13 districts.

4. Maharashtra govt. launches APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna: Maharashtra government approved a revised

scheme to provide nutrition to pregnant and lactating women in the state's tribal areas. Named APJ Abdul Kalam

Amrut Yojna, the scheme aims to provide "one full hot cooked nutritious food" to every pregnant lady and lactat-

ing mother”. The scheme will be implemented by aanganwadis that come under the Women and Child Welfare

Department in 16 districts having tribal population.

5. Ministry of HRD launches e-Pathshala, Saaransh, Shaala Siddhi portals: The Ministry of Human Resource

and Development launched e-Pathshala, Saaransh, Shaala Siddhi portals, among other initiatives, during edNEXT,

a national conference on 'ICT in School Education' in New Delhi. Saaransh is a tool which enables schools to

identify areas of improvement in students, teachers and the curriculum to facilitate and implement change. The

platform is currently available for students in standards 9th-12th and provides a comprehensive overview of stand-

ard 10th performance since 2007 and standard 12th performance since 2009 till the current academic session. Re-

sults of CBSE are available on this portal/app.

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Sports News

Tennis

1. Martina Hingis, Sania Mirza bag the women's doubles title at ATP World Tour Finals: Veteran Swiss

player Martina Hingis and Indian top seed Sania Mirza won the women's doubles title at the ATP World Tour

Finals in Singapore. In a season of 10 appearances, this is their ninth title. Mirza and Hingis won in Beijing, Wu-

han, Guangzhou, US Open, Wimbledon, Charleston, Miami and Indian Wells. Further, Mirza won the Sydney

International with Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US), taking her doubles trophy count to 10 in 2015.

2. Djokovic wins the men's singles title at the ATP World Tour Finals: Serbian tennis player and world number

one Novak Djokovic bagged the men's singles title at the ATP World Tour Finals, defeating Swiss champ Roger

Federer 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic is the first player in the tournament's 46-year history to win the title for four successive

years and this is his 11th title in 2015. He has ended this year with an 82-6 win-loss record (first player to win 80

matches in a season since Rafael Nadal (82-11) in 2008.

3. Sania Mirza-Mahesh Bhupathi win second leg of Tennis Masters 2015 series: Indian pair Sania Mirza and

Mahesh Bhupathi won against legendary Czech-American player Martina Navratilova and Leander Peas 7-5, 7-5

in the second exhibition match of the Tennis Masters 2015 series, which was held in Kolkata. The next two

matches of the three-leg promotional series are to be held in Hyderabad and New Delhi. India's top tennis players,

namely Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi came together for this exhibition matches with Navrati-

lova to promote the sport in the country.

Cricket

1. Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson to retire from international cricket: Australian fast bowler Mitchell

Johnson announced that he will retire from all forms of international cricket. The 34-year-old is the fourth-highest

wicket taker in Test matches, and has the record of taking 313 wickets in 73 matches besides 239 wickets in

ODIs.

2. West Indies bowler Sunil Narine suspended from international cricket: West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine

was suspended from international cricket after his bowling actions were deemed to be illegal by the International

Cricket Council (ICC). As per the press release, "Narine's international suspension will also be recognised and

enforced by all National Cricket Federations within domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction."

However ICC clarified that Narine can play in the domestic matches provided he gets consent of the national

board.

3. Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik retires from Test cricket: Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik announced his

retirement from Test cricket. The 33-year-old returned to the longer format of the game after five years and made

a career-best of 245 in the first innings of the three-match Test series against England in Abu Dhabi. So far, he

has played 35 Tests, scoring 1,898 runs with three centuries and eight half-centuries and has taken 29 wickets. 4. N Srinivasan removed from the post of ICC Chairman: N Srinivasan was recently removed from chairman

post of the International Cricket Council (ICC). BCCI President Shashank Manohar will fill in the latter's post.

Srinivasan was elected as the chairman of the ICC for a two-year term in June 2014; the remainder of his tenure

will be completed by Manohar, who shall also head the world body's Executive Committee till June 2016. Sriniva-

san was highly criticised by the Lodha committee for his inaction as regards the IPL scandal. Now he only holds

the post of the president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

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Football

1. Belgium tops the FIFA world ranking for the first time: As per the recently

released FIFA world ranking list, Belgium topped the list for the first time, over-

taking Argentina and world champions Germany. Chile moved up four places to

be in the fifth spot and India slipped six ranking points after losing to Turkmeni-

stan and now stands at 172nd place.

Formula 1

1. Nico Rosberg wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg won the Abu

Dhabi Grand Prix defeating his Mercedes teammate and world champion Lewis

Hamilton. This was Rosberg's sixth victory of the year and the 14th of his career.

K Raikkonen finished third in the race. This was Rosberg's first success at the

Yas Marina circuit.

2. Nico Rosberg wins 2015 Mexican Grand Prix: Mercedes Driver Nico Ros-

berg of Germany won the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix. He defeated teammate

Lewis Hamilton of Britain in a seven-point lead race held at the Autdromo Her-

manos Rodríguez in Mexico. This was Rosberg's fourth title of the season (first

three being in Spain, Monaco and Australia) and 12th title of his career.

3. Nico Rosberg defeats Hamilton at the Brazilian Grand Prix: Nico Rosberg defeated Lewis Hamilton to win

the Brazilian Grand Prix. Rosberg took the lead from the first corner and controlled the race thereafter and Ham-

ilton kept trying to push ahead. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was third ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. The

race was dominated by Mercedes drivers.

Other Sports

1. Pankaj Advani wins IBSF World Snooker Championship: Indian cueist Pankaj Advani recently won the

IBSF World Snooker Championship held in Egypt. Advani defeated China's Zhua Xintong 8-6 to claim this title.

This win was preceded by his victory at the IBSF Billiards crown in September, and with this his tally of world

title count is at 15.

2. Indian junior men's hockey team wins the Junior Men's Asia Cup: Indian junior men's hockey team defeated

Pakistan 6- 2 to win the Junior Men's Hockey Asia Cup at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Malaysia. India is

now on par with Pakistan's record of three victories. The Indian team has won previously in 2004 and 2008 while

Pakistan won in 1987, 1992 and 1996.

3. P V Sindhu bags gold at the Macau Open Grand Prix: In a recent match at the Macau Open, P V Sindhu two-

time champion bagged her third title and completed a hat-trick after winning the gold at the women's singles title

and USD 120,000 prize. She defeated sixth seed, Japan's Minatsu Mitani, 21-9, 21-23, 21-14.

4. Boxer Shiva Thapa ranked World No. 2: Shiva Thapa became the highest-ranked Indian boxer and moved up to

the second spot in the latest international rankings after winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in

Doha in October. He has moved up five places to the second spot, with 1550 points in the 56kg category. Irish

boxer Michael Conlan tops the list with 2150 points; he won the gold medal at the World Championships.

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5. Naresh Kumar Sharma wins first Paralympic quota for Rio 2016: Veteran shooter Naresh Kumar Sharma be-

came the first Indian para-athlete to grab a quota in the 2016 Rio Paralympics. The 42-year-old Sharma confirmed

his place at Rio games after winning in the12th place, in the men's 50 m rifle at the IPC Shooting World Cup at

Fort Benning, USA.

6. China's Xuerui Li wins China Open Super Series, defeats Saina: China’s Xuerui Li defeated India’s Saina

Nehwal to clinch the women's singles title at the China Open Super Series. Li defeated Nehwal in a 21-12, 21-15

game.

7. India wins Junior Men's Asia Cup: India won the eighth Junior Men's Asia Cup hockey tournament defeating

arch rival Pakistan 6-2 at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Kuantan, Malaysia.

Important Days of the Month

Day Event

1. November 4 National Strategy Day

2. November 12 World Pneumonia Day

3. November 14 World Diabetes Day

Children’s Day in India

4. November 19 World Toilet Day

5. November 25 International Day for elimination of violence against

women

6. November 26 Constitution Day observed in India

National Milk Day

ALL THE BEST!

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