GOVERNMENT SCHEMES & POLICIES

NITI Aayog - The Government has replaced Planning Commission with a new institution

named NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India). The institution will

serve as ‘Think Tank’ of the Government-a directional and policy dynamo and to foster

cooperative federalism. Vice- Chairman : Aravind Panagariya

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJANA: The PMJDY is conceived as a national

mission on financial inclusion with the objective of covering all households in the

country with banking facilities and having a bank account for each household.

PaHaL (Pratyaksh Hastantarit Labh) Scheme for Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG Subsidy

is perhaps the world‘s largest cash transfer program which aims to reduce diversion and

eliminate duplicate or bogus LPG connections. Under PaHaL, LPG cylinders are sold at

market rates and entitled consumers get the subsidy directly into their bank accounts.

This is done either through an Aadhaar linkage or a bank account linkage.

Jan Aushadhi Scheme: It is a scheme which seeks to make available quality medicines at

affordable prices for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged. Less priced quality

unbranded generic medicines will be made available through Jan Aushadhi stores.

Pradhan mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY): The Plan aims to build an Adarsh

Gram(Model village) which has adequate physical and institutional infrastructure, in

which minimum needs of all sections of the society are fully met. It is implemented by

the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).

Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana: It is a village development project under which each

Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of developing physical and

institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019. The government has set a target of

achieving 100% literacy in villages adopted under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana by

March 2016. The Project was launched on the occasion of birth anniversary of Lok Nayak

Jai Prakash Narayan.

Smart Cities Mission — under which 100 smart cities would be built. The aim of the

mission is to more efficiently utilise available assets, resources and infrastructure to

enhance quality of urban life and provide a clean and sustainable environment.It is a city

where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing

essential services to residents. Each selected city would get central assistance of Rs 100

crore per year for five years.

Heritage City Development Scheme (HRIDAY): The National Heritage Development and

Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) is a entirely centre sponsored scheme which seeks to

preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Housing for All by 2022: It is a programme for the rehabilitation of slum-dwellers and

promotion of affordable housing for the urban poor. The target is to provide nearly 20

million houses over seven years is committed that by the time the nation completes 75

years of its Independence, every family will have a pucca house with water connection,

toilet facilities, 24×7 electricity supply and access.

AMRUT Mission: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), is

the new avatar of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

AMRUT aims to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage,

storm-water drains, transportation and development of green spaces and parks with

special provision for meeting the needs of children. AMRUT, which seeks to lay a

foundation to enable cities and towns to eventually grow into smart cities, will be

implemented in 500 locations with a population of one lakh and above.

Swachh Bharat Mission: India‘s biggest ever cleanliness drive. The mission seeks to

achieve clean India and aims to provide access to toilets to all households in the country.

The main objectives of the mission are to Eliminate open defecation,Conversion of

insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, Eradication of manual scavenging and 100%

collection and scientific processing/disposal reuse/recycle of Municipal Solid wastes.

Bengaluru has been billed the cleanest among capital cities in India and Mysore has

topped the charts in Swachh Bharat ranking of 476 cities in the country by the Urban

Development Ministry.

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Yojana:

The scheme is aimed at ―funding the unfunded. The scheme, which has a corpus of Rs

20,000 crore, can lend between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs. It will

be responsible for developing and refinancing all micro-finance institutions (MFIs) which

are in the business of lending to micro and small business entities. Corporation Bank is

the first bank to launch the MUDRA Card based on the RuPay platform.

One-rank one-pension scheme:This scheme ensures that soldiers of the same rank and the

same length of service receive the same pension, irrespective of their retirement date. In

simple words, it demands equal pensions for those who have retired in one particular

year, as those who retire in another year at the same position, and for the same duration

of services rendered.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Andolan(Save girl child, educate girl child) by the Union

Minister of Women & Child Development is for survival, protection & education of the

girl child. It will help in generating awareness and improving the efficiency of delivery of

welfare services meant for women.

Sukanya Samruddhi account scheme - a small deposit scheme for girl child, as part of the

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao‘ campaign to ensure equitable share to a girl child in resources

and savings of a family. Sukanya Samridhi Account‘ can be opened at any time from the

birth of a girl child till she attains the age of 10 years, with a minimum deposit of Rs 1000.

A maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh can be deposited during the financial year.

Mission Indradhanush: Launched by the Health & Family Welfare Ministry, Mission

Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, aims to cover all those children by

2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine

preventable diseases which include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio,

tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.

Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission to spur economic, social and infrastructure

development in rural areas. State Governments would identify the clusters in accordance

with the framework for implementation of geographically contiguous Gram Panchayats

with a population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain and coastal areas and a population of

5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas.

e –tourist visa scheme: India had last year launched e-tourist visa facility (which was

earlier called tourist visa on arrival enabled by electronic travel authorisation‘). Under

the e-visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India

after it is approved and he or she can travel with a print-out of this authorisation. On

arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who

would then stamp the entry into the country.

Nai Roshni Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women from 2012-13. The

scheme aims to empower and instill confidence among minority women by providing

knowledge, tools and techniques for interacting with Government systems, Banks and

other institutions at all levels.

Nai Manzil : The scheme will address educational and livelihood needs of minority

communities in general and muslims in particular as it lags behind other minority

communities in terms of educational attainments.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna: To promote Organic Farming. The objective is to

promote eco-friendly concept of cultivation reducing the dependency on agro-chemicals

and fertilizers and to optimally utilize the locally available natural resources for input

production.

Pradhanmantri Gram Sinchai Yojana is aimed at irrigating the field of every farmer and

improving water use efficiently to provide ‘Per Drop More Crop’. It aims at providing

irrigation facilities to every village in the country by converging ongoing irrigation

schemes implemented by various ministries.

Pharma Jan Samadhan Scheme: Launched by the Union Minister of Chemicals &

Fertilizers, is a web enabled system for redressal of consumers‘ grievances relating to

pricing and availability of medicines. It was created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing

Authority (NPPA).

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): This is the flagship scheme for skill

training of youth to be implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): It is a Special Additional Central Assistance

Scheme which seeks to achieve 4% annual growth in agriculture through development of

Agriculture and its allied sectors.

Atal Pension Yojna (APY): It is a government-backed pension scheme in India targeted at

the unorganised sector. In Atal Pension Yojana, for every contribution made to the

pension fund, the government will contribute an equal amount to his/her fund.

Depending on the contribution made between 18 and 40, at the age of 60 a sum of 1,000,

2,000, 3,000, 4,000, or 5,000 will be paid monthly.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY): Under PMJJBY, annual life

insurance of Rs. 2 lakh would be available on the payment of premium of Rs. 330 per

annum by the subscribers. The PMJJBY will be made available to people in the age group

of 18 to 50 years having a bank account .

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY): Under PMSBY, the risk coverage will

be Rs. 2 lakh for accidental death and full disability and Rs. 1 lakh for partial

disability.The Scheme will be available to people in the age group 18 to 70 years with a

bank account, from where the premium would be collected through the facility of

DeenDayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY): To augment power supply to the

rural areas and to strengthen sub-transmission and distribution systems was launched by

the Ministry of Power.

Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA): Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, former President of India

recently launched the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA). It is a unique concept

developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development that aims to inculcate a

spirit of inquiry, creativity and love for Science and Mathematics in school children.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) :The Central Government has

launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY)to provide for

the welfare of areas and people affected by mining related operations, using the funds

generated by District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan: A countrywide campaign was launched to create mass

awareness and capacity building for safe and hygienic food.

Soil Health Card scheme The centre plans to target over 14 crore farmers in the next

three years to check the excess use of fertilisers.

Mega Food Parks Scheme: It aims at providing a mechanism to link agricultural

production to the market by bringing together farmers, processors and retailers so as to

ensure maximizing value addition, minimizing wastages, increasing farmers‘ income and

creating employment opportunities particularly in rural sector and providing modern

infrastructure facilities along the value chain.

Go-India‘ smart card scheme: To reduce the transaction time at the booking counters for

the convenience of passengers as it facilitates cashless transaction.

Nirbhaya Fund: The Fund was established to support initiatives by the government and

NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in India.

DigiLocker: It is dedicated personal storage space, linked to each resident‘s Aadhaar

number. DigiLocker can be used to securely store e-documents as well as store Uniform

Resource Identifier (URI) link of e-documents issued by various issuer departments. The

e-Sign facility provided as part of DigiLocker system can be used to digitally sign e-

documents.

PRAGATI is a unique integrating and interactive platform. The platform is aimed at

addressing common man‘s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing

important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged

by State Government

E-Samiksha: The Indian Railways recently launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring

mechanism to monitor implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail Budget

proposals.

Nowcast - free SMS service to provide alerts on extreme weather conditions like

hailstorm every three hours to over one crore registered farmers on their mobile phones.

Know Your College is a portal developed by the Ministry of Human Resource

Development which is aimed at helping the students make an informed decision on the

choice of college and the courses.

Call Drop: It refers to the telephone calls which, due to technical reasons, were cut off

before the speaking parties had finished their conversation and before one of them had

hung up (dropped calls) due to network infrastructure, spectrum allocation, traffic, as

well as the handsets that consumers use.

National Air Quality Index (AQI): It will put out real time data about the level of

pollutants in the air and inform people about the possible impacts on health. The new

index will initially cover 10 cities — Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad,

Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad — each of which would have

monitoring stations with Air Quality Index display boards. The AQI is a global standard

used to understand air quality. It takes multiple data on pollution already available with

the country‘s Central Pollution Control Board and presents it as a color coded scale with

six levels. Dark green, the first level, indicates good quality air while maroon at the other

end indicates severe pollution

Law Commission of India: It is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government of

lndia from time to time. The Commission was originally constituted in 1955 and is re-

constituted every three years. The tenure of the 20th Law Commission was upto 31st

August, 2015. Union Cabinet has given its approval to constitute the 21st Law

Commission of India, for a period of three years.

Rani Gaidinliu: A commemorative coin was launched to mark the inauguration of the

birth centenary celebrations of Rani Gaidinliu. Gaidinliu (1915–1993) was a Naga

spiritual and political leader who led a revolt against British rule in India. At the age of

13, she joined the Heraka religious movement of her cousin Haipou Jadonang. The

movement later turned into a political movement seeking to drive out the British from

Manipur and the surrounding Naga areas. Jawaharlal Nehru Conferred her the title “Rani”

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): INDCs lay out the blueprint for

tackling climate change. These are individual country commitments which are expected

to indicate through their form and strength what shape any 2015 agreement might take.

India has committed to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35% by 2030 from 2005

levels, produce 40% of electricity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030,

create additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon-di-oxide equivalent by

2030 by additional forest and tree cover. India is the fourth biggest emitter of greenhouse

gases after China, the United States, and European Union as a whole.

India recorded a population of 127,42,39,769: It is growing at a rate of 1.6% a year, and

could make the country the most populous in the world by 2050. India‘s population is

17.25% of the global population.India‘s population is growing at a faster rate than China,

which is now the world‘s most populous country at around 1.39 billion.

Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh (National Population Stabilisation Fund): It is an autonomous

Society is to promote and undertake activities aimed at achieving population stabilisation

at a level consistent with the needs of sustainable economic growth, social development

and environment protection, by 2045.

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has launched a mobile application that will

recommend a balanced diet for cows and buffaloes to help boost dairy farmers’ income by

raising milk yield and cutting feed cost. The mobile application is named Pashu Poshan.

MGNREGA: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, also known as the

“Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” is an Indian labour law

and a social security measure which guarantees the ‘right to work’ and ensure livelihood

security in rural areas by creating durable assets that would augment the basic resources

available to the poor and by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage. The Union

Cabinet has given ex post facto approval to provide an additional 50 days of work to

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Scheme

beneficiaries during the current financial year wherever drought or natural calamities

have been notified. The scheme actually guarantees 100 days of work

National Green Tribunal has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act

2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection

and conservation of forests and other natural resources.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has come up with an initiative

which aims at turning National Highways (NH) stretches into Green Corridors by

planting trees, landscaping, and laying grass turfs and ornamental shrubs. A Green

Highways Fund would be set apart utilising 1% of the civil work cost while arriving at

total road project cost.

NDRF: The Disaster Management Act has made statutory provisions for the constitution

of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for the purpose of specialized response to

natural and man-made disasters.

The Sagarmala project seeks to develop a string of ports around India‘s coast. The prime

objective of the Sagarmala project is to promote port-led direct and indirect development

and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and

cost-effectively.

RuPay: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched the

RuPay debit card servicein collaboration with Union Bank of India and the National

Payment Corporation of India. RuPay is India‘s own card payment gateway network like

Visa and Master Card, and provides an alternative system for banks to provide a debit

card service.

eBiz: eBiz is one of the integrated services projects and part of the 27 Mission Mode

Projects (MMPs) under the National E-Governance Plan (NEGP) of the Government of

India. eBiz is being implemented by Infosys Technologies Limited (Infosys) under the

guidance and aegis of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to improve

the business environment in the country by enabling fast and efficient access to

Government-to-Business (G2B) services through an online portal.

The IAP Health Phone programme is the world‘s largest digital mass education

programme for addressing the malnutrition in women and children. It is a public-

partnership initiative that leverages the increasing penetration of mobile phones in the

country to educate over 6 million girls and women between 13 and 35 years of age and

their families on better health and nutrition practices by 2018.

NJAC and 99th constitution amendment Act: NJAC is a body responsible for the

appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary in India. JAC Act replaced the

collegium system of appointing the judges of Supreme Court and 24 High Courts with

Judicial Appointments Ccommission wherein the executive will have a say in appointing

the judges. A new article, Article 124A, (which provides for the composition of the

NJAC) has been inserted into the Constitution.

Composition:

As per the amended provisions of the constitution, the Commission will consist of the

following six persons:

Chief Justice of India (Chairperson, ex officio)

Two other senior judges of the Supreme Court next to the Chief Justice of India -

ex officio

The Union Minister of Law and Justice, ex-officio

Two eminent persons

These (two) eminent persons will be nominated by a committee consisting of the

Chief Justice of India,

Prime Minister of India, and

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or where there is no such Leader of

Opposition, then, the Leader of single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha),

provided that of the two eminent persons, one person would be from the

Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or OBC or minority communities or a

woman. The eminent persons shall be nominated for a period of three years and

shall not be eligible for re-nomination.

AADHAAR: Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number which will serve as a

proof of identity and address, anywhere in India. It is aimed at providing social security

benefits / subsidies based on eligibility through direct benefit transfer. The Unique

Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is an agency of the Government of India

responsible for implementing the Aadhaar.

Polavaram Project: Also called as Indira Sagar Project, is a multi-purpose irrigation

project across the Godavari River in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in

Andhra Pradesh state.

RailTel: RailTel Corporation a ―Mini Ratna (Category-I)PSU of Ministry of Railways, is

the largest neutral telecom services providers in the country owning a Pan-India optic

fiber network. RailTel is in the forefront in providing nationwide Broadband Telecom &

Multimedia Network in all parts of the country in addition to modernization of Train

operations and administration network systems for Indian Railways.

Net neutrality: It is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should

treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by

user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of

communication. Airtel Zero and Facebook ‘s partnership with Reliance in the

Intenet.org(renamed as facebasics) are widely perceived as a violation of net neutrality.

National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP): The

Election Commission of India has launched National Electoral Roll Purification and

Authentication Programme (NERPAP) throughout the country to bring a totally error

free and authenticated electoral roll. Dr. Nasim Zaidi is the Chief Election Commissioner.

Om Prakash Rawat and Achal Kumar Jyoti are the other two election commissioners of

India.

DD Kisan Channel: It would facilitate the farmers in providing information regarding the

policy initiatives undertaken in the Agriculture sector. It is the first such initiative of a

Public Broadcaster to start a 24 hour channel exclusively dedicated to the farmers

#100Women Initiative: The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD)

in collaboration with Facebook has launched the #100Women Initiative.It aims to

recognize and acknowledge women who are making a difference in their communities,

across the country

Inner Line Permit: The ILP, which has its origins in British regulations dating back to

1873, regulates the entry of non-domicile citizens into restricted regions in the

northeastern states. It is currently in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram

and people from other parts of India are required to obtain a permit to visit these states.

India‟s first integrated National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015.

―to create an ecosystem of empowerment by Skilling on a large Scale at Speed with high

Standards and to promote a culture of innovation based entrepreneurship which can

generate wealth and employment so as to ensure Sustainable livelihoods for all citizens in

the country

INTERNATIONAL

The New Development Bank: It is a multilateral development bank operated by the

BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as an alternative to the

existing US-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The bank will be

headquartered in Shanghai, China.

Nepal Earthquake: A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, killing at least

8,046 people and injuring more than 17,800. The epicentre this time is about 80km north-

east of Kathmandu, halfway to Everest. On 25 April, the big quake began 80km to the

north-west of the capital. It was triggered by the India tectonic plate, which is moving

northwards into central Asia. This results in thrust-faulting and has thrown up the

Himalayan mountain range. The India tectonic plate moving north at about 45mm a year

is pushing under the Eurasian plate beneath the Himalayas

China, Silk Road Initiative: The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a series of trade and cultural

transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian

continent connecting the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks,

soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various

periods of time. The new project is an initiative by China to resurrect the ancient

maritime Silk Road. It is perceived to be an attempt by China to ameliorate relations with

South and Southeast Asia

Green Climate Fund (GCF): The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund within the

framework of the UNFCCC founded as a mechanism to redistribute money from the

developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in

adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change

The International symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES) is a SCAR-initiative

aimed at showcasing Antarctic geoscience research, taking stock of the accomplishments

of the International fraternity and providing guidance for future studies. The 12th

International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES) was recently inaugurated

at a function in Goa. India currently has two permanent stations, Maitri at Schirmacher

oasis and Bharati in the Larsemann Hill area located ~1000km east of Maitri. The first

Indian station, Dakshin Gangotri, located on shelf ice is now buried and lost.

World Book Capital is a title bestowed by UNESCO to a city in recognition of the quality

of its programs to promote books and reading and the dedication of all players in the book

industry. The Unesco has announced that Conakry – the capital of Guinea in west Africa

– will be the World Book Capital for 2017. Conakry is the 17th city to be designated as

the World Book Capital. Incheon city of South Korea is World Book Capital for 2015.

G4: The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are four countries

which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security

Council. It’s primary aim is the permanent member seats on the Security Council. Each of

these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the

council since the UN’s establishment.

G7: The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies–the

United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom–that

meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international

security, and energy policy.

G20: The Group of Twenty is an international forum for the governments and central

bank governors from 20 major economies. The members include 19 individual countries

and the European Union (EU). Collectively, the G-20 economies account for around 85%

of the gross world product (GWP), 80% of world trade, and two-thirds of the world

population. The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,

France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi

Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European

Union.

The Union Cabinet has approved signing of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal

(BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo

Vehicular Traffic amongst BBIN. Signing of the BBIN agreement will promote safe,

economical efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the sub-region and will

further help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the

United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security

UNESCO world heritage site: A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by

the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of

special cultural or physical significance. The List of recorded sites on the World Heritage

now stands at 981 which include both cultural and natural wonders. There are 32 World

Heritage Sites in India

Millenium Development goals : These are eight international development goals (Combat

HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases, Improve Maternal Health,Reduce Child

Mortality,Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty, Achieve Universal Primary Education,

Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women,Ensure Environmental Sustainability,

Develop a Global Partnership for Development) that were established following the

Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United

Nations Millennium Declaration. They were set to be achieved by 2015. India has met

only four targets under the Millenium Development Goals (MDG)

Operation Raahat - It is an operation of the Indian Armed Forces to evacuate Indian

citizens from Yemen.

Palestine joins ICC : Palestine has formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Palestinians now hope that this could open the door to the possible prosecution of Israelis

for alleged war crimes. The accession was marked at a closed-door ceremony at ICC

headquarters

India-US Delhi Declaration of Friendship : An India-US Delhi Declaration of Friendship‘

was issued after the Modi-Obama meeting. The declaration attempts to define the

contours of the India-US strategic partnership. The declaration said: Chalein Saath Saath

– forward together we go.

IMPORTANT PROJECTS & ORGANIZATIONS:

TAPI The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Natural Gas Pipeline (TAPI) Project

is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank

Project Mausam: It is a Project proposed to establish cross cultural linkages and to revive

historic maritime cultural and economic ties with 39 Indian Ocean countries. The 39

countries include Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Iraq, Mauritius,

Singapore, Thailand, Yemen, South Africa, Philippines, Pakistan among others. It is a

Ministry of Culture project with Archaeological Society of India (ASI) as the nodal

agency and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) as its Research Unit.

Tipaimukh project: The project aims to construct a dam on the river Barak in Manipur,

India for flood control and hydroelectric power generation.

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project is aimed at building a world-class

underground laboratory with a rock cover of approximately 1200 m for non-accelerator

based high energy and nuclear physics research in India. The project is to be constructed

in the Bodi West Hills Reserved Forest in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu.

Kayakalp: The Government has constituted the Kayakalp‘ Council and has appointed Shri

Ratan Tata to head this Council. It is an innovation council which was proposed in the

recent railway budget for the purpose of business re-engineering and introducing a spirit

of innovation in Railways.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): The AIIB was launched in Beijing last year

to spur investment in Asia in transportation, energy, telecommunications and other

infrastructure. It is an international financial institution proposed by China. The purpose

of the multilateral development bank is to provide finance to infrastructure projects in

the Asia-Pacific region.India is the second largest shareholder in the Bank after China.

Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA): - It is an international organisation consisting of

coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean to promote cooperation in the Indian Ocean

region with Secretariat at Ebene, Mauritius.

APEC: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific and aims to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

OECD:The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an

international economic organisation of 34 countries to stimulate economic progress and

world trade. Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human

Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries. India is one of the

many non-member economies with which the OECD has working relationships in

addition to its member countries.

ADB: Asian development bank is a regional development bank established in 1966 and

aimed at improving the economic conditions of the countries in Asia and Pacific. It is

headquartered in Philippines.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): It is a Eurasian political, economic and

military organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and UzbekistanThe SCO is seen as a counter

to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).India and Pakistan were recently

accepted as full members of the SCO

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): The IAEA is the world‘s centre of

cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world´s ―Atoms for Peace

organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. It also seeks to promote the

peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including

nuclear weapons.It is not under direct control of the UN.

CERN: The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN is a European

research organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. It

has 21 European member states. Israel is the first (and currently only) non-European

country granted full membership.India was given “Observer” status in Cern in 2002.

Large Hadron Collider is the world‟s largest and most powerful particle accelerator built

by CERN

RIMES: The Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES) nations

recently agreed to share regionally relevant meteorological and oceanographic data

between partner institutions. It is an international institution managed by 12 member-

states and is presently chaired by India. It was established in April 2009.

DEFENCE & SPACE MISSIONS

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM):

India‘s first interplanetary mission, was launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

(PSLV) to explore Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian

atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments. This mission made India to become one

of the four nations in the world to send space mission to Planet Mars. India became the

first country in the world to insert a spacecraft into the Martian orbit in its very first

attempt.

ISRO`s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C27, recently successfully launched the

1425 kg IRNSS-1D, the fourth satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System

(IRNSS).

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System:

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It

is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the

region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.

Global Navigational Systems:

United States NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) (operational)

Russian GLONASS (operational)

China Beidou navigation system (expected to be operational by 2020)

European Union Galileo positioning system

France (DORIS), India, and Japan are in the process of developing regional navigation

systems.

GSAT-6 has been successfully positioned in its orbital slot. It has been positioned in its

orbital slot of 83 Deg E and collocated with INSAT 4A, GSAT 12, GSAT 10 and IRNSS1C.

GSAT-6 will provide S-band communication services in the country. This system also

includes a first-of-its-kind S-Band unfurlable antenna with a diameter of six metre. This

is the largest antenna ISRO has ever made for a satellite.

Astrosat is India’s first dedicated multi wavelength astronomy satellite. It will facilitate

simultaneous observations of celestial bodies and cosmic sources in X-ray and UV spectral

bands

The GSLV-III or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, is a launch vehicle

developed by the Indian Space Research Organization for launching heavier

communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4500 to 5000 kg.

The vehicle envisages multi-mission launch capability for GTO, LEO, Polar and

intermediate circular orbits.

GSLV-Mk III is designed to be three stage vehicle, with 42.4 m tall with a lift off

weight of 630 tonnes. First stage comprises two identical S200 Large Solid Booster (LSB)

with 200 tonne solid propellant, that are strapped on to the second stage, the L110 re-

startable liquid stage. The third stage is the C25 LOX/LH2 cryostage. The large payload

fairing measures 5 m in diameter and can accommodate a payload volume of 100 cu m.

The GSLV-III features an Indian cryogenic third stage and a higher payload capacity than

the current GSLV.

The GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, which will offer seamless

navigation to the aviation industry was developed by the Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It will provide

augmentation service for the GPS over the country, the Bay of Bengal, South East Asia

and Middle East and up to Africa.

India recently launched its heaviest commercial space mission with its polar rocket

putting five British satellites in the orbit after a flawless takeoff. This mission saw the

launch of three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites, built by Surrey

Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), United Kingdom, and two auxiliary satellites. With

the overall mass of five satellites being about 1,440 kg, this launch becomes the

―heaviest commercial mission ever undertaken by ISRO and its commercial arm Antrix

Corporation.

SAARC Satellite: The objective of this project is to develop a satellite for the SAARC

region that enables a full range of services to all our neighbours in the areas of

telecommunications and broadcasting applications like television, DTH, tele-education

and disaster management.

Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS): The naval

harbour in Kochi has become the first in the country to get a top-notch defence system. It

is a state-of-the-art automated system capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and

generating warning for surface and underwater threats.

The Indian Navy launched three Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (FO-WJFAC) at

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata recently. The vessels are

named- INS Tarmugli, INS Tilanchang and INS Tihayu.

Indo-French naval exercise (Varuna)

Indo- Singapore naval exercise (SIMBEX)

Indo- Royal Navy (Konkan) Indo- Russian Navy (Indra)

Indo- US Navy(Malabar)

Indo- Brazil and South African navies (IBSAMAR)

Country‟s first defence industrial park to b established at Ottappalam. It will have

modern common infrastructure facilities aimed at attracting component manufacturers in

the defence industry.

Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS): AWACS are radars mounted on an

aircraft to provide seamless 360-degree coverage of the airspace.

INS Kalvari- first of the Indian Navy‘s Scorpene class stealth submarines

INS Vikrant - The maiden indigenous aircraft carrier.

Project Maitri: It is a short-range (15 km, 9.3 mi) surface-to-air point defence missile

system to be co-developwd by the Defence Research and Development Organisation

(DRDO) with MBDA of France.

Astra: It is the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile and

is the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles and can be launched from different

altitudes.

Akash: It is a medium range Surface to Air missile. It is India‘s first indigenously

designed, developed and produced air defence system missile.The missile system can

target aircraft up to 25 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

Bharat Ratna conferred on Malviya and Vajpayee:

Freedom fighter and founder of Banaras Hindu University, Madan Mohan

Malviya, was recently posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country‘s highest

civilian award for exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of

human endeavour. The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts,

literature, science and public services but the government expanded the criteria to

include ―any field of human endeavour in December 2011.

Veteran Parliamentarian and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, founder

member of the Bharatiya Janata Party who is held in high esteem across the political

spectrum, was conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award.

Sahitya Akademi Award: Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi from Uttar Pradesh has

won the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2014 for his collection of 16 short stories,

Kanakalochanaha.

The Sahitya Akademi Award is awarded to the most outstanding books of literary

merit published in any of the major Indian languages recognised by the Akademy.Sahitya

Academy has announced the names of 22 poets and authors who will be conferred the

prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2014.

Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three

categories, namely, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri (in the same

order of prominence). They were instituted in the year 1954.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be conferred with Friends of

Bangladesh Liberation War Award by Bangladesh government. He will be bestowed this

award for his outstanding support for the Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in

1971 when he was member of Lok Sabha

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world’s best

airport for the year 2014 and the prestigious Golden Peacock National Quality Award

2015.

50th Jnanpith Award was conferred on eminent Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade.

His novel, Kosala, written in 1963 is considered as a path breaking in Marathi literature

Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 - Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

UNESCO ‘Award of Excellence’ 2015 for the remarkable conservation efforts of the

majestic Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala

President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred prestigious literary award Saraswati Sammaan

for the year 2014 to Dr. Marpadi Veerappa Moily in New Delhi. He was bestowed with

this award for his Kannada poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award - Sania Mirza

Krishnapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh has been awarded Golden Peacock environment

management award for its achievements in the field of environment.

Periyar Tiger Reserve located in Kerala has won the National Tiger Conservation

Authority (NTCA) biennial award for encouraging local public participation.

India’s oldest and largest shipping trade union, National Union of Seafarers of India

(NUSI) has been honoured with the ‘Best Welfare Organisation of the Year – 2015’

The first APJ Abdul Kalam was awarded to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

scientist N. Valarmathi, who led the team that successfully launched Radar Imaging

Satellite RISAT-1 in 2012.

The Ramanujan Prize for 2015 has been won by mathematician Amalendu Krishna of the

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.

Poetess Arundhathi Subramaniam has won the inaugural Khushwant Singh Memorial

Prize for Poetry. She has been conferred this prize for her work When God is a Traveller.

Jorge Sampaio and Helena Ndume have been awarded with the inaugural Nelson

Rolihlahla Mandela Prize.It was established to pay homage to former South African

President Nelson Mandela for his extraordinary life and legacy of reconciliation, social

transformation and political transition.

Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C.N.R. Rao was conferred with Japan’s

highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

French film Dheepan has been awarded Palme d’Or Award at 68th Cannes Film Festival.

The film is directed by Jacques Audiard. Dheepan story revolves around the trio of Tamil

refugees from Sri Lanka’s who pretend to be a family in order to flee their war-torn

country to France.

Shashi Kapoor has been conferred with prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014.

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was presented a Freedom of Expression

Courage award from the PEN American Center. Charlie Hebdo is a weekly French

satirical news magazine. It is being published since 1970 and had break between 1981 and

1992. The magazine is mainly known for its controversial provocative cartoons and

caricatures that had targeted extreme right, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, politics.

Two Indians, Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr Ananda Kumar have been awarded with the

prestigious 2015 Whitley Awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation in

developing countries. The award is also dubbed as Green Oscar.

French Government has honoured former Union Finance Minister and veteran BJP leader

Yashwant Sinha with Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour).

Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015. The

award was presented to the BMB in the Technology Implementation category of Best

Outsourcing Project (New Bank).

“All the Light We Cannot See”, a novel based on Second World War by author Anthony

Doerr has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. While, The New York Times has won two

prestigious Pulitzer prizes for coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh has been awarded the 2015 World Food Prize for Fazle‘s

unparalleled achievement in building the unique, integrated development organization

Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, which is headquartered in Bangladesh and

operates programs in 10 other countries around the globe. It is said to be the world‘s

largest NGO. The World Food Prize was created by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug who

is also known as the father of the green revolution.

Magsaysay Award: Whistleblower officer Sanjeev Chaturvedi and human rights activist

and founder of the non-governmental organisation Goonj Anshu Gupta are among the

five winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award this year. Three others who have been

selected for the award include Kommaly Chanthavong from Laos, Ligaya Fernando-

Amilbangsa from Philippines and Kyaw Thu from Myanmar. The Ramon Magsaysay

Award is often considered to be an Asian equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

The Man Booker Prize: The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each

year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the UK.

László Krasznahorkai was announced as the winner of the Man Booker International

Prize 2015.

Indian-American Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri has been selected for the

prestigious 2014 National Humanities Medal of White House. She has also won

prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2015.

Sunhak Peace Prize:

Noted Indian agriculture scientist Modadugu Vijay Gupta, who has done pioneering work

in aquaculture in India and several other countries, was recently awarded the first Sunhak

Peace Prize, which he shared with the President of Kiribati Islands

It is billed as an alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina wins UN Award for Leadership on Climate Change

Renowned water conservationist and environment activist Rajendra Singh has been

conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize. He was awarded this prize for his

innovative water restoration efforts and consistent attempts to improve the water security

in villages in India.

Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014 to six illustrious women on International Women’s Day for

their distinguished services for the upliftment of women. The award was given in six

categories named after eminent women personalities in the Indian history. They are

Kannagi, Rani Gaidinliu Zaliang, Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, Rani Lakshmibai, Rani

Rudramma Devi and Mata Jijabai. These women are famous for their personal courage

and integrity.

The 87th Academy Awards (referred as Oscars) were presented in 24 categories.

Best Picture- Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).

Best Actor- Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything).

BestActress-Julianne Moore (Still Alice).

Eminent Indian economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been awarded the

inaugural Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize 2015. He was chosen for this

award for his ground-breaking work that has profound impact on the formation of

development policy worldwide and outstanding contribution to society.

ECONOMY

Gold Monetisation scheme: Gold in any form can be deposited with banks for a period of

one to 15 years. This gold will earn interest and redemption will be at the prevailing

market value at the end of the tenure of deposit.The scheme also provides for incentives

to the banks, while individuals and institutions can deposit as low as 30 gm of gold, while

the interest earned on it would be exempt from income tax as well as capital gains tax.

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme: The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme is aimed at customers

looking to buy gold as an investment. Under the Scheme, there will be no need to buy

actual gold as customers can buy gold bonds which will be relatable to the weight of

gold.The bonds will be issued in denominations of 5 grams, 10 grams, 50 grams and 100

grams for a term of five years to seven years with a rate of interest to be calculated on the

value of the metal at the time of investment.However, there would be a cap of 500 grams

that a person can purchase in a year. Such bonds would be offered to only Indian citizens

and institutions.

Cash reserve Ratio (CRR) is the amount of funds that the banks have to keep with the

RBI. If the central bank decides to increase the CRR, the available amount with the banks

comes down. The RBI uses the CRR to drain out excessive money from the system.

Reverse Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial banks.

An increase in reverse repo rate can prompt banks to park more funds with the RBI to

earn higher returns on idle cash. It is also a tool which can be used by the RBI to drain

excess money out of the banking system.

Repo Rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to commercial banks. It is an

instrument of monetary policy. Whenever banks have any shortage of funds they can

borrow from the RBI. A reduction in the repo rate helps banks get money at a cheaper

rate and vice versa.

IRDAI: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is an

autonomous apex statutory body which regulates and develops the insurance industry in

India. The IRDA Act allows private players to enter the insurance sector in India.

Forex reserves: Foreign exchange reserves are an important component of the balance of

payments and an essential element in the analysis of an economy‘s external position. The

components of India‘s foreign exchange reserves are:

Foreign currency assets (FCA) [biggest amongst the three]

Gold and

SDRs and reserve tranche position (RTP) in the IMF

Double Taxation: Double taxation is the levying of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the

same declared income (in the case of income taxes), asset (in the case of capital taxes), or

financial transaction (in the case of sales taxes). This double liability is often mitigated by

tax treaties between countries.

The anti-dumping duty is levied on distrustfully low-priced imports, so as to protect the

domestic manufacturers

NBFCs: Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) are financial institutions that provide

banking services without meeting the legal definition of a bank, i.e. one that does not

hold a banking license. These institutions typically are restricted from taking deposits

from the public depending on the jurisdiction. Nonetheless, operations of these

institutions are often still covered under a country‘s banking regulations.

Goods and Services tax (GST): It is a comprehensive value-added tax (VAT) on goods and

services. It is an indirect tax levy on manufacture, sale and consumption of goods as well

as services at a national level. Through a tax credit mechanism, this tax is collected on

value-added goods and services at each stage of sale or purchase in the supply chain.

Experts say that GST is likely to improve tax collections and boost India‘s economic

development by breaking tax barriers between States and integrating India through a

uniform tax rate.

The GST Bill's passage will require a constitutional amendment, which means a

two-thirds majority is required in Parliament. The Assemblies too will have to approve

the Bill ahead of the April 2016 deadline.

TRIPS: TRIPS is an international agreement administered by the World Trade

Organization (WTO), which sets down minimum standards for many forms of

intellectual property (IP) regulations as applied to the nationals of other WTO Member

Shadow banking: The shadow banking system is a term for the collection of non-bank

financial intermediaries that provide services similar to traditional commercial banks. In

the context of developing economies, shadow banks play a gainful role in credit delivery

and financial inclusion as they can facilitate credit availability to certain sectors that

might otherwise have difficulty in access to credit.

Statuatory liqid ratio:

WPI in India:The wholesale price index (WPI) is the main measure of inflation which

measures the price of a representative basket of wholesale goods. It is divided into three

groups: Primary Articles (20.1% of total weight),Fuel and Power (14.9 %), Manufactured

Products (65 %).

SARFAESI Act: This act allows banks and financial institutions to auction properties

(residential and commercial) when borrowers fail to repay their loans. It enables banks to

reduce their non-performing assets (NPAs) by adopting measures for recovery or

reconstruction.

PRIORITY SECTOR LENDING: Priority Sector Lending is an important role given by

the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to the banks for providing a specified portion of the bank

lending to few specific sectors like agriculture or small scale industries for an all round

development of the economy as opposed to focusing only on the financial sector. Priority

sector refers to those sectors of the economy which may not get timely and adequate

credit in the absence of this special dispensation. Agriculture, Micro and Small

Enterprises, Education (educational loans granted to individuals by banks), Housing,

Export Credit, State sponsored organizations for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes etc.

WORLD INDICES AND RATINGS

World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), which was released recently, India was ranked 136

out of 180 nations worldwide in terms of press freedom in 2015

Global Business Resilience Index - India ranks 119

India ranked 119th among 130 countries on an index measuring business resilience of

nations based on economic, risk quality and supply chain factors, dropped seven notches

from last year. Index has been topped by Norwayand Venezuela is ranked last on the list.

World Bank has released a state-wise report on the ease of doing business – a report in

which Gujarat has topped with a score of 71.14%. Andhra Pradesh has come second with

a score of 70.12%, Jharkhand third at 63.09%, Chhattisgarh fourth with 62.45% and

Madhya Pradesh fifth with 62%.

Social Progress Index (SPI) -rated on indicators of well-being such as health, water and

sanitation, personal safety, access to opportunity, tolerance, inclusion, personal freedom

and choice India has secured the 101th place. Nepal and Bangladesh rank higher than

India. Norway has bagged the first rank.

The Rule of Law Index 2015 India‘s overall rule of law performance places it in the third

position out of six countries in the South Asian region, 10th out of 25 among lower

middle income countries, and 59th out of 102 countries worldwide. The top overall

performer in Index 2015 was Denmark while in the South Asia region, the top performer

was Nepal.

India is home to the highest number of hungry people in the world, at 194 million,

surpassing China. The Report is titled “The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015.”

SPORTS

Australia won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time.

Winners of 2015 Australian Open title of Tennis

Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Women’s Singles Serena Williams of United States

Mixed Doubles Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

Winners of 2015 French Open title of Tennis

Men’s Singles Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland

Women’s Singles Serena Williams of United States

Winners of 2015 Wimbledon Championship Titles of Tennis

Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Women’s Singles Serena Williams of United States

Women’s Doubles Sania Mirza (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland).

Mixed Doubles Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

Winners of 2015 US Open Titles of Tennis

Men’s Singles Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Women’s Singles Flavia Pennetta of Italy

Women’s Doubles Sania Mirza (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland).

Mixed Doubles Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

Mumbai Indians (MI) won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by

defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Badminton World Championship 2015: Saina Nehwal wins silver medal. Defending

champion Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the prestigious World Badminton

Championship 2015 in women’s single category defeating India’s Saina Nehwal.

India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani has won 2015 IBSF World Billiards Championship (Time

Format) in Adelaide, Australia. It was his overall 14th World title.

Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt has won world 200 metre & 100 metre title in the World

Athletics Championships held in Beijing, China.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Project Tiger (1973):

It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, providing

central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves.

From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to

48 at present, spread out in 17 of our tiger range states.

Rajaji National Park has now been notified as the Rajaji Tiger Reserve by the Centre. (48th

reserve)

Swine Flu:

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza

viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. H1N1 is a flu virus. The H1N1 virus is

currently a seasonal flu virus found in humans. When people who have it cough or

sneeze, they spray tiny drops of the virus into the air. If a person comes in contact with

these drops or touch a surface that an infected person has recently touched, the person

can catch H1N1 swine flu.

The ship Samudra Ratnakar , recently set sail to locate gas hydrates below the sea-bed off

the east coast and off Kanyakumari. Gas hydrates, which resemble blocks of ice, contain

methane that occur below the sea-bed with their low temperature and hidden high

pressure. Once exposed to normal temperature and pressure, it would expand 140 times,

and if even 10 per cent of the gas hydrates available in India‘s oceans is exploited, they

would meet the country‘s energy requirement for a century.

Melanin: It is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms.

Melanin is produced by the oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine, followed by

polymerization. The pigment is produced in a specialized group of cells known as

melanocytes.

M-Sand: M-Sand is manufactured sand. M-sand is crushed aggregates produced from hard

granite stone which is cubically shaped with grounded edges, washed and graded with

consistency to be used as a substitute of river sand. Manufactured sand is an alternative

for river sand.Due to fast growing construction industry, the demand for sand has

increased tremendously, causing deficiency of suitable river sand in most part of the

word. Due to the depletion of good quality river sand for the use of construction, the use

of manufactured sand has been increased.Another reason for use of M-Sand is its

availability and transportation cost. Since this sand can be crushed from hard granite

rocks, it can be readily available at the nearby place, reducing the cost of transportation

from far-off river sand bed.

Hydroponic fodder: It is fodder produced using hydroponic technique.‘Hydroponics’

means the technique of growing plants without soil or solid growing medium, but using

water or nutrient-rich solution only, for a short duration.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG): It is one of the most common, naturally occurring non-

essential amino acid, which is found in tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, potatoes, mushrooms,

and other vegetables and fruits. In the food industry, it is used as a taste enhancer that

increases the meaty, savoury flavor of food. some Maggi noodles samples reportedly found

to contain higher-than-permissible levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Ecologically sensitive zones (ESZs): The ESZ is based on the principles of providing

sanctity to protected areas and strengthening the buffer zones and corridors around such

areas. All forms of infrastructure projects of commercial or public purpose, including

mining, industries and hydro-power projects are prohibited within such zones, according

to the ministry guidelines

GI status is an indication that identifies goods as produced from a particular area, which

has special quality or reputation attributable to its geographical origin. GI registration

confers legal protection to the products, prevents unauthorised use of a GI poduct by

others, helps consumers get quality products of desired traits, promotes economic

prosperity of producers of goods by enhancing demand in national and international

markets. GI registration is essential to get protection in other countries. It is an indication

that identifies goods as produced from a particular area, which has special quality or

reputation attributable to its geographical origin. The nendran banana variety,

hengalikodan of kerala, has been accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) status

IUCN:

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is the world‘s first

global environmental organization. It’s HQ is located in Gland, near Geneva, in

Switzerland. The IUCN Red List is set upon precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk

of thousands of species and subspecies. India is at the 7th position now with 988

threatened species on the list.

Great Indian Bustard:

The Great Indian Bustard is currently listed under the category of Critically Endangered

birds, in the 2013 ‗Threatened Bird‘ list by the International Union for Conservation of

Nature (IUCN).

Minimum Support Price (MSP): It is a scheme of the Government of India (GOI) to

safeguard the interests of the farmers. Government fixes MSPs of various kharif and rabi

crops every year on the recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices

(CACP). Under this Scheme the government declares the minimum support Prices of

various agricultural produces and assures the farmers that their agricultural produce will

be purchased at the MSP, thereby preventing its distress sale.

The Gir forest in Gujarat is the only place in the whole of Asia where the Asiatic lion is

now found.

MISCELLANEOUS

Thane has been named India’s Earth Hour Capital

K. Kasturirangan Panel‘s report on conservation of the Western Ghats was formed to

study the Gadgil committee report on the Western Ghats. Kasturirangan panel had

suggested that 90% of the natural forests left in the Western Ghats complex – adding upto

60,000 sq km and constituting 37% of the entire hilly belt — be conserved under the

Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) provisions of the green law.

Kailash Satyarthi - He is Nobel peace prize winner for engaging and conducting peaceful

protests against the exploitation of children for financial gain. He is the founder of the

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement). Through his NGO, he

campaigns for protection of child rights and to abolish illegal human trafficking.

Santhara means a fast unto death. A person after taking a vow of ‘Santhara’ stops eating

and even drinking water and awaits death. In Jainism, the concept of choosing the

manner and time of one’s death is a centuries-old ritual.

Mridaparikshak - Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) recently presented to

the nation 'Mridaparikshak', a MINILAB that can determine soil health. Mridaparikshak

is a digital mobile quantitative minilab/soil test kit to provide soil testing service at

farmers‘ doorsteps.

Idukki in Kerala becomes the First District of India with Complete Rural Broadband

Coverage

Nelong Valley located in Gangotri National Park, Uttarkhand (45km from the India-

China) near the India-China border, which was closed for civilians after the 1962 war,

has been opened for tourists.

The Khoya Paya portal is a citizen based website to exchange information on missing and

found children.

The Ministry of Health Kayakalp awards: & Family Welfare has instated the Kayakalp Awards under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan on promoting cleanliness in public spaces

Nadia district in West Bengal was recently presented the United Nations Public Services

Award 2015 for eliminating open defecation.

Election Commission‘s prestigious publication “INDIA VOTES‘ attempts to encapsulate

the most critical and outstanding features of the Indian elections for a concise yet

comprehensive, fact-filled and inside-eye view of the Indian elections.

The Reserve Bank of India (Banker’s Bank) is India‘s Central Banking Institution, which

controls the Monetary Policy of the Indian Rupee. It commenced its operations in April

1935 and was nationalised in the year of 1 January 1949. It represents the Government of

India as the member of the IMF and the World Bank. Governor: Raghuram Rajan

Functions:

Regulator and supervisor of the financial system

Manager of foreign exchange

Issuer of currency

Banker‘s bank

Banker to the Government

Custodian of Cash Reserves of Commercial Banks

formulates implements and monitors the monetary policy

prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country‘s

banking and financial system functions

Sakaar: Augmented Reality application to highlight the achievements of the Department

of Space during one year in office of the present Government

McMahon Line: The McMahon Line is a line agreed to by Britain and Tibet as part of

the Simla Accord, a treaty signed in 1914.

India and Iran recently signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) regarding India‘s participation in the development of the Chabahar Port in Iran.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January (day in 1915 that Mahatma

Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa ) every year to mark the

contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India.

Raahgiri Day - A first of its kind event ―Raahgiri day for the persons with disabilities

was organized as a unique initiative by the Department of Empowerment of persons with

Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Raahgiri Day provides citizens

with the opportunity to reclaim their streets, connect with their community, celebrate

their city and therefore reclaim their lives.

Nuclear Liability Act: The Act aims to provide a civil liability for nuclear damage and

prompt compensation to the victims of a nuclear incident through a nofault liability to

the operator, appointment of Claims Commissioner, establishment of Nuclear Damage

Claims Commission and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. After this

Act was passed, India became a member of the international convention on liability in

the civil nuclear arena

Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for

government information. Any citizen may request information from a public authority

which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days.The Central Information

Commission (CIC) is set up under the Right to Information Act and is the authorised

body, established in 2005, under the Government of India.

National Food Security Act, 2013: (Right to Food Act) aims to provide subsidized food

grains to the whole of India. Beneficiaries can purchase 5 kilograms per eligible person

per month of cereals at the following prices:

Rice at 3 Rupees per kg

Wheat at 2 Rupees per kg

Coarse grains (millet) at 1 rupee per kg.

AFSPA:

The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is an Act empowering

armed forces to deal effectively in Disturbed Areas‘.

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR): It is a 500MWe fast breeder nuclear reactor

presently being constructed at the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam, India by

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).It will use plutonium-uranium oxide

as fuel and 1,750 tonnes of liquid sodium as coolant.

Jaitapur project: proposed 9900 MW power project of Nuclear Power Corporation of India

(NPCIL) at Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra with French

collaboration.

Abdul Kalam,”People’s President” died: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, widely acclaimed as the

people‘s president for his warmth and accessibility, passed away on 27th July. He was 83.

Kalam was also called as the Missile Man of India. He was President between 2002 and

2007.

Apart from leading the Indian Space Research Organisation's satellite launch programme,

Mr. Kalam headed the country‘s guided missile programme for many years. He led the

weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests. He has been

honored with Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. His 79th Birthday

was recognized as the World Student Day‘ by the United Nations.

Switzerland has declared 26th May as 'Science Day' to commemorate Visit of APJ to

Switzerland in 2005.