Half Yearly GS 2014

Sansar Year Book 2014

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Sansar Year Book (Half-Yearly) Year 2014

January Month

State Government of Delhi on 1 January 2014 ordered an audit of three private power distribution companies. The audit of these companies will be done by--Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India

Who has been chosen for the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for Excellence in Journalism for 2013?--Mammen Mathew

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently launched its heavy-duty rocket GSLV-D5 for placing a communication satellite into the orbit. Name the satellite that was carried by GSLV-D5?--GSAT-14

The heavy-duty rocket of ISRO, GSLV-D5, was powered by an indigenously developed engine. Name the engine?--Cryogenic engine

Who is the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)?--K Radhakrishnan

An International team of 34 scientists on 13 January 2014 spotted the footprints of Dinosaurs at which place of Rajasthan?--Jaisalmer

The Supreme Court of India on 13 January 2014 directed the Government of India to place the report of a Commission on illegal mining in Odisha and Jharkhand. Name the commission whose report has been asked to be presented?--Justice Shah Commission

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently agreed to expand the amount of the Bilateral Swap Agreement (BSA) to--50 billion dollars

Which Airlines on 19 January 2014 flew Boeing 777 plane powered by biofuel?-- Ethihad Airways

An airlines company completed a demonstration flight of 45 minutes that was powered by biofuel. Name the institution/firms, which were involved in creation of the biofuel that propelled the flight?--Total and Takreer

Name the country that won the final of Hero Hockey World League 2014-- Netherlands

Who won the Australian Open mens singles title on 26 January 2014?--Stanislas Wawrinka



Who won the Australian Open womens singles title?--Li Na

Who won the Mixed doubles tennis titles at Australian Open 2014?--Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor

The Health Ministry of Japan on 1 January 2014 estimated that a quarter of the population is currently aged over 65 and the figure is expected to reach nearly 40 percent by 2060

Which government recently announced to build a new sanctuary to save Worlds rarest Javan rhinos--Indonesia

Parliamentary elections in North Korea, creating the 13th Supreme Peoples Assembly, will be held on - 9 March 2014

The Parliament of Europe on 14 January 2014 signed a new carbon dioxide restriction treaty which seeks to slash emissions for a segment of transport across the European Union (EU) by 28% from year 2020. The treaty focuses on which transport segment--Commercial Vans

The term Euromaidan came to news recently, which stands for a huge spat of civil unrest and anti-government protests in a country.Which country is associated with these protests--Ukraine

February Month

Name the programme that has planned to release 25 vultures in safe-zone by 2016 following decrease in populations due to use of Diclofenac to vet cattle - Programme SAVE

Union Government of India on 31 January 2014 announced that economy might have expanded by 4.5 percent in fiscal year 2012-13 - as compared to previous estimate of 5 percent

US on 31 January 2014 warned China against any move to declare a new Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the - South China Sea

Name the state that on 1 February 2014 scrapped its approval for the foreign direct investment in multi-brand retailing - Rajasthan

Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the Delhi Police to investigate the death of the student from Arunachal Pradesh, who died after being allegedly beaten - Nido Tania

World Cancer Day 2014 observed on 4 February with the release of the World Cancer Report 2014 with the World Cancer Day theme - Debunk the myths

Manoj Vaish took charge as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of - Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX)

President of Zanzibar, was on an official visit to India from 1 to 9 February 2014 - Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein



Who has been appointed as the Chairman of the 7th Pay Commission - Former Supreme Court Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur

Name the King of Saudi Arabia, who on 4 February 2014 ordered jail terms ranging from three to thirty years for the Saudi citizens, who are fighting outside the country - Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Aabo the person who became the first person to receive a bionic hand, which allows life-like sensation to be felt from the devices artificial fingers is a Dennis Amputee

The work on the project of widening the shipping route of Panama Canal was suspended by the - Panama Canal Authority on 5 February 2014 following dispute over rising costs.

The first European to navigate through the Strait of Magellan in 1520 by in the service of Charles I of Spain during his global circumnavigation voyage - Portuguese sailor, Ferdinand Magellan

Olympic flame on 5 February 2014 reached Sochi in Russia after traveling the longest route in the history of the games of - 65000 kilometers.

India on 5 February 2014 extended the facility of visa-on-arrival for the tourists of 180 nations after - barring tourists of eight nations.

The state government of which state on 5 February 2014 declared 10225 villages of the state as scarcity-hit - of Rajasthan

People who have been nominated for World Children's Prize in Sweden are - Malala, John Wood, Indira Ranamagar

India & Germany signed 2 umbrella agreements for financial & technical co-operation under - Indo German bilateral Development Cooperation.

A Parliamentary Panel on 6 February 2014 submitted its report on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of India Bill, 2013 to Parliament and asked the government to come out with a comprehensive Bill after revisiting - the Aircraft Act 1934.

The eminent Hindi writer has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013 - Vishwanath Tripathi

WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) on 6 February 2014 appointed a person as director-general (DG) of the WWF International - Marco Lambertini

Ministry of Culture and Tate has signed a MoU to develop collaborations focused on - modern and contemporary art.

Supreme Court has ordered to implement recommendations of a board for journalists and non-journalists in newspapers and agencies - Majithia Wage Board

Union Cabinet on 7 February 2014 cleared the Telangana Bill with minimum changes in it and decided that Hyderabad will not get the status of - a Union Territory

Abhinav Bindra won two gold medals at Inter Shoot Tri Series shooting at - The Hague, Netherlands



Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) on 7 February 2014 announced that it has stopped the production of the iconic car brand - Maruti 800

Kumar Sangakkara became the second person in Cricket history to score a triple century and a century in the same test match after - Graham Gooch

Police of which country in February 2014 successfully dismantled the largest ever World War II bomb found in the city at the construction site - Hong Kong

DRDO is in the process of developing a device to track down Maoists in naxal hit states that will be used by CRPF - UAVs

Maruti Suzuki India has stopped production of - Maruti 800

Kumar Sangakkara, on 7 February 2014 became the second person in the history of Cricket to score a triple century and a century in the same test match after - Graham Gooch

Draft technical report on making payment system effective was released by - Reserve Bank of India

A body on 7 February 2014 issued a ban on the process of burning of tyres at public places like roads and areas surrounded by residential buildings - National Green Tribunal (NGT)

Person selected as the new Chairman of ICC for a period of 2 years to succeed Alan Raymond Isaac - Narayanswamy Srinivasan

Person who became became 1st person to win three gold medals in Tri-series shooting - Abhinav Bindra

Requirement of India's solar mission on 10 February 2014 was challenged by United States alleging as discriminatory and against international norms including the laws of WTO - Domestic Content

The Committee on Public Undertakings headed by who placed its report in Parliament on the share of procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI) - Jagdambika Pal

Cancer foundation YouWeCan of Yuvraj Singh joined hand with an NGO Navbharat Sewa Samiti to roll out a campaign named - Cancer Mukt Purvi Dilli

Scientists discovered a new species of dolphin in Amazon River system which is a first discovery of a species in almost in 100 years - Araguaian Boto

Popular Indian film Black was screened at - Fakel Theatre in Moscow

IOC has revoked the ban imposed on IOA paving the way for Indias return to the Olympic fold after - IOA held elections as per IOC directives

Penguin India, the publisher of a book on 11 February 2014 agreed to withdraw the book from the Indian market - The Hindus: An Alternative History

Largest tribal religious congregation of the world began at Medaram in Warangal district of the Telangana region - Sammakkaa Saarakka Fair

Person resigned from cabinet over the failure of government to fulfill its promises to protect rights of minority groups in Malaysia - P Waythamoorthy



Volcano of a mountain in the main island of Java of Indonesia erupted on 13 February 2014 after rumbling for several weeks - Mount Kelup of Kediri district

US have been blanketed with a huge snow storm has been dubbed as -Snowmaggedon

Union Cabinet on 20 February 2014 gave its nod for classifying a language as a classical language to give impetus to scholarships in the language - Odia

International Mother Language Day (Bhasha Divas) was observed across the world, with Bangladesh leading on - 21 February 2014

The middle order batsman of Indian cricket team on 20 February 2014 was appointed as the brand ambassador of the Gujarat State Election Commission - Cheteshwar Pujara

The Speaker of Ukraine was named as the interim President of the country on 23 February 2014 - Oleksandr Turchynov

NTPC signed MoU with BSPGCL and LBCPL to develop a 1320 MW Thermal Power Project at -Kajra in Lakhisarai district of Bihar

Somdev Devvarman, the Indias top singles star on 23 February 2014 lifted his third ATP Challenge Tennis title after defeating -Aleksandr Nedovyesov

Sri Lanka rejected draft report that calls for an international inquiry into alleged human rights violations of Navi Pillai

Engineers of US firm Hennessey have developed the worlds fastest car with a top speed of a speed of 435 kilometers per hour named - Venom GT

Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh on 25 February 2014 passed the - UP Water Management and Regulatory Commission Bill 2014

Israeli President Shimon Peres awarded Angela Merkel with Israels highest civilian honour - Israeli Presidential Medal of Distinction

Hamid Ansari released a commemorative postage stamp in the honour of - Maulana Hasrat Mohani

Government of India (Union Home Ministry) on 27 February 2014 constituted one-man expert committee to study and examine - the demand of a separate Bodoland state

India on 28 February 2014 observed National Science Day to mark the discovery of - the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman

Music album based on the songs composed by music maestro AR Rahman and written by Kapil Sibal is Raunaq

March Month



Noted Gandhian environmentalist and social activist selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2013 is - Chandi Prasad Bhatt

National Food Security Act came into force in a state with a provision of covering overall 75 percent total population - Madhya Pradesh

President's rule has been imposed in - Andhra Pradesh

A bank recently opened its fourth branch in India in New Delhi with an aim of expanding its operations in the country - The Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, BBK

Employees at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant tested positive for radiation exposure in - New Mexico State of US

Legislative Assembly of a state amended an Act to regularise slums that come up before 1 January 2000 - Maharashtra

Union Cabinet on 2 March 2014 cleared the Ordinance for reservation for a community under the central list of OBC (other backward castes quota) category in nine northern states Jats

Mortal remains of about 282 Indian soldiers of 1857 mutiny were exhumed (dug out) on 2 March 2014 from the well at - Ajnala in Amritsar district of Punjab

Union government gave its nod to a proposal to provide accessible mobile phones and laptops - to visually impaired students

Afghanistan after registering a win over Bangladesh in Asia Cup helped it to enter - ICC ODI Rankings Table for the 1st time ever

Pharmacy store and a convergence block inaugurated by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at AIIMS to provide - free generic medicines to poor patients

Best picture Oscar Award won by - 12 Years A Slave

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 March 2014 extended the date for exchange of the pre-2005 banknotes to - 1 January 2015.

Union Defence Ministry on 3 March 2014 ordered a CBI investigation into the purchase of jet fighter engines from - Britains Rolls-Royce that worth 10000 crore rupees

Indian Navy on 1 March 2014 successfully completed one of its largest war drills spread over Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal region named - Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX)

IFAW-WTI captured and relocated seventh of the stranded gibbon families in Dello village to - Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary

India is home to the largest number of bird species in the world is the preliminary findings of a recent global event Great Backyard Bird Count



The Second meeting of India-UAE High Level Task Force on Investment was held in - Mumbai

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh attended the third Summit of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, BIMSTEC held in - Myanmar

Sheila Dikshit appointed as the Governor of Kerala as the successor of - Nikhil Kumar

Interest rates on the fixed deposit scheme offered by post offices have been increased by - 0.2 percent

US honoured an Indian person who started the movement to end acid attacks in India with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award to - Laxmi

World Dentist Day to raise awareness about dental health was observed on - 6 March 2014

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports inaugurated the Sports Authority of India National Cycling Academy (SAI NCA) at - Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

The assets of Viktor Yanukovych, the ousted Ukrainian leader and other 17 former ministers, businessmen and security chiefs frozen by - European Union (EU)

National security advisor-level meet on maritime security cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives was held in - New Delhi.

68th senior National football championship or Santosh Trophy was won by Mizoram by defeating - Railways

13-year old Indian-American student on 9 March 2014 won the National Spelling Bee Competition in the US in a verbal duel at Kansas City Public Library, Missouri - Kush Sharma

Indian shooter Pooja Ghatkar clinched the gold medal in women's air rifle event of the - 7th Asian Championship in Kuwait.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between three countries under which natural gas will be supplied from - Iraq to Jordan and Egypt

The cricketer voted as the Cricketer of the Generation - Sachin Tendulkar

Novak Djokovic won the Indian Wells ATP Tennis Masters by defeating - Roger Federer

President of Russia signed a decree recognising a city as a sovereign state paving a way for its absorption into Russia - Crimea

Renowned author and journalist died on 20 March 2014 at the age of 99 at his home in Sujan Singh Park in Delhi - Khushwant Singh

The first women to be elected as the President of Indian Journalists Association (IJA) in London - Aditi Khanna



SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on 19 March 2014 inaugurated its local office at - Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Sarawasti Samman for year 2013 for a book Dhool Paudho Par has been awarded to Govind Mishra, second Hindi author to receive this award

The pro-Russian forces on 19 March 2014 seized the Ukraines Navy Headquarters in - Crimean Capital Sevastopol

To bolster awareness among investors and ring-fence them from possible frauds, SEBI has planned to seek additional funds from the government for strengthening its - IPEF (Investor Protection and Education Fund) programmes

Three day long FINA Diving World Series championship begins in at - Sheikh Hamadan Stadium in Dubai

Stuart Oliver of Castrol Vecton team won the inaugural Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship at - Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.

A book that claims that 2008 terror attack on Indian embassy in Kabul was monitored and sanctioned by senior officials of ISI has been written by - Carlotta Gall

Pakistans civil award has been awarded on the Pakistan Day to one activist and a cricketer namely - Malala Yousafzai and Misbah-ul-haq

Assam government has proposed a plan to trim the horns of rhinos to save them from the poachers as per the plan made with WHO named - IRV 2020

UN Security Council (UNSC) on 20 March 2014 unanimously voted in favor of a resolution 2146 (2014) that condemns the illegal (illicit) export of Libyan crude oils

A team of students from an Engineering college in Kerala have been selected to compete, for the first time, in the University Rover Challenge in the US to - design and build next generation of Mars rovers

Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla a particular type of refugees living in relief camps in Tripura should exercise their franchise inside Mizoram and from outside by Postal ballot Bru Refugees

Estimates of an institution released on 25 March 2014 reports claimed that in 2012 around 7 million people died 1 in 8 of total global deaths as a result of air pollution exposure WHO

A non-profit group on 23 March 2014 launched AQUATM in Mumbai which is a water vending machine - Vandana Foundation

FIH has introduced a new format of 60-minute game of four 15-minute quarters and replaced the two 35-minute halves game of 70 minutes

Bank of India on 24 March 2014 launched a process of cardless cash withdrawal facility from its - IMT (Instant Money Transfer)-enabled ATMs

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met the US President Barack Obama in Washington to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks



Vodafone has agreed to buy Spanish cable operator Ono in a deal aimed at expanding its interests in Europe for 7.2 billion Euros

British Forces handed over its two important military bases to Afghan security forces and closed down one in southern Helmand province

United Kingdom has decided to honour the Indian soldiers through a series of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World War I the participants of War

SIPRI in its data on international arms transfers claimed India as largest importer of weapon systems, which is three times more than Pakistan and China

The 17th Gollapudi Srinivas National Award 2013 has been awarded to a debutant film director, for the film entitled The Good Road in Gujarati Gyan Correa bagged

A research report released by Oxfam concluded that the divide between the rich and poor in the United Kingdom has widened. The report is entitled - Tale of Two Britains

SEBI has notified new set of norms to ease the process of KYC for investors by allowing market entities to get details from the centralized KYC agencies

Almost half of the Chemical weapons stockpile of Syria has been removed has been claimed by OPCW-UN Joint Mission

UNHCR report Asylum Trends 2013 claims sharp rise in asylum in 44 industrialised countries, primarily driven by the Syrian crisis.

April Month

4-hour long talk between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov failed to break the deadlock over the Ukraine Crisis

US Ambassador to India announced her resignation in the US Mission Town Hall Nancy Powell

The US and India has launched an Alliance initiative with an aim to improve the reading skills of millions of primary school-aged children in India READ

Latest report of UN panel has warned that the climate change has increased risk of armed conflict among India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.

Union Sports Ministry on 1 April 2014 derecognised a sports body with an immediate effect after its refusal to comply with its directives Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF)

Tsunami warning was triggered on 1 March 2014 for the Latin Americas entire Pacific coastline after an earthquake of 8.2 magnitude struck off in northern Chiles mining area of Iquique

Supreme Court said that trial against government officials in corruption cases cannot be ground to quash the criminal proceedings

World Bank would nearly double its lending capacity to boost support for middle



countries like India, Brazil, China, Mexico and Indonesia

NATO foreign ministers have agreed to suspend all practical civilian and military co-operations with Russia

Reserve Bank granted approval to two firms to start new banks IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services

Karim Massimov was named as the new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan

NATO announced that it had suspended all practical cooperation with Russia, civilian and military

ISRO had launched Indias 2nd regional navigational satellite from Sriharikota Space Station IRNSS 1B

Name the report that claims that Indian companies play an increasingly important role in the British economy India Tracker 2014

MS Dhoni for outstanding achievement in Sports won the United Kingdoms 2014 Asian Award

Sri Lanka defeated India in the final match to win the ICC Twenty World Cup 2014 at - Shere Bangla stadium of Mirpur, Dhaka

4th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2014 (Division A) was won by Punjab on 6 April 2014 won by defeating - Hockey Odisha 6-2 in the finals at Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Iwao Hakamada, the Japanese boxer on 6 April 2014 was awarded with an honorary championship belt by World Boxing Council (WBC)

First Dada Saheb Phalke awardee for cinematograph died at his residence in Shankarapuram V K Murthy died

Jhumpa Lahiri has been shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction work entitled Lowland

A capital of North east state of India that received its first passenger train and became the second state capital after Guwahati to be put on the railway map of India is Itanagar

A report entitled Towards New Horizons-Arab Economic Transformation amid Political Transitions was released by - International Monetary Fund (IMF)

A book entitled The Accidental Prime Minister: the making and unmaking of Manmohan Singh written by - Sanjaya Baru

Mizoram government claimed that its impossible for them to repatriate all the - Bru refugees lodged in six Tripura relief camps within three months

The First women Chief Justice of Delhi High Court appointed - Justice G Rohini

Indias Dipika Pallikal in the title clash of the Womens Champion Fiberlass Texas Open squash tournament at Houston, United States on 14 April 2014 was defeated by -



Egyptian Nour El Sherbini (ranked 13th)

National Syed Mustaq Ali Cricket T20 Trophy was won by Baroda after defeating - Uttar Pradesh in the final match

Name the India born poet who on 14 April 2014 won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems entitled 3 Sections - Vijay Seshadri

Supreme Court has recognised transgender as the - third category of sex

SIPRI has ranked India at which position in the report titled Trends in world military expenditure, 2013 Ninth

Book entitled, Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths is authored by - PC Parakh

Ship of Theseus was selected as best feature film and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was named as the best popular film in the - National Film Awards

Google to bring internet access to the remotest parts of the world bought- Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-altitude solar-powered drones

PCIL and PGCB will conduct a joint feasibility study for exporting 100 MW power to Bangladesh from - gas-fired Palatana power plant in Tripura

Supreme Court in its direction said that CAG is empowered to audit - the private telecom companies

Admiral RK Dhowan took over as 22nd Chief of Indian Navy as the successor of - Admiral DK Joshi, who is the 1st Defence forces chief to resign in India

Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet in habitable zone - named Kepler-186f orbiting Kepler-186 system in the constellation Cygnus

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on 22 April 2014 launched the AIFF Academy Certification with an aim to set a standard of youth development in the country through certification model

International Mother Earth Day observed on 22 April 2014 with theme -Green Cities

SC has ordered special audit of property of Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple under the supervision of former CAG of India Vinod Rai

India has launched a new academic programme in Pretoria to benefit unemployed South African youths from internships in India

SC had asked the Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee to further investigate - IPL 2013 spot fixing and betting scandal

Asia-Pacific navies on 22 April 2014 signed Maritime Communication Agreement with an aim to - miscommunication between naval vessels does not develop into conflict in the Pacific Ocean

Supreme Court of India on 25 April 2014 referred the matter of remission of the life imprisonment of seven convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to the



Constitutional Bench

Name the IPL Chairman and senior Congress leader from Odisha on 23 April 2014 took oath as Rajya Sabha member in New Delhi Ranjib Biswal

KCCI asked Idea Cellular to immediately withdraw its controversial advertisement on - Pashmina Shawls

Life-sized Atlas Anthropomorphic rescue robot has been developed Boston Dynamics - to visit the places that are dangerous to humans

Four-member committee constituted to frame guidelines to prevent misuse of public funds by government providing advertisements to get - a political mileage

Gujarat High Court has restored the RBIs power to decide the period after which a bad loan can be called a Non-Performing Asset (NPA)

Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha sworn-in as the - 41st Chief Justice of India

Pope Francis on 27 April 2014 declared his two predecessors - John XXIII and John Paul II as saints in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.

2014 Canada India Foundation Chachalani Global Indian Award was given in Toronto, Canada to NR Narayana Murthy, the founder and executive Chairman of Infosys

President of India gave his approval for the dissolution of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and - a fresh proclamation of Central Rule in the state

Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year 2014 - Luis Suarez

An Indian environmental activist, Ramesh Agrawal won the prestigious - Goldman Environmental Prize that is commonly called as the Green Nobel.

SC ordered that statement of rape victims should be directly recorded by a judicial magistrate within - 24 hours instead of police officials

A petition was filed in a Court of Pakistan to reopen the case of Bhagat Singh in SSP John P Saunders murder case - to declare him innocent

SC appointed Hudson McHugh as 3rd arbitrator to resolve dispute of - Centre and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on KG basin

India has displaced Japan to become the world's third biggest economy in 2011 - in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

May month

SC appointed 3rd arbitrator to resolve dispute of Centre and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on KG basin - Hudson McHugh



SC re-constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to monitor the probe into the black money case under the chairmanship of - retired judge MB Shah.

NBA banned Los Angeles Clippers owner for life and fined him 2.5 million dollars over an alleged racist remark in the stand - Donald Sterling

3400 India-made Electronic Voting Machines purchased for use in Presidential Election of a country which is scheduled in November 2014 - Government of Namibia

US Senate confirmed the name of an Indian-American for Federal Judge in Illinois - Manish Shah

Granary with walls of mud-bricks discovered by archaeologists during excavation at - Rakhigarhi village a Harappan civilisation site, in Haryana

South African city agreed to allow construction of a place of worship in form of a full-fledged Gurudwara - Johannesburg

Tunisian lawmakers adopted a sweeping new electoral law that paves the way for general elections later this year requiring party lists for legislative elections to be - half women and half men

SIT formed in Assam to investigate and look into the conspiracy and mastermind behind the killings of civilians in - Kokrajhar and Baksa districts

The Obama administration gave approval for the Syrian opposition to open a - formal diplomatic mission in the US

Former British No 1 tennis player died of liver cancer at the age of 30 - Elena Baltacha

SC upheld the constitutional validity of the Right to Education Act and said that the Act will not apply to - unaided minority institutions

Constitution Bench of Supreme Court of India on 6 May 2014 upheld the Constitutional validity of the Right to Education (RTE) Act provided in Articles 15(5) and 21-A in the Constitution of India

Kuwait has renewed two crude oil supply contracts with Indias - BPCL and BORL

Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled that the Prime Minister must step down over abuse of her power - Yingluck Shinawartra

A book entitled A Stamp is Born was released by Vice President of India, M Hamid Ansari is authored by - C. R. Pakrashi

Constitutional Bench of Supreme Court quashed law is Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006 and said - water level of the dam can be raised to 142 feet

SC banned use of bulls for Jallikattu events or bullock-cart races across the country terming that - rights guaranteed to the bulls under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act 1960 could not be taken away

Scientists claimed that increased level of CO2 emissions will affect the nutrient content in some



of the worlds staple food items like - Wheat and Rice

WHO claimed that quality of air in most cities worldwide that monitor outdoor (ambient) air pollution failed to meet - WHO guidelines for safe levels

Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed the former fast bowler of Pakistan as the national coach of the national team of Pakistan - Waqar Younis

India has been honoured with New Frontiers Award at the Arabian travel mart in Dubai for its outstanding contribution to - tourism development in the face of overwhelming adversity in Uttarakhand

Rat-hole mining and transportation of coal was banned following the ex-parte interim order of NGT in Meghalaya

Coal pit collapsed after an explosion on 14 May 2014 in which about 274 miners were killed - at Soma of Western Turkey

Technopark Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI) on 14 May 2014 was chosen for the Special Commendation at the - Golden Peacock National Training Awards 2014

Qatar announced that sponsorship system for foreign workers will be replaced by - new system of employment contracts, as part of a package of labour reforms

Justice BS Chauhan appointed as the Chairman of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as a successor of - Justice NP Singh

Sistema Shyam Teleservices launched a messaging app for low-end CDMA devices called - mBuddy

Ashwin B. Pandya on 15 May 2014 was appointed as the Chairman of the - Central Water Commission

BJP emerged as the winner in the 16th Lok Sabha election by securing -282 seats of 543

Chief Minister of Bihar who tendered his resignation to the Governor taking responsibility of debacle of the party in 16th Lok Sabha election - Nitish Kumar

Padma Bhusan awardee and management guru who headed Tata Steel died in South Kolkata - Russi Mody

Bhasha Shahid Diwas or Language Martyrs Day was observed in Barak Valley of Assam on 19 May in remembrance of - martyrs of language of the state

Three-time F1 world champion the only driver, who won a title by a car bearing his name died - Sir Jack Brabham at the age of 88

Google has launched a service for Europeans in which they can request it to remove links related to them, the service is named - Right to be forgotten

Brazil released two postage stamps to pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema designed by Indian graphic designer Satya Raj

Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) upheld a penalty of 630 crore rupees imposed on real estate firm - DLF slapped by CCI



Martial law has been imposed in Thailand by its Army to - restore law and order in the country

Governor DY Patil administered his oath of the office and secrecy to the new Chief Minister of Bihar - Jitan Ram Manjhi

Government of India has extended the ban imposed on LTTE for five years under the provisions of the - Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act 1967)

Sundaram BNP Paribas Fund Services for maintaining high quality operating model and having effective control systems received - ISAE Type II certification

AIBA Executive Committee approved Boxing India as a provisional new - AIBA member to represent India

SC constituted a new bench to hear the case of the Sahara Chief in chit fund scam after Justice Khehar requested the CJI to - recuse him from the case

Former Zimbabwe batsman named as the batting coach of Pakistan cricket team for two years - Grant Flower

A 13-years and 11-month old girl of Andhra Pradesh on 25 May 2014 became the youngest woman to climb the highest peak of the world, Mount Everest - Malavath Poorna

TR Zeliang appointed as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland as the successor of - Neiphiu Rio

ONGC has started drilling its first-ever well in - Palar basin at Chinnapuliyur village near Chennai

Book entitled Anticipating India - The best of national interest was released on 24 May 2014 is authored by - Shekhar Gupta

To carry rodents to ISS, NASA has developed high-tech cages that will help them to study long-term effect of - microgravity on mammalian physiology

Narendra Modi on 26 May 2014 was sworn-in as the - 15th Prime Minister of India

SDMC signed a MoU with GeoSpatial Delhi to grant an Unique ID to properties in the civic bodys jurisdiction to easier the process of property tax collection named - Unique Property Identification Code (UPIC)

General Prayuth Chan-ocha led Royal Thai Army conducted a coup and imposed a military rule in Thailand after imposition of - martial law in Thailand

IAF MIG-21 crashed at Marhama Sangam in Bijbehara of Anantnag district in South Kashmir in which pilot squadron leader - Raghu Banshi died on board

Prime Minister of Libiya, Ahmed Maitiq and his cabinet was sworn-in, which has been challenged by other politicians by terming it - non-legitimate

Dalia Grybauskaite won election for second term as the - President of Lithuania

Union Cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi on 27 May 2014 constituted Special Investigating Team (SIT) on Black Money with - Justice (retd.) MB Shah to head it as its Chairman



Sachin Tendulkar has been appointed as the goodwill ambassador of - 35th National Games, Kerala

To investigate the poachers of Rhino and prosecute them, the Assam government will use RhODIS, a DNA-based forensic tool Rhino Indexing System

Maharashtra Government has included chapter on the name of master blaster Sachin in -Marathi and English subject syllabus of class IV.

Football named as Brazuca to be used in FIFA World Cup Brazil will have six in-built HD cameras to capture - 360 degree view of the on-field action.

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi - Nripendra Misra

14th Attorney-General of India appointed to succeed Gulam Vahanvati is- Mukul Rohatgi

American poet and author, Maya Angelou died in North Carolina is known for her first book - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

CCI approved proposal of purchase of 50% stake of Tata Group firm, Trent Hypermarket by - British retail major, Tesco

To boost food processing Chief Minister of Punjab gave in-principle approval to set-up a 150 crore rupees mega - Food Park at Ladowal in Ludhiana

Union Government and the World Bank signed a loan agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of 1006.20 million US dollar for - Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan III

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed a treaty in Kazakh capital of Astana to form the - Eurasian Economic Union

National Security Adviser of India is - Ajit Doval

June Month

KKR won the seventh edition of Indian Premier League 2014 final played at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore by defeating - KXIP by three wickets

Prime Minister of India abolished existing nine EGoMs and twenty-one GoMs to - empower the Ministers and Departments

The former guerrilla became the first President of El Salvador - Salvador Sanchez Ceren



Telangana on 2 June 2014 became 29th State of India, while Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana will remain joint-capital of - Andhra Pradesh for next 10 years

Solar powered plane took off from Payerne airfield in Switzerland to complete its inaugural flight - Solar Impulse-2

To enhance operational co-operation and validate capabilities, the Indian and French Air Force started bilateral exercise - Garuda V at Jodhpur Airbase

IAF mountaineering expedition team explored an unclimbed peak of Arunachal Pradesh at a height 5887 meters - Mt Gorichen

Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas sworn-in to the Palestinian National Unity Government led by - Prime Minister Rami Hamadallah

Government of Uttar Pradesh has ordered establishment of women helpline in 75 districts that will be monitored and maintained by - the SSP and SP

Central Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory of RGCA became Indias first aquaculture pathology laboratory to be accredited by - NABL

South Africa appointed Hashim Amla as test cricket captain as successor of - Graeme Smith who retired in March 2014

To honour parents throughout the world for selfless commitment to children, Global Day of Parents was observed on - 1 June

Amid an East-West showdown over Ukraine, the US President Barack Obama announced an US Security plan of 1 billion US dollar for - Eastern Europe

TERI Environmental Survey 2014 claimed for maximum urban population climate has - worsened

West Bengal and Maharashtra governments signed a MoU on victim of trafficking under which - they will identify and repatriate victims of trafficking

IICA & Grant Thornton India LLP signed a MoU to develop capacity of Indian companies to implement - the CSR Rules laid in Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013

Kamal Nath was today sworn-in as the Pro-tem Speaker of the newly constituted Lok Sabha by -President Pranab Mukherjee

President Obama appointed an Indian-American as the member of the US Holocaust Memorial Council on 3 June 2014 - Shefali Duggal

World Environment Day observed across the world on 5 June 2014 with theme - small islands and climate change and slogan raise your voice not the sea level

Pakistan has increased its defence budget by 11 percent for fiscal year 2014-15 - that starts on 1 July 2014

Assam Agricultural University and ICAR signed a MoU to open 638th Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in - Baksa district of Assam



India elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of the- Intangible Cultural Heritage for the next four years

Gadkari has been given additional charge of the Ministries of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation that was held by - Gopinath Munde

The last Navajo code (those were used during World War II and remain unbreakable till the end of the war) talkers died in New Mexico - Chester Nez

Ban imposed on export of drugs produced in Ranbaxys Toansa plant was lifted by the - European health regulator

Softbank Corp unveiled worlds first humanoid robot named Peeper that can - communicate and read human emotions

Vice Admiral Anil Chopra took charge of the Western Naval Command (WNC) as - Commander-in-Chief

Kedarnath Singh, a noted Hindi poet has been chosen for the - Jnanpith award for 2013

Railways has increased the passenger fare and freight charges by - 14.2 percent in all classes and 6.5 percent respectively

West Bengal government bifurcated Jalpaiguri district to create - Alipurduar district, the 20th district of the state

Canadas Quebec became first province of the country to adopt legislation - Right-to-Die

Music Group of Jaipur will perform during the XX Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland from 23 July to 3 August 2014 - Kawa

To highlight health and economic impacts of tobacco consumption the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare released a video entitled - The Price We Pay

Madhya Pradesh Government appointed Madhuri Dixit as the brand ambassador of maternal and child health campaign - Mamta Abhiyan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative postage stamps on the - 2014 FIFA World Cup that is being played in Brazil

Narmada Control Authority (NCA) gave its approval to Gujarat government to raise the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam on - Narmada River in Kevadia to 138.68 meters

India became a member of select group of 17 countries who are permanent signatories of -Washington Accord

Indian scientist has been elected as member of UNs body focused on oceans and law of the sea by securing support of all 111 members - Rasik Ravindra

BHEL commissioned 68 MW Unit in Himachal Pradesh at - the Rampur Hydro Electric Project

Maharashtra Assembly approved the Bill to amend the - Dance Bar Prohibition Act prohibiting dance bars across the state

State Cabinet of Maharashtra approved the long pending proposal of bifurcation of Thane



district to carve out - Palghar as 36th district of the state

Malayalam writer C Radhakrishnan selected for the prestigious Moortidevi Award for 2013 for his novel - Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram

Narendra Modi dedicated Indias largest warship - INS Vikramaditya to the nation

UK-based business association honoured Lord Swraj Paul with - Lifetime Achievement Award

World Blood Donor Day was observed across the world on 14 June 2014 with a theme - Safe blood for saving mothers

Independent High Level Committee headed by KK Mehrotra was constituted by Government to inquire into gas leakage incident in - Bhilai Steel Plant of Chhattisgarh

UNESCO inscribed Rani-ki-Vav stepwell of Gujarat into - World Heritage list

To draw attention to the plight of refugees and renew commitment to solve refugee problems, the world on 20 June 2014 observed - World Refugee Day

N Srinivasan for the 14th Consecutive year has been appointed as the chief of the - Tamil Nadu Cricket Association

Government has decided to provide interest-free loan of 4400 crore rupees to - cash-starved sugar mills

Project Mausam: Maritime Routes and Cultural Landscapes presented by Secretary of Culture, Ravindra Singh at - 38th session of World Heritage Committee

Indias national air carrier, Air India has joined the global airlines group - Star Alliance

Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at - Golden Ganj station near Chhapra in Bihar

World Vitiligo Day was observed across the world on - 25 June

Global giant HSBC on 24 June 2014 sold its Swiss private banking assets worth 12.5 billion dollars to - Liechtensteins LGT Bank

RBI has permitted the NBFCs to act as BCs of banks with an aim of - spreading financial inclusion

To thank the seafarers for their contribution to the economy and civil society of the world, International Seafarer's day was observed on - 25 June

Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel announced 33 percent reservation for women in the - police force in the state

Union Cabinet has approved an in principle MoU between India and China to set up - industrial parks in the country

Maharashtra government has approved 16% & 5% reservation in government jobs & educational institutions for - Maratha community and Muslims, respectively

Union Ministry of External Affairs has declared 24 June as the - Passport Seva Divas



The in-exile-President of BCCI, N Srinivasan has been appointed as - the first Chairperson of ICC

Olympic Association announced the dates of 35th National Games and will be held from - 31 January to 14 February 2015 in Kerala

Union Government gave a deadline of three months to States to implement - the National Food Security Act

Scientists have claimed, 3500 million years ago, glaciers were present on- Martian crater gale

High-level forum, Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths was held in - Washington on 25 June 2014

Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath began at - Puri of Odisha

ISRO has launched PSLV C23 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and it carried - five satellites from four nations

Saina Nehwal won 750000 US dollar Australian Open Super Series at Sydney by defeating - Carolina Marin of Spain

Indian cueist, Pankaj Advani won his maiden IBSF 6-Red World snooker title at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt by defeating - Kacper Flilpiak of Poland

Now time for some Questions and Answers Topic-Wise

January

INDIA & WORLD

1) India on 1 January 2014 decided to send a team of senior officials to assess the political and security situation in - ? Ans:- South Sudan

2)Which country and India on 2 January 2014 signed an agreement on labour cooperation for domestic service workers recruitment ? Ans:- Saudi Arabia

3) Which country and India on 13 January 2014 signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector ?



Ans:- Canada

4) Which country decided to be one of the partners in the proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) in Andhra Pradesh on 6 January 2014? Ans:- China

5) Which country and India on on 18 January 2014 agreed to promote cooperation in renewable energy, especially in areas of solar energy and wind power ? Ans:- United Arab Emirates (UAE)

NATIONAL

1) Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 1 January 2014 gave his assent to which bill which aims at regulating corruption in public domain? Ans:- Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013

2) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal for construction of a 220kV Transmission system from on 2 January 2014 ? Ans:- Alusteng (Srinagar) to Leh

3) The Government of India on 10 January 2014 notified the new natural gas pricing formula.This new price mechanism would come into effect from which date? Ans:- From 1 April 2014

4) Name the programme for young persons of Overseas Indians introduced by Government of India in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 8 January 2014? Ans:- Know India programme

5) Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas launched LPG Connection Portability Scheme across the country on 22 January 2014. Name the present Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas? Ans:- M Veerappa Moily

STATES

1) Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) officially launched the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP) at on 6 January 2014 ? Ans:- Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh )

2) Which state will launch its adult vaccination drive against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) from 22 February 2014 ? Ans:- Assam

3) Which state Government on 15 January 2014 decided to increase the reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 19.5 percent to 27 percent ? Ans:- Goa

4) Which state on 9 January 2014 became the first State in India to provide Universal Health Coverage to its population ? Ans:- Karnataka

5) The pilot project of Amuls first Any Time Milk (ATM) vending machine to dispense milk on 24X7 basis was on 19 January 2014 installed at - ? Ans:- Anand, Gujarat



CONFERENCES

1) International Petroleum Conference 2014 (PETROTECH-2014) was held from 12th 15th January 2014 at which place ? Ans:- New Delhi

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Which film has been adjudged Best Motion Picture at 71st annual Golden Globe Awards ? Ans:- 12 Years a Slave

2) Who has won the DSC prize 2014 for South Asian literature for his book Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer on 18 January 2014? Ans:- Cyrus Mistry

3) Name the Indian Noted author and journalist has been awarded a Fellowship of Kings College London, the British institutions highest honour on 16 January 2014 ? Ans:- Khushwant Singh

4) Which state bagged 3rd Krishi Karman Award for 2012-13 for being the best performing state in overall agricultural production in the country on 18 January 2014? Ans:- West Bengal

5) Name the Indian born Scientist and Professor (Emeritus) at Stanford University on 21 January 2014 was awarded with prestigious 2014 Marconi Society Prize for developing the theory and application of MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antennas ? Ans:- Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Corey Anderson ,who hit the fastest century in one-day international history on 1 January 2014 , belongs to which country ? Ans:- New Zealand

2) Which player was awarded the Order of Prince Henry, one of the Portugals highest honours, by the Portugals president office on 3 January 2014? Ans:- Cristiano Ronaldo

3) Who won the Sydney International Tennis Tournament Womens singles title on 10 January 2014 ? Ans:- Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria

4) Who retained the Volvo Golf Champions title at the Durban Country Club held on 12 January 2014? Ans:- South Africas Louis Oosthuizen

5) Which Australian cricketer won the coveted Allan Border medal 2014 on 20 January 2014? Ans:- Mitchell Johnson

ECONOMY



1) Which entity was on 6 January 2014 selected by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to act as a local operating unit for issuing globally compatible Legal Entity Identifiers (LEIs) in India? Ans:- The Clearing Corporation of India Limited CCIL

2) According to data provided by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Seafood Exporters Association of India on 9 January 2014, which country has recently overtaken South East Asia as the largest market for Indian seafood exports? Ans:- The United States

3) POSCO, the South Korean steel maker giant on 10 January 2014 received environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in which state ? Ans:- Odisha

4) What is the name of world first Bitcoin storage service that insures deposits of the digital currency against hackers and accidental loss, which was opened on London on 12 January 2013? Ans:- Elliptic Vault

5) Which state became the first state to withdraw FDI in Multibrand Retail on 13 January 2013? Ans:- Delhi

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) Name the software to predict weather developed by researchers from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) recently? Ans:- Monitoring Climate Change (Moclic)

2) Which Meteorological Data Processing System was dedicated to the nation on 15 January 2014 on the occasion of 139th Foundation Day of India Meteorological Department (IMD)? Ans:- INSAT 3D

3) What is the name of Indias satellite-based flight navigation system which has been certified by aviation regulator DGCA, recently ? Ans:- GAGAN

4) Which country has recently carried out another successful test of its advanced missile defense system named Arrow 3 designed to intercept long range missiles ? Ans:- Israel

5) Name Indias supercomputer rated 1st in India, 9th in the Asia Pacific Region and 44th in the world among the most power efficient computer systems as per the Green500 List? Ans:- Param Yuva-II

PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

1) Who has been elected as the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly on 3 January 2014? Ans:- M.S. Dhir



2) Who was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uninor on 8 January 2014 ? Ans:- Morten Karlsen Sorby

3) Who has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of private insurer Future Generali India Life Insurance on 7 January 2014? Ans:- Munish Sharda

B) RESIGNS

1) Garry Kenneth Toomey on 16 January 2014 resigned as the CEO of a prominent Indian airline company.Which airline is this? Ans:- Jet Airways

C) DEATHS

1) Namdeo Dhasal, the firebrand writer and fierce fighter for Dalit rights who passed away on 15 January 2014 was a famous poet in which language? Ans:- Marathi

D) VISITORS

1) Name the South Korean President visited India from 15 18 January 2014 ? Ans:- Park Geun-Hye

E) MISCELLANEOUS

1) Who retired as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 20 January 2014? Ans:- Anand Sinha

PLACES IN NEWS

1) Which Indian railway stations platform number one has become the worlds longest platform as announced by Limca Book of Records on 11 January 2014? Ans:- Gorakhpur railway station, Uttar Pradesh

ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

1) What is the full form of NASSCOM ? Ans:- National Association of Software and Services Companies

BOOKS IN NEWS

1) Driven, a book released recently, has been written by a former a Civil Servant Turned Entrepreneur. Who is he? Ans:- Jagdish Khattar

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) Who was the head of RBIs committee on strengthening monetary policy framework, which in its recommendations has suggested that the target for inflation should be set at 4% with a band of +/- 2% around it ? Ans:- Urjit Patel, Deputy Governor of the RBI

DAYS & DATES



1) National Girl Child Day is observed on ? Ans:- January24

February

INTERNATIONAL

1) Which two countries have on 5 February 2014 agreed to hold reunions of families separated since the Korean War ? Ans:- North Korea and South Korea

2) Which country has topped in terms of intellectual property (IP) environment in the list of 25 countries released recently? Ans:- US

3) In the month of February 2014 South African president Jacob Zuma announced the general elections will be held on - ? Ans:- 2014 May 7

4) In the month of February 2014 which country has agreed to develop biggest cargo airport in Afghanistan on Herat airport that is located in Western part of the country ? Ans:- Italy

5) Which countrys Parliament on 19 February 2014 passed a law that made it mandatory to put graphic warning on cigarette packs? Ans:- Sri Lanka

INDIA & WORLD

1) Which two countries have signed two umbrella agreements for financial and technical co-operation on 5 February 2014 ? Ans:- India and Germany

2) Which country and India on 11 February 2014 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) as part of their efforts to intensify bilateral cooperation in the area of renewable energy ? Ans:- Netherlands

3) India was ranked in the list of ten countries in terms of digital governance on 11 February 2014 ? Ans:- 8th

4) Which insurgent group from India ranked fourth among the top ten most active non-state armed groups in 2013, according to the IHS Janes latest Global Terrorism and Insurgency Attack Index, a major defence and business risk think-tank? Ans:- The Communist Party of India



5) What was Indias rank among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2014 released on 12 February 2014? Ans:- 140

NATIONAL

1) On 7 February 2014 the Supreme Court of India upheld recommendations made by the Justice Majithia wage board. The Majithia wage board is related to hiking salaries for ____? Ans:- Journalists and non-journalists

2) Indias anti-corruption watchdog Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) completed how many years of its establishment on 11 February 2014? Ans:- 50 years

3) Which railway on 9 February 2014 launched a new android-based smartphone app named HYLITES, which is claimed to be the first of its kind of app on Indian Railways offering most of the enquiry needs of city-based passengers? Ans:- South Central Railway SCR

4) India Post (Dept. of Posts) on 13 February 2014 launched electronic Indian Postal Order (e-IPO) for Indian Citizens living in India. e-IPO facilitates paying online fee for which purpose? Ans:- For seeking information under the RTI

5) Which major port of the country was renamed Kamarajar Port as announced by the Union Government on 20 February 2014? Ans:- Ennore Port in Chennai

STATES

1) Indias first monorail Mumbai Monorail was opened for the general public on 2 February 2014 after being inaugurated on 1 February.Which authority owns and operates this monorail project? Ans:- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)

2) Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications & Information Technology on 4 February 2014 launched a special service of the Speed Post for booking and delivery of Notices/ Summons of which High Court with Proof of Delivery (PoD) facility? Ans:- Delhi High Court

3) Which State Police on 6 February 2014 launched a helpline number +91-8750871111 for foreign nationals in distress ? Ans:- Delhi

4) Union Cabinet approved the Telangana Bill on 7 February 2014. As per the bill which will be the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh? Ans:- Hyderabad

5) The Union Ministry of Urban Development gave an in-principle approval to the Phase I of the - Metro Rail Project on 12 February 2014 ? Ans:- Pune

CONFERENCES



1) The 2014 G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting was held from 22-23 February 2014 at - ? Ans:- Sydney, Australia

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Name the director of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), the avionics hub of DRDOs missile complex, on 3 February 2014 received Indian Science Congress Associations Homi J. Bhabha Memorial Award for 2013-14 ? Ans:- G. Satheesh Reddy

2) Who was conferred Award of Honour by Ron Burton, President of Rotary International on 11 February 2014 in New Delhi ? Ans:- President Pranab Mukherjee

3) Malala Yousafzai has been nominated for the World Childrens Prize on 7 February 2014. In which year World Childrens Prize, also known as the Childrens Nobel Prize was founded? Ans:- 2000

4) Who were received the International Gandhi Award for the year 2013 on 15 February 2014 ? Ans:- Dr. Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Who won the Winnipeg Winter Club Open trophy on 3 February 2014 ? Ans:- Indias Squash player Joshna Chinappa

2) Who became the youngest Russian athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics 2014 at Sochi, Russia on 9 February 2014 in free skating in the team figure skating competition ? Ans:- Yulia Lipnitskaya

3) International Olympic Committee (IOC) revoked ban on Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after how many months on 11 February 2014? Ans:- 14 months

4) The 2014 Winter Olympics was held from 7 23 February 2014 at ? Ans:- Sochi, Russia

5) Which player came out as the most expensive player for the 7th edition of IPL, auction for which was held on 12 February 2014? Ans:- Yuvraj Singh

ECONOMY

1) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 6 February 2014 approved 100% FDI in which mobile company thus making it the countrys first telecom player to be fully owned by a foreign company? Ans:- Vodafone

2) Which two Northeastern states are set to come on rail map as part of Railways extension of network in the Northeastern States as announced in the interim Railway Budget for 2014-15, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on 12 February 2014?



Ans:- Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh

3) What is the name of Indias first public sector unit (PSU), the revival plan for which was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 13 February 2014? Ans:- ITI Limited

4) Reserve Bank on 4 February 2014 has issued certificate of authorisation to four non-bank entities to set up White Label ATMs (WLAs) in the country. Which among the following was not in that list of non-bank entities? Ans:- Varkeys Ventures


1) What is the name of the supersonic cruise missile was successfully fired on 6 February 2014 from a naval warship INS Trikand in salvo mode in the Arabian Sea ? Ans:- BrahMos

2) Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched third-line drug therapy for people living with on 12 February 2014 ? Ans:- HIV/AIDS

3) Which country scientist have recently discovered a pre-leukemic stem cell that may be at the root of acute myeloid leukemia ? Ans:- Canada

4) Indias Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan, completed 100 days in space on - ? Ans:- 12 February 2014

PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

1) Who took over as Asian Development Banks new Country Director for India on 3 February 2014? Ans:- Teresa Kho

2) Who was appointed as the new CEO and Managing Director of MCX Stock Exchange (MCX-SX), the countrys newest full-fledged stock exchange on 2 February 2014? Ans:- Saurabh Sarkar

3) John Thompson was appointed as the Chairman of which tech giant on 5 February 2014? Ans:- Microsoft )

4) Who was selected as the new President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) on 7 February 2014? Ans:- R Sridharan

B) RESIGNS

1) Who resigned as the Director General of Cricket in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on 15 February 2014? Ans:- Javed Miandad



C) DEATHS

1) Balu Mahendra, who passed away on 13 February 2014 at Chennai , was associated with which field? Ans:- Films

D) VISITORS

1) Name the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic visited India from 13 to 15 February 2014 ? Ans:- Erlan Abdyldaev

E) MISCELLANEOUS

1) Which cricketer joined hands with an NGO Navbharat Sewa Samiti to roll out a campaign named Cancer Mukt Purvi Dilli focussing on awareness, education and early detection of the disease on 10 February 2014? Ans:- Yuvraj Singh

PLACES IN NEWS

1) Which country on 14 February 2014 announced a plan to build the longest underwater tunnel of the World ? Ans:- China


1) What is the full form of PFRDA ? Ans:- PFRDA Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority

BOOKS IN NEWS

1) What is the name of second book written by celebrated writer JK Rowling under pseudonym which will be released during June 2014? Ans:- The Silkworm

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) The committee which investigated allegations of spot-fixing and betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) submitted its report to the Supreme Court on 10 February 2014.Who headed this committee? Ans:- Justice Mukul Mudgal

DAYS & DATES

1) International Mother Language Day (Bhasha Divas) was observed on- ? Ans:- 21 February 2014

March



INTERNATIONAL

1) Which country announced on 11 March 2014 a plan to lease Himalayan peaks to private companies to ease traffic on Mount Everest and to boost tourism ? Ans:- Nepal

2) The Supreme Court of - on 9 March 2014 sacked the Election Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek and his deputy Ahmad Fayaz ? Ans:- Maldives

3) Who won the El Salvadors presidential election on 17 March 2014 ? Ans:- Salvador Sanchez Ceren

4) Which country Forces on 17 March 2014 handed over its two important military bases in southern Helmand province to Afghan security forces and closed down another base ? Ans:- Britain

5) Which country and New Zealand announced a landmark deal on 18 March 2014 that allows the direct trading of the two countries currencies ? Ans:- China

INDIA & WORLD

1) India, Sri Lanka and Maldives on 6 March 2014 held national security advisor-level meet on maritime security cooperation in - ? Ans:- New Delhi

2) According to the latest data from the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) released on 5 March 2014, which country has turned out to be the third most dangerous country in the world in terms of bomb blasts cases (per year) only ? Ans:- India

3) What was Indias rank in the recently released report of the global anti-money laundering body Financial Action Task Force (FATF) pertaining to progress in combating money laundering in the world ? Ans:- 34

4) Which country was recenlty ranked fourth in a Microsoft report in the list of the countries sending out spam e-mails ? Ans:- India

5) Which country and India have signed on 18 March 2014 an agreement to work together in software, information technology and infrastructure ? Ans:- China

NATIONAL

1) The Union government has on 4 March 2014 launched the Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme a health scheme for ____? Ans:- Minority Students

2) Recently, Union government has launched a nation-wide campaign awareness campaign to curb the spread of dengue disease.The campaign has been named as ? Ans:- U and ME against Dengue



3) Election Commission on 5 March 2014 announced the dates for Lok Sabha polls. Over 814 million voters constituting the biggest electorate in the world will exercise their franchise to elect 543 members to the 16 th Lok Sabha in how many phases? Ans:- 9

4) The Government of India (GoI) recently announced to build how many low cost airports in the next 20 years ? Ans:- 200

5) In the month of March 2014 government has approved to set up countrys second nuclear f uel complex to reprocess atomic fuel in ? Ans:- Rajasthan

STATES

1) The government has recently approved the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) to sustain the Himalayan ecosystem, continuously assess it s health status.The NMSHE covers how many states of India? Ans:- Twelve

2) Name the new health scheme launched on 6 March 2014 by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) for women? Ans:- Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna

3) Which state government on 3 March 2014 launched a novel scheme Dial a doctor which will enable the public to seek health-related advice over phone round-the-clock from doctors by dialling a toll-free number ? Ans:- Kerala

4) Which state approved the Backward Class (BC) status for the Jat and Jat Sikhs of the State on 5 March 2014 ? Ans:- Punjab

5) For how many years, Hyderabad is envisaged as the common capital for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as per Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014? Ans:- 10 years

CONFERENCES

1) The 3rd Summit meet of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was held from 1 4 March 2014 at ? Ans:- Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Alfonso Cuaron won the Best director award in Oscars 2014 for which movie? Ans:- Gravity

2) Who won the 2014 Templeton Prize ? Ans:- Tomas Halik

3) Who has been selected for the 17th Gollapudi Srinivas National Award 2013 for his debut film as a director, The Good Road in Gujarati ? Ans:- Gyan Correa



4) What is the name of the Indian journalist who won the prestigious Google Digital Activism Award for 2014 beating likes of Edward Snowden? Ans:- Shubhranshu Choudhary

5) Which water-based initiative from India won the 2014 UN-Water Water for Life Best Practices Award as announced on 21 March 2014? Ans:- International Water Management Institute (IWMI)-Tata Water Policy Programme

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Who won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship doubles title on 1 March 2014 ? Ans:- Indo-Pak duo Rohan Bopanna and Aihsan ul Haq Qureshi

2) Which club won the Capital One football Cup in the final held at Wembley on 2 March 2014 ? Ans:- Manchester City

3) Name the Indian shuttler won the German Open Grand Prix Mens singles title on 2 March 2014 ? Ans:- Arvind Bhat

4) Which country won the Asia Cup 2014 title after defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Shere Bangla National Stadium Mirpur, Bangladesh on 8 March 2014 ? Ans:- Sri Lanka

5) Which country won the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2014 ? Ans:- South Africa

ECONOMY

1) Who is the Worlds top richest Billionaire with worth of 76 billion dollars according to Forbes magazines 28th Annual World billionaires list released on 3 March 2014? Ans:- Bill Gates

2) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13 March 2014 hiked the trade related remittance limit from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh per transaction.What was the reason for this increase? Ans:- Increase in the number of transactions handled by exchange houses

3) Bharti Airtel and which international telecom giant signed a pact on 4 March 2014 to set up a multi-service regional network infrastructure node in India? Ans:- Etisalat

4) Government of India on 4 March 2014 hiked the interest rates on fixed deposit scheme that is offered by post offices by up to - percent? Ans:- 0.2 %

5) Which state scored the highest in monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE) for urban areas in the recently released ranking by the by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO)? Ans:- Haryana




1) In the month of March 2014 World Longest aircraft Airlander or HAV304 was unveiled at - ? Ans:- Cardington in Bedfordshire, Britain

2) Name the Indian-American scientist on 6 March 2014 developed the first 3D model of a human fingerprint called Phantom ? Ans:- Anil Jain

3) Scientists in the - community discovered a way to rebuild ears and noses using stem cells from body fat on 4 March 2014 ? Ans:- British

4) Which seemingly impoverished country recently made a surprising entry into the high-tech world with its own manufactured Android tablet named Surtab? Ans:- Haiti

5) Name the student of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on 17 March 2014 developed a robot that can swim like fish ? Ans:- Andrew Marchese

PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

1) Who assumed charge as the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on 3 March 2014? Ans:- Arjun Bahadur Thapa

2) Who was appointed as the Chairman of Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB) on 11 March 2014 ? Ans:- Justice (Retd.) BN Srikrishna

B) RESIGNS

1) Nandan Nilekani on 13 March 2014 resigned as Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).When he took charge as the first Chairman of UIDAI? Ans:- In 2007

C) DEATHS

1) Name the the author of the Fatal Vision died on 10 March 2014 at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, US ? Ans:- Joe McGinniss

D) VISITORS

1) Name the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President visited India from 19 22 March 2014 ? Ans:- John Ashe

E) MISCELLANEOUS

1) Misao Okawa, the oldest woman in the world, turned 116 on 6 March 2014. She is from which country? Ans:- Japan



PLACES IN NEWS

1) What is the name of the proposed 70-storey temple, billed to be the tallest shrine in the world, which was inaugurated on 16 March 2014 at Vrindavan in UP? Ans:- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir


1) What is the full form of IBRD ? Ans:- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

BOOKS IN NEWS

1) What is the name of another book written by Wendy Doniger, whose publisher on 10 March 2014 announced it will not reprint this book until an acceptable resolution pertaining to the alleged controversies in this book are found? Ans:- On Hinduism

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) Which committee has recently recommended an anti-discrimination law for Muslims on lines of SC/ST law? Ans:- Amitabh Kundu Committee

DAYS & DATES

1) World Water Day was observed on - ? Ans:- 22 March

APRIL

INTERNATIONAL

1) In which country the Multilateral Humanitarian Assistance / disaster relief (HA/DR) Exercise, KOMODO was conducted from March 28th to 3 April 2014 ? Ans:- Indonesia

2) What is the name of the biblical epic movie which was banned by Malaysia and Indonesia on 7 April 2014 for its visual depiction of the prophet? Ans:- Noah

3) Which country Parliament on 8 April 2014 voted to reject the request by the Catalan authorities to hold a referendum on independence on 9 November 2014 ? Ans:- Spain



4) Which country on 9 April 2014 taking a novel approach to protecting doctors from growing levels of violence from angry patients: volunteer Guardian Angels ? Ans:- China

5) A comprehensive legislation on Internet privacy for both service providers and Internet Users was on 23 April 2014 passed by which country ? Ans:- Brazil

INDIA & WORLD

1) Recently, India and which country have reached an agreement to include a new cross-boundary landscape in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region ? Ans:- Nepal and Bhutan

2) As per the latest data released by SIPRI, country with highest military expenditure in 2013 is ? Ans:- USA

3) Which country and India on 22 April 2014 signed an agreement for the development of joint hydropower projects in a bid to further strengthen their bilateral strategic partnership ? Ans:- Bhutan

4) Which country was rated lowest for average internet speed in the Asia Pacific region in a recently conducted study done by US firm Akamai? Ans:- India

5) Which country President and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 25 April 2014 issued a Joint Statement emphasizing robust trilateral relation with India ? Ans:- US

NATIONAL

1) Government on 13 April 2014 sanctions the recruitment of women as combat officers in ? Ans:- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

2) Name the programme was launched by Election Commission of India (ECI) on 15 April 2014 ? Ans:- Election VIsitors Programme (EVP) 2014

3) Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 2 April 2014 approved the Tata and Singapore Airlines (SIA) joint venture called? Ans:- Tata SIA Airlines Ltd

4) The Election Commission has launched on 17 April its own internet-based media arm called ? Ans:- Voter Education Channel

STATES

1) Which North-eastern state capital on 7 April 2014 became the second in the region to have rail-connectivity? Ans:- Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh



2) Recently the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest accorded environmental clearance (with some conditions) to the expansion of Bhubaneshwari opencast project in which state ? Ans:- Odisha

3) Name the stone-age tribes of Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) islands who for the first time casted their votes in Great Nicobar on 10 April 2014 ? Ans:- Shompens

4) Which state has achieved the highest rate of increase in the number of electors in the country in the past five years as stated in the electoral data released early this year? Ans:- Tamil Nadu

5) Which state has recorded the highest growth rate of milk production and per capita availability during the five year period of 2006-10, according to Assocham study ? Ans:- Andhra Pradesh

CONFERENCES

1) In which country the International Hindi Conference was held from 25 27 April 2014 ? Ans:- US

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Renowned poet-lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar was on 12 April 2014 selected for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for 2013.What is the real name of Gulzar? Ans:- Sampooran Singh Kalra

2) Which film was selected as the Best Film for 61st National Film Awards announced on 16 April 2014? Ans:- Ship of Theseus

3) Who won special jury award of Times Now NRI Awards 2014? Ans:- Zubin Mehta

4) ) Randstad Awards 2014 for most attractive employer in India goes to - for the 4th consecutive year ? Ans:- Microsoft

5) The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-2014 has been awarded to Donna Tartt, for her novel ? Ans:- The Goldfinch

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Who won the India Super Series Badminton tournament womens Singles title on 6 April 2014 ? Ans:- Shixian Wang (China)

2) Which team won the 4th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2014 (Division A) on 6 April 2014 ? Ans:- Punjab

3) Which country on 6 April 2014 won the T20 cricket world cup 2014 ?



Ans:- Sri Lanka

4) Which English Premier League club was denied the permission to change its name by the Football Association Council (FAC) on 9 April 2014? Ans:- Hull City

5) Which team won the National T20 title for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on 14 April 2014? Ans:- Baroda

ECONOMY

1) The Reserve Bank of India on 2 April 2014 granted in-principle approval of bank licences to which two entitites? Ans:- IDFC Limited and Bandhan Financial Services Private Limited

2) What is the proposed additional tax on those earning over Rs 1 crore through dividend income in the draft of the Direct Taxes Code (DTC), which was released on 1 April 2014? Ans:- 10%

3) Reserve Bank of India on 1 April 2014 adopted which index as the key measure of Inflation? Ans :- Consumer Price Index (CPI)

4) Which firm became the first Indian retail e-commerce to file for an initial public offering (IPO) on NASDAQ and to be listed on this US stock exchange? Ans:- HomeShop18

5) India retained the top spot in the world in foreign exchange remittances from its migratory workforce during 2013. How much remittance was received by India during the year? Ans:- $70 billion


1) A vast liquid ocean was found on which moon of Saturn by NASAs Cassini probe as published by Science magazine on 3 April 2014? Ans:- Enceladus

2) After its ten and half years service in orbit, on 1st April 2014 ISRO decommissioned which Communication Satellite? Ans:- INSAT-3E

3) What is the name of the deadly virus for which the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) issued an advisory on 11 April 2014 to all Internet users in the country? Ans:- Heartbleed

4) Name the professor at Stanford University alongwith his students, invents a dirt cheap microscope named Foldscope on 15 April 2014 ? Ans:- Manu Prakash

5) Which country Scientists on 17 April 2014 created a 3D model of the human malaria parasite genome for the first time ? Ans:- US



PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

1) Who was named as the captain of the ICC World T20 team on 7 April 2014 ? Ans:- Mahendra Singh Dhoni

2) Name the Indian-American was on 5 April 2014 nominated by President Barack Obama to a key post as US Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ? Ans:- Sunil Sabharwal

B) RESIGNS

1) Which country Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov, has announced his resignation on 2 April 2014 ? Ans:- Kazakhstan

C) DEATHS

1) Name the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author died on 17 April 2014 ? Ans:- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

2) Name the Former Liberian President, who led a peacetime government after two ruinous back-to-back civil wars, died on 16 April 2014 ? Ans:- Gyude Bryant

D) VISITORS

1) Name the Namibian Prime Minister visited China on 8 9 April 2014 ? Ans:- Hage Geingob

E) MISCELLANEOUS

Which two former Popes were declared Saints by the Pope Francis at the Vatican on 27 April 2014? Ans:- John XXIII and John Paul II

PLACES IN NEWS

1) In the month of April Archaeologists discovered a 3500-year-old inscription on a stone block in which country and claimed that it is the oldest weather report of the world ? Ans:- Egypt


1) What is the full form of IRNSS ? Ans:- Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System

BOOKS IN NEWS



1) What is the title of the book written by former Coal Secretary P.C. Parakh in which he claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs inability to take on vested interests led to the coal block row? Ans:- Crusader or Conspirator : Coalgate and other truths

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) Who is the Chairman of the committee appointed by Supreme Court on 22 April 2014 to monitor the steps taken by the centre and state government to ensure road safety and curb growing number of accidents ? Ans:- Justice Radhakrishnan

DAYS & DATES

1) World Malaria Day (WMD) was observed on across the world ? (Ans:- 25 April 2014 )

MAY

INTERNATIONAL

1) Pakistans National Assembly on 6 May 2014 approved a resolution to lift a ban on video-sharing website YouTube.YouTube has been banned in Pakistan for how many times? Ans:- Three times

2) Which country President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar on 9 May 2014 agreed on a peace deal that proposes to end five months of conflict ? Ans:- South Sudan

3) Which Afro-Arabian country on 1 May 2014 adopted a landmark new electoral law, which requires party lists for legislative elections to be half women and half men?

Ans:- Tunisia

4) China on 19 May 2014 set up a 1.6 billion dollars (10 billion Yuan) fund that will support projects related to ? Ans:- Maritime Silk Road development of China

5) Which country on 22 May 2014 suspended the 12th bull fight festival after matadors got injured by bulls ? Ans:- Spain

INDIA & WORLD

1) The new protocol Declaration on Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax Matters on tax data exchanges has been signed on 6 May 2014 in ? Ans:- Paris



2) Recently, which country has imposed ban on import of chilli pepper from India? Ans:- Saudi Arabia

3) Which country has topped the list of World Mothers Index-2014? Ans:- Finland

4) To pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema, which country on 5 May 2014 released two postage stamps designed by an Indian graphic designer ? Ans:- Brazil

NATI

Documents

Half Yearly GS 2014