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February 1, 2016
1) Which tiny Pacific Ocean country
will bring a lawsuit against 9
countries including India forallegedly failing to halt the nuclear
arms race? –Marshall Islands
Explanation: The tiny Marshall
Islands in March 2016 will seek to
persuade International Court of
Justice (ICJ) to take up a lawsuit
against nine countries that includesIndia, which it accuses of failing to
halt the nuclear arms race.
The International Court of
Justice on 30 January 2016
announced dates for separate
hearings for the three cases
between 7 and 16 March 2016. In 2014, the Marshall Islands
accused nine countries of not
fulfilling their obligations with
respect to the cessation of the
nuclear arms race at an early
date and to nuclear
disarmament.
The 9 countries involved in this
matter are China, Britain,
France, India, Israel, North
Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and
the United States.
The Marshall Islands had
decided to sue the world’s
nuclear heavyweights as it has
a particular awareness of the
dire consequences of nuclear
weapons. Between 1946 and
1958 the United States
conducted repeated nuclear
tests in the Marshall Islands.
In the cases brought against
India and Pakistan, the court
will examine whether the
tribunal based in The Hague is
competent to hear the lawsuits.
2) Novak Djokovic won the men’s
singles title of 2016 Australian Openon 31 January 2016 to win his sixth
title of the career. Whom he
defeated in the final? – Andy
Murray (Britain)
Explanation: Novak Djokovic of
Serbia defeated Andy Murray in
straights sets by 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 to
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earn his sixth Australian Open title
of his magnificent career.
This was Djokovic’s 11th
GrandSlam title overall. His 11th grand
slam title also means he has
drawn level with Bjorn Borg
and Rod Laver.
On the other hand, Murray has
now lost all five Australian
Open finals he has played, four
of them against Djokovic. Hethus also became only the
second man (behind his former
coach Ivan Lendl at the US
Open) to lose five finals at the
same Grand Slam since the
open era began in 1968.
3) Who defeated six-time champion
Serena Williams (US) in the
women’s singles final of the
Australian Open on 30 January to
win her maiden Grand Slam tennis
title? – Angelique Kerber
(Germany)
Explanation: Seventh seeded
German player Angelique Kerber
ended six-time champion and top
seeded Serena Williams’ unbeaten
streak in finals on 30 January 2016
and won a major title for the first
time.
Williams was an overwhelming
favourite to win the final where
she had won all six previous
times she’d reached the final.
But Kerber displayed great guts
to stun Williams by 6-4, 3-6, 6-
4.
It is worth mentioning that
Williams won the Australian
Open, French Open and
Wimbledon titles last year
before losing to Roberta Vinci
in the US Open semifinals.
4) Which state became the first
non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)state to sign agreement for the
central government power reforms
plan – Ujwal Discoms Assurance
Yojana (UDAY)? – Uttar Pradesh
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Explanation: Uttar Pradesh on 30
January 2016 became the first non-
BJP ruled state to sign the MoU for
Ujwal Discoms Assurance Yojana(UDAY). It became the fourth state
(overall) to sign MoU after
Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand. The total states that
have given in-principle approval of
joining the UDAY reforms are now
15.
For the states that sign up for
UDAY, one of the first steps is
to take over 75% of discom
debt as on 30 September 2015
over two years – 50% in 2015-
16 and 25% in 2016-17.
UP, with its five distribution
companies (discoms), has atotal debt exposure of Rs
53,200 crore, outstanding as
on November 2015, will now be
restructured under UDAY.
5) Who took over as the FlagOfficer Commanding-in-Chief of the
Southern Naval Command on 30
January 2016? – Vice Admiral
Girish Luthra
Explanation: Vice Admiral Girish
Luthra took over charge as the Flag
Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the
Southern Naval Commandfrom Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba on
30 January at a function held at the
Naval base in Kochi.
On the other hand Vice Admiral
Sunil Lanba assumed the
charge of the Flag Officer
Commanding in Chief, WesternNaval Command at a function
held at Mumbai on 31 January
2016. He took reins from Vice
Admiral SPS Cheema, who
retired on the same day.
6) Former Army Chief General KV
Krishna Rao, who passed away on
30 January 2016, was known to
have played a key role in which
war? – 1971 Bangladesh
Liberation War
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Explanation: General Rao was the
14th Chief of the Army Staff of
Indian Army and had an illustrious
career spanning over four decadesin the force. He headed Indian
Army from 1 June 1981 to July
1983.
His Division participated in the
1971 India-Pakistan War in
Eastern Theatre and was
instrumental in the capture of
Sylhet area and liberation of
North-East Bangladesh.
After his retirement he was
appointed Governors of fourstates (Nagaland, Manipur,
Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir)
for different tenures. He was
made Governor of Jammu &
Kashmir in 1989, a time when
militancy was at its peak in the
state.
February 2, 2016
1) Chinese Army on 1 February
2016 implemented which major
step as part of the comprehensive
plan to carry out reforms in
country’s military structure? – It
established military’s five new
battle zones
Explanation: Chinese Army on 1
February 2016 reclassified seven
military regions into five new battle
zones – the East, West, South,
North and Middle battle zones.
These new zones will now shoulderthe responsibility of responding to
their respective security threats,
upholding peace and constraining
conflict.
It is worth mentioning that
China is pushing major reforms
in its military establishment forsome time now.
The reforms include
establishing a joint operational
command structure by year
2020 and rejigging existing
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military regions, as well as
cutting troop numbers by
300,000.
It has already inaugurated a
general command unit for the
People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
in 2015. Later PLA’s four
military headquarters were split
into 15 new units – covering
everything from logistics to
equipment development,
political work and fightingcorruption.
2) Which community of Andhra
Pradesh came to news for being
engaged in a stir seeking
reservation under OBC category,
which turned violent on 31 January
2016 after a train was sent ablaze?
–Kapu Community
Explanation: Andhra Pradesh’s
Kapu community has been
demanding job reservations under
Other Backward Caste (OBC)
category for quite some time. Chief
Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had
promised OBC status to the
community during Assembly
elections in 2014.
The protest, which was going
on for some days, turned
violent on 31 January 2016 as
the agitators went on rampage,
setting four coaches of
Ratnachal Express on fire at
Tuni station near Vijayawadaand blocked the national
highway-16 in East Godavari
district. However, no casualty
took place as all passengers
had vacated the bogies.
Seven trains were cancelled,
four others partially cancelled
and six diverted on the Vijayawada-Rajahmundry-
Visakhapatnam section due to
the protest.
Later on 1 February 2016 the
leaders of Kapu community
called off its agitation after
assurances from Chief Minister
Chandrababu Naidu.
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3) Which two-wheeler company on
1 February 2016 launched ‘V’, a
new bike, which contains the metal
from India’s first aircraft carrier INS
Vikrant? – Bajaj Auto
Explanation: Bajaj Auto, the
Pune-based two and three-wheeler
maker, rolled-out the 150-cc bike,
christened ‘V’. The main attraction
of ‘V’ is that it has been built from
metal used in the country’s most
celebrated aircraft carrier – the INS
Vikrant. The bike sports a special
logo to commemorate the aircraft
carrier.
INS Vikrant was commissioned
as the first aircraft carrier of
Indian Navy in 1961. After
years of distinguished service,
she was decommissioned in
January 1997 and served as a
museum till 2012. In late 2014,
Vikrant was dismantled and
sold as scrap metal.
Bajaj Auto purchased the
Vikrant metal and processed it
to be a part of its new brand.
The company feels that thenew bike will therefore
preserve a significant piece of
Indian military history. (Photo
Courtesy : The Hindu)
4) Which Indian player won the
men’s singles title of the Syed Modi
Badminton Grand Prix Gold that
concluded on 31 January 2016 at
Lucknow? – K Srikanth
Explanation: Top-seeded and
world no. 9 Kidambi Srikanth of
India defeated Huang Yuxiang of
China in the men’s singles finals of
the Syed Modi Badminton Grand
Prix Gold Cup on 31 January. He
defeated Huang by 21-13, 14-21,
21-14 in three games to claim the
title.
Srikanth had reached the
summit clash in the last editionas well. This was his fifth major
title, having won the 2013
Thailand Grand Prix Gold, 2014
China Super Series premier and
Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold
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and India Super Series during
2015.
In the women’s singles final,
South Korean Sung Ji Hyunedged out Japan’ s Sayaka Sato
12-21, 21-18, 21-18 to win the
title.
However, Indian men’ s
doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry
Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar
wasted two match points in the
second game to go down 14-21, 24-22, 21-8 against
Malaysian pair of V. Shem Goh
and Wee Kiong Tan in their
first-ever Grand Prix Gold
summit clash.
5) T.N. Gopakumar, who passed
away during January 2016, was a
noted electronic media personality
of which state? – Kerala
Explanation: T.N. Gopakumar was
the editor-in-chief of Asianet, a
Malayalam TV channel. He was also
the popular anchor of the show ‘Kannadi’.
His show was noted for sharp
commentary and revealing
portraits of Kerala that was far
away from the development
tapestry as it was hailed to be.
Gopakumar started his
journalistic career with ‘The
Indian Express’ and later
worked
with ‘Mathrubhumi’, ‘News
Time’,
‘Statesman’, ‘Independent’, ‘Ind
ia Today’ and ‘BBC Radio’. He
returned to Kerala whenentrepreneur and journalist K.
Sashikumar launched the
Asianet channel in 1991.
He was suffering from cancer
and passed away on 30
January 2016 at the age of 58.
February 3, 2016
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1) What is the name of the woman
IPS officer who on 2 February 2016
became the first woman to head a
paramilitary force in India? –
Archana Ramasundaram
Explanation: Archana
Ramasundaram, a 1980 batch
officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre,
created history when she was
appointed the new Director General(DG) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
She thus became the first woman
to head a paramilitary force in the
country.
Archana is currently Special
Director, National Crime
Records Bureau. She has beenappointed to the post till the
date of her superannuation, 30
September 2017.
The SSB is entrusted with
guarding the country’s frontiers
with Nepal and Bhutan. The
other four paramilitary forces
are the Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF), Border SecurityForce (BSF), Central Industrial
Security Force (CISF) and Indo
Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
2) State Bank of India (SBI) on 1
February 2016 launched the
‘FlexiPay Home Loan’ scheme,
which gives borrowers an option to
pay only interest during a three-five
year moratorium period. This
product has been targeted towards
which home loan segment? –
Young working professionals
Explanation: Under the ‘FlexiPay
Home Loan’ scheme, which has
been launched primarily for young
professionals, the borrowers can
pay only interest during a three-
five-year moratorium. Thereafter
they will pay moderated equated
monthly installments (EMIs).
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The EMIs will be stepped up
during the subsequent years,
capturing payment of the
principal component. Thisarrangement is expected to
lower the impact of such
additional loan amount on
monthly repayments in the
form of EMIs.
This scheme is expected to
enable young working
professionals/executives to gethigher loan amounts compared
to their loan eligibility under
normal home loan schemes.
3) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Governor Raghuram G. Rajan
presented the sixth bi-monthly
monetary policy review on 2
February 2016. All the key rateswere kept unchanged in the policy
review which meant that the most
important Repo Rate will remain
unchanged at 6.75%. What the
projected growth rate is for fiscal
2016-17 as stated in the review? –
7.6%
Explanation: Keeping the key
rates unchanged, the RBI indicated
that rates would continue to soften.
The RBI Governor, however,
cautioned that the
recommendations of the
Seventh Pay Commission had
not been factored into its
growth projections.
After the latest review, the
repo rate, or the rate at which
the central bank infuses
liquidity into the system,
remained at 6.75%. The cash
reserve ratio (CRR), or the
portion of a bank’s money
maintained with the central
bank in cash, remained at 4%.
The RBI expected growth 7.6%
for the financial year 2016-17
(ending March 2017).
4) The World Health Organization(WHO) on 1 February 2016 made
which important announcement
pertaining to explosively spreading
Zika virus? – It declared it as an
international emergency
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Explanation: The WHO convened
an emergency meeting of
independent experts on 1 February
2016 to assess the outbreak afternoting a suspicious link between
Zika’s arrival in Brazil last year and
a surge in the number of babies
born with abnormally small heads.
Later it was declared an
international emergency,
despite the fact that there wasno definitive proof that the Zika
virus, spread by mosquitoes, is
responsible for the birth
defects. Such emergency
declarations are meant as an
international SOS signal.
WHO estimates there could be
up to 4 million cases of Zika inthe Americas in the next year.
The last such public health
emergency was declared for
the devastating 2014 Ebola
outbreak in West Africa, which
killed more than 11,000 people.
5) Which company replaced Apple
Inc. as the world’s most valuable
company, as reflected in the US
markets on 1 February 2016? – Alphabet (Google’s parent
company)
Explanation: Apple Inc., which
has long been on the top of the
world’s most valuable companies
list, slipped to second place as
Google’s parent company Alphabet
Inc. on 1 February overtook it to
become no.1. This happened after
Alphabet released a fourth-quarter
earnings report that highlighted the
robust growth of the digital ad
market. Apple Inc.’s iPhone,
meanwhile, is suffering its first
downturn since it debuted eightyears ago.
Based on that after-hours
bump, Alphabet’s market value
stood at $555 billion while
Apple’s was at $533 billion,
based on the most recent
regulatory filings showing thecompany’s outstanding shares.
Apple’s stock has been sliding
amid concerns over slowing
iPhone sales
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However, this ranking can change very quickly.
February 4, 2016
1) What is the name of theindigenously built new basic trainer
aircraft being developed by
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL),
the first prototype of which was
rolled-out on 2 February 2016? –
Hindustan Turbo Trainer – 40
(HTT-40)
Explanation: Hindustan Turbo
Trainer- 40 (or HTT-40) is the name
of the indigenous replacement for
the Indian Air Force’s retired HPT-
32 ‘Deepak’ that is being developed
to be used as a basic trainer
aircraft.
The HTT-40 will be an all-metal
tandem seat aircraft powered
by a 950 HP (708 kW) turbo-
prop engine.
But the project to develop HTT-
40 has been marred by doubts
and controversy. The Indian Air
Force (IAF) repeatedly told the
Defence Ministry the HTT-40
would be over-weight, over-
priced and under-performing.
But HAL doggedly continueddevelopment, committing more
than Rs. 350 crore of company
funds.
In its place, the IAF wanted to
import over a hundred new
trainers from Swiss company,
Pilatus, to supplement the 75
Pilatus PC-7 Mark II trainers it
had already bought.
The IAF, is now convinced
about the HTT-40’s viability,
and wants to take charge of
the project.
The prototype of HTT-40 was
rolled-out from a hanger on 2
February 2016 with all its lights
flashing and its cockpit
powered on. (Photo
Courtesy: HAL)
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2) The Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA), which is the largest
programme of its nature for
providing employment in rural areas
anywhere in the world, completed
how many years on 2 February
2016? – 10 years
Explanation: MGNREGA, which
was earlier known as NREGA, came
into effect on 2 February 2006. It
was implemented by the then
United Progressive Alliance (UPA)government. Then it covered only
the 200 poorest districts of the
country and was expanded to cover
all rural areas of the country from
April 2008.
In the short span of 10 years
that the Act has been inexistence, it has generated
19.86 billion person-days of
employment benefitting 276
million workers, with more than
half the jobs going to women
workers and almost a third to
members of scheduled castes
and scheduled tribes.
MGNREGA has played a much
larger role in revitalizing the
labour market in rural areas.
Not only has it led to the
creation of a class of workers
who are using the MGNREGA
as a safety net, but these
workers are also able to use it
as a bargaining tool forextraction of higher wages.
3) A unique MAGIC (Modular, Agile,
Intensified & Continuous) Process
Lab of the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) wasinaugurated at which CSIR lab on 2
February 2016? – CSIR-National
Chemical Laboratory (Pune)
Explanation: The MAGIC Process
Lab at CSIR-NCL (Pune) is expected
to bring about a paradigm shift in
the way in which India’s fine and
specialty chemicals industry will
operate in the future.
The MAGIC processes
developed in this lab can
radically change currently
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practiced process technologies
into modern processes that are
cleaner, greener, safer,
compact, scalable andeconomical.
4) What is the name of the ex-
Indian Army official who was
appointed as the Head of Mission
and Force Commander of the
United Nations Disengagement
Observer Force (UNDOF) by the UN
on 2 February 2016? – Major
General Jai Shanker Menon
Explanation: Major General Jai
Shanker Menon was Additional
Director General Equipment
Management in the Indian Army.
From 2012 to 2013, he was General
Officer, Commanding an Infantry
Division of the Indian Army.
He was appointed the head of
UNDOF by UN Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon on 2
February. He replaced Lt.General Purna Chandra Thapa
of Nepal, who will complete his
assignment on 7 February
2016.
The UNDOF was established on
31 May 1974 by UN Security
Council (UNSC) following the
agreed disengagement of theIsraeli and Syrian forces in the
Golan.
Since then, UNDOF has
remained in the area to
maintain the ceasefire between
the Israeli and Syrian forces
and to supervise the
implementation of thedisengagement agreement.
5) Veteran Congress leader and
former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram
Jakhar passed away on 3 February
2016. He was a towering
personality during his prime and
was a 4-time MP. He was best
known for his tenure as Lok Sabha
Speaker. When he served this post?
– From 1980 to 1989
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Explanation: In 1980, Balram
Jakhar became Lok Sabha Speaker
and served till 1989 for two terms
during which he was instrumental inautomation and computerisation of
the House works. He also
contributed to the establishment of
Parliament Museum.
Jakhar also served as
Agriculture Minister in the
Cabinet of former Prime
Minister Narasimha Rao. He
also served as Governor of
Madhya Pradesh from 30 June
2004 to 30 May 2009. He was a four-time MP in Lok
Sabha starting from his election
in the seventh Lok Sabha in
1980. He was again elected in
1984, 1991 and 1998. He was
92 and passed away in New
Delhi on 3 February 2016 after
battling a brief period of illness.
February 5, 2016
1) The second-ever
International Fleet Review (IFR) in
India, comprising of navies from 54
countries, commenced at which
place from 4 February 2016? – Vishakhapatnam
Explanation: The International
Fleet Review 2016 is being held at
Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
from 4 to 8 February 2016.
The theme (motto) for IFR
2016 is ‘United throughOceans ’. However, the overall
theme of this event is ‘Make in
India’.
This is the second IFR to be
held in India and the first on
the East Coast. The last IFR
was held in Mumbai in 2001
and was reviewed by the thenPresident KR Narayanan.
The objective behind this
International Review, is to
signal the Indian Navy’s
emergence as a pre-eminent
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power that sets the agenda in
the northern Indian Ocean.
Among the 54 navies taking
part, there is a tacit acceptanceof this regional primacy, and a
shared belief that this is in the
common interest. Participating
this year is practically every
major navy in the world,
including the People’s
Liberation Army (Navy) of
China. Other importantcountries participating in IFR
include USA, UK, Japan and
Australia.
54 navies are participating in
IFR 2016, compared to 29 in
2001, and 24 foreign warships
are at Vishakhapatnam, exactly
the same number as in 2001 in
Mumbai. During the review, 24
foreign naval chiefs are
expected to visit
Visakhapatnam, while some
4,000 foreign sailors will also
be part of this event. Apart
from this, 75 Indian warships
will participate in IFR 2016.
2) Union Government is set to
infuse how much more funds into
the state-run banks in the current
financial year 2015-16, as was
announced by Financial Services
Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal on 3
February 2016? – Rs. 5,000 crore
Explanation: The Government is
has earmarked fund worth Rs.
25,000 crore for 2015-16 primarily
to strengthen PSU banks’ balance
sheets. Of this about Rs 20,088
crore has already been pumped into
13 public sector banks.
Hence the govt. would infuse
another Rs. 5,000 crore of
capital in the current financial
year.
Last year, the government had
announced a plan, called
‘Indradhanush’, to infuse Rs.70,000 crore in state-owned
banks over four years, while
these would have to raise a
further Rs 1.1 lakh crore from
the markets to meet their
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capital requirements in line
with global risk norms Basel-
III.
Apart from Rs. 25,000 crore
this year, the PSU banks, Rs
10,000 crore each would be
infused in 2017-18 and 2018-
19.
3) What is the name of India’s first
anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug, which
was launched by the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) on 3 February 2016? – BGR-34
Explanation: BGR-34 is the name
of the country’s first anti-diabetic
ayurvedic drug (for type II
Diabetes). It has been developed
jointly by National Botanical
Research Institute (NBRI) and
Central Institute for Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), the
Lucknow-based research units of
CSIR.
While the modern diabetes
drugs are known for side-
effects and toxicity, BGR-34
works by controlling bloodsugar and limiting the harmful
effects of other drugs. The
product has passed several
battery tests and showed
hypoglycemic activity in
experimental subjects.
AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (I)
Limited has been roped in forcommercial production and
extended distribution of BGR-
34.
4) Which Indian drug manufacturer
came to news on 3 February 2016after it claimed to have filed for
global patents of two vaccines for
Zika virus, with which it could
become world’s first company to
develop a vaccine for Zika? –
Bharat Biotech (Hyderabad)
Explanation: Hyderabad-based
Bharat Biotech on 3 February
claimed to have filed for global
patent of two vaccine candidates –
a recombinant vaccine and an
inactivated vaccine – for Zika virus.
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It also announced that it could
make available the inactivated
vaccine in two years if the Indian
Government fast-tracked theregulatory approvals once the pre-
clinical trials proved to be
successful.
With this Bharat Biotech could
become the world’s first
company to develop a vaccine
to fight Zika virus. Bharat Biotech claimed that
work on Zika vaccine project
was started in 2014 and the
patent was filed in July 2015.
Zika is now present in 23
countries. Brazil, the hardest-
hit country, has reported
around 3,500 cases of thedevastating birth defect called
microcephaly.
5) The 2-day ‘India Investment
Summit’ was inaugurated by Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in NewDelhi on 4 February 2016. This
summit seeks to attract long term
investors including Sovereign
Wealth Funds and Pension Funds
across the globe. Which entity is
partnering with the Department of
Economic Affairs (Ministry of
Finance) in organizing this summit? – SBI Caps
Explanation: The Summit is to
showcase and discuss the huge
long term infrastructure investment
opportunities in India.
The Government of India has
already established National
Investment and Infrastructure
Fund (NIIF) as a Category II
Alternate Investment Fund
(AIF) under the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
Regulations.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
also unveiled the logo of the Rs
40,000-crore NIIF on the
inaugural day. The objective of
NIIF is to maximise economic
impact mainly through
infrastructure development in
commercially viable projects,
both greenfield and brownfield,including stalled projects and
other nationally important
projects.
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February 6, 2016
1) The 12th edition of South Asian
Games (SAG) was inaugurated by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5
February 2016. This biggest multi-
sporting event of the SAARC region
is being held in which two cities of
India? – Guwahati and Shillong
Explanation: Explanation: The
inaugural ceremony of 12th South
Asian Games (12th SAG) was held at
the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium
in Guwahati on 5 February 2016.
India is hosting the 12th South
Asian Games, 2016 in Guwahati
and Shillong from 5 February to
16 February 2016.
The motto of SAG 2016 is “Play
for Peace, Progress and
Prosperity “. ‘Tikhor’ the baby
rhino is the mascot of these
games.
The South Asian Games (SAG)
is a biennial multinational multi-
sport event held amongst the
athletes from South Asia and
being organized in the similar
format of Olympics, Asian
Games, and CommonwealthGames (CWG).
In the 12th edition of the South
Asian Games this year, more
than 2600 athletes from eight
member countries namely,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka areparticipating.
2) As per the announcement made
by the Indian Foreign Ministry on 4
February 2016, India has ratified an
international convention on nuclear
energy accident liability. This step
was the final piece in its efforts to
address a major concern of foreign
nuclear suppliers. What will be the
main benefit of this ratification? –
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This makes India part of a
global legal regime that has
established a standard for
compensation of victims in theevent of a nuclear accident
Explanation: A statement from
the Indian foreign ministry on 4
February 2016 said India has
submitted the Instrument of
Ratification of the Convention on
Supplementary Compensation
(CSC) for Nuclear Damage to the
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA).
International nuclear reactor
makers such as General Electric
have been reluctant to set up
plants in India because of a
2010 domestic liability law that
makes equipment suppliers
accountable for accidents and
not the plant operators, as is
the global norm.
Therefore no US company had
been willing to invest in India’s
nuclear power market for fearof the liability clause in its
domestic law.
Last year, India launched an
insurance pool with a liability
cap of Rs.1,500 crore ($225
million) to cover the suppliers’
risk of potential liability.
3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
5 February 2016 inaugurated a gas
cracker project, which became thefirst petrochemical project to be set
up in the North-East. This project
costing Rs. 10,000 crore has been
setup at which place in Assam? –
Lepetkata
Explanation: Rs.10,000 crore
Assam Gas Cracker Project hasbeen established at Lepetkata in
Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
Executed by the Brahmaputra
Crackers and Polymers Ltd., the
project missed several deadlines
and overshot the budget.
It was envisaged by the thenprime minister Indira Gandhi in
1984 and given shape by Rajiv
Gandhi as prime minister in
1985 at the end of the six-year-
long anti-foreigners agitation.
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The then prime minister
Manmohan Singh laid the
foundation stone of the project
in 2007. Gas Authority of India Ltd
(GAIL) has 70% stake in BCPL
while Oil India Limited,
Numaligarh Refinery Ltd and
Assam government have 10%
each.
The project will use naphtha
and natural gas from Assam’soilfields to produce ethylene,
the feedstock for
manufacturing polymers that
are basic building blocks of
plastics.
4) A.G. Krishnamurthy, a doyen of
the Indian advertising industry,
passed away in Hyderabad on 5
February 2016. He was the founder
of which iconic advertising agency?
–Mudra Communications
Explanation: Krishnamurthy had
founded Mudra Communications in
1980 after he worked as an
advertising manager for RelianceIndustries’ in-house fabric brand
Vimal.
Mudra Communications was
owned by Reliance and it went
on to become India’s third
largest advertising agency in
1989, and played a hand inbuilding brands such as Vimal
Fabrics and Rasna, a soft drink
concentrate brand, into
industry leaders.
In March 1991, Krishnamurthy
set up Mudra Institute of
Communications, Ahmedabad
(MICA) that nurtured India’s growing adverting industry with
trained talent.
He retired from Mudra in 2003,
and set up his own consultancy
AGK Brand Consulting.
5) The Trans Pacific Partnership
(TPP), one of the biggest
multinational trade deals ever, was
signed at which place by 12
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countries on 4 February 2016? –
Auckland (New Zealand)
Explanation: 12 countries
involved in TPP are the US, Japan,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore,
Brunei, Australia, New Zealand,
Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
These 12 countries have a
collective population of about
800 million – almost double
that of the European Union’s
single market. The 12-nation
would-be bloc is already
responsible for 40% of world
trade.
TPP pact aims to deepen
economic ties between these
nations, slashing tariffs and
fostering trade to boostgrowth. Member countries are
also hoping to foster a closer
relationship on economic
policies and regulation.
The first steps towards TPP
started 10 years when the P4
Trade Agreement was put into
effect. This agreement involved4 countries – Brunei, Chile,
New Zealand and Singapore.
February 7-8, 2016
1) The geographical indication (GI)
tag for basmati rice for how many
states was ordered by the
Intellectual Property Appellate
Board (IPAB) on 5 February 2016? – Seven
Explanation: The GI tag for the
basmati rice cultivation will be in
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand,
Western UP and the two districts of
Jammu and Kathua.
– In this regard, the Intellectual
Property Appellate Board (IPAB)
directed the Chennai-based
assistant registrar of the
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Geographical Indications Registry to
proceed with registration of a
geographical indication (GI) tag for
Basmati rice according to thegeographical demarcation
conducted by the Agricultural and
Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA).
– This meant that seven north
Indian Basmati rice-producing
states like Punjab, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
and parts of Uttar Pradesh and
Jammu & Kashmir will get the GI
tag.
– APEDA, as a statutory authority
related to exports of agricultural
products, applied for the GI tag for
Basmati, a special long grain
aromatic rice grown in a particular
geographical region of the Indian
sub-continent.
– The appellate authority also
asked the registrar to reconsider
the matter of inclusion of
uncovered areas, including MadhyaPradesh, in the area covered under
the GI for Basmati.
– The authority also dismissed two
petitions from the Basmati Growers’
Association of Lahore, Pakistan,
related to the matter.
– A GI tag can be issued for
agricultural, natural or
manufactured goods that have a
given quality, reputation or other
characteristics attributable to its
geographical origin.
– A GI registration gives the
registered proprietor and authorised
users the legal right to the exclusiveuse of the GI, and no unauthorised
person can use the tag. Some of
the examples of GI are Mysore Silk,
Mysore Agarbathi, Kancheepuram
Silk, Orissa Ikat, Channapatna Toys
& Dolls, and Coimbatore Wet
Grinder.
– Products sold with the GI tag get
premium pricing also.
…………………………………………
………………………………….
2) Sudhir Tailang, who passed
away on 6 February 2016 at a
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private hospital in Delhi, was an
eminent personality associated with
which field? – Political
cartooning
Explanation: Sudhir Tailang came
out with his first cartoon in 1970.
He started his career with the
‘Illustrated Weekly of India’ in
Mumbai, in 1982.
– A year later, he joined
the ‘Navbharat Times’ in New Delhi.He had worked with all major
English newspapers including
the Hindustan Times, the Times of
India and the Indian Express.
– His last assignment was with
the ‘Asian Age’.
– He was awarded the Padma Shriin 2004 for his contribution to the
art of cartooning.
– He was suffering from brain
tumour and had undergone two
surgeries and chemotherapy during
the course of his treatment over
two years. He was 55.
…………………………………………
………………………………….
3) US astronaut Edgar Mitchell,
who was the sixth man to walk on
the Moon, passed away on 5
February 2016 at the age of 85. He
was associated with which path-
breaking NASA mission to the
Moon? – Apollo 14
Explanation: Edgar Mitchell was
part of NASA’s Apollo 14 mission of
year 1971. As a member of the
mission, he spent more than nine
hours on the Moon conducting
experiments.
– His mission to the Moon was the
fourth in the US Apollo series, and
the first to follow the ill-fated Apollo
13 which aborted its attempt to
land after an oxygen tank
explosion.
– Overall 12 persons have the
unique distinction of walking on theMoon and Edgar Mitchell was the
sixth person in this list.
…………………………………………
………………………………….
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4) India’s biggest commercial
vehicles manufacturer Tata Motors
declared a lockout at which of its
bus manufacturing plants on 6
February 2016? – Dharwad
(Karnataka)
Explanation: Tata Motors on 6
February declared a lockout at its
bus manufacturing plant in
Karnataka’s Dharwad, following a
continued strike by workers. The
plant makes buses under the Tata
Marcopolo brand.
– Dissatisfied with the revision in
wages and subsequent suspensionof a dozen staff members, a section
of workers at the plant are alleged
to have incited others to disrupt
work. The company decided to shut
down operations on 6 February.
– Dharwad is one of the youngest
plants of the Mumbai-based
company which began operations in
2009. The plant makes fully-built
buses for intra-city and inter-city
transportation that include 16 to
54-seater standard and 18 to 45-
seater luxury and low-floor city
buses.
– The plant produces 60 buses a
day for both the local market and
markets such as Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.
…………………………………………
………………………………….
5) Australian all-rounder Shane
Watson emerged as the costliest
player of the IPL player auction that
was held on 6 February 2016. He
was acquired for Rs. 9.5 crore by
Royal Challengers Bangalore. Which
player emerged as the costliest
Indian player in the auction? –
Pawan Negi Explanation: Indian all-rounder
Pawan Negi was bought for Rs 8.5
crore by Delhi Daredevils and he
thus emerged as the costliest
Indian player in this auction.
– Yuvraj Singh was picked by
Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 7crore. Chris Morris was also bought
by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 7 crore
while Mohit Sharma cost Rs. 6.5
crore to Kings XI Punjab.
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February 9, 2016
1) In a historic development, India
on 8 February 2016 firmly chose ‘Net Neutrality’ and immediately
banned differential pricing for
Internet services (data services).
This meant that Facebook’s free
internet scheme, fronted by founder
Mark Zuckerberg, will not be
allowed in the country. How much
fine has been announced on
violators of net neutrality policy? – Rs. 50,000 per day –
Explanation: The Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) on 8 February 2016 issued
the ‘Prohibition of Discriminatory
Tariffs for Data Services
Regulations, 2016’. It barred
service providers from offering orcharging discriminatory tariffs for
data services on the basis of
content.
– The regulation clearly mentioned
“No service provider can offer or
charge discriminatory tariffs for
data services on the basis of
content.” However, reduced tariff
for accessing or providing
emergency services, or at times of
public emergency has been
permitted.
– TRAI will also levy a penalty of
Rs. 50,000 a day for discriminatory
tariffs charged by service providers.These regulations came amid an
ongoing debate over net neutrality
in the country.
– The issue of net neutrality came
to focus after TRAI’s consultation
paper on differential data pricing
was issued in 2015. It had raised
concern over zero-rating tariff
models – a practice wherein service
providers offer free data to users
for select applications and websites.
…………………………………………
…………..
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2) State-owned oil refining entity
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on 7
February 2016 overtook Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL) to become
country’s top refiner. This became
possible after IOC’s mammoth Rs.
34,555 crore refinery was
commissioned on this day. This new
refinery has been established at –
Paradip (Odisha)
Explanation: IOC’s Paradip
refinery was dedicated to the
country by Prime Minister NarendraModi at a programme held on 7
February. With commissioning of
this refinery, IOC overtook RIL as
India’s largest oil refiner.
– Located 140 km from
Bhubaneswar, Paradip refinery is
one of the most modern refineries
in the world which can process
cheaper high sulphur heavy crude
oils.
– It will produce 5.6 million tons
per annum of diesel, 3.79 million
tons of petrol and 1.96 million tons
of kerosene/ATF. Besides, 790,000
tons of LPG and 1.21 million tons of
petcoke would also be produced
here.
– Paradip refinery thus has capacity
to refine 15 million tons of crude
oil. Prior to Paradip, IOC’s eight
refineries had a cumulative capacity
of 54.2 million tons of crude oil.
Paradip helped IOC overtake
Reliance Industries, which has twin
refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat
with a capacity of 62 million tons.
– IOC also has a subsidiary Chennai
Petroleum Corp Ltd (CPCL) which
operates refineries with total
capacity of 11.50 million tons.
– Paradip refinery took almost 16
years to complete. Its foundation
stone was laid by the then Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 24
May 2000.
…………………………………………
…………..
3) Which Indian woman was
invited to serve as a panelist on
United Nations (UN) panel on
women’s economic empowerment,
as announced by the UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon on 6 February
2016? – Renana Jhabvala
Explanation: Renana Jhabvala isan Ahmedabad-based social worker,
who came to news as she was
invited to serve as a panelist on
United Nations (UN) panel on
women’s economic empowerment.
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– She is the daughter of Booker-
prize winning novelist and screen-
writer, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and
well-known architect Cyrus S H
Jhabvala. Renana has also been
active for decades in organising
women into organisations and trade
unions in India and is extensively
involved in policy issues relating to
poor women and the informal
economy.
– She is the Nation Coordinator of
the Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA), trade
union for poor, self-employed
women workers in India founded by
noted Gandhian and civil rights
leader Ela Bhatt. Renana has won
the Padma Shri for her efforts.
– The United Nations has
established the panel to provide
recommendations on improving
economic outcomes for women and
promoting women’s leadership in
driving sustainable, inclusive and
environmentally-sensitive economic
growth. The role of the panel is
important in view of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
…………………………………………
…………..
4) Nida Fazli, who passed away on
8 February 2016, was a renowned
personality associated with which
field? – Urdu and Hindi poetry
Explanation: Noted Urdu and
Hindi poet Muqtida Hasan Nida
Fazli, popularly known as Nida Fazli,
passed away on 8 February 2016 in
Mumbai. He was 77.
– Fazli was one of the most popular
writers of present time with some
iconic compositions like ‘Tu Is Tarah
Se Meri Zindagi Mein Shaamil Hai ’,
‘Hosh Waalon Ko Khabar Kya ’, ‘ Aa
bhi jaa, aa bhi jaa ’ and ‘Muh ki baatsune har koi ’.
– He teamed up with Jagjit Singh in
1994 to bring an album named
‘Insight’, which got appreciation for
its soulful poetry and music. He
became known among readers and
ghazal singers for his elegant
presentation and exclusive use of
colloquial language for ghazals,
dohaas and nazms, while avoiding
complex Persian imagery.
…………………………………………
…………..
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5) Two infrastructure entities have
sought the approval of capital
market regulator SEBI to launch
India’s first infrastructure
investment trust (InvIT)? – IRB
Infrastructure Developers Ltd
and GMR Infrastructure Ltd
Explanation: Both IRB
Infrastructure Developers Ltd (IRB)
and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. (GMR),
in the application to the Securities
and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI), have identified assets theywant to list under infrastructure
investment trust (InvIT).
– InvITs are trusts which manage
income generating infrastructure
assets, typically offering investors
regular yields and a liquid method
of investing in infrastructure
projects.
– They are expected to encourage
higher foreign investment in the
Indian infrastructure sector, reduce
the burden on the banking system,
and allow developers to unlock tied-
up capital.
– It is worth mentioning that IRB
was the first company to announce
plans for an InvIT.
……………………………………………………..
6) The 9th edition of the India-
Nepal combined battalion-level
military training exercise named
‘Surya Kiran’ commenced on 8
February 2016. This 14-day
exercise comprising of counter-
terrorism operations and ‘jungle
warfare’ is being held at whichplace? – Pithoragarh
(Uttarakhand)
Explanation: ‘Surya Kiran’ is the
name given to the series of bi-
annual military exercise which is
conducted alternatively in Nepal
and India.
– This edition of exercise is beingheld under the aegis of Panchshul
brigade of central command.
February 10, 2016
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1) In a landmark development, the
environmental panel of International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on 8
February 2016 reached agreement onlong-sought greenhouse gas emissions
standards for airliners and cargo
planes. What is the basic deadline for
aircrafts to meet norms as agreed to
by the said panel? – New aircrafts
should meet the emission standards
beginning 2020
Explanation: The agreement reached
by ICAO’s environmental panel
requires that new aircraft designs
meet the standards beginning in 2020,
and that designs already in production
comply by 2023.
– There is also a cut-off date of 2028
for the manufacture of planes that
don’t comply with the standards.
– The standards would be the first ever
to impose binding energy efficiency
and carbon dioxide reduction targets
for the aviation sector.
– When fully implemented, the
standards are expected to reduce
carbon emissions by more than 650
million tons between 2020 and 2040,
equivalent to removing over 140
million cars from the road for a year.
– While the ICAO agreement was
welcomed by the White House, it drew
criticism from environmentalists whosaid they would be too weak to
actually slow global warming.
……………………………………………………….
2) Which public-sector bank’s net
profit plunged by over 90% during the
third quarter (Q3) ended December
2015, as reported in the results on 9February 2016? – Punjab National
Bank (PNB)
Explanation: PNB’s net profit for the
3rd quarter (Sep-Dec 2015) was just
Rs. 51 crore. It was way lower than the
average Rs. 700 crore estimated by
analysts.
– The bank’s profitability was hit by
sharp rise in provision for bad loans. Its
gross non-performing assets (bad
loans) surged to 8.47% of advances in
Q3 against 6.36% in Q2, prompting the
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bank to double provisions to Rs. 3,776
crore in Q3 from Rs.1,882 crore in Q2.
– PNB thus joined a string of other
banks that have reported higher bad
loans following RBI’s order asking
banks to treat some stressed
borrowers as non-performing even if
they have not defaulted yet.
……………………………………………………….
3) On 8 February 2016, the Export-
Import (EXIM) Bank of India
announced plans to raise $300 million
through ‘Panda Bonds’ to finance
demand for credit. What are ‘Panda
Bonds’? – Panda bonds are renminbi-
denominated (Chinese currency)
instruments from a non-Chinese
issuer, sold in China
Explanation: EXIM Bank is seeking to
raise Panda Bonds because the
currency swap rates to raise money
from the Chinese market are looking
attractive at present. However, the
timing for bond offering would depend
on favourable swap rates.
– EXIM was looking at a big issue to
finance some of the major
infrastructure projects that were now
coming up. So far this financial year,
EXIM Bank has raised $500 million
through green bonds and another
$500 million through a dollar-
denominated bond.
……………………………………………………….
4) Sushil Koirala, the 37th
PrimeMinister of Nepal, passed away in the
morning of 9 February 2016. He was
instrumental in promulgating the new
constitution of the country during
September 2015. He was the Prime
Minister of the country during which
trying period? – 2014-15
Explanation: Sushil Koirala was Prime
Minister of Nepal from 11 February
2014 to 10 October 2015. He was also
the President of the Nepali Congress,
presently the most important political
entity in the country, from 2010.
– Koirala was member of the politically
prominent Koirala family. He was thecousin of former prime ministers Girija
Prasad Koirala, Matrika Prasad Koirala
and Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala.
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– He was diagnosed with lung cancer in
June 2014. He passed away on 9
February during his sleep at the age of
78.
……………………………………………………….
5) The first-ever joint-tactical exercise
of Indian and Chinese troops was held
on 6 February 2016 at which place in
India? – Chushul-Moldo area in J&K’s
Ladakh region
Explanation: This first of its-kind
exercise was held in Chushul-Moldo
area of Eastern Ladakh sector ofJammu & Kashmir on 6 February. The
exercise focused on humanitarian aid
and disaster relief.
– The exercise was code-named “Sino-
India Cooperation 2016’’. The joint
exercise was based on a situation of
national disaster occurring on the
border and subsequent coordination of
rescue mission by joint teams of both
the countries.
– Led by Colonel Ritesh Chandra Singh,
thirty Indian personnel participated in
the joint exercise. The Chinese
delegation was led by Colonel Qu Yi.
……………………………………………………….
6) The 4th World Government Summit
(WGS), an event to bring together
more than 150 governments and
organisations on the global platform to
share knowledge and experiences in
the efforts to improve governmentwork, commenced on 8 February 2016.
This event is hosted by which country
annually? – United Arab Emirates
(UAE)
Explanation: The 4th edition of
World Government Summit (WGS) was
opened on 8 February 2016 at Dubai
(UAE). The theme of this summit is
‘Shaping Future Governments’.
– Since 2013, the UAE government has
hosted the ‘World Government
Summit’ that brings together
government officials, thinkers, policy
makers and private sector executives
to discuss the best ways to develop the
future of government.
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February 11-12, 2016
1) Lance Naik Hanamanthappa, the
brave-heart soldier of the Indian Army,
passed away on 11 February 2016 after
battling for his life at an army hospital
in New Delhi. He was rescued alive on
the night of 8 February after being
buried under 35 feet of snow for 5
days in Siachen. To which regiment of
the Indian Army did he belong? – 19
Madras Regiment
Explanation: Hanamanthappa
belonged to a farming family in
Betadur village, Kundagol taluk,
Dharwad district, Karnataka.
– Despite being rejected thrice in the
Army recruitment rallies at Belagavi,
Dharwad and Gadag, Hanamanthappakept on trying and finally managed to
get into the 19 Madras Regiment of
the Indian Army 14 years ago.
– He was buried in a huge avalanche at
an army border outpost in the Siachen
sector (J&K) on 3 February but
amazingly survived for 5 days and was
later rescued on 8 February 2016.
– He was admitted at the Research &
Referral Hospital of the Indian Army on
9 February and was on ventilator since.
His condition steadily deteriorated due
to multiple organ failure.
……………………………………………….
2) Setting the stage for the phased
elimination of malaria across the
country, the Union Govt. launched the
National Framework for Malaria
Elimination (NFME) on 11 February
2016. What is the main objective of
this framework? – To eliminate
malaria by year 2027 from the
country, ahead of the WHO’s target of
2030
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Explanation: The Union Govt. launched
the ambitious National Framework for
Malaria Elimination (NFME) on 11
February 2016 which seeks tocompletely eliminate malaria in the
country by year 2027.
– NFME is part of the 12th plan
document and will be implemented for
the next five years. After five years, it
will be halted briefly for a review and
re-started with the feedback received
from the agencies concerned.
– Under NFME, people with fever will
be diagnosed with rapid tests and
prompt treatment for those tested
positive with malaria will be provided.
In the first phase of the project, states
like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh and Punjab will be covered.
– It will also focus on 11 endemic
states in the north-east and the tribal
belts in east and central India.
……………………………………………….
3) Around one lakh jewellery shops all
over the country remained closed on10 February 2016 to protest against
which central government rule that
came into effect from 1 January 2016?
– To mandatorily quote PAN for any
transactions of Rs. 2 lakh and above
Explanation: Around one lakh
jewellery shops registered with over
300 different jewellery associations
across the country observed one-daystrike on 10 February 2016 to protest
against norms that make it mandatory
to quote PAN for any transactions of Rs
2 lakh and above. This new rule was
put into effect from 1 January 2016.
– According to leading jewellery
associations, this rule has put a
pressure on the sale of jewellery,
particularly in the semi-urban and rural
regions. With only 22.3 crore PAN
cards being issued, people residing in
these areas jewelers finding it
extremely difficult to purchase
jewellery as a result of which there had
been a 30% dip in sales volumes since1 January 2016.
– Nearly 50% of gold jewellers’
business generally originates from the
small towns and thousands and PAN
card availability in these areas is very
low. This has struck the jewelers hard.
……………………………………………….
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4) The girl child welfare programme
‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ was
extended to how many new districts
by the Union Govt. on 10 February
2016? – 61 districts
Explanation: ‘Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao’, which is the flagship
programme of the Women and Child
Development Ministry, was launched
in additional 61 districts (covering 11
states) on 10 February 2016. The
scheme was initially launched in 100
districts.
– The 11 states are: Uttar Pradesh,
Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab,
Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
– The programme, launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in Haryana
last year, seeks to improve the
declining trend of child sex ratio in
selected districts.
– It is worth mentioning that malaria
has shown significant drop recently
with just around 273 people last year
(2015) as compared to 562 deaths in2014.
……………………………………………….
5) Which state became the first state
in the country to record failure of
winter crop, as announced by it on 10
February 2016? – Karnataka
Explanation: On 10 February
Karnataka became the first state in the
country to witness a disastrous winter
harvest this year after it requested
central assistance of Rs.1,417 crore
after rabi crop worth Rs.7,209 crore
was damaged. The state government
claimed that it has lost rabi crop in
more than 70% of the sown area.
– This development came at a time
when an unusually dry and warm
winter has not only affected planting
across India, but also raised fears of
another failed crop, especially in
parched states such as Maharashtra
and Uttar Pradesh. A failed rabi crop
will mean the fourth consecutive crop
failure for Indian farmers, coming on
the back of two failed kharif crops (in
2014 and 2015), interspersed with a
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spate of unseasonal rains that
damaged last year’s winter harvest in
15 states.
……………………………………………….
6) What is the name of the ad-free
premium version of the video
streaming site YouTube that was
launched by the company on 10
February 2016? – ‘YouTube Red
Originals’
Explanation: ‘YouTube Red Originals’ is
an ad-free premium version of the
Google-owned video streaming site
YouTube that also lets users save
videos offline and play videos in
background. It officially went live with
its original movies from 10 February.
– This series is part of Google parent
Alphabet’s efforts to attract users to its
paid service. The move will pit
YouTube against video streamingpioneer Netflix.
– Although this premium service is
presently not available in India, Google
has left a back door for viewers to
watch the content.
– YouTube Originals, which is a list of
original series and movies from someof YouTube’s popular creators, in India
can be viewed either via the Google
Play Store or via YouTube.
February 13, 2016
1) In a path-breaking development in
the field of Physics, a group of
scientists on 11 February 2016
announced the detection of
Gravitational Waves. This
announcement threw open a new
window to the cosmos and to human
understanding of space and time.
Which scientist had predicted the
existence of gravitational waves some
100 years ago? – Albert Einstein
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Explanation: The scientists of US-
based Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)
on 11 February 2016 claimed to havedetected the sound of gravitational
waves from the merger of two black
holes.
– This collision of two black holes had
been predicted but never observed.
– The discovery came after decades of
instrument research and development,and the collaborative efforts of around
1,000 scientists, 90 institutions and 15
countries, including India.
– This was the first time a Binary Black
Hole system has been directly
observed. The discovery, possibly the
biggest scientific breakthrough of the
century so far, radically expands the
ways in which the cosmos can now be
observed and understood.
– The study of gravitational waves will
offer scientists greater insights into the
origin of the universe and how planets
are created.
– LIGO is a system of two identical
detectors located in Livingstone,
Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington,
which were constructed to detect tiny
vibrations from passing gravitational
waves.
……………………………………………..
2) History was created on 12 February
2016 when Pope Francis, the head of
the Roman Catholic churches, andPatriarch Kirill, the supreme of the
Russian Orthodox churches, met at
Havana’s José Martí International
Airport in Cuba. This was the first
meeting of the heads of the two
Christian groups in around 1,000 years
since the Great Schism shattered
Christendom. The Great Schism tookplace in which year? – 1054 AD
Explanation: The Great Schism (also
called the East –West Schism) was the
event that broke the chord between
the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman
Catholic churches in 1054. The primary
reasons for this split between the twochurches were – the source of the Holy
Spirit, whether leavened or
unleavened bread should be used in
the Eucharist and the Pope’s claim to
universal jurisdiction.
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– Despite famine, religious wars,
worldwide conflict and the spread of
civilization, the heads of the Roman
Catholic and the Russian Orthodoxchurches haven’t spoken since the
Great Schism of 1054.
– But on 12 February Pope Francis and
the Primate of the Russian Orthodox
Church, Patriarch Kirill, met in Havana,
Cuba and took historic steps for
restoring ties between the two
churches.
– Francis and Kirill also called for
political leaders to act on the single
most important issue of shared
concern between the Catholic and
Orthodox churches today: the plight of
Christians in Iraq and Syria who are
being killed and driven from their
homes by the Islamic State group.
– It is worth mentioning that the split
between the two churches nearly
1,000 years ago has festered over
issues such as the primacy of the pope
and accusations by the Russian
Orthodox Church that the CatholicChurch tries to poach converts in
Russia.
……………………………………………..
3) The ministry of corporate affairs
(MCA) ordered a merger between two
entities on 12 February 2016 which
was the first time that the governmentforced a merger between two private
entities, using a provision of the
Companies Act that allows it do so in
public interest? – Financial
Technologies India Ltd (FTIL) and
National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL)
Explanation: The MCA on 12 February
2016 ordered a merger between
Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL)
and its unit National Spot Exchange Ltd
(NSEL), making FTIL responsible for the
liabilities of the fraud-hit commodities
bourse.
– It’s Thus also became the first – ever
instance of the Union Govt. forcing a
merger between two private entities,
using a provision of the Companies Act
that allows it do so in public interest.
– FTIL, controlled by entrepreneur
Jignesh Shah, immediately said it will
challenge the order in the Bombay
High Court. FTIL owns 99.99% of NSEL,on which trading was suspended after
a Rs. 5,574.35 crore fraud at the latter
came to light in July 2013.
……………………………………………..
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4) Which important 4-day event
associated with the birds in the
country started from 12 February
2016? – Great Backyard Bird Count
Explanation: The 4th edition of the
Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
India commenced from 12 September
2016. The main objective of GBBC is to
create an annual snapshot of the
distribution and abundance of birds in
the country. It is the part of a global
event associated with bird-watching
and bird-related activities.
– Over 1,000 birdwatchers from across
India are expected to take part in this
global event. More than 150
educational and other institutions are
documenting their birds through the
Campus Bird Watch.
– The data gathered from GBBC canprovide the first sign that individual
species may be increasing or declining
from year to year.
……………………………………………..
5) Delhi Government on 11 February
2016 announced bringing back the
odd-even road rationing scheme once
again for a period of 15 days. This
scheme will put into effect from which
date? – 15 April 2016
Explanation: Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal announced bringing
back the odd-even road rationing
scheme from 15 April 2016 for a periodof 15 days. The state govt. also
announced that the government is also
seriously thinking implementing the
15-day odd-even scheme every month.
– Two-wheelers and women motorists
would continue to be exempted from
this scheme.
– The scheme aimed at curbing
pollution by halving the number of cars
plying in the city was first implemented
from 1 January to 15 January 2016.
– The govt. claimed that the first phase
of odd-even scheme did not really shift
people to Metro but was successful inencouraging car-pooling.
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February 14-15, 2016
1) Which public-sector bank on 12
February 2016 announced net loss of
Rs. 3,342 crore for quarter ended
December 2015, which is the largest
quarterly loss by a bank in the history
of Indian banking industry? – Bank of
Baroda (BOB)
Explanation: Bank of Baroda (BOB)
posted a quarterly net loss of Rs. 3,342crore for the third quarter of 2015-16
(Sep-Dec), as compared to a profit of
Rs. 333 crore in the same period of last
year.
– This was the largest loss by a bank inthe Indian banking history. The loss
was primarily driven by a 463%
increase in provisions towards bad
loans which rose from Rs. 1,149 crore
in the previous quarter to Rs. 6,474
crore.
– It is worth mentioning that the RBI
had asked PSU banks to treat some
troubled accounts as official bad loans
and make adequate provisions.
– Among the worst performers, IDBI
Bank made a loss of Rs. 2,184 crore,
IOB Rs. 1,425 crore and Bank of India
Rs. 1,505 crore.
………………………………………….
2) Which team won the ICC Under-19
World Cup 2016 by defeating India in
the finals on 14 February 2016? – West
Indies
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Explanation: West Indies shocked
favourites India in the finals of 2016
ICC Under-19 World Cup that was
played between the two countries on14 February 2016 at Dhaka
(Bangladesh).
– Batting first, the Indian team was
bowled-out for a paltry 145 runs off
45.1 overs. West Indies successfully
chased the winning target in 49.3 overs
for the loss of 5 wickets. It is worth
mentioning that India was the only
undefeated team in the tournament.
– This was the maiden ICC U-19 World
Cup title for West Indies.
– The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup
is an international cricket tournament
contested by national under-19 teams.
First contested in 1988, as the Youth
World Cup, it was not staged again
until 1998. Since then, the World Cup
has been held as a biennial event,
organised by the International Cricket
Council (ICC). India and Australia have
been the most successful teams in this
tournament, having won thetournament thrice each. Pakistan has
won the tournament twice, while
South Africa, England and now the
West Indies have won it once.
………………………………………….
3) ONV Kurup, who passed away on 13
February 2016, was a celebrated poet
and lyricist associated with which
language? –Malayalam
Explanation: Ottaplakkal NeelakandanVelu Kurup (ONV Kurup) was one of
the most celebrated and respected
poet of Malayalam language. His
influential presence existed for nearly
seven decades in Kerala’s cultural
landscape.
– As a poet and public figure, he was
associated with the political and
cultural Left all through his life. He also
contested unsuccessfully as the Left
Front candidate from the
Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in
1989.
– He received numerous awards for his
poetry, including the Sahitya Akademi
prize (1975) and the Jnanpith Award
(2007), and a dozen Kerala state film
awards for lyrics. He also received the
Padma Shri (1998) and Padma
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Vibhushan (2011), the fourth and
second highest civilian honours from
the Government of India.
– He passed away on 13 February in
Thiruvananthapuram at the age of 84.
………………………………………….
4) What is the name of the President
of the Jawaharlal Nehru University
Student’s Union (JNUSU) who was
arrested on charges of sedition on 12
February 2016 resulting in a huge
showdown between the Union Govt.
and the Opposition? – Kanhaiya
Kumar
Explanation: Kanhaiya Kumar, thepresident of Jawaharlal Nehru
University Student’s Union (JNUSU)
was arrested by the police on 12
February 2016. He was arrested on
charges of sedition one day after a
controversial event organized on the
campus against the hanging of Afzal
Guru.
– The arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar upped
the Opposition ante over the BJP-led
National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
with a huge opposition show-down
held on 13 February.
– The Opposition claimed that the
government was suppressing the
voices of the people. This showdown
was attended by senior opposition
leaders including Congress vice
president Rahul Gandhi.
………………………………………….
5) An Associate Justice of the US
Supreme Court died on 13 February
2016. What was the name of this judge
who served in the US Supreme Court
for almost 30 years and whose deathset up a major political showdown
between President Barack Obama and
the Republican-controlled Senate? –
Justice Antonin Scalia
Explanation: 78-year old Justice
Antonin Scalia passed away at the
Cibolo Creek Ranch resort in West
Texas on 13 February 2016. He served
on the nation’s highest court for nearly
30 years. He was appointed to the
Court by President Ronald Reagan in
1986.
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– Scalia had a “larger-than-life
presence” in the US judiciary and was
known for his strident conservative
views and theatrical flair in thecourtroom. But his death setup a big
showdown between President Obama
and the Republican-controlled Senate,
over who will replace him just months
before a presidential election.
– Justice Scalia was the longest-serving
judge in the Court. It is worth
mentioning that once appointed, the
judges in the US Supreme Court have
life tenure unless they resign, retire,
take senior status, or are removed
after impeachment (though no justice
has ever been removed).
– Scalia was one of the eight associate
justices in the US Supreme Court apart
from Chief Justice John Roberts.
………………………………………….
6) Internet search giant Google on 12
February 2016 announced that with
the objective of fully focusing on
‘Google Photos’ service it will shut
down its photo editing service that has
been in service for over a decade.
What is the name of this famous photo
editing service? – Picasa
Explanation: Picasa is an image
organizer and image viewer application
primarily for organizing and editing
digital photos.
– It was originally created by a
company called ‘Lifescape’ in 2002 but
was acquired by Google in July 2004.
Google started offering Picasa as a
freeware and it went on to become the
most famous photo editing organizer
application in the world.
– But Google introduced its own photo
service named ‘Google Photos’ on 28
May 2015 and now wishes to focus
entirely on it.
– So on 12 February Google announced
that it was discontinuing Picasa,
effective 15 March 2016, and focusing
on Google Photos as its successor.
Picasa Web Albums, a companion
service will be closed on 1 May 2016.
– It is worth mentioning that while
Picasa was more suited for desktop
applications, ‘Google Photos’ provides
more functionality and works across
mobile and desktop.
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February 16, 2016
1) India’s newest and most modern
aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, along
with its support ships INS Mysore and
INS Deepak, reached Maldives’ capital
Male on 15 February 2016 on a 4-day
visit. What is the objective of this visit
of Indian Navy’s ships? – To thwart the
Chinese Navy from making anystrategic in-roads into the Indian
Ocean Region
Explanation: This visit is part of the
overall policy to shape a favourable
maritime environment in the Indian
Ocean Region (IOR) with both presence
and engagement.
– India has been looking to counter the
Chinese aggression in the IOR as the
China is now viewing the ocean region
as its own backyard. An emboldened
Chinese Navy had previously anchored
its warships and submarines in the
Pakistani port of Gwadar and the Sri
Lankan port of Hambantota and
Colombo, causing ripples in the Indian
administration.
– Maldives is a strategically important
country for India in the IOR. Indiareiterated its commitment to train the
archipelago’s military and help it in
maritime surveillance. India is also
likely to help Maldives in setting up 10
coastal surveillance radar system
(CSRS) stations.
– INS Vikramaditya, one of the two
aircraft carriers of the Navy, is capable
of operating a versatile range of high-
performance aircraft, such as the MiG-
29K fighters, KM 31 AEW helicopters,
multi-role Sea-Kings and utility
Chetaks.
…………………………………………………
2) The Urban Development Ministry on
15 February 2016 unveiled the list of
India’s cleanest cities that were
surveyed for sanitation and hygiene
conditions as per ‘Swachh Survekshan-
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2016’. Which city topped this list? –
Mysuru
Explanation: Mysuru in Karnataka
remained the cleanest city in the
country as disclosed in the list of 73
major cities surveyed for sanitation
scenario last month. Results of
‘Swachh Survekshan-2016’ were
released by the Minister of Urban
Development M.Venkaiah Naidu on 15
February 2016.
– It is worth mentioning that last year
Mysuru was ranked as the cleanest city
in the country among 476 cities with
population of at least one lakh.
– The top 10 cities in terms of
sanitation and hygiene in order of rank
are: Mysuru, Chandigarh, Tiruchirapalli
(Tamil Nadu), New Delhi Municipal
Council, Visakhapatnam (Andhra
Pradesh), Surat, Rajkot, both in
Gujarat, Gangtok (Sikkim), Pimpri
Chindwad and Greater Mumbai, both
from Maharashtra.
– Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh),
Surat and Rajkot, both form Gujarat
and Gangtok (Sikkim) improved their
ranks to break into top 10 clean cities
in this year’s survey.
– The bottom 10 cities are: Kalyan
Dombivili (Maharshtra-ranked 64),
Varanasi (UP), Jamshedpur
(Jharkhand), Ghaziabad (UP), Raipur(Chhattisgarh), Meerut (UP), Patna
(Bihar), Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh),
Asansol (West Bengal) and Dhanbad,
ranked 73.
– The rankings reflect progress made in
the strategy for open defecation-free
towns and integrated solid waste
management, among others.
…………………………………………………
3) What is the name of given to the
biggest military exercise of its kind
being held from 15 February 2016 for
which 20 armed forces from Arab,
Islamic and friendly countries
assembled in Saudi Arabia? – “North
Thunder”
Explanation: “North Thunder” is the
name given to the biggest military
exercise of its kind in terms of the
number of participating countries and
military equipment that commenced at
the King Khaled Military City (KKMC) in
Saudi Arabia from 15 February 2016.
– This exercise features 20 countries
from Arab, Islamic and countries
friendly to Saudi Arabia. These
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countries are – Saudi Arabia, UAE,
Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Sudan,
Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan,
Chad, Tunisia, Comoro Islands,Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia,
Egypt, Mauritania, and Mauritius.
– “North Thunder” involves fighter jets
of different models, a wide range of
artillery, tanks, infantry, air defense
systems, and naval forces in a
simulation to reflect the highest level
of preparedness of the 20 participating
countries.
– The exercise aims to send a clear
message that Saudi Arabia, its sister,
brotherly and friendly countries joining
the maneuver are standing together in
the face of all challenges to preserve
peace and stability in the region and
the world at large.
– Saudi Arabia is currently leading a
military campaign against Iran-backed
rebels in Yemen. In December, it also
announced formation of a 35-member
alliance against terrorism.
…………………………………………………
4) Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC) tied up with which
wallet subsidiary of Tata Teleservices
to provide an additional payment
gateway as announced on 15 February
2016? – mRUPEE
Explanation: mRUPEE, a subsidiary of
Tata Teleservices, on 15 February
announced a tie-up with Indian
Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC), India’s largest e-
commerce company, to provide an
additional payment gateway.
– This tie-up will allow users one-tap
payments for rail ticket bookings viamRUPEE wallet for a significant
number of travellers.
– mRupee expects that the tie-up with
IRCTC will not only give railway
customers the ease of quick and
convenient booking, but also give a
thrust to the government’s mandate of
enhancing wider adoption of digital
money in India.
…………………………………………………
5) What is the name of the 7th joint
military training exercise between the
Indian Army and the Seychelles
People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) thatstarted at Seychelles Defence Academy
(SDA) from 15 February 2016? –
Lamitye 2016
Explanation: Lamitye is the name given
to the joint military training exercise
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that takes place between the armies of
India and Seychelles. Both the
countries have been conducting joint
exercises since 2001 under the‘Lamitye’ series. ‘Lamitye’ means
friendship in Creole (local dialect of
Seychelles).
– The exercise is conducted biennially
with the aim of enhancing military
cooperation and interoperability
between the two countries.
– ‘Lamitye 2016’ is being conducted at
Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA),
Victoria, Seychelles from 15 February
to 28 February 2016. The SeychellesPeople’s Defence Forces (SPDF) is
being represented by 20 personnel
from Tazar (Special Forces Unit) and 32
from Seychelles Infantry. The Indian
contingent comprises of an Infantry
platoon and representatives from the
Special Forces.
February 17, 2016
1) In a bid to kick-start manufacturing
in the electronics sector in the country,
the Union Govt. on 15 February
launched a Rs. 10,000 crore
development fund specifically targeted
at the semiconductor industry. What is
the name of this fund? – Electronic
Development Fund (EDF)
Explanation: The Electronic
Development Fund (EDF) will provide
risk capital to companies developing
new technologies in electronics, nano-
electronics and information
technology. The fund will also be used
to acquire foreign companies and
technologies that are required for
building hi-tech capabilities within
India
– The Department of Electronics andInformation Technology will be the
anchor investor. Canbank Venture
Capital Fund, a subsidiary of state-run
lender Canara Bank, has been
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F A I R S
appointed the implementation agency
for EDF.
– The Centre will contribute Rs. 2,200
crore, while the balance will be
brought in by private entities. The
Centre has already provided Rs. 169
crore to the four companies, while the
VC firms are investing close to Rs.
1,000 crore.
…………………………………………………
2) The 2016 South Asian Games (SAG)
concluded on 16 February 2016 with a
grand closing ceremony held at
Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic
Stadium. India grabbed an
unprecedented 188 gold medals and
stamped its superiority as an unrivalled
region sporting power. Which country
came second in the medals tally? – SriLanka
Explanation: India, hosting the Games
for the third time after Calcutta (1987)
and Madras (1995), overwhelmingly
dominated the 12thSAF Games by
winning 308 medals (188 gold, 90
silver, 30 bronze).
– Sri Lanka were a distant second with
25 gold, 63 silver and 98 bronze while
Pakistan ended at third with 12 gold,
37 silver and 57 bronze. India, in fact,
bagged more than three-fourth of the
total 239 gold medals on offer in 23
disciplines.
Final Medals Tally
Rank Country Gold S
1 India 188 9
2 Sri Lanka 25 6
3 Pakistan 12 3
4 Afghanistan 7 9
5 Bangladesh 4 1
6 Nepal 3 2
7 Maldives 0 2
8 Bhutan 0 1
Total 239 240 3
…………………………………………………
3) SEBI Chairman UK Sinha’s tenure
was extended by the Union Govt. for
how much time as disclosed on 15February 2016? – One year
Explanation: The government on 15
February 2016 extended U.K. Sinha’s
tenure as the chairman of the
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Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) for a year. With this, the govt.
opted for continuity at a time of
domestic and global market volatility.
– The appointments committee of the
cabinet approved extension for Sinha
from 18 February 2016 to 1 March
2017 or until further orders, whichever
is earlier.
– Sinha, a 1976 batch Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) officer ofthe Bihar cadre, assumed office as
chairman of the capital market
regulator on 18 February 2011. Initially
appointed for a three-year term, he
was later given a two-year extension.
– With the extension, Sinha has
become the second longest serving
SEBI chief after D.R. Mehta, who was
at the helm for seven years ending in
2002.
…………………………………………………
4) Who was appointed as the new
Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University
(DU) on 15 February 2016 after hisname was selected by President
Pranab Mukherjee from among four
persons? – Yogesh Kumar Tyagi
Explanation: Yogesh Kumar Tyagi is the
Dean of the Law Faculty at South Asian
University. His name was selected by
President Pranab Mukherjee from
among four persons. Last week, the
Human Resource Development (HRD)ministry had forwarded the four names
to the President who, as Visitor of
Central Universities, makes the final
selection.
– The other names on the panel were
JNU professor Rameshwar Nath Kaul
Bamezai, former IIT professor and
UPSC member Hemchand Gupta and
Bidyut Chakraborty, a professor in the
DU Political Science department.
…………………………………………………
5) Ramesh Chauhan, Chairman, Bisleri
International, came to news as he
announced his re-entry into the
carbonated drinks category, nearly 22
years after selling his brands to Coca
Cola. What is the name of the new
carbonated drink he is launching very
soon? – Bisleri Pop
Explanation: Ramesh Chauhan’s
company Bisleri International is
introducing Bisleri Pop in four variants:
Bisleri Limonata, Bisleri Fonzo, Bisleri
Pina Colada and Bisleri Spyci, from this
month, in all the major cities.
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– Bisleri Pop took eight months to
develop and Chauhan is expected to
put all his experience to ensure it clicks
in the marketplace. Once known asIndia’s cola king, he had sold his
carbonated drink portfolio comprising
of iconic brands such as Thums Up,
Gold Spot and Citra, to the Coca Cola
Company in 1993.
– The launch of Bisleri Pop portfolio
will be accompanied by an outdoors
campaign, subsequently moving to
media such as television and digital to
attract youngsters.
– The Rs. 13,000-14,000 crore soft
drinks market in India is dominated by
Coca-Cola India and PepsiCo. They
straddle the beverage pyramid with
carbonated and non-carbonated
drinks. Ironically, Thums Up, launched
by Chauhan when Coca-Cola first
exited India in 1977, remains the
largest cola brand in Coca-Cola’s
portfolio.
February 18, 2016
1) What is the interest rate on
provident fund savings for 2015-16 as
announced by the Employees’
Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) on
16 February 2016? – 8.8%
Explanation: The new rate is a
marginal increase from the 8.75%
interest rate paid in 2014-15. In fact,
the 8.8% interest rate on EPF is the
highest since 2010-11 when the EPF
savings earned a 9.5% rate of return.
– The financial audit and investment
committee (FAIC) of EPFO in January2016 said its earnings in 2015-16 has
the potential to offer a rate of 8.95%.
– It is worth mentioning that EPFO
distributes interest rate as per the
income generated from its investments
every year and does not take money
from the government.…………………………………………………..
2) The Union Govt. came out with
which major policy announcement
regarding interest rates of all small
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saving schemes on 16 February 2016?
– It announced recalibrating the
interest rates of all small saving
schemes on a quarterly basis from 1April
Explanation: The Union Govt. decided
to do away with the higher interest
income earned through Kisan Vikas
Patras (KVPs) and other small saving
schemes below five years of maturity.
With this move it expects to help bring
down bank lending rates. However, it
retained the interest rates of social
security schemes for girls and senior
citizens.
– From now on the interest rates of all
small saving schemes will be
recalibrated on a quarterly basis from
1 April and will be notified on 15
March for the April-June quarter.
…………………………………………………..
3) Boutros Boutros-Ghali – the former
Secretary General of the United
Nations (UN), who passed away on 16
February 2016, was a citizen of which
country? – Egypt
Explanation: Boutros Boutros-Ghali
was the 6th Secretary General of the
United Nations and served this coveted
post from 1 January 1992 to 31
December 1996.
– He was not only the first Arab to
serve as UN Secretary General, but
also the first to serve only one term in
the post. Ghali led the UN during oneof its most difficult times, with crises in
Somalia, Rwanda, the Middle East and
the former Yugoslavia.
– His five years were dogged by
controversy. During the Rwandan
genocide in 1994, he was criticised for
the UN’s failure to prevent the
massacre.
– His opposition to NATO’s bombing
campaign in Bosnia had also angered
the United States (US), and
contributed to his ousting. The US
wielded its veto when Boutros-Ghali
sought a second term, which he
regarded as a personal betrayal.
– Serving as Egypt’s foreign minister
under President Anwar el-Sadat, he
played a key role in negotiating the
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Camp David agreement brokered by
the US president Jimmy Carter.
– He died at a Cairo hospital on 16
February at the age of 93.
…………………………………………………..
4) Union Govt. unveiled the first-ever
policy for the country’s capital goods
sector on 15 February 2016. What are
the three most important objectives of
this policy?
Three primary objectives of the
Capital Goods Policy:
– To create an ecosystem for a globally
competitive capital goods sector to
achieve total production in excess of
Rs 7.5 lakh crore by 2025 from the
current Rs 2.3 lakh crore
– Increase the share of capital goods in
total manufacturing activity from 12%
at present to 20% by 2025
– To create 21 million additional jobs
by 2025
Explanation: The National Policy on
Capital Goods is envisaged to unlockthe potential of this promising sector
and establish India as a global
manufacturing powerhouse.
– It sets the objective of increasing
exports to 40% of total production
(from Rs. 61,000 crore to Rs. 3,00,000
crore) by 2025, enabling India’s shareof global exports in capital goods to
increase to 2.5% and making the
country a net exporter of capital
goods.
…………………………………………………..
5) Which Indian defence production
firm was selected by BAE Systems Plc.as its business partner for the
proposed in-country assembly,
integration and test (AIT) facility for
the M777 Ultra Lightweight Howitzer,
as announced on 16 February 2016? –
Mahindra Defence
Explanation: Mahindra Defence, the
defence production firm of the
Mahindra Group, was chosen as the
Indian partner for BAE Systems Plc.’s
nearly $700 million deal for the supply
of 145 M777 Howitzers, which are
ultra-light weight artillery guns having
a strike range of 25 km.
– Last year, BAE developed and
submitted a US government-supported
proposal offering a higher degree of
indigenisation on the M777 weapon
system. The highlight of this proposal
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was the commitment to establish
Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT)
capabilities in India in partnership with
a domestic Indian company.
– BAE Systems Plc. is a British
multinational defence, security and
aerospace company headquartered in
London.
February 19, 2016
1) The Union Cabinet gave its approval
to the World Trade Organization’s
(WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement(TFA) on 17 February 2016. TPA seeks
to ease customs procedures to boost
commerce. India has thus become
…………country to approve TPA – 71st
Explanation: India on 17 February
2016 became the 71st country to give
its approval to the World Trade
Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation
Agreement (TFA). To implement this
ambitious agreement, two-thirds of
the total members, or 107 countries,
have to approve it.
– TPA aims to expedite the movement,
release and clearance of goods,
including goods in transit, forinternational trade. For this purpose, it
sets out measures for effective
cooperation between customs and
other appropriate authorities on trade
facilitation and customs compliance
issues.
– According to the WTO, full
implementation of TFA could increase
global merchandise exports by up to
$1 trillion annually. The overall boost
to world export growth has been
estimated at 2.7% per annum.
…………………………………………………….
2) The Securities and Exchange Board
of India (SEBI) on 17 February 2016
constituted a committee for disposing
of the land purchased by PACL Ltd in
order to refund people who have
invested in the company’s various
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funds for purchase of land. Who was
appointed the head of this committee?
– Justice R.M. Lodha (Ex-Chief Justice
of India)
Explanation: The committee was
formed after the Supreme Court
ordered SEBI to do so to carry out the
refund process to PACL’s investors.
While Justice R.M. Lodha is heading
the committee, S. Raman, a whole-
time member of SEBI, and Amit
Pradhan, the chief general manager
and regional director of SEBI’s North
Regional Office, will be the two
members working for the committee.
– On 2 February, SEBI had penalized
PACL and nine of its directors a total
of Rs.23.32 crore for allegedly violating
SEBI norms on collective investment
schemes (CIS) and illegally
mobilizing Rs.49,100 crore from
investors between 1996 and 2014.
– SEBI had said in an order that the
company and its directors had been
mobilizing funds from general public
through CIS since 1996 without alegitimate licence from it.
…………………………………………………….
3) Google’s e-mail service G-mail on 17
February 2016 launched an option
under which e-mail users of other
services such as Yahoo! Mail orHotmail/Outlook.com will be able to
use features of Gmail despite not
having an email account on Gmail.
What is the name of this new service
option? – ‘Gmailify’
Explanation: The ‘Gmailify’ option links
the existing non-Gmail account to
Gmail so that those accounts will
function like native Gmail accounts.
The process of the so-called
‘Gmailifying’ actually started last
March when the company began
allowing its users to link their Gmail
accounts with their Yahoo! and
Outlook accounts so that all of theiremails could be accessed from a single
screen. This feature has now been
expanded.
– With this launch, Google has made
sure that all non-Gmail accounts look
and act more like Gmail – aside from
the domain name.
– Gmailify will be currently available on
the Gmail app on Android and will be
made available to iOS users later.
…………………………………………………….
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4) Japanese two-wheeler giant Honda
Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI)
started its fourth plant in India on 17
February 2016. This plant is the world’s
largest scooter manufacturing site with
production capacity of 1.2 million two-
wheelers per annum. Where is this
plant situated? – Vithalapur (Gujarat)
Explanation: HMSI’s fourth plant is
situated at Vithalapur (near Mehsana)
in Gujarat. This huge plant is just 15 km
from Suzuki Motor Corporation’s
upcoming plant in the state.
– Spread over 250 acres, the
Vithalapur facility has come up in just
13 months with an investment of
nearly Rs 1,100 crore. Initially, the
plant would produce around 600,000
scooters per annum which would be
scaled up to 1.2 million scooters per
annum by mid-2016.
– HMSI claimed that its fourth plant inIndia has created job opportunities for
3,000 people (directly and indirectly).
…………………………………………………….
5) Who was appointed as the new
Chairman and Managing Director
(CMD) of Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Ltd (HPCL), the nation’sthird-largest oil marketing company on
17 February 2016? – M.K. Surana
Explanation: The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 17
February approved the proposal of the
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
for the appointment of M.K. Surana as
the Chairman and Managing Director
(CMD) of HPCL.
– Surana is currently the chief
executive officer of Prize Petroleum
Co, the upstream oil exploration arm
of HPCL. He will replace Nishi Vasudeva
on her retirement at the end of March
2016.
…………………………………………………….
6) Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, who
passed away in Kolkata on 18 February
2016, was an eminent – Hindustani
classical vocalist
Explanation: Ustad Abdul Rashid Khanwas an eminent vocalist of Hindustani
music. Apart from khayal, he
performed dhrupad, dhamar and
thumri. He was associated with the
traditional Gwalior gharana and had
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imbibed the Gwalior Gayaki from his
elders.
– A recipient of Padma Bhushan in
2013 and Sangeet Natak Akademi
award, he was a resident guru at the
ITC Sangeet Research Academy in
Kolkata for the past 20 years.
– He was 107. He was the oldest
person ever to be conferred a Padma
award when he received the award
from President Pranab Mukherjee in2013 at the age of 105.
February 20, 2016
1) On 19 February 2016 who was
appointed the Chairman of the
Empowered Committee of state
finance ministers that represents all
states and will play a crucial role in
implementing the goods and services
tax (GST)? – Amit Mitra (West Bengal
Finance Minister)
Explanation: The Union Govt.
appointed West Bengal Finance
Minister Amit Mitra as chairman of the
Empowered Committee of state
finance ministers. This was announced
on 19 February 2016 by Minister of
State for Finance Jayant Sinha.
– Mitra, belonging to the Trinamool
Congress (TMC), has been the financeminister of West Bengal since 2011,
when his party came to power in the
state. Prior to taking over as the state’s
finance minister, Mitra had held the
post of Secretary General at industry
lobby, the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI).
– The Empowered Panel will play a role
in putting together the final contours
of GST’s design, spearheading its
implementation and achieving
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consensus on some of the differences
between states as well as between the
Centre and the states.
– The post fell vacant in November
2015 after the previous incumbent,
K.M. Mani, stepped down as Kerala
finance minister following corruption
allegations.
– The government will miss the 1 April
2016 deadline for rolling out GST but is
hopeful of doing so sometime later inthe next fiscal year.
………………………………………………………….
.
2) What is the name of the rebel MLA
of Arunachal Pradesh belonging to
Congress, who was appointed the new
Chief Minister of state on 19 February
2016? – Kalikho Pul
Explanation: Congress rebel Kalikho
Pul became 8th Chief Minister of
Arunachal Pradesh after he was sworn
in by Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa
on 19 February 2016 a few hours after
President’s Rule was revoked in the
state.
– Prior to this, both factions of the
Congress, one headed by Pul and the
other by former Chief Minister Nabam
Tuki, had staked their claim to form a
new government in the State.
– At present, the dissenting Congress
faction consists of 21 leaders. Since
they have the support of 11 BJP MLAs,
they have the numerical majority inthe 50-member Assembly.
– The total strength of the Arunachal
Pradesh Assembly is 50 seats.
– Tuki, whose authority was challenged
by the party rebels, however,
questioned the formation of a
government without his approval. Heclaimed that with the revocation of
President’s Rule, power would have to
be restored to him and the former
government should be reinstalled.
………………………………………………………….
.
3) In a bid to acquire the capability to
launch heavier satellites into orbit, the
Indian Space Research Organisation’s
(ISRO) received a big boost on 19
February 2016 as it successfully
conducted the hotbed test of the
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cryogenic engine. This long duration
test was conducted at the ISRO
Propulsion Research Centre that is
situated in –Mahendragiri (TamilNadu)
Explanation: ISRO conducted the
successful hotbed test of the cryogenic
engine for the upper stage of the GSLV
Mark 3 rocket at ISRO Propulsion
Research Centre at Mahendragiri
(Tamil Nadu) on 19 February 2016. This
test lasted 640 seconds and was
termed as a phenomenal achievement
in the shortest time by ISRO chairman
A.S. Kiran Kumar.
– The high-thrust cryogenic engine
(CE20) used in the test was developed
at the Liquid Propulsion System centre
(LPSC) in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).
The engine had already undergone two
short-duration tests for engine ignition
and steady state performance.
– The biggest rocket made in India, the
Mk3 will be capable of launching four-
tonne satellites into geosynchronous
orbit.
………………………………………………………….
.
4) What is the name of the former RBI
executive who was named as the chief
executive officer (CEO) of Paytm’s
payments bank on 19 February 2016?
– Shinjini Kumar
Explanation: Shinjini Kumar, who is
currently a director at research and
consultancy firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), will
join Alibaba-backed mobile wallet
Paytm’s payments bank as chief
executive officer (CEO).
– Shinjini Kumar served as deputy
general manager at the RBI for 15
years from 1992 to 2007 before she
moved to Bank of America (BOI) as its
country compliance head. She joined
PwC in October 2010.
– Mobile wallet and e-commerce
company Paytm (One97
Communications Ltd) received in-
principle nod from RBI to set up apayments bank last year. While Paytm
was expected to launch the bank by
April 2016, the plan was delayed and it
is now looking at a launch timeline of
the second half of this year.
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………………………………………………………….
.
5) Nelle Harper Lee, the Pulitzer Prize
winning American novelist passed
away on 19 February 2016. What was
the title of her iconic novel of 1960
that made her famous all over the
world? – ‘To Kill a Mockingbird ’
Explanation: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird ’
was published on 11 July 2060. It was
an immediate bestseller and won greatcritical acclaim, including the Pulitzer
Prize for Fiction in 1961. It remains a
bestseller, with more than 30 million
copies in print. In 1999, it was voted
“Best Novel of the Century” in a poll bythe Library Journal.
– Though Harper Lee had only
published this single book, in 2007 she
was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom for her contribution to
literature.
February 21-22, 2016
1) What is the proposed date for
holding the historic referendum in the
United Kingdom to decide whether the
country remains in the European
Union (EU), as announced by PrimeMinister David Cameron on 20
February 2016? – 23 June 2016
Explanation: The UK will hold the
important referendum on 23 June
2016 to decide on the issue of
country’s choice – whether it will
remain part of the European Union
(EU) or exit from it. British Prime
Minister David Cameron made this
announcement on 20 February 2016 in
Downing Street after briefing the
Cabinet.
– PM Cameron said he would be
campaigning to remain in a reformedEU and described the vote as one of
the biggest decisions in UK’s lifetime.
– The referendum date announcement
came after renegotiations on the UK’s
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relationship with Europe were finalised
on 19 February 2016 after intense
wrangling at a two-day summit in
Brussels.
– A British exit from the EU would rock
the Union. The organisation has
already been shaken by differences
over migration and the future of the
euro zone, by ripping away its second-
largest economy, one of its top two
military powers and by far its richest
financial centre.
– UK has been the part of the EU since
1973.
……………………………………………………
2) In an important initiative about 25
Indian and 100 Israeli firms came
together for a unique business seminaron defence and security in Israel. The
5-day seminar started on 21 February
2016 and will mainly focus on
increasing collaborations and JVs
between the MSME ministries on both
sides. Which Indian trade entity is
associated with this event? – FICCI
Explanation: The Indo-Israel defence
seminar is organised jointly by SIBAT,
the Israeli defence ministry, the
International Defence Cooperation
Directorate and FICCI. This is the fourth
edition of SIBAT-FICCI event on
defence and security.
– The seminar will highlight the huge
potential to cooperate under PM
Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’
initiative and will deal with the new
Defence Procurement Procedure for
2016, with a special focus on JVs
between industries in Israel and India.
– More than 500 business-to-business
meetings are taking place during theseminar. Both countries’ defence
establishments and industries have
been partnering for many years in
various areas. This will be the fourth
joint seminar for SIBAT and FICCI in
recent years.
– Another seminar, dedicated to
armoured vehicles, is expected to take
place in Chennai later this year.
……………………………………………………
3) What important and interesting
trend in India’s petroleum imports was
witnessed recently as reported in the
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data released by Thomson Reuters Oil
Research & Forecasts during February
2016? – India’s oil imports from Saudi
Arabia and Iraq hit the highest inmore than a decade during January
2016
Explanation: During January 2016
country import of oil from Saudi Arabia
and Iraq hit the highest in more than a
decade as OPEC’s top producers
gained at the expense of Latin
American crude exporting countries.
– Saudi Arabia was the top supplier to
India in January, with volumes jumping
29% from the same month a year ago
to nearly 940,000 barrels per day
(bpd).
– Just behind was Iraq at 930,000 bpd,
up 52% from January levels last year.
The daily rates from both were at their
highest since at least 2001.
– In contrast, total imports from Latin
America fell by a quarter in January
from a year ago to 706,000 bpd.
– India is the world’s third-largestcrude oil importer. Competitive prices
and shorter shipping distances are
giving the Middle East members of the
Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) the upper
hand in India.
……………………………………………………
4) Who struck the fastest ever century
in Test cricket on 20 February 2016 to
overtake the joint record of West
Indies’ Viv Richards and Pakistan’s
Misbah-ul-Haq? – Brendon McCullum
(New Zealand)
Explanation: Brendon McCullum struck
the fastest ever test century on 20
February 2016 against Australia as he
reached the three-digit mark in just 54
balls on the first day of the second and
final Test Match against Australia at
Hagley Oval Christchurch.
– This knock beat the mark of 56 balls
set by West Indies great Sir VivRichards against England in 1986, and
equalled by Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq
in 2014.
– What was important about this
knock was this was the farewell Test
for McCullum. This was the 101st Test
for him and the century was the 12th
ofhis career.
……………………………………………………
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5) Who was re-appointed as IMF’s
Managing Director for a second five-
year term on 19 February 2016? –
Christine Lagarde
Explanation: The Executive Board of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
on 19 February selected 60-year-old
Christine Lagarde to serve as IMF
Managing Director for a second five-
year term starting on 5 July 2016.
– Lagarde, who has been a former
French f inance minister, took the IMF’s
top spot in mid-2011 after its former
managing director Dominique Strauss-
Kahn was arrested in New York under
rape allegations. She is the first-ever
woman to reach this post since the
institution’s inception in 1944.
– She is known to have steered the IMFthrough some troubled times including
the European financial crisis.
February 23, 2016
1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
21 February 2016 launched the
‘National Rurban Mission’, anambitious scheme that seeks to
transform rural areas to economically,
socially and physically sustainable
spaces. The mission was launched from
which village of Chhattisgarh? –
Kurubhat
Explanation: The ‘National Rurban
Mission’ was launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at Kurubhat, a
town in Rajnandgaon district of
Chhattisgarh.
– The term ‘Rurban’ used in the name
of the mission is the culmination of
rural and urban. The mission is
expected to reduce pressure on the
cities and provide a new avenue to the
village people. It aims at curbing
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migration of youth from villages to
cities.
– Under the ‘National Rurban Mission’
300 rural centers, catering to at least
four adjoining villages each, will be
developed as urban clusters with
modern facilities. 100 such centres are
targeted to be developed this year
itself. The mission was approved by
the govt. during September 2015.
(Photo Courtesy: MapsofIndia)
…………………………………………….
2) Yielding to pressure from agitating
Jats, the Union Govt. on 21 February
2016 set up a five-member committee
to examine the quota demand for the
community in government jobs. Who
was made head of this committee? –
M.Venkaiah Naidu
Explanation: The agitation started a
few days ago by Jat community seeking
Other Backward Caste (OBC) status for
the community turned violent with
death of at least 10 persons in
Haryana. Seeing the continuous spread
and ferocity of the movement the
Union Govt. on 21 February stated that
a bill will be brought in the comingsession of the Haryana assembly to
give Other Backward Caste (OBC)
status to Jats in the state.
– Apart from this, a 5-member
committee under Parliamentary Affairs
minister M.Venkaiah Naidu was
formed by the Union Govt. to examine
the quota demand for the community
in government jobs.
– Other members of this committee
are – Union ministers Mahesh Sharma
and Sanjeev Balyan and BJP vice-
presidents Satpal Malik and Avinash
Rai Khanna.
…………………………………………….
3) What is the name of the mobile
application (app) launched on 22
February 2016 by Union Minister of
State for Tourism & Culture Mahesh
Sharma that facilitates visitors to post
photos of unclean tourist areas near 25
monuments? – “Swachh Parayatan”
Explanation: “Swachh Parayatan” is
the name of the mobile app that was
launched on 22 February 2016 under
the ‘Clean India – Clean Monuments’
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initiative of the Tourism Ministry.
Visitors can use the app to post photos
of unclean tourist areas near 25
monuments.
– 25 ‘Adarsh Smarak’ monuments
protected by the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI) have been identified for
inclusion in the app. The application
would be scaled up to include more
monuments as the campaign expands.
– This mobile app enables a citizen totake photograph of garbage at the
monument and upload the same along
with his/her remarks. The application
then sends an SMS to the ASI Nodal
Officer concerned with the monument
upon receipt of which the Nodal
Officer gets the garbage
cleared/removed.
…………………………………………….
4) The once-in-12-yearsMahamaham festival, witnessed by
over 12 lakh devotees, was held on 22
February 2016. This event, popularly
known as the ‘Kumbh Mela of South
India’ is held at which place? –
Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
Explanation: Mahamaham is a Hindu
festival celebrated every 12 years in
the Mahamaham tank located in
Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu. Hindus
consider taking a holy dip at the
Mahamaham tank on the day of
Mahamaham as sacred.
– To take part in this auspicious festival
lakhs of devotees from all over thecountry had camped in Kumbakonam.
– Last Mahamaham was held on 6
March 2004 while next event will be
held in 2028.
…………………………………………….
5) Which franchisee won the Hockey
India League (HIL) title for 2016 by
winning the final on 21 February 2016?
– Jaypee Punjab Warriors
Explanation: Chandigarh-based Jaypee
Punjab Warriors (JPW) defeated
Kalinga Lancers by 6-1 in the finals
played at the Birsa Munda Hockey
Stadium (Ranchi) on 21 February to
win the 2016 Hockey India League (HIL)
title.
– Armaan Qureshi, Matt Gohdes and
Satbir Singh scored a field goal each for
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the Warriors while skipper Moritz
Fuerste scored the Lancers’ lone goal
of the match. The unique feature of
the tournament was that each fieldgoal counted for two.
– It is worth mentioning that JPW had
lost the final in the last two seasons.
Kalinga Lancers had qualified for the
knockouts for the first time in the HIL.
– Hockey India League (HIL) is the top-
most professional hockey league in
India featuring top hockey players all
over the world. It was first staged in2013. This was the fourth edition of
Hockey India League (HIL).
February 24, 2016
1) What is the name of India’s first
nuclear armed submarine
(indigenously-built) that has recently
successfully completed several deep
sea diving drills as well as weapons
launch tests conducted over the past
five months and is ready to be
inducted in the Indian Navy? – INS
Arihant
Explanation: India’s first nuclear
armed submarine INS Arihant’s
induction into the Indian Navy is now
just a political call away as the
submarine has successfully passed all
sea-worthiness tests necessary for its
formal induction.
– The 6,000 tonne INS Arihant was
built under the Advanced Technology
Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship
Building Centre (SBC) in
Visakhapatnam (AP). The sea-tests for
the submarine were also conducted at
Visakhapatnam. It is the first of five
nuclear missile submarines or SSBNs
planned for induction.
– The submarine will be powered by an83 megawatts (111,305 hp)
pressurised light-water reactor with
enriched uranium fuel.
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– At present, work is already in
progress on two more Arihant class
submarines at the SBC,
Vishakhapatnam which will be largerand more advanced than the first boat.
………………………………………………………
2) Union Government started 5%
disinvestment of its stake in which PSU
entity on 23 February 2016? – NTPC
Explanation: 5% stake sale of Union
Government in NTPC through the
offer-for-sale (OFS) route was started
from 23 February 2016. The sale is
expected to garner Rs. 5,029 crore at a
floor price of Rs.122 per share.
– The institutional bidders purchased
shares on 23 February while retail
investors will get opportunity to buy
NTPC stocks on 24 February. The retail
investors have 20% of the sharesreserved for them. The quota for
institutional bidders was subscribed
fully on the first day.
– The government has been struggling
to meet the disinvestment target of Rs.
69,500 crore for the financial year
2015-16. With about 40 days left in thefinancial year, the government has
managed to realise only Rs.13,330
crore through divestment which is less
than 20% of the budgeted target.
– Prior to this, the government
divested its holdings in five other PSUs
– Rural Electrification Corporation
(Rs.1,608 crore), Power Finance
Corporation (Rs.1,671 crore), Dredging
Corporation of India Ltd (Rs.53.33
crore), Indian Oil Corporation (Rs.9,369
crore) and Engineers India (Rs.640
crore).
………………………………………………………
3) Leading Indian automobile company
Tata Motors renamed its new
hatchback ‘Zica’ following itsresemblance to the Zika virus, as
announced by the company on 22
February 2016. What is this new
name? –‘Tiago’
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Explanation: The new name for Zica
was selected following a
crowdsourcing hunt for a new name.
The company had decided to renamethe car, which was showcased at the
Auto Expo 2016 in New Delhi in
February, following its similarity to the
Zika virus
– Tiago became the chosen name from
the final three entries – Tiago, Civet
and Adore – that were opened up for
audience voting as part of the
campaign to rename Zica. Libi Thomas
was announced the winner of this
campaign.
– Tata Motors has decided to rename
Zica on 2 February and had launched
the contest (campaign) on 5 February
2016. The decision to re-brand the car
was taken due to its resemblance with
the ‘Zika’ virus that spread across
many countries. The virus was put in
the same category of concern as Ebola
by the World Health Organisation
(WHO).
………………………………………………………
4) According to recent media reports,
World’s largest securities settlement
system Belgium-based Euroclear has
agreed to a model suggested by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to settle
Indian government debt papers in
overseas market. What will be the
main benefit of employing this modelof settling Indian debt overseas? – It
will ensure that clearing of the debt
happens in India using Indian brokers
and custodians
Explanation: Finance minister Arun
Jaitley in the Union Budget 2014-15
had proposed allowing international
settlement of Indian debt securities.
Euroclear is in final negotiations with
the finance ministry and the RBI to
make Indian government debt
securities Euroclearable in 2016-17.
– Foreign institutional investors (FIIs)
using Euroclear platform to trade in
Indian debt securities will not have to
register in India for clearing and
settlement of their investments.
– International trading and settlement
will enable foreign investors to
transact in Indian securities but settle
in dollars or other international
currencies, thereby increasing accessand flexibility in order to widen the
investor base.
………………………………………………………
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5) Leading international bank Standard
Chartered (Stan Chart) reported an
annual loss in many years on 23
February 2016 as hefty restructuring
costs and weak commodity prices took
their toll on the bank. When was the
last time Stan Chart reported an
annual loss? – 1989
Explanation: Stan Chart, a bank nowfocusing on lending in the emerging
markets, slumped to a headline pretax
loss of $1.5 billion during 2015. This
was the first-ever annual loss for the
bank since 1989.
– Loss emerged after accounting for
costs from redundancies andimpairments on bad loans.
– Stan Chart’s problems began to
emerge in 2012, when after a decade
of rising profits the bank was hit by
U.S. regulatory fines and the start of aprolonged downturn in emerging
markets and commodity prices on
which much of its fortunes depend.
– The deteriorating environment in
emerging markets caused the bank’s
gross level of non-performing loans to
jump from $7.5 billion at the end of
2014 to $12.8 billion by end-2015.
– Unable to reverse the trend, previous
CEO Peter Sands was ousted in
February last year and was replaced by
former JPMorgan investment banker
Bill Winters.
February 25, 2016
1) Which initiative pertaining to
electoral reforms would be
implemented in the 2019 General
Elections, as announced by Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim
Zaidi on 23 February 2016? – Paper
trail-based EVMs
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Explanation: Polling for 2019 General
Elections will be conducted through
paper trail-based electronic voting
machines to enhance transparency.This announcement was made by CEC
Nasim Zaidi on 23 February 2016.
– The paper audit trail machine or
Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail
(VVPAT) was first introduced by the
Commission in 2013 in order to
enhance transparency in the polls
process and increase electorate’s
confidence that their vote goes
without error to their desired
candidate.
– Once the vote is polled, the VVPAT
linked EVM immediately takes a
printout and it is preserved for later
use to tally in case there is a dispute in
the final result.
……………………………………………………
2) Who was chosen as the nextchairperson of the National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) on 23
February 2016 by a committee headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi? – H
L Dattu (former Chief Justice of India)
Explanation: A panel headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 23
February 2016 selected former Chief
Justice of India (CJI) H.L. Dattu for thepost of the Chairperson of the National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The meeting was also attended by Lok
Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan,
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam
Nabi Azad and Deputy Chairman of
Rajya Sabha P J Kurien.
– Dattu had retired as the CJI on 2
December 2015.
– The post of NHRC chairperson had
been lying vacant since May 2015 after
Justice K G Balakrishnan completed his
nearly five-year-long tenure.
– Under the Protection of Human
Rights Act, 1993, the President
appoints the chairperson and
members of the NHRC on the
recommendation of a committee
comprising the Prime Minister, Lok
Sabha Speaker, Union Home Minister,
leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha andRajya Sabha, and Deputy Chairman of
Rajya Sabha.
……………………………………………………
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3) Which country’s Parliament became
the World’s first to run fully on solar
power on 23 February 2016? –
Pakistan
Explanation: Pakistan Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif on 23 February 2016
inaugurated the 80 MW solar power
system, which provides 62MW to
country’s Parliament in Islamabad and
a surplus 18MW to the national grid.
With this Pakistan became the first
country to have fully solar-power
backed Parliament building.
– The project was completed in seven
months at a cost of Rs. 280.61 million.
First announced in 2014, the venture
was funded by China as an act of
friendship. It was officially launched
during President Xi Jinping’s visit last
year.
– The project is the first project of its
kind in a public building in Pakistan.
……………………………………………………
4) Who took over as the new Director
of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC) on 23 February 2016? – K. N.
Vyas
Explanation: K. N. Vyas is a
Distinguished Scientist and Associate
Director, Reactor Projects Group of the
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC). On 23 February he took over
as BARC’s new Director by replacing
Dr. Sekhar Basu.
– Basu is the Chairman, Atomic Energy
Commission (AEC) and Secretary to the
Government of India, Department of
Atomic Energy.
– The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC) is India’s premier nuclear
research facility based in Trombay,
Mumbai (Maharashtra). The primary
importance of BARC is as a research
centre.
……………………………………………………
5) With 139th global rank in the
18th Annual Quality of Living Survey,
which city for the second consecutivetime emerged as the best city to live in
India in the list released by global
consulting major Mercer on 23
February 2016? – Hyderabad
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Explanation: Mercer’s 18th Annual
Quality of Living Survey (2016) placed
Hyderabad at top in the Indian cities to
emerge as the best city to live in India.However, none of the Indian city
managed to find a place among the
top-100.
– Hyderabad is ranked 139th (one place
down from last year) globally, while
national capital Delhi moved down six
places to 161st rank, lowest among the
seven Indian cities on the list of 230
places.
– Pune is at 144th place, followed by
Bangalore at 145th, Chennai at 150th,
Mumbai at 152nd and Kolkata at
160th among the Indian cities, as per
the list compiled by Mercer. Pune has
moved up one place since last year,
while Mumbai has retained its
position.
……………………………………………………
6) Which cities emerged as the world’s
best and worst cities to live in global
consulting major Mercer’s 18th Annual
Quality of Living Survey that was
released on 23 February 2016? –
Vienna and Baghdad
Explanation: Austrian capital Vienna
retained its place as the world’s best
city to live while Baghdad (Iraq)
emerged as the worst city to live in in
the list of global 230 cities compiled by
Mercer.
– In the top-five positions globally,Vienna (Austria) is followed by Zurich
(Switzerland), Auckland (New Zealand),
Munich (Germany) and Vancouver
(Canada).
– London is ranked lower at 39th, Paris
is at 37th, while New York is at
44th place. In Asia-Pacific, Dhaka (214)
is ranked at the lowest place.
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February 26, 2016
1) Union Rail Minister Suresh Prabhupresented the Rail Budget for 2016-17
on 25 February 2016. The main feature
of the budget was that there was no
increase in passenger as well as freight
charges. The Rail Minister conceded
that the impact of the 7th Pay
Commission award will affect the
Railways severely. What the proposed
Operating Ratio is for 2016-17 as
announced in the Budget? – 92%
Explanation: Operating ratio is a
measure of efficiency that denotes the
amount spent for earning every Rs.100
of revenue. The lower the ratio, the
better it is. It is a key figure tounderstand the operational efficiency
of an organisation.
The operating Ratio for 2015-16 was
90%. Thus it has deteriorated from
90% to 92%. It means that the Railways
will spend Rs. 92 to earn Rs. 100 in
financial year 2016-17.
…………………………………………………………
………..
2) Two new Dedicated Freight
Corridors (DFCs) were announced in
the Rail Budget 2016-17. These new
DFCs – North-South, East-West and
East Coast, will connect which places
respectively?
Explanation:
a) North-South will join Delhi to
Chennai
b) East-West will join Kharagpur to
Mumbai
c) East Coast will join Kharagpur to
Vijayawada
– The Rail Budget proposed to put
these three projects on high priority to
ensure structuring, award and
implementation in a time-bound
manner.
For all other important questions on
Rail Budget: Click Here
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………..
3) Internet search giant Google
launched the much awaited
customized search engine for children
on 24 February 2016. What is the
name of this search engine that will
include features like safe search, kid-
oriented results, big thumbnails, large
fonts, and modified privacy settings? –
‘Kiddle’
Explanation: Entering the search site,
one finds ‘Kiddle’ written in the
characteristic colourful Google style.
There is also a red droid alien waiting
to answer all queries.
– Safe sites and pages written
specifically for kids, which will be
handpicked and checked by Kiddle
editors, would usually be featured in
the first three results.
– The next rung would include safe,
trusted sites that are not written
specifically for kids, but have content
written in a simple way, easy for kids
to understand.
– If the child the types something
‘unsuitable’ for kids, one of Kiddle’s
aliend droids would come hob-nobbing
with the message “Oops, looks likeyour query contained some bad words.
Please try again!”
…………………………………………………………
………..
4) Union Govt. appointed which three
officers as Information Commissioners
at the Central Information Commission(CIC) on 24 February 2016? – Amitava
Bhattacharyya, Bimal Julka and Divya
Prakash Sinha
Explanation: Amitava Bhattacharyya,
1980 batch IAS officer; Bimal Julka,
1979 batch IAS officer and Divya
Prakash Sinha, 1979 batch IPS officer
were appointed Information
Commissioners at the Central
Information Commission (CIC) by the
Union Govt. on 24 February 2016.
– Amitava Bhattacharyya was the Staff
Selection Commission (SSC) Chairman.
– Bimal Julka retired as Secretary,Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
He also worked as a Financial Adviser
and Special Secretary in the External
Affairs Ministry.
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– D.P. Sinha, who retired from the post
of Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet
Secretariat, was earlier a Special
Director with the Intelligence Bureau.He has served the Intelligence Bureau
in various capacities, in North-East
States and Delhi.
…………………………………………………………
………..
5) The Chinese capital Beijing has
become the home to the mostbillionaires in the world as disclosed in
a report released on 24 February 2016
by Hurun, a Shanghai firm that releases
yearly rankings. According to this
report Beijing overtook which city to
achieve this status for the first time? –
New York
Explanation: According to Hurun’s
latest report on number of billionaires
worldwide, with as many as 100 Beijing
billionaires, Beijing now has overtaken
New York as the ‘World Billionaire
Capital’. During the same period New
York had 93 billionaires.
– Beijing took the title from New York
after minting 32 new billionaires last
year, while New York gained four.
Moscow came in third place, with 66
billionaires, while Hong Kong and
Shanghai came in fourth and fifth with
64 and 50, respectively.
– Mumbai had the highest number of
billionaires in India while Mukesh
Ambani, Chairman of Reliance
Industries (RIL), once again emerged as
the richest Indian with a personal
wealth of $26 billion.
– The study, which comes months after
reports suggested China now has more
billionaires than the United States,highlights how China’s elite are
continuing to accrue vast wealth
despite a wobbling stock market and
tepid economy.
…………………………………………………………
………..
6) Hindi film actor Sanjay Dutt was
released from Pune’s high-security
Yerwada Central Jail on the morning of
25 February 2016. He came out
approximately how many months
before his actual five-year term for his
role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts?
– 8 months
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Explanation: In 2013, Dutt was
sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment.
He had already served 18 months
behind the bars after being jailed in1996, and so was ordered to serve the
remaining 42 months. But he spent 8
months less than his stipulated term
on grounds of ‘good behaviour’.
– 56 year old Sanjay Dutt has often
been accused of being given
preferential treatment during his
prison term. His jail term was also
mired in controversy in which he spent
more than three months on furloughs
and paroles.
– The actor was arrested in April 1993
and later convicted for illegal
possession of an automatic assault
rifle, a part of cache of arms and
ammunition that landed ahead of the
1993 Mumbai serial blasts in which
257 people were killed.
February 27, 2016
1) Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
tabled the Economic Survey for 2015-
16 in the Parliament on 26 February
2016. The Survey primarily called for
fiscal prudence and stable inflation,while acknowledging the risks to
growth. Economic Survey, which is
often known as the flagship document
pertaining to the direction of country’s
economy, is prepared by which
official? – Chief Economic Adviser
Explanation: The Economic Survey for
2015-16, prepared by Chief Economic
Adviser Arvind Subramanian termed
India as a “haven of stability” and an
“outpost of opportunity” amidst
gloomy international economic
landscape.
Main conclusions of Economic Survey
2015-16:
– The Survey expects India’s GDP to
growth at 7-7.75% during 2016-17
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– The Govt. is expected to achieve
fiscal deficit target of 3.9% of GDP
during 2015-16
– The Survey argued for adhering to
3.5% fiscal deficit target during 2016-
17
– Consumer price or retail inflation is
seen around 4.5 to 5% in 2016-17 as
against 4.9% between April to January
2016
– India’s current account deficit is seen
around 1-1.5% of GDP during 2016-17
………………………………………………
2) The SEBI on 25 February 2016
relaxed mutual fund norms to allow
asset management companies (AMCs)
to invest unclaimed redemption and
dividend amounts in separate liquid
and money market schemes. What was
the pertaining norm till now? – It was
allowed to be parked only in call
money market or money market
instruments
Explanation: At present, the money
from unclaimed redemptions and
dividends is allowed to be parked only
in call money market or money market
instruments. The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on
relaxed this rule and allowed the AMCs
to invest unclaimed redemption and
dividend amounts in separate liquid
and money market schemes.
– For the same AMCs would have to
start such schemes specifically for
deploying amounts unclaimed by
investors. AMCs will, however, not be
permitted to charge any exit load in
such MF plans that are specifically
launched to allow deployment of
unclaimed amounts.
– In order to ensure AMCs play a pro-
active role in tracing owners of the
unclaimed amounts, the fund
managers will be required to provide
on their AMC websites a list of names
and addresses of investors in whose
folios there are unclaimed amounts.
………………………………………………
3) The Union Cabinet on 24 February
2016 took which important decision
pertaining to payments made through
debit and credit cards, or over
internet, for public services? – It
decided to do away with levying
surcharge on such payments
Explanation: The move to abolish
surcharge on payments made through
debit and credit cards, or over
internet, for public services aims at
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reducing cash transactions. This will
help in increasing cashless transactions
for public services.
– Decision to promote debit/credit
cards and digital payments will help
check the menace of black money.
Cashless transactions have been on the
rise in India, but remain modest in
comparison to cash payments.
– Levy of surcharges on card payments
is seen as one important reason forslow growth for card payments.
………………………………………………
4) Rajendra Singh was appointed as
the new Director General (DG) of the
Indian Coast Guard on 25 February
2016. What is an important fact
associated with his appointment for
this post? – He becomes the first non-
navy officer to head the Indian Coast
Guard
Explanation: Rajendra Singh, the
present additional DG of the force, will
take over as the new DG of Indian
Coast Guard on 29 February 2016. He
will thus become the first officer who
is not from the Indian Navy to have
been elevated to the position.
– Till now it has been the tradition that
the commissioned officers of the
Indian Navy held the top post of Indian
Coast Guards. Rajendra Singh will
succeed Vice Admiral HCS Bisht who
has been promoted as the Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern
Naval Command.
– Indian Coast Guard was established
in 1978 with the objective of
protecting India’s maritime interests
and enforces maritime law, with
jurisdiction over the territorial waters
of India.
………………………………………………
5) Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain, who passed
away on 25 February 2016, was a
renowned pioneer and entrepreneur
associated with which field? – Drip
irrigation and farming
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Explanation: 79-year old Bhavarlal Jain
was the founder-chairman of Jalgaon-
based Jain Irrigation.
– He built his business on the
foundation of inclusiveness and
sustainability over the past five
decades. He established his billion
dollar company (Jain Irrigation)
engaged in drip irrigation and was a
champion of the small farmer.
– His efforts helped bring millions of
acres of barren and fallow land under
cultivation. His success was recognised
by the Harvard Business School whichhad a case study on the company.
– He was awarded the Padma Shri in
2008.
February 28-29, 2016
1) In an important development for
India, state-run power goods
manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals
Ltd (BHEL) on 28 February 2016 sealed
a contract to build a huge power plant
in a neighboring country, beating out a
Chinese competitor. This $1.6 billioncontract was won for which country by
BHEL? –Bangladesh
Explanation: After years of
negotiations, BHEL finalized the
contract to build the 1,320-megawatt
(MW) thermal power station in Khulna
in southern Bangladesh on 28 February
2016. This contract is worth $1.6
billion.
– It would be the biggest foreign
project by an Indian power firm,
eclipsing a plant already built in
Rwanda and a planned one in Sri
Lanka.
– China’s Harbin Electric International
Company Ltd, which has power
projects in Iran, Turkey and Indonesiaamong others, lost the bid on technical
grounds.
– The Indian government’s external
lending arm, the EXIM Bank, has
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backed up BHEL’s offer with nearly
70% funding of the project’s costs at a
soft interest rate of around 1% above
Libor, the leading global benchmark forpricing transactions.
– India and China have stepped up bids
for infrastructure projects in the region
in recent years, with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi pushing for a greater
engagement with smaller neighbours
after years of neglect.
…………………………………………………….
2) Which state was declared country’s
digital state by President Pranab
Mukherjee on 27 February 2016? –
Kerala
Explanation: Kerala became India’s
first fully digital state after it wasformally declared a digital state by the
President Pranab Mukherjee on 27
February.
– Kerala has a mobile tele-density of
95% and Internet covered over 60% of
the population. With broadband
connectivity in every Gram Panchayat,Kerala has emerged as a truly digital
State. The state now had over 600 e-
governance applications covering
almost all departments, and delivering
e-services.
– The state has successfully linked all
villages in the state with broadband
connectivity under the National Optical
Fibre Network (NOFN) project. It is firststate in country to do so.
…………………………………………………….
3) Which mine became India’s first
gold mine to be auctioned after it was
auctioned to Vedanta Resources Inc.
on 26 February 2016? – Baghmara
(Chhattisgarh)
Explanation: The Baghmara mine is
spread across an area of 608 hectaresin a densely forested pocket of the
Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, about
130 km northeast of Raipur. Based on
the exploration and available reports,
the mine has an estimate reserve of
2,700 kg of gold metal.
– The mine, also known as Sonakhan,
was put up for auction by the
Chhattisgarh state government.
London-listed Vedanta Resources Inc.
bagged the rights for the mine after it
quoted the highest price to get it.
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– The company quoted the highest bid
of 12.55% of the IBM price at Rs
74,712 per troy ounce (1 troy ounce =
31.10 gram) to win the gold mine. Theauction would fetch Rs 80 crore to the
state exchequer in addition to existing
royalty.
…………………………………………………….
4) Who was chosen as the new
President of football’s global governing
body FIFA on 26 February 2016? –
Gianni Infantino (Switzerland)
Explanation: Gianni Infantino, the
President of UEFA, succeeded fellowSwiss Sepp Blatter as President of
world football’s governing body FIFA
after he won the election held for the
post on 26 February 2016.
– Infantino polled 115 votes, 27 more
than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin
Ebrahim al-Khalifa. Prince Ali bin al-
Hussein (four votes) and Jerome
Champagne (0) were third and fourth
respectively. Second round of election
was held as the first round of voting
failed to determine an outright winner.
– Infantino had entered the
presidential race when it became clear
that Michel Platini, boss of European
football’s governing body UEFA, couldnot stand.
…………………………………………………….
5) India’s first gender equality
convergence centre (called
‘Gender Park’) was inaugurated by
President Pranab Mukherjee in which
city on 27 February 2016? –Kozhikode(Kerala)
Explanation: Spread over 24-acres,
complex has been christened as the
“Thantedam Gender Park”. The
foundation stone of the park was laid
on 8 March 2013.
– ‘Gender Park’, an initiative of Kerala’s
Social Justice Department, was
inaugurated on 27 February. It seeks to
bring together the state, academia and
civil society on a common platform to
address gender issues.
– A dedicated gender Institute at the
park would focus on research andcapacity development in ensuring an
inclusive society. The institute would
cover issues pertaining to all three
genders as per the 2015 gender and
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transgender policies of the state
government.
…………………………………………………….
6) Mumbai defeated Saurashtra to win
the prestigious Ranji Trophy title for
2015-16 on 26 February 2016. With
this title win, Mumbai has now won
how many Ranji Trophy titles? – 41
Explanation: This was the 41st Ranji
title won for Mumbai, which has been
the most successful team in
tournament’s history.
Karnataka/Mysore is the second most
successful team with 8 titles under its
belt.
– The Ranji Trophy final was played
from 24 to 26 February 2016 at Pune.
Having allowed Mumbai to score 371
from 268 for 9, Saurashtra suffered atop-order brain freeze to lose the final.
Saurashtra were bowled out for 115 in
48.2 overs.
– The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-
class cricket championship played in
India between teams representing
regional cricket associations. The
competition currently consists of 27
teams, with 21 of the 29 states in India
and Delhi.