JUNE 2016

"The Unseen Indira Gandhi", authored by Dr KP Mathur A

new book on the only female Prime Minister of India, Indira
Gandhi was recently released.
A collection of around 81 unpublished short poems by
Rabindranath Tagore is being published for the first time in the
form of a book titled 'Knockings at My Heart'.
A US panel has approved the first ever human trials of the
CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique, proposed by University
of Pennsylvania researchers.
According to a Global Renewables Report 2015 India being
ranked among the top five nations in new investments, and in the
top four as regards creating jobs in the green energy sector.
According to a joint study by Assocham and cKinetics, e-waste
generated by India is growing at a compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 30%.
According to a report by software security group Kaspersky,
India ranks 4th in the list of hacked servers available for sale on
xDedic, an underground marketplace for compromised servers.
According to a report on global nutrition, the percentage of
Indian children (38.7%) suffering from stunted growth due to
malnutrition is higher than that of the world average (23.8%).
According to NASA data, May 2016 was the hottest May ever
on record.
According to recently released BP Statistical Review of World
Energy, India has surpassed Japan to become the worlds
third-largest oil consumer.
According to the Ministry of Power, 8,095 villages have been
electrified from April 2015 to June 2016 under the Deen Dayal
Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.
Aida Gemanque (106), known as Grandma Iai, became the
oldest Olympic torchbearer, when she lit the cauldron in the
Brazilian city, Macapa.

 Aiming to cultivate a spirit of innovation in youth, the NITI Aayog

has decided to set up 500 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) in schools
across the country.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus recently unveiled 'Thor', which it
claims is the world's first 3D-printed aircraft, at the 2016
edition of the Berlin Air Show.
ALPHA, an AI developed by American graduate Nick Ernest, has
defeated a retired US Air Force Colonel Gene Lee in an aerial
combat simulator.
American tennis player Serena Williams displaced Russia's
Maria Sharapova to top Forbes' list of world's highest paid
female athletes in the past year.
An Egypt court has sentenced ousted President Mohamed Morsi
to life imprisonment for spying for Qatar.
Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to go paperless
from August 15, in its endeavor to implement e-governance in
the state.
As many as 60 nations, including India, have agreed on a general
framework for the first time to use satellites and coordinate
methods of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions.
As per data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the
Indian economy has crossed the $2 trillion mark to hit its highestever value.
As per the recently released 2016 World Investment Report,
India ranked 10th in FDI inflows. US topped the list.
Asias largest annual security forum Shangri-La Dialogue was
inaugurated in Singapore to talk about security issues in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Assam's Majuli, a 400-square-kilometre island in the
Brahmaputra river, became Indias first island district.
Australia has won the 2016 Champions Trophy title of
Hockey by defeating India.
Axis Bank has launched Indias first internationally-listed
certified green bond to finance climate change solutions
around the world at London Stock Exchange (LSE).

 Batsman Rohit Sharma has been featured as a superhero in the

comic series Hyper Tygers.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched the Bihar Public
Grievance Redressal Act empowering people to get their
grievances redressed within a specific time frame in the state.
Britain voted to end its 43-year old association with the European
Union in a landmark referendum.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation
after Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum.
California is now the 6th largest economy in the world with
its gross state product at $2.46 trillion, leapfrogging France,
which dropped to seventh, with a GDP of $2.42 trillion.
Canada is going to make the plain packaging of cigarettes
compulsory in an effort to reduce smoking. Britain and Australia
had earlier made plain packaging of cigarettes compulsory.
Canada's parliament has passed a contentious bill to allow
medically-assisted death for terminally ill people.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau will feature on the cover of Marvel's
fifth issue of 'Civil War II: Choosing Sides', which will be out on
August 31.
Chile beat Argentina in Copa America shootout for second
successive year
China has overtaken the US for the first time to become the
world leader in supercomputing, with a total of 167
supercomputers in the top 500 fastest supercomputers list.
China has successfully launched a 23rd BeiDou Navigation
Satellite to support its global navigation and positioning network.
China has successfully launched its 2nd Shijian-16 series satellite
for space research and experiments. The first Shijian-16 satellite
was launched in October 2013.
Chinese supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight, built at a cost of
around $270 million (approximately Rs.1,820 crore), has topped
the list of the world's fastest computers.
Corinthians boss Tite was named as the new coach of Brazil,
succeeding Dunga, who was sacked after the teams humiliating
exit from the Copa America.

 CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) launched an

anti diabetic ayurvedic drug BGR -34.
Delhi government has announced to rename the Barapullah
flyover in Delhi after Sikh icon Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.
E-commerce giant Flipkart has launched Flipkart Gaming
Online
Championship
(FGOC),
an
online
eSports
tournament being held between June 3 and July 11.
Facebook recently launched a new feature that allows its users to
upload photos with 360 views.
Five new sports baseball, skateboarding, surfing, sports
climbing and karate are set to feature at the 2020 Tokyo
Olympics
after
the
International
Olympic
Committee
recommended their inclusion.
For the fifth consecutive year, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg
has been named the most powerful woman in technology on
the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list.
Foreign nationals are not allowed to carry Indian rupee outside
the country, and need to necessarily convert it into a foreign
currency before leaving India.
Former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi, who recently quit Congress,
named his new political party as 'Chhattisgarh Janta Congress'.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly will write a book titled 'A
Century is Not Enough' based on his life and cricketing career.
Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid was the only Indian to
feature in former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara's alltime Dream XI.
French firm Cooltech Applications has launched what it claims
as the world's first commercially available magnetic
refrigeration system.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel announced the state's
first ever 'IT and Electronics Start-up Policy', having special
focus on encouraging new ventures by providing them various
incentives and subsidies.
Guwahati became the first Indian city to have an official
city animal after the Gangetic River Dolphin was declared the
city's mascot.

 Haryana Government has launched Asias first Gyps Vulture

Reintroduction Programme at the Jatayu Conservation
Breeding Centre at Pinjore.
Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to
have a State Data Centre (SDC), designed using green data
centre concept, to offer 101 people-oriented service online
through an integrated data base.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has ordered the complete sealing of
Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam by June 2017 to check illegal
immigration. The total length of the Indo-Bangladesh border is
4,096 km, of which 284 km falls in Assam.
Iceland has topped this year's annual list of world's safest
vacation spots released by the Global Peace Index.
In a bid to curb air pollution, the Chhattisgarh government has
decided to ban trucks and buses older than 10 and 12 years,
respectively.
In a first, India will give tourist and e-tourist visa to foreigners
willing to undertake a short-term course in Yoga. Presently, tourist
visa is granted only for visiting India for recreation and sightseeing among other things.
In Global Retail Development Index, a ranking of developing
countries in terms of ease of doing business, India has moved
up 13 places to second position behind China.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Shimla Municipal Corporation has set up
a Garment Bank in the state run Kamla Nehru Hospital Shimla for
new born babies.
In the latest World Bank ranking of the global logistics
performance, India is now ranked 35th as against the 54th
spot it occupied in the previous 2014 report. Germany topped the
rankings, and was followed by Luxembourg and Sweden. Syria
ranked lowest in the list.
In the light of the recent class XII Bihar board results scandal, the
Bihar Education Department has launched Operation Clean
Up, under which all the 228 B.Ed colleges of the state will be
probed.

 India and Switzerland signed an agreement to establish formal

cooperation in the fields of skills development and vocational and
professional education and training.
India and Thailand have signed two agreements in culture and
educational sectors to boost bilateral ties.
India and the US have signed a MoU which will provide speedy
security clearances for pre-approved, low-risk Indian travellers on
arrival in the US, at selected airports.
India and the US will sign a framework for a bilateral cyber
relationship in the next two months.
India and Tunisia have signed two Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) for co-operation in Information Technology (IT) and
promotion of traditional handicrafts.
India became the only country outside US formal treaty
allies to gain access to almost 99% of Americas defence
technologies. Under this, India will receive licence-free access
to a wide range of dual-use defence technologies.
India has become the co-chair of Working Group on Maritime
Situational Awareness (WG-MSA) under Contact Group on Piracy
off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).
India has been ranked 105th out of 130 countries on the World
Economic Forum's Human Capital Index.
India has been ranked 141 on the 2016 Global Peace Index,
falling behind countries like Burundi, and Serbia on the 163country list. Meanwhile, Iceland was named the world's most
peaceful country.
India has joined the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) against
Ballistic Missile Proliferation by notifying the HCoC Central
Contact in Vienna through diplomatic channels.
India has performed the worst in the recent Global Slavery
Index, compiled by an Australia-based human rights group.
India has signed up to a scheme launched by Britain, France,
Germany, Italy and Spain to clamp down on tax evasion and
corruption.

 India is going to open a new consulate in Seattle to cater to the

Indian-American population living in the northwestern part of the
US.
India is going to setup a joint panel of parliamentarians with the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a bid to boost bilateral strategic
ties. This panel will aim to facilitate parliamentary visits between
both the nations.
India joins Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). With
this, India has became the 35th member of MTCR.
India, the US and Japan have recently started the MALABAR16 naval exercise off the Western Pacific coast, close to the
disputed South China sea. Japan was included in the exercise as a
permanent member in 2015, making the erstwhile Indo-US
exercise a trilateral one.
Indias indigenous basic trainer aircraft, Hindustan Turbo Trainer40 (HTT-40), made its inaugural flight in Bengaluru.
Indian Badminton player Saina Nehwal defeated Chinese
shuttler Sun Yu to win the Australian Open Super Series.
Indian city Nagpur and the Chinese city of Jinan have became
'Sister Cities' after signing a pact which allows for the exchange
of ideas and technology in the field of education, urban planning,
youth affairs, and sports.
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, which was
established in 1847 as Thomason College of Civil
Engineering, is the oldest engineering college in the
country.
Indian Railways has decided to install bio-toilets in all coaches
to ensure the entire rail network is a zero discharge zone by
2019, ahead of the earlier decided 2021.
Indian Railways recently launched 'Janani Sewa', a service
under which baby food, hot milk and hot water will be provided at
stations.
Indian teen golfer Shubham Jaglan recently clinched his
maiden European Junior Championship held at the Craigielaw
Golf Club in Longniddry, Scotland.

 Indian womens team all-rounder and vice-captain Harmanpreet

Kaur has become the first Indian female cricketer to sign
for an overseas T20 league, after the BCCI allowed their
participation in international leagues earlier this month.
India's Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for the month of
May climbed to 5.76% from the 5.47% recorded in April, marking
a 17-month high.
India's Leander Paes will become the only tennis player in
the world and the first Indian to make a 7th appearance at
the Olympics.
Israel and Turkey announced a deal to end a six-year-long
diplomatic standoff, which began when nine Turkish activists
were shot dead by the Israeli Navy in 2010.
Israel was recently elected to Chair the United Nations Legal
Committee. This is the first time that Israel will preside over a
permanent UN committee since joining the world body in 1949.
ISRO is going to test indigenously developed Scramjet Engine
Technology based on air-breathing propulsion in July 2016.
Kerala government has decided to make the state's 590 km-long
coastline "plastic and garbage free" by the end of this month.
Kolkatas Eden Gardens will host Indias first day-night test
match, when New Zealand tour the country later this year.
Kolkata's Eden Gardens has hosted India's first-ever pink
ball cricket match in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)
Super League final.
Maharashtra government has decided to use plastic waste along
with tar in the building of roads.
Mahasthangarh, the 3rd century BC archaeological site in
Bogra, Bangladesh, has been declared as the South Asian
Association of Regional Cooperation (SARRC) cultural
capital for the year 2016-17.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) has won the
Canada Grand Prix title of Formula One for the year 2016 .

 Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg (Germany) has won the 2016

European Grand Prix of Formula One.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is writing his first book titled 'Hit
Refresh' that describes his life, the company, and how
technology will shape the future.
Microsoft recently launched 'Planner', a new project
management and team collaboration tool for Office 365 users.
Mizoram will become the first hill state to launch a twowheeler taxi service, which will start operating from July.
Nagaland Governor PB Acharya has launched the women
helpline number '181' in Dimapur and inaugurated 'Sakhi One Stop Centre', an institute that supports women affected by
violence.
Navy officer Ashutosh Pednekar has become the first Indian to
win an International Racketlon Tournament.
Non-banking lending firm SKS Microfinance has changed its
name to Bharat Financial Inclusion.
Norway has become the first country in the world to
prohibit deforestation.
Novak Djokovic has became the first player in tennis history
to earn over $100 million in prize money.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched Kalinga
Siksha Sathi Yojana, a scheme to provide education loan at
1% interest to students pursuing higher studies.
Odisha government has approved a proposal of the Panchayati
Raj Department to add 500 new gram panchayats in the state.
Presently, Odisha has 6,211 gram panchayats.
Odisha government recently approved investment worth over
Rs.1,000 crore in two projects which are likely to generate
employment for about 1,000 people. The proposals include a
Steel processing unit and a Logistics park.
Odisha held a 4 day festival named 'Raja' to celebrate
menstruation, the monthly biological cycle of women.
Oil-to-telecom conglomerate Sistema has announced that it will
acquire the Russian government's 17.14% share in Sistema
Shyam Tele-Services (SSTL).

 Opening batsman KL Rahul became the first Indian to score a

century on his ODI debut, after registering 100*(115) against
Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the series. The previous best by an
Indian on ODI debut was Robin Uthappa's 86 against England in
2006.
Pakistan has in its annual budget announced that it will raise its
defence budget by 11% to 860 billion Pakistani rupees, from 776
billion Pakistani rupees allocated last year.
Pakistan tightened its security on the border it shares with
Afghanistan, as restrictions on the Torkham border crossing came
into effect from 1st June 2016.
PM Narendra Modi recently released the first-ever National
Disaster Management Plan which aims to make India disaster
resilient and reduce the loss of lives and property. The plan
focuses on improving disaster risk governance, better
preparedness and re-building post-disaster.
Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the
most famous athlete in the world in the list of 100 most
famous athletes released by ESPN.
President Pranab Mukherjee was on a Six-day visit to Three
African nations (Ghana, Ivory Coast and Namibia). This is the
maiden visit of any Indian President to Ghana and Ivory Coast
whereas to Namibia, such a visit comes after two decades.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the joint session of the
US Congress. With this Modi became the fifth Indian Prime
Minister to address a joint meeting of Congress, and the
first since 2005.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President
Maithripala Sirisena jointly inaugurated the Duraiappah
Stadium in Jaffna through video-conferencing from Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently visited Afghanistan.
There he inaugurated Afghan-India Friendship Dam (earlier
known as Salma Dam).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2 day Rajasva
Gyan Sangam, the first joint annual conference of the Central

Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of

Excise and Customs (CBEC).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited more nations and covered
more air miles than US President Barack Obama in the first two
years of their tenures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to
Uzbekistan, to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Public sector aerospace and defence major Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has unveiled indigenous Basic
Trainer Aircraft (BTA) HTT-40 in Bengaluru.
Puducherrys Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has banned the
use of sirens in the cars of VIPs in the union territory.

Punjab has become the first state in India to provide free

treatment to confirmed cases of Hepatitis C.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off India's first
time-tabled freight train, named Cargo Express, from Delhi
to Bengaluru.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has became the first
footballer ever to top Forbes' list of highest-earning
athletes of the year.
Retail giant Walmart has topped the Fortune 500 list for the
fourth consecutive year.
Russia has launched the new Project 22220 nuclear powered
icebreaker named Arktika. It is the worlds largest and most
powerful vessel of its kind.
Russia recently unveiled the world's biggest nuclear-powered
icebreaker 'Arktika'. The giant vessel is a part of Russia's $1.9
billion 'Project 22220'.
Search giant Google India and Tata Trusts jointly launched
Internet Saathi program in West Bengal to focus on training
women and larger communities in the state to learn and explore
various uses and benefits of the Internet.
Shigemi Hirata, a 96-year-old Japanese man, has been
recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world's
oldest university graduate.

 Shiyal Bet, an island in Gujarat's Amreli District has recently

got electricity supply for the first time, nearly seven decades
after independence.
Shooter Jitu Rai clinched the silver medal in 10-metre air
pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation
World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
South Korea has retained the top spot in internet speed
globally with an average speed of 29 Mbps in the first quarter of
2016, according to an Akamai report.
Spain's Garbie Muguruza won her maiden Grand Slam title
after defeating the defending champion Serena Williams in the
French Open finals.
Supersonic cruise missile system BrahMos was successfully
integrated with the Sukhoi-30MKI frontline strike fighter of the
Indian Air Force for an air-launched flight test programme.
Swedish national football team captain Zlatan Ibrahimovi has
announced that he will retire from international football after the
Euro 2016.
Switzerland recently inaugurated the 57.3-kilometer long
Gotthard Base Tunnel. This is the longest & deepest rail
tunnel in the world.
Tamil Nadu teenager and International Master NR Visakh created
history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Mumbai
Mayor's International Open Chess Tournament and lead a
top-three sweep in Mumbai.
Telangana government has signed an MoU with California (US)
for cooperation in fields of business innovation, alternative
energy, and education.
Thailand is set to hold a referendum on 7 August this year on a
draft constitution, in the first such vote since the National Council
for Peace and Order assumed power in May 2014.
Thailand Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-Cha arrives in
New Delhi on a three day visit to India. Trade and attracting
investments from Thailand were high on the agenda.
The 2016 Rio games will be the first Olympics after 112
years to host a Golf event.

 The 2nd BRICS Youth Summit will be held in Guwahati from

1st to 3rd July 2016. Theme of the Summit 2016 : Youth as
bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges.
The 4 Month disclosure window for domestic taxpayers to declare
undisclosed income or assets opened on 1st June 2016. The
deadline to pay the due amount is November 30.
The 8th India-China financial dialogue at the level of
Secretaries which is scheduled for June 27 was postponed to July.
The Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival that celebrates
fertility, held at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam's Guwahati.
The Andhra Pradesh government on 29th June 2016 officially
started functioning from the state's new capital Amaravati.
The annual 11-day-long 'Summerfest' music festival was
recently held in Milwaukee, the United States.
The Assam Government has launched a unique initiative
Maitree Ek Gyan Yatra to link primary schools to high schools
to colleges. The purpose of the programme is to change the
mindset of the teachers, as in some places in states teachers of a
school considered it below their dignity to teach the lower level
students.
The Cabinet has approved raising the retirement age of Central
Health Services staff from 62 to 65 years.
The Cabinet recently approved the merger of State Bank of India
with Five of its associate banks and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank, as
part of the government's plan for consolidating public sector
banks.
The Centre has ordered all the states to link Aadhaar card of
school students to their caste and domicile certificate.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has
approved first set of loans totalling US 509 million dollars to
finance projects in four countries viz. Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Indonesia and Tajikistan.
The cleanest village in Asia, Mawlynnong, is situated in
India's north-eastern state of Meghalaya.
The Defence Research & Development Organisation
(DRDO) is collaborating with the Jadavpur University to start a

Rs.100-crore research centre aimed at developing technologies

related to cyber security and robotics for the defence forces.
The Delhi government has set up a high-level committee to look
into restoring the citys 1,000-odd water bodies including ponds,
marshes, lakes and step wells. Head of the Committee :
Satyendar Jain (PWD minister)
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has signed a Power
Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Madhya Pradesh's Rewa Ultra
Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL). Under the agreement, RUMSL
will provide 150-200 MW solar power daily from 2017 to operate
DMRC's trains.
The Eurozone has approved 7.5 billion (about $8.46 billion) in
bailout funds for Greece, in what will be the first payment since
2015.
The first Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was held in Beijing.
Theme of the meeting : "the Partnership for Infrastructure
Development".
The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has
banned the use of Potassium Bromate as a food additive
following reports that it could cause cancer.
The four-day long 'India Couture Week' 2016 (ICW), hosted by
FDCI (Fashion Design Council of India), the country's apex
fashion body, will begin on July 20.
The 'Good Country' 2015 index has named Sweden the best
country in the world in terms of serving its citizens' interests and
contributing to the 'common good of humanity'. India has been
placed at 70th position, three places after China.
The government has announced that it will set up a new
Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) to sell its shares in Public Sector
Undertakings (PSUs) and other private companies, as part of its
Rs.56,500 crore disinvestment target for the 2016-17 fiscal.
The government has constituted a committee headed by :
Justice Satish Chandra (Retd.) to make recommendations on
pay scale revision of executives in PSUs.

 The government has extended the ban on the import of milk and
milk products from China for another year till June 2017.
The government has extended the timeline for states to join the
Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) by a year to March
2017. The UDAY scheme aims at the revival of debt-laden power
distribution companies (discom).
The Government recently launched a campaign 'Swachh Yug'
aimed at bringing about a behavioural change in people to make
the villages along river Ganga open defecation-free.
The Great Barrier Reef situated off the coast of
Queensland, Australia, has been named the worlds best
place to visit in 2016 by the US News & World Report.
The Gujarat Government recently announced the theme for
Gujarat Global Investors' Summit 2017 which is going to be
held on January next year. The theme will be : 'Gujarat
Connecting India to the World'.
The Highest Temperature to be ever recorded in the World
stands at 56.7C, as per the World Meteorological Organisation.
It was measured on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch, Death
Valley in California, USA. India recorded its highest ever
temperature of 51C on May 19 this year in Rajasthan's
Phalodi city.
The Himachal Pradesh government has launched a Rs.640
crore project for Skill Dvelopment under which multipurpose
training centres will be set up in rural areas.
The Income Tax (I-T) Department has announced that it will
block the PAN of wilful tax defaulters in a bid to check their
activities.
The Indian Army, under its welfare and development initiative
Operation Sadbhavna, has tied up with Tata Motors for the
training of youth from Kashmir as automobile service technicians.
The Indian government and multilateral lending agency Asian
Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan
agreement to improve irrigation and water management
infrastructure in Odisha.

 The Indian government signed an agreement with the Asian

Development Bank (ADB) for the latter to loan $200 million
to upgrade 176 km of state roads in Jharkhand.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 22nd
June 2016 launched a record 20 satellites in a single mission from
the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) has ruled that Russian athletes will remain banned from
international competitions. Russia was banned in November
2015, after the World Anti-Doping Agency accused it of statesponsored doping.
The International Astronomical Union has named a 9.8kilometre wide crater on Mars after Nepal's earthquakehit
village of Langtang.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has banned former
Russian World No. 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova for two
years over doping charges.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC) has announced the names proposed for the new
elements, whose discovery helped complete the seventh row
of the Periodic Table in December last year. The names
proposed for the elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117
and 118 were Nihonium (Nh -113), Moscovium (Mc-115),
Tennessine (Ts-117) and Oganesson (Og-118) .
The Jammu and Kashmir government ruled out a ban on the sale
and trade of liquor.
The Karnataka government banned Electronic cigarettes in
the state. The decision was taken on the recommendation of a
committee on cancer prevention.
The Lucknow city of Uttar Pradesh is going to host the 2016
Junior Mens hockey World Cup.
The Madhya Pradesh government signed an MoU with Chinese
heavy machinery manufacturing firm Sany Group for working on
investment proposals worth $1 billion.

 The Madras High Court ruled that banks can recover money
from a person's savings bank account if the debtor fails to
settle the loan dues despite reminders.
The markets regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board
of India) has put in place a stricter KYC (Know Your
Customer) norms and disclosure regime for Participatory
Notes (P-Notes).
The Mizoram government has constituted a 'District Reorganisation Committee' which will be headed by : Chief
Secretary Pu Lalmalsawma
The New Development Bank (NDB), established by the BRICS
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries is
planning its first bond as a Yuan-denominated issue in China. The
bank will also issue bonds in other member countries in their
local currencies to mitigate foreign currency risk of funded
infrastructure projects.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) recently in
Poland began its largest war games, Anaconda-2016, in eastern
Europe since the end of the cold war. The 10-day-long exercise
involves 31,000 troops from 24 countries and numerous vehicles
and has been welcomed by the region's NATO allies.
The North Korean Parliament appointed Supreme Leader Kim
Jong-un as the 'Chairman of the State Affairs Commission', adding
to his list of titles.
The organisers of the Rio Olympics revealed the official slogan
for the first Olympic games in South America - "A new world".
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has notified the increase in the
limits of foreign portfolio investors in YES Bank from 60% to 74%
under the portfolio investment scheme.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept the Repo rate unchanged at
a five-year low of 6.5% in its bi-monthly monetary policy review.
The scientists have developed d a microchip, named KiloCore
that has 1000 independent programmable processors. This is
worlds first 1,000-processor chip and has the highest
clock-rate processor ever designed at the university level.

 The Sikkim government has identified and listed 21 trees

across the state to be tagged as Heritage Trees due to their
historical and cultural importance. A tree is recognised as a
'Heritage Tree' if it has a historical significance to the human
settlement in the area.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a Rs.200-crore 'IT
Innovation Start-up Fund to invest in startups operating in
the financial technology space.
The state of Telangana has celebrated the 2nd anniversary of
its foundation. The state government announced the creation
of 15 new districts across the state.
The two day annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) 2016 was recently held in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to India Post to set up
Payments Bank. The government will set up 650 branches of the
postal bank across the country by September 2017.
The Union Cabinet has approved a Rs.6,000 crore special
package for Textiles and Apparel sector to create one crore new
jobs in three years, attract investments of $11 billion and
generate $30 billion in exports
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and United
States (US) to enhance cooperation in the field of wildlife
conservation and combating wildlife trafficking.
The Union Cabinet recently cleared the new Civil Aviation Policy,
under which air flyers will now have to pay a maximum amount
of Rs. 2,500 for an hour-long flight.
The Union Cabinet approved the recommendations of the 7th Pay
Commission which had proposed an average 23.55% increment
in the salaries, allowances and pension of central government
employees.
The Union Finance Ministry has announced that Non-Resident
Indians (NRIs) can now open National Pension Savings (NPS)
accounts online i.e. through eNPS if they have Aadhaar Card or
Permanent Account Number (PAN) card. NPS are being regulated

by the PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development

Authority), a regulator established by the Finance Ministry.
The Union Government and World Bank have signed a US 9.2
million dollar grant agreement for the Efficient and Sustainable
City Bus Service Project. This grant agreement was signed under
World
Bank's
Global
Environment
Facility
(GEF)
Programme.
The Union Ministry of AYUSH released a Yog Geet (Yoga
Song) in connection with the celebration of International Day of
Yoga2016. This 3 minutes and 15 seconds song was written
by Deeraj Saraswat in Hindi language and composed by
Sumanto Ray.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) released National Civil
Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016. The policys mission is to provide
safe, secure, affordable and sustainable air travel for passengers
and air transportation of cargo with access to various parts of
India and the world.
The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
has launched a Scheme for setting up of 1000 Mega Watt
(MW) Wind Power Project connected to transmission network
of Central Transmission Utility (CTU). The objective of the scheme
is to facilitate supply of wind power to the non-windy states at a
price discovered through transparent bidding process.
The Railway Ministry has launched two policies related to
Parcel Cargo Train Express and Parcel Leasing. They are,
Liberalised Comprehensive Parcel Leasing Policy (CPLP) and
Liberalised policy on Parcel Cargo Express Trains (PCET).
The Railways Ministry signed a MoU with Chandigarh-based
PEC University of Technology to set up Kalpana Chawla
Chair on geospatial technology for her contribution to
aerospace engineering.
The Union Rural Development Ministry and ISRO,
Department of Space have signed a MoU for geo-tagging the
assets created under MGNREGA in each gram panchayat.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has elected
Ethiopia, Bolivia, Sweden and Kazakhstan as the

nonpermanent members of the United Nations Security Council

(UNSC).
The United States has recognised India as a major defence
partner which will pave way to bring it closest US allies for
defence related trade and technology transfer.
The United States will lift the ban on openly transgender persons
serving in the military starting next month.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has passed new
regulations that enable male students to file complaints
against sexual harassment.
The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep the key interest
rates steady at 0.25-0.5%.
The US recently returned over 200 cultural artefacts worth
an estimated $100 million to India during PM Narendra Modi's
visit.
The West Bengal government, in its full-fledged Budget for 201617, has proposed a 9.1% increase in tax collection against the
2015-16 figure.
The World Bank has signed an agreement with the India-led
International Solar Alliance and committed to lending over $1
billion for Indian solar energy projects.
The World Bank has slashed the Global Growth Forecast to 2.4%
from the 2.9% estimated in January due to stubbornly low
commodity prices, sluggish demand in advanced economies,
weak trade and diminishing capital flows.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently
announced that Thailand has become the first country in Asia
to eliminate mother-to-baby transmission of Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The world's first passenger drone 'Ehang 184', capable of
autonomously carrying a person in the air for 23 minutes has
received clearance for testing in Nevada, US.
The world's longest and tallest tunnel slide, Arcelor Mittal
Orbit, which has 12 loops was opened to the public in London,
UK.

 To promote and disseminate Yoga practice, Maharashtra

government has decided to celebrate the 21st of every month
as 'Yoga Day' across all schools, colleges, and universities across
the state.
Top footballer Lionel Messi (Argentina) announced retirement
from international football after Chile beat Argentina in the final
of COPA America.
Twitters official mascot, the bird which features in the
companys logo, is named Larry.
UK astronaut Tim Peake and his crewmates, America's Tim Kopra
and Russia's Yuri Malenchenko, returned to Earth after spending
six months on the International Space Station. His mission took
him on about 3,000 orbits of Earth, covering around 125 million
km.
Union Home Ministry has decided to form new reserve battalion.
It will be called Maharana India Reserve Battalion.
United Launch Alliance's 'Delta IV Heavy', the world's largest
rocket, was successfully launched carrying a classified payload
for the US intelligence agency
National Reconnaissance
Office.
Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida, USA has
topped the list of world's top 25 amusement parks, released
by American travel website TripAdvisor.
US based private space transport service company SpaceX
successfully launched two commercial satellites viz. EUTELSAT
117 West B and ABS-2A.
US President Barack Obama named the Stonewall riots site in
New York a National Monument, making it the first to honour
contributions of gay Americans.
Uttar Pradesh government declares all natural calamities
including lightning, storm and heat stroke to be treated as
state disaster.
Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM), a
Task Force on Farmers, submitted its report to Maharashtra
Government. This task-force was headed by : Kishore Tiwari
(agriculture expert)

 MAY- 2016
18 year old Max Verstappen became the youngest driver in
F1 history to win a Grand Prix as he finished first at the
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
42nd G7 summit was held in Japan from 26th to 27th May
2016. The G7 countries are Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States.
7th President of India Giani Zail Singh's (5 May 1916 25
December 1994) 100th birth anniversary was observed
on 5th May 2016.
A two-day International Buddhist Conference to mark
the 2,560th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha held in
Khatmandu. Theme of the conference : "Lumbini, Nepal:
the birth place of Lord Buddha and the fountain of
Buddhism and world peace".
According to a WHO report, Delhi is no longer the world's
most polluted city and is ranked 11th in the most polluted
cities list. The highest PM2.5 levels were recorded in Iran's
Zabol (217), followed by India's Gwalior (176).
According to Amnesty International, China is the most
welcoming country when it comes to refugees. The survey
found Russia to be the least welcoming country.
According to SocialCops' analysis of World Bank data,
India ranked 137th of 210 countries on electrification
with 78.7% of its population having access to
electricity.
According to the latest census, the number of endangered
deer 'Sangai', found only in Manipur, has increased from
204 in 2013 to 260.

 According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, President's rule

has been imposed 115 times till date including the one in
Uttarakhand recently.
After 17 years of construction work, Switzerland is going to
open world's longest and deepest train tunnel. The
Gotthard Base Tunnel will open for the first time on 1st June
2016, extending 57 km in length into the bowels of the earth
2,300 meters below the Gotthard massif in the Swiss Alps.
After winning the Asian 6 Red Snooker championship, India's
Pankaj Advani become the first cueist to hold the
world and continental titles in 6-red snooker at the
same time.
Ahead of the World No Tobacco Day, the Assam government
banned all forms of smoking in public transport vehicles.
Algeria is building one of the world's largest mosques with a
265-meter tall minaret, which will be the world's tallest. The
20,000-square meter Djamaa El Djazair mosque will
reportedly be able to accommodate 1,20,000 worshippers.
All Gram panchayats in the country will have WiFi
connectivity by October 2018 under the Bharat Net
programme.
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), the first AIIMS-like
institution for Ayurveda will be inaugurated in Delhi
within three months, to popularise the Indian system of
medicine.
American professional tennis player, Serena Williams has
won her fourth Rome Masters title and the first title in
last nine months by beating compatriot Madison Keys.
An IPL-style T20 league is being scheduled to be hosted by
the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in December 2016.
Andhra Bank will launch Bharat Bill Payment Service
soon to enable customers make all utility bill payments.
Andhra Pradesh Government has launched Chandranna
Bima Yojana, an insurance scheme for the working class
people. According to this scheme, any insured worker who

meets an accidental death and permanent disability will be

paid 5 lakh rupees.
Andhra Pradesh is going to implement e-Office system in
all 13 districts on a pilot basis in June, followed by a full-scale
launch in July.
Andhra Pradesh is set to become the first State in the
country to make all of its urban areas Open Defecation
Free by October 2nd this year, marking the two years of
the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence has received 15 new
industrial licences to manufacture a range of defence
equipment, taking its total number of licences to 25, the
highest held by a private firm in India.
As many as 2,508 cities across 26 states have been
selected under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana' for
providing affordable houses to the urban poor.
As per Ministry of Home Affairs data, Punjab has been
under President's rule for a total of 3,510 days, the most
for any state.
Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has reportedly
confirmed that he created digital payment system bitcoins
and provided technical proof for his claims.
Australian researchers have built the worlds first
Scanning Helium Microscope (SHeM) to examine
materials without disturbing them.
Baba Ramdev and Amit Agarwal (Amazon India Head),
have been named in the list of 100 Most Creative People
in Business by American magazine Fast Company.
Banks in India are expected to cut lending rates by up to 50
basis points (0.5%) by September as there is sufficient
liquidity in the system, according to a report by Bank of
America Merrill Lynch.
Barcelona lifted a record 28th Copa Del Rey title after
defeating Sevilla 2-0 in the finals.

 Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners have

won an absolute majority in 2016 Assam state assembly
election by winning 87 seats (16.46% votes) in the 126
member House.
Bollywood Actor Emraan Hashmi launched his book, 'The
Kiss Of Life : How a Superhero and My Son Defeated
Cancer'. This book is about his struggle and hardship with
his son, Ayan's cancer treatment.
Border Road Organisation's (BRO) foundation day was
observed on 7th May 2016.
Britain has granted refugee status to Maldives' former
president Mohamed Nasheed.
Cab aggregator Ola has signed a MoU with National Safai
Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation
(NSKFDC) to focus on building a sustainable framework by
supporting entrepreneurship, skill development training and
self-defence courses for Safai Karamcharis and Scavengers.
Capital markets regulator SEBI has tightened the norms for
participatory notes (P-notes) in order to check misuse of
these instruments in round-tripping and money laundering.
Carnival Corps 704-passenger cruise ship Adonia set sail
from Miami to become the first US cruise ship to sail to
Cuba in around 50 years.
China has successfully launched Yaogan-30, a remote
sensing satellite to carry out land surveys and disaster
relief.
China is set to be associated with Kolkata's Durga Puja
this year. The country is planning to bring 100-200 people to
Kolkata during Durga Puja.
China's central bank has fixed the Yuan 0.6% weaker at
6.4943 against the US Dollar, the biggest downward
movement since August 2015.
China's central bank has set the daily Yuan-fixing rate
against the US Dollar at 6.5784, the lowest level since
February 2011.

 Defending champions and hosts Pakistan defeated India

50-31 in the 3rd Asian Kabaddi Championship's final.
Drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma has received final approval
from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to
manufacture and market an aesthetic injection in the
American market.
Ella Mae Colbert, a 100-year-old retired South Carolina
teacher set a new world record for the fastest 100-meter
sprint by a 100-year-old.
England batsman, Joe Root grabbed the top honours at the
2016 CEAT Awards as he was named International
Cricketer of the Year as well as International Batsman
of the Year.
England's world number one Mark Selby won World
Championship title of Snooker.
European Union (EU) officials recently announced that all
scientific articles in Europe supported by public and publicprivate funds will be freely accessible by 2020.
Food regulator FSSAI has decided to remove Potassium
Bromate from the list of permitted food additives. This
comes after a study by the Centre for Science and
Environment (CSE) claimed that potassium bromate
banned in several countries is a cancer-causing agent.
Football's world governing body FIFA has lifted the
suspension on Indonesia which was imposed in May 2015
for political interference in the local football association.
For the first time since its opening in 1889, Paris' Eiffel
Tower will be used as an apartment for a night during June's
UEFA Euro-2016 football tournament.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the telecom sector
stood at $4.09 billion (around Rs. 27,000 crore) between
April 2014-February 2016.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in India till
December in 2015-16 stood at $40.82 billion, compared to
$44.29 billion in the entire 2014-15 fiscal.

 Former Argentinian dictator Reynaldo Bignone (88) has

been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for conspiring to
assassinate leftist dissidents as part of Operation Condor in
the 1970s and 1980s.
Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has accepted Indian
Olympic Association's invitation to be India's Goodwill
Ambassador at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid and former Sri Lankan
skipper Mahela Jayawardene were appointed to the ICC
Cricket Committee for a three-year term. Former Indian
captain Anil Kumble was re-appointed as the Chairman of the
committee for another three-year term.
Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has launched Indian Coast
Guard Ship (ICGS) Shaurya at Panaji. This is the fifth ship
of a series of six Off-shore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that the
Indian Coast Guard had tasked the Vasco defence public
sector undertaking to build.
Government body National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority has fixed the ceiling price of 54 drug
formulations including those for the treatment of cancer and
diabetes.
Government expands its flagship vaccination programme
Indradhanush. According to this expansion, Four more new
vaccinations added to existing seven.
Greek Parliament has passed austerity reforms amid protests
in the Greek capital Athens. The reforms increase taxes on
high earning individuals, fixes a $437 monthly pension to
move towards a 'sustainable' system.
Gujarat Government has launched Smart Village program
to improve public facilities in the villages.
ICICI Bank has became the first financial institution in
the country to tie up with the New Development Bank
(NDB).
ICICI Bank has launched Indias first contactless
business credit card in association with Jet Airways for
small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their employees.

Named as the Jet Airways ICICI Bank Business Advantage

Card, this co-branded credit card will help customers to save
on their business expenses.
In a first in Kerala, two persons of the transgender
community voted in Assembly elections. Surya and Suji
were the only two listed as third gender in the electoral
roll.
In Haryana, a committee on Jat Quota agitation headed by
Parkash Singh (former DGP of Uttar Pradesh & retired IPS
Officer) has submitted its report to Haryana Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar.
In his upcoming book titled "India vs. Pakistan", Former
Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Husain
Haqqani, claimed that former ISI chief Shuja Pasha said
"Log hamarey thhe, operation hamara nahin tha", referring
to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) champions, Atletico
de Kolkata, announced the appointment of former Villareal
coach Jose Francisco Molina Jimenez as their Head Coach for
ISL-2016.
India has successfully launched the first technology
demonstrator of indigenously made Reusable Launch
Vehicle (RLV), capable of launching satellites into orbit
around earth and then re-enter the atmosphere, from
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
India and Australia have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to enhance Research and Development
(R&D) capabilities in biotechnology by launching a joint
funding call.
India and Iran reached an agreement for the former to pay
Iran $6.4 billion in pending oil payments using European
banks.
India and Japan have decided to exchange sports
persons, coaches, experts andadministrators to
improve the standard of the game in both nations.

 India and Mauritius signed a pact to amend the Double

Taxation Avoidance Convention.
India and New Zealand have signed a landmark Air
Services Agreement paving the way for introduction of
direct flights between the two countries.
India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend the
bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
India and the US held their first Maritime Security
Dialogue in Delhi which focused on strategic maritime
security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.
India has agreed to pay an interest of 1.5% on the $6.5
billion that refiners like Essar Oil and Mangalore Refinery
owe Iran in oil dues, as a "goodwill gesture".
India has been ranked 3rd in the Attractiveness of
Renewable Energy, behind the US and China, according to
a report by consulting firm Ernst & Young.
India has secured 9th position in the 2016 Foreign Direct
Investment Confidence Index.
India has sent two Naval ships, with relief materials to Sri
Lanka, which is hit by cyclone Roanu. The Naval ships, INS
Sunayna and INS Sutlej, have been sent to the Colombo
coast from the Southern Naval Command Kochi.
India has signed a $100 million loan deal with the World
Bank to develop the Karnataka Urban Water Supply
Modernisation Project that will provide piped water to
different cities in the state.
India has signed a historic Project Collaboration
Agreement (PCA) with WHO for cooperation in promoting
traditional medicine, a move which will deliver for the first
time WHO benchmark document for training in yoga ,
ayurveda , unani and panchakarma. The agreement
titled 'Co-operation on promoting the quality, safety and
effectiveness of service provision in traditional and
complementary medicine between WHO and AYUSH, India,
2016-2020', aims to support WHO in the development and

implementation of the 'WHO Traditional and Complementary

Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023'.
India has signed a pact to grant assistance worth $1
million over the next 10 years to a school in Afghanistan.
India is the only country to have won the 60, 50 and the
20-over Cricket World Cups.
India Post's payments bank will start functioning from
March 2017 and serve as a wider platform to implement
financial inclusion programmes.
India ranked 5th in the list of countries exporting
counterfeit or pirated goods globally, according to a
study by global body Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
India was ranked 9th out of 22 countries in the Crony
Capitalism Index in a recent study by The Economist.
Germany was declared the cleanest while Russia performed
the worst in the study.
India, China, Canada, Iceland, Israel, and New Zealand have
signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for
the automatic exchange of information on tax issues
amongst countries. This brings the total number of
signatories of the pact to 39 (including France, Japan,
Germany, the UK, and Australia).
India, Iran, Afghanistan ink historic trilateral transit
agreement in Tehran to facilitate seamless transport of
goods.
India, Thailand and Myanmar are currently working on a
1,400-kilometres long highway that will link India with
Southeast Asia by land for the first time in decades.
India, which has emerged as the worlds second largest
mobile market, is also the 5th largest producer of ewaste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh tonnes of electronic
waste each year.
Indias largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has
launched a mobile-based payments solution mVisa. The
application will enable users to make payments from their

smartphones by scanning a unique QR (Quick Response)

code at merchant outlets.
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma inaugurated India's first
sports expo in Pune.
Indian para-athlete, discus and club thrower, Amit Kumar
Saroha has clinched the gold medal in the mens club throw
F-51 event at the French Open Athletics Championship
2016.
Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh kept his unbeaten
record intact with a Sixth straight victory in his professional
boxing career after he knocked out Polish boxer Andrzej
Soldra in their encounter's third round.
Indian racer, Gaurav Gill started the 2016 Asia-Pacific
Rally Championship (APRC) season on a winning note
after finishing first in the Whangarei International Rally.
Indian tennis player Sania Mirza's upcoming autobiography
Ace Against Odds is set to be released in July this year.
Indian Women's Squash team won the Silver medal at the
18th Asian Squash Championship in Taipei.
India's economic growth for the 2015-16 fiscal year stood at
7.6%, in line with the official estimate, as against 7.2%
witnessed in 2014-15.
India's proposed single emergency number '112' will be
operational from January 1, 2017. The service will also be
accessible through phones whose network has been stopped.
Indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD)
interceptor missile, Ashwin was successfully test fired.
Of the 11 tests held earlier, 9 were successful.
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to conduct
coordinated sea patrols and establish a hotline to combat
piracy and kidnappings in waters bordering the three
nations.
INS Kalvari, Indian Navys first indigenous Scorpeneclass stealth submarine, has recently launched for the
first sea trial in the Mumbai naval dockyard.

 IT services company Wipro has inaugurated Saudi Arabia's

first all women business and technology park (WBP) at the
Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in
Riyadh.
Italy's Giorgio Calcaterra touched the 88 km mark to win
Red Bull's Wings for Life World Run 2016 racing event.
Jammu and Kashmir has banned the use of nonbiodegradable consumables including items made of plastic
in government offices and official functions.
Jammu and Kashmir is the only Indian state to have a state
flag and its own constitution.
Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK swept the Tamil Nadu polls to
become the first incumbent regime to retain power in the
state since 1984.
Karnataka government has decided establish the Asias
first Rice Technology Park at Gangavati in Koppal district
and a Maize Technology Park at Ranebennur in Haveri
district.
Kenya has vowed to close the worlds biggest refugee camp
in Dadaab, home to 3,30,000 mostly Somali refugees, within
a year.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Chief Uday Kotak, with a net worth of
$7.1 billion, is the only Indian in Forbes' 'Money Masters:
The Most Powerful People In The Financial World' list
of 40. He ranked 33rd.
Lakshadweep became first Union Territory (UT) in the
counry to sign 247 Power for All document.
Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy has been voted the 2016
Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers Association.
Lhakpa Sherpa, a 42-year-old US-based Nepali climber,
climbed the Mount Everest for the seventh time, breaking
her own record for the most ascents to the world's highest
mountain by a woman.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress retained power in
West Bengal, winning 211 seats in the 294-seat Assembly,

the highest number of seats won by a single party in the

state's history.
Manavaditya Singh Rathore, son of the 2004 Athens
Olympics silver medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore,
clinched the Gold medal in the Mens Junior Trap event of the
International Junior Shotgun Cup in Finland.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed the
fastest elevator in the world, having achieved a topspeed of 1,230 meters per minute or 20.5 meters per
second. It will be installed at the 632-meter Shanghai
Tower (China's tallest building).
Mohun Bagan FC has won the 2016 Indian Federation
Cup football tournament title for the 14th time.
Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm has
launched its digital wallet service 'JioMoney Digital Wallet'.
Mumbai based IDBI Bank has decided to open an
International Banking Unit (IBU) at the International Financial
Services Centre (IFSC) in Gandhinagar. This is the first staterun bank to open for IBU centre.
Mumbai based Kotak Mahindra Bank has opened IFSC
Banking unit at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT)
City.
Nagaland has became the first state in the Northeast to
introduce a financial literacy course through the National
Stock Exchange (NSE) in schools.
New York-based law firm Baker Hostetler recently hired
ROSS, 'the world's first artificially intelligent lawyer', which is
powered by Watson, an IBM-developed AI system capable of
processing natural language.
Odisha Government has decided to launch Green
Passage scheme for orphan students to ensure that they
get free of cost higher education in the state. As per the
scheme Orphan students pursuing higher education (from
Plus-II level) to post-graduation level, will be exempted of
tuition fees, admission fee and laboratory fees for higher
studies.

 Pakistan-born Bollywood singer and actress Salma Agha will

get an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. This card will
offer her multiple entry, multi-purpose life long visa to visit
India and exemption from reporting to police.
Paramilitary force CRPF is set to deploy 567 women
commandos in selected Left Wing Extremism-affected
states for undertaking anti-Naxal operations. This is the
fourth women battalion of CRPF.
Playing against Sri Lanka in the second Test, England
skipper Alastair Cook became the youngest cricketer and
the first Englishman to score 10,000 Test runs. Cook,
aged 31 years, 157 days, broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of
breaching the mark at the age of 31 years, 326 days.
PM Narendra Modi has launched the Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. The scheme
aims to provide five crore free cooking gas (LPG)
connections to below poverty line (BPL) families
between 2016-19.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched solar-powered eboats at the Assi Ghat in Varanasi. The initiative is aimed
at reducing pollution and keeping the Ganga river clean.
Private sector lender Yes Bank has received in-principle
approval from markets regulator SEBI to act as custodian of
securities.
Public Sector undertaking, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd
has commissioned 500 MW thermal power unit at
Bokaro Thermal Power-Station of
Damodar Valley
Corporation (DVC) in Jharkhand.
Rajasthan is set to become the first state to issue
newspaper advertisements for the post of Vice Chancellor of
state universities.
Real Madrid FC won the 2016 UEFA Champions League
for the record 11th time by defeating Atletico Madrid FC
by 5-3 goals in penalty shootout.

 Rio Olympics qualified sprinter, Sudha Singh set a new

national record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase
category.
SAARC nations have agreed to set up a uniform toll-free
child helpline at a three-day meeting of the South Asia
Initiative to End Violence Against Children.
Safra Catz, the co-CEO of Oracle, emerged as the
highest-paid US female executive with a $56.9 million
package in fiscal 2015.
Saudi Arabia has joined Turkey, Indonesia and the
Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) as a
prospective founder member of a new Islamic Finance
Infrastructure Bank.
Saudi Arabia's Justice Ministry has announced that brides in
the country will now get a copy of their marriage contracts, a
privilege that was reserved only to men.
SBIs subsidiary Nepal SBI Bank has launched payment
gateway to facilitate online trade and non-trade transactions
between the Himalayan nation and India.
Scottish professional tennis player Andy Murray has won
his first Rome Masters title by beating Serbia's World
number one Novak Djokovic.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has remained as
number one ranked player for 200 weeks, thereby
becoming the fifth player in the history of the sport to
achieve this feat.
Sevilla Football club was crowned the UEFA Europa
League Champions for the third straight year after it
defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the finals.
Shashank Manohar has resigned as the President of the
BCCI and also as the ICC Chairman.
'Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star', a biography
of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor authored by film journalist
Aseem Chhabra was recently released.
Six-time Paralympic gold medal-winning British wheelchair
racer, David Weir became the first wheelchair racer to

complete a mile-long race (approximately 1.6 kilometers) in

under three minutes.
Spanish football giants Real Madrid were named 2016's
Most Valuable Football Team for a fourth consecutive
year by Forbes.
State-owned engineering firm BHEL has won a Rs. 1,600
crore contract from NSPCL, a joint venture company of staterun NTPC and SAIL, to set up a 250 MW coal-based
thermal power plant in Rourkela, Odisha.
State-owned major, National Aluminium Company
Limited (NALCO) has signed a MoU with Iranian Mines and
Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization
(IMIDRO) to jointly explore the possibility of setting up an
aluminium smelter in Iran.
State-owned power generating firm NTPC has signed a joint
venture agreement with state-run Coal India to revive plants
run by the Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL).
State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) has posted a loss of
Rs.5,367 crore for the quarter ended March. This is the
highest ever quarterly loss by an Indian bank.
State-run Indian Renewable Energy Development
Agency (IREDA) is going to be converted to a Green bank
to enable it to access funds from overseas banks.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have defeated Royal Challengers
Bangalore (RCB) by 8 runs to clinch the IPL title for the
first time.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided
to create more districts in the state. The total number of
districts may go up to 24-25. As of now, there are ten
districts in the state.
The 27th edition of the India-Indonesian CORPAT
(Coordinated Patrol) recently concluded in Belawan,
Indonesia.
The ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting
Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter
Terrorism (Ex MS & CT) was held at Brunei on May 1, 2016.

 The Australian government has added 49 species of flora

and fauna to the 'threatened' and 'endangered' list, of
which 9 are 'critically endangered'. This marks the largest
addition to the fifteen-year-old list since 2009.
The BCCI has nominated Indian Test captain Virat Kohli for
the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and Ajinkya Rahane
for the Arjuna award.
The BJP has won a seat in the 140-member Kerala Assembly
for the first time in history after its leader O Rajagopal
emerged victorious from the Nemom constituency.
The Cabinet has approved India's first National
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy. The policy is
guided by seven objectives, including IPR public
awareness, generation of IPRs, human capital development,
and strong law enforcement.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has
launched mobile app Indian Customs- Guide to
Travellers for dissemination of information about
Customs Baggage Rules, 2016.
The central government has imposed a complete ban on
Indian citizens travelling to Libya "irrespective of the
purpose" in view of the security situation in the North
African country.
The Central government is working on a programme named
Bal Sansad (Children's Parliament) to help children
develop skills like leadership, and decision making.
The Congress-DMK alliance claimed victory in Puducherry by
winning 17 of the 30 seats with a combined vote share of
39.5%.
The Environment Ministry has launched a web-based
application, Integrated Waste Management System
(IWMS), to help in tracking the movement and management
of solid waste.
The first bullet train will run in India in 2023, and its work is
on track, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu recently
announced.

 The first World Conference on Tourism for Development

(WCTD) was held in Beijing, China from May 18 to 21,
2016.
The Football World Cup for unrecognized states, de facto
independent states, and autonomous regions began in the
breakaway region of Abkhazia on 28th May 2016.
The four-month compliance window for declaring domestic
black money by paying 45% tax and penalty will open on
June 1.
The German government has decided to relax rules on
cannabis use by seriously ill persons if no other treatment
options are available.
The Government has decided to set up six new IITs.
These IITs will be set up at Goa, Tirupati (Andhra
Pradesh), Palakkad (Kerala), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh),
Khanpur Nagrota (J&K) and Dharwad (Karnataka).
The government has relaxed FDI norms for Asset
Reconstruction Companies (ARCs), allowing 100% FDI
through the automatic route, as per Budget announcements.
The government recently approved Rs.4,428 crore worth of
highway projects in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh
under its highways building programme National Highways
Development Project.
The Gujarat government has issued a notification giving
minority status to the Jain community.
The Haryana government has notified the Haryana
Backward Classes (Reservation in Services and Admission in
Educational Institutions) Act, 2016. The backward classes in
the state will now receive reservation in services and
educational institutions under the Act.
The HRD Ministry has launched Bharatavani, Indias first
and largest multilingual dictionary in the form of a mobile
app. The app, currently featuring 35 multilingual dictionaries,
lets users search for text of one language in other languages.
The Income Tax department has launched 'e-nivaran'
(electronic solution), a special grievance redressal

system to fast-track grievances and ensure early resolution

of taxpayers' complaints.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is going to
give state-wise monsoon forecast from 2017
The Indian 4x100m womens relay team comprising Dutee
Chand, Srabani Nanda, HM Jyoti and Merlin Joseph
broke the 18-year-old national record to finish 4th position at
the IAAF World Challenge in Beijing.
The Indian Army was held Chakravyuh-II, a major
military training exercise to validate battle readiness and
operational effectiveness of the Pivot Formation and Rapid
Division, in Rajasthan's Suratgarh. It is a follow up to
'Exercise Shatrujeet' by the Strike Corps (Strike One) in
April 2016.
The Indian Navy has commissioned indigenously built
highly maneuverable Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli at the
commissioning ceremony held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra
Pradesh.
The Indian Navy has retired the Sea Harrier aircraft of the
Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS 300) at a function aboard
the INS Hansa in Goa.
The Indian Women Shooters team of Sanjana Sehrawat,
Chinki Yadav and Gauri Sheoran won the bronze medal
in the 25m Pistol event at the International Shooting
Sport Federation's Junior World Cup in Germany.
The Indru Nag hillock in Dharamshala is set to have its
own sign similar to the famous Hollywood sign in Los
Angeles. A 100-feet high national flag mast shall also be
erected near the sign.
The Jama Masjid in Gujarats Vadodara has claimed to
have the world's largest Quran, with 75 inches length and
41 inches breadth.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has issued a
notification banning the sale of Loose Cigarettes, Beedis and
Tobacco in the state with immediate effect.

 The Jammu and Kashmir government will provide free

medicines in all state-run hospitals from June 1.
The Lok Sabha has passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code, 2016 which aims at consolidating and amending laws
related to reorganization and insolvency resolution in a
timely manner.
The Madhya Pradesh government will launch Nagaroday
Abhiyan on the lines of Gramoday Se Bharat Uday
Abhiyan in the state in July-August. The campaign will focus
on welfare of the people and development of urban localities.
The Maharashtra Ex-servicemen Corporation (MESCO)
a Government of Maharashtra undertaking has opened a
unique new tourism initiative called "Veer Yatra". This
initiative will give civilians a glimpse of the evolution and
daily life of the Indian Military.
The Maharashtra government is planning to develop the
Nandgaon industrial estate in Vidarbha's Amravati as a
'Textile Park' and promote Amravati as a 'Textiles City'.
The Malaysian government has submitted to parliament a
'hudud' bill, an Islamic penal code which includes
provisions of amputations and stoning.
The multilateral Red Flag Aerial combat exercises
between US, NATO and allied forces and India Air Force
(IAF) were held in Alaska, US.
The Mutiara Trash Bank in the city of Makassar is one of
around 2,800 banks in Indonesia which allow customers to
repay monetary loans in terms of trash.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) has successfully deployed the first experimental
inflatable room attached to the International Space
Station (ISS). The experimental inflatable room dubbed as
BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module) was deployed
after it was successfully expanded and pressurized.
The NASA has unveiled the first global digital elevation
(topographic model) of Mercury. The model was unveiled

by
NASAs
MESSENGER
(MErcury
Surface,
Space
ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) mission.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a ban on
diesel vehicles older than 10 years in six cities of Kerala,
including Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.
The Odisha government has decided to grant Below
Poverty Line (BPL) status to the Transgenders in the
state. They will also be covered under the National Food
Security Act (NFSA).
The Odisha government signed a Memorandum Of
Understanding with Sulabh International Social Service
Organisation for construction and maintenance of hybrid
toilet complexes in its nine cities.
The Palestinian Museum, a $24 million project, which has
been in making since 1998, was opened for the public on
May 18, 2016.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that it
will shortly issue banknotes of Rs.1,000 denomination with
inset letter R in both the number panels.
The Russian Tennis Federation has named suspended
tennis player Maria Sharapova, among four players, who
will compete in women's singles at the Rio Olympics.
The Sikkim government has banned the use and sale of
disposable foam food containers like cups and plates
across the state with immediate effect.
The Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI) and SAARC Development Fund (SDF) has signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for mutual
cooperation and collaboration.
The Spanish authorities ruled that the Bull-lancing
festival 'Toro de la Vega' will take place as usual in
September but participants will no longer be allowed to kill
the bull.
The Spice Board of India is going to set up the country's
first spice museum at Willingdon Island in Kochi to let

travellers know about the history and evolution of the Indian

spice industry.
The state of Maharashtra was formed from the division of the
Bombay State on this day (May 1) in the year 1960.
The Supreme Court of India has appointed a threemember panel to oversee the functions of the Medical
Council of India. This panel will be headed by RM Lodha
(former Chief Justice of India (CJI)).
The Taj Mahal has ranked 5th on a list of world's top 25
landmarks for 2016 by travel website company
'TripAdvisor'.
The Telangana government has entered the Limca Book
of Records for conducting the most intensive household
survey by a state. In August 2014, four lakh government
employees covered over 1.09 crore households between 7
am and 8 pm in one day.
The Telangana government has issued orders to set up a
'Monkey Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre' in Adilabad
district, at a cost of 2.21 crore.
The Telangana government announced that it is going to
set up a Memorial in Hyderabad for those who sacrificed
their lives for the cause of a separate state.
The Transport Ministry has created a centralised online
database system 'Sarathi', which is operational in some
states, to track frequent traffic violators.
The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed between Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) and the United Arab
Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) for cooperation in the
exploration and user of outer space for peaceful purposes.
The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) and Central Bank of United Arab Emirates
(UAE) on co-operation concerning currency swap agreement.
The Union Cabinet has granted ex-post facto approval to the
MoU signed between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of

India and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maldives for

strengthening co-operation in the field of tourism.
The Union Government Committee on Yoga Education in
Universities has submitted it's report. The committee has
recommended 7 programmes for implementation in
universities. It was headed by Professor H.R. Nagendra,
Chancellor,
Swami
Vivekananda
Yoga
Anusandhana,
Samsthana, Bengaluru.
The Union Government constituted a 5 Member committee
to comprehensively review and give recommendations on
the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
(FRBM) roadmap for the future. This committee will be
headed by : NK Singh (former Revenue and
Expenditure Secretary).
The Union Government has given its final approval to setting
up of National Investment & Manufacturing Zone
(NIMZ) in Kalinganagar, Odisha.
The Union Government has launched Qora, an
indigenously developed affordable Faecal Incontinence
Management System (FIMS).
The Union Ministry of HRD has decided to launch ASMITA,
a student tracking system programme under Shala Asmita
Yojana (SAY). ASMITA - All School Monitoring Individual
Tracing Analysis.
The Union Ministry of Power and the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) launched Indias
first integrated web portal (www.nzeb.in) designed to
promote and mainstream Net Zero Energy Buildings
(NZEB) in India.
The Union Ministry of Railways and Forest Department of
Haryana
&
Punjab
have
inked
Memorandum
of
Understanding (MoU) for plantation of trees alongside
Railway Track on Railway Land Boundary.
The Ministry of Railways has launched Rail Humsafar
Saptaah, a week-long initiative to highlight significant
achievements made by Indian Railways in all spheres.

 The United Nations has launched UN Zika Response MultiPartner Trust Fund (MPTF) to finance critical unfunded
priorities in the response to the Zika outbreak.
The University Grants Commission has reduced the
working hours of college professors to 14 hours / week
instead of 16 hrs / week following the instructions by the
Human Resource Development Ministry.
The US has designated two Pakistan-based Islamist groups
with links to Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba as Specially
Designated Global Terrorists. They are, Tariq Gidar Group
(TGG) and Jamaat ul Dawa al-Quran (JDQ).
The US House of Representatives has passed amendments
to the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA)2017 to enhance the countrys defence cooperation with
India.
The US Senate has passed a bill that will allow the families of
9/11 victims to file lawsuits against Saudi Arabia.
The US Treasury Department has placed five countries
China, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan on its
monitoring list aimed at tackling their trade imbalances with
the US.
The 'Valravn' roller coaster, claimed to be the tallest,
fastest and longest dive coaster in the world, has
opened at 'Cedar Point', an amusement park in Ohio, USA.
The White House has launched the National Microbiome
Initiative a new initiative aimed at studying microbial
communities that could aid in the development of useful
applications in several areas.
The World Bank has announced a new programme
Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) to
mobilise funds quickly against virulent disease outbreaks in
the world's 77 least developed countries. It will help
countries and health agencies fight deadly disease
outbreaks.

 The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the

Government of the Peoples Republic of China have
organized the First World Conference on Tourism for
Development in Beijing on 18-21 May 2016.
The world's largest cargo plane, the Antonov An-225
Mriya, landed for the first time in India.
The world's largest cruise ship 'Harmony of the

Seas' set sail from England's Southampton on its maiden

voyage to Rotterdam, Netherlands. The 362-metre long

cruise is 50 metres longer than the Eiffel Tower and costs
over $1 billion.
The World's largest solar power plant on a Single
rooftop with a capacity of 11.5 megawatts was
inaugurated by Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal at Dera
Baba Jaimal Singh near Amritsar.
Thrissur-based South Indian Bank has announced a tie-up
with National Australian Bank (NAB) for online inward
remittances from Australia at a competitive rate.
Top UK banks have reportedly shut over 600 branches across
the country over the past one year as more people switched
to banking online. RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) closed the
most number of branches at 166 followed by HSBC (146).
Top-ranked women's doubles pair of Sania Mirza and
Martina Hingis have clinched the Internazionali BNL
dItalia title in Rome.
Twitter has announced changes to its 140-character limit
and names in replies and media attachments like photos,
GIFs, videos and polls will no longer count as characters
within a tweet in the coming months.
Two Indian-Americans, Nihar Janga (11) and Jairam
Hathwar (13), were declared co-winners of the US Scripps
National Spelling Bee 2016 competition.
UK-born professional snooker player Mark Selby defeated
China's Ding Junhui with a final scoreline of 18-14 to win his
second World Snooker Championship title.

 Union
Government
has
constituted
11
members
committee to recommend measures to enhance the
combat capabilities of the armed forces and rebalance the overall defence expenditure. The
committee will be headed by : Lt Gen D B Shekatkar
(retd).
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi unveiled the draft 'National
Policy for Women, 2016' focusing on protecting women
from cyber crime and recognising the rights of single women.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari
has launched 20 Nirbhaya buses of Rajasthan State
Transport Corporation with multiple safety measures to
better protect women passengers.
US based private space transport service company, SpaceX
has successfully launched Japanese JCSAT-14 communication
satellite into the space.
US personal and consumer technology giant Apple Inc.
opened a new Development Office in Hyderabad,
Telangana.
US President Barack Obama has visited Hiroshima during a
trip to Japan and Vietnam. This was the first visit to
Hiroshima by a serving US President.
US President Barack Obama signed National Bison Legacy
Act into law officially making the American bison the
countrys first national mammal.
US President Barrack Obama announced the lifting of a
50-year-old ban on the sale of military equipment to
Vietnam.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has declared a state
of emergency for 60 days in the country, citing internal
threats and a United States plot to topple his government.
With more than 1.5 lakh post offices spread across the
country, India has the largest postal network in the world.
World number one Novak Djokovic beat defending
champion Andy Murray in the Madrid Open final to win a
record 29th Masters crown.

 Zimbabwe is set to print its own version of the US

dollar in order to ease a cash shortage in the country.
The cash, known as bond notes, will be backed by 200
million dollars support from the Africa Export-Import Bank.

APRIL 2016

AnBot, Chinas first robot security guard has made its

debut.
33 year-old C Devi is the first transgender person to
contest in Tamil Nadu's assembly elections.
A Nanosatellite named PISAT, developed by 250 students
of PES University in Bengaluru will soon be launched by
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
A street in Switzerland has been named after tennis star
Roger Federer, which the 17-time Grand Slam champion
inaugurated himself.
A Trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been
signed in Science and Technology among Sri Lanka, Japan
and India.
According to a Finance Ministry report, India's total external
debt stood at $480.2 billion at December-end.
According to data by the Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India
increased by 37% to $39.32 billion during 2015. Computer
hardware and software sector attracted the highest FDI,
followed by services, trading business, automobile industry
and chemicals.
According to data released by the Controller General of
Accounts, India's fiscal deficit in April-February stood at
Rs.5.73 lakh crore, 107.1% of the full-year target.

 According to research firm IHS, India has become the

worlds fourth-largest spender on defence, following a
13.1% increase in its 2016-17 defence budget.
Air India has announced the launch of non-stop flights to
Vienna from New Delhi.
Ajay Lalcheta has been named the Captain of Omans
national cricket team.
All tobacco products produced from April 1 will have 85%
pictorial warnings on the packaging space.
Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu has formally
inaugurated the state's new Secretariat at the Velagapudi
village in the new capital Amaravati.
Argentina has returned to international markets after 15
years with a $16.5 billion dollar bond sale, after it defaulted
on $100 billion worth US dollar debt in 2001.
As per a study published in The Lancet medical journal,
over 640 million people in the world are obese.
Assam Rifles has inducted the first batch of 100 women
personnel into the force.
At least 171 nations, including India, have signed the Paris
climate agreement at the UN headquarters. The pact,
negotiated last year, is aimed at reducing carbon emissions
to combat global warming.
Australia has won the 25th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah
Hockey Tournament 2016 for record ninth time.
Australian medium-pacer Clint McKay has announced his
retirement from international and Australisa first-class
cricket.
Bihar government has imposed a complete ban on foreign
and local liquor across the state, joining the list of completely
dry states like Gujarat and Nagaland.
Britain celebrated the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth
II on 21st April 2016.
British astronaut Tim Peake ran the 36th London Marathon
from Space.

 British royals, Prince William and Kate Middleton were on a 7

day visit to India from 10th April.
China and Pakistan have signed an agreement for the launch
of a special satellite to monitor the development of the multibillion dollars China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
projects.
Cuba has lifted a decade-old policy that prevented Cubans
from entering or leaving the country by a cruise ship or
commercial vessel.
DBS Bank, which is Singapores largest, unveiled Digibank,
Indias first mobile-only bank, targeting five million retail
customers.
Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government
employees has been hiked to 125 per cent of basic pay,
up by 6 percentage points, with effect from January 1, 2016.
Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and United States
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in a joint statement said
that the two countries have agreed "in principle" to share
military logistics.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that the 1,260 km of
roads maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD)
will be vacuum cleaned from 1st April as he launched the
'Greening Delhi' initiative.
Delhi government banned manufacture, storage, distribution
and sale of Pan Masala, Gutkha and all forms of Chewable
Tobacco for one year.
Delhi-based researcher Sudha Gopalakrishnan launched a
free online encyclopedia on Indian culture called
Sahapedia.
Eight satellite-monitored 'laser walls' have been activated
along the India-Pakistan International Border in
Punjab, to guard areas where barbed wire fencing cannot be
installed.

 Europe has become the worlds first region to wipe out

Malaria, a mosquito-borne vetor disease with zero cases
reported in the year 2015.
Former Pakistan cricket team captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq has
been appointed as the Chairman of the senior selection
committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Garima Chaudhary has won the gold medal at the 2016
Commonwealth Judo Championship finals in the 63 kg
weight category.
Germany's Development Bank is going to provide loan of
Rs. 3,750crore for Metro system in Nagpur city.
Government has reconstituted Indira Gandhi National Centre
for Arts (IGNCA) board. Ram Bahadur Rai, Senior Journalist
has been appointed as Chairman of the Board.
Government has set-up a Sub Committee headed by Ashok
Lahiri (former Chief Economic Advisor) to interact with the
trade and industry on the imposition of Central Excise Duty
on jewellery.
Greece passed an Asylum amendment bill that is needed for
the implementation of the European Union-Turkey migrant
deal that will take effect soon.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel officially launched
the state-wide implementation of National Food Security
Act, which has been renamed as Maa Annapurna Yojna
(Scheme). Under this Maa Annapurna Yojna, 3.82 crore
people of Gujarat will be benefited.
Haryana government has decided to rename its largest city
Gurgaon to 'Gurugram'.
Heart of Asia (HoA) conference was held in New Delhi.
Focus of the conference was to bring peace and stability to
Afghanistan.
In a first in the country, Maharashtra Assembly has
passed the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, penalising
social boycott by extra-judicial bodies like caste panchayats
and communities.

 In a first, private lender DCB Bank has started an Aadhaarbased ATM facility wherein a customer can transact using the
biometric details instead of the PIN.
In an effort to honour the West Indies T20I captain Darren
Sammy, the main stadium of the St Lucia island has been
renamed after him.
India and China agree to establish hot-line between their
armed forces.
India and Mauritius inked an MoU to promote cooperation
in traditional medicine and homeopathy.
India and South Korea signed a MoU for cooperation and
mutual assistance in development of ports.
India and Sri Lanka have signed an MOU to supply 150 boats
and fishing equipment to the fishermen of Mullaitivu.
India extended a Line of Credit (LoC) of 1 billion US
dollars to Mongolia.
India has banned the import of milk and milk products from
China after finding them substandard.
India has decided not to take Russia's support in
Chandrayaan II project.
India has decided to allow People belonging to minority
communities of Pakistan, staying in India on a Long Term
Visa, to buy property, open bank accounts and get PAN and
Aadhaar cards.
India
has
hosted
Asia-Pacific
Remote
Sensing
Symposium (APRSS) from April 4 to 7 to discuss
applications of remote sensing technologies for disaster
mitigation and bettering global climate change monitoring.
India has jumped three places to rank 133 out of 180
countries in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index
released by Reporters Without Borders. Finland has
ranked first for the sixth consecutive year, and is followed
by Netherlands and Norway.

 India has overtaken China as the world's top destination for

Foreign Direct Investment by attracting greenfield capital
investment worth $63 billion in 2015.
India has signed an MoU with the Islamic Development Bank
(IDB) for a possible $100 million line of credit to facilitate
exports to IDB's member countries.
India is expected to overtake the US as the second largest
smartphone market by 2017.
India retained its position as the world's largest
remittance recipient in 2015.
India was ranked Sixth among the World's largest
manufacturing countries, up from its previously held 9th
rank, according to a report by the United Nations
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
India will be hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Judo
Championships in Jaipur, besides organising the Asian
Cadet and Asian Junior Judo Championships in September in
Kerala this year. This will be the first time that
Commonwealth Judo Championships will be held in India.
India will play their first day-night Test against New
Zealand later this year.
Indian artistic gymnast Dipa Karmakar has created
history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to
qualify for Olympics.
Indian conglomerate Adani Group was granted approval
from Australia's Queensland state government for three
mining leases, with a proposed investment of $7.7 billion,
under the company's Carmichael project.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was announced as the brand
ambassador of the upcoming Premier Futsal League.
Indian men have won the 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess
tournament by defeating Vietnam in the final round by 3-1
score played in Abu Dhabi.
Indian Naval Ships namely Veer and Nipat, served for the
defence operations under illustrious 22nd Killer Squadron
decommissioned from the Indian Navy.

 Indian Railways has introduced Indrail Pass aimed

mainly at foreign visitors and NRIs to enable them to travel
on any of its trains without any route restriction, within the
validity of the pass.
Indian Railways will shortly be launching Phone Ticket
Cancellation Service, wherein passengers will be able to
cancel their reserved tickets booked through counters by
dialing 139.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry has formed a 3
Member Committee to oversee the guidelines set for
government advertisements by the Supreme Court are
followed. This committee to be headed by : B Tandon (former
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC))
Japan-based conglomerate Seibu Railway is working to
develop world's first virtually invisible train by 2018.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das launched the
"Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana" for widows.
Objective of this Scheme : To create equality and harmony in
society, ensuring all round development.
Laureus World Sports Awards 2016 : Sportsman of the
year - Novak Djokovic,
Sportswoman of the year Serena Williams.
Lee Chong Wei has won his 11th Malaysian Open title by
defeating world number one Chen Long.
Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez has been named as the PFA
Player of the Year for the 2015/16 season.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced
plans to set up a 'Department of Happiness' to infuse
"positivity" into the lives of people.
Maharashtra contributed the highest (Rs.2.77 lakh crore)
among Indias states and union territories to the total
national direct tax collection of Rs.6.96 lakh crore in
2014-15.
Mairaj Ahmad Khan has won the Silver medal in the skeet
event at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.

 Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was on a

two-day visit to India.
Maritime India Summit 2016, a maiden initiative of the
Ministry of Shipping, was held recently in Mumbai.
Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg won the Chinese
Grand Prix.
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg has won the Bahrain Grand
Prix.
Month long Simhastha Kumbh mela began in Ujjain in
Madhya Pradesh.
Mumbai based Mahindra & Mahindra has become the first
Indian company to join EP100, a global energy campaign
headed by The Climate Group, an international non-profit
group that will work with the worlds most influential
businesses in setting commitments to double their energy
productivity.
Myanmar has banned all logging operations in the
country's forests as part of its efforts to tackle deforestation.
Myanmar's (Burmese) Parliament has passed a bill that gives
Aung San Suu Kyi a role similar to that of Prime Minister.
Nagalands capital Kohima was declared smoke-free.
Nagaland is the fourth in India to be declared
"smokefree", after Chandigarh, Kottayam and Sikkim.
(Chandigarh>Kottayam>Sikkim>Kohima)
NASA has successfully tested a 3D-printed rocket engine
turbo-pump, with liquid methane as fuel, for its future Mars
mission.
NASA has successfully installed the first ever expandable
structure, Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, on the
International Space Station (ISS).
Nepal's first woman President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will
pay an official visit to India next month. This will be her first
overseas trip after assuming charge.
New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott has announced his
retirement from one-day international cricket.

 North Korea has officially announced that it is blocking

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and some other South Korean and
"sex and adult" websites.
Novak Djokovic won the Miami Open titile. This is his
28th ATP Masters title.
Nuclear capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4,
was successfully test fired from an undisclosed location in
the Bay of Bengal.
Odisha Government has launched Adarsh Vidyalaya
(AV) project to provide modern schools facilities on the lines
of Kendriya Vidyalayas in the underdeveloped rural areas
of the state.
On the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan (Village
Self Governance Campaign), at his birthplace at Mhow,
Madhya Pradesh, to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and
ensure social harmony in villages.
One of India's largest hospital chains Fortis Healthcare has
launched the first pasteurised human milk bank,
Amaara, in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Pakistan and China have launched production of a new
variant of the JF-17B multi-role combat jet.
Pakistan has test fired anti-ship surface to sea Zarb missile
from the coastal areas successfully.
Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela has announced that
the country will adopt international tax reporting standards
by 2018.
Prevention of Blindness Week 2016 was observed from
1st of April to 7th of April 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched an electronic
trading platform, the National Agriculture Market
(eNAM), for farmers to sell their produce.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 'Stand Up
India' scheme in Noida. Under this scheme, banks will give

loans of up to Rs. 1 crore to SC/ST and women

entrepreneurs.
Rafael Nadal clinched his 9th Monte Carlo Masters title
after defeating 29-year-old Frenchman Gal Monfils in what
was Nadal's 100th ATP World Tour final.
Rafael Nadal has won his 9th Barcelona Open title by
beating Kei Nishikori.
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off Indias
fastest train, the semi-bullet Gatimaan Express, from
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi.
Riyad Mahrez (Algerian origin) became the first African
footballer
to
win
the
Professional
Footballers
Associations (PFA) Player of the Year award.
San Francisco has adopted a legislation mandating that
employers offer new fathers full wages during their six week
paternity leave, making it the first such city in the United
States.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt agreed to build a bridge over
the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have imposed joint
sanctions targeting the Pakistan-based militant group
Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Saudi Arabia has laid out a plan to create the world's
largest sovereign wealth fund of $2 trillion to help reduce
the kingdom's dependence on oil.
Scientists at NASA have proposed to deploy a robotic
system, called Icy-moon Cryovolcano Explorer (ICE), to
explore Saturns Europa and Enceladus moons for alien
life.
Shaheen-5, the fifth such edition of a joint training exercise
between China and Pakistan was held during 9th to 30th
April 2016.
Shreya Iyer became the first Indian woman to compete in
the two wheeler National Rally Championship.

 South Pacific island nation Nauru has become the 189th

member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and
the World Bank.
Spaceflight company Blue Origin has successfully launched
and landed its reusable Shepard rocket for the third time,
after it was successfully launched and landed once in
November and then in January.
Sri Lanka's veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has
decided to retire from limited-overs cricket.
State Bank of India (SBI) has lowered its lending rate for
home loans by 0.10 percentage points to 9.45% and 9.4% for
women.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced that it has
become the largest mobiliser under the government's Gold
Monetisation Scheme (GMS) launched in November last year.
Tajamul Islam, a 7-year-old girl from Kashmir's Bandipora
district, is set to become the first Indian to participate in
the World Kickboxing Championship.
The 11th edition of India-Mongolia joint military

training Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2016 was

held at Mongolia.
The 153rd edition of the Wisden's list named Kane
Williamson as Leading Cricketer in the World for 2015.
The 3rd phase of Union Health Ministrys universal
vaccination programme Mission Indradhanush began on 7th
April 2016.
The 8th International Seminar on Wheat and Wheat
Products is scheduled to be held in Panaji, Goa, on July 1718.
The Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution
Company Limited (APEPDCL) based at Visakhapatnam in
Andhra Pradesh has became the first e-Office electricity
distribution company among all power utilities in India.
The ban on countrymade liquor in Bihar took effect from 1st
April after the state's liquor law was amended recently.

 The Border Security Force (BSF) has announced plans to

unveil a 350-feet-high national flag, the tallest in the
country, near the Attari-Wagah border by January 2017.
The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has approved
its first package of loans worth 811 million dollars for 4
renewable energy projects in Brazil, China, South Africa and
India.
The Cabinet of Saudi Arabia kingdom has approved the
Vision 2030, a broad-based economic reform plan. The Vision
charts out the roadmap for diversifying the Saudi economy in
next 14 years and to ensure that Saudi Arabia can live
without oil by 2020.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has
identified Mumbai as the noisiest city in the country,
followed by Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru.
The Centre has amended the Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to expedite
the process of dispensation of justice to victims of atrocities.
The Delhi government has passed a proposal to build a
memorial for late President APJ Abdul Kalam at Dilli
Haat, south Delhi.
The Department of Health and Family Welfare
introduced a new polio vaccine, Inactivated Poliovirus
Vaccine (IPV), in Chandigarh. It will replace the existing
trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) which is being used
for over three decades.
The district administration of Kerala's Kozhikode has
launched 'Operation Sulaimani', wherein eateries serve
meals to people in exchange for free coupons given by the
authorities.
The European Union (EU) has announced that it is giving 38
million in cash aid to Caribbean country Haiti, which is
currently combating drought and a migration crisis.
The first certified 18-rotor electric helicopter, called the
Volocopter VC200, has completed its first manned test flight.

 The first-ever North East-ASEAN (Association of

Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit held at
Imphal, Manipur with the focus on road connectivity, trade
and tourism.
The government has amended its norms regarding the
information displayed on packaged food item packets. As per
the amendments, name of manufacturer/ packager/
importer, net quantity of product, manufacturing date, retail
sale price and consumer care contacts would have to be
displayed prominently in at least 40% of the packet area,
effective from July.
The government has approved an interest rate of 8.7% on
the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) for 2015-16 from 8.75%
in 2014-15.
The government has banned the import of dogs for
breeding or any other commercial activity, as per a recent
notification by the Director General of Foreign Trade.
The Government has increased minimum wage for
contract workers to Rs.10,000 per month, "taking into
consideration the Consumer Price Index and Dearness
Allowance.
The government has made it mandatory for all mobile
phones sold in India to have a panic button starting 2017.
The government has set up a Panel headed by : Ashok
Dalwai to prepare a blueprint for doubling farmers income
by 2022.
The Gujarat government has announced to provide a pack
of six sanitary napkins at the token rate of Rs.1 to all girls
between the ages of 10 and 19, under the 'Taruni Suvidha
Programme'.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly has passed a bill
increasing the salaries and allowances of MLAs, CM, the
states ministers, and the Speaker among others. With the
hike, the MLAs salary and allowances rose to 2.10 lakh per
month from 1.32 lakh. The HRD Ministry has announced

IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore as the best engineering and

management institutes respectively in India.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is

introducing a Heat Index for the entire country starting this
month.
The Indian Navy has recently announced that women
officers completing seven years with the Navy will be
eligible for permanent commission in the law, education and
naval constructors branches.
The Indian space agency ISRO and NASA will join hands for
the first time to launch a Satellite that will help study
earthquake and its patterns. The satellite is called NISAR
(NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar).
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched
navigation satellite IRNSS-1G successfully from Andhra
Pradesh's Sriharikota spaceport. The satellite has a 12-year
life span and is seventh and last in the series of Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is going to build
Exclusive Holiday homes for its jawans.
The International Bank Note Society has named New
Zealand's $5 note as the Banknote of the Year 2015.
The International eGames Committee (IEGC) has
announced that Brazil's Rio de Janeiro will host the first
EOlympics, an eGames tournament coinciding with the
upcoming Rio Summer Olympics in August 2016.
The Karnataka government has prohibited taxi-hailing apps
like Ola and Uber to apply peak-hour charges.
The Kerala HC has ordered a total ban on sound-making
fireworks display at all religious places between sunset and
sunrise, following the recent Kollam temple tragedy which
killed 109 people.
The limit on the investment by Foreign Portfolio Investors
(FPIs) in government securities, including those of the states,

has been increased by Rs. 14,000 crore to Rs. 2 lakh crore,

with effect from April 4.
The Lok Sabha passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology
Bill, 2016 to provide statutory status to the existing Regional
Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad, Haryana.
The Lucknow Metro will get a loan of 450 million (around
3,500 crore) from the European Investment Bank for its
Phase-1A project.
The Malaysian government has introduced the Electronic
Travel Authorization Visa (e-visa) for Indian tourists on a
short visit to the country.
The NABARD has entered into a collaboration with German
government for a special programme on 'Soil Protection
and Rehabilitation for Food Security'.
The NIT Sikkim has secured a rare distinction of having a
Supercomputer, named 'Param Kanchenjunga', which is
said to be the most powerful and fastest among all the 31
NITs.
The National Summit on Family Planning was held in
New Delhi. Theme : New Choices, New Horizons.
The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to
as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)
Development Bank, has sanctioned a $250 million loan for
a renewable energy scheme in India.
The Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in Hyderabad, under
the Department of Atomic Energy, has announced it has set
a new world record with production of 1,503 tonnes of
nuclear fuel in 2015-16.
The RBI has reduced the minimum tenure of the masala
bonds issued by companies to three years from the
previously stated five years.
The Rural Development Ministry has released Rs.12,230
crore to the states towards the implementation of MGNREGA.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) has ranked India 6th in its biggest military
spenders list for 2015.

 The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has

reserved seats for Transgenders under the Most
Backward Class Category (MBC).
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has announced
the launch of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), which is
scheduled to be held between August and September.
The Tirupati Balaji temple management has deposited
1,311 kg of gold with the Punjab National Bank under
the three-year short term Gold Monetisation Scheme
(GMS).
The Tourism Ministry has sanctioned Rs.20 crore for
promoting tourism in Varanasi.
The two-day G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held at
Hiroshima.
The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for
implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP)
retrospectively with effect from 1st July, 2014.
The Union cabinet has given its formal approval for adopting
the Statute of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement
Network (SAWEN). With this, India will become member of
SAWEN, a regional inter-governmental body in combating
wildlife crime in the region and beyond.
The Union Government has approved countrys first
Metrino Pod project i.e. Personal Rapid Transit (PRT)
network for Gurgaon, Haryana.
The Union government has merged the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Abhiyan (RGKA) with the Khelo India scheme which is
based on Gujarat's Khel Mahakumbh.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted
High-Level committee to suggest ways to tighten security
along India-Pakistan border. [The committee will be headed
by : Madhukar Gupta (former Union Home Secretary)]
The Union Railway Ministry has decided to create a 1 lakh
crore rupees safety fund named Rashtriya Rail
Sanraksha Kosh to strengthen safety measures on the rail
network to prevent accidents.

 The United Nations for the first time observed the 125th
birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar at its headquarters
in New York.
The US Air Force has set a new world speed record for a
vehicle aided by Magnetic Levitation (maglev).
The US Congress has formally invited Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to address a joint session of the Congress on
June 8, during his visit to the country.
The US topped the Global Connectivity Index 2016.
Singapore and Sweden were ranked second and third,
respectively.
The Water Film Festival, a part of the India Water Week
celebrations, was inaugurated by Uma Bharti (Union
Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation) in New Delhi.
The world's largest wooden Charkha (spinning wheel) is
going to be installed at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi
International Airport, Delhi.
UNICEF has created 'Sofia', a 3D animated child using
500 photos of real children from emergency-hit areas to raise
awareness about children affected by conflicts across the
world.
US Air Force (USAF) invites the Indian Air Force to take
part in the Air Exercise, Ex-Red Flag-16-1 which is
scheduled from 28th April 2016 to 13th May 2016 at
Eielson AFB Alaska.
Waqar Younis has stepped down from his position as head
coach of Pakistan following the team's failure to qualify for
the semi-finals of the 2016 ICC World T20.
West Indies won their second World T20 title after defeating
England by four wickets.
World's first White Tiger Safari was inaugurated in
Madhya Pradesh's Satna district by Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan.

 MARCH 2016

26th Foundation Day of NASSCOM (National

Association of Software and Services Companies) was
observed on 1st March 2016.
7th meeting of the Governing Board of the IndoGerman Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC)
was held in New Delhi.
A 108-feet tall idol of Rishabhdeva, the first
Teerthankar of Jains, has entered the Guinness World
Records as the world's tallest Jain statue.
According the the recently released ASSOCHAM report,
Odisha has the maximum share of over 17% in the total
live investments worth about Rs.33 lakh crore aNracted
by Indias manufacturing sector.
According to Symantec, India ranks third among
countries with the most number of financial Trojan
infections, after the US and Germany.
According to the World Happiness Report 2016
published by the United Nations, India has ranked
118th out of 156 nations in a global list of happiest
nations. Denmark takes the top spot as the happiest
country in the world.
After the ambitious Make in India Week, Mumbai will
host another international summit, the BRICS Friendship
Cities Conclave, on April 14.
Aiming to reduce road accidents by 50% by 2020, the
Gujarat government has announced the Road Safety
Policy 2016.
Allahabad High Court has celebrated 150 years of its
existence.
Amazon has recently launched 'women only' delivery
centres, which will be completely run and managed by
women.
Amir Hussain Lone, who lost both his arms at the age
of eight in an accident in his father's cricket bat making

sawmill, is the current state

para-cricket team
captain of Jammu and Kashmir.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu
launched Indias first state-wide broadband project
called AP FiberNet.
Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated Indias first
river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation
project connecting Godavari River with Krishna
River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose
Irrigation Project.
As per a report released by Water Aid, India has the
world's highest number of people without access
to clean water.
Australian golfer Adam Scott won the 2016 WGC-Cadillac
Championship.
Authorities in China's capital Beijing have passed a new
family planning rule to allow remarried couples to have a
second child. The new law also grants 128 maternity
leaves (98 earlier) for mothers and a 15-day holiday for
fathers.
Autorickshaws that run on solar power were launched in
Bengaluru.
Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer
Taskin Ahmed were suspended from bowling in
international cricket with immediate effect after having
been found guilty of illegal bowling actions.
Beverage giants PepsiCo have been named as BCCI's
official associate sponsor for all international
matches in India.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced that
it successfully commissioned a 600 MW coal-based
thermal power plant in Telangana.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned
its first 700-MW supercritical thermal unit in Karnataka.
'Bharat
Kesri
Dangal',
a
freestyle
wrestling
tournament of 3 days, recently held at Gurgaon.

 Bihar assembly unanimously passes the Bihar Excise

Amendment Bill 2016 paving the way for liquor ban in
the state from April 1 this year.
China has launched CyberSecurity Association of
China, its first cybersecurity public organisation aimed
at better safeguarding national cybersecurity and
guiding internet companies in perform their duties.
China is building a tsunami alert centre in South China
Sea.
China plans to land a probe on Mars in 2021 to coincide
with the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of
China, the sole governing political party of the country.
Citizens of Bhutan planted 1,08,000 trees to welcome
the birth of a son to King Khesar and Queen Pema.
Delhi govt presents Rs.46,600 crore annual budget for
Delhi
Delhi has became the first state in the country to
launch the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as
a public health programme for school children.
Delhi has topped the list for crimes against foreign
tourists with 135 reported cases registered in 2014,
while Goa stood second with 66 cases, as per the data
by the National Crime Records Bureau.
Denmark's 17-year-old Mohamad Al-Bacha was
crowned the FIFA'16 world champion after winning
the final in New York
Dubai has announced to host the Robot Olympics in
December 2017.
E-commerce major Flipkart has launched its own wallet
and payment method called Flipkart Money.
European and Russian space agencies have
successfully launched ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, an
unmanned spacecraft on a mission to find evidence of
alien life that exists or may have existed on Mars.
Europe's largest floating solar farm has been built
in London on the Thames river, featuring 23,046 solar

panels and measuring 57,500 square metres or the size

of eight football pitches.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the one-day
Make in India conference in Sydney and asked Australian
businesses to make investments in India.
Food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur
Badal inaugrated International Food and Hospitality
Fair, AAHAR 2016 in New Delhi. Over 90 countries
were participated in this 31st edition of AAHAR fair.
Former Indian captain, Rahul Dravid has been named
as the Mentor of Indian Premier League (IPL)
franchise, Delhi Daredevils.
Former National 6Reds runner-up Rahul Sachdev
clinched his maiden title by winning the 1st All India
Open Invitational Snooker Championship.
Former USA basketball legend Michael Jordan was
placed at the top of Forbes' 2015's list of highestpaid retired athletes.
Germany has announced that it will help India to
develop 3 Indian cities as Smart Cities. They are,
Kerala's Kochi, Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore and
Odisha's Bhubaneswar.
Government has announced that more than four lakh
Jobs will be generated under Prime Ministers
Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) during
2016-17.
Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel has announced that the
State is going to set up the country's first university
focusing exclusively on organic farming and
research.
Gujarat has topped the list of 21 states with the most
investment potential, followed by Delhi and Tamil
Nadu, a report by government think-tank NCAER has
revealed.
Hanle village in Ladakh was short-listed as a
prospective site to house the World's largest
telescope
named
'Thirty
Metre
Telescope

International Observatory', estimated to be worth

around Rs.98.26 crore.
Haryana CM Manohar Lal formally launched the Ujala
(LED bulbs) scheme of Haryana Power DISCOMs. With
this scheme, Haryana Govt is planning to distribute LED
bulbs at highly discounted prices to nearly 44 lakh
domestic consumers.
Haryana Government has changed the name of
Mustafabad village in Yamuna Nagar district of state
to Saraswati Nagar.
Holi, Diwali and Easter may soon be declared official
holidays in Pakistan, based on a resolution adopted
by Pakistan's National Assembly.
HRD Minister Smriti Irani has decided to rope in the
Indian Army to teach patriotism in universities controlled
by the government.
ICICI Bank has launched iWork@home, an initiative
that allows women employees to work from home for
up to a year.
ICICI Bank has launched a Contactless option in its app
'Pockets'. This will allow users to make payments at
outlets by tapping their smartphones.
India and France have signed a MoU for construction
of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur nuclear park in
Maharashtra.
India and US launched the Fulbright-Kalam Climate
Fellowship, in a new initiative to advance bilateral
cooperation on climate change.
India has assumed BRICS Chairmanship from the
Russian Federation for the year 2016.
India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of
126 countries on the basis of their ability to deliver
secure, affordable and sustainable energy.
India has distributed scholarships to over 800
Bangladeshi students under the 'Muktijodha
Scholarship Scheme'.

 India has observed the 10th Earth Hour on 19th

March 2016 between 8.30 pm and 9:30 pm.
India has organized an international dialogue in Delhi
during 10th & 11th March 2016 to present a model of
'no strings attached' assistance to developing
countries that is unlike the western model of conditional
assistance followed by the Organisation of Economic
Cooperation and Development.
India has reduced its financial aid to Nepal by 40% in its
general budget for 2016-17 fiscal year to Rs.300 crore.
India has signed an agreement to extend $2 billion as
line of credit to Bangladesh.
India has won the 2016 Asia Cup T20 trophy for a
record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by 8
wickets in the final.
India Inc. became first in the world to formally adopt the
United Nations (UN) agenda for the worlds sustainable
development
and 17 goals identified
for
its
implementation.
India is one of the five countries involved in
developing vaccines to fight the Zika virus that
affects newborns in 38 countries and territories. The
other countries developing the vaccine are the US,
France, Brazil and Austria.
India sent its first direct container vessel to Bangladesh
from Andhra Pradesh's Krishnapatnam port, as a part of
a coastal shipping agreement signed in November
between both the countries.
India tops in Asian Development Bank's Growth
outlook for Asia in 2016.
Indian badminton player HS Prannoy clinched the
2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold after beating Marc
Zwiebler of Germany.
Indian limited-overs skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
while playing against Bangladesh in the ICC World T20,
became the Fifth Indian batsman and the First T20I

captain to cross the 1,000-run mark in T20

internationals.
Indian men's and Women's table tennis teams won golds
in their respective categories in the second division of
the 2016 World Table Tennis Championships.
Indian race walker Gurmeet Singh became the first
Indian athlete to clinch a gold medal at the Asian 20 km
Race Walking Championships, by defeating Japan's
Isamu Fujisawa in the championship's 11th edition.
Indian Railways has launched bar coding system for
unreserved tickets to prevent revenue leakage and bring
transparency in the ticketing system.
Indian shuttlers Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis won
the II Peru International Series 2016 title.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going
to launch 22 satellites in a single mission, its highest so
far, this May. The launch vehicle PSLV C34 will carry
Indias remote sensing satellite Cartosat 2C along with
21 other satellites, including four micro-satellites and 17
nano-satellites.
Indian wrestler Hardeep has became the first Indian
wrestler since Mausam Khatri 12 years ago to book a
quota place for 2016 Rio Olympics in the Greco-Roman
category.
India's Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve has been
added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere
Reserve among 20 new sites.
India's biggest lender SBI is among four new foreign
banks that have been given preliminary approval to
open fully-owned branches in Myanmar.
Iran President Hassan Rouhani was on a 2-day visit to
Pakistan. During the visit, Mr Rouhani discussed a
pipeline project for transporting Iranian natural gas to
Pakistan.
Jalandhar based Capital Local Area Bank limited
(CLABL) became India's first Small Finance Bank
(SFB) by flagging-off its operations on April 13, 2016.

 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has confirmed that this

year's Rio Olympics will be his last Olympics.
Japan has committed loans worth about Rs.14,269 crore
(242.2 billion yen) for five infrastructure development
projects in India. The projects include the Dedicated
Freight Corridor Project, Odisha Integrated
Sanitation Improvement Project and Transmission
System Strengthening Project in Madhya Pradesh.
Japan's multinational corporation SoftBank Group
recently announced to split into two companies to
separate its domestic and overseas business.
Kachhabali village in Rajasthans Rajsamand
district has became the first liquor-free village in the
state after its residents voted in support of shutting
down the only liquor shop in their panchayat.
Karnataka government has launched Mukhyamantri
Santwana Harish Yojana to provide Free medical
treatment to road accident victims for the first 48 hours
(2 days) in the nearest government or private hospital.
Kazakhstan has banned smartphones in government
offices and police stations to prevent information leak.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has
inaugurated an Air Ambulance facility catering to
patients with urgent medical requirements, including
organ transplant.
Kerala Tourisms new campaign on responsible
tourism has bagged the prestigious 'Golden City Gate
Award' at the worlds leading travel trade show ITB in
Berlin.
Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All
England Badminton title in the mens singles category.
Maharashtra
government
has
approved
the
'Prohibition on Social Boycott Bill' to tackle with
social boycotting based on caste and community. Under
this bill, the maximum punishment for social boycotting
will be 7 years in prison or fine up to Rs.5 lakh.

 Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016), the

maiden flagship initiative of the Union Ministry of
Shipping, was organised from 14 to 16 April 2016 at
Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre,
Mumbai. Republic of Korea is the partner country for
MIS 2016.
Mumbai is likely to get a CBI branch for probing cyber
crime offences. As of now, such a branch is only in the
headquarters (Delhi).
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly recently returned to Earth
after spending 340 days in space aboard the
International Space Station (ISS). He has become the
first US astronaut to spend the most time in space, at a
total of 520 days.
NASA's Hubble telescope has broken the cosmic
distance record by measuring the farthest galaxy ever
seen (GNz11) in the universe.
Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Beijingbased regional security grouping.
New Delhi has topped the list of top 25 destinations in
India by travel website TripAdvisor as part of its
'Travellers' Choice Awards' for 2016.
Nico Rosberg won the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.
Oculus, the world's most expensive train station,
which was built in New York, US, on the site of World
Trade Center, which got destroyed in the 9/11 attacks,
was recently opened.
Olympic gold medalist and Indian ace shooter Abhinav
Bindra has set up a venture capital fund named
'Shooting Star LLP'.
Pakistan and Iran have signed 6 Memorandums of
Understanding
(MoUs)
to
strengthen
bilateral
cooperation in health, commerce, finance and foreign
services.
Patna Pirates beat U Mumba 31-28 to win 3rd season
of Pro Kabaddi League

 Playing against New Zealand in the opener of the ICC

World T20, India crossed the 400 T20I wickets mark
(excluding run outs), thereby becoming the seventhhighest T20I wicket-taking nation.
PM Narendra Modi announced that India will host the
FIFA under-17 World Cup next year.
President Pranab Mukherjee formally inaugurated
the 5th edition of the India Aviation 2016. The fiveday biennial aviation show was jointly organised by the
Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the
Begumpet airport, Hyderabad.
President Pranab Mukherjee has given the final
clearance to the Aadhaar Bill, which will now allow the
government to make the 12-digit unique identity
number compulsory to access government services and
benefits.
President Pranab Mukherjee on 5th March 2016
inaugurated a two-day National Conference of Women
Legislators in New Delhi. Theme : Women legislatorsbuilding resurgent India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian
counterpart Charles Michel remotely launched Asia's
biggest telescope, the Aryabhatta Research
Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), built
with Belgian assistance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched 'Kisan
Suvidha' app for farmers to provide information on
weather, market prices, seeds, fertilisers, crop
protection and agricultural machinery.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 100 MW
power supply to Bangladesh by remote control from
Tripuras Palatana plant on 23rd March 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 3 day 'Krishi
Unnati Mela' in Delhi for disseminating information on
modernising the country's agricultural practices.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the

ambitious Rs 50,800-crore Setu Bharatam project, under
which a total of 208 railway crossings will be replaced by
rail over bridges (ROBs).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a three nation visit
to Belgium, United States & Saudi Arabia.
Private lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank has tied up with
National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) for Collateral
Management and Warehousing Services.
Private lender Yes Bank launched an all-women operated
bank branch Yes Grace on Cunningham Road,
Bengaluru aimed at offering customised banking
solutions to women.
Railway Ministry launched Clean My Coach Service to
ensure cleanliness in trains.
Ravichandran Ashwin became the first Indian
bowler to collect 50 T20I wickets after picking David
Warner's wicket against Australia.
Rest of India has won the Irani Cup Cricket title by
beating Mumbai by four wickets.
Russia has slashed its space budget for 2016 to 2025 by
30%, from 2 trillion rubles ($29.24 billion) to 1.4 trillion
rubles ($20.68 billion).
Scientists from Japan have discovered a new species of
bacteria, called Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, that can
eat plastic.
Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy
Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts
Maharashtra.
Shiva Thapa has become the first Indian boxer to
qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Shweta Rathore, the silver medallist at the 2015 Asian
body building event, has bagged the Gold medal at the
National body building Championship in New Delhi.

 Singapore was ranked the world's most expensive

city by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
South Korea's parliament has passed the country's first
anti-terror bill, with opposition lawmakers leaving the
plenary chamber after ending the nine-day marathon
speeches.
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has become the
country's first lender to start the distribution of the
government's Indian Gold Coins.
Tamil Nadu government recently launched internet
services to every household through the state-owned
Arasu Cable TV Corporation.
Thailand is facing its worst drought in over 20 years,
with water levels in the nation's largest dams below
10%.
The 4th Nuclear Security Summit -2016 was held in
Washington DC, the United States.
The 9th edition of the biennial defence expo, Defexpo
India 2016, organised by the Defence Ministry, was
held in South Goa from 28th to 31st March 2016.
The Cabinet has approved the signing of an MoU with
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for it to set up the
South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance
Center (SARTTAC) in India.
The Centre has decided to issue universal ID cards for
persons with disability, which will be valid throughout
the country, unlike the state-issued certificates that are
not recognised by other states.
The Centre has imposed President's Rule in Uttarakhand
on grounds of "breakdown of governance".
The Delhi Daredevils have appointed former Indian
pacer Zaheer Khan as their captain for the 2016 season
of the Indian Premier League.
The Director of School Education in Kashmir declared all
schools in the valley as 'Polythene-free' zones.
The European Central Bank cut its benchmark interest
rate (refinancing rate) to 0% from 0.05%.

 The Fast patrol vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard

ICGS Arnvesh was commissioned at Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh.
The Federal Bank is set to launch a dedicated service for
startups called 'Launchpad', to open incubation centres
at its Bengaluru and Ernakulam branches.
The Finance Ministry has announced that the
government will issue Gold bonds under the third
tranche of its Sovereign Gold Bond scheme on March 29.
The first ever pollution-free, fully electricity-operated
bus was launched in New Delhi.
The first Raisina-Dialogue 2016 was recently held at
New Delhi. The theme of Raisina-Dialogue 2016 : Asia:
Regional and Global Connectivity
The government aims to bring over 50% of farmers
under insurance cover through the Pradhan Mantri
Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the next two years.
The government has amended the Atal Pension
Yojana (APY) to give an option to a subscribers spouse
to continue to contribute to the account till the time the
subscriber would have turned 60, in case of his/her
premature death.
The government has approved 100% Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in Marketplace model of e-commerce
under the automatic route.
The Government has decided to set up '1033' as a toll
free national helpline number to report road
accidents.
The government has formally withdrawn the recognition
of Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE) after it was derecognised
by markets regulator SEBI in November 2014 for
"serious irregularities" in its functioning.
The government has hiked the Dearness Allowance (DA)
for central government employees and pensioners by
Six Percent (6%).
The Government has launched 'Mahila E-Haat', a first
of its kind online platform from the Women and Child

Development Ministry to promote women entrepreneurs,

particularly from rural areas.
The government has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance
sector by permitting overseas companies to buy 49%
stake in domestic insurers, subject to verification by the
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of
India.
The government has revised the 'Indian Customs
Declaration Form' to include drones in the list of
prohibited and dutiable goods, making it mandatory for
the flyers to declare them from April 1.
The Haryana government has launched Project
Salamati, making it the first state to implement the use
of injectable contraceptives towards family planning.
The Health Ministry has banned the sale and
manufacture of over 300 combination drugs that are
being sold in India without government approval.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched
its 6th navigation satellite into the Earths orbit on March
10.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH), has
promoted Hockey India national-level umpire Nepoleon
Singh as the International Outdoor Umpire.
The largest nuclear security centre in the AsiaPacific region opened in Beijing, China.
The Maharashtra government exempted sugar
exporting mills from paying cane purchase tax for the
2015 to 2016 marketing year, which began in October.
The Maharashtra government has decided to observe
2016 as the 'Year of Farmers Self-respect' in view of
the prevailing drought across the state.
The Mumbai under-23 cricket team has won the Col CK
Nayudu Trophy for the season 2015-16.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to share
FDI-related data with the country's intelligence agencies,
Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW), to check the black money entering India.

 The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's

recommendation to make 112 the number for all
emergency services such as Police, Ambulances, and
the Fire Brigade in India was accepted by the Telecom
Commission.
The UK lifted a 15-year-old ban on the International Sikh
Youth Federation (ISFY), a pro-Khalistan group.
The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri
Ujwala Yojana, a Rs 8,000-crore scheme to provide
cooking gas (LPG) connections free of cost to women
members of poor households.
The United States and the Philippines have
announced a new 10-year security pact to allow a
rotating US military presence at five bases on the
Philippines islands.
The UP Government announced to conduct a
campaign titled Gauraiya Diwas on March 20th, at
school levels to create awareness about the
conservation of birds.
The World Health Organization has suspended the
approval of tuberculosis drugs made by Mumbai-based
Svizera Labs, a major supplier to developing countries,
citing the company's unreliable manufacturing standards
as the reason.
The worlds first amputee football training camp for
kids aged 5 to 16 was held in Dublin.
The worlds first cyborg Olympics will be held in
October this year in Switzerland.
TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) and the
ICRW (International Center for Research on
Women) have come together to introduce the Gender
Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) program in
public schools across Maharashtra.
Toorputallu and Pedhamyanavanilanka, two villages
in Andhra Pradesh, will run completely on solar
power from this year. These will be the first two villages

in the country to be run 100% on solar power. These

villiages were adopted by the union minister Nirmala
Sitharaman under Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojna.
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar flagged off
India's first indigenously developed SONAR dome
during the 9th Edition of Defexpo 2016 at Goa.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh recently announced that
the government is planning to set up new nuclear
power plants in Bihar, Haryana and Punjab.
United States President Barack Obama was on a visit
to Cuba. He is the first US President to visit the country
in 88 years.
US state, California had passed 'The End of Life
Option Act'. With the help of this act, Terminally ill
residents of the state will legally be allowed to end their
lives with medication prescribed by doctors starting June
9 this year.
Uttar Pradesh government has made it mandatory
for primary school students to sing the national anthem,
'Jana Gana Mana', every day.
Vijender Singh knocks out Hungarys Alexander
Horvath to register fourth consecutive win in Pro Boxing.
With 7% presence, India ranks 26th globally in terms
of presence of women members on company
boards.
With the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) allowing
women to join its supervisory combat roles, women can
now be inducted as officers in combat roles in all five
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
Yes Bank, the Indias fifth largest private sector Bank
has signed MOU with the India Brazil Chamber of
Commerce for cooperation in knowledge sharing,
consultancy, skill and technology.

 FEBRUARY 2016
12th South Asian Games began in Guwahati on 5th
February 2016.
50% of government jobs in Assam will be reserved for
women, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi recently announced.
A 12-member team of the Indian Army was participated in
the Cobra Gold multilateral exercises, which was
hosted by Thailand, along with its counterparts from China
and Pakistan.
A 404.2 carat diamond, the world's 27th largest
diamond, worth around $20 million was discovered in
Africa. It is by far the biggest diamond found in the region.
A report by the Central Electricity Authority has stated that
power generation in India grew by 6% in January 2016.
A S Kiran, the Chief of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), has announced that India is ready to
conduct its second moon mission, Chandrayaan II.
According to a government survey by the Quality Council
of India, Mysuru has retained its position as the cleanest
city in India, followed by Chandigarh, Tiruchirappalli, New
Delhi,
and
Visakhapatnam.
(Mysuru>Chandigarh>Tiruchirapalli>New
Delhi>Visakhapatnam)
According to a recently released United Nation's report,
India has been named the third most disaster-hit nation
in 2015.
According to a report by Delhi government, breathing the air
of the national capital has adverse effects on lungs which are
worse than smoking cigarettes.
According to a report by Greenpeace, Air pollution in India
is higher than that of China.
According to a report released by by IndiaSpend, Meghalaya
has emerged as Indias fastest-growing state, with a
growth rate of 9.7% in 2013-14.

 According to recently released MHRD data, 96 million school

children were covered under the Midday Meal Scheme in
2015-16.
According to SocialCops analysis of data from the
National Tiger Conservation Authority, the tiger
population (over 1.5 years of age) in India has increased
since 2006.
According to the data released by the Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB), Muzaffarpur (Bihar) and
Varanasi (UP) are most polluted cities in India.
After scoring a total of 199 runs in three T20Is against
Australia at an average of 199.00, Virat Kohli became the
top-ranked T20I batsman in the world.
American space agency NASA has invited the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) among other space agencies
for a meeting in the US to discuss a possible international
collaboration on a Mars mission.
Argentine professional footballer Lionel Messi won the La
Liga Player of the Month Award for the first time ever in
his career.
As per a survey of Britons by Scottish investment company
Scottish Widows, former British PM Margaret Thatcher is the
most influential woman of the last two centuries.
Australia's Adam Voges surpassed Sir Don Bradmans
batting average of 99.94.
Author Ruskin Bond has announced that he will be writing
his autobiography in three volumes.
Bihar became the 6th state to join Union Governments
UDAY Scheme for financial restructuring of debt of power
distribution companies. [after Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat]
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan announced to join Maharashtra
government's 'Drought Free Village Scheme'.
Bollywood Actor Emraan Hashmi announced the title of his
first ever book, 'The Kiss of Life: How A Superhero and
My Son Defeated Cancer'.

 Britain is set to get the world's biggest wind farm after

the proposal for the 1.2-gigawatt Hornsea Project One in
northern England was accepted.
British Formula One racing team Manor Racing has signed
Indonesias Rio Haryanto, making him the first Indonesian
Formula One driver.
British national newspaper, The Guardian's Tom Jenkins
was named as the Sports Photographer of the Year at
the 2015 Picture Editors Guild awards.
Celebrity chef and TV host Sanjeev Kapoor was elected to
prepare the menu of food to be served on the Indian
Railways.
China will launch its second space laboratory, Tiangong 2,
into Earths orbit in the third quarter of 2016.
Cricket Australia has announced that after feedback from
players, the pink cricket ball to be used in day-night test
matches will now have a black seam instead of white.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has announced that
India will induct three to four indigenously developed Light
Combat Aircraft Tejas in 2016 and Eight squadrons in
eight years.
Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma has received tentative
approval from the US health regulator for its Ritonavir
tablets used for treatment of Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) infection.
Dubai has confirmed plans to build the world's largest
shopping mall named 'Mall of the World' at a cost of $22
billion.
Dubai International Airport was declared the world's
busiest airport for international passengers in 2015.
Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) announced
an increase in interest rate on Provident Fund (PF) deposits
for 2015-16 to 8.80% from 8.75% in the previous two fiscals.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently visited
Colombo to co-chair the 9th Joint Commission meeting and
to discuss key bilateral and regional issues.

 FIFA opened its new $140 million World Football Museum

in Zurich.
For the first time in India, a job fair for the transgender
community was organised in Chennai.
Former Indian cricketer, Virender Sehwag appointed as the
new mentor for Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit, Kings XI
Punjab for the forthcoming ninth season of the league.
Google added flood alerts to its Google Public Alerts
service in India.
Google's holding company Alphabet has overtook Apple to
become the most valuable publicly-traded company in the
world.
Gyalsey, the first Royal Child of Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar
Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema was
recently born in Thimphu's Lingkana Palace.
Haryana is set become the first state in the country to
complete aquifer mapping for its groundwater
resources by May 2016.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was on his First
official visit to India.
'Hope for a New Life', a picture captured by Australian
photographer Warren Richardson was named the 'World
Press Photo of the Year 2015' at the 59th annual World
Press Photo Contest.
In a first-of-its-kind deal, UAE's national oil company Adnoc
has signed a deal with the Indian government to store crude
oil in India's maiden strategic storage and give two-thirds of
the oil to India for free.
In a landmark judgement, the Delhi High Court stated that
the eldest woman of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) can be
its 'karta'.
In a PSL match between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar
Zalmi, Grant Elliott and Zulfiqar Babar set a new world record
for the highest 10th wicket partnership in a T20 game as
they scored 63 runs in 32 balls.

 In the last test series of his career, New Zealand's Brendon

McCullum became the first cricketer ever to play 100
consecutive Tests since debut.
India and a consortium of top UK research institutions,
including the Cambridge University, have signed an MoU to
conduct a research programme in the field of crop science to
help tackle global challenges in the areas of food security,
crop science and biotechnology.
India and Brunei signed three agreements. They are, MoU in
health cooperation, MoU on Defence cooperation and MOU
on cooperation in youth and sports affairs.
India and Nepal signed Nine partnership deals to help
develop infrastructure, improve cultural cooperation, and
utilise India's $250 million post-earthquake reconstruction
grant.
India continues to remain the world's largest arms importer,
accounting for 14% of the global imports in the 2011-2015
timeframe, in yet another indicator of the country's enduring
failure to build a strong domestic defence-industrial base
(DIB).
India has launched the lightest gun ever which weighs as

less as 250 grams, and it has been named 'Nidar'.

India has surpassed the USA as the world's secondlargest smartphone market in terms of active unique
smartphone users.
India hosted heads of state from Sweden, Finland, Lithuania
and Poland along with 25 ministers of trade and industry
from countries including Japan and Germany for its mega
'Make in India' week, which was held from 13th February
2016 to 18th February 2016.
India is going to host the 3rd edition of the Asia
Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation.
India is set to get its first ever aviation park in Gujarat,
that will include an airstrip, training school, helipad and
space for setting up small manufacturing units.

 India ranked 37th among 38 countries, in USCC's

Intellectual Property Index (IPI).
India ranks first in Milk Production, accounting for 18.5%
of World production.
India secured the top spot for the seventh straight quarter in
Nielsens Consumer Confidence Index rankings for the
December quarter.
India test-fired its indigenously developed Prithvi II missile
from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha, as part of a user
trial by the army.
India through the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of
Science and Technology signed a Cooperation Agreement to
acquire the status of the Associate Member State European
Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
India was crowned the overall champion at the 12th South
Asian Games (SAG) after finishing on top with a record 308
medals including 188 gold, 90 silver and 30 bronze medals.
India will launch The National Framework for Malaria
Elimination, a programme aimed at eliminating malaria in
the country by 2027, ahead of the World Health
Organisation (WHO) target of 2030.
India women cricket team clean sweep three match ODI
series against Sri Lanka.
Indias largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched
Japan Desk, a single window for inbound Japanese
investments in India and vice-versa.
Indias poorest district, Nabarangpur of Odisha
launched a 45-day campaign, called 'Jyoti', to train 4,400
traditional healers as the number of tribal children falling
victim to local healing practices in the district has increased.
Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has joined ICC and
UNICEFs Team Swachh initiative to build a social
movement for sanitation and toilet use, aiming for an open
defecation-free India.

 Indian long jumper Mayookha Johny leapt to the 6.35meter mark to win the Gold medal at the Asian Indoor
Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Indian Railways is building World's Highest Rail Bridge at
Jammu & Kashmir.
Indian Railways is set to export 120 Linke Hofmann
Busch (LHB) coaches to Bangladesh for around Rs.367
crore.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to launch
the Cryogenic mark-III based GSLV satellite launch vehicle in
December.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is set to launch
Indias first solar mission called Aditya-L1.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is working to
establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception
Station and Data Processing Facility for ASEAN Member
countries in Vietnam.
India's first Water Tourism Festival Jal Mahotsav was
held in Madhya Pradesh's Hanuwantiya Island.
India's first professional e-sports league called the
Indian Gaming League (IGL) was launched.
India's first transgender sub inspector Prithika Hasini along
with 21 other members of the community recently received
appointment orders.
India's largest wax producing plant was inaugurated by
PM Narendra Modi in Assam.
India's Tourism Ministry has proposed that all international
visitors using the electronic Tourist Visa facility get SIM cards
on arrival.
International Boxing Federations (IBF) super bantamweight
world champion Carl Frampton has defeated World Boxing
Associations (WBA) super bantamweight world champion
Scott Quigg.
Iraq has announced that it's security forces have started
building a wall around the capital Baghdad in an effort to
prevent attacks by the so-called Islamic State (IS).

 ISRO is set to collaborate with the University of Toronto for a

nano-satellite that will monitor the air pollution levels in
some of the most polluted cities like Delhi, Lucknow and
Amritsar.
IT giant Infosys is set to build the world's tallest 135-metre
free-standing clock tower at its global education centre in
Mysuru at a cost of 60 crore.
Japan has successfully launched ASTRO-H space
observation satellite to probe mysterious black holes.
Japan is planning to build the 'Sky Mile Tower'
skyscraper.
Kerala emerged as the overall winner for the 19th
consecutive time at National School Athletics championship.
Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has announced that PM
Modi will launch the Unorganised Workers Identification
Number (UWIN) smart cards within a month for India's 40
crore unorganised sector workers.
Long-distance runner Lalita Babar was named as the
Sports Person of the Year during the India Sports
Awards 2015.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
announced free education for Scheduled Caste students in
government colleges including, engineering and medical
institutions.
Madhya Pradesh's Katni district is all set to get India's
longest railway bridge, 14 kilometres on the up line.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced
that Indias second International Finance Centre (IFC)
will be set up at the Bandra-Kurla Complex.
Maharashtra government announced a 5% reservation for
Mumbai's mill workers, women and kin of state martyrs in
procuring
autorickshaw
permits
to
ensure
greater
participation of locals.
Maharashtra has decided to set up Mumbai International
Arbitration Centre, the first in the country, ahead of the Make
in India Week in Mumbai.

 Microsoft recently unveiled a new research initiative

'Project Natick'. Under this initiative, it is planning to build
underwater datacenters.
Moodys Investors Service has downgraded the credit rating
of Oman, the poorest Gulf Arab country on the basis of
economic output per person, for the first time since issuing
its initial rating in 1999.
Mumbai has declared 16 no-selfie zones across the city after
a spate of accidental deaths linked to selfie fever.
Mumbai was crowned the champions of the Ranji Trophy
for the 41st time after defeating Saurashtra in the final by
an innings and 21 runs.
NASA is developing a new space telescope called Wide
Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), with a field of
view 100 times larger than that of the Hubble Space
Telescope.
NatGeo India has launched 'Stand With A Girl' initiative,
in association with online fund-raising platform Milaap to
support girl-child education.
National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 was officially
launched in Mizoram
National Snooker Championship 2016 Winners - Men's
Category : Aditya Mehta, Women's Category : Vidya Pillai.
Nearly 1,200 residents of the Elephanta island, famous for
its Hindu cave sculptures and located around 10 km off
Mumbai coast, will have electricity from the Independence
Day this year.
Nearly four years after conquering Mount Everest, Indian
mountaineer Toolika
Rani has conquered Mount
Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, between February
17 and 22.
Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli was on a 5-day visit to India from
19th February 2016.
New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum Scored the
fastest Century in Test History in 54 balls while playing
his farewell test against Australia in Christchurch.

 New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum retired from

international cricket.
New Zealand defeated Australia by 55 runs in captain
Brendon McCullum's final ODI to clinch the ChappellHadlee
Trophy.
Odisha has lifted the three-year-old ban on its ruling of not
allowing tourists to visit the tribal regions in the state.
Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah has been banned for 3
months by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for testing
positive for the prohibited substance Chlortalidone (dope
test).
Pakistan's parliament became the first in the world to
fully operate on solar electricity.
Pawan Negi became the most expensive Indian player
to be bought at the IPL Auction 2016.
President Pranab Mukherjee declared Kerala as India's
first fully digital state.
President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated India's first
"Gender Park" in Kozhikode, Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the
Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) at
Lepetkata, Assam and dedicated the facility to the nation. It
is the first ever petro-chemical plant located in the entire
North-Eastern region of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shyama
Prasad Mukherji Rurban (Rural-Urban) mission in
Chhattisgarh. The initiative is aimed at bringing civic and
infrastructural facilities to villages to bridge the rural urban
divide.
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje launched the School on
Wheels initiative in Jaipur.
Rajasthan government has issued a notification setting
5,642 per month as minimum wage for domestic helps in
the state.

 Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has announced the

setting up of 'Dhirubhai Ambani Centre for Innovation
and Research in Aerospace' in Bengaluru.
Robin Chaurasiya, an Indian teacher who teaches girls in
the red light areas of Mumbai has been nominated for the
Global Teacher Prize among the world's top 10
educators.
Sachin Tendulkars autobiography 'Playing It My Way
has entered the Limca Book of Records for being the
'Bestselling Adult Hardback on Release' across nonfiction and fiction categories.
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the St Petersburg
Ladies Tournament to clinch their fourth title of the
season.
Scientists in the UK have created five-dimensional glass discs
that can store 360 TB of data for up to 13.8 billion years.
Shane Watson became the most expensive player of IPL
2016.
Sindh became the first Pakistan province to adopt
landmark Hindu Marriage Bill, 2015 in order to allow the
minority community to register their marriages.
Slovenian high-jumper Rozle Prezelj has been elected the
new Chairman of the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes' Commission.
South African batsman David Miller has been named the
captain of Kings XI Punjab team for the upcoming Indian
Premier League season 9.
South African batsman Quinton de Kock became the
quickest batsman to score 10 ODI hundreds after his 135
against England in the third ODI.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera has became only the
fourth bowler after Tim Southee, Jacob Oram and Brett Lee to
take a hat-trick in Twenty20 internationals. I
State Bank of India (SBI) in partnership with Snapdeal
has launched a new branch 'SBI e-Smart SME' to provide
working capital loans to sellers on e-commerce platforms.

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launched Amma

Drinking Water Scheme to provide free drinking water for
poor sections.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced Free bus
travel for senior citizens in the Chennai metropolitan
area from her 68th birthday on February 24.
Tata Motors announced that it has renamed its upcoming
hatchback Zica as Tiago.
Team India's U-19 opener Rishabh Pant records the
fastest fifty in the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup
against Nepal.
The Ministry of Railways signed an MoU with Government of
Chhattisgarh for Formation of Joint Venture Companies for
Development of Railway Infrastructure in Chhattisgarh
State".
The 13th edition of World Spice Congress (WSC) was held
at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Theme of WSC 2016 : Target
2020: Clean, Safe and Sustainable Supply Chain.
The 9th India-Nepal combined battalion-level military

training exercise 'Surya Kiran' was conducted at

Pithoragarh from 8th to 21st February 2016.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has
slapped a five-year ban on Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf
over charges of corruption and misconduct.
The Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval for Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed between India and 13 countries
including Israel and Syria for cooperation in the field of
agriculture and allied sectors.
The Central Government has agreed to Jharkhand's
proposal of setting up a Sanskrit University in the
Deoghar district.
The Chhattisgarh government has signed an MoU with the
Ministry of Railways to form a joint venture company with the
Indian Railways.

 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

(CSIR) recently launched "BGR-34", India's first antidiabetic ayurvedic drug for type two Diabetes mellitus.
The crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed
bin Zayed-Al-Nahyan, was on a three-day visit to India from
10th February 2016.
The Father Agnel School in Greater Noida has been
named India's greenest school by the Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE).
The fifth edition of IBSAMAR 2016 trilateral naval
exercise between Brazil, India and South Africa held in
Goa.
The first joint tactical exercise between border troops of
India and China was recently conducted in the Chushul
Moldo area.
The government has banned the sale of entry-level one-star
air-conditioners in the Indian market and introduced
improved energy efficiency guidelines for frost-free
refrigerators.
The government has come out with draft rules on emission
standards for Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) for various
categories of vehicles manufactured on or after April 1,
2020.
The government is planning to establish India's first
railway university at Vadodara.
The government launched Project Sunrise at Imphal for
prevention of AIDS in the North-Eastern states.
The Gurgaon administration has issued an advisory saying
that an FIR will be filed against the residents if they waste
water.
The Haryana government launched the 'Kanya Janamdin
Utsav', to celebrate birthdays of girl students, with their
parents.
The HRD Ministry announced to make the installation of
the national flag compulsory in all central universities

on a 207 feet high mast on their campuses to signify

"strong and united India.
The ICC removed India, England and Australia as the
permanent members of its decision-making executive
committee.
The ICC, for the first time, has included two female officials in
the 31-member Playing Control Team for Marchs womens
World T20 tournament.
The Indian Army has observed 68th 'Nowshera Day' on
9th February 2016 to commemorate the sacrifice of jawans
who laid down their lives while fighting Pakistani intruders in
the frontier town of Nowshera.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO),
UN's aviation agency, has banned the shipment of Lithiumion batteries on all passenger flights starting 1st April
2016.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed
Rahul
Dravid
as
member
of
newly
constituted
AntiCorruption Unit Oversight Group.
The International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016, an
international military exercise was held in Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh. Theme of IFR 2016 : United through
Oceans.
The International Swimming Federation named Fukuoka,
Japan, to host the 2021 world aquatics championships, .
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched a
new space observatory called ASTRO-H.
The Jaypee Punjab Warriors has won the 4th edition of
Coal India Hockey India League (HIL) title 2016.
The Karnataka government has announced a housing
scheme for over 600 transgenders facing social boycott in
Bengaluru.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is planning to
introduce red and yellow cards into club, university and
schools cricket, to curb the increase of violent behaviour.

 The Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation

Mahesh Sharma launched the 'Swachh Parayatan' mobile
app, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the app aims to
ease the process of registering complaints from the general
public about unclean areas and garbage piles in and around
tourist destinations for "immediate action".
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave its approval to
the controversial railway link between the Hubbali-Ankola
in Karanataka, and asked the railways to approach the
state Government for moving further.
The newly-formed Rajkot-based Indian Premier League (IPL)
franchise has been named as the Gujarat Lions.
The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, worlds largest
solar power plant, was opened in the Souss-Massa-Dra
area in Morocco.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the
European Union (EU) signed an agreement to improve
cooperation in cyber defense.
The Seventh Joint Military Training Exercise between
the Indian Army and the Seychelles Peoples Defence
Forces (SPDF) - LAMITYE 2016, was held at Seychelles
Defence Academy (SDA), Victoria, Seychelles.
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is
going to raise Rs.10,000 crore corpus for Stand Up India'
fund from the Reserve Bank of India.
The Sri Aurobindo International Centre for Education
(SAICE), Puducherry has become India's first fully
solarpowered educational institute.
The union power ministry electrified 245 villages in India
during the first week of February under the Deen Dayal
Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna.
The Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka
Gandhi announced that, India has the third highest underfive child mortality rate among SAARC countries with 48
deaths reported per 1000 live births.

 The United Nations Postal Administration has released 6 new

postage stamps promoting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender people.
The UPA government's flagship rural job guarantee scheme,
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA), completed 10 years of implementation on 2nd
February 2016.
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) is launching a 132-foot unmanned ocean drone
on April 7, 2016.
The World Bank has decided to lend support to the
Rajasthan government on energy reforms.
Titanic 2, the replica of the original ship that sank in the
Atlantic Ocean almost 100 years ago, is set to go on its
maiden voyage in 2018 from Jiangsu, China to Dubai.
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the
government plans to set up 2,000 water ports in the
country.
UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino was elected as
the ninth FIFA President.
Under the governments 'Make in India' campaign, Oracle
will open its first India campus in Bengaluru.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Urban
areas, a total of 5.07 lakh houses have been sanctioned so
far, out of which the three states of Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana & West Bengal got 69%.
Union Government has sanctioned about 580 crore rupees
for Agartala-Akhaura railway link Project to connect
Kolkata (West Bengal) with Tripura via Bangladesh.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda has approved Medical
Council of India's proposal to amend the Indian Medical
Council Act to hold a nationwide common medical entrance
test.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India is likely
to spend about $1 trillion by 2030 on power infrastructure to
provide 24/7 affordable electricity supply to its citizens.

 Union Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Enterprise

and Innovation of Sweden have inked a MoU on Technical
Cooperation in Rail Sector.
Vedanta Limited, a global diversified natural resource
company, won Indias first-ever gold mining lease auctioned
by the Chhattisgarh government.
Vietnam has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian
groundnut, thereby providing market access after nine
months.
Vietnam has inaugurated the world's longest three-rope
cable car system in the northern province of Lao Cai.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has launched a project
'Muktir Alo' (Light of Freedom), under which sex workers
from Kolkata's Sonagachi area are being trained to
act in films and serials.
Worlds first fast-acting anti-rabies drug Rabies Human
Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb) was launched in India.
World's first Boeing 727 is set to make its last flight, from
Paine Field to Boeing Field International (Washington), on
March 2nd 2016.

JANUARY 2016

45 Indians and Indian-origin people made it to the Forbes 5th

Annual List of 30 under 30.
A 11-year-old Indian-origin girl Kashmea Wahi, has
achieved the top possible score of 162 on a IQ test of
Mensa, becoming one of the youngest brainiest students
in the country.

 A 24-year-old referee from Dindigul (Tamil Nadu), Rupa Devi

has qualified to officiate international football matches
conducted by FIFA.
A cafeteria, which serves food prepared by the inmates of
Poojappura
Central
Prison,
has
been
opened
in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
A friendship bus service between India and Nepal via
Champawat in Uttarakhand resumed after a gap of 27 years.
A Joint Exercise named SAHYOG-KAIJIN-XV was
conducted in the Bay of Bengal Off Chennai between Indian
and Japan Coast Guard.
A new Social Security Agreement signed between India
and Australia has come into operation enabling people of
both nations to avail retirement benefits in each other's
country, a pact likely to boost bilateral business linkages.
A survey conducted by American media company US News
and World Report has named Denmark as the best country
in the world for women to live in.
A two-wheeler taxi service, 'Bikxie Pink', for women has
been launched in
Gurgaon that is completely run by
women.
A US-based startup has developed a smart wallet 'Walli'
priced under $100, that notifies the user of its location and
contents.
According to a report published in The Lancet journal, India
witnessed the highest number of stillbirths in the world in the
year 2015.
According to data from the US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the year 2015 was
the Earth's warmest year in terms of average temperature in
136 years.
According to Social Cops analysis, India has 10.1 million child
workers as of Census 2011.
According to the new rule imposed by Indian Railways, any
individual will not be able to book more than six tickets
online in a month from IRCTC website from his/her user ID.

 According to the Press Information Bureau's recent

report, India moved 13 positions ahead from 65th to 52nd
rank in Tourism & Travel competitive index. Spain
topped the list.
Ajit Chandila of Rajasthan Royals and Hiken Shah of
Mumbai have been handed a lifetime ban and a fiveyear ban respectively for their roles in the IPL spot-fixing
scam.
Ambagarh Chowki, a tribal dominated naxal-hit block has
become Chhattisgarh's first open defecation-free
development block.
An annotated edition of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf has gone
on sale in Germany.
An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Uttar
Pradesh cadre, Aparna Kumar, has successfully scaled the
17000-ft high Mount Vinson Massif, which is the highest
peak in the Antarctic sub-continent.
Angelique Kerber has won Australian Open women's
singles title and her first Grand Slam by beating Serena
Williams.
Arunima Sinha, the amputee mountaineer who set a
record by climbing the Mount Everest, has added another
feather in her cap by conquering Mount Aconcagua
(highest mountain outside Asia, at 6,960.8 metres) in
Argentina.
As per the Global Human Development Report (HDR)
2015 by UN Development Programme (UNDP), Sri Lanka
has stood at the top position in terms of human
development.
As per the new Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Act, 2015, Selling cigarette or chewable tobacco to
those under the age of 18 will result in a maximum jail
term of up to seven years and also carry a fine of a Rs 1
lakh.
As per the World Bank report, Indian Government has
succeeded in saving one billion US Dollars (Rs 650 crore

approx) per annum with the help of its Aadhaar ID which

curbs corruption to a great extent.
Asia's oldest stock exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange
had recently become the world's fastest stock exchange
clocking a median trade speed of six micro seconds.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has unveiled the bronze
statue of great Ahom General Lachit Borphukan and his
soldiers on the river Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
Australia's opening batsman David Warner has won the
Allen Border Medal and also the Test Player of the Year
honours.
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has joined
hands with the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) to
develop a battery for passenger cars using technology which
is in use to make batteries for space vehicles.
Beverage giant Coca-Cola has announced that it will launch
milk-based beverages under the brand name Vio starting
January 26.
Bihar government has announced 35% reservation to
women in government jobs in the state at all levels.
Bihar govt has decided to impose 13.5% tax on luxury items
to mop up additional revenue for carrying development work.
BJP leader Shatrughan Sinhas biography, Anything
But Khamosh was released.
Brazilian Football Legend, Ronaldinho has been named as
the ambassador of the Nagjee International Club
Football tournament to be played in Kozhikode, Kerala
Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has announced plans
to introduce mobile toilet vans that will be stationed in
areas that do not have public toilets.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R. K. Dhowan has
commissioned INS Kadmatt, India's second Anti-Submarine
Warfare Corvette (ASWC) at Visakhapatnam.
China has allowed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and 5
other international financial institutions to participate in the
countrys inter-bank foreign exchange market.

 China has created three new military bodies as part of

reforms to modernize its military and improve its fighting
capacity. They are, General command for the People's
Liberation Army, Missile force and Strategic support force.
China is planning to develop an "exascale" supercomputer
that will be capable of performing more than a billion billion
calculations per second.
Chinas country code domain .cn has become the worlds
most commonly used in the internet, surpassing
Germanys .de domain.
China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in
which India and 56 countries have joined as founding
members was opened at Beijing on 16th January 2016 by
President Xi Jinping.
Chris Gayle equalled the record for fastest fifty in T20s as
he scored his half-century off 12 balls, thus sharing the
record with Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
Deborah Herold from Andamans created history by
becoming the first Indian to qualify for the Track
Cycling World Championships to be held in London in
March.

Delhi Acers were crowned the champions of the inaugural

edition of the Premier Badminton League after they
defeated the Mumbai Rockets.
Facebook has launched Audience Optimization, a tool
that could help publishers in targeting appropriate audiences
and better understand their interests.
Following a ruling by the Supreme Court, helmets were made
compulsory for pillion (a seat for a passenger behind a
motorcyclist) riders in Bengaluru.
Following the Pathankot attack, laser walls will soon be
used to cover over 40 unfenced areas along the IndiaPakistan border as the Home Ministry has made this a top
priority to prevent entry of terrorists.

 For the first time in Haryana, the sex ratio at birth has
crossed the 900 mark with 903 girls per 1,000 boys as per
records for December 2015.
For the first time in the history of India, a strong contingent
of French Army marched down the Rajpath on Republic Day
along with Indian troops.
Former Australian MP, Pat Farmer, who is also an ultramarathon runner, has set out on marathon 'The Spirit of
India Run' covering 4600 km in 60 days.
Former World No.1 tennis player Marat Safin of Russia has
joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Former world number one Victoria Azarenka won her first
title since 2013 by beating Angelique Kerber in the Brisbane
International final.
French President France Francois Hollande is the Chief Guest
of this year's Republic Day celebrations 2016.
Google, in partnership with Indian Railways, launched its
first free high-speed public WiFi service in the country
at the Mumbai Central Railway Station.
Government decides to jump from Bharat Stage-4 to Bharat
Stage-6 from 1st April, 2020 to curb vehicular pollution.
Hari Nef, the 23-year-old transgender actor and model
has became the first transgender model to be signed by
top modelling agency.
In a major breakthrough for artificial intelligence, a computer
program has for the first time defeated a professional player
in the ancient Chinese board game of Go.
In collaboration with the Ministry of New & Renewable
Energy, the Gujarat government is ready to set up a 750
MW solar park in the Banaskantha district.
In order to boost entrepreneurship, the Cabinet has approved
'Stand Up India' scheme to promote entrepreneurship
among Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Women
Entrepreneurs.

 In the list for the 25 worst internet passwords of 2015 by

software security firm SplashData, '123456' retained its
top position for the third consecutive year.
India has been ranked at 76th position in public sector
corruption out of 168 countries in the Transparency
International Corruption Perceptions Index 2015, improving
its slot from 85 in 2014 and 94 in 2013.
India has emerged as one of the five most promising
markets for businesses globally.
India has overtaken Thailand as the worlds largest rice
exporter in the year 2015 by shipping (exporting) 10.23
million tonnes of rice.
India has slipped from 78th to 89th Rank on an annual
Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTC).
India has won the T20 Blind Asia Cup 2016 by defeating
Pakistan.
India hs agreed to supply 300 MW of electricity to energystarved Nepal in the next one-and- a-half year as the two
sides decided to expedite construction of cross-border
transmission lines and boost bilateral cooperation including
in power trade.
India is planning to set up a National Water Informatics
Centre in Delhi as part of its flood forecasting systems,
by collaborating with France.
India ranks first in business optimism, according to Grant
Thornton International Business Report, a quarterly global
survey of 2,580 business leaders across 36 nations.
India signed a $250 million loan agreement with the World
Bank for Bihar Kosi Basin Development project, aimed at
enhancing resilience to floods and increase agriculture
productivity.
India will be the fastest growing big economy in the world in
2016, a United Nations World Economic Situation and
Prospects 2016 report stated.

 India will hold Exercise Force Eighteen, one of the largest

multi-national military exercises from March 2 to 8 in
Pune as a part of its Look East policy.
Indias first blind-friendly train, from Mysuru to
Varanasi, made its maiden journey.
Indias first radio taxi service for the LGBT community,
Wings Rainbow, was flagged off.
Indian batsman Virat Kohli, while playing against Australia
in the third ODI, became the fastest cricketer to score 7,000
runs in the limited overs format.
Indian Oil Corporation is the only Asian company that
was offered a term contract by Nigeria for selling crude
oil.
Indian rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra was honoured with the
International Shooting Sport Federation President's Button
and Diploma of Honour, the highest honour of the sporting
body.
Indian Shooter Apurvi Chandela emerges as the 'Shooter of
the Tournament' in Swedish Cup Grand Prix.
India's Ace Shuttler, PV Sindhu has won the Malaysia
Masters Grand Prix Gold Badminton title 2016.
India's Apurvi Chandela sets a new world record by
clinching Gold medal in women's 10 metre air rifle at
Swedish Cup Grand Prix.
India's diaspora population is the highest in the world with 16
million people from India living outside their country in 2015,
according to a recent UN survey on international migrant
trends.
India's Siril Verma climbed up a whopping 11 places to
occupy the Number One spot in junior men's singles
category in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
India's Srikanth Kidambi won his first Syed Modi Grand
Prix Gold after defeating China's Huang Yuxiang in the final
match in Lucknow.

 India's top pistol shooter Heena Sidhu claimed Gold medal

in women's 10-meter air pistol event at the Asia Olympic
Qualifiers.
Indo-French military exercise 'Shakti-2016' held at the
Mahajan field firing range in Bikaner, Rajasan.
Italy's Ostana town recently witnessed the first birth of a
baby in the past 28 years.
Japan unveiled countrys first stealth fighter aircraft X-2.
Jitendra Kumar Soni, collector of the Jalore district,
Rajasthan, has started a scheme, 'Charan Paduka Yojna'.
Karnatakas Malpe beach became India's first beach to
provide free 24/7 WiFi service to visitors as the telecom
company BSNL launched the facility.
Kerala becomes the first state in the country to attain
complete primary education.
Kerala government has decided to launch 'Gender Taxi
(G-Taxi)', a taxi service owned and operated by
transgenders.
Khesari Dal, widely known as the poor man's dal has
received clearance for consumption from the Indian Council
of Medical Research after a 55-year-long ban.
Lionel Messi has won the 2015 FIFA Ballon d Or Award
after beating of the challenge from Ronaldo and Neymar. It
was Messis record breaking 5th Ballon dOr Award
London Based marathon Runner, Fauja Singh set a milestone
as he took part in the 2016 Mumbai Marathon at the age of
104.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered officials
to impose ban on polythene in entire state from January
2017.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled
Laman Diva as the logo of the first Make in India Week
(will be held from 13th to 18th February 2016).
Maharashtra will be the first state in the country where
women employees in government jobs can avail up to 180

days maternity leave while having a baby through

surrogacy.
Maharashtra-based RBL Bank has launched a new platform
called 'India Startup Club' (ISC) to provide all-around banking
services to emerging entrepreneurs.
Mumbai school cricketer Pranav Dhanawade became the first
player to score 1000 runs in a single innings.
NASA launched SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Jason 3 ocean
monitoring satellite from Californias Vandenberg Air Force
Base in the USA.
NASAs Mars Opportunity rover has completed 12 years on
the red planet.
National Bravery Awards for the year 2015 were given to 25
Children (22 boys & 3 girls).
Nearly 12 years after it was set up to improve engagement
with the Indian diaspora, the government has decided to
merge the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the
External Affairs Ministry in sync with its broad principle of
minimum government, maximum governance.
Nepal has been elected to the Unicef executive board,
representing the group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term
2016-2018.
NOTA (None of the Above) option is being introduced for
the first time in rural local body polls.
ONGC has won the 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey
tournament by beating Indian Railways.
'Operation Dhangu' was the codename given to the
mission to eliminate the terrorists from the Pathankot
airbase after heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists stormed the
Air Force base, triggering a fiece gunbattle in which 7
security men were martyred and all the 6 infiltrators were
gunned down.
Pakistan has successfully test-fired the Ra'ad air-launched
cruise missile with a range of 350 km

 Pakistans discarded Test opening batsman Imran Farhat

announced his retirement from international cricket in a bid
to appear in the Masters Champions League (MCL).
Pakistani singer Adnan Sami officially granted Indian
citizenship by the govt.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launches nationwide LPG
emergency helpline number 1906 for leakage complaints.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a book titled
"Maru Bharat Saru Bharat" (My India Noble India) written
by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj through
video conference.
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
has
released
the
autobiography of the promoter of Essel/ Zee Group Subhash
Chandra, titled The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong
Man at the Right Time in New Delhi.
Private sector lender ICICI Bank has recently announced that
it has entered South Africa by opening a full service branch
at Sandton in Johannesburg.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered ban
on manufacture of food products containing tobacco or
nicotine like gutkha and pan masala in the State with
immediate effect.
RIKEN group, a Japanese team led by Kosuke Morita, has
received official credit for the discovery of element 113,
making the group the first in Asia to have its
accomplishments enshrined in the periodic table.
Russias Ivan Popov has won the 14th Delhi International
Open chess title.
Sahara Force India Academy racer Jehan Daruvala has won
one of New Zealands most prestigious events, the Lady
Wigram Trophy.
Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes
(CIRB) in Hisar claimed to have successfully produced a
cloned buffalo offspring 'Cirb Gaurav'.

 Sikkim has become India's first fully organic state by

converting around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into
sustainable cultivation.
State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the launch of
SBI e-Smart SME to provide easy working capital to
ecommerce players.
State-owned
power
equipment
maker
BHEL
has
commissioned two substations in Afghanistan, expanding its
footprint in the strife-torn nation.
Swiss legend Roger Federer has became the first male tennis
player to win 300 Grand Slam matches.
Telangana became the first State in the country where
electronic motor insurance policies were legally accepted by
police and transport departments with the launch of eVahan Bima.
Telangana has become the first State to introduce
compulsory gender education at the graduate level;
without repeating gender stereotypes in its bilingual
textbook titled, Towards a World of Equals.
The Andhra Pradesh endowments department has decided to
introduce
a
novel
scheme,
"Bhaktuni
Chentaku
Bhagvantudu" (God visiting the devotee), from the Telugu
new year Ugadi.
The
Andhra
Pradesh
Government
has
launched
Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to support the
tribal women in their quest for livelihood.
The blanket ban on polythene bags in Uttar Pradesh began
from January 21st and there will be complete ban on the
manufacture, import, purchase and storage of all kinds of
plastic bags.
The Centre constituted a one-man judicial commission
headed by Ashok Kumar Roopanwal (Retired HC judge), to
probe the death of a Dalit scholar of HCU, Hyderabad, Rohith
Vemula.

 The Customs Department has launched a mobile app named

'Indian Customs-Guide to Travellers' to inform people
about the Custom rules.
The decision to abolish interviews for Class-III and IV
government jobs came into effect from 1st January 2016.
The Defence Research and Development Organization
(DRDO) has successfully test fired the new PenetrationCum Blast (PCB) and Thermobaric (TB) Ammunition tank at
Chandipur, Odisha.
The Department of Posts (DoP) is planning to open 1,000
ATMs and bring all 25,000 departmental post offices under
Core Banking System (CBS) by March this year.
The first satellite of the European Space Agencys (ESA)
Space Data Highway project has blasted off to space aboard
a Proton rocket from Kazakhstan.
The governing body of the Oscars has announced to make
changes in its voting requirements, recruiting process and
governing structure, to increase the racial diversity in
Academy Awards.
The government decided to extend the Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao scheme to 61 more districts this year to improve the
skewed child sex ratio.
The government has reduced export duty on iron ore pellets
to zero from 5 percent, a move that will make the commodity
more competitive amid subdued demand and weakening
prices.
The Government of India signed a loan agreement with World
Bank for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project.
The HRD Ministry has formed a 12-member committee
headed by Professor HR Nagendra, in order to set up Yogic
Art and Science departments in all universities across the
country.
The Indian Army asked civilians to avoid wearing "Armypattern" dresses and shopkeepers to refrain from selling
combat clothes, as it issued fresh guidelines to the public to
prevent terror attacks.

 The Indian team has won the 2015 South Asian Football
Federation (SAFF) championship for the seventh time.
The Indian women's cricket team defeated Australia in the
2nd T20I by 10 wickets and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in
the series.
The Justice RV Easwar led Committee on simplification of
Income Tax laws has recommended a 5% reduction of Tax
Deduction at Source (TDS) rates for individuals and Hindu
Undivided Families (HUF).
The Juvenile Justice Act, which allows children aged 16 to
18 years and in conflict with law to be tried as adults in
cases of heinous offences, came into effect.
The Kerala Cabinet has decided to implement the
Sampoorna Arogya Keralam project announced in the
2015- 16 State budget.
The LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) has
launched a new Limited Premium, non-linked, with profit
Endowment Plan called LIC Jeevan Labh.
The Madhya Pradesh government has inked a pact with
International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the
World Bank Group, to set up the world's largest single-site
solar energy plant.
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, in
association with Pawan Hans, will soon begin helicopter
tours to tourist attractions in and around Mumbai.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) declared that its spacecraft Juno has broken the
Solar Power Distance Record.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(Nabard) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) for web-based
monitoring of watershed projects.
The Pin Code Week was celebrated in India from 15th to
21st January 2016 to distribute the message about pin
code importance.

 The Pune IPL franchise, owned by Sanjiv Goenka, have

chosen the name 'Rising Pune Supergiants' for the team. This
team will be lead by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Punjab government has launched the state's biggest
employment drive with an offer of 1,13,766 government jobs
to its youth within a year.
The RBI has amended the Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS)
to permit proprietorship and partnership firms to make gold
deposits under a joint deposit account in the name of the
depositors.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it will
soon introduce new currency notes of denominations 500
and 100 of the Mahatma Gandhi Series 2005 with
additional security features.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposes a penalty of 1
crore rupees on an SBI associate bank, State Bank of
Travancore (SBT), for violation of some of its instructions.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed norms for the units
of banks operating from International Financial Services
Centres (IFSC) and permitted them to open foreign currency
current accounts.
The second volume of memoirs of President Pranabh
Mukherjee titled The Turbulent Years: 1980-1996 was
released.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) panel on
Alternative Investment Funds(AIFs) has proposed creating a
favourable tax environment for investors, tweaking of safe
harbour rules, unlocking domestic pools of capital, enabling
onshore fund management in India and reforming the AIF
regulatory regime.
The Supreme Court has issued an order stating that the
husband will not have any right on the property of his wife if
she dies under suspicious circumstances within seven years
of marriage.

 The union cabinet approved the crop insurance scheme

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to boost the
farming sector and ensure farmers' welfare.
The Union Cabinet has approved MoU between India and
United Kingdom for Cooperation in the field Public
Administration and Governance Reforms.
The Union Cabinet has been approved the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between Department of Space / Indian
Space Research Organization (DOS/ISRO) and Kuwait
Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) on cooperation in the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
The Union Cabinet thas given its approval for India becoming
a member country of the International Energy Agency Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) by signing the
Implementing Agreement (IA).
The union government has granted infrastructure
status to the shipyard industry in a bid to ease its
financial stress.
The Union Government has launched Ganga Gram
Yojana to develop 1600 villages in Uttar Pradesh (UP)
situated along the banks of Ganga River.
The United States has approved the sale of almost two billion
US dollar worth of bombs and missiles to equip Iraq's
squadron of F-16 attack jets in their battle against ISIS.
The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department has announced
that it will celebrate February 14 as State Tourism Day.
The World Bank has agreed to give a loan of USD 50
million for Nai Manzil Education and Skills Training for
minorities.
The World Bank has extended an assistance of $20 million
for the reconstruction and eco-development of the Indira
Gandhi Zoological Park in Vishakhapatnam.
The World Bank has projected a robust 7.8% growth for the
Indian economy in the current year.
The World Health Organization has formally announced
the end of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, joining Sierra

Leone and Guinea the epicenters of the latest outbreak

as Ebola-free.
The world powers lifted economic sanctions against Iran after
it had agreed to impose curbs on its nuclear programme in
July.
To meet the Basel III norms, the State Bank of India
(SBI) proposed to raise up to Rs.15,000 crore from various
means, including public offer and overseas issuance of
shares, in the next 14 months.
To put an end to recent controversies surrounding the Censor
Board, the Centre has set up a Committee headed by Shyam
Benegal (noted film-maker), to work out a revamp plan and
submit its report within two months.
Two Australians, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski have
designed a device called 'Seabin' with an aim to clean up
the ocean trash.
Union Government has constituted a committee headed by
Arvind Panagariya (vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog) to
fast track the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail
Corridor, meant for connecting two cities with bullet trains.
Union Government has launched a skill development
scheme named "Nai Manzil" for girls belonging to the
minority communities in the country.
United States and Jordan have signed a Joint Action Plan (JAP)
to improve efforts against nuclear and radiological
smuggling.
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav launched a dedicated
helpline for journalists with number 1880.
Uttar Pradesh won its maiden Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a
38 run win over two time champions Baroda in the final
played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Vice President Hamid Ansari with Kerala Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy released a book titled "Jawaharlal Nehru
and Indian Polity in Perspective" edited by former
DGP P J Alexander, in Thiruvananthapuram.

 VVS Laxman's knock of 281 against Australia in Eden

Gardens in 2001 has been rated as the greatest Test
performance of the last 50 years.
Wipro Ltd chairman Azim Premji has named as the 'Most
Generous Indian' in the Hurun India Philanthropy List
2015.
With a total number of 2,33,635 passengers traveling
through its station everyday, the Dombivli station has
became the most crowded cum fare generating station
in the Mumbai suburban Railway network.
With all the trustees agreeing to the proposal of depositing
the idle gold of the temple, the Somnath Temple Trust of
Gujarat will become the first temple in the State to
deposit in the Gold Monetisation Scheme.
With the help of computer, Scientists of Central Missouri
(headed by Curtis Cooper) have discovered the largest
prime number 2^74,207,281 1.
With the Rio Olympics round the corner, the Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) has signed a two-year
commercial and marketing deal with Infinity Optimal
Solutions (IOS) to the tune of about Rs. 12 crore.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General
Margaret Chan has announced that the Zika virus has been
spreading explosively.