Current Affairs Pocket PDF

Current Affairs Pocket PDF
Current Affairs Pocket PDF February 2017
INDIAN AFFAIRS
The Union Budget Presented on Februray 1, 2017 instead of usual practice of being presented on last day of
February. Merger of Railway Budget with the General Budget and abolition of Planned & Non-Planned
Expenditure. The total Budget expenditure allocated for 2017-18 is Rs. 21.47 lakh crores. The total
expenditure in Budget for 2017-18 has been allocated Rs. 21.47 lakh crores. Capital expenditure increased
by 25.4% compared to the previous year. Jaitley also gave tax relief for overseas investors in some bonds and
scrapped Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to make it easier for doing business in India.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 Bill to make
changes the list of Scheduled Castes in Odisha. Besides, the cabinet also approved amending the Constitution
(Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964 to change the name of the Union Territory Pondicherry
to Puducherry.
The Union Cabinet approved introduction of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Amendment)
Bill, 2017 in Parliament on February 1, 2017.
The Indian Policy Think Tank, NITI Aayog together with Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
(DIPP) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has launched a first of its kind online portal, India
Innovation Index in India to rank the states on the basis of innovation.
Noted Indian singer Neeti Mohan to collaborate with UN for women empowerment project titled Music To
Inspire Artists UNited Against Human Trafficking which is managed by the UNODC. Neeti is the first
Indian female singer to collaborate with UN.
Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017 (Demonetisation Bil)was introduced in the Lok
Sabha on February 3, 2017 by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.The Bill provides for holding, transfer
and receiving of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes, which were demonetized after November 8, 2016, as
a criminal offence and punishable with a minimum fine of Rs 10,000.
A Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has been set up by India and Norway to speed up
the research and development for epidemics.
One of the Indias international border, 3,323-km-long India-Pakistan border runs through four states, Jammu
and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat .will have smart fencing. The fencing method will have a multi-
tier security system in case of any infiltration bid or attempts to cut the fence, security personnel will get an
alarm.
President Pranab Mukherjee opened the annual Udyanotsav of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 4,
2017.The Mughal Gardens will remain open for general public from February 4, 2017 to March 12, 2017.
Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs inaugurated the programme on Inner Strength and Disaster
Resilience on February 3, 2017 in New Delhi. The programme was organised by National Disaster Response
Force (NDRF).
The Bihar government has introduced the transgender as a third category to opt for and appear in the Board
exams conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). It is for the first time that the Board will
conduct the exams for the transgender category in 2017 after it was recognized by Supreme Court in 2014.
The Supreme Court bench consists of Chief Justice J S Khehar and justices N V Ramana and D Y
Chandrachud instruct the centre to prepare a policy for the eradication of leprosy within four weeks on
February 3, 2017. Leprosy or Hansens disease (HD) caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or
Mycobacterium lepromatosis.
The Union Human Resource Development Ministry led by under Prakash Javadekar is set to constitute
a National Testing Agency (NTA) which will be responsible for conducting examinations for higher and
secondary education.
The Railway Ministry is set to develop the first ever railway line in Andaman and Nicobar Island that
currently has no rail network. The Ministry of Railway is set to approve the project that will construct 240-km
broad gauge railway line connecting Port Blair with Diglipur, the largest town on Andaman Island. It will
connect the two islands with bridges and stations along the coast.
The Supreme Court has directed the central government on February 6, 2017 to link the phone numbers of the
entire mobile users, with their Aadhaar Number within a period of one year.
The Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the state Budget for the session 2017-18 on
February 7, 2017 in the state assembly.The budget was based on the theme Resurgent Assam. As per the
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Minister the state Budget 2017-18 was Rs. 2,349.79 crore deficit Budget. The budget presented merged Plan
and Non-Plan expenditures.
The Lok Sabha passed the Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017 on February 7, 2017 which allows for
payment of wages digitally or through cheque directly into the account of workers. The Payment of Wages
(Amendment) Bill is in line with the governments cash-less economy.
In a first of its kind move, the Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice on a sitting judge of Calcutta High
Court, Justice CS Karnan for making allegations of corruptions against the Supreme Court and Madras High
Court judges.
The Ministry of Railways launched the first phase of Station Redevelopment Programme on February 8, 2017
for commercial development of 23 stations across India. The total outlay of the project in the first phase is
expected to be worth Rs 9,000 crore.
The Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar introduced the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Bill, 2017
in the Lok Sabha on February 9, 2017 to provide 20 prestigious Management Institutes powers to grant
degrees. As per the Bill, IIMs would be declared institutions of national importance and the Board of
Governors will be the principal executive body of each IIM. Till now IIM had been registered as societies and
were unable to grant degrees, including PhD, to their students.
The central government has made the Aadhaar mandatory for receiving the subsidised foodgrains from
the ration shops in a bid to better achieve the target of Rs. 1.4 crore subsidy under the food security law.
The Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar inaugurated
the Orientation Programme for the district heads of National Yuva Cooperative Society (NYCS) in New Delhi
on February 10, 2017 to launch the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) in the country.
With the successful operationalization of the two pilot projects of utilizing Head Post Offices as the Passport
Seva Kendra, the government has now decided to further launch the programmes in 56 more facilities across
India.
The Union Government has planned to up a Defence Procurement Organisation (DPO) in a move to integrate
and streamline the long and complex process of defence acquisitions. The committee would be headed by
former Director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, Dr. Pritam Singh. DPO will function
under the Defence Ministry.
The second edition of the Hunar Haat was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs
(Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on February 11, 2017 at State
Emporia Complex, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, and Connaught Place in New Delhi. The theme of the 2nd
Hunar Haat is Craft Aur Cuisine Ka Sangam.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development on February 10, 2017 said that from 2018 there would be
a single entrance examination for admission in all engineering and architecture colleges for undergraduate
courses.
The Karnataka assembly unanimously passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment)
Bill, 2017 on February 13, 2017 to legalize the conduct of Kambala and bullock cart races in Karnataka.
The Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya launched the National Career
Service (NCS) for youths and Jeevan Praman facility to EPFO pensioners through Post Offices at DakSadan
in Hyderabad on February 12, 2017.
According to a notification by the Haryana government on February 14, 2017, no person shall be allowed to
consume liquor at a place which has not been licensed or authorised under the Punjab Excise Act,
1914, except at ones own dwelling.
The Jammu & Kashmir government launched an E-Prison project on February 13, 2017 at NIC Centre Civil
Secretariat Jammu to digitalize the record about the jail inmates.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan lead by Madhya Pradesh government has decided to constitute Madhya Pradesh
Tourism Board for expansion of facilities at tourist spots and draw investment in the sector.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave its
approval to award contract in 31 contract areas under Discovered Small Fields Policy 2016 undertaken last
year.
The Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated a Campaign againstDrug Addiction on
February 15, 2017 organized by Shimla Press Club in Shimla. The campaign aims to make the state drug free.
A Science Express train named Science Express Climate Action Special was flagged off from Safderjung
Railway Station in New Delhi on February 17, 2017 on a seven-month journey to spread awareness
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about climate change. The journey will conclude at Gandhinagar station on September 8.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has made it mandatory for the College and
University students to have possession of Aadhaar Card issued by UIDAI to avail benefits under the Central
Sector Scholarship Scheme.
The newly appointed Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi Palaniswami won the trust vote in the
Assembly on February 18, 2017 where 122 MLAs voted for him, while 11 voted for O Panneerselvam.
The state government of Maharashtra has approved a Rs. 250 crore Cloud Seeding Programme to experiment
whether cloud seeding produces sufficient rain. Seeding is a technique which involves spraying chemicals into
clouds.
An initiative by the government of Madhya Pradesh, Mil Banche MP (Let MP read together)
programme was held in all the primary and middle government schools of the Madhya Pradesh on February
18, 2017 to increase knowledge and the understanding about language among students..
The Bihar Cabinet amended the Bihar Government Servants Conduct Rules 1976 and approved the Bihar
Judicial Officers Conduct Rules, 2017 under which the no officials of the state government would be allowed
to consume liquor either in the state or outside the state and not even abroad.
Union Defence Ministry has approved 38 additional coastal radar stations with the cost of Rs 800 crore to
enhance coastal surveillance on India over 7500 km long line.
The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved investment proposal for generation
component of 900 MW Arun-3 Hydro Electric Project in Nepal by state owned SJVN Limited.
The BJP Administration in Gujarat presented a main stream budget with overall layout of Rs 1,72,179 crore
for 2017-18, which is Rs 20,327 crore more than last year.
Union government aims to bring high-speed digital connectivity to every village by 2018 and is profound to
share proficiency in the area with other nations.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had unveiled the new Antyodaya Express, a fully unreserved train for
the common man with specially designed colourful coaches. The first Antyodaya Express will be
plied between Mumbai and Tatanagar, and the second will be between Ernakulam and Howrah shortly.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Sanjay Maneka Gandhi has unveiled the setting up of a
compensation fund under Nirbhaya scheme to make available financial help to children who are victims of
sexual crimes.
As a part of the Central Scheme Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY),
the Ministry of Urban Development has approved development of 6 km long Bet Dwarka Darshan
Circuit in Gujarat at a cost of Rs.16.27 crore.
The Gujarat Assembly passed the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and
Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution)(Gujarat Amendment), Bill,
2017 on February 23, 2017 to put a total ban on all the hookah bars in the state.
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated the World
Integrated Medicine Forum on Regulation of Homeopathic Medicinal Products: National and Global
strategies in New Delhi on February 23, 2017.
The Central government has granted permission to raise the number of workdays under the Mahatma Gandhi
Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in Tamil Nadu from the existing 100 days to 150 days.
The Aam Aadmi Party led Delhi government approved a hike of around 37% in the minimum
wages for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled persons on February 24, 2017 in New Delhi.
The Central Board of Secondary Education headed by Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi has issued comprehensive
guidelines on safety of children in school buses.
The Centre has formulated the infrastructure policy to promote living close to mass public transport corridors
like metro, monorail and bus rapid transit (BRT) on February 26, 2017
to address the challenges of urbanisation. The new Policy seeks to promote Transit-Oriented
Development (TOD).
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated a medical project Rajasthan Heart Attack Treatment
programme (RAHAT) on February 25, 2017 at the Eternal Heart Care Center Hospital in Jaipur.
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu flagged off the fourth Humsafar clan of trains and first
Antyodaya clan of trains through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan on February 27, 2017. Sri
Ganganagar Tiruchirappalli Humsafar Express (Weekly) (via Krishnarajapuram, Pune, Ahmedabad) and
Ernakulam Howrah Antyodaya Express (Weekly) (via Salem, Katpadi, Visakhapatnam)
The Ministry of IT and Electronics (MEITY) has taken the the responsibility NITI Aayog to promote the
digital transactions in India.
The Bihar State finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui presented the Rs 1.60 lakh crore budget for 2017-18
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Union Budget 2017-2018 Q&A PDF Download

with no proposals of any fresh tax on February 27, 2017. A Rs 14,555 crore revenue surplus budget of Rs
1,60,085.69 crore is Rs 15389.42 crore more than 2016-17 budget estimate of Rs 1,44,696.27 crore.
The state Finance Minister of Odisha Pradeep Kumar Amat presented the State Budget for 2017-18 fiscal in
the session of Orissa Legislative Assembly on February 27, 2017. Total Budget Outlay: the state presented a
total budgetary outlay of Rs. 1,06,911 crore while merging non-plan and plan expenditure.
India and Israel celebrated 25 years of establishment of their diplomatic relations on February 28, 2017.
Marking the occasion, a logo was unveiled jointly by Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relation) and Daniel
Carmon, lsraeli Ambassador to India, at the lndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi.
PLACES IN NEWS
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurates the 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela is also
known as Cashless Mela in Faridabad, Haryana on February 1, 2017.The mela will end on 15th February,
2017.
The 19th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav or International Drama Festival kicked off on February 1, 2017
in New Delhi. The 21 days annual theatre festival will conclude on February 21, 2017 and would take place at
five different cities including New Delhi, Kurukshetra, Pune, Agartala, Hyderabad and Patna during the
course of time.
The Centre of Integrative Oncology (CIO) was inaugurated by Dr. Saumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Department
of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare & Director General, Indian Council for Medical
Research and Shri Ajit M. Sharan, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH at the National Institute of Cancer
Prevention and Research (NICPR) at Noida on the 3rd February, 2017.
Indias first Centre of Excellence in Automation Technology was inaugurated by the Gujarat Technological
University at its campus at Vishwakarma Government Engineering College in Ahmedabad on February 3,
2017.
In a move to encourage active participation in the assembly poll especially by women voters, the government
of Goa on February 4, 2017 conducted a unique experiment, which involved giving away 600 pink
teddy bears to first time women voters across the state.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurates the States first Smart Police Station at
Nagarampalem in Guntur city in Amaravati on February 6, 2017.
The Telangana government launched Indias first social innovation centre the Kakatiya Hub For Social
Innovation in Nizamabad on February 6, 2017.
Arunachal Pradesh became the first state in the northeast to implement e-Cabinet solution for the state cabinet
members. e-Cabinet is a powerful tool that the Arunachal Pradesh government plans to use to streamline its
decision-making process,
Gujarat has become the first state in India to establish Cashless system for distribution of food grain to the
beneficiaries under NFSA (National Food Security Act).
The three day long International Desert Festival 2017 started with great enthusiasm on 8 February 2017
in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur is starting Indias first inter-disciplinary School
on Quality and Reliability (Q&R) in India.
Indias first cashless township Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals (GNFC) townshipwas
inaugurated by Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani on February 13, 2017
Indias first floating elementary school particularly for drop outs has been inaugurated on Loktak lake at
Langolsabi Leikai of Champu Khangpok floating village in Manipur on the occasion of World Wetlands Day
on February 2, 2017.
France based UNESCO organised the two-day Nature Fest at the World Heritage Site Great Himalayan
National Park (GNHP) at Sairopa in Kullu district from February 11, 2017.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched its first fully integrated capacity development centre, South
Asia Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in New Delhi on February 13, 2017.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee declared Kalimpong as 21st district of West Bengal on February 14, 2017.
The new district is from Darjeeling.
The Union Government chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on February 15, 2017 approved
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setting up of Food Legumes Research Platform (FLRP) at Amlaha, Sehore in Madhya Pradesh for meeting the
emerging food security challenges.
The Indian Panorama Film Festival kicked off in Port Blair on February 15, 2017. The five day film festival
has been organized by the Directorate of Information, Publicity & Tourism, Andaman & Nicobar
Administration in association with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Directorate of Film
Festivals/IFFI, New Delhi, Govt of India.
The Kerala cabinet gave its in-principle approval on February 15, 2017 for setting up a Greenfield
Airport at pilgrim centre Sabarimala located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghat mountain
ranges of Pathanamthitta District, Kerala.
The Khajuraho Dance Festival kicked off at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh from February 20, 2017. The seven
day festival will conclude on February 26, 2017. The dance festival is conducted every year by the Madhya
Pradesh Kala Parishad.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to set up Ayurvedic research institute and Kerala Blood
Bank society of International standards in Kerala during the 13th five year plan. Ayurvedic research institute
will be set up at the cost of Rs 300 crore at Kannur.
The Kerala government also plan to launch the countrys first sex offenders registry which will contain all
identification details of sex offenders and would be kept in public domain
Punjab government lead by Parkash Singh Badal has imposed the one year ban on the manufacture, storage,
sale or distribution of food products containing tobacco or nicotine like gutkha and pan masala
The first of its type festival, the National Folk Festival of Kerala (NFFK 2017) has been organized in Kerala
starting from February 24, 2017 to be held for three days in three different locations in the capital
city Thiruvananthapuram.
The centuries old two-day long Liker and Leh Dosmochey festival started in Ladakh Region of Jammu and
Kashmir on February 24, 2017.
On the occasion of Mahashivratri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 112-feet-tall Lord Shiva statue
at Isha Foundation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on February 24, 2017. The statue is dedicated to Adiyogi, an
incarnation of Lord Shiva who is considered to be the first of yogis.
Indias first hill station bicycle path was inaugurated in Darjeeling on February 25, 2017.
The 20 km long cycle route is developed at an altitude of over 2,000 metres and runs through thick pine
forest and Senchal wildlife sanctuary. The path also provides a view of the third-highest mountain in the
world, Kanchenjunga.
The High Court of Bombay has joined hands with Goa Government and National Informatics Centre (NIC)
has launched online payment of court fees through e-payment gateway in Goa.
An e-payment of court fees would be available for District and Sessions Courts as well as all subordinate
Courts in the coastal state.
Indias first integrated Heliport was inaugurated by the Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on
February 28, 2017 at Rohini in North Delhi.The Heliport is the first of its kind facility in South Asia for rotor
wing aircraft including their landing and takeoff and has been built by state-owned Pawan Hans Ltd.
FOREIGN VISITS
Vice President Hamid Ansaris 5-day Visit to Rwanda & Uganda.

This was the first high-level bilateral visit to Uganda from India since 1997 and first high-level visit to
Rwanda. Ansari was in Rwanda from February 19-20 while reached Uganda on February 21.
During the visit, India and Rwanda signed three MoUs on February 21, 2017 in the field of innovation,
aviation and visa requirements.
During his 2 day visit to Rwanda, Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari launched the India-Rwanda
Innovation Growth Programme to strengthen ties in Science, Technology and Innovation between the two
nations.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
The UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) launched an appeal for the year 2017 on January 31, 2017 for USD 3.3
billion to help over 48 million children across the globe who are driven from their homes due to conflict,
disasters and climate change.
Right to Information (RTI) Act has come into effect in Sri Lanka from February 3, 2017. RTI was one of the
major announcements made by the present Sri Lankan government ahead of the 2015 election.
Tesla Motor Inc. and Southern California Edison have jointly launched Worlds largest energy storage
facilities on January 30, 2017 at the utilitys Mira Loma substation in Ontario, California.
Israel Government decided to build 3000 units for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and in occupied East
Jerusalem.
India is invited as the Guest country for the upcoming 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
which was scheduled to be held from June 1 to 3, 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the St
Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). India & Russia are working on the bilateral aspect
during Modis visit o Russia
Kuwait has banned the Visas for five Muslim majority countries on February 1, 2017 over security issues. The
five countries include Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The suspension of the Visas was taken to
stop illegal entry of Islamic terrorists in the country.
Britains Prime Minister Theresa May successfully held the first stage of passing the Bill in the Parliament on
February 1, 2017 to pull Britain out of the European Union. The Bill would now allow the government to
trigger Article 50 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty which the Supreme Court ruled that she could not take that
decision alone.
Iran government on February 3, 2017 banned the United States wrestlers from participating in the freestyle
World Cup to be held in February 2017 as a counter-move against President Donald Trumps executive order
suspending visas for Iran.
The United States President Donald Trump imposed a new sanction on February 3, 2017 on Iran in a move to
punish Tehran for its latest ballistic missile test.
The Qatar Airways has launched the Worlds longest scheduled commercial service to ply between Doha to
Auckland. The inaugural service of Flight QR920 took off on February 5, 2017 from Doha and will take 16
hours and 20 minutes to travel 14,535 kilometers to reach Auckland in New Zealand.
Mexico and Turkey on February 3, 2017 agreed to speed up negotiations on bilateral free trade agreement
facing US President threat to leave North American Free Trade Agreement.
According to a new study conducted by scientists in collaboration with the UN Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO), two new groups of wheat rust have been identified that posed threat to wheat produced
in Africa, Asia and Europe in 2016. As per the data, the two new groups have been identified as yellow rust
and stem rust.
In an effort to strengthen the bilateral relations between India and UAE, the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS)
Samudra Pavak made a goodwill visit at the Mina Al Rashid (Dubai Port) from February 4 to 7, 2017.
Israel passed a controversial law retroactively on February 6, 2017 to legalize about 4,000 settler homes built
on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
China has surpassed Germany to become the worlds largest producer of solar energy after nearly doubling its
installed photovoltaic capacity in 2016.
Shaikha Mozah Al Maktoum, one of the female members of the ruling family of Dubai, has become the first
woman commercial pilot of Dubai. The announcement was made by her family members on Instagram saying
that she was on her first assisted flight as a commercial pilot for Emirates.
Shawna Pandya an Indian-origin woman will become the third woman after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita
Williams to go into space in 2018. Dr Shawna Pandya is a neurosurgeon working as a general physician at
the Alberta University Hospital in Canada.
India presented the proposed Trade Facilitation in Services (TFS) Agreement to the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) Director General Roberto Azevedo and India Inc. on February 9, 2017 in an event organized by
Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi.
2017 BRICS association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to be held in Xiamen, China in
September 2017. The summit will be held under the theme BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter
Future
The worlds longest elevated cycle path has been opened in Xiamen, China which can handle about 2,023
cyclists with a speed limit of 15 miles per hour. The path is five miles long and 16 feet wide having 11
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entrances and connects to 11 bus stops and two underground rail stations.
India has become one of the nine members of the new Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal,
Newborn and Child Health that aims to improve the quality of care for new mothers and babies.
The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has launched a $110 million appeal on February 15, 2017 to
help two million acutely malnourished children across Sudan including hundreds of thousands living in conflict
areas. Sudan is home to around 13 percent of all children suffering from acute malnutrition across Africa. Two
million children under five in Sudan are acutely malnourished.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has unveiled plans to build the first city on Mars by 2117. The
announcement was made by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces on the sidelines of the World
Government Summit in Dubai on February 14, 2017.
India has sanctioned a soft loan of US dollar 340 million to Nepal for various infrastructure development
programmes on February 19, 2017. Under this programme Mahalaki bridge and 15 roads will be constructed
in various parts of Nepal.
Venezuela and Libya have been suspended from voting in the UN General Assembly in for the second time in
two years due to huge sum of unpaid dues by the nations to the UN Body. As per the data, Venezuela would
have to make a minimum USD 24 million payment to get under the two-year threshold for getting its voting
rights restored. On the other hand Libya has to make a minimum payment of USD 6.5 million.
Russia and Iran have agreed a roadmap to jointly produce nuclear fuel. The announcement was made by the
head of Irans Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi on February 25, 2017.
Australia and Indonesia restored their full military ties on February 26, 2017 during the visit of Indonesian
President Joko Widodo to Australia to boost ties with the country.
The European Union member states have approved the visa-free travel for Georgia on February 28, 2017 to
facilitate cooperation of Georgia with the European Union. The approval was granted after agreeing
safeguards to prevent any upsurge in illegal arrivals from the Georgians.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperations (SAARCs) 53rd Programming Committee
Meeting began on February 1, 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The two day meeting was attended by joint
secretary/director general of the eight member nations.
The 17th session of the senior officials meeting of the BIMSTEC was held on February 7, 2017
in Kathmandu. The delegates of the seven member nations attended the meeting to review the progress made
by the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
A high-level consultation was held between India and Russia on January 31, 2017 in New Delhi to share
views on threats posed by terrorism. The two sides agreed to comply with the UNSC 1267 Sanctions
List processes for blacklisting various terrorists and entities.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu was inaugurated the Digital Radio or All
Round Table Conference in New Delhi on January 31, 2017 to stimulate the interests of the key Indian
stakeholders in the public phase launch of the project to digitise radio in India, following the successful
installation of DRM digital radio transmitters by All India Radio (AIR).
The Ministry of External Affairs in coordination with the Department of Atomic Energy is hosting
the Implementation and Assessment Group Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
(GICNT) from February 8-10, 2017 at the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi.
In a first of its kind initiative, National Womens Parliament was organized by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative
Assembly in association with MAEERs MIT School of Governance at Pavithra Sangamam in Amravati,
Andhra Pradesh with an aim to empower women based on the theme: Empowering Women Strengthening
Democracy.
The second edition of the International Spice Conference began at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram district
of Kerala from February 12, 2017. The theme of the conference is 21st Century Spic Industry-Disrupt or be
Disrupted
India has decided to conduct Conference with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to share
experiences and ideas from the member countries on preventing radicalization and promoting deradicalisation.
The Ministry of External Affairs and Gateway House are co-hosting the Second Gateway of India
Geoeconomic Dialogue from February 13-14, 2017 in Mumbai. The theme of the conference is Where
Geopolitics meets Business.
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The 11th biennial edition of International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition Aero India 2017 kicked off at
the Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka on February 14, 2017.
The Indian aerospace and defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has launched a new communication
radio for the Indian Armed Forces, called STARS-V Mk III, at the Aero India 2017 show on February 16,
2017.
Aero India 2017

The 11th biennial edition of International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition Aero India 2017 was held at
the Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 14-18, 2017.
Bangalore based defence manufacturer and technological services provider Alpha Design Technologies Pvt.
Limited (ADTL) signed a USD 30 million deal with Israels Elbit Systems on February 17, 2017 at Aero India
2017.
Reliance Aerostructure Limited (RAL) has entered into a Joint Venture with Rafale fighter jet
manufacturer Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) to become the key player in the execution of offset
obligations between India and France for the purchase of Rafale jets.
US-based defence technology and research leader Raytheon Company has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with Tata Advanced Systems on February 17, 2017 to jointly produce Stinger air defence
missile components.
The International Coin Fair was inaugurated at Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on
February 13, 2017 by the Kerala state Minister for Tourism, Cooperation and Devaswoms Kadakampally
Surendran.
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the Indian
Seed Congress 2017 in Kolkata on February 12, 2017. The theme of Seed Congress is Seed of Joy.
Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Science Dr. Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the three day
International Conference on NexGen Technologies for Mining and Fuel Industries (NxGnMiFu-2017)
in New Delhi on February 15, 2017
The two day Global Investors Summit (GIS) 2017 was held at Khelgaon in Ranchi, Jharkhand from February
16-17, 2017 with the brand name Momentum Jharkhand to promote industrial activity in Jharkhand and
establish the state as one of the prime investment destination of Eastern India.
Jharkhand Signs 209 MoU with different companies at Concluding Day of Global Investors Submit.
The two-day South Asian Speakers Summit was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on February 18, 2017. This will conclude with the adoption of an Indore
Declaration at a closing ceremony on February 18, 2017
India on February 15, 2017 participated in a conference organized to discuss Afghanistans future in
Moscow along with 5 other nations. The six nations in the conference included Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan,
China and Afghanistan.
Third National Biodiversity Congress (NBC) 2017 held Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on February 22, 2017 to
identify practical evidence based case studies at regional level to support the plan of action.
Theme: Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Sustainable Development with four sub-themes.
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar attended the first India-China Strategic Dialogue to be held in Beijing to
reinforce bilateral ties amid hectic meetings to resolve differences over Beijings reluctance to support Indias
NSG bid as well as a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar.
China is hosting the first official BRICS Sherpas Meeting in Nanjing -Jiangsu Province on February 23 and 24
under its chairmanship. The meeting is focusing on the theme of Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future
upon considering the current international situation.
The 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) began in Mobile World Capital Barcelona on February 27, 2017
and will conclude on March 2, 2017. MWC is the worlds largest gathering for the mobile industry, organised
by the GSMA. The global tech industry gathers to get participate in new smartphone
launches, VR and AR developments, chipsets and wearables.
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RANKINGS & REPORTS

The 2017 Financial Times Global MBA ranking was released on January 30, 2017. This year 4 Indian
Business Schools have been listed in the Worlds 100 best Full Time MBA Programme List. The top position
was secured by INSEAD for the second consecutive year.
In the 5th Annual International Intellectual Property Index released by US Chambers of Commerces Global
Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) on February 8, 2017, India has been ranked very poor at 43rd position out
of 45 countries. The Index has been topped by United States with a score of 32.6
Leading professional services firm JLL has once again been named to FORTUNE magazines Worlds Most
Admired Companies list of 2017 based on their reputation for innovation, top talent and global
competitiveness.
India has been ranked 143 out of 186 economies in the annual Index of Economic Freedom 2017 released by
top US based Think Tank, The Heritage Foundation.The Index measures the degree of economic freedom in
the countries of the world. Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand are the top three nations in the Index
respectively.
The National Regulatory Authority of India (NRAI), the vaccine regulating authority of India, has been given
the highest ratings by global health body World Health Organization for vaccine regulations on February 17,
2017.
According to a report released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on February 20,
2017, India emerged as the worlds largest importer of major arms during 201216. As per the report, India
accounted for 13 percent of the global total sales.The total volume of international transfers of major weapons
has grown continuously since 2004 and increased by 8.4 per cent between 200711 and 201216.
Indias largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been rated as one of the top three
most-valuable brands in the information technology (IT) service sector by Brand Finance, the leading global
brand valuation firm.
According to the recent data, infant mortality rate in the country has been registered at 42 deaths of kids per
1000 births while Puducherry was having 11 deaths of children per 1000 babies born said by Director of
Health and Family Welfare Services K V Raman on February 27, 2017. Top 3 states : Goa ranked first,
followed by Kerala and Puducherry.
The state government of Haryana has set up an online system called the Sex Ratio Monitoring Dashboard to
monitor the sex-ratio in Panipat district as part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme.
According to the New World Wealth report released on February 21, 2017, Mumbai, the financial capital of
India has been named as the Richest Indian city with a total wealth of $ 820 billion.
BANKING & FINANCE

Fiscal deficit in the first nine months of 2016-17 touched 93.9 per cent of the Budget target against 87.9 per
cent for the same period a year ago. The fiscal deficit stood at 87.9 per cent in the corresponding nine months
a year ago, as per 2015-16 Budget estimates.
HSBC has estimated the GDP growth rate of India at 7.1 percent for the year 2017-18 which is up from
the 6.3 percent in the year 2016-17.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on February 2, 2017 sanctioned a loan
amount of Rs. 157 crore to the Government of Haryana to undertake drinking water project.
The Government of India has signed a USD 201.50 million credit agreement with the World Bank on
February 1, 2017 to improve the quality and equity of engineering education across several states in India.
As per the data released by the Minister of State for Finance Santosh Gangwar in the Lok Sabha on February
3, 2017, Public Sector Banks (PSBs) witnessed a bad loan at 9.83percent of the gross advances in the financial
year (FY) 2015-16, while the bad loans for Private sector banks were capped at 2.70 percent of the advances.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on February 2, 2017 permitted the NRIs to have access to the exchange
traded currency derivatives (ETCD) market. This will enable the NRIs to hedge the currency risk due to
making investment in India.
The Reserve Bank of India has directed banks on February 3, 2017 to waive off transaction charges and lower
interest rates on credit cards as a move to encourage digital transaction.
RBI has decided that customers would not be levied any charges by banks and prepaid payment instrument
issuers for transactions up to Rs. 1,000 settled on Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Unstructured
Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) till March 3, 2017.
9|Page
Indias second largest private sector bank, HDFC, has planned to increase the fee for savings account holders
doing cash transaction in order to encourage digital mode of payment. The bank on has reduced the third party
transaction limit to Rs. 25000 a day. Earlier this limit was Rs. 50000. Besides, it has also reduced the number
of free transactions at branches from 5 to 4.
Public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra has partnered with insurance company Cigna TTK Health to market
the insurers products in the banks branches across the entire country
Indias third largest private bank, Axis Bank has tied up with Earthport Plc, a cross-border payment network,
to enable faster outbound cross-border payments for its customers through Earthports state-of-the-art global
payments network. Axis Bank has become the first bank in India to connect with Earthports global payments
network, which spans over 60 countries.
The Ujjivan Small Finance Bank officially started its operation on February 6, 2017 with 5 pilot branches
in Bengaluru. Samit Ghosh is the MD and CEO of the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank.
The PNB Housing Finance Limited (PNBHFL) and CREDAI West Bengal, has signed an MoU on February
6, 2017, wherein CREDAI-Bengal would train 1000 construction workers in Kolkata and nearby villages. The
MoU aims to address the need to speed up the construction pace for quicker delivery and hand-overs.
Private sector lender IDFC Bank has collaborated with fintech startup IndiaLends to enable first time
borrowers who do not have a credit history to take loans.
Sixth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Review of RBI for 2016-17.

Key Policy Rates
1. Repo Rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF):6.25 percent (Unchanged)
2. Reverse Repo Rate under the LAF: 5.75 percent (Unchanged)
3. Marginal Standing Facility (MSF): 6.75 percent (Unchanged)
4. Bank Rate: 6.75 percent (Unchanged)
5. Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): 4 percent (Unchanged)
6. Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): 20.50 percent (Unchanged)
7. RBI had projected the headline inflation at 5 percent in Q4 of 2016-17 in December.
8. The RBI has projected GDP growth in the current fiscal at 6.9 percent. It expects the growth to
recover sharply in 2017-18 and reach 7.4 percent.
9. RBI has projected the GVA growth for 2016-17 at 6.9 percent from the existing 7.1 percent.
The Reserve Bank of India on February 8, 2017 informed about its decision to set up a separate Enforcement
Department to effectively monitor bank in case they violate regulations. The Enforcement Department will
start operations from April 1, 2017.
Private sector lender Federal Bank Limited has partnered with Commodity Online, a leading online data and
information portal for the distribution of loans against warehouse receipts and collateral management services
across the country.
The Private sector lenders HDFC Bank started operating its Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) on February
7, 2017 to ease the bill payment service for the customers. Along with HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank also
went live with the BBPS service.
Fertiliser major IFFCO and Bank of Baroda have signed an MoU on February 7, 2017 to launch co-branded
debit cards for farmers in a bid to promote cashless transactions in the rural area.
Bank of America Corp has opened three completely automated branches over the past month with no working
employee wherein customers can use ATMs and have video conferences with employees at other branches.
As a part of its disinvestment plan for 2016-17, the central government sold 2 percent of its stake
in ITC to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on February 7, 2017 and earned Rs 6,690 crore.
The Union Cabinet approved the merger of the State Bank of India with its 5 subsidiary banks namely State
Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur; State Bank of Hyderabad; State Bank of Mysore; State Bank of Patiala and State
Bank of Travancore.
Bank of Baroda is planning to launch a supply chain financing product for the Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME) in the diamond industry to boost their existence in the sector.
Union Government has decided to launch Indradhanush 2.0 for recapitalisation of public sector lenders so
that the banks remain solvent and fully comply with the global capital adequacy norms namely Basel-III.
Government has allocated an amount of Rs 500 crore to India Post Payments Bank for the financial
year 2017-18 to help it in setting up 650 branches across country by September 2017. As per Output-Outcome
Framework for Schemes 2017-18 for the Department of Posts released on February 13, 2017, out of the
allocated amount, Rs. 125 crore has been allocated as capital infusion into corporate entity for India Post
Payments Bank and Rs 375 crore as grant in aid to India Post Payments Bank (IPPB).
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According to the global financial services major Nomura, the GDP growth of India is estimated to remain low
at 5.7 percent in the January-March quarter due to the effect of demonetization of high value currency.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group has partnered with Finance
Industry Development Council (FIDC) to conduct training programmes for Non Banking Finance Companies
(NBFCs).
IDFC Asset Management Company launched an open-ended fixed income fund named Credit Opportunities
Fund on February 13 in Mumbai which is expected to raise the revenue of the company in the range of Rs 300
crore-500 crore within the NFO period itself.
Life insurance firm, HDFC life launched a traditional life insurance plan, Pragati, on February 15, 2017
for low income group people.
The Reserve Bank of India has decided to reimburse banks Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on debit
cards used by citizens for payment with effect from January 1, 2017. In December 2016, the government had
decided to absorb the merchant discount rate (MDR) charges in respect of debit card transactions for making
payments to it to encourage people to use digital payments post demonetisation.
Mumbai based Citi Bank has launched instant chat services for customers named Citibank Online (CBOL) on
February 16, 2017. With this India become the first country in Asia Pacific within the Citi network to have
this kind of service.
The Reserve Bank of India increased the gold loan limit for RRBs (Regional Rural Banks) to Rs 2 lakh from
the current Rs 1 lakh on February 16, 2017 to help the farmers and artisans have access to credit who are
willing to pledge gold as collateral.
The Name and Shame Campaign initiated by Catholic Syrian Bank Employees and Retirees against
willful Defaulters in Kerala have started paying dividends. As per the bank, of the 30 defaulters identified
with dues of more than Rs. 50 lakh each, about 10 borrowers have approached the bank with settlement
proposals and the bank has also received firm assurance for payments worth Rs. 25 crore from defaulters.
The Union government has increased the Cash Credit (CC) limit for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) to 30 percent of turnover from the existing 20 percent to encourage them to conduct businesses
digitally.
Bangalore based Public sector Canara Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on February 17, 2017 to operationalize the Higher
Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
Leading global payments and technology firm, Mastercard is set to provide payments processing
solution to Airtel Payments Bank. The payment processing platform will enable the Airtel Payment Bank in
providing various payment services like switching, card management along with support for reconciliation
and dispute management processes.
Mangaluru based private sector lender Karnataka Bank Ltd launched National Pension System (NPS) at its
corporate office in Mangaluru to provide financial security at old age by giving regular income in the form of
pension. Under the scheme, one can contribute to NPS while earning and eventually start receiving pension on
his/her attaining the age of 60 years to meet their financial needs.
Mumbai based State Bank of India(SBI) has signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Indias
largest interior infrastructure company Greenply Industries to grow its channel financing business of Greenply
Industries on electronic platformon February 18, 2017.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted Multilateral Financial Institutions (FIs) to invest in rupee
denominated bonds commonly known as Masala Bonds issued by Indian entities.
In an effort to extend the services to neighboring countries and enhance market share, leading United Arab
Emirates (UAE) payments solutions provider OMA Emirates has entered the Indian Market, beginning with
the acquisition of mobile point of sale (mPOS) firm MobiSwipe.
The Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) launched a series of digital offerings for its customers on February
19, 2017 which also marks the 75th Foundation Day of the bank. The OBC bank introduced a new version of
mobile banking in the form of mobile app under the name Oriental Batuaa to provide banking services
through app.
The GST Council approved a law to compensate states for any loss of revenue from the implementation of
the Goods and Service Tax (GST) in the first five years, on February 18, 2017 at the 10th GST Council
Meet at Udaipur. The compensation bill will be taken to Parliament in 2nd half of Budget Session to be held
from March 9, 2017.
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The countrys largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) rebranded its corporate website as bank.sbi from the
earlier sbi.co.in on February 19, 2017. Now bank.sbi is the highest domain protocol commonly known
as generic top level domain (gTLD). With this, SBI has become the first banking organization in India to
adopt gTLD for its internet presence.
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has given its approval to IRB InvIT Fund, to
raise Rs 4,300 crore through an initial public offering (IPO). IRB InvIT Fund is an investment trust sponsored
by IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited, an Indian highway construction company headquartered in
Mumbai.
Magaluru based Karnataka Bank Ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Daimler India
Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (DICV) on February 20, 2017 to extend finance to customers for the purchase
of commercial vehicles manufactured by the company.
Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), the retirement body of India introduced single page
composite claim form that enable its subscribers to withdraw money from their PF account at an ease.
Hyderabad based non-banking finance company Microfinance institution Bharat Financial Inclusion
Ltd launched an instant loan approval at a village near Bassi in Jaipur district, Rajasthan
Lucknow based Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru based Vijaya Bank for providing concessional finance to micro and
small enterprises (MSEs) to promote and strengthen the units in the MSE segment
Guragon based Domestic rating agency ICRA reported that the gross value added (GVA) is set to slip to 6.2
per cent in the third quarter from 6.9 per cent and GDP growth will decline to 6.5 per cent from 7.2 per cent.
Oriental Bank of Commerce has signed a corporate agency agreement with Chennai based general insurance
provider Cholamandalam General Insurance Company for distribution of insurance products on February 22,
2017.
International Monetary Fund come up with Indias growth projection which predicted slow 6.6 per cent in
2016-17 fiscal due to temporary disruptions caused by demonetisation.
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 375-million-dollar loans and
grants on February 23, 2017 in New Delhi to develop 800-km Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
The government has announced to bailout IDBI Bank with Rs. 3,000-crore capital infusion to enable the bank
to have better capital-adequacy ratio and further enhance credit growth. The financial assistance will help the
bank to maintain stability.
Dena Bank has unveiled a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enabled banking card on February 23, 2017
at its Mumbai branch to identify a valued customer entering the bank having RFID card by displaying the
complete information about that customer on the managers desktop.
Public sector banks United Bank of India (UBI) has signed agreement with Indian Railway Catering and
Tourism Corporation(IRCTC) for railway ticket booking facility.
An economic think-tank, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has lowered Indias
GDP growth to 6.9 percent for the fiscal 2016-17 compared to previous estimation of 7.6 percent. The decline
in the growth forecast is based on the demonetization effect.
Moodys Investors Service report released on February 23, 2017 states that despite the currency
demonetisation drive by Government of India, the country will continue to be the fastest growing
economy among G-20 countries in 2017.
According to the data by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in India grew 18 percent during 2016 to attract $46 billion as compared to $39.32 billion in
2015.
Japans SoftBank Group Corp (SBG) on February 24, 2017 entered into a definitive agreement with Foxconn
Technology Group (Foxconn) of Taiwan to establish a joint venture through Softbank Group Capital Apac Pte
Ltd at an estimated cost of $1.2 billion.
The Government of India launched the 7th tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bonds on February 27, 2017 and it
will be the last offering for 2016-17.The Sovereign Gold Bonds 2016-17Series IV will be issued by
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on behalf of Government of India.
An expert committee set up by SIDBI, Venture Capital Investment Committee (VCIC) has sanctioned Rs 300
crore to fund managers who would invest in startups, thus taking the total sanctions in 2016-17 to over Rs
1,100 crore.
In order to expand its business across the country, Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company has tied up with
Mumbai-based Dena Bank on February 27, 2017 to provide its insurance product to the large customer base of
the bank.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up an 11 member Inter-disciplinary Standing Committee on Cyber
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Security on February 28, 2017. The committee will be chaired by RBI Executive Director Meena
Hemchandra.
Lucknow based Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Indias first small finance bank
Capital Small Finance Bank (CSFB) signed Memorandum of Understandingto enable it to provide loans at a
concessional rate to MSMEs.
Kumbakonam-based private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) has tied up with Centrum Group on
February 27, 2017 in which the bank will refer its High Net Worth Individuals (HNI) to Centrum for wealth
management and family office services.
American Express, a global leader in payment solutions has launched an electronic payment platform linked
to corporate card, Buyer Initiated Payments (BIP) on February 27, 2017 to eliminate payment through cheques
or drafts.
The Economic Survey Report by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has
estimated the Indias GDP growth at 7 percent for 2016-17 on February 28, 2017.
Canara, HSBC and Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance launched iSelect term plan to expand its online
product suit. The term iSelect plan provides enhanced protection cover for the family at an affordable
premium.
BUSINESS
Arnab Goswami, managing director and editor-in-chief of ARG Outlier Media has changed the name of his
proposed news channel Republic into Republic TV.
The Union Health Minister, JP Nadda, notified the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 on February 2, 2017 to ease
the norms related to manufacturing medical devices in India and promote domestic industry.
In the latest Global 500 rankings of most valuable and powerful brands across the globe, Sundar Pichais
Google has surpassed Apple to achieve the top position. The Brand Finance Global 500 list published on
February 2, 2017 had featured Apple as the top brand for continuous five years.
A premium digital marketing agency LIQVD ASIA collaborate with iKarmik.com, has launched Indias First
Ever Online Exhibition gateway ExFirst.com to provide designers and retailers an opportunity to reach out
to consumers across the country.
Tata Motors Launches new Sub-Brand TAMO as an Incubator to Develop Futuristic Vehicles. TAMO will act
as a start-up to develop new and innovative products.
The Susheel Kumar, Coal Secretary, Ministry of Coal, has informed that India has planned to allow the non-
state mining companies for the first time in four decade to mine and sell coal. China is the Worlds top coal
producing market followed by United States. India stands at third position.
San Francisco-based taxi-hailing platform Uber has launched a new service under the name UberHIRE on
February 6, 2017 that will enable the customers to hire the taxi for the day on hourly basis.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) under the Department of Revenue entered into four more
unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) on February 6, 2017 with the tax payers so as to provide them
a certainty regarding transfer pricing.
C K Birla Group-owned Hindustan Motors have signed a deal with French carmaker Peugeot SA Group on
February 10, 2017 to sell its iconic Indian car brand Ambassador to Peugeot for Rs. 80 crore.
As per the data released by the Central Statistics Office, the Indias Industrial Output contracted by 0.4
Percent in December 2016 as compared to previous year due to demonetization.
The centre on February 10, 2017 approved setting up the Electronic Development Fundwith a total corpus
of Rs. 6,831 crore to support entrepreneurship and innovation in electronics and IT.
Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T), an Engineering and construction major has entered into a Joint Venture
with European defence major MBDA Missile Systems on February 13, 2017.
The main aim of the JV is development of missiles in India under the Make in India initiative while procuring
the missile systems from abroad.
The Global Gene Corp and Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) launched an Indian
Beacon on February 14, 2017 for Indian genomics data to enable the scientists in developing more effective
drug delivery systems.
AirAsia became the first foreign airline to begin its operations from Srinagar international airport in Jammu
and Kashmir on February 19, 2017. Srinagar has The Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport since last five
years, but no foreign airlines had yet operated services from there.
US based IT giant Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Indian electronic commerce company Flipkart Group
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CEO Binny Bansal has announced a strategic partnership on February 20, 2017.
Bangalore based Indian food-products corporation Britannia has signed an MoU with Greeces cakes and
confectionery major Chipita for exploring certain business opportunities on February 22, 2017. This is the first
joint venture after Britanias tie-up with New Zealands Fonterra Dairy and and dairy giant Groupe Danone
SA dissolved in 2009.
Oricon Enterprises Ltd (OEL) is planned to build a manufacturing facility in Odisha with an investments of Rs
100 crores. This facility will be used to manufacture new packaging products.
The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding(MoU) with the IoT Acceleration Consortium (ITAC) Japan on February 22, 2017 to
address digital technology shifts and accelerate IoT (Internet of Things) adoption at a global level across the
industry.
Centre has notified the protocol amending the India-Israel tax treaty to provide for exchange of information on
tax matters including bank details with a view to check black money flows which will come into force effect
in India from fiscal year beginning April 1.
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 22,
2017 approved Rs. 17,000 crore missile deal with Israel to protect Indias airspace from enemy aircraft and
drones. Under the deal, India and Israel will jointly develop a Medium Range Surface-To-Air Missile (MR-
SAM) system for the Indian army.
The World Trade Organizations (WTOs) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) came into force on February 22,
2017 which required two-third of the member nation to ratify the agreement to be into effect.
Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh announced on February 23, 2017 that Rajasthan has become the second
largest crude oil producer in India with 90 lakh tones oil annually and Mumbai is the largest producer of crude
oil in India which accounts for half of the domestic oil production.
Food technology start-up Gorb has partnered with online cab aggregator Ola on February 24, 2017 to offer
food to consumers at discounted rates in Mumbai.
Leading E-Commerce firm, Paytm launched its new application on Android under the name Paytm Mall and a
website called paytmmall.com on February 27, 2017. The Paytm Mall app aims to offer a combination of the
Mall and Bazaar concepts to Indian consumers for online shopping.
American IT MNC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced its partnership with Tata
Communications on February 27, 2017 at the World Mobile World Congress 2017 organized in Barcelona to
roll-out its Internet of Things platform, the LoRa network.
GIFT City has signed a pact with Dubai International Financial Centre for exchanging views and expertise in
the fields of banking and financial services as well as regulatory practices on February 28, 2017
LTE mobile network operator Reliance Jio has announced a collaboration with the networking giant Cisco to
expand Jios existing multi-terabit capacity with the first All-IP converged network in India.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

An IT Risk Assessment and Digital Security Services Providing Firm, Lucideus, was awarded the best IT
Startup under the IT (Information Technology) and ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services)
category on January 30, 2017 during the National Entrepreneurship Awards 2016.
Rajasthan and Telangana are bagged the eGovernance awards for Excellence under the state category at
the CSI -Nihilent eGovernance Awards held in Coimbatore on January 31, 2017. Odisha and
Nagaland bagged the Award of Recognition for the year 2016
Gurgaon based airline, SpiceJet made record by winning awards in three prime categories at the Asia One
Awards held in Singapore. The low-cost airline was honoured as the Asias Greatest Brands 2016 at the
function. Global Asian of the year, 2016- Managing Director of SpiceJet, Mr. Ajay Singh.
The England Test captain Alastair Cook was honored with the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the
British Empire (CBE) by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, London on February 4, 2017.
Renowned Indian-origin British sculptor Anish Kapoor was honored with the prestigious $1 million 2017
Genesis Prize on February 6, 2017 by Israel for his utmost contribution for Jewish community.
The state government of Arunachal Pradesh launched the Arunachal Civil Service Awards on February 6,
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2017 in a bid to encourage good governance in the state. The award consists of a medal, a scroll and cash
awards of Rs 1 lakh for an individual and Rs 5 lakh for an organization or a group.
Hyderabad based Dr P Raghu Ram, President of Association of Breast Surgeons of India (ABSI) has been
honored with the prestigious Dr B C Roy National Award for outstanding service in the field of socio
medical relief for the year 2016.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, has
been honored with the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Chairmans Order of Merit for its focus on
environmental sustainability. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was also awarded for becoming the first
airport in Asia Pacific to become carbon neutral.
Famous Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a Guinness World Record on February 10, 2017 by
building Worlds tallest Sand Castle at the Puri beach in Puri. The castle is 48 feet and 8 inches (14.84 metre)
in height. The sand sculpture was built with theme of World Peace.
70th British Academy Film Awards
Award Winner
Best Film La La Land
Best Director Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Best Actor Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Best Actress Emma Stone (La La Land)
BAFTA Fellowship Mel Brooks
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Curzon Cinemas
59th Annual Grammy Awards
Award Category Winner
Album Of The Year Adele for 25
Record Of The Year Hello by Adele
Song Of The Year Hello by Adele and Greg Kurstin
Best Rap Album Coloring Book by Chance The Rapper
Best Urban Contemporary Album Lemonade by Beyonce
Best Country Solo Performance Maren Morris for My Church
Best Rock Song Blackstar by David Bowie
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots
Best Pop Vocal Album 25 by Adele
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin by Willie Nelson
Best Pop Solo Performance Adele for Hello
Jamaicas sprinter Usain Bolt won the Sportsman of the Year award at the Laureus World Awards or the
Oscar of Sports held in Monaco on February 14, 2017. Bolt received his award from legendary Michael
Johnson. This is the fourth time that the worlds greatest sprinter has won the honor. Earlier in 2009, 2010 and
2013 too he won the award. In womens category, Simone Biles won the Sportswoman of the Year trophy
for her outstanding performance in Rio Olympics 2016 winning 4 gold and 1 bronze medal.
Indian professional hockey player Sandeep Singh has been honored with an Honorary Doctorate Degree by
Desh Bhagat University, a private educational institution in Amloh, Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab on
February 14, 2017. He is the second Indian hockey player to receive this award. The only first player
was Dileep Tirkey, former captain and sitting Member of Parliament, to receive an honorary degree for
sporting excellence from Sambalpur University in 2010.
Indias premier health institute the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi was awarded
the first prize of the Governments Kayakalp Award under the Central Government Hospitals category on
February 15, 2017 in New Delhi for maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene.
An Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer Shand Panesar along with his colleague Craig Nicholson was honored
with the 2017 Outstanding Bravery of the Year Award on February 10, 2017 in central London during a
special award ceremony of the Total Excellence in Policing Awards.
Renowned Hindi litterateur and playwright Surendra Verma has been selected for 2016 Vyas Samman for his
novel Kaatna Shami Ka Vriksha Padma Pankhuri Ki Dhar Se. This novel was published in the year 2010.
Thrissur based South Indian Bank(SIB)s MD and CEO of the bank, V.G. Mathew has received the ISO
27001: 2013 certification from Venkataram Arabolu, Managing Director, BSI Group India for Information
Security Management System (ISMS) of SIB on February 16, 2017.
Mangalore based public sector lender Corporation Bank was awarded the 2017National MSME Excellence
Award on February 10, 2017 at a function in New Delhi.
Melody Queen and Nightingale of India, b has been conferred with the 2017 Legendary Award by the Brand
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Laureate for giving a unlimited memorable hits and soulful melodies in Hindi film music.
Indian Cinema movie Newton directed by Amit Masurkar was honored with the Art Cinema Award in the
Forum Segment at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival held from February 9-18, 2017 in Berlin,
Germany.
Katamati Iron Mine, owned by Tata Steel, was conferred with the Best Green Organisation of the Year
Award on February 18, 2017 at the Global Green Future Leadership Awards in Mumbai.
The commerical banking company Karnataka Bank has won two IBA-Banking Technology awards
in Mumbai on February 21, 2017
Virendra Sharma, an Indian-origin British MP was conferred with the first Dr Stya Paul Memorial Award on
February 22, 2017 for his outstanding contribution to India-UK ties.
Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman of auto parts maker Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd, has been named as
the Indian Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 by consulting firm, EY formerly known as Ernst & Young. Besides,
Infosys Ltd co-founder Nandan Nilekani was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for heading the
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for the Aadhaar project.
FIH Hockey Stars Awards- 2016
Best Male Player of the Year Award (2016)- John-John
Dohmen (Belgium)
Best Female Player of the Year - Netherlands Naomi van
Best Male Goalkeeper of the Year: David Harte(Ireland)
Best Female Goalkeeper of the Year: Maddie Hinch(Britain)
Rising Male Star of the Year: Arthur Van Doren(Belgium)
Rising Female Star of the Year: Maria Granatto(Argentina)
Male Coach of the Year: Danny Kerry(Great Britain)
Female Coach of the Year: Karen Brown
Male Umpire of the Year: Christian Blasch
Female Umpire of the Year: Laurine Delforge
Three poets from Maharashtra have been conferred with the Vishakha Awards on February 26, 2017 at the
Kalidas Kalamandir Hall in Maharashtra during the occasion of Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Din.
Japan has unveiled the worlds first robot table tennis tutor FORPHEUS (Future Omron
Robotics Technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonised automation with Sinic Theoretics) which has
the ability to play the game better than humans. It has been listed in the Guinness World Record for being
the First robot table tennis tutor for its unique technological intelligence and educational capabilities.
89th Academy Award (Oscar Award)--Winners
Award Category Winner Movie
Best Picture Moonlight
Best Actres Emma Stone La La Land
Best Actor Casey Affleck Manchester By The Sea
Best Director Damien Chazelle La La Land
Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis Fences
Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali Moonlight
Best Original Screenplay Kenneth Lonergan Manchester By The Sea
Best Adapted Screenplay Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney Moonlight
Best Cinematography Linus Sandgren La La Land
Best Original Score Justin Hurwitz La La Land
Best Original Song Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul La La Land
Best Sound Editing Sylvain Bellemare Arrival
Best Foreign Language Film Asghar Farhadi The Salesman
Best Film Editing John Gilbert Hacksaw Ridge
Best Visual Effects Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. The Jungle Book
Jones and Dan Lemmon
Best Production Design David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds Wasco La La Land
Best Sound Mixing Kevin OConnell, Andy Wright, Robert Hacksaw Ridge
Mackenzie and Peter Grace
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Best Documentary-Feature Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow O.J.: Made in America
Best Animated Feature Film Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Zootopia
Spencer
Best Animated Short Film Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer Piper
Best Documentary-Short Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna The White Helmets
Subject Natasegara
Best Live Action Short Film Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy Sing
Best Make-Up and Hairstyling Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Suicide Squad
Christopher Nelson
Best Costume Design Colleen Atwood Fantastic Beast and Where To Find
Them
ESPNcricinfo Awards Winner list

Category Winner
Captain of the Year Virat Kohli
Test Batting Performance of the Year Ben Stokes
Test Bowling Performance of the Year award Stuart Broad
ODI Batting Performance of the Year Quinton de Kock
ODI Bowling Performance of the Year award Sunil Narine
T20 Batting Performance of the Year award Carlos Brathwaite
T20 Bowling Performance of the Year award Mustafizur Rahman
Batting Performance of the Year award Hayley Williams
Bowling Performance of the Year award Leigh Kasperek
As a part of delivering recognition to Womens in India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has
for the first time introduced a separate category of Lifetime Achievement Awards for Women in the
upcoming BCCI Annual Awards 2016-17. For the award, BCCI has chosen former Indian
skipper Shanta Rangaswamy on February 28, 2017 who has become the first receiver of the award under the
category.
The Radhanagar beach on the Havelock Island in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands(8 th spot) has featured
among the top 10 in the Worlds Travellers Choice Award-Winning Beaches by TripAdvisor. The first spot
was gained by Baia do Sancho Fernando de Noronha in Brazil.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Name Name of the post
Anushka Sharma First female ambassador of the campaign Swacch Bharat
Abhiyan
Pirojsha Godrej Chairman, Adi Godrej to be Chairman Emeritus- Godrej
Properties
Rex Tillerson US secretary of state
CAG Suman Saxena,
Mukulita Vijaywargiya Whole-time members in Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Navrang Saini Board of India
IDFC MD Vikram Limaye CEO & MD of National Stock Exchange (NSE)
Achamkulangare Gopinathan UN Joint Inspection Unit
Economist Sanjeev Sanyal Principal Economic Adviser
Anand Kumar Gupta Director of NTPC
Arun M Kumar Chairman and CEO of KPMG India
Sasikala Natarajan AIADMK Legislative Party leader
Jonathan Bullock(quits) Boards of Ola and Snapdeal
Satish Menon CEO of Kings XI Punjab
Arundhati Bhattacharya Ambassador for its SBI PO recruitment ad
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Ashok Gulati,
Manish Sabharwal, Non-Official Directors On RBI Central Board
Rajiv Kumar
Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo New President of Somalia
Satinder Sartaaj UNOs Blue Heart Campaign against trafficking
Hemant Bhargava LICs Managing Director
Ajay Tyagi SEBI Chairman
Subir Dutta Ambassador of India to the Republic of Madagascar
Frank Walter Steinmeier President of Germany
Sandeep Jajodia President of Assocham
Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey President of ICAI
Ravi Shankar High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Rwanda

Shigenori Shiga (Steps Down) Toshibas Chairman
Tehmina Janjua First Women Foreign Secretary of Pakistan
Frances Jean-Pierre Lacroix UN peacekeeping chief
Edappadi K Palaniswami Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Vikas Swarup Next envoy to Canada
1.Madras HC Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan
Kaul
2.Rajasthan HC Chief Justice Naveen Sinha 5 new judges to Supreme Court
3.Kerala HC Chief Justice Mohan M
Shantanagouder
4.Chhattisgarh HC Chief Justice Dipak Gupta
5.Karnataka HC judge S Abdul Nazeer.
Norman Isaac First Indian Technical Delegate of International
Basketball Federation
Neelam Damodharan , Atanu Kumar Das EDs in Bank of India.
K Swaminathan ED in Indian Overseas Bank.
Ashok Kumar Pradhan ED in United Bank of India.
P Ramana Murthy Executive Director of Central Bank of India.
Fareed Ahmed Khan ED in Punjab and Sind Bank.
M K Bhattacharya ED of Indian Bank
S Harishankar EDs of Allahabad Bank
Government Cuts SEBIs Chairman-Designate
Ajay Tyagis Tenure by Two Years
Renu Pall Ambassador of India to Montenegro
Ranganathan, Mehta Non-Official Director in IOB, PNB
TR Zeliang (Resigns) Nagaland Chief Minister and Shurhozelie Liezietsu
elected in place
Diego Maradona Ambassador Role at FIFA
Narinder Chauhan Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines
Dr Neelu Rohmetra First Woman Indian Institute of Management Director
Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh
Mehriban Aliyeva Azerbaijan First Vice President
Govind Rajan Quits FreeCharge Chief executive office
Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre Head of Cauvery Tribuna
Cressida Dick First woman to lead Scotland Yard
Abhijit Sarkar Vice President of Asian Hockey Federation
Hassan Ali Khaire Prime minister Somali
Shilpa Shetty Swachh Bharat Brand Ambassador
Birender Singh Yadav Ambassador of India to the Republic of Togo
Kabir Bedi Brand ambassador of Sightsavers
Author Neil Gaiman U.N. Goodwill Ambassador
Normani Kordei American Cancer Society Global Ambassador
Former CM T R Zeliang Finance Advisor to Nagaland government
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ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Technology giant Google has announced to sell its Terra Bella business which includes a group of SkySat
Earth imaging satellites to an imaging start-up, Planet Labs on February 3, 2017.
Finland multinational communications and information technology company Nokia announced to buy
telecoms software firm Comptel for 347 million euros ($370 million) on February 9, 2017.
Ahmedabad based Indias first listed ecommerce startup Infibeam has announced to merger agreement with
Indias largest payment aggregator company CC Avenue on February 14, 2017. The value of the deal is
expected to value the online payment gateway at about Rs 2,000 crore.
An electrical equipment company, Havells India has announced to acquire Lloyd Electric & Engineering for
its consumer durables business for around Rs 1200 -1500 crore on February 17, 2017
An American multinational technology company Apple has announced to acquire Israel-based start-up
RealFace for an undisclosed amount on February 20, 2017. The amount of the deal will be several million
dollars.
Indias largest domestic telecom operator Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with Telenor South Asia
Investments to acquire Telenor India Communications. The amount of the deal is not yet finalised.
MoUs
India and Sri Lanka has signed an MoU on February 2, 2017 for the construction of a multi-ethnic tri-lingual
school in a north central district of the island nation.
The Union Ministry of Railways has signed an MoU with an Italian Firm Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group
(FS Group) for technical cooperation in rail sector on February 2, 2017 with focus on safety operations.
Tripartite MoU signed among M/o of Tourism, M/s NPCC & NBCC and Govt of J&K for Implementation of
Tourism Projects In J&K.
India and Austria signed a protocol on February 6, 2017 to amend the existing bilateral taxation treaty
for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion.
The 23rd session of the International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting was
held at the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, New Delhi from February 2- February 4, 2017. The theme of
the event was Hybrid Technologies in Broadcasting New Opportunities.
Union Cabinet apprised of Framework Agreement between India and Vietnam on cooperation in the
exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes
The Union Cabinet was also informed about the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of
Cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation between India and France to ensure exchange
of best practices and technology.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on February 8, 2017 approved signing
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Senegal in the field of Health and Medicine.
India and the United States have agreed to maintain the pace of their partnership especially in the area of the
defence ties. The Defence Secretary James Mattis held a telephonic conversation with the Indian Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar with the commitment to further strengthen the bilateral defence cooperation made
in recent years.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lord Ahmad from U.K. have
signed a MoU to ease restrictions on the number of scheduled flights between the two countries to trade and
tourism.
The Cabinet approved the signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Rwanda which will enable
the airlines of the two countries to operate services in each others territory.
The CA Institutes Accounting Research Foundation (ARF) has signed an agreement with Indian Railways
for the national rollout of accrual accounting in Railways on February 19, 2017. The agreement will be valid
for 18 months.
India, Croatia signs agreement to boost bilateral trade & enhance economic cooperation
The Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd (RDEL) has signed a Master Ship Repair Agreement
(MSRA) with US Navy on February 13, 2017 to perform repair and alteration services for US Navys Seventh
Fleet vessels.
The multinational Airbus Group division Airbus joined hand with Telangana government, National Skill
Development Corporation India and Aerocampus France for establishing a Centre of Excellence at
at Begumpet Airport for aerospace skill development in Hyderabad
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Tata Motors Ltd and Microsoft India entered into strategic agreement on February 16, 2017 to collaborate on
the technology front for making driving a more personalized experiences for the customers. As per the
agreement, Microsoft will make use of its IoT (internet of things), AI (artificial intelligence) and machine
learning technologies to develop a highly personalized, smart vehicle for the customers.
Mumbai based Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) and Singapore Diamond Investment Exchange have
signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore areas of cooperation on February 16, 2017.
Odisha based National Aluminium Company Limited(NALCO) has signed Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi on February 16, 2017
Malaysia-based low-cost airline AirAsia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Odisha
government on February 17, 2017 to start two-way direct international flights from Bhubaneswar to Kuala
Lumpur.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Australia for promotion and development of cooperation in civil
aviation security.
Union Cabinet has approved the signing of Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Greece which
has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange also in line governments
developments in the civil aviation sector.
Cabinet approves signing of an Agreement between India and Poland on cooperation in the field of agriculture
and allied sectors.
India and Japan ink pact on rail safety to enhance railway safety in the Indian Railways with focus on railway
track and rolling stock safety.
Minister for Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu and Member of the Parliament of Ukraine and
Chairman of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine Mr. Iurii Artemenko have
agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the two countries through the medium of Cinema in
New Delhi on February 27, 2017.
India and Germany ratified a comprehensive Social Security Agreement (SSA) on February 24, 2017 to
improve investment flows between the two countries. The SSA which was signed on October 12, 2011 while
the instruments of ratification were exchanged on February 24 will be effective from May 2017.
India Signs MoU with Bangladesh to provide financial assistance of Taka 240 mn for development of Sylhet
city.
Pakistan and Turkey has signed 10 agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields, including
exchange of financial intelligence relating to money laundering, hydrocarbon and defence cooperation.
The worlds second largest card payment organization Visa has signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with Andhra Pradesh government to make Vishakhapatnam as Indias first less-cash city
Technology giant Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu has signed
agreement to utilise Microsoft Azure Stack for AP government state data centre at the Microsoft Future
Decoded held in Mumbai.
SCHEMES
The Ministry of Women and Child Development has clarified that there is no provision for individual cash
transfer component in Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. The Scheme simply focuses on generating awareness
about girl child and changing the mindsets and deep rooted patriarchy of the society and improve the
efficiency of welfare services for girls.
The Union cabinet led by PM Modi has given its approval on February 1, 2017 to extend the tenure of loans
under the Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission from
the current 15 years to 20 years. Besides the scheme has been introduced for the middle income group
(MIG) category and an initial allocation of Rs. 1000 crore has been made at Budgetary Estimate stage in
2017-18 for the proposed CLSS for MIG.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Launches Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY)
in Assam to double the farm income by 2022 which also marks the 75 anniversary of Indias Independence.
The total financial outlay of the CMSGUY scheme is Rs. 30,000 crore.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das launched energy efficient fans and LED tube lights under the Unnat
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Jeevan by Affordable LEDs and Appliances for All (UJALA) scheme in the state.
The Union Ministry of Commerce under Nirmala Sitharaman has approved the pilot Revenue Insurance
Scheme for Plantation Crops (RISPC) on February 8, 2017 to protect the growers of plantation crops from the
twin risks.
Cabinet approves Rs. 2,351.38 crore Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan to make 6 crore
rural households digitally literate by March 2019.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar Adopts Donja village in Osmanabad, Maharashtra under the Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojna to transform the undeveloped village into a model one.
This is his second village after successfully transforming the lives of villagers in Puttamraju
Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh.
The Supreme Court has introduced the Middle Income Group (MIG) Scheme for the middle income group
people whose gross income is not exceeding Rs. 60,000 per month or Rs. 7.5 lakh per annum.
The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) okayed revised norms for the Scheme for
Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects with the production target enhancement to
40,000 MW from the present 20,000 MW.
Indias first fully organic state Sikkim has joined the union governments Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana
(UDAY) as 22 nd state , UDAY will in turn hand it an overall benefit of Rs 356 crore.
COMMITTEES
A six-member committee has been formed by the government to look into the matter of how to improve
the Haj Poilcy of India and also deal with the issue of reducing and abolishing the subsidy to the pilgrims.
The Ministry of AYUSH has constituted a 16-member committee under the chairmanship of Dr. H.R.
Nagendra, Chancellor, S-Vyasa University, to prepare a Yoga Protocol for Diabetes Control.
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted a sub-committee of Central Advisory
Board of Education (CABE) under Chairmanship of Telanganas Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari to
look into issues related to girls education\
A committee has been formed by the government to accelerate the process of the implementation of Namami
Gange programme under which it plans to make the River Ganga free from waste by 2018. The committee
would comprise of Ministers of Water Resources, Environment and Forest, and Drinking Water and
Sanitation as its members and will be responsible to meet at least once every fortnight.
A 33 member committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Andhra Pradeshs Chief Minister N
Chandrababu Naidu for the speedy implementation of the Sagarmala Project in Andhra Pradesh. Sagarmala
project aims to improve the states coastline and inland waterways
In an effort to pull out black money from shell companies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted a
task force comprising members of various regulatory Ministries and enforcement agencies. The task force
would work under the co-chairmanship of the Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and the Corporate Affairs
Secretary Tapan Rayto monitor the actions taken by various agencies.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set up a 11 member scientific panel to
frame final regulations on fortification of foods and prepare strategies to address malnutrition problem.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Researchers at Linkping University, Sweden have created the worlds first heat-driven transistor. The
transistor is first in the world that changes its state by a heat signal rather than conventional electrical signal.
Scientists from Chinas Northwest A&F University have developed a genetically modified form of cows that
are more resistant to bovine tuberculosis (TB).
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has dismissed 12 websites and 12 mobile
applications available on Google Play store that were offering Aadhaar-related services illegally.
Juno spacecraft sent by US space agency NASA , orbiting the planet Jupiter has completed a close flyby of
Jupiter for the fourth time on February 2, 2017. Juno is currently in a 53-day orbit and its next close flyby of
Jupiter will occur on March 27, 2017
Oncologists in United States successfully implanted Worlds smallest pacemaker,Micra Transcatheter Pacing
System (TPS), in a patient in US. The pacemaker TPS is as much as a vitamin capsule in size and provides the
most advanced pacing technology.
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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) informed that the indigenous development of Telemetry &
Telecommand Processor (TTCP) has been realised and now with the help of Indian industry its
productionisation will be initiated.
An international team of researchers from China, Russia, and the United States conducted computer modeling
to create a thermodynamically stable compound of sodium and the noble gas helium, Na2He, which has a
fluorite-type structure and is stable at high pressures.
A team of scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) along with a private lifeguard
agency appointed by the Goa government is conducting a new study to understand the phenomenon of killer
rip tides to safeguard beaches in Goa.
The Union Power and coal Minister Piyush Goyal launched the TAMRA (Transparency, Auction Monitoring
and Resource Augmentation) portal and Mobile Application in New Delhi on February 10, 2017.
A team of Scientists from the United States and India in a study found that consuming litchi and then skipping
the dinner can cause a very low blood glucose level, lower than 70 mg/dL, which may eventually lead
to death especially in children.
Indias first Metal 3D printing provider Intech DMLS Limited has launched the countrys first indigenously
developed Jet Engine Series under the brand name Poeir Jets.
The United States and Japan successfully conducted a flight test of a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block
IIA from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, off coast Hawaii on February 3, 2017.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched 104 satellites in one go from
the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on February 15, 2017. The 104 satellite
included a 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite for earth observation, two Indian nano satellites INS-1A and INS-
1B and 101 international nano satellites. Of the 101 satellites, 96 of these belong to USA and one each
belongs to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.
Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a thermally conductive rubber material which is
an innovative discovery for creating soft, stretchable machines and electronics.
The Scientists from University of Western Australian have mapped the molecular structure of a protein that
protects the superbugs from all the antibiotics including Colistin, which is an antibiotic used when all other
treatments fail. The scientist found that the protein EptA provides resistance to the bacteria even against last
resort antibiotic Colistin.
A team of Scientists at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia
have developed the worlds strongest material, Graphene using soyabean to make it commercially more
viable.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the final ground testing of its
indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage engine (C25) for GSLV Mark III rocket at ISROs Liquid
Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu on February 17, 2017.
India Vetiver Network (INVN) has been launched at Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University in Coimbatore to protect the environment using vetiver
In order to focus on deep space missions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has
proposed to set up of two multi-disciplinary, university-led research institutes that will work to develop
technologies having potential to extend human presence deeper into the solar system.
The Irans elite Revolutionary Guard launched sophisticated rockets during a military exercise that started on
February 20, 2017 in Irans central desert.
The California-based SpaceX onboard its Falcon 9 rocket launched a robotic Dragon cargo ship with about
5,500 pounds (2,500 kg) of supplies and science experiments toward the International Space Station on
February 19, 2017 from Launch Complex 39A of NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The state run Airports Authority of India, along with International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched
its e-billing solution for airport operators and air navigation services providers across the world.The e-billing
solution, SKYREV360 developed by in-house experts the electronic billing solution for data, e-invoicing and
collection of tariff from the airlines is being used by the AAI for several years now.
Russia successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft Soyuz-U booster rocket carrying the Progress cargo
ship MS-05 spacecraft blasted off as scheduled from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch complex
in Kazakhstan.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has launched a mobile application for Goods and Services
Tax (GST) to inform the taxpayers of the latest updates on GST among others
The NASA scientists have accidently made finding of living microorganisms stuck inside crystals for as long
as 60,000 years in a Naica mine, a working lead, zinc and silver mine in the northern Mexican state of
Chihuahua.
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Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd (MASL), a part of Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a mobile app
MyAgriGurufor farmers on February 24, 2017. It is launched as a part of Governments target to double the
farmer income by the year 2022.
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute Of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT Kgp) have designed Physically
Unclonable Functions (PUF) based on fingerprint generator circuits to protect Internet of Things
(IoT) infrastructure from being hacked.
Government owned airline firm Air India started the maiden flight of its newly leased aircraft, Airbus A320
Neo on February 23, 2017 which took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi to
reach Chennai International Airport with 161 passengers on board.
Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment company ZTE made an announcement that it has
launched a next generation 5G IT baseband unit (BBU). The announcement was made at the Mobile World
Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on 26 February 2017.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has planned to send its first robotic spacecraft to
the Sun in 2018 which will get as close as within six million kilometers to investigate its atmosphere.
DEFENCE
China has tested successfully a new version of a missile Dongfeng-5C missile which can carry up to 10
nuclear warheads from the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre in Shanxi province, and flew to a desert in western
China.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding- in-Chief, Western Naval Command inaugurated the
Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) on February 3, 2017 in
Mumbai.
A nationwide military operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was launched by Pakistan Army on February 22, 2017 to
eliminate terrorists and ensure security of Pakistans borders.
The five days multinational Aman-17 naval exercise kicked off in Karachi on February 10, 2017 where 37
countries took part. The Aman-17 is the fifth such exercise hosted by Pakistan every alternate year since 2007.
The 2017 Cobra Gold Military Exercise kicked off at the Sattahip Royal Thai Marine Corps Base in Chonburi
Province, Thailand on February 14, 2017. Cobra Gold 2017 is the 36th edition of the multinational drill and is
co-organized by United States and Thailand. It will expand regional cooperation and collaboration for disaster
relief.
India successfully test-fired its Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from launching complex-IV
of Dhamara Abdul Kalam defence base off Odisha coast on February 11, 2017 under its Ballistic Missile
Defence Programme. The successful testing leads India towards achieving a robust two layered Ballistic
Missile Defence (BMD) system. It will strengthen Indias position in the exclusive club of US, Russia and
Israel.
Indian Navys survey class vessel INS Sarvekshak has become the first ship in India to be fitted with solar
power system on board. The ship has been equipped with 18 sheets of solar panel of 300 Watt which is
capable of generating 5.4 kW power.
The second ocean going sailboat of Indian Navy Tarini was successfully inducted by the Navy on February
18, 2017 at a ceremony held at the INS Mandovi Boat Pool in presence of Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of
Naval Staff. It is the second sailboat after INS Mhadei of Indian Navy.
Fast Patrol Vessel ICGS AYUSH built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) was commissioned at the Naval
Base in Kochi on February 18, 2017 by the AVSM Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval
Command, Vice-Admiral A R Karve.
ENVIRONMENT
A team of researchers has discovered a fossil in the Shaanxi Province of China, which they believe is the
prehistoric ancestor of humans that existed about 540 million years ago.
Based on an analysis done by the scientists of a Martian meteorite in Africa, evidence of existence of at-
least 2 billion years of volcanic activity on Mars have been uncovered. The meteorite known as Northwest
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Africa 7635 was discovered in 2012. The scientist from United States found it to be a type of volcanic rock
called a shergottite.
Scientists from University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa have found a small continent submerged deep
under the Indian Ocean that was once located between India and Madagascar. On researching the piece of
rocky crust on the island of Mauritius created by volcanic eruption, scientists discovered a material Zircon that
is known to be nearly 2 billion years old. However, Mauritius is only 8 million years old.
Scientists have discovered a new species of Ghost Shark in Belize, which was previously unknown. It is
the 50th species of ghost shark discovered and has rabbit-like teeth with bulky head.
Qatar recorded the lowest ever temperature in the history of the country on February 5, 2017 with a
temperature of 1.5 degree Celsius (35 degree Fahrenheit).
Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) confirmed
through clinical testing that Neurocalyx calycinus, a medicinal plant has multiple curative properties.
According to a new census carried out by the Odisha State Forest and Environment department on January 20,
2017 in, the team has sighted as many as 181 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in the state.
Reserves of Uranium have been found in Meghalaya over a large area around Domiasiat, Wahkyn,
Lostoin among others. The project has the potential to generate huge amount of nuclear fuel for the atomic
power plants of the country.
The famous Nilambur teak which is internationally known for its superior quality and elegant appearance is
soon to get added to the list of the Kerala produces that have Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
The state government of Assam has decided to set up a Wild Sanctuary to grow Muga cocoon in an effort to
give more exposure to Muga, Eri and Silk Products. The programme have been launched under the Assam
Silk Outreach Mission to promote products made of Muga, silk and Eri.
A Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush has been spotted in the high mountainous region of Nepal by Friends of
Nature (FoN) reasearchers and then confirmed by the bird experts Carol Inskipp and Hem Sagar Baral.
Scientists from United Kingdom have discovered high levels of human-made pollutants, including chemicals
that were banned in the 1970s in the tissues of the marine creature that lives deep inside the Pacific Oceans.
India is on its way to catch up with China in terms air pollution related deaths and even can surpass China if
necessary steps are not taken. This was concluded by the 2017 State of Global Air report released on February
14, 2017 by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at
University of Washington and University of British Columbia. As per the report, almost 1.1 million
people died in India in 2015 because of air pollution. That was slightly below Chinas record but could
surpass the neighbour.
According to the Monthly Analysis of Global Temperatures report published by the NASA scientists at
Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), New York, January 2017 has been recorded as the third warmest
January in 137 years of modern record-keeping.
The sea ice floating around the Antarctica has contracted to the smallest value as compared to the past years.
This area is smallest when compared to all available data in satellite records dating back to 1979.
A Lost Continent that sunk about 100 million years ago has been discovered underneath New Zealand by the
scientists. Zealandia, a lost continent submerged in the southwest Pacific Ocean, is large enough to be
recognized as a separate continent.
A team of scientists led by Abhay Mudholkar, from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) in
Goa on February 17, 2017 informed that Indias only live volcano in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has
started erupting smoke and lava again.
Noted Scientist also called Frogman of India as professor SD Biju from Delhi University (DU) and his team
discovered four new miniature species, now listed among the smallest known frogs in the world. This findings
surprised the scientists as the relative abundance of these new miniature species of seven new frog species
belonging to the genus Nyctibatrachus, commonly known as Night Frogs in the Western Ghats global
biodiversity hotspot in India.
Astronomers have spotted at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the same star 40 light-years away from
the sun with similar size to earth. The seven exoplanets were spotted around dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1.
In a first of its kind development of a cross-border zip line in the world, a an international zip line named
as Limite Zero has been created to connect Spain and Portugal.
As per the data by Indian Council of Agricultural Research scientists, over 30-35 percent of the annual crop
yield in India is destroyed because of pests. Among these pests, the major threat to the crops in India is posed
by nematodes which have caused loss to about 60 million tonnes of crops annually or 10-12 percent of crop
yield each year.
24 | P a g e
20 high-yielding varieties of plant species have been developed by three different institutes under the Indian
Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Dehradun.
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices A.Selvam and P.Kalaiarasan directed the
Tamil Nadu government on February 27, 2017 to enact a Law with prohibitory and penal clauses within two
months to remove prosopis juliflora (Seemai Karuvelam) trees in the state.
SPORTS
Jamaican cricketer Andre Russell(28) has been banned from all cricket for a year over a doping code violation
by the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission on February 1, 2017.
India defeated England by 75 runs to clinch the Twenty20 International series 2-1 on February 1, 2017 played
at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. 23-year-old Yuzvender Chahal was named the man of the series for
taking eight wickets and giving away only 85 runs. He also
became the first Indian bowler to record a five-wicket haul in the history of Indian cricket.
Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen has created history after he attained World No. 1 Rank in the
latest Junior Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking on February 2, 2017.
English professional footballer Frank Lampard announced his retirement from professional soccer on
February 2, 2017 ending his 21-year-old career.
Olympic game medals will be made from recycled mobile phones for the year 2022 to promote sustainability
said by 2020 Olympic Games organizers, Japan.
Indian Squash Team outclassed Rival Pakistan 2-0 in the lost in the second round match of Pool A at the
18th Asian Junior Team Squash Championship 2017 in Hong-Kong on February 2, 2017.
Indian cueist Pankaj Advani clinched his 29th Indian National Snooker Championship title on February 2,
2017 at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana, Pune.
Virat Kohli Tops T20 batsman list in the Latest ICC rankings with 799 points. He is followed by Aaron Finch
of Australia at second position with 771 points and Glenn Maxwell of Australia is third. Virat is
ranked Second in Tests and Third in ODIs. This makes him the only Indian batsman to be raked in top five
among all formats.
Sports Minister Vijay Goel laid the foundation stone of the Indias first Center of Excellence for Para
Sports to help para athletes in showcasing their skills and talent further both at the national and international
level in Gujarat on February 5, 2017
Basketball Federation of India on February 5, 2017 announced that India will host FIBA Womens Asia Cup
basketball tournament in July 2017 in Bengaluru. India also set to host the FIBA U-16 Womens Asian
Championship from October 22 to 28 in Hyderabad
Veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal won the mens singles title after defeating Soumyajit Ghosh. This is
Kamals seventh national crown at the 11Even Sports Senior Table Tennis Nationals hels at the Manesar
Sports Club in Haryana. Madhurika Patkar won the womens singles title against six-time national champion
Poulomi Ghatak.
Indias boy team defeated Malaysia 2-0 on February 5, 2017 in Hong Kong to clinch the gold medal at
the Asian Junior Squash championship..
Alastair Cook has resigned as England Test captain after a record 59 matches in the role, the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on 05-02-2017.
On February 5, 2017, Iran lifted up the ban it had imposed on United States Wrestlers, thus allowing them to
participate in the Freestyle World Cup to be held in Iran in February 2017.
The Billiards and Snoooker Federation of India (BSFI) on February 6, 2017 informed that India will host
the World Billiards Championship for the next four years.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the World Governing Body for Track and
Field events, on February 6, 2017 informed that Russia has been barred from the 2017 summer World
Athletics Championships in London.
Sourabh Verma defeated Lakshya Sen 21-13, 21-12 to clinch the Mens Singles title in the 81st Senior
National Badminton Championships held in Patna on February 7, 2017. In the womens singles category,
second seed Rituparna Das beat Reshma Karthik 21-12, 21-14 to clinch the championship.
21-year-old Mohit Ahlawat became the first batsman in the world to score a 300 in a T20 match on February
7, 2017. While the match had no official status and was only a local match played in Delhi.
Ethiopias Genzebe Dibaba created the worlds record by becoming the fastest athlete to complete the
womens indoor 2,000 metres at the indoor Miting Internacional de Catalunya meeting in Sabadell, Spain on
25 | P a g e
February 7, 2017.
Cheteshwar Pujara broke the long-standing record on the first day of the Hyderabad Test match against
Bangladesh on February 9, 2017 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, by taking his season
tally to 1,605 in just 21 innings.
The official Mascot for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup India tournament was revealed on February 10, 2017
in New Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The mascot was unveiled during the launch of Mission XI
Million programme. A clouded leopard named Kheleo with young and charismatic face has been launched as
the Mascot.
Virat Kohli became the first player to score double century in four consecutive Test series on February 10,
2017 while playing against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. He also became the second captain to score four double
centuries for his country.
The Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goyal launched the Mission XI Million,
the biggest school sport outreach programme, in New Delhi on February 10, 2017 in the presence of President
of AIFF Shri Praful Patel.
Indian off-spin specialist Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest cricketer to take 250 wickets in Test
matches. He achieved this feat in his 45th test match against Bangladesh on 12 February 2017, when he
dismissed captain of Bangladesh team Mushfiqur Rahim at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in
Hyderabad.
India defeated Pakistan by 9 wickets to clinch the T20 World Cup for Blind tournament on February 12, 2017
at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), an American professional basketball league, is creating a brand
new e-sports league called NBA 2K e-League in partnership with Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., the
developers of the popular NBA 2K video games. This is the first time that a professional sports
organization will operate an e-sports league. The competitive gaming league will be launched in 2018.
Netherland native Germaine de Randamie defeated Holly Holm (7-3) to claim the UFC Womens
Featherweight Champion at the UFC 208 in Brooklyn, New York on February 11, 2017.
The England and Wales Cricket Board named Joe Root as Englands Test captain on February 13, 2017 who
will take over Alastair Cook.
Australian cricketer Adam Voges has decided to retire from all formats of international cricket after playing
his last match as captain of the team Prime Ministers XI against Sri Lanka in Canberra on February 15, 2017.
Jehan Daruvala became the first ever Indian to claim the New Zealand Grand Prix at the Chris Amon Circuit
in Manfeild, New Zealand on February 12, 2017.
Haryana defeated Railway (33-27) to win the first edition of the three-day Pandit Deen Dayal
Updhyay All India National Style Kabaddi Championship held at Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai,
District Sonipat, Haryana on February 11, 2017.
Mumbai based Kush Bhagat has been awarded the Candidate Master (CM) title by the World Chess
Federation body, FIDE on February 14, 2017 for his outstanding performance in Western Asian Youth Chess
championship 2016 at UAE.
The Left-handed opening batsman of Pakistan Nasir Jamshed on February 13 has been provisionally
suspended from all forms of cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for violating its anti-corruption
code.
Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu achieved her career best Badminton World Federation (BWF) womens single
ranking by being placed at 5th spot on February 15, 2017. Previously the top seeded player was placed at sixth
position.
India won the silver medal at the Womens Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy on February 18, 2017 held
at Vientiane, Laos. South Korea won gold medal by beating India 29-0 in the finals. India won five matches
and lost in one.
Bangalore has been chosen to host the next Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone group-1 tie
against Uzbekistan from April 7 to 9, 2017.
Following the path of Indian boxing sensation Vijender Singh, Olympic quarterfinalists boxers Akhil Kumar
and Jitender Kumar are also stepping up to enter professional boxing.
Athelete Sandeep Kumar of Haryana won the gold medal in the Mens 50km event of the National Race
Walking Championships held in New Delhi on February 18, 2017.
26 | P a g e
Indian international cricketer Virat Kohli became the first Indian sports person had signed an eight-year deal
worth Rs 100-crore endorsement deal with a sports apparel brand Puma on February 20, 2017. Kohli now join
the list of global ambassador for the brand likes of Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Thierry Henry.
For the first time in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction, two Afghanistan players were
selected by the franchise on February 20, 2017 during the IPL Auction 2017. Mohammad Nabi became the
first player from Afghanistan to be picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 30 lakhs. On the other hand his
teammate Rashid Khan was signed by Mumbai Indians for an amount of Rs. 4 Crores.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the 44th edition of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament by
defeating Belgian David Goffin 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 on February 19, 2017 in Rotterdam.
Legendary Pakistani cricket Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on
February 19, 2017 putting an end to 21-year career.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced that India will be hosting the Combined World
Cup for shooting in 2019 during the meeting held in New Delhi.
Indian Womens team pipped South African Womens by one wicket in a crunch Womens cricket World Cup
qualifier final at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo after All round show from Harmanpreet Kaur that helped the
side to deliver the victory.
German Sportswear giant Adidas announced its ties up with FIFA U-17 World Cup Local Organising
Committee for the Mission XI Million programme.
In a blow to South African Communist Party led by Jacob Zuma administration South Africas High Court
obstructed the governments attempt to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
After nail biting World Cup qualifier match Indian Womens Cricket Captain added another feather by
claiming no 2 position in the ICC batswomens rankings. The top batter Harmanpreet Kaur was placed in
the tenth spot after clinical performance in the recent past.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara created record on February 23, 2017 to become the 16th
player worldwide and 2nd Asian Batsman to play 1000 matches across all forms of Cricket. The only Asian to
become the first to achieve the feat was former Sri Lankan player Mahela Jayawardene.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on February 22, 2017 Union Sports Minister Vijay
Goel announced that the first Gramin Khel Mahotsav will be held from March 25-31, 2017 in New Delhi.
The 61 Cavalry won the Army Polo Championship on February 24, 2017 by defeating Army Service
Corps (ASC) at the Delhi Cantts Army Equestrian Centre Polo Ground.
India made historic start at the sixth Asian Para-Road Cycling Championship by winning all the three
medals in the 12.8 Km Individual Time Trial on the opening day of the tournament at Bahrain on February 25,
2017.
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed Indias former legendary allrounder Kapil Dev to become
the highest wicket-taker in a home Test season. Ashwin has scored 67 wickets from 10 Tests in 2016-17
season played in India.
Rio Olympian Thanackal Gopi won the Mens Full Marathon title in the second edition of the IDBI Federal
Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon on February 26, 2017. He finished the marathon in 2:15:37. In Womens
category, Monika Athare from Nashik won the full marathon by completing the distance in 2:39:08 to bag her
maiden title. She too has qualified for the World Championship.
Indian Badminton ace Saina Nehwal has been named to represent the panel of International Olympic
Committees Athletes Commission (AC) in the Badminton World Federation (BWF). She would join the
BWF Athletes Commission as a representative of the IOC AC.
Second-seeded French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated his fellow mate Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-4 to
win the finals of Open 13 Marseille in France on February 26, 2017. This was his 14th career title at the
indoor event and 2nd title of the year 2017. Earlier on February 20, 2017 he won the ABN Amro World
Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam by defeating David Goffin.
Bhubaneswar-based team Kalinga Lancers beat Dabang Mumbai 4-1to win their maiden Hockey India
League title in Chandigarh Hockey Stadium on February 26, 2017. Fuerste Moritz was awarded as the Man
of the Match. Last year Kalinga Lancers lost in finals to Jaypee Punjab Warriors
Top seeded Indian shuttler duo Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis won the Mens Double title at the 2017
Uganda International Series by defeating Aatish Lubah and Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius, 21-8, 21-14 on
February 26, 2017 at MTN Arena Lugogo, Kampala.
27 | P a g e
OBITUARY
Former Union Minister E Ahmad passes away
Veteran theatre personality Asim Basu passes away
Former CBI Director Joginder Singh passes away
Bangladesh Awami League Leader Suranjit Sengupta Dies
Eminent litterateur Pathani Patnaik passes away at 89
Renowned Pakistani Urdu Author Bano Qudsia Dies at 88
Freedom fighter Racharla Samrajyam Dies at 98.
Indian National Army Veteran Nizamuddin Passes Away at 116
Script-Writer Alan Simpson dies at 87
MRI pioneer and Nobel laureate Sir Peter Mansfield passes away at 83
Eminent journalist and Laughter Persona Pandit Dharmsheel Chaturvedi Dies
Former Dutch Football Player Piet Keizer Dies at 73
Jiro Taniguchi, a Japanese manga legend Dies at 69
Veteran Journalist T V Parasuram Passed Away
Winning Legendary Jazz Singer Al Jarreau Dies at 76
Senior Journalist Yudhisthir Joshi Passes Away
Former MP Jambuvantrao Dhote passes away
Veteran RSS Activist Gangadayal Awasthi Passes Away
Former Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir Dies at the age of 68
Dick Bruna Creator of the Cartoon Rabbit Miffy Dies at 89
Bengali singer Banasree Sengupta passes away
Norway Nobel Committee Chairwoman Kullmann Dies At 65
Hindi novelist Ved Prakash Sharma passes away
Former Mohun Bagan Goalkeeper Shibaji Banerjee Passes Away
Russias ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin has died in New York City. He was 64.
Noted bureaucrat, columnist and director of the Institute of Economic Studies, V. K. Srinivasan was passed
away in Hyderabad. He was 76.
Nobel-winning economist, mathematician Kenneth J Arrow has died in USA on February 23, 2017. He was
95.
Former Union Minister P. Shiv Shankar passed away in Hyderabad on February 27, 2017. He was 89.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu will release the annual year book India-2017 and
Bharat-2017 at a function in New Delhi on 6th February 2017. Minister of State for Information and
Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore will also be present on the occasion.
The book titled Veerappan, Chasing the Brigand, authored by Shri K. Vijay Kumar, Senior Security
Adviser, Ministry of Home Affairs, was released by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh in New
Delhi on February 8, 2017.
The Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan released the worlds first
comprehensive Braille atlas for nearly 50 lakh visually challenged people in India on February 10, 2017 in
New Delhi. The Braille Atlas has been prepared by National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation
(NATMO) under Department of Science & Technology
An actor turned politician Hema Malinis journey from an actor and filmmaker to a politician is being
chronicled as an authorised biography titled Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl. The biography is written
by author-columnist Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
Former Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singhs biography, The Peoples Maharaja, written by Khushwant
Singh was released on February 21, 2017 in Chandigarh.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was released the book titled Judicial Reforms Recent Global
Trends published by EBC in association with IIFL at Rashtrapati Bhawan. This is compiled and edited under
the stewardship of Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Judge of the International Court of Justice and the President of
the Indian International Law Foundation (IIFL).
28 | P a g e
IMPORTANT DAYS
Every year World Wetlands Day is observed on 2nd February to marking the date of the adoption of
the Convention on Wetlands or Ramsar Convention on 2 February 1971. This years theme: Wetlands for
Disaster Risk Reduction.
The World Cancer Day is celebrated annually on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its
prevention, detection and treatment. The theme of 2017 World Cancer Day is We Can, I Can.
The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is a United Nations (UN) campaign
held on February 6 to stop genital mutilation to girls and women.
2017 Theme: Building a solid and interactive bridge between Africa and the world to accelerate ending FGM
by 2030.
The Natonal Deworming Day (NDD), a School and Anganwadi based Mass Deworming Programme was
observed in all the states and Union Territories of India on February 10, 2017. The day is celebrated annually
on February 10 since 2015 in all the schools across India to stop the infections due to Soil Transmitted
Helminths (STH) or worms infections among the children.
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was observed on February 11, 2017 to recognize the
achievements of women in science and inspire and engage women and girls in science. The theme of 2017
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is Gender, Science and Sustainable Development: The
Impact of Media.
World Radio Day is observed annually on February 13th across the world with the theme of Radio is
You which puts the spotlight on audiences, ensuring their views and diversity are represented on the airwaves.
Every year the National Productivity Council (NPC) has been organizing observance of its Foundation Day on
February 12 as National Productivity Day and the ensuing week from February 12-18 as
National Productivity Week throughout the country. The theme for 2017 National Productivity Week
(NPW) is From Waste to Profits-through Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.
Every year, 20th February is observed as World Day of Social Justice to recognize the need to promote efforts
to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment and the Theme: Preventing conflict and
sustaining peace through decent work
74th Central Excise Day is observed on 24th February, 2017 to mark the enactment of the Central Excise and
Salt Act in 1944.
Chandra Shekhar Azads 86th death anniversary or Martyrdom Day was observed on 27th February, 2017.
National Science Day is celebrated every year on 28th February to mark the discovery of the Raman
Effect by Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on 28 February 1928. This year with the Theme: Science and
Technology for Specially Abled Persons
STATIC GK February 2017

Azerbaijan :
Capital: Baku Bangladesh
Currency: Azerbaijani manat Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Bangladeshi taka
Austria Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
Capital: Vienna President: Abdul Hamid
Currency: Euro
Australia China
Capital: Canberra Capital: Beijing
Currency: Australian dollar Currency: Renminbi
Prime minister: Malcolm Turnbull President: Xi Jinping
29 | P a g e
Croatia : Qatar :
Capital: Zagreb Capital: Doha
Prime minister: Andrej Plenkovi Currency: Qatari riyal
Currency: Croatian kuna
President: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovi Mexico
Capital: Mexico City
Canada : Currency: Mexican peso
Capital: Ottawa President: Enrique Pea Nieto
Currency: Canadian dollar
Prime minister: Justin Trudeau Senegal
Capital: Dakar
Germany Currency: West African CFA franc
Capital: Berlin
Currency: Euro Poland :
President: Joachim Gauck Capital: Warsaw
Currency: Polish zoty
Greece :
Capital: Athens Ukraine:
Currency: Euro Capital: Kiev
Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia
Indonesia President: Petro Poroshenko
Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Indonesian rupiah Spain :
President: Joko Widodo Capital: Madrid
Currency: Euro
France Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Capital: Paris
President: Franois Hollande Portugal
Prime minister: Bernard Cazeneuve Capital: Lisbon
Currencies: Euro, CFP franc Currency: Euro
Prime minister: Antnio Costa
Italy :
Capital: Rome Turkey :
Currency: Euro Capital: Ankara
Prime minister: Paolo Gentilonis Currencies: Turkish lira sign, Turkish lira
President: Recep Tayyip Erdoan
Philippines:
Capital: Manila Russia :
Currency: Philippine peso Capital: Moscow
President: Rodrigo Duterte Currency: Russian ruble
President: Vladimir Putin
Pakistan
Capital: Islamabad Kuwait :
Currency: Pakistani rupee Capital: Kuwait City
Prime Minister: Nawaz Sharif Currency: Kuwaiti dinar
President: Mamnoon Hussain
Somalia :
Sri Lanka:
Capital: Mogadishu
Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte,
Currency: Somali shilling
Colombo
President: Maithripala Sirisena
Currency: Sri Lankan Togo :
Capital: Lom
rupee
Currency: CFA franc
Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe
Rwanda :
Capital: Kigali
30 | P a g e
Currency: Rwandan franc NABRAD :

President: Paul Kagame Chairperson: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
Headquarters: Mumbai
Montenegro : Founded: 12 July 1982.
Capital: Podgorica
Currencies: Euro, Euro sign HDFC Bank
Founded: 1994
Madagascar: Headquarters: Mumbai India
Capital: Antananarivo Managing Director: Aditya Puri
Currency: Malagasy ariary
Bank of Maharashtra
United Kingdom Chairman & MD: Ravindra Prabhakar
Capital: London Marathe
Prime minister: Theresa May Headquarters: Pune
Currency: Pound sterling Motto: One Family One Bank
Somalia Axis Bank :

Capital: Mogadishu CEO: Shikha Sharma
President: Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Headquarters: Mumbai
Currencies: United States Dollar, Somali
shilling National Payments Corporation of India
Japan : Founded: 2008
Capital: Tokyo MD & CEO: A.P Hota
Currency: Japanese yen Chairman: Balachandran.M
Prime minister: Shinz Abe
Israel : Bank of Baroda

Capital: Jerusalem Headquarters: Vadodara
Currency: Israeli new shekel CEO: P. S. Jayakumar
Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu Founded: 20 July 1908
South Africa : HDFC Life

Capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein Headquarter: Mumbai
Currency: South African rand Founded: 2000
President: Jacob Zuma
Catholic Syrian Bank Limited
Vietnam Headquarters: Thrissur
Capital: Hanoi Founded: 26 November 1920
Currency: Vietnamese dong CEO: Anand Krishnamurthy
President: Trn i Quang Motto: Support all the way
UNESCO: Citi Bank :

Headquarters: Paris, France Headquarters: Mumbai
Head: Irina Bokova Founded: 1902
CEO: Pramit Jhaveri
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United Canara Bank
States Founded: 1906
CEO: Christine Lagarde Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
Founded: 27 December 1945 Chairman: Shri T. N. Manoharan
MD & CEO: Shri Rakesh Sharma
SAARC :
Founded: December 8, 1985 Mastercard
Headquarter: Kathmandu CEO: Ajaypal Singh Banga
General-Secretary: Arjun Bahadur Thapa Headquarters: New York, United States
Founded: 16 December 1966
31 | P a g e
Karnataka Bank Limited UBI :

Headquarters: Mangalore Headquarters: Kolkata
CEO: Polali Jayarama Bhat Founded: 1950
Founded: 1924 MD & CEO: Pawan Kumar Bajajs
Motto: Your family bank. Across India
SoftBank Group Corp
SBI : Founded: 3 September 1981
Chairperson: Arundhati Bhattacharya Headquarters: Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra CEO: Masayoshi Son
Securities and Exchange Board of India Lakshmi Vilas Bank

(SEBI) Founded: 1926
Formed: 12 April 1992 Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra MD & CEO: Parthasarathi Mukherjee
Chairman: U.K Sinha
Karnataka Bank Limited

Headquarters: Mangalore World Trade Organization(WTO)
CEO: Polali Jayarama Bhat Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: 1924 Founded: 1 January 1995
Motto: Your family bank. Across India Head: Roberto Azevdo
Vijaya Bank :
Headquarters: Bengaluru Corporation bank
CEO: Kishore Kumar Sansi Headquarters: Mangalore
Founded: 1931 Founded: 1906
Tagline :A friend u can bank on CEO: Jai Kumar Garg
ICRA : Karnataka Bank :

Headquarters Gurgaon Headquarters: Mangalore
CEO: Naresh Takkar CEO: Polali Jayarama Bhat
Founded: 1924
Oriental Bank of Commerce : Motto: Your family bank. Across India
Headquarters: Haryana
CEO: Animesh Chauhan LIC:
Founded: 19 February 1943 Headquarters: Mumbai
Founder: Government of India
IMF : Founded: 1 September 1956
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United
States IOB:
CEO: Christine Lagarde Headquarters: Chennai
CEO: R. Koteeswaran
Asian Development Bank (ADB) Motto: Good people to grow with
Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines
President: Takehiko Nakao PNB:
Founded: 19 December 1966 Headquarters: New Delhi
CEO: Usha Ananthasubramanian
IDBI Bank The name you can bank upon .
CEO: Kishor Kharat FIFA
Founded: 1964 President: Gianni Infantino
Headquarters: Zrich, Switzerland
Dena Bank Founded: 21 May 1904
Founded: 26 May 1938 Motto: For the Game. For the World
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairman and Managing Director: Ashwani Asian Hockey Federation:
Kumar President: Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad
32 | P a g e
Shah President: Sebastian Coe

Headquarters:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Founded: 17 July 1912
Headquarter: Monaco
UNICEF
Headquarters: New York, United States
CEO: Anthony Lake International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Founded: 11 December 1946 Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
President: Thomas Bach
Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) Formation: June 23, 1894
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Head: Jos Graziano da Silva Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC)
Founded: 16 October 1945 Headquarters: Haryana
CEO: Animesh Chauhan
Founded: 19 February 1943
World Trade Organization
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: 1 January 1995 UNODC :
Leader: Roberto Azevdo Head : Yuri Fedotov
Headquarters: Vienna
International Basketball Federation:
President: Horacio Muratore WHO
Headquarters: Mies, Switzerland Formation: 7 April 1948
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF)
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Current Affairs Pocket PDF February 2017

Union Budget 2017-2018 Q&A PDF Download

Vice President Hamid Ansaris 5-day Visit to Rwanda & Uganda.

SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

Aero India 2017

RANKINGS & REPORTS

BANKING & FINANCE

Sixth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Review of RBI for 2016-17.

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ESPNcricinfo Awards Winner list

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Ravi Shankar High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Rwanda

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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STATIC GK February 2017

Currency: Rwandan franc NABRAD :

Somalia Axis Bank :

Israel : Bank of Baroda

South Africa : HDFC Life

UNESCO: Citi Bank :

Karnataka Bank Limited UBI :

Securities and Exchange Board of India Lakshmi Vilas Bank

Karnataka Bank Limited

ICRA : Karnataka Bank :

Shah President: Sebastian Coe

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