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JAN-Apr 2017
Current Affairs

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GK Tornado for Bank Exams
Dear readers,
This GK Digest is a complete docket of important news and events that occurred in last 4 months (1th January - 30th April 2017). The GK
Digest is important and relevant for all competitive exams like SBI (PO), NIACL, BOB, Dena Bank, NICL and UPSC Exams.

Banking/Financial/Economy News

1. RBI alters interest rates - On April 07, 2017, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its first bi-monthly monetary policy review, altered
some of the policy rates.
Current Policy & Reserve Rates
Repo Rate 6.25%
Reverse Repo Rate 6.00%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4.00%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 20.50%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 6.50%
Bank Rate 6.50%

Below are the basic definitions of the Policy Rates -

(i) Repo Rate It is the rate at which RBI lends money to (v) Bank Rate It is the rate at which the Reserve Bank is
commercial banks. ready to buy or rediscount bills of exchange or other com-
mercial papers for long term.
(ii) Reverse Repo rate It is the rate at which RBI borrows
(vi) Marginal Standing Facility Rate (MSF) The rate
money from commercial banks.
at which the scheduled banks can borrow funds from
(iii) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) The share of net demand the RBI overnight, against the approved government
and time liabilities (deposits) that banks must maintain as securities is termed as MSF.
cash balance with the Reserve Bank.
Note: Basis points one Basis Point is a unit equivalent to
(iv) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) The share of net de- 0.01% i.e. 1/100th of a percent.
mand and time liabilities (deposits) that banks must main-
tain in safe and liquid assets, such as, government securi-
ties, cash, and gold.
2. The World Economic Forum has released its 12th edition of Note: The chatbot will allow users to recharge their
the -- Global Risks Report 2017. phones, pay electricity, water, gas and landline and DTH
bills and even a cab from Ola or Uber from the app itself.
Note: This years report has provided an outlook on the The service is available to non-HDFC bank users as well.
threats facing the world in 2017.
5. As per 2016 HSBC Expat Explorer Survey Indias rank in of-
3. Digital Unlocked the training program for Indian small
fering highest salaries to expats -- 3rd.
businesses -- Google.
6. A month-long campaign to promote a group personal acci-
Note: The purpose of the program is to empower upcoming
dent insurance scheme for savings bank account-holders
and existing Indian SMBs with essential digital skills which
will help them to get online and use internet so as to grow launched by-- Karnataka Bank.
their business. Note: KBL Suraksha provides coverage against all types of
4. A chatbot service HDFC OnChat to allow users to make accidental deaths.
payments through Facebook Messenger -- HDFC Bank.

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7. NRIs can deposit old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 banknotes till --
30th June 2017.
8. Indias first international stock exchange has been launched
in Gandhinagar (Gujrat) -- India International Exchange
Note: The new stock exchange will trade in all the products
like the other exchanges in the world such as Singapore,
Hong Kong, London, New York in currency, equities,
commodities derivatives.
9. The 2017 World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting
was held in -- Davos (Switzerland).
Note: The theme for the 2017 WEF Annual Meeting is
"Responsive and Responsible Leadership".
10. e-wallet Tokapoisa.in has been launched for cashless
transaction in local language -- Assam.
Note: The e-wallet is developed by the Assam Electronics
Development Corp. Ltd and is powered by Amrton and ICICI
Bank.
11. Indias GDP growth rate in FY 2016-17, as per the latest re-
port of World Bank (WB) -- 7%.
12. Interest rate will be offer by Airtel Payments Bank on sav-
ings accounts deposits -- 7.25%.
Note:It is the Indias first payments bank and is a fully-
digital and paper-free bank.
13. "Fly For Sure" scheme has been launched by -- Air India.
Note: customer should pay extra Rs. 2,000 while booking
the ticket and get to board any Air India flight on the same
day and same sector.
14. According Central Statistics Office data, the country's indus-
trial production grew in Nov 2016 by -- 5.7%.
15. As per, the January 2017 Global Economic Prospects report
of World Bank in 2017 the global economy will accelerate
moderately to -- 2.7%.
16. The loan amount has been sanctioned by World Bank (WB)
for Nagaland Health Project -- 48 million.
Note: This will directly benefit about 6 lacks people and the
purpose of the project is to improve health services in
Nagaland.
17. Indias rank in the 2017 Global Talent Competitiveness In-
dex (GTCI) -- 92nd.
Note: India has been ranked 92nd out of 118 nations in the
2017 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI).
18. Indias rank in the World Economic Forum (WEF)s Inclusive
Development Index (IDI) for 2017 -- 60th.
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Note: India has been ranked 60th out of 79 developing
economies in the World Economic Forum (WEF)s Inclusive
Development Index (IDI) for the year 2017.
19. Rank of Indian passport in the latest passport Index -- 78th.
Note: The Indian passport has been ranked 78th with a
visa-free score of 46 in a list of the worlds strongest
passports.
20. As per updated World Economic Outlook (WEO) report of
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Indias GDP growth
forecast rate for FY 17 -- 6.6%.
21. The Reserve Bank of India has imposed Rs. 75 lakh penalty
on -- Bombay Mercantile Cooperative Bank.
Note: Penalty imposed due to violations of norms related
to KYC and anti-money laundering
22. The first warship to be equipped with its own dedicated
ATM -- INS Vikramditya.
Note: The ATM has been provided by Indias largest public
sector bank State Bank of India (SBI) and services will be on
the satellite link and will cater to over two thousand naval
personnel deployed on the aircraft carrier.
23. Contactless card Wave N Pay has been launched by the
banks -- Punjab National Bank (PNB).
Note: This contactless credit card has been launched on
Visa Platinum platform and no need to enter any PIN for
transactions up to Rs. 2,000.
24. The Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) 2017 will be
implemented through Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC).
25. The Union Government has approved 26% strategic stake
sale in this public-sector undertaking - Bharat Earth Movers
Limited
26. As per the Economic Survey, the agriculture sector is set to
grow at this per cent during 2016-17 -- 4.1%.
27. The Gross Domestic Products (GDP) to be in fiscal year 2018
-- 6.75% to 7.5%.
28. Future Generali India Insurance Company Ltd (FGIL) has an-
nounced an agency tie-up for its products with -- Bank of
Maharashtra.
Note: Customers of BOM's will be able to avail of motor,
home, shopkeeper and rural insurance products at any of
the 1,896 branches of the bank.
29. Indias rank in the 2016 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) --
79th.
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Note: The list is topped by two nations Denmark and New
Zealand and is followed by Finland, Sweden and
Switzerland.
30. Indias first cashless island -- Karang (Manipur).
Note: Karang Island is located at the middle of Loktak
Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the North-Eastern part
of India.
31. Bank has launched of mobile wallet "Oriental Batuaa" on
the occasion of its 75th Foundation Day-- Oriental Bank of
Commerce (OBC).
Note: The bank has also launched two new cards RuPay
based Platinum international debit card and Oriental
Prepaid Card a RuPay card for individuals and corporates.
32. The state to host 3rd edition of LIC-Gateway LitFest -- Ma-
harashtra.
Note: The 3rd edition of the annual LIC Gateway LitFest
will be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra on February 25 and
26, 2017.
33. India has sanctioned amount of soft loan to Nepal for infra
projects -- $340 million.
Note: Mahalaki bridge and 15 roads will be constructed in
various parts of Nepal.
34. The business of Telenor India will be acquired in all seven
circles in India -- Bharti Airtel.
Note: Telenor India (formerly known as Uninor) was an
Indian mobile network operator based in Gurgaon,
Haryana, India.
35. Dish TV has joined hands with private lender for digital pay-
ments -- ICICI bank.
Note: This alliance with ICICI Bank through UPI will drive
higher customer adoption and allow them to be a part of
the digital economy.
36. The bank has launched a railway ticket booking facility by
having a direct tie-up with IRCTC-- United Bank of India.
37. IFFCO has tied up with the bank to provide co-branded
debit cards with inbuilt overdraft facilities to the farmers --
Bank of Baroda.
Note: Two lakh cards will be issued to the farmers
beginning with the state of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan,
and Madhya Pradesh.
38. The Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund
will be set up by the organization -- NABARD.
Note: The Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund will
boost financing of milk processing capacities.
39. A scheme will be launched by the Union Government to
fund export infrastructure to create infrastructure for ex-
ports -- Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES).
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Note: The scheme will help create modern infrastructure
like last mile connectivity to ports, testing labs and
certification centres.
40. An agreement with the Karnataka government to set up a
manufacturing plant in Bengaluru -- Apple.
Note: Apple is reportedly expected to start production for
the Indian market by June. India will be only the third
country globally to assemble iPhones.
41. The fund allocated for the National Security Council Secre-
tariat (NSCS) for fiscal year 2017-18 -- Rs. 333 crore.
Note: The NSCS works as an advisory group, consists of
various experts on security-related matters and is headed
by deputy NSA Arvind Gupta.
42. People has won prizes under Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi
dhan Vyapar Yojana till 30th January 2017-- Over 6.26 lakh.
Note:
These two schemes are part of NITI Aayogs digital pay-
ment promotion schemes and covered cities from 21
States and 4 Union Territories.
Over 100 Digi-Dhan Melas are planned across the
country to inculcate digital payment among the people.
Lucky Grahak Yojana (Daily scheme): 5.55 lakh con-
sumers have won the prize.
Lucky Grahak Yojana (Weekly scheme): over 26 thou-
sand consumers.
Digi dhan Vyapar Yojana (weekly scheme): over 35
thousand merchants.
43. Indias GDP growth rate in FY 18, as per the latest report by
the HSBC -- 7.1%.
Note: Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is
expected to be 7.1% in the FY 18.
44. As per Global rating agency Fitch, Indias GDP forecast for
FY 17 -- 7.1%.
Note: Fitch Ratings Inc. is one of the three nationally
recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSRO)
designated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
in 1975.
45. Indias bank has tied up with a cross-border payment net-
work Earth port Plc. to enable faster outbound cross-border
payments for its customers -- Axis bank.
Note: Earth port Plc has a state-of-the-art global payments
network, which spans over 60 countries. Now, Axis bank
has become the first bank in India, who connects with
Earthport.
46. The technology giant will launch its mobile payment wallet
Samsung Pay in India -- Samsung.
Note: The launch is expected to happen in the first half of
2017.
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47. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced its Sixth Bi-
monthly Monetary Policy Rates for 2016-17 -- 6.25%.
Note: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to
keep the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment
Facility unchanged at 6.25%.
48. Indias rank in the USCC Intellectual Property Index (IPI)-
2017-- 43rd.
Note: India has been ranked 43rd out of 45 global
economies in the 5th edition of Intellectual Property Index
(IPI)-2017.
49. Bank has been partnered with Fin-tech start up India Lends
to enable the first-time borrowers with no credit history to
take loans -- IDFC Bank.
50. The regulatory agency announced plans to set up a sepa-
rate department to develop a sound framework and pro-
cess for enforcement action -- Reserve Bank of India.
51. The regulatory agency decided to set up a Standing Com-
mittee on Cyber Security -- Reserve Bank of India.
52. The bank has awarded with ISO 27001: 2013 certification
for its Information Security Management System (ISMS) --
South Indian Bank (SIB).
Note: Earlier, SIB has received ISO 9001 Quality
Management certification for its Credit Department,
Personnel Department and Data Centre.
53. Indias rank in the 2017 Economic Freedom Index (EFI) --
143rd.
Note: Annual index has been released by a conservative US
political think tank the Heritage Foundation. It measures
the degree of economic freedom in the countries of the
world.
54. RBI has increased the gold loan limit for RRBs (Regional Ru-
ral Banks) from the current Rs. 1 lakh to help the farmers
and artisans -- Rs. 2 lakh.
Note: RBI has directed that the gold loans should not
exceed 75% of the value of the gold pledged for taking the
loan.
55. A traditional life insurance plan Pragati has been specifi-
cally designed to empower low income families -- HDFC life.
Note: Pragati makes life insurance easily accessible to
every person who wishes to financially secure his family.
HDFC Life will offer the dual benefit of systematic savings
(with guaranteed premium returns) and wholesome life
protection.
56. The bank has signed MoU with the Ministry of Human Re-
source Development (MHRD) to start higher education fi-
nancing agency -- Canara Bank.
57. The public-sector bank has won the National MSME Excel-
lence Award 2017 -- Corporation Bank.
Note: The award is instituted by the Federation of Industry
Trade and Services (FITS).
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58. The Union Government has launched an app to enable digi-
tal payments without card swiping machines -- Bharat QR
code.
Note: Bharat QR code has been developed jointly by
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), MasterCard
Visa, and American Express under instructions from
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
59. Indias GDP forecast for FY 17, as per latest report by the In-
ternational Monetary Fund (IMF) -- 6.6%.
60. Indias GDP growth forecast for FY 17, as per latest survey
by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Devel-
opment (OECD) -- 7%.
Note: The OECD is a global policy forum that promotes
policies to improve the economic and social well-being of
people around the world.
61. The bank has introduced Radio Frequency Identification
Card, (RFID) enabled banking cards -- Dena Bank
Note: With the help of this card a branch/relationship
manager can identify a valued client entering a branch with
the
62. The online marketplace arm of One97 Communications Pvt.
Ltd 'Paytm E-Commerce' has launched a mobile app and
online shopping portal -- Paytm Mall.
Note: Paytm Mall will allow customers to shop from 68
million products across categories such as fashion,
electronics, consumer durables and home furnishings, from
about 140,000 sellers.
63. The loan amount by the World Bank (WB) for the Tejaswini
project USD 63 million.
Note: The Tejaswini project will be delivered in 17 districts
of Jharkhand.
64. Bajaj Auto Ltd. has presented a cheque as a donation to the
Armed Forces Flag Day Fund (AFFDF) -- One Crore.
Note: This Financial assistance is provided to needy Ex-
servicemen, widow and their dependents out of AFFDF for
healthcare, disability, children education, penury, house
repair, ESM funeral, daughters marriage etc.
65. The Reliance General Insurance (part of Reliance Capital)
has tied up with a Bank to expand its distribution network --
Catholic Syrian Bank.
Note: RGI will offer its general insurance products to
Catholic Syrian Bank's 1.5 million customer base spread
across its 430 branches in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and
Maharashtra.
66. The World Bank has announced an assistance programme
of over USD 1 billion in the areas of urban transport and cli-
mate resilient agriculture over the next 2-3 years -- Maha-
rashtra.
67. The Trade Mark Rules, 2017 have come into effect which
replaced the erstwhile Trade Mark Rules -- 2002.
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Note: The fees for Individuals, Start-ups and Small
Enterprises have been reduced to 4,500 rupees for e-filing
of the trade mark applications.
68. A global leader in payment solutions has launched an elec-
tronic payment platform linked to corporate card, Buyer In-
itiated Payments (BIP) to eliminate payment through
cheques or drafts -- American Express.
69. An artificial intelligence based chatbot, EVA (electronic vir-
tual assistant) for customer services in India -- HDFC Bank.
Note: Eva is India's first AI-based banking chatbot and can
answer millions of customer queries across multiple
channels instantly.
70. The first bank in the country to launch Aadhaar Pay -- IDFC
Bank.
Note: The Aadhar Pay service is for merchants which will
enable them to receive Aadhaar-enabled payments by
passing credit and debit cards, pin and password.
71. The Deputy Governor in Reserve Bank of India (RBI) -- BP
Kanungo.
Note: He has been appointed the new Deputy Governor in
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of 3 years and
will succeed R. Gandhi.
72. According to the RBI, the Non-Banking Finance Companies
(NBFCs) cannot lend more than Rs. 250000 Rs. cash against
-- Gold.
Note: The earlier provision for NBFC was that high-value
loans against the gold of Rs. 1 lakh and above must only be
disbursed by cheque.
73. The new team sponsor of the Indian cricket team from 1st
April 2017 for five years __ Oppo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd.
Note: The Minimum reserve price was set by the BCCI at
Rs. 538 crores, OPPO Mobiles will pay Rs. 1079 crore for
the duration of their contract.
74. Who topped in the list of banks that witnessed the most
number of frauds during April to December period of 2016 -
- ICICI Bank.
Note: During the first nine months of the current fiscal, as
many as 455 fraud cases, involving 1 lakh rupees and
above, were detected in ICICI Bank, closely followed by SBI
with 429, Standard Chartered with 244 and HDFC Bank with
237.
75. The bank has launched an instant digital Loan Against Secu-
rities (LAS) facility -- HDFC Bank.
Note: The HDFC bank has launched an instant digital Loan
Against Securities (LAS) facility in collaboration with the
National Securities Depository (NSDL), which allows
customers to avail loans in less than 3 minutes.
76. A mobile banking app Mera iMobile has been launched
for rural customers -- ICICI Bank.
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Note: This app will allow them to access banking services as
well as information on agriculture services. The Mera
iMobile app provides around 135 services, available in
English and 11 Indian languages (Assamese, Bengali,
Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia,
Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu).
77. Bandhan Bank Ltd. has signed an agreement with a pay-
ment solution provider in Kolkata -- India Avenues India
Pvt Ltd.
Note:The agreement has been signed to provide the
merchants with seamless access to the point- of- sale (POS)
and the payment gateway products.
78. The Union cabinet clears how many GST supplementary
legislations for introduction to parliament -- four.
Note: The four supporting legislations, the Compensation
Law, the Central-GST (C-GST), Integrated-GST (I-GST) and
Union Territory-GST (UT-GST) would be introduced as
Money Bill. Now, the states would start taking their State-
GST (S-GST) bill for discussion and passage in the respective
state assemblies.
79. The loan amount has been approved by the World Bank
(WB) for the National Hydrology Project of India -- USD175
million.
80. Indias rank in the 2017 Human Development Index (HDI) --
131.
Note: India has ranked 131 out of 188 countries in the 2016
Human Development Report (HDR) in the latest released
report of the United Nations Development Progamme
(UNDP).
81. The World Bank has signed an agreement with Uttarakhand
to improve quality of health care services -- USD 100 mil-
lion.
82. Indias rank in the global Energy Architecture Performance
Index (EAPI) 2017 -- 87th
83. Who has acquired 4G business of Tikona Networks includ-
ing the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) business -- Bharti
Airtel.
Note: Tikona has 20 MHz spectrum in the 2300 MHz band
in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West),
Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh circles. After the deal,
Airtel will have 30 MHz in the 2300 MHz band in 13 circles.
84. The Union Government has imposed import duty on wheat
and tur dal to protect farmers interest amid projection of a
record crop this year -- 10%.
85. Digitally inaugurated 40 Ananya transformed branches to
enhance customer experience, improve sales focus, and im-
prove digital transactions through a dedicated digit zone --
Syndicate Bank.
86. Who has adjudged the Best Small Bank for 2016 -- Karur
Vysya Bank.
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Note: Karur Vysya Bank is an Indian private-sector bank,
headquartered in Karur in Tamil Nadu. It was set up in 1916
by M. A. Venkatarama Chettiar and Athi Krishna Chettiar.
87. Money Plant Rupay International Platinium Debit Card
has been launched to provide more privileges to its pre-
mium & HNI customers -- Karnataka Bank.
88. The first Indian state to carry financial inclusion and extend
banking services to un-banked areas through Self Help
Groups (SHGs) -- Odisha.
89. True caller has paired with the bank to launch its UPI-based
mobile payment service, Truecaller Pay -- ICICI Bank
Note: Truecaller was developed by True Software
Scandinavia AB, a privately held company in Stockholm,
Sweden founded by Alan Mamedi and Nami Zarringhalam
in 2009.
90. The USA based e-commerce giant made its entry in UAE by
acquiring the Middle Easts largest online retailer Souq.com
-- Amazon.
Note: The website (Souq.com) was founded by Ronaldo
Mouchawar in 2005 as an auction site linked to internet
portal Maktoob.
91. The first e-commerce company to take membership of the
Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) -- Paytm.
92. A separate enforcement department to monitor banks in
case they violate regulations -- The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI).
Note: The Enforcement Department has started operation
from 1st April,2017. The department will develop a broad
policy for enforcement and initiate action against the
regulated entities for violation consistent with such policy.
93. India has signed a loan agreement with for USD 350 million
funding for a project involving development and up grada-
tion of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh -- New De-
velopment Bank (NDB).
Note: This is the first loan agreement for the New
Development Bank assisted project in India.
94. Co-branded credit cards Karnataka Bank Platinum SBI Card
and Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card for the custom-
ers -- Karnataka Bank.
Note: Karnataka Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card is aimed at
value-conscious consumers and offers rewards and features
that enable customers to maximise their savings on their
regular spends.
95. A tax evasion of over how many crore rupees under the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime would be non-bailable
offense -- five crores.
Note: The Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST) Act
have empowered the officers from Police, Railways,
Customs, village officers, and any other government
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officers to assist CGST and SGST officers under the GST
regime.
96. The Executive Director (ED) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) --
Smt. Malvika Sinha.
Note: Earlier, B. P. Kanungo was Executive Director of the
Reserve Bank before being elevated to the post of Deputy
Governor.
97. Withdrawal of service charge on online booking of train
tickets has been extended upto -- 30th June 2017.
Note: Service charges on booking train tickets online
through IRCTC ticketing site ranges from Rs. 20 to Rs. 40
per ticket.
98. The seventh entity to receive a final license from the Re-
serve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a payments bank -- Ad-
itya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd.
Note: The group's outfit Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank is
a 51:49 joint venture (JV) between Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd
(ABNL) and telecom major Idea Cellular.
99. Who has officially recognized Bitcoin and digital curren-
cies as legal money with effect from 1st April,2017 -- Ja-
pan.
Note: The recognition comes after implementation of a
new law amending Banking Act in Japan for legalizing
these currencies.
100. TRAI has advised to stop complimentary three-month ser-
vice offer as it was not in accordance with the regulatory
framework -- Reliance Jio.
Note: The authority has examined it and found that it was
not in accordance with regulatory framework, so the
department has advised them to stop it.
101. Japan will provide Official Development Assistance (ODA)
loan for infrastructure projects in India for FY 17 -- Yen 371
billion.
102. India and the United Kingdom (UK) have decided to set up
how many Pound fund to finance clean energy projects --
240 million Pound.
Note: The Green Growth Equity Fund will be a sub-fund of
NIIF.
103. India's Trade deficit with China in April-February -- USD
46.7 billion.
Note: Overall trade with China during the 11-month period
decreased marginally by 0.87 % to 64.57 billion US dollars.
104. According to the latest report of the World Travel and
Tourism Council (WTTC) Indias rank in the worlds largest
tourism economy in terms of GDP -- 7th.
Note: Travel and tourism sector recorded growth of Rs.
14.1 trillion (USD 208.9 billion) in 2016.
105. Indias rank in the WEFs Global Travel and Tourism Com-
petitive Index (GTTCI)- 2017-- 40th.
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Note: As per WEFs Travel and Tourism Competitiveness
Report 2017.India has been ranked 40th out of 136
countries in the 2017 World Economic Forums (WEF)
Global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (GTTCI).
106. A web portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' for insurers that will allow
them to register and sell policies online -- IRDAI (Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India).
Note: The Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) is an autonomous, statutory
agency tasked with regulating and promoting the
insurance and re-insurance industries in India.
107. Website having several user-friendly features and compati-
ble for desktop and mobile devices -- The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Note: The new website is compliant with Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines for making web content more
accessible to differently abled people and also conforms to
the guidelines for Indian government websites.
108. The Reserve Bank of India has set up two new Offices of
the Banking Ombudsman in -- Jammu and Raipur.
Note: Now, the banking ombudsman offices have now
increased to 20 across the country.
109. A set of four rare stamps featuring the portrait of Ma-
hatma Gandhi has been sold for record 5 lakh pounds at
an auction in the -- United Kingdom (UK).
Note: The stamp was sold to an Australian collector for the
highest ever price for Indian stamps.
110. The Finance Ministry has approved interest rate on EPF for
2016-17 -- 8.65%
Note: Earlier, the Employees' Provident Fund Organization
trustees had approved 8.65% rate on EPF in December last
year.
111. Flipkart-owned online fashion retailer has announced that
it has acquired InLogg -- Myntra.
Note: 'InLogg' is a city-based technology platform that
provides end-to-end logistics solutions for the e-commerce
sector.
112. Indias rank at the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Invest-
ment (FDI) Confidence Index -- 8th.
113. The World Bank has approved a loan for the ambitious in-
land waterways project between Haldia (West Bengal) and
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) -- around Rs. 2,421 crores.
Note: The approved loan amount is about 45% of the
estimated project cost of Rs. 5,369 crore for capacity
augmentation of National Waterway-1.
114. Alliance with 'Paisabazaar.com' to offer conditionally ap-
proved loans to the latters existing customers -- Yes Bank.
Note: The bank will help Paisabazaar.com through its
advanced analytics and data mining capabilities to offer
customers of the financial marketplace with customized
and conditionally approved offers across retail lending
products.
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115. The first wealth management product Digital Gold on its
platform to allow customers to buy and sell gold through
electronic platform -- Paytm.
Note: Digital Gold has been launched in partnership with
gold refiner MMTC-PAMP. Consumers can purchase 24K
999.9 purity gold online and store it in MMTCPAMPs
secure vaults free of charge.
116. State Bank of India has signed a memorandum of under-
standing (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives to-
wards development of the realty sector -- CREDAI.
Note: CREDAI is the largest real estate association in the
country with over 11,500 members. The MoU will be in
force for a period of 3 years.
117. A non-banking finance company (NBFC) has converted it-
self into a small finance bank by the name AU Small Fi-
nance Bank -- AU Financiers India.
Note: AU had a network of 300 branches spread across 10
States namely Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, and Goa.
118. The state govt has revised the BPL & DPL income -- Har-
yana.
Note: The limit of annual income of BPL families has been
raised to Rs 49,000 from Rs. 40,500 (living in rural) and Rs.
60,000 from Rs. 51,500 (living in urban areas). The limit of
annual income for the families living below DPL would Rs
98,000 (rural areas) and Rs 1.2 lakh (urban areas).
119. The Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) It is a digital
payment app, rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
in an initiative to enable fast, secure, and reliable cashless
payments through mobile phones. The app was named
after Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Key features: BHIM is a digital payments solution app based on
the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) developed by the Na-
tional Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella or-
ganisation for all retail payments systems in India.
Transaction Limit: In a 24-hour cycle, a maximum
transaction not exceeding Rs 10,000 is allowed as well as
an upper limit of Rs 20,000 worth of transactions.
The payments through the new system (BHIM App) can be
made by just a thumb impression after the bank account is
linked with Aadhaar gateway.
Indeed, the technology through BHIM will empower
poorest of the poor, small business and the marginalised
section.
124. South Indian Bank partnered with SBI Card to launch co-
branded credit card. With this partnership both South Indian
Bank and SBI Card will launch two variants of credit card on
VISA platform, namely South Indian Bank Platinum SBI Card and
South Indian Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card.
www.gradeup.co
SBI Bank in News
1. The bank has merged his five subsidiary banks with the
Bharatiya Mahila Bank-- State Bank of India (SBI).
Note: SBI has acquired State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur
(SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of My
sore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of
Travancore (SBT) and Bharatiya Mahila Bank.
2. India's most valued Public Sector Company (PSU) in terms of
market capitalization (m-cap) in intra-day trade-- The State
Bank of India (SBI).
Note: SBI has surpassed oil exploration major Oil & Natural
Gas Corporation (ONGC). SBI is at the fifth position, while
ONGC is seventh in the top-10 most valued companies list.
3. The State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to reintroduce pen-
alty on non-maintenance of minimum balance in accounts
from -- 1st of April 2017.
Note: The bank will now permit savings bank account
holders to free of charge cash deposit only three times a
month and levy Rs. 50 plus service tax on every transaction
beyond that.
In metropolitan branches (100 plus service tax), if the
balance falls below 75 % of the minimum account bal-
ance of 5,000 rupees),
In rural branches (Rs. 50 plus service tax), if balance falls
below Rs. 1000.
Withdrawal of cash from ATMs will also attract a charge
up to 20 rupees if the number of transactions exceeds
three from other bank's ATMs in a month and 10 rupees
for more than five withdrawals from SBI ATMs.
Appointment
National
1. The 44th Chief Justice of India (CJI) -- Justice Jagdish Singh
Khehar.
Note: He will remain on the post till 27th August,2017.
2. The new chairman of the Union Public Service Commis-
sion(UPSC) -- Prof. David R. Syiemlieh.
Note: He will take over from Alka Sirohi (IAS officer) of the
Madhya Pradesh cadre.
3. New Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs -- Anoop Ku-
mar Srivastava.
Note: Earlier, he was the Officer on Special Duty in the
same Ministry.
4. The New Controller General of Accounts (CGA) -- Mr. An-
thony Lianzuala.
5. The Controller General of Accounts -- Mr. Anthony Lian-
zuala
9|Page
4. The public-sector bank has launched Work from Home fa-
cility for employees -- State Bank of India (SBI).
Note: SBI will use mobile computing technologies and shall
have continuous control over all the enabled devices
centrally to manage and secure the data and applications on
the mobile devices.
5. SBI has launched a unique credit card to spread credit inclu-
sion -- Unnati.
Note: SBI Unnati card is a credit card offered those SBI
customers who have a minimum account balance of Rs.
25,000 in their accounts. The annual fee of Rs.499 is waived
off for the first four years.
6. The State Bank of India (SBI) has reduced its benchmark
lending rate by -- 0.15 %.
Note: The minimum lending rate (Base rate) of the bank has
been reduced from 9.25% to 9.1 %.
7. The state govt. has signed a MoU with State Bank of India
(SBI) to provide Housing and Educational loan at subsidized
interest rates to the employees of the state -- The Assam
govt.
Note: The state Government will provide interest subsidy at
the rate of 3.50% for the housing loan and education loan at
4%.
Note: 1982-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
Officer, Lianzuala will be the First person from the North-
Eastern Region to hold this position.
6. An Adviser (policy & planning) in the National Disaster Man-
agement Authority (NDMA) -- V Thiruppugazh.
7. DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) has elected party
treasurer as its Working President -- M K Stalin.
8. The President of the Rockefeller Foundation -- Rajiv J Shah.
9. The Vice Chief of Army Staff who recently took over as the
27th Army Chief of India -- Lieutenant General Bipin
Rawat.
10. The Indian-origin Saudi-based entrepreneur who has been
appointed as the Major General of Kyrgyzstan -- Shaikh
Rafik Mohammed.
11. Who has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army
Staff ____ Lieutenant General Sarath Chand.
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12. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tata Consultancy
Services(TCS) -- Rajesh Gopinathan.
13. The chief executive officer of Flipkart -- Kalyan Krishna-
murthy.
14. New chairman of Tata Sons -- Natarajan Chandrasekaran.
Note: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing
Director (MD) of TCS Chandrasekaran has been appointed
as the new chairman of Tata Sons.
15. The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president --
Ashish Shelar
Note: He takes over from the former ICC president Sharad
Pawar.
16. The new interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prasar
Bharti -- Rajeev Singh.
Note: He has become the new interim Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Prasar Bharti after S C Panda retires on
February 2017.
17. New chief of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) -- Alok
Kumar.
Note: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the
domestic intelligence and security service of India, which
simultaneously serves as the nation's prime federal law
enforcement agency.
18. The MD & CEO of Bharti AXA General -- Sanjeev Srinivasan.
Note: Bharti AXA General is the joint venture between
Bharti Enterprises and AXA.
Srinivasan joined Bharti AXA General Insurance in Au-
gust 2016 as Chief Commercial and Principal Officer.
19. The new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Khadi & Village In-
dustries Commission (KVIC)-- Anshu Sinha.
Note: KVIC is a statutory body established by the Khadi
and Village Industries Commission Act, 1995 under the
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. Presently,
Arun Kumar Jha is the CEO of KVIC.
20. The United Nations(UN) in India Goodwill Ambassador for
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -- Ashok Am-
ritraj.
Note: Amritraj is the Chairman and CEO of the Hyde Park
Entertainment Group.
21. Interim head of India Post Payments Bank -- A P Singh.
Note: IPPB has launched in Ranchi and Raipur with the
objective of being present in all corners of India by the end
of the year.
22. Online cab Ola has appointed former PepsiCo executive as
the new chief operating officer (COO)-- Vishal Kaul.
Note: He succeeds Ola's first employee Pranay Jivrajka.
23. The Meghalaya Governor has resigned after a controversy
was triggered by reports in local media accused him of sex-
ual misconduct -- V Shanmuganathan.
24. New Lokayukta of Karnataka -- Justice Vishwanath Shetty.
10 | P a g e
Note: He succeeds N Bhaskar Rao who resigned the post in
2015 following his alleged involvement in his son's corrup-
tion case that involved using the Lokayukta office and resi-
dence for extortion.
25. New Police chief of Karnataka -- Rupak Kumar Dutta.
Note: He succeeded Om Prakash, who retiring from
service on superannuation.
26. The Managing Director (MD) of BAE Systems India --Nik
Khanna.
Note: BAE Systems is a British multinational defense,
security, and aerospace company and its headquarters are
located in London in the United Kingdom.
27. CEO & MD of NSE National Stock Exchange of India Limited
-- Vikram Limaye.
Note: The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) is
the leading stock exchange of India, located in Mumbai.NSE
was established in 1992 as the first demutualized electronic
exchange in the country.
28. Bollywood actress as the new female ambassador of the
Swachh Bharat Campaign -- Anushka Sharma.
Note: She will highlight the women-centric aspects of open
defecation in the rural and semi-rural area.Anushka will join
the campaign with Amitabh Bachchan, who is also the
brand ambassador of this campaign.
30. Director (Commercial) of National Thermal Power Corpo-
ration Limited (NTPC) -- Anand Kumar Gupta.
Note: He will be responsible for the activities relating to
Commercial, International and Domestic Business
development and Consultancy business of NTPC.
31. The chairman of the National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights (NCPCR) -- Stuti Narain Kacker.
Note: NCPCR is an Indian governmental commission, under
the administrative control of the Ministry of Women &
Child Development.
32. Principal economic adviser in the department of economic
affairs in the Union Finance Ministry -- Sanjeev Sanyal.
33. President of Associated Chambers of Commerce of India
(ASSOCHAM)-- Sandeep Jajodia.
Note: He succeeded Sunil Kanoria co-founder and Vice
Chairman of Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited.
34. President of Institute of Chartered Accountant of India
(ICAI) -- Nilesh Vikamsey.
Note: Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey has become the new
President of Institute of Chartered Accountant of India(ICAI)
ICAI is the national professional accounting body of
India.
35. President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
(ICAI) for the year 2017-18 -- Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey.
Note: Gupta has been a chartered accountant for more
than 20 years.
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36. High Commissioner of India to Canada -- Vikas Swarup.
Note: He will replace Arun Kumar Sahu who is currently
working as acting Indian envoy in Canada.
37. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu -- Edappadi K Palaniswamy.
Note: He is a senior leader of the All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
39. Russia's ambassador to the United Nation who died after
falling ill in his office in New York -- Vitaly Churkin.
40. Nagaland People's Front president has been sworn-in as the
11th Chief Minister of Nagaland -- Shurhozelie Liezitsu.
Note: He succeeded TR Zeliang, who resigned as the Chief
Minister following widespread protests over reservation to
women in local body elections.
41. The chairman of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal --
Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre.
Note: The post was vacant since Justice Balbir Singh
Chauhan resigned from the post. Cauvery Water Disputes
Tribunal was established with an aim to speed up water
sharing disputes among states.
42. Vice Chairman of Asian Hockey Federation -- Abhijit Sarkar.
Note: He was also appointed the Chairman of the AHF
Commercial and TV Committee with immediate effect.
43. New spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
-- Gopal Baglay.
44. The Chairperson of the National Commission for Sched-uled
Tribes Chairperson (NCST) -- Sri Nand Kumar Sai.
Note: Sai succeeds Rameshwar Oraon, whose tenure had
ended on 31st October 2016. NCST investigates and moni-
tors all matters related to safeguards provided for Sched-
uled Tribes under the constitution or under law or under
any order of the Government.
45. Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) -- Amjad Hussain B Sial (Pakistan).
Note: Earlier, Outgoing Secretary General Arjun Bahadur
Thapa (Nepal) had completed his term on Feb 2017.Sial
served at SAARC Secretariat as director in Kathmandu.
46. The 9th Chairman of markets regulator Securities and Ex-
change Board of India (SEBI) -- Ajay Tyagi.
Note: Ajay Tyagi (1984 batch IAS officer) of the Himachal
Pradesh cadre succeeded U K Sinha. The chairman of SEBI
receives a consolidated pay package of Rs. 4.5 lakh per
month.
47. Indias permanent representative to World Trade Organiza-
tion (WTO) -- J S Deepak.
Note: Telecom Secretary J S Deepak (IAS officer -1982
batch Uttar Pradesh) was named India's next Ambassador
to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from June 2017.The
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WTO is a global international organization dealing with the
rules of trade between nations.
48. Chairman of the countrys largest commercial enterprise
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) -- Sanjiv Singh.
Note: The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has
approved his appointment for a period of five years.He will
be assuming the charge on or after 1st June 2017.
49. The head coach of the Indian Under-17 team for the FIFA
Under-17 World Cup -- Luis Norton de Matos(Portugal).
50. The Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL -- P K Pur-
war.
Note: Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) is a
state-owned telecommunications service provider in the
metro cities of Mumbai & New Delhi in India and in the
island nation of Mauritius in Africa.
51. 76th Mayor of Mumbai, with the support of the BJP --
Vishwanath Mahadeshwar.
Note: He defeated Congress nominee Vitthal Lokare by
the 171-31 margin.The election result of Bombay Municipal
Corporation had thrown up a hung verdict with the Shiv
Sena winning 84 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party
winning 82 seats out of 227.
52. The chief Financial Officer of Adidas -- Harm Ohlmeyer.
Note: Ohlmeyer will replace Robin Stalker, who served the
organisation for 16 years. Earlier, Kasper Rorsted was
appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Adidas.
53. The Regional Director of Ford Foundation for India, Nepal
and Sri Lanka -- Pradeep Nair.
Note: He will replace David Hulse. Nair will guide Ford
foundations operations in New Delhi.
54. Indian cricketer has been appointed UNICEF and Cricket for
Good Ambassador for the ICC Womens World Cup 2017 --
Sachin Tendulkar.
55. Additional charge of Defence Ministry -- Arun Jaitley.
Note: The union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has given the
additional charge of the Defence Ministry after Manohar
Parrikar resigned to take on the new role of Goa Chief
Minister.
56. New Ambassador of India to Nepal -- Manjeev Singh Puri.
Note: He will succeed Ranjit Rae.
57. The Chairman of Central Water Commission -- Narendra
Kumar.
Note: Narendra Kumar is a Central Water Engineering
Service Officer of 1979 batch and he became a member of
CWC (River Management) in October 2014.He took over G.
S. Jha, upon his superannuation.
58. The Chairman of National Commission for Safai
Karamcharis -- Manhar Valji Bhai Zala.
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Note: The purpose of the Commission is to study, evaluate
and monitor the implementation of various schemes for
Safai Karamcharis as an autonomous organisation and also
to provide redressal of their grievances.
60. The new Chief Minister of Punjab -- Captain Amarinder
Singh.
Note: Congress secured 77 out of the 117 assembly seats
thus leading to a comfortable victory.
61. The new Chief Minister of Manipur -- Nongthombam Biren
Singh.
Note: National People's Partys Y. Joykumar was sworn in
as the Deputy Chief Minister. This is the first time when BJP
has formed government in Manipur.
62. The Vice-President (VP) of the Local Organising Committee
(LoC) of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 -- Babul Supriyo.
Note: For the first time, India to host FIFA U-17 World from
6 to 28 October, 2017.
63. The Chief Secretary of Punjab -- Karan Avtar Singh.
Note: He succeeded Shri Sarvesh Kaushal who was posted
as Special Chief Secretary-cum-Director General of the
Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration.
64. The new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand -- Trivendra Rawat.
Note : Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
pracharak and MLA of Doiwala Trivendra Singh Rawat
sworn in as a new Uttarakhand Chief Minister (9th) in the
state capital Dehradun.
65. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh -- Yogi Adityanath.
Note: Yogi Adityanath took oath as the chief minister (21st)
of Uttar Pradesh along with Keshav Prasad Maurya (State
BJP-chief) and Dinesh Sharma (Lucknow Mayor) as deputy
chief ministers of the state. Adityanath is the five-time
Member of Parliament (MP) from Gorakhpur and also the
'Mahant' of a Hindu temple 'Gorakhnath Math' in
Gorakhpur.
66. Chief Justice of Kerala High Court -- Justice Navniti Prasad
Singh.
Note: Justice Singh is the former judge in the Patna High
Court.
67. The Snapdeal has appointed 'Jason Kothari' as the Chief
Executive Officer of -- FreeCharge.
Note: He will continue his key leadership role as Chief
Strategy & Investment Officer at Snapdeal. FreeCharge was
started in August, 2010 by Kunal Shah and Sandeep
Tandon.
68. full-time Interim Director General (IDG) of the International
Solar Alliance (ISA) -- Upendra Tripathy.
Note: He served the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy as its secretary from 1st April 2014 to 31st October
2016. The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched on
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30th November, 2015 as a coalition of the solar resource
rich countries on the first day of the Paris Climate
Conference(CoP21).
69. The new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of International
Cricket Council (ICC) -- Ankur Khanna.
Note: He will join the ICC headquarters in Dubai at the end
of March 2017. Presently, he is serving Air Asia India as the
Chief Financial Officer.
70. The sports entrepreneur and philanthropist has been ap-
pointed the new member of Sports Authority of India (SAI) -
- Siddhartha Upadhyay.
71. Who has been appointed as the new Whole-Time Member
(WTM) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
-- Madhabi Puri Buch.
Note: Currently, she is working at the BRICS Development
Bank in Shanghai, China.
72. Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) Delhi -- Randeep Guleria.
Note: He succeeds Dr. M C Misra who retired in, January
2017. Guleria is the head of the Department of
Pulmonology and Sleep Disorders at the All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (India's first center) New Delhi.
73. The first woman to head The Leadership Conference on
Civil and Human Rights -- Vanita Gupta.
74. Speaker of Punjab Assembly -- Rana Kanwar Pal Singh.
Note: Former Punjab Youth Congress PresidentRana K P
Singh is elected from the Anandpur Sahib constituency for
the third time.
75. The Border Security Force (BSF) has received its first
woman field officer after 51 years -- Tanushree Pareek.
Note: She started training in the year 2016 in a 52-week
Assistant Commandant training programme with the 40th
batch of the BSF Academy.
76. The chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) -
- Sharad Singh Negi.
77. Speaker of UP legislative assembly -- Hriday Narayan Dik-
shit.
Note: Dixit has been the party's spokesperson in the state
for several years and was minister for parliamentary affairs
and Panchayati raj in the previous BJP government in UP.
78. Vice-chancellor of Nalanda University (NU) -- Sunaina
Singh.
Note: At present, Sunaina Singh is the vice chancellor of the
English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad.
79. The Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs
(CBEC) -- Vanaja N. Sarna.
Note: The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) is a
part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of
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Finance, Government of India. CBIC is the nodal national
agency responsible for administering Customs, Central
Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India headed by
Chairperson and consist of six Members.
80. Chief Justice of the Madras High Court -- Justice Indira
Banerjee.
Note: Justice Banerjee has become the second woman to
head the Madras High Court.
81. Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the
United Nations Offices in Geneva -- Rajiv Kumar Chander.
Note: He is currently the consul general of India in
Vancouver. Earlier, he was deputy permanent
representative with the Permanent Mission of India to the
United Nations, Geneva, between 2006 and 2009.
82. The Chairman of Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation of
India (ACKFI) for the next four years -- Ram Bilas Sharma.
Note:The Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation of India
(ACKFI) was formed in 1978.The Federation is Affiliated
with Asian Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation and World
Kabaddi Federation.
83. new Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat -- Geeta
Johari.
Note: She will replace Mr. P.P. Pandey who had resigned
from the post.
84. Nasscom has appointed industry veteran as its chairman for
2017-18 -- Raman Roy.
Note: Raman Roy is one of the pioneers of the Business
Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in India and CEO of his
VC funded BPO company Quatrro. The National
Association of Software and Services Companies
(NASSCOM) is a trade association of Indian Information
Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
industry.
85. Indias first-ever transgender police Sub-Inspector -- Prithi-
ka Yashini.
86. Director of IIM Trichy -- Bhimaraya Metri.
Note: Metri will take over the office from Prafulla Agnihotri,
who is also the founding director of IIM Trichy.
87. The new Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of
Germany -- Mukta Dutta Tomar.
International
1. A member of Haitian Tet Kale Party (HTKP) has won the
2016 Presidential election of Haiti -- Jovenel Moise.
2. The new President of Ghana -- Nana Akufo-Addo.
Note: Earlier he served as attorney general and then as
foreign minister in the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
government, which held power in 2001.
13 | P a g e
Note: Mukta Dutta Tomar (Indian Foreign Service: 1984-
batch) has been appointed as the new ambassador of India
to the Federal Republic of Germany.
88. The union government has appointed retired Supreme
Court judge as the next chairman of the Telecom Disputes
Settle-ment & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for a period of
three years -- Justice Shiva Kirti Singh.
Note: He replaced Justice Aftab Alam.
89. First non-white judge at the Old Bailey Court of London --
Anuja Ravindra Dhir.
Note: She is also the youngest circuit judge to sit at the
court.
90. The new administrator of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) -- Achim Steiner.
Note: He succeeds Helen Clark (former New Zealand Prime
Minister) who has steered the UNDP since 2009.
91. The Chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) -
- Devendra Kumar Sharma.
Note: BBMB manages the release of water in Punjab,
Haryana, and Rajasthan as it controls Bhakra, Pong, and
other dams.
92. Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Director of LIC
Housing Finance Limited -- Vinay Shah.
Note: He has replaced 'Smt. Sunita Sharma' after
Government had elevated her to Managing Director (MD)
of LIC.
93. Re-elected as the president of Telangana Rashtra Samiti
(TRS) -- Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao.
Note: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is an Indian regional
political party based in Telangana State.
94. The new Financial Commissioner (FC) of Indian Railways-- B
N Mohapatra.
Note: Earlier, he has served as Additional Member
(Finance) since November 2016.
95. New Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana -- BS
Sandhu.
Note: Earlier, Mr. Sandhu was the Chairman and Managing
Director(MD) of Haryana Police Housing Corporation.
96. New Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF)-- Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar.
Note: The Central Armed Police Force was headless for
nearly two months after the retirement of K. Durga Prasad
97. New Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police force
(ITBP) -- R.K. Pachnanda.
3. The British diplomat appointed as the United Kingdoms
ambassador to the European Union is ____Sir Tim Barrow.
4. The former chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil
has been sworn in as Secretary of State of US President
Donald Trump-- Rex Tillerson.
www.gradeup.co
Note: Tillerson was cleared for full Senate approval in a
56-43 vote. The vote came after Senate Republicans
changed the rules in order to approve Mr Trump's
nominees for health and treasury, despite a Democratic
boycott.
5. The former Prime Minister of Portugal who recently took
over as the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations is
-- Antonio Guterres.
6. The new President of Nicaragua -- Daniel Ortega.
Note: He has been sworn-in for a 3rd term as President of
Nicaragua with his wife Rosario Murillo as the new Vice
President.
7. Pakistan's former Chief of Army Staff has been appointed as
the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Military Alliance --
Raheel Sharif.
8. New President of European Parliament -- Antonio Tajani.
Note: He defeated his centre-left compatriot Gianni
Pittella by 351 votes to 282. Mr. Tajani is a former
spokesman for Italy's Silvio Berlusconi and an ex-European
commissioner.
9. New President of Gambia -- Adama Barrow.
10. The African Union has elected Chads foreign minister as
the new African Union (AU) commission chairman --Moussa
Faki Mahamat.
Note: He has replaced South Africas Nkosazana Dlamini-
Zuma, who was elected to the post in 2012.
11. The Senate of USA has confirmed South Carolina Governor
as the next Ambassador to the United Nations -- Nikki Ha-
ley.
Note: Haley was approved by the Senate on a 96-4 vote.
She will replace Samantha Power at the UN,
12. The Prime Minister of Mauritius-- Pravind Jugnauth.
Note: He is the leader of the Mouvement Socialiste
Militant (MSM), which is the largest party in the National
Assembly since December 2014.
13. Executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP)
-- David Beasley.
Note: The WFP is the world largest humanitarian
organization that provides food assistance to an average of
80 million people in 75 countries each year.
14. The first woman Chief Executive (CE) of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region-- Carrie Lam.
15. Who has been unanimously elected as a delegate to the
National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China
(CPC) at the Guizhou provincial party unit -- Xi Jinping.
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Note: A total of 2,300 delegates to the National Congress,
slated for the second half of 2017, are being elected by 40
electoral units across the country.
16. Somalia's Parliament has elected former Prime Minister as
the country's new president -- Mohamed Abdullahi
Farmajo.
Note: He beat incumbent President Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud. The Federal Republic of Somalia is a country
located in the Horn of Africa and estimated population of
around 3 million.
17. Republican Senator as the next Attorney General of the
United States -- Jeff Sessions.
Note:The Alabama senator is known for his tough stance
on immigration enforcement and his early support of
President Donald Trump who nominated him for the job.
18. Pakistanis first woman Foreign Secretary -- Tehmina
Janjua.
Note: She has replaced incumbent Foreign Secretary Aizaz
Ahmad Chaudhry.Chaudhry will be taking charge as
Pakistan's new ambassador to the US.
19. Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Peace-
keeping Operations for the period of one year (from 1st
April 2017) -- Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
Note: Lacroix currently serves as the director for the
United Nations at the French Foreign Ministry.
20. Englands Test captain replacing Alastair Cook -- Joe Root.
Note: He will become Englands 80th Test skipper with his
first game in charge set to be against South Africa at Lords
on 6th July 2017. Rott has scored 4,594 Test runs since he
made his debut in 2012 and has been vice-captain since
May 2015.
21. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has appointed his wife
as the First Vice President of the country -- Mehriban Ali-
yeva.
Note: The Vice President position was created after a
constitutional referendum in September,2016.
22. Former aid worker and oil executive, has been appointed
the new Prime Minister of Federal Republic of Somalia --
Hassan Ali Khayre.
23. Newly appointed Prime Minister of Republic of the Sudan --
Bakri Hassan Saleh.
Note: It is the first-time Sudan has a prime minister since
Bashir came to power in a 1989 Islamist and military-
backed coup. He is a retired army general and former
defense, interior and presidential affairs minister.
24. re-elected European Councils President -- Donald Tusk.
www.gradeup.co
Note: Tusk has been re-elected for a term of two and a
half year by 27 to one votes. Hell take over the office from
1st June 2017.The European Council is the institution of
Important Committees
1. B N Srikrishna Committee - to review institutionalization of
arbitration mechanism in India.
2. Ajit Mohan committee - to fight against the menace of online
piracy.
3. Nripendra Mishra Committee - on Indus Water Treaty.
4. Committee of chief ministers on demonetisation - Andhra
Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Note: Chief Ministers of five states to suggest measures to
normalise the situation in the wake of demonetisation of Rs
500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes.
5. Munialappa committee - to monitor the bird flu situation and
help state governments take steps to contain the disease.
6. K.S. Valdiya committee - The Saraswati river, so far consid-
ered mythical, did exist, a Governmentconstituted expert
committee has found.
7. Injeti Srinivas committee -- A committee to suggest improve-
ments in the National Sports Development Code (NSDC) and
functioning of Indian Sports Federation
Note: The committee will suggest improvements in the pre-
sent NSDC on the basis of suggestions and feedback given in
these meetings and submit a report within a month so that
Sports Bodies work as per the public expectations for the pro-
motion of sports in India.
8. Hem Pande committee - to sell subsidised pulses to ensure
that there is no shortage of the item during this festival sea-
son.
9. Mata Prasad committee - suggested an overhaul in transmis-
sion planning to facilitate transfer of power on economic prin-
ciples.
10. Justice L Narasimha Reddy committee - to consider the
anomalies, if any, arising out of implementation of OROP.
Current Affairs International
1. Aoba Velox-III satellite belongs to the country -- Singa-
pore.
Note: Aoba Velox-III is a joint project between
Singapores Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and
Japans Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech).
2. The worlds largest solar park -- Longyangxia Dam Solar
Park (China).
Note: The Longyangxia Dam Solar Park occupies 27 sq
km and built at a cost of about 6bn yuan. The solar park
can produce about 850 MW of power in Qinghai
province.
15 | P a g e
the European Union (EU) that charged with defining the
EUs overall political direction and priorities.
11. Pradeep Kumar Sinha committee - to develop the pan-India
road map for trade facilitation
12. Ratan P Watal committee - to suggest steps to promote card
payments
13. Amitabh Kant committee (CEO of NITI Aayog) - to look at eas-
ing the policy regime for e-commerce players, including the
rules for foreign direct investment (FDI).
14. Arvind Panagariya committee - to prepare a road map for
elimination of poverty. It has suggested setting up a commit-
tee to identify people Below Poverty Line (BPL). It also sug-
gested participation from states in defining the BPL popula-
tion.
15. TVSN Prasad committee - to look into the alternatives to pel-
let guns. It suggests that the pellet guns should be used in rar-
est of rare cases. It suggests for use of other non-lethal weap-
ons, like chilli grenade shells, for crowd control.
16. Ak Sinha committee - to study slit in river Ganga in Bihar.
17. Justice R.M. Lodha committee - to oversee the functioning of
Medical Council of India (MCI)
18. NK Singh committee - to review and give recommendations
on Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM)
roadmap for the future.
19. Sanjay Mitra committee - to prepare a policy framework for
taxi and other transport operators in view of the ban on diesel
taxis in the National Capital Region (NCR).
20. DB Shekatkar Committee - on defence spending.
21. T S R Subramanian committee - New Education Policy.
22. Akhilesh Ranjan committee - recommendations on Taxation
of e-commerce
23. s
3. As per The American Interest magazine Indias rank in
the list of Eight Great Powers of 2017-- 6th.
4. India has signed a Protocol to amend the Double Taxa-
tion Avoidance Convention in January this year -- Ka-
zakhstan.
5. The first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citi-
zens a basic monthly income, amounting to 560 euros
(USD 587) --Finland.
6. NASA is sending first African-American space station
crew member to space station in 2018 --Jeanette Epps.
www.gradeup.co
7. The Union Government has imposed an anti-dumping
duty ranging from USD 6.30 to USD 351. 72 per tonne on
imports of jute and its products from -- Bangladesh and
Nepal.
8. The Union Cabinet has agreed to sign an agreement for
cooperation in field of agriculture and allied sectors --
Portugal.
9. The company who has launched the training program,
named Digital Unlocked, for Indian small and medium
businesses is -- Google.
10. India has approved to sign a MoU with this country in
the field of agriculture and allied sectors -- Kenya.
11. Three-year ban on import of some vegetables (bitter
gourd, snake gourd and aubergines) from India-- Euro-
pean Union (EU).
12. ISRO has signed pact with the countrys space agency on
satellite launch technology -- France.
Note: The space programmes of both countries are com-
plementary in terms of comparable size and sharing sim-
ilar objectives. ISRO is the second partner of CNES, in
terms of volume, after NASA.
13. The worlds first country to shut-down the Frequency
Modulation (FM) radio broadcasting network and
started its switching to Digital Audio Broadcasting
(DAB)-- Norway.
14. India and Sri Lanka have signed MoU to construct rain
water harvesting system at a cost of 30 crore Sri Lankan
Rupees in northern Jaffna District -- 3000.
15. The International conference for peace talks between Is-
rael and Palestinians will be held in -- Paris (France).
Note: Around 70 nations delegates are expected to re-
affirm support for a two-state solution to the decades-
old conflict.
16. The first country in the world to officially recognize
parkour as a sport -- The United Kingdom.
17. National order of knighthood honour on former Union
Minister of State for External Affairs Eduardo Faleiro --
Portugal.
18. The Country has test-fired the first submarine-launched
Cruise Missile Babur-3 -- Pakistan.
19. The country has become an associate member of Euro-
pean Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) -- India.
16 | P a g e
Note: The CERN operates the largest particle physics
laboratory in the world and the headquarters is located
at Geneva, Switzerland.
20. The India Innovation Index (III) will be developed by the
international organization to measure innovation perfor-
mance of Indian states -- World Intellectual Property Or-
ganization (WIPO).
Note: The index will be based on key pillars of innovation
and sub-indices that together will assist in tailoring
policies that promote inclusive growth.
21. The International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic
plants of India was held in the city -- New Delhi.
Note: The 2-day International Symposium on Medicinal
and Aromatic plants of India was held in New Delhi.
22. An appeal for 3 billion US Dollar to help 48 million chil-
dren caught up in crises worldwide amid fears of a fund-
ing cut from top donor the United States -- UNICEF.
Note: The United States is the top donor to UNICEF,
followed by Germany, Britain and the European.
23. The programming committee meeting of South Asian As-
sociation for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was held at -
- Kathmandu (Nepal).
Note: Indian delegation leads by Joint Secretary (SAARC)
Shri Prashant Agarwal and issues including budget of
SAARC secretariat and its 5 regional centers and regular
activities of the association has been discussed.
24. Who hosted the 4th BIMSTEC Summit-2017 -- Nepal.
Note: The BIMSTEC was founded in 1997 and is an
international organization involving a group of countries
in South Asia and South East Asia.
25. The worlds first country to completely divest from fossil
fuels -- Ireland.
26. Who has successfully tested a new version Dongfeng-5C
missile -- China.
27. The country hosted the Mobile World Congress 2017 --
Spain.
Note: The 2017 Mobile World Congress was held in Bar-
celona, Spain from 27th February to 2nd March. The
MWC is the worlds largest gathering for the mobile in-
dustry.
28. The Airways has launched the world's longest scheduled
commercial airline route with the arrival of its flight from
Doha to Auckland, New Zealand -- Qatar Airways.
www.gradeup.co
Note: The airliner 777-200LR is 259-seat Boeing crossed
10 time zones before landing in Auckland after taking off
from Doha covering distance of 7848 nautical miles.
29. Japan's Scientists have announced the development of
transmitter which can transmit digital data at a rate ex-
ceeding 100 gigabits per second over a single channel us-
ing the 300-gigahertz band -- Terahertz (THz).
Note: It is a next generation system which can transmit
digital data over 10 times faster than 5G mobile
networks expected to appear around 2020
30. The International Conference on NexGen Technologies
for Mining and Fuel Industries at -- Vigyan Bhawan in
New Delhi.
Note: The conference has covered areas like Innovative
mining technology for sustainable development and
advances in mine design mine planning recent
advancement in drilling and blasting.
31. International organization has opened the South Asia Re-
gional Training and Technical Assistance Center
(SARTTAC) in India -- International Monetary Fund(IMF).
Note: The center is a collaborative venture between the
IMF, the member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and development
partners.
32. The Minister of State for Communications (Independent
Charge) Manoj Sinha has inaugurated the two-day
ASEAN India Digital connectivity summit in -- New Delhi.
Note: Around 30 countries delegates explore areas of
cooperation in the area of telecommunication and net-
work technology.
33. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has suc-
cessfully ground tested its indigenously developed Cryo-
genic Upper Stage engine for -- GSLV Mark III.
Note: The test was last in the series before going for an
actual rocket launch and the engine will be put into use
in April.
34. The Pakistan army has launched nationwide military op-
eration to eliminate terrorists and consolidate gains of
its counter-terrorism operations -- Radd-ul-Fasaad.
Note: The operation aims include the elimination of the
residual and latent threat of terrorism, consolidating
gains of operations made so far and ensuring the
security of Pakistan's borders.
35. Astronomers have discovered for the first-time new
Earth-sized exoplanets that may be able to sustain life --
seven.
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Note: The stunning discovery of seven Earth-like planets
orbiting a small star in the galaxy open up the most
promising hunting ground so far for life beyond the Solar
System.
36. The world's first robot table tennis tutor in Japan has set
a new Guinness World Record for its uncanny ability of
being able to play the game better than most humans --
FORPHEUS.
Note: FORPHEUS (Future Omron Robotics Technology
for Exploring Possibility of Harmonised Automation with
Sinic Theoretics) has officially been given the Guinness
title for its unique technological intelligence and
educational capabilities.
37. The country to host the 9th edition of BRICS Summit-
2017--China.
Note: The theme of this years event is BRICS: Stronger
Partnership for a Brighter Future.
38. India has signed MoU with the neighbour country for
development of Sylhet city -- Bangladesh.
39. The country to build its first national under water obser-
vatory in disputed South China Sea -- China.
40. The country has decided to cancel visa-free entry for
North Koreans due to National security reasons from 6th
March 2017 -- Malaysia.
Note: North Koreans will be required to obtain a visa
before entering Malaysia for national security reasons.
41. The country hosted the 10th International Conference
on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance -- India.
Note: Three-day ICEGOV conference was organized by
the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
in collaboration with United Nations University and
UNESCO.
42. The country has won the 'Most Popular Tourism Destina-
tion Award' at the Guangzhou International Travel Fair
(GITF) in China -- Sri Lanka.
Note: Sri Lanka won the award is the testament to the
country's growing popularity among Chinese travel
enthusiasts for the second consecutive year.
43. The two-week long joint military exercise between India
and Nepal has begun in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand
-- SURYA KIRAN-XI.
Note: The Surya Kiran series of exercises are being
conducted biannually, alternatively in India and Nepal.
44. Indian and Royal Oman armies joint exercise Al Nagah-
two in Bakloh area -- Chamba district,HP.
www.gradeup.co
Note: Total sixty contingents from both sides are taking
part in the exercise. The exercise would be mainly
focused on counter-terrorism and forest warfare.
45. The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) meeting was
held in the city -- Lahore.
Note: The PIC is a bilateral commission of officials from
India-Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals
of Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
46. The Constitutional court has removed South Korean
President from the office -- Park Geun-Hye.
Note: The impeachment was carried out over allegations
of corruption and cronyism on Park.
47. The cultural festival India by the Nile has started in the
country -- Egypt.
Note: The event is a special moment as this year India
celebrates 70 years of independence and also 70 years
of its diplomatic relations with Egypt.
48. Two-day 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa
Project Partnership in New Delhi inaugurated by -- Presi-
dent Pranab Mukherjee.
Note: The CII-Exim bank conclave was organized by the
CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) in partnership with
the EXIM Bank of India with the support of the Ministry
of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce &
Industry, Government of India.
49. The country who has successfully test fired naval strike
ballistic missile Hormuz 2-- Iran.
50. The 23rd Conference of Auditors General of Common-
wealth Countries and British Overseas Territories -- New
Delhi.
51. The country has launched a new Peace Education and
Reconciliation Unit (PERU) to create awareness on rec-
onciliation among hundreds of thousands of students--
The Sri Lankan.
52. The country hosted the 3rd edition of World Conference
on Environment -- India.
Note: The conference has been organized by the
National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi.
53. CEA (Central Electricity Authority) report, India has ex-
ported electricity to Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar
during the current FY 2016-17-- around 5,798 million
units.
Note: The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is the
designated authority of the government for cross-border
trade of electricity.
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54. Four -day mega Conference of world parliamentarians in
-- Dhaka.
Note: Around 687 members of 131 national parliaments
around the world are participated in the conference. The
conference promising to focus on ways and means to
end political & economic inequality and uphold
democracy and human rights.
55. 7th member of South Asia sub-regional Economic Coop-
eration (SASEC) program of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) -- Myanmar.
Note: It was officially made member at the SASEC
Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi.
56. An initiative a virtual training programme "Amazon
Classroom" to help teach them the nuances of online
selling -- Amazon India.
Note: The program focusses on areas such as order
processing, adding products and managing returns that
are required to operate a successful online business.
57. India-UAE cultural celebrations festival launched at --
Abu Dhabi.
Note: India-UAE Cultural Celebrations is a cultural
partnership for a positive future is a cultural engagement
programme.
58. The World's oldest and most experienced spacewoman
is getting three extra months in orbit -- Peggy Whitson.
Note: The two men she flew up with in November
Thomas Pesquet (France) and Oleg Novitskiy (Russia) will
return in June without her.
59. Thailand King has signed a new constitution in Bangkok -
- Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Note: This is Thailands 20th constitution since 1932. The
new constitution is expected to pave way for Democracy
while also giving the army a substantial role in politics.
60. The first country in the world to fully allow the produc-
tion, sale, and consumption of marijuana when its phar-
macies will be allowed to sell marijuana in July 2017 --
Uruguay.
Note: Under the law, users also have the option to grow
their own pot at home, or join cannabis clubs that grow
it in cooperatives. 8.
61. The G-7 Foreign Ministers meeting was held in the coun-
try- Italy.
Note: The Group of 7 (G7) consists of Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK) and the
United States (USA).
62. The International Convention on World Homoeopathy
Day (WHD) in the city -- New Delhi.
www.gradeup.co
Note: The 2-day International Convention has started
with the theme Enhancing Quality of Research in
Homoeopathy through scientific evidence and rich
clinical experiences at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK) in
New Delhi.
63. The first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017 has
started in city -- New Delhi.
Note: The slogan of the summit is Unite for a Healthy
Mind.The NIMCARE is a registered Charitable Trust
under the Government of Tamil Nadu.
64. Amnesty International (Global death penalty-2016) has
topped on executions in 2016 -- China.
Note: China executed thousands each year, Iran
executed (567 people), Saudi Arabia (154 people) and
Pakistan (87 peoples) in 2016.
65. The centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's has been cele-
brated in London with the screening of a documentary
to re-tell Gandhi's story -- Sabarmati Ashram.
Note: The documentary 'Sabarmati Ashram- The Home
of Gandhi's Experiments with Truth was screened at the
Nehru Centre.
66. The first Nepal-China joint army exercise Sagarmatha
Friendship-2017 -- Kathmandu.
Note: The 'Sagarmatha Friendship-2017 drill is aimed to
exchange experience, skills and professional knowledge
between the armies of Nepal and China.
67. Internet giant Google has launched an app that will ag-
gregate all hyperlocal services and food delivery apps in
the country -- Areo.
Note: This is the first time that Google is entering the
business of food delivery and home services in India.
Google- Areo is an accreditor that provides services
through other startups in the domain.
68. Indias first conceptualized, designed and manufactured
articulated industrial robot called -- BRABO (Bravo Ro-
bot).
Note: It has been developed indigenously for micro,
small and medium enterprises (MSME) in India.
69. The agreements with three Singapore universities to pro-
vide training opportunities to students at the ASEAN-In-
dia Business Forum in Singapore -- The Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII).
Note: CII is an association of Indian businesses which
works to create an environment conducive to the growth
of industry in the country.
70. The country to host the 14th edition of United Nations
International Day of Vesak 2017-- Sri Lanka.
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Note: Sri Lanka will host Vesak -2017 under the theme
Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable
World Peace.
71. The worlds first airline to adopt new satellite-based air-
plane tracking system -- Malaysia Airlines.
Note: Malaysia Airlines will track its flights with the help
of satellites by 2018.
72. The first World Ocean Festival (WOF) will be hosted by
the country -- United States.
Note: The first WOF will be organized by the Global Brian
Foundation (GBF).
73. The BRICS Film Festival 2017 will be held in -- China.
Note: Around 30 films from BRICS countries will be
screened during the festival, including an anthology by
five directors from the mentioned countries from 23 to
27 June,2017.
74. India and the East Asian nation have signed an Inter-
Governmental MoU for Defence Industry cooperation
between their shipbuilding yards in New Delhi -- South
Korea.
Note: India has nominated Hindustan Shipyard at
Vishakhapatnam whereas South Korea is yet to
nominate its shipyard.
75. The first satellite Mongol Sat-I part of its efforts to make
use of new technology to diversify its resource-depend-
ent economy -- Mongolia.
Note: The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia
Broadcast Satellite (ABS). It is 1227 Megahertz satellite.
76. The first Indian-Indonesia Energy Forum in -- Jakarta, In-
donesia.
Note: Major Indian companies in oil and gas sector, like
ONCG Videsh Limited, Petronet LNG Limited, Gas are
participating in this forum.
77. India has signed three with the country on peaceful uses
of outer space -- Armenia.
Note: The two countries are celebrating the 25th
anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
78. The first country in the world to ban the mining of met-
als for environmental protection -- El Salvador.
Note: The new law entered into force after being signed
by President Salvador Sanchez Ceren.
79. India and Cyprus have signed agreements after delega-
tion-level talks in New Delhi -- four.
Note: The MoUs have been exchanged are Air Services,
Agriculture, Merchant Shipping and Culture Education.
 www.gradeup.co
80. The first code for its new feature Copy less Paste in its
Chrome app running on Android OS -- Google.
Note: The Copy less Paste feature will take data from
Chrome usage and use that to improve the experience in
other apps.
81. A stadium-sized, heavy-lift Super Pressure Balloon (SPB)
from Wanaka, a scenic spot on New Zealand's South Is-
land has been launched by -- NASA.
Note: The balloon will float for more than 100 days at
110000 feet across the globe in the Southern
Hemisphere's mid-latitude band.
82. The founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales is going to
launch a news site to tackle the spread of false infor-
mation -- Wikitribune.
Note: The site will be jointly run by journalists and a
community of volunteers who will verify the stories
before publishing them.
83. The city has been designated UNESCO World Book Capi-
tal 2018 -- Athens.
Current Affairs National
1. The first-ever Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Inter-
national Dance festival was held in the city -- Hyderabad.
Note: Around 100 performers from 9 countries show cased
their traditional and contemporary dance nuances.
2. The 104th Indian Science Congress (ISC) has started in the
state - Andhra Pradesh.
Note: The focal theme of 5-day annual ISC is Science and
Technology for National Development.
3. Indias first laser technology-based advanced Automatic Ve-
hicle Monitoring System (AVMS) RTO check post has set up
at- Gujarat.
Note: It will provide transparent, sensitive, decisive and
progressive government to the people.
4. The 25th New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) was held at -
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Note: The 2017 theme is Manushi Books Written on and
by Women.
5. The 2017 Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) hosted by the city-
Bengaluru.
6. The International Conference on Yoga for diabetes has
been held in the city- New Delhi.
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84. The city who is hosting the 2017 Mobile World Con-
gress(MWC) -- Barcelona (Spain).
Note: The 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) has
started in Barcelona, Spain from 27th February and will
continue till March. The MWC is the worlds biggest and
best mobile industry event comprising of a massive
exhibition, an award-winning conference, outstanding
networking opportunities, partner programmes, the
Glomo Awards and much more.
85. Who has given its final approval for the
withdrawal of Britain from the European Union -- UK
House of Lords.
Note: A royal assent is now a waited for the legislation,
post which Prime Minister Theresa May would be free to
withdraw the country from the worlds largest economic
union and begin a 2- year negotiation period as
mentioned in the Article 50 of European Unions Lisbon
Treaty.
86. The city has topped the list in the Mercers 2017
Quality of Living index -- Vienna.
Note: Zurich is in second place, followed by Munich,
Auckland, Vancouver, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Geneva
Note: The 3-day conference was inaugurated by Shripad
Yesso Naik, the minister of State for AYUSH (Independent
Charge).
7. The birth anniversary of 10th and last Sikh Guru, Guru Go-
bind Singh being celebrated - 350th.
Note: The main function was held at "Takht Harmandir
Sahib" in Patna.
8. Pan-India expansion of this programme to benefit pregnant
and lactating mothers across the country - Maternity Bene-
fit Programme (MBP).
9. The city is going to play host to the ninth edition of Jaipur
International Film Festival (JIFF)- Jaipur.
10. The 20th Edition of the National Conference for e-Govern-
ance 2016-17 - Visakhapatnam, (Andhra Pradesh).
Note: The theme of conference is Internet of Things and e-
Governance.
11. The 3rd edition of 2017 National conference Jal Manthan-
III was held in the city- New Delhi.
Note: The focus of the conference was to on refining
policies of the Ministry to make them more people friendly
and responsive to the needs of the states.
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12. The worlds largest street light replacement programme of
India- Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP).
Note: The SLNP is the worlds largest street light
replacement programme, implemented by the Energy
Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).
13. The 8th Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit 2017 at
Mahatma Mandir in - Gandhinagar.
Note: The purpose of the summit is to provide a platform
to debate global economic and social issues on the lines of
the World Economic Forum in Davos.
14. Indias second Kalvari-class Scorpene stealth submarine
INS Khanderi has been launched in -- Mumbai, Maha-
rashtra.
Note: Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha
forces, which played a vital role in ensuring their supremacy
at sea in the late 17th century.
15. Indias first-ever solar powered boat Aditya has been
launched in -- Kerala.
Note: The 'Aditya' is the 75-seater boat fitted with 78
rooftop solar panels. It will ferry along a 2.5 kilometre route
between Vaikom and Thavanakkadavu 22 times a day.
16. SEZ India mobile app has been launched by the union min-
istry for special economic zones- Ministry of Commerce
and Industry.
Note: The app would help the SEZ units and developers to
find information easily and track their transactions on SEZ
Online System.
17. The Chinese Mobile handset brand 'Gionee' has signed as
the brand ambassador- Virat Kohli.
Note: He will be joining Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt.
18. Android-based mobile application named app to promote
ease of ticketing through digital transactions - IRCTC Rail
Connect app.
Note: Rail Connect has been developed to bring the power
of next generation e-ticketing system like high performance
and enhanced security.
19. The Tamil Nadu tourism department has launched a mobile
app- Pinakin.
Note: User can listen to interesting stories, facts and trivia
about the sites in two languages Tamil and English.
20. The 58th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF)
was held in - New Delhi.
Note: The fair was organized by Apparel Export Promotion
Council (AEPC) India and around 312 participants from 14
states of India has participated in the Fair.
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21. The mega-cultural event "Bharat Parv" from 26th January at
- Red Fort.
Note: Bharat Parv has organized from 26th to 31st January
at Red Fort.
22. The 2nd edition of Ministry of External Affairs annual con-
ference Raisina Dialogue was held at - Taj Palace (New
Delhi).
Note: The theme The New Normal: Multilateralism in a
multipolar world.
23. Mission 41K has been launched by the union ministry to
save energy- Ministry of Railways.
24. The portal by the Union Government for Sarva Shiksha Ab-
hiyan (SSA) -- Shagun portal.
Note: The purpose of the portal is to capture and
showcase innovations and progress in Elementary
Education sector of India by continuous monitoring of the
scheme.
25. The most dynamic city out of 137 cities as per the 4th an-
nual edition of JLL City Momentum Index (CMI) 2017- Ben-
galuru.
Note: There are six Indian cities Bangaluru-1, Hyderabad-
5th, Pune-13th, Chennai-17th, Delhi-23rd and Mumbai-
25th in the list of 30.
26. The Chief Guest for the 2017 Republic Day of India -- Mo-
hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
27. Indian personality has become judge in the 2017 Miss Uni-
verse pageant -- Sushmita Sen.
28. The first flight is likely to take off next month under the
government's ambitious regional connectivity scheme --
UDAN (Ude Desh Ke Aam Naagrik).
Note: Under the scheme, the fare for a one hour journey of
approximately 500 km on a fixed wing aircraft or for the 30-
minute journey on a helicopter will be capped at Rs. 2500.
29. The Petroleum ministry has inaugurated a month-long
awareness drive on fuel conservation in New Delhi --
Saksham 2017.
Note: The drive aimed to create awareness amongst
masses towards judicious utilization and conservation of
petroleum products along with the use of energy efficient
appliances.
30. The Indian Railways has launched of Aastha Circuit Tourist
Train from Guwahati (Assam) -- North-East Frontier (NF).
Note: The train would take the tourists to various famous
religious destinations like Gangasagar, Sri Swamy Narayan
Temple, Kalighat, Birla Temple in Kolkata, Sri Jagannath
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Temple and Konark Temple in Puri and Bhubaneswar -
Lingaraj Temple.
41. The first Indian state to opt for electronic transmission of
postal ballot to service voters in the upcoming elections --
Goa.
42. e-health project has launched by the state government
with support of World Bank (WB)- Kerala.
Note: The project is already running in 12 healthcare
institutions in Thiruvananthapuram district that will be
scaled up across the state.
43. Who has launched Khelegi toh Khileg in India -- Nurturing
Excellence in Sports Trust (NEST).
Note: It is the pan-India initiative for girl football between
the age of 10 to 15 years along with the National Yuva
Cooperative Society (NYCS).
44. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has decided to
set up weather stations in 660 districts of the country by --
2019.
Note: Initially, 130 districts have shortlisted in the first
phase and gradually increase it to 660 by 2019.
45. Who has launched two-wheeler aggregation service
UberMOTO in Hyderabad-- Uber.
Note: UberMOTO can hire two-wheelers for short-
distance commute at cheaper rates to provide the last-mile
connectivity from and to the upcoming Metro railway
stations. Fares at Rs. 25 for (first 3 km) and Rs. 5 per km
thereafter.
46. Indias first social luxury travel magazine Luxury Travel
Times has launched by -- MakeMyTrip.
Note: The mobile-only magazine is targeted at luxury
travellers and is released through innovative ad platforms
like Facebook Canvas & Instagram-Stories.
47. A memorandum of understanding with the AYUSH ministry
to regulate the misleading advertisements in this AYUSH
sector -- Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
48. The union govt. will invest how many crore rupees in North
East in telecom infrastructure in the next two years -- 5,500
crore rupees
49. The Farmers Martyrs day to pay homage to the martyrs of
1894 farmers rising in the state -- Assam.
50. The world's tallest building has lit up in the color of the In-
dian to celebrate India's 68th Republic Day -- Burj Khalifa
tower (Dubai).
51. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully
ground tested the Cryogenic Upper Stage engine meant for
the rocket -- GSLV-Mark-III.
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52. The 19th edition Bharat Rang Mahotsav has begun with the
special focus on the different genres of Indian theatre--
New Delhi.
Note: It is the annual theatre festival of India's premier
theatre training institute of Govt. of India National School
of Drama (NSD), New Delhi.
53. Who is planning to remeasure the height the worlds tallest
peak Mount Everest -- The Survey of India.
Note: The Survey of India would be sending an expedition
to Nepal in two months to conduct the exercise. The Mount
Everest currently stands at a height of 8,848 metres (29,028
feet) above the sea level.
54. The 9th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival --
Bengaluru (Karnataka)
Note: Form 55 countries,200 films will be screened in
Bengaluru and Mysuru during this film festival.
55. The three non-stop flights a week from New Delhi to Dulles
International Airport in the suburb of Washington DC (USA)
this summer -- Air India (AI).
Note: The move will bring 30,000 people from India to
America every year for economic, commercial and family
purposes.
56. The Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign has been
launched in the state -- Karnataka.
Note: The campaign against these two diseases will start
from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and
Lakshadweep and will cover nearly 3.6 crore children.
57. The Union HRD Ministry will set up a department to con-
duct examinations for higher and secondary education --
National Testing Agency (NTA).
58. The country's first centre of excellence for differently abled
sportsmen at -- Gandhinagar(Gujarat).
Note: The center is proposed with an estimate of 50 crores
rupees and will provide World class facilities such as indoor
halls, dedicated tracks, and 100 bedded hostel.
59. The first North-eastern state government has implemented
e-Cabinet solution for the state cabinet members--- Aruna-
chal Pradesh.
Note: The e-Cabinet system uses a web-based software
by which ministers can prepare for cabinet meetings,
conduct them and review minutes, entirely without paper.
60. Indias first a-political three days National Womens Parlia-
ment (NWP) was held in -- Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh).
Note: Three-day conference has been organized by the
Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly with the theme of
Empowering Women-Strengthening Democracy.
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61. Indias first inter-disciplinary school on Quality and Reliabil-
ity (Q&R) will be set up by the -- IIT Kharagpur.
Note: The purpose for establishing the school is to improve
the quality of life for the people of India as well as develop
quality conscious global citizens.
62. The worlds first Braille Atlas for visually impaired persons
has been launched by -- Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
Note: The special edition of the Atlas for Visually Impaired
(India) in English Braille has been prepared by National
Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO) under
the Department of S&T.
63. The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) has consti-
tuted a sub-committee to boost girls education-- Kadiyam
Srihari committee.
Note: He is the Deputy Chief Minister and Education
Minister of Telangana.
64. The first floating elementary school of India has been inau-
gurated at Langolsabi Leikai of Champu Khangpok floating
village on Loktak Lake in Manipur-- Loktak Elementary
Floating School.
65. The Union Minister has launched the National Career Ser-
vice (NCS) and Jeevan Praman facility to the EPFO pension-
ers through Post Offices in Hyderabad -- Bandaru Datta-
treya.
Note: The post offices will work as employment registration
centres for unemployed youth through the NCS portal as
India Post has a large network of more than one and half
lakh post offices.
66. The first Indian airport to enter the list of top 15 airports in
the World - Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
67. The union Govt. has decided to open the Post Office Pass-
port Seva Kendras (POPSK) at different locations in many
states for delivering passport related services to the public--
56 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras.
68. A record 104 satellites in a single flight in one go on board a
single rocket PSLV-C37 -- ISRO.
Note: All the satellites were successfully put into a 505-km
polar Sun Synchronous Orbit. 96 belong to USA and 5 from
International customers of ISRO - Israel, Kazakhstan,
Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates.
69. Sachin Tendulkar adopted another village for transfor-
mation under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna-- Donja in
Osmanabad (Maharashtra).
Note: The amount will be spent on development of a new
school building, a water supply scheme that would provide
potable water to each household, concrete roads and a
sewage line.
Earlier, he was transforming the lives of villagers in
Puttamraju Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh.
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70. The city is hosting the 2017 Indian Panorama Film Festival--
Port Blair.
Note: The Film Festival is being organized after a gap of five
years in the Island. The film Bahubali (Telugu) directed by
SS. Rajamauli has screened on the occasion.
71. The portal has been launched by the union government to
ensure transparency in mining operations --Tamra.
Note: TAMRA stands for Transparency, Auction
Monitoring and Resource Augmentation.
72. The theme of the second edition of Hunar Haat-2017--
Craft aur cuisine ka sangam.
Note: Hunar Haat is to encourage, promote and provide
national and international market to master artisans and
craftsmen belonging to minority communities.
73. Mega event of Global investor summit "Momentum Jhar-
khand" has been augurated at -- Ranchi (Jharkhand).
Note: The Global Investor Summit is being organised for the
first time in Jharkhand since its creation and more than one
thousand delegates of Indian & other countries are taking
part in this event. M S Dhoni is Brand Ambassador for the
Summit.
74. The state hosted the 2017 South Asian Speakers summit --
Madhya Pradesh.
Note: Two-day South Asian Speakers summit has been
inaugurated by the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan at
Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
75. The Indian Seed Congress-2017 has been inaugurated in--
Kolkata.
Note: The theme of Seed Congress is Seed of Joy. The
theme is in line with vision to bring happiness and prosper-
ity in the lives of farmers by doubling their farm income by
2022.
76. The new communication radio for the Indian armed forces
(STARS-V Mk III) at the Aero India 2017 show -- Bharat Elec-
tronics Ltd (BEL).
Note: The radio is completely designed, developed and
made in BEL.
77. A signed pact with which technological giant for connected
vehicle technology -- Tata Motors.
Note: The purpose of the pact is to provide an enriched
mobile experience for its consumers.
78. The India Vetiver Network (INVN) has been launched in the
state -- Tamil Nadu.
Note: The INVN is a not-for-profit scientific network to
promote vetiver in India.
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79. Hospitals has been asked to display revised price list of car-
diac stents -- National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
(NPPA).
Note: NPPA has warned stent manufacturers and importers
against shortage and said the companies were under legal
obligation to maintain smooth production and supply of
coronary stents.
80. Indian scientists have discovered new miniature frog spe-
cies which can comfortably sit even on a childs thumbnail
in the Western Ghats-- Seven.
Note: These frogs were overlooked earlier because of their
insect-like calls and secretive habitats. Out of seven new
species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats
and require immediate conservation prioritisation.
81. Two-day high-level workshop on advancing passenger mo-
bility and transportation has been organized by the -- NITI
Aayog.
Note: The workshop in association with an international
non-profit organization Rocky Mountain Institute to explore
technologies and business models to help India leapfrog
traditional approaches to passenger mobility and
transportation.
82. The latest report by Stockholm International Peace Re-
search Institute (SIPRI), the worlds largest arms importer
country during 2012-16 -- India.
Note:
83. The city to host the first edition of Gramin Khel Mahotsav
(GKM) -- New Delhi.
Note: The first edition of Gramin Khel Mahotsav (GKM) will
be held from 25th to 31st March 2017 in New Delhi.
84. The Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has inaugu-
rated the first ever dedicated heliport at -- Rohini(Delhi).
Note: The heliport is built by state-owned Pawan Hans Ltd.
85. The union Railways minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off
new 'Humsafar Express' between --Sriganganagar and Tiru-
chirapalli.
Note: The new train is fully air-conditioned third AC service
with an optional service for meals.
86. The International conference on Bharat Bodh was held in -
- New Delhi.
Note: Three- day conference is organized by the Indira
Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Bhartiya
Shikshan Mandal (BSM).
87. The largest flag Inaugurated on India's tallest post at -- At-
tari Border.
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Note: The Flag post measuring 110 metres (360-foot) in
length and 24 metres in width with 55-ton weight and built
at an approximate cost of 3.50 crore.
88. Swachh Shakti Saptah to raise awareness on sanitation
and cleanliness in Gurugram, Haryana -- Mr. Narendra
Singh Tomar.
Note: The union govt. has decided to observe 'Swachh
Shakti Saptah' from 1st to 8th March 2017 across the
country.
89. Shri Parshottam Rupala has launched NDDBs cattle feed
knowledge portal in -- Anand, Gujarat.
Note: The portal will have information on least cost formula
for feeds, suppliers of feed ingredients, raw material
specifications as well as a discussion forum to share
information.
90. The city hosted the 4th India-CLMV Business Conclave -
2017 ---Jaipur.
Note: The Conclave was inaugurated by the Union Minister
of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and
organised by the Department of Commerce and
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
91. The International Yoga festival 2017 has started in the state
-- Uttarakhand.
Note: The 29th edition of the International Yoga festival
has started in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand from March 1, 2017.
92. The union govt. has approved over 4,000 Post Graduate
seats in medical colleges and hospitals across the country
for the academic session -- 2017-18.
Note: Now, the total number of PG seats available in the
country will go up to over 35 thousand. This will boost
nation's resolve to strengthen tertiary care and improve the
medical education in the country.
93. The Defense Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) handed over how many product for induction into
the Indian Army in New Delhi -- three products.
The three new products are:
Weapon Locating Radar (WLR), SWATHI: The radar
provides fast, automatic, and accurate location of all
enemy weapons like mortars, shells and rockets firing
within in its effective zone of coverage.
NBC Recce vehicle MK-I: It was developed by the Vehi-
cles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE).
NBC Drugs: The drugs were developed by the DRDOs
institute of Nuclear medicine and allied sciences (IN-
MAS)
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94. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released commem-
orative Postage Stamp on 100th Anniversary of the--
Yogoda Satsang Society of India.
Note: Yogoda Satsanga Society is a non-profit religious
organization founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1917.
95. The nationwide Swachh Shakti Saptah has been launched
from the city -- Gurugram.
96. The nation a Petrochemical Complex of ONGC Petro Addi-
tions Limited at Dahej -- Narendra Modi.
97. The week-long Bhagoria Haat festival has begun at differ-
ent Bhagoria haats (local markets) in -- western Madhya
Pradesh.
Note: The festival has been celebrated by the tribal people
of the western Madhya Pradesh. Young tribal men and
women, attired in colorful dresses, turn up at the haats
with their traditional musical instruments to sing and dance
as a part of the festival.
98. The two-day International Yoga fest at Talkatora stadium in
New Delhi -- Venkaiah Naidu.
Note: More than 3,500 participants including yoga gurus,
yoga masters, scholars, policy makers and representatives
from 15- 18 countries has participated in this event.
99. A mobile application 'Exam Locator' to help students ap-
pearing for class 10th and 12th examinations locate their
exam centres -- The Central Board of Secondary Examina-
tion (CBSE).
Note: The App will help students to quickly know the exam
centre (address, images, and geolocation) on the basis of
their roll number.
100. The last date of submission of digital life certificate
through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by 31st March under Em-
ployees' Pension Scheme (EPS) -- Employees' Provident
Fund Organisation(EPFO).
101. The two-day, 11th edition of North-East Business Summit
(NEBS) has started in the city -- New Delhi.
Note: The North-East Business Summit is an annual
flagship event to promote investment and business
opportunities in the North-Eastern part of India.
102. The web portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone
clearances in New Delhi -- Anil Madhav Dave.
Note: The Portal enables submission of applications for
CRZ clearance in a single-window interface.
103. Under the recommendations of the bill 2016, working
women in all establishments (either public or private) will
be entitled to weeks of paid maternity leave -- 26 weeks.
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Note: If a woman adopts a child below 3 months of age,
she will be entitled to 12 weeks leave from the date the
child is handed over to her. This entitlement will be
applicable for the first two children. For the 3rd child, any
women will be granted 12 weeks of maternity leave.
104. The union ministry has instituted Kamaladevi Chatto-
padhya National Awards for women handloom weavers
and women handicraft artisans -- Ministry of Textiles.
105. A mobile app and website MeraHunar HPor My Talent
to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs --
Virbhadra Singh.
Note: The mobile app will connect prospective employers
with job aspirants as the latters resume will contain
addresses and contact numbers.
106. The first Indian power utility to successfully deploy tele-
protection service using Line-Differential Relay (LDR) over
an IP/MPLS network -- The Tata Power Delhi Distribution
Limited.
107. The 6th edition of the International Engineering Sourcing
Show (IESS) has started in the city -- Chennai.
Note: It is the largest Engineering sourcing show in India
for International visitors, which is organized under the
aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
108. International Buddhist conference has been inaugurated at
-- Rajgir (Bihar).
Note: More than 1000 delegates from 35 countries
including Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Singapore is
participating in the event. Last year, it was held in
Kathmandu, Nepal.
109. The 5th foundation day function of BIRAC has been inaugu-
rated by -- Harsh Vardhan.
Note: More than 300 Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Industry
Experts, and Policy Makers including,large number of
stakeholders both national and international is taking part
in the event.
110. The Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has inaugurated a
passport seva kendra at a post office in -- Bikaner (Raja-
sthan).
Note: Similar kendra will be inaugurated in Jhunjhunu,
Kota, Jhalawar (RPT Jhalawar) and Jaisalmer by 31st
March.
111. The Court accorded the status of living human entities to
the India's most sacred Ganga and Yamuna rivers --- Utta-
rakhand High Court.
Note: According to a division bench of Justices Rajeev
Sharma and Alok Singh of Nainital High Court "Holy rivers
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Ganga and Yamuna have been declared to be treated as
living human entities.
112. The city is hosting the 15th edition of All India Meet of
State Legal Services Authorities-- New Delhi.
Note: The two-day event is organized by the National Legal
Services Authority (NALSA) in collaboration with Delhi
State Legal Services (DSLS).
113. The first fully India-made 12-coach train has flagged off be-
tween Dadar to Borivali at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in
Mumbai, Maharashtra -- Medha.
114. The country is hosting the International Diamond Confer-
ence Mines to Market 2017 -- India.
Note: The theme of the conference is Mines to Market
2017 and is organized by the Gem and Jewellery Export
Promotion Council of India (GJEPC).
115. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has un-
veiled new exam format for -- Class VI to IX.
Note: The board has replaced Continuous and
Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) which was in place since
2009 with a uniform system of assessment and
examination to be followed by its affiliated schools.
116. The worlds third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Thiru-
vananthapurams Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in
Kerala -- ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar.
Note: He commissioned two facilities at the center, one-
metre Hypersonic Wind Tunnel, and one-metre Shock
Tunnel. The facilities comprise 500 valves, 2 km long
pipelines, 41 electric motors, 35 pumps, 320 instruments
and 10 km of cables.
117. Indian cities were included in the Tentative List of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites -- Five.
Note: The five Indian cities included in the list are
Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai.
118. An integrated grievances redressal platform for Petroleum
and Gas related queries -- MoPNG e Seva.
Note:
MoPNG e-Seva is a dedicated grievances redressal plat-
form on Social Media for all queries and grievances re-
lating to Oil and Gas Sector.
The grievances will be dealt on real-time basis.
119. Indias first vertical garden has set up in the state-- Karna-
taka.
Note: The garden will help to control the pollution level of
the city and also act as a sound proofing barrier.
120. The surveillance ship was commissioned into the Indian
Navy at Port Blair -- INLCU L51.
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Note: LCU 51 is the first of the eight ships of the Landing
Craft Utility (LCU) Mk IV Class. The ship is also equipped
with Integrated Platform Management System and
Integrated Bridge System for automated controls and
quick functioning.
121. The city to host the 105th edition of the 2018- Indian Sci-
ence Congress (ISC) -- Hyderabad.
Note: The theme of the conference will be Science and
Technology Reaching the Unreached.
122. Who has become the first Indian state to carry financial in-
clusion and extend banking services to unbanked areas
through Self Help Groups(SHGs) -- Odisha.
Note: The state government has signed an agreement with
State Bank of India (SBI)to provide banking facilities to
people in unbanked areas.
123. Who has become the first tiger reserve in India to officially
introduce a mascot Bhoorsingh the Barasingha" to create
a better connection with its visitors -- Kanha tiger reserve.
Note:
The aims of mascot to present the hard ground swamp
deer Barasingha as the spirit of the reserve and spread
awareness to save it from possible extinction
124. The union Information & Broadcasting Ministery has
launched the online film certification system with an aim
to the elimination of middlemen and promote clean cin-
ema -- 'e-CinePramaan'.
125. Indias first International Centre for Foot and Mouth Dis-
ease (ICFMD) has set up at Argul in the state -- Odisha.
Note: The research center has been constructed in joint
collaboration of UNs Food and Agriculture Organization &
Indian Council of Agricultural Research to conduct research
on the viral disease of cattle and buffaloes.
126. India has decided to liberalize e-visa regime by increasing
the time limit for seeking the entry permit from existing 30
days to a maximum of -- four months.
Note: The duration of stay for foreigners, coming into the
country through select categories of e-visa, has also been
extended to two months.
127. The North-Western Railway has declared rail routes as
Green Corridors -- Barmer-Munawab & Pipad Road-Bilara.
Note: The trains in the section have been equipped with
bio-toilets to ensure zero discharge of human waste on the
rail tracks under the Swachh Rail-Swachh Bharat
initiative.
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128. The union government has launched two mobile apps to
provide access to various services and information to ena-
ble citizens to report any traffic violation -- echallan and
mParivahan.
Note: 'eChallan' is an integrated enforcement solution to
manage traffic violations through a mobile app.
'mParivahan' is an empowering app for the citizen which
provides access to various services, information, and
utilities related to the transport sector.
129. The 5-day conference at Forest Research Institute (FRI) in
Dehradun, Uttarakhand is being organized on the theme --
Forests for Prosperity and Posterity.
Note: The international conference is being organized in
association with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and
Climate Change and Commonwealth Forestry Association
of UK.
130. The beneficiaries of Prime Ministers 'Yojana has reached
more than 2 crores in less than a year -- Ujjwala Yojana.
Note: Ujjwala Yojana is serving as a novel means of
women empowerment and achieving the goals of
providing clean fuel and a better life to the people.
131. A comprehensive scheme for power loom sector develop-
ment PowerTex India in Bhiwandi, Thane district, Maha-
rashtra -- Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani.
Note: The scheme will especially benefit small power
loom weavers.
132. Indias rank in the WADAs Anti-Doping Rule Violations
(ADRVs) report for year 2015 -- 3rd.
Note: The list is topped by Russia (176), followed by Italy
(129), India (117), France (84) and Belgium (67).
133. A three-day National Childrens Film Festival in --Vishakha-
patnam (Andhra Pradesh)
Note: The aim of the film festival is to expose children to
quality cinema and to introduce novel elements beyond
films.
More than 40,000 children from the state are expected to
attend a screening of 24 films during the festival.
134. The two days national TB summit has begun with the slo-
gan in Dharamshala, Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh --
TB Harga, Desh Jeetega.
Note: Several MPs from different political parties,
renowned experts, doctors, and celebrities is taking part in
the deliberations. Tuberculosis (TB) is the potentially
serious infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the
lungs.
135. The first Indian city to offer 1Gbps wired broadband inter-
net service -- Hyderabad.
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136. A mobile app as well as a web portal to help in contribu-
tions towards the families of soldiers who lost their lives
while on duty -- Bharat ke Veer.
Note: The donors can also help the soldiers they wish to
support or donate to Bharat ke Veer corpus through this
app/ portal.
137. The special digital exhibition, Swachhagraha Bapu Ko
Karyanjali to celebrate the centenary of Champaran --
Narendra Modi.
Note: The exhibition aims to connect the essential
principles of Satyagraha with Swachhagraha. The
exhibition will be launched at National Archives in New
Delhi.
138. The 12th joint military exercise of India and Mongolia No-
madic Elephant has started in -- Vairengte, Mizoram.
139. The Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has released a book by
DG Tendulkar printed by Publications Division -- Gandhi in
Champaran.
Note: The book aims at relieving, recounting & retelling
the experiences that have had a deep impact on Gandhi
and how it had shaped the course of our nations history.
140. The ministry of Rural Development has released nearly
23,500 crores to the states as the first tranche for this Fi-
nancial Year, under the -- MGNREGS.
Note: The Government is laying considerable emphasis on
Water Conservation and Water Management works under
MGNREGS and a list of 2264 water-stressed Blocks in 324
districts of 21 states has been prepared.
141. Indias first-ever micro-drama festival Thespis has started
in -- New Delhi.
Note: The micro drama festival has presented the series of
25 micro drama tales composed with the duration of 10
minutes and is named after Thespis of Icaria.
142. A new web portal called nakshe to celebrate Survey of In-
dias 250 Anniversary in New Delhi -- Harsh Vardhan.
Note: The portal nakshe will offer Topographic maps for
free download in a pdf format through Aaadhar enabled
user authentication process.
143. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a book au-
thored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New
Delhi -- Matoshree.
Note: The book 'Matoshree' covers the life and times of
legendary Devi Ahilyabai Holker who ruled the Holkar
Empire spread over the Malwa region from 1767 to 1795.
144. Two-day workshop on the review of the National Disaster
Management Plan (NDMP) in New Delhi -- Kiren Rijiju.
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Note: The workshop has been organized by the National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
145. The Union Power ministry has launched app for empower-
ing citizens by real-time information sharing on the power
supply -- URJA MITRA.
Note: The app is a first of its kind which provides a central
platform, web-portal urjamitra.com as well as a mobile
app for state power Distribution utilities to disseminate
power outage information to rural/ urban power
consumers through SMS/ push/email notifications across
the country.
146. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged-off first-ever
train with glass roof coaches on -- Visakhapatnam-Araku
route.
Note: Vistadome coach launched with an aim to provide a
delightful traveling experience of the picturesque Araku
valley.
147. The union Human Resource and Development Ministery
has launched its own portal and mobile app -- Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
Note: The portal will act as a one-stop for States Higher
Education Plans, the decision of the States Higher
Education Councils and details of the resources under this
scheme.
148. The thermal power plants at Koradi, Chandrapur, and Parli
of Maharashtra -- PM Narendra Modi.
Note: These include three super-critical units 660 MW
each at Koradi, two of 500 MW each at Chandrapur and
one of 250 MW at Parli. Koradi Thermal Power Station
(KTPS) is located at Koradi near Nagpur, Maharashtra.
149. First time in Indian Railway history Indian Railway station
has been handed over to the private firm to be operated
by it -- Habibganj.
Note: The station building will be developed in line with
airport terminals.
150. The first mock drill exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand --
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Note: The fire officials from all the districts and other
departments of the state will participate in the exercise.
151. A two-day 11th civil services day function in ___New Delhi.
Note: Singh has asked civil servants to interpret and
implement rules and regulations with an open and
progressive mindset.
152. The global e-commerce major has launched the 'Amazon
Fire TV Stick' with Voice Remote in India -- Amazon.
Note: Fire TV Stick is the powerful streaming media device
that plugs into an HD Television and lets customers access
thousands of movies, TV shows, apps, and games.
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153. The three-day International Conference and Exhibition on
Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017'at -- Mumbai Exhibition
center in Mumbai.
Note: The exhibition-cum-conference was organized by
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCO) along with Union Ministry of Steel.
154. The IIT institute will start Vastu Shastra classes for archi-
tecture students -- IIT Kharagpur.
Note: IIT Kharagpur will start Vastu Shastra classes for
architecture students from August 2017.
155. The Indian Space Research Organisation has tied up with
the PSU company to develop low-cost lithium ion batteries
for electric vehicles -- Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL).
156. The state government will set up Book Banks in schools
to provide old books to the students -- Punjab.
Note: These book banks will request students to deposit
their old books so that the needy students in the next
batch can use them free of cost.
157. The country is hosting the 3rd Edition of Global Exhibition
on Services 2017 -- India.
Note: The GES-2017 will highlight Indias potential to boost
its services exports.
158. The bungalow is being readied as the retirement home of
President Pranab Mukherjee-- 10 Rajaji Marg, New Delhi.
Note: The 10 Rajaji Marg house is spread over an area of
11,776 sq. feet with the ground floor housing a library and
an attached reading space.
159. The three-day Centenary Celebrations of the Osmania
University and also take part in the first convocation of
the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in --
Hyderabad
Note: The Osmania University is the largest institute in
Asia with the maximum number of affiliated colleges of
over 1000.
160. The "Jal Sanrakshan Karyakram - Bundelkhand " at Baandri
in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh -- Uma Bharti.
Note: The work of development of water bodies to
improve socio-economic situation in drought prone areas
has been undertaken through Jal Sanrakshan Karyakram in
the country.
161. An android App has been developed by Space Applications
Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad for the computation of so-
lar energy potential -- Solar Calculator.
Note: It is a very useful tool for installation of PV solar
panels for tapping solar energy.
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162. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Department of
Post have signed a tripartite MoU for providing of a broad-
band connectivity to Post Offices in rural areas -- Bha-
ratNet.
Note: About 1.3 lakh post offices in rural areas and 25
thousand sub-post offices will be connected through
broadband for high-speed Internet connectivity in rural
masses.
163. The sacred portals of the famous Himalayan shrine Gan-
gotri and Yamunotri have been opened for the pilgrims
after six-month winter break in -- Uttarakhand.
164. The council of IITs (51st meeting) has decided to increase
female representation in IITs from eight to -- 20%.
Note: An amount of Rs. 75,000 will be released per month
from Prime Ministers Scholarship scheme to promote
research and innovation in IITs.
165. the Test and Treat policy for providing treatment to pa-
tients suffering from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
-- JP Nadda.
166. The Water Resources Minister has inaugurated the day-
long national conference in New Delhi -- Jal Kranti Abhi-
yan.
Note: The objectives of the Abhiyan is strengthening grass
root involvement of all stakeholders including panchayati
raj institutions and local bodies for participatory irrigation
management.
167. A high-level committee to look in to the grievances of
women players in New Delhi -- Vijay Goel.
Note: The five- member (two- woman player and one
sports journalist) committee will be headed by Joint
Secretary of Sports Ministry.
168. An app named MP e-NagarPalika to provide various mu-
nicipal services online in the state -- Shivraj Singh
Chouhan.
Note: The primary goal of the project is to provide
municipal services to citizens through multiple service
delivery channels and ensure accessible, convenient,
transparent, and timely delivery of services.
169. The state government has imposed ban on the use of poly-
thene bags manufactured below fifty microns in the state -
- Jammu & Kashmir state.
Current Affairs - States
1. The state governments have signed MoU to prepare State
Resident Data Base (SRDB) -- Haryana and Andhra
Pradesh.
2. New health scheme 'NTR Arogya Raksha' has been
launched by the state -- Andhra Pradesh.
Note: It will offer medical insurance to those who were
not covered under any of the existing health schemes of
the state government.
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170. The worlds number 2 airport handling over 40 million
passengers per annum category, as per the Montreal
(Canada)-based Airports Council International 2016
rankings -- Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Note: The ranking is based on the Airport Service Quality
(ASQ) survey report 2016.
171. The city hosted the 2017 National Childrens Film Festival
(NCFF) --Visakhapatnam.
Note: It is the largest film festival for children in India
giving the audience quality and wholesome entertainment
organized by the Childrens Film Society, India (CFSI).
172. A month-long awareness drive on fuel conservation in New
Delhi -- Saksham 2017.
Note: The drive aimed to create awareness amongst
masses towards judicious utilization and conservation of
petroleum products along with the use of energy efficient
appliances.
173. PM Modi has inaugurated flights under the Regional Con-
nectivity Scheme by flagging off the Alliance Airlines flight
on Shimla-Delhi sector from Jubbar Hatti airport near
Shimla -- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN).
Note: Over 45 unserved and under-served airports would
be connected under the scheme the UDAN.
174. The union minister M Venkaiah Naidu has launched an
app and website portal of MSME facilitation council in New
Delhi -- MyMSME app.
Note: My MSME mobile application is for all Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises (MSME) in India and other
stakeholders. This application acts as a source of all
information related to MSMEs Policies, Registration,
Services, Schemes, etc.
175. India's first public hospital for eye tumors -- AIIMS.
Note: AIIMS is India's first public hospital to start plaque
brachytherapy facility for the treatment of eye tumors.
176. The 18th World Road Meeting on November this year in --
India.
Note: Around 4000 delegates across the world will discuss
important issues facing in mobility sector. The theme of
World Road Meeting 2017 is Safe Roads and Smart
Mobility: The Engines of Economic Growth.
3. The Bargarh Dhanua Jatra festival has started in the state --
Odisha.
Note: The 11-day gala event will set the stage for all myth-
ological places related to Lord Krishna based in the ancient
city itself. It is considered to be the worlds largest open-
air theatrical festival.
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4. The 10-day Island Tourism Festival 2017 in Andaman &
Nicobar Islands --Port Blair.
5. The city hosted the International Conference on Yoga for
Diabetes -- New Delhi.
6. Good Samaritan Policy has been launched by the state /
union territory -- Delhi government.
Note: Rs 2,000 and appreciation certificate will be given to
people who help road accident victims in the national
capital.
7. Indias largest public WiFi service has been launched by the
state government -- Maharashtra.
Note: The facility will provide 500 Wifi hotspots across
various locations like Kalanagar in Bandra, Vidhan Bhawan,
Bombay High Court and Mumbai Police Commissioners
office.
8. The three-day International Kite Festival (fourth) has be-
gun in -- New Delhi.
Note: Professional kite flying experts from across India like
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jaipur, Chennai, Kerala, Punjab,
Delhi and the globe are taking part in the festival.
9. The 21st edition of National Youth Festival was held in --
Rohtak (Haryana).
Note: The 2017 theme of festival is Youth for Digital
India.
10. The worlds first Gender literature festival was held in the
state -- Bihar.
Note: The purpose of this initiative is to create a platform,
to exchange ideas, and to share and learn experiences of
renowned people in the field of gender-based or focused
literature.
11. The first-ever Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Inter-
national Dance festival has been held in the -- Hyderabad.
Note: Around 100 performers from 9 countries show cased
their traditional and contemporary dance nuances.
12. Digital Dakiya scheme has been launched by the state gov-
ernment to encourage cashless transactions -- Madhya
Pradesh.
Note: Digital Postman will visit different places of state to
teach and encourage people about cashless transactions
and its benefits.
13. The 2017 Dantan Gramin Mela has started in the states --
West Bengal.
Note: 28th edition of Dantan Gramin mela has displayed
the rural handicraft skills of the people of the region.
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14. First Indian state to launch Aanandam programme to help
the needy persons -- Madhya Pradesh.
Note: The places have been fixed in each district where
the economically sound citizens can donate items for the
needy persons under the programme.
15. The second capital of Himachal Pradesh -- Dharamsala.
Note: Dharamsala was already marked prominently not
only in the map of India but of the world due to its
significance owing to many reasons, including the Dalai
Lama's abode.
16. The state government has decided to allow the sale of
white kerosene in open market -- Karnataka.
17. The govt. has approved the installation of solar energy de-
vices at a cost of Rs 44 crore in all 25,962 Anganwadi cen-
ters in the State -- Haryana.
Note: LED lights and fans in these centers would be run
with solar power. This scheme would reduce electricity
bills of 'Anganwadi centers' by Rs. 12 crore annually.
18. The Bihar state government has launched a campaign to
make state addiction-free -- Nasha Mukt campaign.
Note: human chain covered all panchayats of the state
and over two crore people participated in this human
chain.
19. The 10th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF)-2017
was held in the state -- Rajasthan.
Note: It is a five-day festival, appox. 250 authors, thinkers,
politicians, journalist, and popular culture icons
participated and the theme was Freedom to dream: India
at 70.
20. The state government has launched e-health program
Jeevan Rekha to provide a centralized database of
healthcare information --- Pinarayi Vijayan.
Note: The new system would help in creating a good
hospital management system and patient-friendly
atmosphere in hospitals.
21. The state govt. has launched a scheme Dulari Kanya to
check infant mortality in the state -- Arunachal Pradesh.
Note: In Dulari Kanya scheme, govt. will deposit Rs 20,000
in the bank account of a girl child, born in any government
hospital. It would be paid along with the accrued interest
after she attains 18 years of her age.
22. The Beat Marshall Monitoring Mobile App on experi-
mental basis has been launched -- The Pune City Police.
23. The 2017 Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partner-
ship Summit has started in -- Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pra-
desh).
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Note: Around 2,000 delegates from 51 countries has taking
part in the deliberations.
24. The 31st Surajkund International Crafts Mela was held at --
Faridabad (Haryana).
Note: The Mela is located near the Surajkund village in
Faridabad, Haryana and Jharkhand is the theme state.
25. The state government has introduced third gender cate-
gory in school exams_____ Bihar.
Note: Now, under the third-gender category the Board
exams will be conducted by the Bihar School Examination
Board (BSEB).
26. The state government has launched Chief Minister Sama-
gra Gramya Unnayan Yojana _____ Assam.
Note: The purpose of the mission is to bring revolutionary
changes by doubling the farm income in the State.
27. The first Indian State to establish cashless system for distri-
bution of food grains-- Gujarat.
Note: The beneficiaries under National Food Security Act
(NFSA) will need to carry only Aadhaar cards for getting
their food grain in the state.
28. The state who has hosted the 17th International Seminar
on Counter Terrorism-2017-- Haryana.
Note: The Minister also unveiled the NSG annual magazine
The Bombshell, which contains details of various IED
explosions that occurred in various parts of the world in
2016.
29. The 2017 UNESCO Natural Heritage festival was held in the
state-- Himachal Pradesh.
Note: The festival feature a media workshop on
environmental journalism, discussions on natural and
cultural heritage of the Himalayan region and a heritage
walk.
30. The cities to host the 11th International Aerospace and De-
fence Exhibition Aero India 2017 -- Bengaluru.
31. The state is hosting the 2nd edition of International Spice
Conference -- Kerala.
Note: The central theme of the conference is 21st century
spice industry: Disrupt or be disrupted.
32. Andhra Pradesh government has allocated lands for the
construction of nine thematic cities in the new capital --
Amaravathi.
Note: Three Internal roads with 60-meter width would be
constructed connecting the nine thematic cities and 97.5
km six-lane Inner Ring Roads, 186 km 8 lanes Outer Ring
Road would be constructed around the Capital city.
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33. A sub-committee of Council of Ministers to prepare a blue
print of Integrated Dairy Complexes in all cities of the State
-- Haryana Govt.
Note: The committee will submit its report within a
month.
34. The state government has launched Aardram a public
health initiative-- Kerala.
35. The world famous 43rd edition of Khajuraho Dance Festival
begins at Khajuraho in -- Chhatrapur, Madhya Pradesh.
Note: It is a cultural festival that highlights the richness of
the various Indian classical dance styles.
36. 'Mil Banche program was held in all the primary and mid-
dle government schools in -- Madhya Pradesh.
Note: Under the program, public representatives, other
dignitaries have gone to schools to motivate children and
read out a portion of Hindi book of their choice.
37. The Director General of Police Jammu has launched a web-
site -- suvidhajkpolice.in
Note: This mobile application will provide updates to the
people about various policing related activities, advisories,
and National Highway status.
38. New service conduct rules for judicial officers and
amended existing rules for state government officials to
ensure strict adherence to the provisions of total prohibi-
tion -- Bihar.
Note: As per the new norms, no judicial officers or state
government official is allowed to be under the influence of
any intoxicating drink or drugs wherever they are.
39. The state government has approved cloud seeding pro-
gram to produce adequate rain -- Maharashtra.
Note: The programme would be coordinated by the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
40. The Cyber Swachhta Kendra for Botnet cleaning and Mal-
ware analysis launched by -- Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Note: The Cyber Swachhta Kendra (CSK) is a part of
Governments digital India initiative to create a secure
cyber space by detecting botnet infections.
41. Bhim awards to 42 sports persons of the state -- Haryana
govt.
Note: Spotting them for their outstanding performance at
the national and international fronts between the years
2013 and 2017.
42. Anti-corruption induction training mandatory for govern-
ment officials - Kerala.
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43. The state government has made mandatory for all private
schools to install solar systems -- Haryana.
Note: A special grant at the rate of Rs 20,000 per kilowatt
will be given to the schools for installing solar power
plants.
44. The first Indian state to have a public registry of sex of-
fenders -- Kerala.
Note: This has been stated by the Kerala Governor Justice
(Retd) P Sathasivam in the budget session.
45. The Andhra Pradesh government has signed MoU with the
payment network company to transform Vishakhapatnam
into Indias first less cash city -- Visa.
46. Indias first hill station bicycle path was inaugurated in --
Darjeeling (West Bengal).
Note: The path was opened in response to growing
interest from both national and foreign tourists.
47. The state government has launched RAHAT project for
treatment of heart disease in remote and rural areas -- Ra-
jasthan.
48. The state government has launched pilot project Sex Ra-
tio Monitoring Dashboard for the state -- Haryana.
49. The state govt. has decided to appoint a teacher in all high-
schools to monitor cleanliness -- Assam government.
Note: The teachers will be appointed in high-schools
under Swachh Bharat Mission and responsible to maintain
cleanliness.
50. The state government has signed MoU with Invest India to
encourage startups -- Odisha.
Note: The Odisha government has signed an agreement
with Invest India the National Investment Promotion and
Facilitation Agency of the Union ministry of commerce and
industries.
51. The state government has made Sanskrit compulsory up to
class eight in all classes -- Assam.
52. The state govt has extended midday meal scheme for girls
up to class 12-- Delhi Govt.
Note : Earlier, the scheme covers all primary classes of
MCD and government schools and upper primary classes
till Class 8th with 16 lakh students.
53. A portal 'ammakalviyagam.in' as a part of 69th birth anni-
versary celebrations of late chief minister Jayalalithaa
Jayaram (known as Amma) -- O Panneerselvam.
Note: The portal is a hub of learning, interaction,
opportunity, and connection.
54. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet accepts naming of Tirupati Airport
as -- Sri Venkateswara Airport.
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Note: The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet has accepted the
naming of "Gannavaram Airport" as "NTR Amaravati
Airport" and "Tirupati Airport" as "Sri Venkateswara
Airport".
55. The state govt. has signed an agreement to fast-track the
completion of 206 megawatt 2,285-crore rupees Shahpur
Kandi dam project on the Ravi river in Chandigarh -- Pun-
jab and Jammu & Kashmir.
Note: Shapur Kandi project will be constructed on the
canal from Shahpurkandi Barrage to Madhopur
headworks, downstream of the existing Ranjit Sagar Dam.
56. The concept of smart classes in government-run schools to
see use of information and communications technology
(ICT) to impart education -- Arunachal Pradesh.
Note: In the smart classrooms, the blackboards would give
way to digital screens, and pens would be replaced with
keyboards.
57. The state government has given official language status to
endangered tribal language Kurukh -- West Bengal.
58. Three-day long 'Destination North East' 2017 inaugurated
in --Chandigarh.
Note: The event show casing North East as a potential
destination for investment and organised by the Ministry
of Development of North Eastern Region and an industry
body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
59. The state govt. has informed that the girl child ratio has in-
creased to 938 per 1000 male children in February in the
state -- Haryana.
Note: In January 2017, the registered girl child ratio was
922.
60. The state government organize the first-of-its-kind Tulip
festival -- Jammu and Kashmir.
Note: The mega tulip festival will be part of Bahaar-e-
Kashmir (Spring in Kashmir) event to showcase Asias
largest tulip garden Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip
Garden.
61. The state government has launched Tirtha Darshan
scheme for senior citizens -- Haryana.
Note: The senior citizens would be selected for the
pilgrimage on the basis of draw of lots.
62. The state govt. has launched web-based platform Prati-
bimba to project government achievements -- Karnataka.
63. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
IT Wing has launched the women safety application in
Tamil Nadu -- Ammavin Aran.
Note: The app will give the user details about the nearest
police station and hospital along with map details and
phone number.
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64. A new scheme 'Adarsh Gram Yojana' to reach the poor
people in rural areas of the state to serve them better --
Arunachal Pradesh.
Note: Under the scheme, 123 villages will be developed as
Model Villages during the FY 17-18.
65. The state government has launched a 24X7 toll free help-
line number 181 for distressed women -- Odisha.
Note: The helpline will facilitate quick response of various
services including lodging police complaint to provide
medical, legal and counselling to women victims.
66. The state govt. has launched an Idea2POC fund for women
entrepreneurs --Karnataka.
Note: The Karnataka government has launched a Rs. 10-
crore Idea2POC (Idea to Proof of Concept) fund for women
entrepreneurs.
67. Indias largest floating solar Photo-Voltaic (PV) plant has
been installed in the state -- Kerala.
Note: The National Thermal Power Corporation Limited
(NTPC) has recently installed Indias largest floating solar
Photo-Voltaic (PV) plant at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle
Power Plant (RGCCPP) in Keralas Kayamkulam district.
68. The state government will launch Namma Canteens to
serve cheap food -- Karnataka.
Note: The Karnataka government has allocated Rs.100
crore for setting up of government subsidized chain of
food centres Namma Canteens across the state.
69. The first police station in India to be linked with Crime and
Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) -- Shimla.
Note: Under this system, over 200 police posts across the
state will be linked.
70. The 2017 National Theatre Festival (NTF) has started in the
state -- Kerala.
Note: The 2017 National Theatre Festival (NTF) has started
at Tagore Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
71. The state govt. has decided to provide 33% reservation for
women in all government jobs -- Punjab govt.
Note: The cabinet has also decided to increase
representation of women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions
and Urban Local Bodies from the present 33% to 50%.
72. The state govt has notified Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopa-
thy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy Medicine Procure-
ment Policy, 2016 -- Haryana Govt.
Note: The objective of ensuring uninterrupted supply of
good quality AYUSH medicines free of cost to the people
through Government Hospitals, Prathmik Swasthay
Kendras, Government Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Unani
Dispensaries, Panchkarma Centres and National Health
Mission (NHM) Institutions in the State.
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73. The state govt. has reserved 93 hectares of land in Lohara
MIDC of the district for setting up a Textile Park -- The
Maharashtra govt.
Note: The Park would ensure large scale employment to
the youths of the region besides providing better avenues
for the farmers to garner maximum benefit.
74. The first-ever Haryana Sahitya Sangam has started in the
city -- Panchkula.
75. Indias first carbon neutral district and as a biodiversity
heritage -- Majuli.
76. The state govt. has made Aadhaar mandatory to farmers
for availing crop insurance schemes from the next Kharif
season -- Maharashtra.
Note: Now, the farmers of the state will have to link it
with the Aadhaar number before June this year to avail
crop insurance schemes. The scheme is applicable to food
grain and horticulture sectors
77. The 5th edition of 2017 Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav
(RSM) has started at -- Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh).
Note: It is organized by the Union Ministry of Culture.
78. The state Assembly has passed bills for the establishment
of four private and two government-run universities in the
state -- Gujarat state.
Note: Two new private universities are Birsa Munda Tribal
University at Rajpipla in Narmada district and the Gujarat
Organic Agricultural University.
79. The National Commission for Schedule Tribes has ap-
proved the proposal for additional seats for tribal in the
Sikkim Assembly -- five.
Note: The proposal of increasing reserve seats for Sched-
ule Tribes from 12 to 17 in 32 members in Sikkim Assembly
and now it would be increased to 40.
80. The state government has launched a program to provide
free WiFi facilities in educational institutions -- Bihar.
Note: The purpose of the program is to provide free Wi-Fi
facility to help youths to move ahead in life and to become
digital smart.
81. The Kerala transport minister has announced his resigna-
tion after allegations of misconduct were raised against
him - A. K. Saseendran.
Note: The minister made the decision following an audio
clip hinting at alleged misconduct with a woman was aired
by a TV channel.
82. President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated India's larg-
est river festival in Assam -- Namami Brahmputra.
Note: A festival to be organized across 21 districts in
Assam from 31st March to 4th April,2017.
83. The popular tribal festival of nature worshipping Sarhul
has started in the state -- Jharkhand
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Note: The festival marks the beginning of New Year by
worshiping trees.
84. Indias longest highway tunnel Chenani-Nashri in Jammu
& Kashmir inaugurated by the PM Narendra Modi -- 9.28
km long
Note: This road tunnel will cut the distance between the
two state capitals Jammu and Srinagar to around 250 km
from the current 350 km and reduce the travel time by ap-
proximately two hours.
85. The Gunotsav program has been launched in 8 districts of
the state to improve elementary education -- Assam.
Note: Over 9 lakh students in 2,000 schools will be covered
under the programme in the next 3 days in the first phase.
86. e-governance project for Himachal Pradesh (HP) under
good governance and best practices in India -- Rs. 5.24
crore.
Note: The project approved by the department of
electronics and information technology (DEIT), Union
ministry of communications and IT.
87. The state govt. will provide Rs 21,000 to all those families
whose third girl child was born under the 'Aapki Beti, Ha-
mari Beti' scheme (after August 24, 2015) -- The Haryana
government.
Note: The scheme is aimed to combat the problem of
declining child sex ratio and promote girls education in the
state.
88. The Chief Minister of West Bengal 'Mamata Banerjee' has
declared the 22nd district of the state -- Jhargram.
Note: Jhargram has been formed by bifurcating West
Midnapore district.
89. The state government will start a one-year diploma course
on Hindu Purohityam -- Madhya Pradesh.
90. The state government has launched 'Deendayal Rasoi Yoja-
na' to provide food at subsidized rate -- Madhya Pradesh.
Note: Under this scheme, people would be provided
wholesome meal through canteens that would offer
subsidized prices (wholesome meal below Rs. 5/-).
91. The state government has imposed a 10% cow cess as sur-
charge on stamp duty for protection and propagation of
cows -- Rajasthan.
Note: The Rajasthan government has imposed a 10% cow
cess as surcharge on stamp duty for protection and
propagation of cows.
92. The city police have launched Pink Hoyslas police Petrol
vehicles for women safety -- Bengaluru.
Note: Pink Hoysalas will be stationed at 51 hot spots that
have been identified on the basis of the crime pattern in
various city areas, especially those related to safety of
women and children.
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93. The state Government has decided to increase the number
of Science Clubs being operated in Sanskriti Schools
from 20 to 200 to scale up the interest of youth in science
and technology -- Haryana.
Note: The financial assistance to these Clubs will be
enhanced from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 50,000.
94. The state government will electrify all villages in the state
by 30th June this year -- Assam.
Note: The deadline to connect un-electrified villages in
Assam under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana.
95. The state Government has promulgated an Ordinance to
make the teaching of Malayalam language mandatory in
all schools in the State -- Kerala Government.
Note: The usage of the official language Malayalam has
been made compulsory in all government offices from 1st
May.
96. The state government to launch cheap food canteen An-
napurna Bhojnalayas-- Uttar Pradesh.
Note: The Uttar Pradesh will launch cheap food canteen
Annapurna Bhojnalayas across all 14 municipal
corporations in the state.
97. The city has ranked the top-paying city for professionals in
India, according to the 2017 Salary Trends Study by Rand-
stad -- Bengaluru.
98. The state has selected for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-
16 for the commendable increase in food grains produc-
tion -- Himachal Pradesh.
Note: The total food grains production has increased from
14.94 lakh ton to 16.34 lakh ton in last five years.
99. The state govt. has launched Operation Durga to ensure
women safety in the state - Haryana government.
Note: Operation Durga has been launched so that flying
squads patrol those areas where such anti-social elements
committed crimes against women.
100. The state govt. has signed a reworked MoU with Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for the Rs. 43,129
crore Barmer refinery -- Rajasthan government.
Note: The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to
produce BS-6 standard fuel.
101. The state Govt. will provide pension to former circus artists
in the state -- Kerala.
Note: The state govt. has allocated 1.13 crore rupees.
Thalassery in Kannur district considered to be the cradle of
Indian circus.
102. The state Govt. will provide accidental insurance cover to
all residents of the State having Aadhaar seeded saving
bank accounts -- Haryana Government.
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Note: The premium would be reimbursed by the state
government of the age group of 18 to 70 years under the
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).
103. The state Government has introduced the Social Security
Yojana by converging five separate beneficiary schemes
for workers in the unorganized sectors and for self-em-
ployed people -- West Bengal Govt.
104. The UP government has changed the name of Airports --
Gorakhpur and Agra.
Note: The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed
as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport and the Agra Airport will
be Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay
105. The state government has decided to change its sugar-
cane price fixation policy from next crushing season -- Ut-
tar Pradesh Govt.
106. The state government has launched unemployment allow-
ance scheme -- Himachal Pradesh.
Note: The state government will provide an
unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to youth
having intermediate or above qualification. Unemployed
youth with disability would be given Rs 1,500 per month.
107. The state government has decided to set up 40 Yoga well-
ness centers in 40 districts during current financial year --
Uttar Pradesh.
Note: There are 23 Ayurvedic hospitals 12 homeopathic
and 7 Unani hospitals and colleges will be set up.
108. The state govt. has signed a Memorandum of Understand-
ing (MoU) with the Indian Railways to expand the green
cover -- Maharashtra.
Note: Trees will be planted on the land adjacent to the
railway tracks in the state.
109. The union Government will set up a Central university for
Divyangs -- Uttar Pradesh.
Note: Under the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, HRD ministry
has instructed to make ramps and install lifts to facilitate
Divyangas at all educational institutions.
110. The state govt. of Haryana has announced to change the
name of Ballabhgarh to -- Balramgarh.
Note: Ballabhgarh is a town and a tehsil (sub-district) in
Faridabad District of Haryana and is part of the National
Capital Region (NCR).
Honors & Award
1. Indian personality has been honored by US Embassy for Tu-
berculosis (TB) awareness -- Amitabh Bachchan.
Note: The award has been presented by US Ambassador to
India Richard R Verma to Amitabh Bachchan.
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111. The Telangana Chief General Manager of BSNL has
launched the 5 G Plus WiFi services at four spots in -- Hy-
derabad.
Note: The 4.5 G services will provide higher speeds of
Data than any other service provider to its existing
customers.
112. The Haryana govt. launched a mobile-based application to
create awareness among pregnant women, parents, and
health workers -- Kilkari.
Note: The app Kilkari was launched during the concluding
day of the 'State-level Orientation Workshop'. The
application 'Kilkari' will deliver 72 times appropriate audio
messages to registered mobile numbers on pregnancy,
child, and childbirth care every week from the second
trimester of pregnancy till the child is one-year-old.
113. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation
(MTDC) has signed an agreement with the two Airways to
attract visitors to the state -- Etihad and Jet Airways.
Note: Etihad and Jet Airways will provide information to its
users on less-explored but high potential destinations in
Maharashtra.
114. The Northeast India's largest Information Technology (IT)
hub to boost employment and e-governance besides to ex-
port software technology Agartala.
Note: This IT hub would help to create employment
opportunities for the IT educated youth and to further
extend the e-governance to the doorstep of people. The
Hub was set up at a cost of Rs. 50 crore.
115. The farmers of UT (Union Territory) will get free power
supply from this month for pump sets used for irrigation
purpose -- Pondicherry.
Note: The move has been adopted in the current fiscal
year 2017-18.
116. The state will provide skill development training to 5 lakh
youths in the current financial year -- Assam govt.
Note: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been
signed with a Singapore institute to set up skill
development center in the state.
117. The state govt. has signed a MoU with the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation with the objectives of improving the
lives of smallholder farmers and promoting inclusive agri-
cultural transformation -- Odisha.
2. Indian-origin British professor has been honored with the
Queen Elizabeth II Knighthood -- Prof. Shankar Balasubra-
manian.
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Note: He has been honored with the Queen Elizabeth II
Knighthood for his work as a co-inventor of Next
Generation DNA sequencing, described as the most
transformational advance in biology and medicine for
decades.
3. The Government of India has been awarded 'Scroll of
Honor' to promote cashless transactions -- Gaurav Goyal.
Note: The district collector of Ajmer "Gaurav Goyal" has
been awarded Scroll of Honor by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in New Delhi for encouraging cashless transactions in
the district.
4. The Social reformer who has been honoured by Google
Doodle on her 186th birth anniversary -- Savitribai Phule.
5. Indian film has won the best motion picture award at the
2017 Golden Globes awards -- Moonlight.
Note: The Golden Globe Awards is a major part of the film
industrys awards season, which culminates each year with
the Academy Awards or Oscars.
6. The prestigious Young Travel Photographer of The Year
(TPOTY) 2016 -- Darpan Basak.
Note: The TPOTY is the premier annual international travel
photography awards for amateur, professional, and young
photographers.
7. Indian cricketer has been inducted into Legends Club Hall
of Fame -- Kapil Dev.
Note: He has been inducted into Legends Club "Hall of
Fame" in presence of former India captains Ajit Wadekar,
Sunil Gavaskar and Nari Contractor at the Cricket Club of
India in Mumbai.The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognizes
the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's
long and illustrious history.
8. Indian village has been conferred the UNWTO Award for In-
novation in the category of Non-Governmental Organisa-
tions (NGO) -- Govardhan Ecovillage.
Note: This is for the first-time India has won such
recognition from the UN in the NGO sector.
9. The prestigious award The Hindu Prize 2016 -- Kiran
Doshi.
Note: The novel is set against the political turmoil of the
subcontinent from the early part of the 20th century,
ending with the Partition and Independence. The award
carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh.
10. The 2016 Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Re-
sponsibility (CSR) in the transportation sector under the
Aviation category-- Delhi International Airport Limited.
Note: The Delhi Airport has also been adjudged the worlds
number one airport in ACI ASQ survey in 25- 40 Million
Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category for two
consecutive last years. The Golden Peacock Awards
instituted by the Institute of Directors (IOD), India in 1991.
11. The Venezuelas first-ever Hugo Chavez Prize for Peace and
Sovereignty for his fight for peace-- Vladimir Putin.
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Note: The prize was created by the president of Venezuela
Nicolas Maduro in honour of the late socialist leader Hugo
Chavez.
12. The highest peace time gallantry decoration Ashok Chakra
-- Hangpan Dada.
Note: He was killed at Naugam sector in Jammu and
Kashmir in May 2016 while fighting terrorists and the award
was received by his wife Chasen Lowang Dada.
13. A special stamp cover featuring Olympic medalists PV
Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, and Dipa Karmakar -- The Indian
postal department.
14. NTPC award 2015-16 from the Union Power Minister, Shri
Piyush Gayal -- Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC)
Note: DVC Chairman Andrew W.K. Langestieh has received
the prize amongst the power sectors for implementation of
the official language.
15. Recipients of the year 2017 Padma awards, Padma Vibhu-
shan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri -- 89 persons.
Note: Padma Vibhushan (7), Padma Bhushan (7) and Padma
Shri (75).
16. A scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute
(NGRI) has been selected for the National Geoscience
Award 2016 -- Keshav Krishna.
17. 2017 Ophthalmology Hall of Fame instituted by the Ameri-
can Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery -- Dr. Gulla-
palli N. Rao.
Note: He will be honored at the ceremony in Los Angeles at
the annual meeting of the ASCRS on 6th May 2017. The L V
Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) was established in 1987 at
Hyderabad as a not-for-profit, non-government eye care
institution.
18. The states emerged Winners of Excellence under the state
category -- Rajasthan and Telangana.
Note: eGov awards instituted by the Computer Society of
Indias (CSI) Special Interest Group with sponsorship from
Nihilent Technologies. The award help to recognize the
efforts of e Governance practitioner from across central
and state departments, projects and in district
administrative units.
19. An IT risk assessment and digital security services provider
startup company Lucideus has bagged the governments
Best IT Startup of India -- Lucideus.
Note: Lucideus is behind the security for BHIM app.
Lucideus has been co-founded by its CEO Saket Modi and
was incubated out of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),
Bombay.
20. The first Indian Versatile female singer to collaborate with
United Nations for women empowerment -- Neeti Mohan.
21. The prestigious Dr. B C Roy National award-2016 for out-
standing service in the field of socio-medical relief -- Dr. P
Raghu Ram.
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Note: This is the highest award that is bestowed upon a
Medical person practicing in India & would be conferred by
Honble President of India on 1st July, 2017 on Doctors Day.
22. The Indian-origin sculptor has awarded Israels Genesis
prize -- Anish Kapoor.
Note: He honored with the prestigious $1 million Genesis
Prize by Israel for his utmost contribution for Jewish
community.
He was chosen by the prize committee headed by
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky.
23. The NGO has bagged the IMC Ram Krishna Bajaj National
Quota award in the NGO category -- Annamrita.
Note: The allocation for the mid-day meal scheme in the
Union Budget 2017 has been increased from Rs 9,700 crore
to Rs 10,000 crore by the government and this will support
Annamrita to reach out to serve more and more children
from government-aided and municipal schools.
24. The Director Damien Chazelle's musical "La La Land" has
taken trophies at the 70th British Academy Film Awards
(BAFTA) ceremony at Royal Albert Hall, London -- 5.
List of winners:
Outstanding British film: I, Daniel Blake
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
25. Indian tabla player has won the Grammy in the World Mu-
sic category that also included sitarist Anoushka Shankar's
Land of Gold -- Sandeep Das.
Note: He was part of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble "Sing
Me Home". Adele won in all the five categories that she
was nominated for including Best Pop Solo Performance
and Best Pop Vocal Album, triumphing over Beyonce, who
was the front-runner in the race.
26. Veteran agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan has received
an honorary medallion from this country for his contribu-
tion towards development of agricultural practices -- Can-
ada.
27. The 2016 TS Eliot Prize for poetry -- Jacob Polley.
Note: The award ceremony was organized at the Wallace
Collection Gallery in London(UK). Jackself is a sequence of
narrative poems partly inspired by his childhood in
Cumbria, England.
28. Indian health institute has won first prize for sanitation &
hygiene under the Kayakalp awards 2017 -- All India Insti-
tute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
Note: AIIMS has won the first prize and a cash reward of
Rs. 5 crore for maintaining high standards of sanitation and
hygiene under the Government of India (GoI)s Kayakalp
awards 2016-17.
29. Indian chess master has been honored with the title of Can-
didate Master (CM) by World Chess Federation -- Kush Bha-
gat.
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Note: A second-grade student from Hill Spring
International School has been awarded the title of
Candidate Master (CM) by World Chess Federation body.
30. Indian-origin personality has been awarded the 2017
United Kingdoms (UK) Outstanding Bravery of the Year
Award -- Shand Panesar.
Note: Panesar and Craig Nicholson were jointly awarded
after the public voted for them in the Total Excellence in
Policing Awards.
31. The 4th National Yash Chopra Memorial Award-2017 --
Shah Rukh Khan.
Note: The award commemorates the director-producer by
honouring excellence in various spheres of cinema like
acting, music etc.
32. The 2017 Brand Laureate Legendary Award -- Lata
Mangeshkar.
Note: The Brand Laureate Awards recognize world-class
achievement in branding amongst individuals and
companies.
33. Hindi litterateur and playwright has been selected for Vyas
Samman-2016 -- Surendra Verma.
Note: Vyas Samman was instituted in 1991 by the KK Birla
Foundation and carries a cash award of Rs 3.50 lakh, a
citation and a logo.
Surendra Verma has been selected for his novel
Kaatna Shami Ka Vriksha Padma Pankhuri Ki Dhar Se.
34. Indian professional hockey player has been honored with
an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Desh Bhagat University --
Sandeep Singh.
35. Two Indian films have bagged tophonorss at the annual
67th Berlin International Film Festival -- Newton and Aaba
(Short film).
Note: Newton has won the CICAE Art Cinema Award and
Short film Aaba has won Special Prize of Generation KPlus
International Jury for Best Short Film.
36. Indian institute has won the International Mercury Awards
for the year 2016-17 -- Entrepreneurship Development In-
stitute of India (EDII).
37. The movie won the Best Picture award at 89th Oscar Acad-
emy Awards -- Moonlight.
Note: An American drama Moonlight directed by Barry
Jenkins has won the Best Picture award at the 89th edition
of Oscar Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los
Angeles, California.
38. The Best Foreign Language Film at 89th Oscar Academy
Awards -- The Salesman.
39. The 2017 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year award -- Robyn
Rihanna Fenty.
40. The 2017 Polly Umrigar Award for International Cricketer of
the Year -- Virat Kohli.
Note: Earlier, Kohli had won Polly Umrigar Award in 2011-
12 and 2014-15 and becomes the first Indian cricketer to be
bestowed the honor on three occasions.
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41. The university who has won the annual Visitors Award for
the Best University 2017 -- Jawaharlal Nehru University
(JNU).
Note: The Visitors Award for Research is jointly won by
Shyam Sunder (Banaras Hindu University) and Professor
Niranjan Karak (Tezpur University). The 'Best University'
will receive a Citation and Trophy while winners of Visitor's
Award for 'Innovation' and 'Research' will receive a Citation
and cash award of Rs. one lakh.
42. The Harvard foundation 'Artist of the Year-2017 award" in
Cambridge -- Viola Davis.
Note: Harvard foundation award aims to honour the
Americas most acclaimed artists and scientists each year.
43. The first Indian educational institution to make it to the top
10 of a global ranking for universities -- The Indian Institute
of Science(IISc), Bangalore.
Note: The IISc has been ranked eighth in the Times Higher
Education Rankings, 2017 in the best small universities
category
IISc, a public university for scientific research and higher
education, was established in 1909 with active support
from Jamsetji Tata and Sir Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the
Maharaja of Mysore.
44. The best actress award for her performance in Sarbjit at the
International Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA) -
- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Note: The film Sarabjit is based on the story of an Indian
national Sarbjit Singh (Randeep Hooda) who was punished
by Pakistans Supreme Court on the charges of spying.
Sarbjits sister Dalbir Kaur (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) fought
for him for years to get him back to the country.
45. The women were honoured by the Prime Minister for their
outstanding work in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan --10
women.
46. Who has been bestowed with the 2016 Moorti Devi Award
-- M P Veerendra Kumar.
Note: Kumar is Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi and a Rajya Sabha MP.
47. Noted Konkani writer, has been honoured with the 2017
Saraswati Samman for his novel Hawthan-- Mahaba-
leshwar Sail.
Note: Mahabaleshwar is best known for his work,
Paltadcho Munis, which inspired a film by the same name.
48. Honorary degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) by the city-
based Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University -
-Mohan Bhagwat.
Note: Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao awarded the
honorary degree to Bhagwat at the convocation of the
varsity. Bhagwat was honored with the degree for his
contribution in the field of veterinary sciences and social
work.
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49. Indian institute has won the 2017 IEEE Spectrum Technol-
ogy in the Service of Society Award -- IIT Madras.
50. The new Miss International Queen 2016 -- Jiratchaya Siri-
mongkolnawin.
Note: This 12th edition of beauty pageant was held in Pat-
taya City, Thailand on March 10, 2017.
51. 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search award -- Indrani
Das.
Note: Indrani Das is a 17- year old Indian American student
from New Jersey. This is the oldest US Science Competition
for the students and has been given the name of Junior
Nobel Prize.
52. The World's Best Airport by air travellers at the 2017 World
Airport Awards for the fifth consecutive year -- The Changi
Airport (Singapore).
Note: The 2017 World Airport Awards are based on 13.82
million customer nominations across 105 nationalities of air
travellers, with 550 airports worldwide.
53. Indian personality has been selected to newly formed
United Nations (UN) group on antimicrobial resistance --
Soumya Swaminathan.
54. The institution has topped the Times Higher Education
(THE)s Asia University ranking 2017 -- National University
of Singapore (NUS).
55. A Canadian teacher has been named the winner of the an-
nual Global Teacher Prize at the Global Education and Skills
Forum in Dubai -- Maggie MacDonnell.
Note: She received the cash prize of US $1m from the Vice
President & Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and
the Emir of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-
Maktoum.
56. Who has won the Abel Prize 2017 -- Yves Meyer.
Note: Meyer won the prestigious 2017 Abel Prize for his
pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory
of wavelets.
57. The Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th National Pho-
tography Awards organized by the photo division of the I&B
ministry in New Delhi -- Raghu Rai.
Note: Rai has also served on the jury of World Press Photo
and UNESCOs International Photo Contest.
58. Who has been honoured with the Kuldip Nayar journalism
award 2017 -- Ravish Kumar.
Note: Eminent TV journalist Ravish Kumar has been
awarded inaugural Kuldip Nayar journalism award for his
contribution to the field of journalism at the India
International Centre, New Delhi. He conferred with an
award plaque along with a cash amount of Rs. 1 lakh.
59. Indian-origin filmmaker has been honoured with the Sikh
Jewel Award for 2017-- Gurinder Chadha.
Note: She received the award from UK Defence Secretary
Michael Fallon at the Vaisakhi Dinner organized by the
British Sikh Association.
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60. Kala Ratan Award received from Vice President of India --
Anupam Kher.
Note: Earlier, The Government of India honored him with
the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for
his contribution in the field of cinema and arts.
61. The best educational institution by HRD Ministry -- IISc Ban-
galuru.
Note: Top University - Indian Institute of Science
(Bengaluru) and Top College- Miranda House (Delhi) have
made it to the top of respective categories.
62. Indian Chief Minister has been selected for the US-India
Business Council Award (US IBC) -- N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Note: The USIBC has selected Mr. Naidu for the award of
Transformative Chief Minister. The Electronics and IT
Secretary Aruna Sundararajan would also receive
Transformative Leadership Award at the Summit.
63. An imprisoned Eritrean-Swedish journalist will receive the
2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize -
- Dawit Isaakhas.
Note: Isaak was chosen for the prestigious award in
recognition of his courage, resistance, and commitment to
freedom of expression.
64. Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016 -- Virat
Kohli.
Note: Kohli becomes the third Indian to be bestowed with
the honor, with Virender Sehwag (2008 and 2009) and
Sachin Tendulkar (2010).
65. The Best Childrens Film in the 64th National Awards -2017
-- Dhanak.
Note: The award carries a Golden Lotus Award, a
certificate and cash prize of Rs. 1.5 Lakh.
66. 64th National Awards - the Best actor for his movie, Rus-
tom -- Akshay Kumar.
Note: Director, Priyadarshan was the head of the jury for
the 64th National Awards.National Film Awards were
constituted in 1954 and are awarded yearly by Directorate
of Film Festivals.
67. The Best Hindi Movie of 2016 -- Neeraja.
68. The United Nations (UN)s youngest-ever Messenger of
Peace -- Malala Yousafzai.
Note: As a peace messenger, Malala will help to promote
education of girls across the globe. She is also the youngest
recipient of Nobel Peace Prize.
69. The Best Movie on Social Issues -- Pink.
70. MIT Professor and inventor of World Wide Web has been
awarded Computer Sciences most prestigious award A. M.
Turing Award -- Tim Berners Lee.
Note: The award is provided by Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM) and carries cash prize of $ 1 million which
is provided by Google.
71. The Pulitzer Prize for 'Underground Railroad' -- Colson
Whitehead.
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Note: Colson Whitehead's novel The Underground
Railroad has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The novel is
about an escaped slave that combined liberating
imagination and brutal reality.
72. Indian-origin educationist in the UK has been named the
'Asian Businesswoman of the Year' -- Asha Khemka.
Note: Khemka is the Principal and CEO of West
Nottinghamshire College. She was honored for her efforts
in the field of education and skills at the Asian Business
Awards ceremony.
73. Posthumously conferred the 2016 Kirti Chakra award by
President Pranab Mukherjee -- Lance Havildar Prem Baha-
dur Resmi Magar.
Note: The Kirti Chakra is the second highest peacetime
gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour, courageous action
or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.
74. The most followed world leader on Instagram -- PM Naren-
dra Modi.
Note:The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as
the most followed world leader on photo-sharing app
Instagram with a whopping 6.9 million followers. He
surpassed US President Donald Trump (6.3 million
followers) and Pope Francis (3.7 million followers).
75. The first Naga cop to receive Shaurya Chakra award since
Nagaland attained statehood -- Atu Zumvu.
76. Gurudwara in Dubai has broken the world record for serv-
ing free breakfast to the maximum number of people from
diverse nationalities on 'Baisakhi' -- Guru Nanak Darbar.
Note: Around People 101 nationalities people and over 600
people have participated in the 'Breakfast for Diversity' an
hour-long event to create the new record.
77. The 2017 Cartier Womens Initiative Award winner -- Trupti
Jain.
Note: Trupti Jain has won 2017 'Cartier Women's Initiative
Awards' for providing women working on farms with water
management solutions and protecting small farmers
against droughts and flash floods. She receives a USD
100,000 prize money as well as a year of mentoring.
78. Philippine President has won Time magazine's readers' poll
of the 100 most influential people in the world -- Rodrigo
Duterte.
Note: Duterte received 5% of yes votes in the online poll
that started in the last week of March and closed on
Monday.US Sen. Bernie Sanders and Russian President
Vladimir Putin won the reader poll in 2016 and 2015,
respectively.
79. 'Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar-2017 -- Bhalkhi
Gram Panchayat.
Note: These awards are being given to panchayats of
various states for best performance during the year 2015-
16. The awards would be given on the occasion of National
Panchayati Raj Day (24th April) in Lucknow.
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80. The sixth Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award -- Rayappa
Ramappa Hanchinal.
Note: He is the Chairperson of the Protection of Plant
Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, New Delhi. The
award is instituted and given under the aegis of Retired
ICAR Employees Association (RICAREA) in association with
the Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd (NSL).
81. The prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime achievement award
of the Maharashtra -- Saira Banu.
82. Veteran Actor has been selected for the Raj Kapoor Special
contribution award -- Jackie Shroff.
Note: The lifetime achievement awards carry a citation and
cash of five lakh rupees each, while both the special
contribution awards carry a citation and three lakhs rupee
in cash.
83. The lifetime achievement award at the 80th Bengal Film
Journalists Association (BFJA) awards -- Moushumi Chat-
terjee.
84. Italian mayor has won the UNESCO Peace Prize -- Giusep-
pina Nicolini.
Note: The UNESCO has awarded the Peace Prize to the
mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa Giuseppina
Nicolini for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants
and refugees.
85. Two Indians to feature on the list of 100 most influential
people of 2017 -- PM 'Narendra Modi' and 'Vijay Shekhar
Sharma'.
Note: PM Narendra Modi is described as a maestro of the
art of political seduction, playing on the existential fears
and cultural insecurities of people facing downward. Paytm
founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma venture Paytm witnessed a
huge growth by the end of 2016 with 177 million users.
86. Writer novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won
the Sahitya Akademi award -2016 for translation in English -
- Perumal Murugan.
Note: The prize in the form of a casket containing an
engraved copper plaque and a cash component of Rs
50,000. The book One Part Woman is a novel based on a
possible ancient cultural practice among people living
around Tiruchengode.
87. The historian and archaeologist has won the prestigious Dr.
Paduru Gururaja Bhat Memorial Award- 2017 -- Prof. A.V.
Narasimha Murthy.
Note: The award carries a citation and a purse of fifty
thousand rupees.
88. The 75th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar award for his out-
standing contribution to Indian Cricket -- Kapil Dev.
89. The second edition of the Golf Industry Association (GIA)
Awards 2017 -- Aditi Ashok, S.S.P Chawrasia and Ali Sher.
Note: Recently, Aditi finished second in the Ladies
European Tour (LET) order of merit in 2016. SSP Chawrasia
has won the Men's Player of the Year (2016). Golfer Ali Sher
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has won an Arjuna Award in 1991 and then went on to win
the Indian Open again in 1993.
90. The prestigious Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for the fifth
consecutive year -- Madhya Pradesh.
Note: The award instituted by the Agriculture Ministry
carries a trophy, citation & cash prize of Rs. 2 crores and
cash reward of Rs 2 lakh rupees will be handed over to a
woman and a male farmer as 'best wheat producer'. MP
wheat production in 2015-16 stood at 184.10 lakh tons as
against 171.03 lakh tons in 2014-15(rise of 7.64 %).
91. Golden Peacock Award 2017 in the category of Innovative
Product/Service for pioneering a cashless township trans-
formation model -- The Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers
& Chemicals Ltd (GNFC).
Note: The GNFC has won from among 313 applicants for
Golden Peacock Global Award for Innovative
Product/Service. Golden Peacock Awards has been
instituted by the Institute of Directors (IOD), India in 1991,
are now regarded as a benchmark of Corporate Excellence
worldwide.
92. Bollywood film has won the Jury Prize for best film at the
Hong Kong International Film Festival -- Newton.
Note: Newton is Amit Masurkar's second film after
Sulemani Keeda in 2014. Newton is a 2017 Indian Hindi-
language black comedy film directed by Amit V Masurkar
and produced by Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films.
93. Nobel laureate has been awarded the P C Chandra Pu-
raskar 2017 for his global crusade against child slavery and
exploitative child labour in Kolkata -- Kailash Satyarthi.
Note: He was handed over a citation, a trophy and a
cheque of Rs 10 lakh. Satyarthi has founded the 'Bachpan
Bachao Andolan' in 1980.
94. The honorary life membership to the former captain of the
Indian women's Test team Sandhya Agarwal -- Maryle-
bone Cricket Club(MCC).
Note: Agarwal is being honoured in recognition of her
distinguished service to the game.
95. The 'Dadasaheb Phalke award' for the year 2016 for his out-
standing contribution to the film industry -- Kasinadhuni
Viswanath.
Note: The award consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of
Rs. 10 lakh and a shawl. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is
India's highest award in cinema. It is presented annually at
the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of
Film Festivals, an organization set up by the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting.
96. The lifetime achievement award at the 80th Bengal Film
Journalists' Association (BFJA) awards -- Moushumi Chat-
terjee.
Note: Bengali film actor Prosenjit Chatterjee has given the
best actor award for his role in Sankhachil. BFJA Awards is
given by the Bengal Film Journalists' Association.
www.gradeup.co
97. Goldman Environmental Prize from Asia region for cham-
pioning the cause of States Dongria Kondh tribals and safe-
guarding their land & culture -- Prafulla Samantara.
100.
Note: The prize also known as Green Nobel prize and
Samantara is the sixth Indian to win the prize.Green Nobel
prize has been Instituted by the Goldman Environmental
Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco,
98. Who has honored with the 75th Master Dinanath
Mangeshkar Award for his outstanding performance in film
101.
Dangal -- Aamir Khan.
Note: Cricket legend Kapil Dev and veteran actor
Vyjayanthimala Bali were also honored in the function.
99. Indian city has won Pierre Lenfant Planning Excellence and
Achievement Awards-2017-- Bhubaneswar.
Note: The smart city Bhubaneswar has received this award
for good and advanced town planning and engaging its
residents in the planning process.
The first Indian actor to deliver Ted Talk in Canada --
Shah Rukh Khan.
Note: Mr. Khan has become the first Indian actor to deliver
TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) speech in
Vancouver, Canada. He also collaborated with TED to host
the Hindi version of the famous talk show.
Miss Teen Universe 2017 in the event held at the Ru-
ben Dario National Theatre in Nicaraguas capital Managua
-- Srishti Kaur.
Note: Samantha Pierre (Canada) and Ary Trava (Mexico)
were the runners-up in the event.The Miss Teen Universe
beauty pageant for teens aged 15 to 19 is held by the Miss
Universe Organisation.

Important Dates

1. The World Braille Day (WBD) is observed on - 4th January.
Note: The Day marks importance of braille for those who are
blind and to commemorate the birth anniversary of Louis
Braille.
2. The United Nations has designated the year 2017 as - The
International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Develop-
ment.
3. The World Hindi Day (WHD) is observed every year on - 10th
January.
Note: The day will promote Hindi across the world and to
mark the anniversary of first World Hindi Conference
(WHD)which was held in 1975.
4. National Youth Day is celebrated in India on -12th January.
Note: The theme of this years Festival is Youth for Digital
India.
5. The National Girl Child Day is celebrated on- 24th January.
Note: In 2008, it was announced that 24th January every
year would be celebrated as National Girl Child Day with
the objective of raising the consciousness of the society
towards the girl child so that she can be valued and
respected.
6. The National Tourism Day is celebrated in India on 25th Jan-
uary.
Note: The day is celebrated to raise awareness of im-
portance of tourism for the countrys economy.
7. The Republic Day is celebrated in India on 26th January.
Note: Republic Day honours the date on which the
Constitution of India came into effect (26 January 1950)
replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the
governing document of India.
8. The 2017 National Immunization Day (NID) celebrated on-
29th January.
Note: The programme will cover around 17 crore children
aged under five years in an effort to maintain the countrys
polio-free status.
9. World Leprosy Eradication Day is celebrated on 31st January.
Note: The World Leprosy Day is observed internationally on
January 30 or its nearest Sunday to increase the public
awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease.
10. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has celebrated its 40th raising
day on 1st Feb.
Note: The ICG came into existence on 1st Feb 1977 with an
enactment of Coast Guard Act 1978, as a full-fledged
independent Armed Force of the Union under the Ministry
of Defence (MoD).
11. The Basant Panchami festival is celebrated every year in the
month of 'Magha' on Fifth day.
Note: The day marks the beginning of the spring season.
Basant means spring and Panchami means "the fifth day".
12. The World Cancer day (WCD) is observed every year on - 4th
February.
Note: The theme of 2017 World Cancer day We can I can.
13. The National Deworming Day (NDD) is celebrated on 10th
February.
Note: It is the worlds largest deworming programme that
covers 340 million children under-19 years of age across 36
states/ UTs.
14. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is ob-
served on 11th February.
Note: The day aims to promote gender equality and
encourage girls and women to get involved in science and
research.
15. The World Radio Day (WRD) is observed every year on -13th
February.

41 | P a g e
www.gradeup.co
Note: The 2017 theme is Radio is You! a call for greater
participation of audiences and communities in the policy
and planning of radio broadcasting.
16. Chhattisgarh government observed Parents Worship Day
on - 14th February.
Note: The Parents Worship Day is celebrated every year by
the Chhattisgarh government on 14th Feb at all schools in
the state to teach Bharatiya sanskriti to students.
17. The National Productivity Week (NPW) is observed every
year from - 12th-18th February.
Note: The 2017 theme is From Waste to Profits-through
Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.
18. The United Nations' (UN) World Day of Social Justice is annu-
ally observed on - 20th February.
Note: The theme for 2017 is "Preventing conflict and
sustaining peace through decent work.
19. International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is a worldwide
annual observance held on - 21st February.
Note: The theme of 2017:"Towards Sustainable Futures
through Multilingual Education".
20. The Central Excise Day (CED) is celebrated in India on 24th
February.
Note: The 32 Officers of Central Board of Excise and
Customs (CBEC) and its formations from all over India to
receive Commendation Certificate on the occasion.
21. The National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year in
India on - 28th February.
Note: The basic objective of observation of National science
day is to spread the message of the importance of science
and its application among the people.
22. The Zero Discrimination Day (ZDD) is observed every year
on- 1st March.
Note: The 2017 theme is Make Some Noise for Zero
Discrimination.
23. The World Hearing Day (WHD) is observed every year on-
3rd March.
Note: The 2017 theme Action for hearing loss: make a
sound investment draws attention to the economic impact
of hearing loss and the cost effectiveness of interventions to
address it.
24. The World Wildlife Day (WWD) is observed every year on -
3rd March.
Note: The theme of 2017 World Wildlife Day (WWD) is
Listen to the young voices.
25. The International Womens Day (IWD) is observed every
year on - 8th March.
Note: The 2017 theme of IWD is Women in the Changing
World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030 and its campaign
theme is #BeBoldForChange.
26. The World Day Against Cyber Censorship (WDACC) is ob-
served on - 12th March.
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Note: The annual event is symbolized by a logo created by
Reporters Without Borders consisting of a computer mouse
breaking free from a chain.
27. The World Kidney Day (WKD) is observed every year on the-
2nd Thursday in March
Note: It is a global health awareness campaign to raise
awareness about impact of kidney disease and its associated
health problems worldwide.
28. The 2017 Commonwealth Day is celebrated on - 13th
March.
Note: The theme of this year is A Peace-building
Commonwealth.
29. The World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is observed every
year on - 15th March.
Note: Theme for World Consumer Rights Day this year is
Building a digital world consumers can trust.
30. The 'International Day of Happiness' is celebrated through-
out the world on - 20th March.
Note: The day was founded by United Nations adviser Jayme
Illien on 28th June, 2012.
31. International Day of Forests observed every year on - 21st
March.
Note: The theme of 2017 is Forests and energy'.
32. The World Poetry Day observed every year on- 21st March.
Note: The World Poetry Day is on 21st March and was
declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999.
33. The World water day is celebrated annually on - 22nd March.
Note: The theme of 2017 for World Water Day is 'Why
Wastewater?'.
34. The foundation day of Bihar (Bihar Diwas) is celebrated
every year on- 22nd March.
Note: It was on this day when the British carved out the
state from Bengal Presidency in 1912.
35. The United Nations' (UN) World Meteorological Day is an-
nually held on - 23rd March.
Note: The theme of WMD 2017 is 'Understanding Clouds' to
highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather
climate and water.
36. The "World Tuberculosis Day" observed every year on - 24th
March.
Note: The theme for World Tuberculosis Day 2017 is Unite
to End TB
37. The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of
Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade - 25th March.
Note: The 2017 theme Remember Slavery: Recognizing the
Legacy and Contributions of People of African Descent
38. The World Theatre Day (WTD) is observed on - 27th March.
Note: The day was initiated in 1961 by the International
Theatre Institute (ITI), the world organization for performing
arts.
www.gradeup.co
39. The state was formed on 30th March 1949 when Rajputana
was merged into the Dominion of India- Rajasthan.
40. The World Autism Awareness Day has been observed
across the world on - 2nd April.
Note: The 2017 theme for the day is "Toward Autonomy and
Self-Determination".
41. The International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in
Mine Action - 4th April.
Note: The 2017 theme is Needs driven. People Centred.
42. The National Maritime Day is being observed every year in
India on - 5th April.
Note: The National Maritime Day was first celebrated on 5th
April,1964. India has about 7516 km (Mainland: 5422.6 km
and Island Territories: 2094 km) of coastline serviced by a
total of 182 ports.
43. The United Nations (UN) International Day of Sport for De-
velopment and Peace (IDSDP) is observed across the world
on - 6th April.
Note: The day recognize the power of sport in promoting
peace and erasing cultural barriers worldwide.
44. The 'World Health Day is a global health awareness day cel-
ebrated every year on - 7th April.
Note: The theme of this year is Depression: Let's Talk,
aims to mobilize action on depression.
45. The 'World Heritage Day' is being observed across the globe
on - 18th April.
Note: The theme of 2017 is Cultural Heritage & Sustainable
Tourism.
46. The UN Chinese Language Day is observed every year on-
20th April
47. The Civil Services Day (CSD) has been celebrated in India -
21st April.
Note: The Civil Services Day (CSD) is organized every year on
21st April in India by civil servants to rededicate and
recommit themselves to the cause of the people.
48. The International Mother Earth Day has been celebrated
every year around the world on - 22nd April.
Note: The theme for 2017 is "Environmental & Climate
Literacy".
Defence
1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has suc-
cessfully launched remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-
2A into its dedicated orbit. It was launched onboard of
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C36 from first
launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
2. Indian Navys eight landing craft utility (LCU) L-58 was
launched by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd
(GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal.
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49. The World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) is being ob-
served every year on - 23rd April.
Note: The focus, this year is on the visually impaired to have
easy access to printed materials.
50. The United Nations English Language Day being observed
annually on - 23rd April.
Note: English has official or special status in at least 75
countries that have a total population of over two billion.
51. The National Panchayati Raj Diwas being observed every
year across India- 24th April.
Note: Twenty best Panchayats from all over the country
have been awarded, the Kuther Gram Panchayat in Nagrota
Surian Development Block of Kangra district (Himachal
Pradesh) was the first to become open defecation free (ODF)
and was awarded sum of five lakh Rupees.
52. The World Malaria Day being observed every year across
the world on - 25th April.
53. The 'World Intellectual Property Day' is observed annually
on- 26th April.
Note: This year's theme of the day is: Innovation
Improving Lives.
54. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work to promote
the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases glob-
ally observed on -28th April.
Note: The theme of this year is Optimize the collection and
use of OSH data.
55. International Labour Day observed is observed annually on -
- 1st May.
Note : 1st May is also celebrated as Maharashtra Day and
Gujarat Day to mark the date in 1960, when the two
western states attained statehood after the erstwhile
Bombay State was divided on linguistic lines.
56. The World Press Freedom Day is observed every year on --
3rd May.
Note: The theme of 2017 year is Critical Minds for Critical
Times: Medias role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive
societies.
57. The World Red Cross Day is observed annually on -- 8th
May.
Note: The theme for 2017 is Less Known Red Cross Stories.
3. China has successfully launched Fengyun-4 satellite, first of
its new generation weather satellites into geostationary or-
bit.
4. India successfully test fired its home-grown long range inter-
continental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic mis-
sile Agni-5.
5. The first-ever joint military exercise Pratikar-I will be held
between Nepal and China on 10th February 2017.The focus
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of the military exercise will be on training Nepali forces in
dealing with hostage scenarios involving international terror
groups.
6. The first country in the world to use drones for national mail
service France.
7. The Google India will launch Digitally Safe Consumer cam-
paign with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in 2017 to raise
awareness and protect consumer interest on the internet.
8. China has launched a global carbon dioxide monitoring sat-
ellite to understand climate change TanSat.
9. China has successfully tested the newest version of the J-
31stealth fighter FC-31 Gyrfalcon.
10. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is
sending first African-American space station crew member
to space station in 2018 Jeanette Epps.
11. Indias second Kalvari-class Scorpene stealth submarine INS
Khanderi has been launched in Mumbai.
12. The union railway minister Suresh Prabhu has released an An-
droid-based mobile application named IRCTC Rail Connect
app to promote ease of ticketing through digital transactions.
13. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed
pact with the French Space agency (CNES) satellite launch
technology.
14. Pakistan Army has test-fired the first submarine-launched
Cruise Missile Babur-3.
15. India and Vietnam have signed a civil nuclear cooperation
agreement. With this, Vietnam became 14th country with
which India has signed the civil nuclear deal.
16. China has successfully launched a navigation satellite XPNAV-
1 25. Communication satellite GSAT-18 successfully launched -
17. India has become the first non-NPT country with which
Japan has signed a Civil Nuclear Agreement.
18. NASAs most powerful space telescope completed. The
James Webb Space Telescope will be the successor to
NASAs 26-year-old Hubble Space Telescope. It will be 100
times more powerful than the Hubble probe and may find
the first galaxies that formed in the early universe.
Obituaries
1. Tyrus Wong was the legendary Disney artist of the country --
United States.
Note: He was best known for his sketches for the Walt
Disney animated feature 'Bambi'.
2. Imtiaz Ahmed was the former cricketer of -- Pakistan.
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19. China launches Long March 5 Rocket.
20. Zumwalt - US Navy has commissioned its largest, most expen-
sive and technologically advanced destroyer, Zumwalt. The
610-foot The 610-foot-long ship, commissioned in Baltimore
also has an advanced power plant and weapon systems.
21. Barak-8 - surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) - India and Israel
jointly developed most advanced long range surface-to-air
missile (LR-SAM) Barak-8 was successfully test fired off the
Odisha coast. The missile was test fired from a mobile
launcher at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Bal-
asore district in Odisha.
22. Akula II - India has signed agreement with Russia to lease
second Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine (SSN). The
deal is believed to be worth about $2 billion.
23. S-400 Triumf air defence systems - India has signed a de-
fence deal worth nearly Rs 39,000 crore with Russia to pur-
chase five state of art S-400 Triumf air defence systems.
Note:
The S-400 Triumf- NATO names it Growler- is an anti-
aircraft weapon system. It has been developed by
Russias Almaz Central Design Bureau.
The system uses long range and medium range missiles.
The S 400 is the latest of a long range of highly successful
air defence systems that have been the biggest threat to
western aircraft across the world.
24. INS Tihayu - Indian Navy has commissioned INS Tihayu, a Car
Nicobar Class water jet fast attack craft (WJFAC). INS Tahiyu
is the sixth WJFAC Car Nicobar Class vessel to be
commissioned and allotted to the Eastern Fleet of the Indian
Navy. It has been built by Kolkata-based shipyard Garden
Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).
India successfully launched the communication satellite
GSAT-18. The satellite was launched by a heavy-duty rocket
of Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in French
Guiana.
26. Sarathi - The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned
well-equipped offshore patrolling (OPV) vessel named
Sarathi.
Note: He featured in Pakistan's first Test played in Delhi
against India in October 1952 and went on to play 41
matches as a wicket keeper-batsman.
3. John Berger was the renowned author of the country --
United Kingdom.
Note: His best-known work was Ways of Seeing, a criticism
of western cultural aesthetics. He also won the Booker Prize
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for his novel G and donated half the prize money to the
radical African-American movement.
4. Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, was the famous musician of musi-
cal instrument -- Sitar.
Note: He was regarded as one of the Sitar Trinity of India
along with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan.
5. Former President of Iran has passed away in Tehran, Iran --
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Note: He served as president from 1989 to 1997 but lost to
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he ran again in 2005.
6. The former President and prime-minister of Portugal has
passed away in Lisbon, Portugal -- Mario Soares.
Note: He played a central role in the re-establishment of
diplomatic relations between Portugal and India in 1974.
7. The renowned sociologist of Poland has passed away at
Leeds, England -- Zygmunt Bauman.
Note: He was one of the worlds most prominent and
prolific European sociologists writing on issues as diverse as
modernity and the Holocaust, postmodern consumerism
and liquid modernity.
8. English singer-songwriter has passed away in Sussex, Eng-
land -- Peter Sarstedt.
9. Former Tourism Minister of Maharashtra has passed away in
Pune--Chandrakant Chhajed.
Note: He became Pune mayor in 1987.
10. The former President of Germany passed away recently --
Roman Herzog.
Note: Herzog served as President under Chancellor Helmut
Kohl and later under Gerhard Schroder between 1994 and
1999.
11. National award-winning filmmaker has passed away, who
won the award for his movie Limit to Freedom -- Deepak
Roy.
Note: He started his career as a film critic in 1974 and
ventured into the direction in 1982.
12. The Veteran film and stage actor who had acted in several
films including "Kolkata 71" and "Akaler Sandhane" passed
away -- Gita Sen.
13. Pioneer in the discovery of black hole in India -- CV Vish-
veshwara.
14. The renowned Urdu poet and lyricist passed away in Mum-
bai, Maharashtra -- Jaswant Rai Sharma.
Note: He was born in the town of Lyallpur in Punjab (now in
Pakistan) and known to the world by his pen name Naqsh
Lyallpuri. Some of his best songs include: Main to har
modh par, Na Jane kya hua, jo tune chhu liya and Ulfat
me zamane ki har rasm ko thukroa.
15. Legendary British actor who starred in The Elephant Man
and Harry Potter passes away at his residence in Norfolk
(London)-- Sir John Hurt.
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Note: Earlier, Sir John won four Bafta Awards, including a
lifetime achievement recognition for his outstanding
contribution to British cinema in 2012.
16. Russian Ambassador to India passed away due to the heart
attack in New Delhi -- Alexander Kadakin.
17. US Emmy award-winning actress passes away -- Mary Tyler
Moore.
Note: She was best known for her television roles The Dick
Van Dyke Show (in the 1960s) and the eponymous The Mary
Tyler Moore Show (in the 1970s).
18. Former Union Minister has passed away in the wee hours of
after suffering from heart attack -- E Ahmad.
Note: Ahmad represented the Malappuram Lok Sabha
constituency of Kerala.
19. Eminent theater personality who closely associated with the
art and culture scene of Odishahas passed away -- Asim
Basu.
Note: He was closely associated with the art and culture
scene of Odisha for over five decades and directed over 200
plays. Basu has received the state Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award in 1998.
20. Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief has
passed away -- Joginder Singh.
Note:He is the 1961 batch IPS officer of Karnataka cadre was
chosen to head the premier investigative agency CBI on July
31, 1996.
21. The Renowned Pakistani Urdu novelist and playwright has
passed away in Lahore -- Bano Qudsia.
Note: She born in November 1928 in Ferozepur(India) and
migrated to Pakistan after partition.
22. Recently passed freedom fighter, Racharla Samrajyam from
the state -- Andhra Pradesh.
Note: Samrajyam was born on April 26, 1919 at
Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. She was the younger sister
of the social reformer Gora.
23. The winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medi-
cine who passed away recently -- Sir Peter Mansfield.
Note: He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or
Medicine in 2003, along with late US chemist Paul
Lauterbur, for discovering Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MIR), a technique used by medical specialists to generate
images of the human bodys anatomy.
24. A legendary comic manga artist of Japan, has passed away in
Tokyo, Japan -- Jiro Taniguchi.
Note: Taniguchi achieved an international following with
works such as The Walking Man, The Summit of the Gods
and The Magic Mountain, hailed for exquisite line drawing
and intricately-constructed landscapes.
25. Legendary American jazz singer nicknamed as crobat of
Scat passed away in Los Angeles -- Al Jarreau.
www.gradeup.co
Note: He was best known for his 1981 album Breakin Away
and singing the theme song to the popular 1980s TV show
Moonlighting.
26. T V Parasuram, who passed away recently, was related to --
Journalism.
Note: He served as the correspondent for The Indian
Express for two decades till his retirement at age 58.
27. Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) passed away after the pro-
longed illness in Kolkata, West Bengal -- Altamas Kabir.
Note: Kabir served as the 39th Chief Justice of India from
September 2012 to July 2013.
28. Former MP who known for his demands of a separate state
for Vidarbha passed away -- Jambuvantrao Dhote
Note: Mr. Dhote won his first election to Lok Sabha in 1971
from Nagpur as a Forward Bloc nominee.
29. Jiro Taniguchi, who passed away recently, was the legendary
comic manga artist of -- Japan.
30. Hindi novelist famous for novels with unique titles like Dahej
Mein Revolver has passed away -- Ved Prakash Sharma
Note: His novel "Vardi Wala Gunda" published in 1993, gave
him the big break and sold more than eight crore copies.
31. Recently, Bengali singer has passed away in Kolkata due to
illness -- Banasree Sengupta.
Note: She had recorded large number of romantic songs
since 1966. West Bengal government had bestowed Sangeet
Samman (2012) and the Mahasangeet Samman (2013) for
her contribution to music.
32. Nobel-winning economist, mathematician has passed away
in USA -- Kenneth J Arrow.
Note: He received the Nobel memorial prize in economic
science for their pioneering mathematical work on general
equilibrium theory in 1972.
33. The noted bureaucrat, columnist and director of the Insti-
tute of Economic Studies (IES), has recently passed away in
Hyderabad -- V. K. Srinivasan.
34. An Indian politician who served as the Minister of External
Affairs (MEA), Law and Petroleum passed away in Hydera-
bad -- Punjala Shiva Shankar.
35. The popular Gujarati writer and noted play writer, has re-
cently passed away in Ahmedabad, Gujarat -- Tarak Mehta.
Note: The popular series 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah
Chashmah' is TV adaptation of Padma Shri Taarak Mehta's
column 'Duniya Ne Undha Chasma.
36. Senior Congress leader and the first Manipuri Muslim to be
a member of Rajya Sabha from Manipur passed away -- Haji
Abdul Salam
Note: Salam represented the Upper House (Rajya Sabha)
since 2014 and served as Minister.
37. The French football legend, has passed away in Paris, France
-- Raymond Kopa.
46 | P a g e
Note: He won the European Cup three times with Real
Madrid in the 1950s. Kopa was also the central part of the
French side beaten by Pele's Brazil in a classic World Cup
semi-final in 1958.
38. Veteran politician and former Member of Parliament, has
passed away in Imphal, Manipur -- Yumnam Yaima Singh.
39. The man who performed the world's first liver transplant
passed away at home in United States -- US Thomas Starzl.
40. Noted socialist leader and former Lok Sabha speaker passed
away in Cuttack -- Rabi Ray.
Note: He was the union minister of health and family
welfare in the Morarji Desai ministry and the speaker of
ninth Lok Sabha from 1989-1991.
41. Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya was the noted folk singer of
which language -- Bengali.
Note: He was also part of a folk band called Dohar, which
had as its objective the popularisation of the rustic songs of
Bangal and North East India.
42. Former Puducherry Minister has passed away in Chennai,
Tamil Nadu -- M Chandrakasu.
Note: Chandrakasu. represented Nedungad constituency in
the outlying enclave of Karaikal for six terms.
43. Malayalam film director passed away in a private hospital at
Kochi -- Diphan.
Note: He is survived by his wife and two children. Diphan is
known for his films namely Puthiya Mukham, Hero and SIM.
44. The prolific American author of both adult and childrens
books, has recently passed away in Chicago, United States --
Amy Krouse Rosenthal.
Note: She is best known for her memoir Encyclopedia of an
Ordinary Life.
45. Noted Gujarati poet and ghazal writer, has passed away in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat -- Chinu Modi.
Note: He has made a great contribution to the Gujarati
literature with his poetry, plays, novels and stories. Chinu
Modi had received Sahitya Academy award in 2014.
46. Former national racing champion and his wife Niveditha
died in a mishap at MRC Nagar, Chennai -- Ashwin Sundar.
Note: Sundar had won the national title in car racing and
two-wheeler events on several occasions and his wife was a
doctor in a private hospital in Chennai.
47. A Nobel-prize winning poet, playwright, and painter has
passed away at his home in Cap Estate, Saint Lucia -- Derek
Alton Walcott.
Note: Walcott known for capturing the essence of his native
Caribbean. The prolific and versatile poet received the Nobel
Prize in literature in 1992 after being shortlisted for the
honor for many years.
48. Former Rajya Sabha member and founder of the Odisha Jan
Morcha passed away at a hospital in Mumbai -- Pyari Mo-
han Mohapatra.
www.gradeup.co
Note: Mohapatra is widely credited with Biju Janata Dal
unstoppable growth from until 2012 and political advisor of
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
49. Former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorol-
ogy (IITM) passed away at Pune -- Dev Raj Sikka.
Note: He was the first to propose a link between the El Nino
phenomenon and the Indian monsoon. Sikka was honored
with the lifetime achievement award by the Indian
Meteorological Society (IMD) in recognition of his
contribution to Indian meteorology.
50. The well-known Tamil novelist and essayist has recently
passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu -- Thiagarajan.
51. Noted Tamil writer passed away in Chennai after a brief ill-
ness -- Ashokamitran.
Note: He was given the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for
his work 'Appavin Snegidhar'(collection of short stories).
52. Eminent Solicitor General of India (from 1996 to 1998)
passed away due to illness -- Tehmtan R Andhyarujina
Note: Andhyarujina was known for his expertise in a branch
of constitutional law relating to parliamentary privileges.
53. Noted playwright & Sahitya Akademi Award winner passed
away after a brief illness -- Arun Sarma.
Note: He had written more than 50 plays and books. Sarma
has also won Padma Shri, and Assam Valley Literary.
54. Veteran South Africans Indian-origin anti-apartheid activist
passed away -- Ahmed Kathrada.
Note: Kathrada was among eight African National Congress
activists sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. He was one
of Nelson Mandelas closest aides in his struggle to end the
white minority
55. Former Punjab minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
leader passed away at Ludhiana -- Gurdev Singh Badal.
Note: He was a five-time Member of Punjab Legislative
Assembly, representing the Panjgrain constituency in
Jalandhar district Punjab.
56. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist passed away in
Mumbai after a brief illness -- Kishori Amonkar.
Note: Amonka was considered one of the pre-eminent
representatives of Hindustani tradition and as an innovative
exponent of the Jaipur Gharana.
57. Britains one of the most prominent black activists of his
generation passed away due to cancer -- Darcus Howe.
Note: Howe was a leader of the UKs little-chronicled black
power movement.
58. Noted filmmaker and scriptwriter passed away in a private
hospital -- Ajey Jhankar.
Note: Hollywood movie Singularity by filmmakar, Roland
Joffe was based on Jhankars novel Drohparv'. He was the
writer of well-known Marathi novel 'Sarkarnama'.
59. Gandhian who headed an organization the Karnataka Gan-
dhi Smaraka Nidhi for nearly four decades passed away --
Ho. Srinivasaiah.
47 | P a g e
60. Renowned Literary critic breathed his last in Kochi -- M.
Achuthan.
Note: He served as the President of Samastha Kerala
Sahithya Parishad as well as Sahithya Pravarthaka
Sahakarana Sangham.
61. Former Union Minister and Prominent Educationist passed
away in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) -- Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta.
Note: He was the son of former Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh Late Shri Babu Banarasi Das.
62. Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) passed away
in new Delhi -- Girish Chandra Saxena.
Note: Saxena was an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the
1950-batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
63. The worlds oldest woman passed away at her home in Ver-
bania, Italy -- Emma Morano.
Note: She held the Guinness World Record titles for the
oldest living person and oldest living woman (117-year).
64. Pioneer of Modern Computing and the Internet has passed
away at his home in Woodside, California, USA -- Robert
Taylor.
Note: Rob Taylor was instrumental in creating the internet
and the modern personal computer.
65. British Progressive rock and jazz fusion guitar pioneer has
passed away in California, U.S -- Allan Holdsworth.
Note: He released twelve studio albums as a solo artist and
played a variety of musical styles spanning a period of more
than four decades, but is best known for his work in jazz
fusion. Holdsworth first appeared on a record in 1969 with
the group Igginbottom.
66. Former Andhra Pradesh minister passed away in Hyderabad
-- Devineni Rajashekhar.
Note: He was elected to Andhra Pradesh (AP) assembly from
Kankipadu in 1983 and retained the seat in 1985, 1989, and
1994.
67. Veteran Tamil actor and scriptwriter passed away in Chennai
-- Vinu Chakravarthy.
Note: Chakravarthy has acted in over 1,000 Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada, Badaga and Malayalam languages films playing
villain, comic roles and supporting characters.
68. The Oscar-winning American film director-producer and
screenwriter passed away in New York -- Jonathan Demme.
Note: He became best known for directing The Silence of
the Lambs (1991), for which he won the Academy Award for
Best Director.
69. Veteran actor and sitting BJP MP of Gurdaspur passed away
in Mumbai -- Vinod Khanna.
Note: Mr. Khanna had won numerous awards, including the
Film fare award for best supporting actor for 'Haath ki
Safaai' (1975) and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
(1999). He was last seen in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 2015 film
Dilwale.
www.gradeup.co
Schemes/ Policy Govt. of India
1. NITI Aayog announces launch of the schemes - Lucky
Grahak Yojana and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana - for
incentivising digital payments.
The primary aim of these schemes is to incentivize digital
transactions so that electronic payments are adopted by all
sections of the society, especially the poor and the middle
class.
The scheme became operational with the first draw on 25th
December, 2016, leading up to a Mega Draw on Babasaheb
Ambedkar Jayanti on 14th April 2017.
a) Lucky Grahak Yojana [Consumers]: Daily reward of Rs
1000 to be given to 15,000 lucky Consumers for a period of
100 days, Weekly prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10,000 and Rs.
5000 for Consumers who use the alternate modes of digital
Payments.
b) Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana [Merchants]: Prizes for
Merchants for all digital transactions conducted at Merchant
establishments. Weekly prizes worth Rs. 50,000, Rs 5,000
and Rs. 2,500
c) Mega Draw on 14th of April (Ambedkar Jayanti) - 3 Mega
Prizes for consumers worth Rs 1 cr, 50 lakh, 25 lakh & 3
Mega Prizes for merchants worth Rs 50 lakhs, 25 lakh, 12
lakh for digital transactions between 8th November, 2016 to
13th April, 2017 to be announced on 14th April, 2017.
2. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) notified
along with other provisions of Taxation Laws (Second
Amendment) Act, 2016 came into effect from 17 December
2016. It will remain open until March 31, 2017. PMGKY is
Union Governments second income disclosure scheme (IDS)
to allow tax evaders to come clean with unaccounted
wealth. It provides for 50 per cent tax and surcharge on
declarations of unaccounted cash deposited in banks.
3. Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA) was launched by the
Union Ministry for Human Resource Development (HRD) to
make people aware about cashless economic system. It was
launched by Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar in New
Delhi. It is campaign by Higher Educational institutions for
digital economy.
4. Rajasthan Government has launched Annapurna Rasoi
Scheme to provide quality meal at cheap price to poor and
needy on lines with Tamil Nadu Governments Amma
canteens. The tagline for the scheme is: Sabke liye bhojan,
sabke liye sammaan (Food for all, respect for all).
5. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched Student
credit card scheme for the students passing Class 12th
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exam.It will fecilaitate to get an interest free loan of Rs four
lakh for pursuing higher studies.
6. Jharkhand became the first state in the country to
implement Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT) in Kerosene. The
scheme would be implemented in four identified districts of
the state from 1st of October 2017. These districts are
Chatra, Hazaribagh, Khunti and Jamtara.
7. The 'Farm Tourism' scheme launched by Haryana Tourism
Minister Rambilas Sharma to attract people to villages.
Note: Under this scheme, farm owners can host tourists
under holiday packages.
8. Maharashtra government launched Kaushalya Setu, its skill
development programme for students.
Note: The state will play a leading role in fulfilling PM
Narendra Modis Skill India Mission-2020.
9. PM launched several schemes including Urja Ganga gas
pipeline project in Varanasi.
Note: Urja Ganga, 1500 km long gas pipeline project which
costing Rs 51,000 crore to provide piped cooking gas to
residents of Varanasi within two years.
10. The Ministry of Science and Technology has started two new
initiatives namely Biotech-KISAN (Krishi Innovation Science
Application Network) and Cattle Genomics.
Note: Under the scheme, fellowship will be given to women
farmers for training and education in the farm practice.
11. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has given
its approval to New Productivity Linked Reward(PLR)
Scheme for all Major Port Trusts and Dock Labour Board
employees/workers for the years 2015-16 to 2017-18.
12. Smart Ganga City Scheme in 10 cities The scheme was
launched by Union Minister for Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti and
Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
Key points: The scheme was launched in 10 ten important
cities through video conference. These cities are 1.
Haridwar, 2. Rishikesh, 3. Mathura-Vrindavan, 4. Varanasi, 5.
Kanpur, 6. Allahabad, 7. Lucknow, 8. Patna, 9. Sahibgunj, 10.
Barrackpore. These cities were chosen as part of the Phase-I
of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for
infrastructure development for sewage treatment.
13. Odisha government has launched Madhubabu Aain
Sahayata Sibir (MASS) scheme to provide legal assistance to
deprived sections of the society at the grassroots level. The
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scheme has been named after great Odia lawyer Madhu
Babu, who is considered as the first lawyer of Odisha. Key
Features of Scheme State government will provide free
legal consultations to deprived sections of the society by
setting up legal assistance cells in all 6,812 gram panchayats
across the state. Legal assistance will be given in shape of
free legal aid in order to ensure that opportunities for
securing justice are not denied to any citizen for economic
and other reasons.
14. Swadesh Darshan scheme The scheme was launched by
Union Tourism Ministry with an aim to develop theme based
tourist circuits in the country. Key points: The Union
Government has approved 450 crore for the scheme. The
scheme was launched in 5 states for the development of
Heritage circuit in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand,
Ramayana Circuit in Uttar Pradesh, North East Circuit in
Sikkim and Coastal Circuit of Tamil Nadu.
15. Biju Kanya Ratna Yojana (BKRY) - The scheme was launched
by the Odisha Government for the development of girls in
three districts of the state which are - Ganjam, Dhenkanal
and Angul. The objective the scheme is to improve Sex Ratio
at Birth (SRB) and Child Sex Ratio (CSR) in the three districts.
16. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) The
scheme was announced by the union government which
aims to providing apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh
youngsters in order to create more jobs. Key points The
Scheme has an outlay of 10,000 crore rupees with a target
of 50 Lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20. Central
Government will also directly share 25% of the total stipend
(maximum of 1,500 rupees per month per apprentice)
payable to an apprentice with employers.
17. Indian Railway launched Insurance scheme for passengers
travelling on e- ticket
Note: The scheme was launched by Union Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
Key points Person booking a train ticket through the
IRCTC website will be eligible for the travel insurance and it
is optional. To avail the facility, train passengers have to pay
92 paisa premium. The insurance cover will not be
applicable for children upto 5 years of age and foreign
citizens. The facility will be available only for confirmed and
RAC ticket passengers. The scheme offers travellers or
nominees a compensation of 10 lakh Rupees in the event of
death or total disabilty, 7.5 lakh Rupees for partial
disability. Besides it will pay upto 2 lakh Rupees for
hospitalisation expenses and 10,000 rupees for
transportation of mortal remains from the place of a train
accident.
18. E-Library Sugamya Pustakalaya - The Union Government
has launched Accessible E-Library Sugamya Pustakalaya for
Divyang under Prime Ministers Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan. It
49 | P a g e
was jointly launched by Union Ministers Ravi Shankar
Prasad, Prakash Javadekar and Thawar Chand Gehlot at a
fucntion in New Delhi.
Key points: Sugamya Pustakalaya is an online library for
Divyang and houses publications across diverse subjects and
languages and multiple accessible formats. In this online
library books will available in accessible formats for people
with visual impairment and other print disabilities. It will
house over 2 lakhs books in diverse languages. It will also
integrate libraries across India and the Globe, including the
largest international library Bookshare.
19. Mission Bhagiratha, safe drinking water scheme launched in
Telangana The scheme was launched by Prime Minsiter
Narendra Modi. It was launched by state Government at
Komatibanda Village, Gajwel in Medak District of Telangana.
Key points : Mission Bhagiratha is a water grid project that
aims to provide safe drinking water to all even to remotest
places in Telangana. The objective of the scheme is to
provide 100 litres of clean drinking water per person in rural
households and 150 litres per person in urban households.
Under it safe drinking water will be provided to about 25000
rural habitations and 67 urban habitations.
20. Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana launched in Odisha
Note: A special assistance scheme for elderly weavers. The
scheme was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on
the occasion of the second National Handlooms Day
(observed on 7th August). The scheme aims at improving the
financial condition of over 8,000 weavers in the state.
21. DISHA scheme launched by govt. - The Union Government
has constituted the District Development Coordination and
Monitoring Committee (DDCMC) for effective development
and coordination of Central Governments programme. It
will be known as DISHA.
Key Points - It will monitor the implementation of 28
schemes and programmes of Union Ministry of Rural
Development and other Ministries to promote synergy and
convergence for greater impact. The main purpose of the
DISHA is to coordinate with Central and State and local
Panchayat Governments. It has been created for effective
coordination and development of Central Governments
programme for infrastructure development or Social and
human resource development.
22. Himayat programme launched in J & K The scheme was
launched in Jammu & Kashmir.
Note: The govt. had approved nearly 1,600 crore rupees for
the implementation of the Hinayat Programme in the state.
23. Prime Minister launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana at
Ballia.
Note: It will provide 5 crore LPG connections to BPL Families.
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24. Interest Subvention Scheme for farmers - The scheme will
help farmers getting short term crop loan payable within
one year up to 3 lakhs Rupees at only 4% per annum.
25. Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) - The Union
Cabinet has approved proposal of extending the deadline for
implementing the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY)
by a year to March 31, 2017. The UDAY scheme aims at
bringing ailing power discoms to a state of operational
efficiency, with state governments taking over up to 75% of
their respective debt and issuing sovereign bonds to pay
back the lenders.
26. Union Government launches UJALA Scheme - Unnat Jyoti
by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) will help people of
Madhya Pradesh get subsidised 9W energy efficient LED
bulbs by paying just 85 rupees per LED bulb.
27. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: It is a small deposit scheme for
the girl child.
Key points of the scheme
In one family, a maximum of two accounts can be opened
for two girl children. The account can be transferred
anywhere in India from one Post office/Bank to another.
Age Limit: The upper age limit of the girl child for opening
this account is 10 years. The govt. has given a relaxation of
one year in the upper age limit for those opening accounts
till December 1, 2015.
Documents required - 1. Birth Certificate of the girl child. 2.
Address proof. 3. Identity proof.
Minimum & Maximum deposit: The minimum deposit
under the scheme is Rs. 1000/-. The maximum deposit is Rs.
1.5 lakhs. There is no limit on the number of investments
one can make in an account either in a month or in a year.
Interest rate: The revised rate is 8.6%.
Maturity period: The maturity period of the scheme is 21
years from the date of account opening, though deposits
need to be made only for the first 14 years. The minimum
lock-in in period under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is 11
years.
28. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): The scheme
aims to impart skill training to youth with focus on first time
entrants to the labour market and class 10 and class 12 drop
outs. The scheme will be implemented by the Union
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through
the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It will
cover 24 lakh persons and skill training would be based on
the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and
industry led standards.
Sports
50 | P a g e
29. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY): It is a
low premium insurance scheme which will link with the
Pradhan Mantri Jhan Dhan Yojna.
Key points of the scheme:
Eligibility: Minimum 18 years and maximum 50 years and
have bank account are eligible for the scheme. If the
account is opened before attaining the age of 50 years, the
life cover would remain intact up to the age of 55 years, if
premium is paid regularly. Premium - Rs.330 per year i.e.
less than Rs.1 per day. Risk coverage - Rs.2 Lakh in case of
death for any reason. The premium paid will be tax-free
under section 80C and also the proceeds amount will get
tax-exemption u/s 10(10D).
30. Atal Pension Yojana (APY): It is a scheme mainly for workers
in unorganised sector. The scheme will be administered by
the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
(PFRDA) and replace the previous government's
Swavalamban Yojana NPS Lite.
Key points of the scheme:
The subscribers who will joined the scheme would receive
the fixed pension of Rs. 1000 per month, Rs. 2000 per
month, Rs. 3000 per month, Rs. 4000 per month, Rs. 5000
per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on their
contributions.
Age limit: minimum 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.
A subscriber can contribute for minimum period of 20 years
or more and pension payment will start at the age of 60
years.
The government of India has decided to co-contribute 50%
of the subscriber's contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum,
whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber account, for a
period of 5 years, i.e., from 2015-16 to 2019-20, who join
the NPS before 31st December, 2015 and who are not
income taxpayers.
31. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY): It is an
insurance scheme which covers death or disablement of the
policyholder caused due to accident or accidental injuries.
Key points of the scheme: Age limit: Minimum 18 yrs and
maximum 70 years. The scheme will be a one year cover,
renewable from year to year and would be administered
through the Public Sector General Insurance Companies in
collaboration with Banks.
Risk coverage: Rs. 2 Lakh and for partial disability cover of
Rs. 1 Lakh.
Premium: Rs.12 per annum. The premium will be directly
auto-debited by the bank from the subscribers' account.
www.gradeup.co
International
1. The 2016 Mubadala World Tennis Championship -- Rafael
Nadal.
Note: The winner received a purse of $ 250,000.
2. Gold Medal in the 2016 World Blitz Chess Championship
in Doha, Qatar -- Sergey Karjakin.
Note: This was Karjakins first world title in blitz chess.
3. The Australian opening batsman who was recently in-
ducted into ICC Hall of Fame posthumously is -- Arthur
Morris.
Note: He has become the 82nd player to be inducted into
the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
4. First batsman of Pakistan to score test hundreds in 11
countries-- Younis Khan.
5. The 2017 Qatar Open Mens singles tennis tournament
winner-- Novak Djokovic.
Note: He won the match at Doha by defeating World No.
1 Andy Murray by 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
6. A new world record for cycling the furthest distance in
one hour for riders aged 105 or older -- Robert
Marchand.
Note: Robert rode more than 22.5 kilometers at an
indoor venue on the outskirts of Paris.
7. The Best FIFA Mens player award at the 2016 Best FIFA
Football Awards in Zurich-- Cristiano Ronaldo.
Note: He beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Atletico
Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to the prize.
8. The 2017 Qatar Open Mens Singles title winner -- Novak
Djokovic.
9. New Director of West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) --
Jimmy Adams.
Note: Adams is the former head coach of the Kent County
Cricket Club (England county) will officially take over the
position for a three-year contract.
10. The 2017 Scottish Junior Open Squash championship win-
ner -- Shreyas Mehta.
11. The 2017 Delhi International Open chess tournament
winner -- Farrukh Amonatov
Note: He has won the 15th edition of Delhi International
Open chess tournament-2017 and received Rs. 4 lakh in
prize money.
12. All-rounder of Australia has been adjusted Cricket Aus-
tralia's T20 International Player of the Year -- Shane Wat-
son.
Note: Watson retired from international cricket just after
the World T20 in India last year.
13. The 2017 Australian Open Women's Singles title winner --
-Serena Jameka Williams.
Note: She defeated her sister Venus Williams (36-years)
in the final, 64, 64.
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14. The 2017 Mens singles Australian Open tennis
tournament winner -- Roger Federer.
Note: He defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain by 6-4, 3-6, 6-1,
3-6, 6-3. It was Federers first major title win after the
2012 Wimbledon.
15. Australian cricketer has decided to retire from all formats
of international cricket -- Adam Voges.
Note: He has played 20 Tests for Australia after debuting
at the age of 35-year in 2015 and became the oldest
debut centurion when he scored not out 130 runs against
West Indies in Dominica.
16. The 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards for Sportswoman
of the Year --Simone Biles.
Note: She is the first woman to win four gymnastics gold
medals in a single Olympic Games.
17. The first Indian ever to be promoted by the International
Basketball Federation (FIBA) as Technical Delegate (TD)--
Norman Isaac.
18. The 2017 Laureus World Sports Awards for Sport man of
the Year -- Usain Bolt.
Note: Bolt was conferred with the top honour for the
fourth time (2009, 2010 and 2013) and equal the record
set by tennis legends Roger Federer and Serena Williams
and surfer Kelly Slater, who are all four-time Laureus
winners.
19. The Legendary Pakistan all-rounder has announced his re-
tirement from international cricket -- Shahid Afridi.
20. Who has claimed ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
in Rotterdam -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Note: He defeated third seeded David Goffin of Belgium
4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
21. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) Male Player of
the Year 2016 -- John-John Dohmen.
22. The country to host 2017 ICC Womens Cricket World
Cup-- England.
Note: The 11th edition of ICC Womens Cricket World
Cup 2017 will be hosted by England from 24 June to 23
July 2017.
23. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) female Player
of the Year 2016 -- Naomi van.
24. Teenage spinner of Bangladesh has won the Debutant of
the Year Award for his 19 wickets in the 2 match Test se-
ries against England -- Mehedi Hasan Miraj.
25. The Test Batting Performance of the Year 2016 -- Ben
Stokes (England).
26. The new brand ambassador for 2018 ODI Blind Cricket
World Cup -- Shahid Afridi.
Note: The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has
announced that former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi
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has been appointed as the ambassador for the fifth
edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup next year.
27. The ATP Mexico Open hard court tennis tournament at
Acapulco in Mexico -- Sam Querrey
Note: He defeated Rafael Nadal (second-seeded) in
straight sets 6-3, 7-6.
28. The third consecutive Brazil Open title by beating Albert
Ramos-Vinolas -- Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay).
Note: It was Cuevas' sixth career ATP singles title.
29. The country is hosting the 2017 Special Olympics World
Winter Games --Austria.
Note: The Special Olympics World Games are an
international sporting competition for athletes with
intellectual disabilities, organized by Special Olympics.
30. The ATP Indian wells Masters title in California, USA win-
ner -- Roger Federer.
Note: He defeated Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-4, 7-5.
31. The Men's Singles crown at the All England Open badmin-
ton championships -- Lee Chong Wei(Malaysia).
Note: He defeated Shi Yuqi (China) in straight games 21-
12, 21-10. The All England Open Badminton
Championships is the world's oldest badminton
tournament, held annually in England.
32. The season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix
for Ferrari winner -- Sebastian Vettel (Germany).
Note: Lewis Hamilton finished second and the Britons
Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas into third.
33. The Australian fast bowler retires from all forms of cricket
-- Shaun Tait.
Note: Tait represented his country in 3 Tests, 35 One-Day
Internationals (ODI) and 21 Twenty20 Internationals
during which he picked up 95 wickets.
National
1. The women football team has won the 2016 SAFF
Womens Championship -- India.
Note: This is Indias 4th consecutive SAFF Womens
Championship title.
2. The 2017 National Ice Skating Championship was held --
Gurugram (Haryana).
Note: Approx 300 ice skaters across the country will
participate in the 2-day event
3. India's tennis singles player has announced his retirement
from professional tennis -- Somdev Devvarman.
Note: He has two runners-up finishes on the ATP World
Tour as his best performances on the Tour.
4. Indian cricketer has announced to step down as captain
of Team India's limited over cricket matches --Mahindra
Singh Dhoni
5. All three gold medals on offer in the 1st Western Asia
Youth Chess Championships -- Kush Bhagat.
52 | P a g e
34. Who won the 2017 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix tourna-
ment -- Lewis Hamilton.
Note: British Formula One racing driver from England has
won the 2017 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the
Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.
35. The Miami open 2017 at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne,
Florida, United States winner -- Roger Federer.
Note: It was the 32nd edition of the Miami Open and of
the Premier Mandatory category on the 2017 WTA Tour.
36. The 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix winner -- Sebastian Vettel.
Note: The 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One
motor race that took place at the Bahrain International
Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain.
37. FIFA has banned Guatemala's former football chief for life
from all football-related activities at national and interna-
tional level -- Brayan Jimenez.
Note: He was banned for accepting bribes worth several
hundred thousand dollars in exchange for media and
marketing rights for key matches.
38. Men's Singles title of Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tourna-
ment -2017 winner-- Rafael Nadal.
Note: The Monte-Carlo Masters is an annual tennis
tournament for male professional players held in
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, a commune that
borders on Monaco.
39. Pakistani legendary cricketer has become the first Paki-
stan player and 13th ever batsmen to complete 10,000
Test runs -- Younis Khan.
Note: He became the oldest and sixth fastest batsmen to
reach 10,000 runs milestone with respect to innings
played.
6. The 38th All India Railways Woman's Hockey champion-
ship winner -- South Eastern Railway (SER).
Note: South Eastern Railway (SER) has defeated Western
Railway 2-1 in the final of the 38th All India Railways
Women's Hockey Championship.
7. The 2017 Aircel Chenni Open mens doubles tournament
winner -- Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan.
Note: They defeated compatriots Purav Raja and Divij
Sharan in the final by 6-3, 6-4 at the SDAT Tennis Stadium
in Chennai (Tamil Nadu).
8. The Federation Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA) Council has decided to expand the FIFA World Cup
to a 48-team competition as of -- 2026 edition.
Note: An initial stage of 16 groups of three teams will
precede a knockout stage for the remaining 32 when the
change is made for the 2026 tournament.
9. Under-19 British Junior Open Squash 2017 tournament
winner -- Velavan Senthilkumar.
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10. Indian hockey player has become a member of Interna-
tional Hockey Federation (FIH) Athletes Committee --PR
Sreejesh
Note: The committee consists of a total of 8 current and
former hockey players who have the responsibility to act
as a liaison between the FIH and the athletes to make
sure the players have voice in the FIH decision making
process.
11. The 2017 Chennai Open Mens Singles title winner -- Rob-
erto Bautista Agut.
12. The 3rd edition of Kolkata Open National Invitation
Snooker Championship 2017 winner -- Pankaj Advani.
Note: He has defeated Aditya Mehta by 5-1 and wins the
3rd Kolkata open National Invitation Snooker
Championship 2017 at the Bengal Rowing Club in West
Bengal.
13. The Ranji Trophy tournament 2016-17 winner -- Gujarat.
Note: The Gujarat cricket team has won their first-ever
Ranji Trophy title in the 201617 season after defeating
Mumbai by 5 wickets in the final in Indore (Madhya
Pradesh).
14. The National Level Competitions for various sports for
Under-14 and Under-17 children Khelo India has inau-
gurated in the city -- New Delhi.
15. The 2017 Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL)
tournament winner -- Chennai Smashers.
Note: He defeated Mumbai Rockets in the final by 4-3 at
the Siri Fort Complex in New Delhi.
16. The 2017 Pro Wrestling League (PWL) winner -- Punjab
Royals.
Note: He defeated Haryana Hammers in the final by 5-4
in New Delhi.
17. The Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy 2016-17 season win-
ner -- Bengal.
18. The first Indian stadium to have stands named after war
heroes -- Eden Gardens stadium(Kolkata).
Note: Eden Gardens stadium at Kolkata will become the
first Indian stadium to have stands named after the war
heroes.
19. The T20 Blind Cricket World Cup -2017 hosted by -- India.
Note: T20 Blind Cricket World Cup will be hosted by India
from January 29 to February 12, 2017.
20. The fastest captain of the country who scored 1000 runs -
- Virat Kohli.
Note: He took just 17 innings as captain to get the
milestone.Kohli has overtaken the previous record of AB
de Villiers (South Africa)-18 innings, Kane Williamson
(New Zealand)-20 innings, Alastair Nathan Cook (English
cricketer)-21 innings and Sourav Ganguly (former India
captain)-22 innings.
36. The 2017 Mens singles Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold bad-
minton tournament winner-- Sameer Verma.
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37. Who won the Gold at Malaysia Masters Grand Prix -2017
title -- Saina Nehwal.
Note: The 2017 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold was
the first grand prix's badminton tournament of the 2017
BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix.
21. The 18th Asian Junior Team Squash Championship-2017
winner-- India.
Note: Indian team has won gold medal in the boys team
event at the 18th Asian Junior Team Squash
Championship-2017 by defeating Malaysia by 2-0 in the
final in Hong Kong.
22. Olympic and Paralympic medals for the Tokyo 2020
Games will be made from recycled -- mobile phones.
Note: The Japanese public will be asked to donate old
phones and small appliances to gather two tonnes of
gold, silver, and bronze for the 5,000 medals.
23. The World No. 1 Junior Badminton player in the latest
rankings of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) --
Lakshya Sen.
Note: He moved Chia-Hao Lee of Chinese Taipei to attain
the top spot.
24. The former Football player of England and Chelsea has
announced to retire -- Frank Lampard.
Note: He scored 211 times for Chelsea and won every
major club honour, netting the goals which in 2005
secured the club's first championship title in 50 years.
25. Who has won the Indian National Snooker Championship
-- Pankaj Advani.
Note: He has become the only Indian men's cueist to be
the holder of all national billiards and snooker titles at
the same time - Billiards, 6-red Snooker and 15-red
Snooker.
26. The gold medal in the boy's team event at the Asian Jun-
ior Squash championship in Hong Kong -- India.
Note: Indian boys had won the title for the second time,
Earlier, in 2011 they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in
Colombo.
27. An emphatic 4-1 victory over New Zealand in the Davis
Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie, in Pune -- India.
Note: India now play second round tie at home in April
against Uzbekistan.
28. The Women's Singles title of the 81st Senior National
Badminton Championships tournament -- Rituparna Das.
Note: She defeated Reshma Karthik of Air India in
straight sets 21-12, 21-14.
29. The country will host 2017 FIBA womens Asia Cup bas-
ketball tournament -- India.
Note: This tournament will be the qualifying tournament
for FIBA Asia at the 2018 FIBA World Championship for
Women in Spain.
30. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) has
announced that India will host the World Billiards Cham-
pionship for the next -- four years.
www.gradeup.co
Note This will be the only World Championship
recognized by all as the earlier one being held by the
World Billiards Limited will not take place now. The
World Billiards Limited will only have ranking events.
31. The Mens singles title of the 81st senior national Bad-
minton Championships tournament winner -- Sourabh
Verma.
Note: He defeated Lakshya Sen in straight sets 21-13, 21-
12.
32. Selected for 2017 All-Star Basketball without Borders
(BWB) Global Camp -- Aashay Verma and Priyanka Prab-
hakara.
33. The country to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Cham-
pionship -- United Kingdom.
Note: The 16th edition of the IAAF World Championships
will be held in August 2017 in London, United Kingdom
(UK).
34. The first Indian cricketer to sign for a foreign T20 league--
Yusuf Pathan.
35. The Official mascot of FIFA U-17 World Cup _____Khe-
leao.
Note: The clouded leopard is an endangered wild cat
whose habitat extends from the Himalayan foothills to
mainland Southeast Asia.
36. The sports outreach programme has been launched by
the Union Government to promote football among school
children -- Mission-XI-Million.
Note: A Mission-Eleven-Million sports outreach
programme to promote football among school children.
37. The city to host Indias first sport theme literary festival
SporTale -- Pune.
Note: The 2-day event will feature approx 38 luminaries
from the field of sports, media, cinema, books and
photography.
38. The Indian Women's team has won a medal at the Asian
womens Rugby Sevens Trophy tournament at Vientiane,
Laos -- Silver medal.
39. Legendary cricketer has been removed from captaincy of
IPL franchise Rising Pune Super giants -- Mahendra Singh
Dhoni.
Note: The Rising Pune Super giants (RPS) are a cricket
team based in Pune, Maharashtra, India that plays in the
Indian Premier League starting 2016.
40. The gruelling men's 50-kilometre event of the National
Race Walking Championships in New Delhi -- Sandeep Ku-
mar.
Note: Sandeep clocked three hours 55 minutes and
59.05 seconds in a brilliant performance to win the race
and qualify for the London World Championships in
August.
41. National level swimmer-turned-model has completed an
extremely high endurance event called Ultraman a
517.5 km race on in Florida -- Milind Soman.
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Note: The challenge requires participants to complete a
10-kilometre open water swim, a 423-kilometre-long bike
ride and an 84-kilometre ultra-marathon run.
42. Former Asian champion has won the bronze in the
womens 10 metre air rifle event in the 2017 Interna-
tional Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup --
Pooja Ghatkar (India).
Note: Ghatkar shot 228.8 score in the final to finish third.
43. The country to host the 2019 Combined World Cup for
shooting -- India.
Note: India will host the 2019 Combined World Cup for
shooting, a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
44. The men's title in the second edition of the IDBI Federal
Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon -- Thanackal Gopi.
Note: In Men's full marathon Gopi clocked 2 hours, 15
minutes, and 37 seconds to win the race in his first
appearance in the event.
45. The hockey team has won the 5th edition of Coal India
Hockey India League (HIL) 2017 tournament -- Kalinga
Lancers.
Note: Kalinga Lancers have lifted the fifth edition Hockey
India League Title in Chandigarh.
46. The silver in mens double trap at the International
Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup 2017-- Ankur
Mittal.
47. Indian shooter has clinched a silver medal in 50-metre air
pistol event of ISSF World Cup in New Delhi -- Amanpreet
Singh.
48. Indian shooter has clinched a gold medal in 50-metre air
pistol event of ISSF World Cup in New Delhi -- Jitu Rai.
49. The 'Captain of the Year' at the 10th annual ESPNcricinfo
Awards -- Virat Kohli.
50. Indian grandmaster has won bronze at 2017 Womens
World Chess Championship -- Harika Dronavalli.
Note: She has won a bronze medal at the 2017 Womens
World Chess Championship in Tehran.
51. Indian shuttler duo has won the Mens Double title at the
2017 Uganda International Series at MTN Arena Lugogo,
Kampala -- Tarun Kona and Alwin Francis.
Note: They defeated Aatish Lubah and Georges Julien
Paul of Mauritius, 21-8, 21-14.
52. The first set of spinners to be jointly ranked number one
in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers -- Ravichandran
Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Note: Jadeja reached the top position for the first time in
his career.
53. The second Indian golfer to successfully defend the Hero
Indian Open title -- SSP Chawrasia.
Note: He clinched a seven-stroke win at the redesigned
DLF golf and country club in Gurgaon(Haryana).
54. Indian sportsperson has won silver at 2017 Eden World
Women Snooker Championship -- Vidya Pillai.
www.gradeup.co
55. The bronze in Asian 20km Race Walk Championships -- K
T Irfan.
Note: National record holder K T Irfan clocked an
impressive timing to win a bronze in the 20 kilometer
men's event in the Asian Race Walk Championships at
Nomi in Japan.
56. The team has won Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017 -- Tamil
Nadu.
Note: The Vijay Hazare Trophy (known as the Ranji One-
Day Trophy) was started in 200203 as a limited-overs
cricket domestic competition involving state teams from
the Ranji Trophy plates. It is named after the famous
Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare.
57. The union govt. has designated National Observers in
their respective disciplines to assist the Govt, Sports Au-
thority of India, and National Sports Federations (NSFs) --
12 Olympians.
Note: These National Observers will be playing a key role
in the implementation of action plans for Mission
Olympics 2020, 2024 and 2028.
58. Indian Badminton player has been appointed a new
member of the governing body of Sports Authority of In-
dia (SAI) -- Jwala Gutta.
59. The Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the
Year 2016 as well as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year
2016 -- Ravichandran Ashwin.
Note: The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy
awarded annually by the International Cricket Council
(ICC) to its chosen world player of the year.
60. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has dou-
bled the Annual Retainer ship fee of India's centrally con-
tracted cricketers -- 32 players.
Grade-A cricketers (Seven) are skipper Virat Kohli,
former captain MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin,
Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja
and Murali Vijay, will be paid two crore rupees annu-
ally.
Grade-B players (Nine) including Rohit Sharma, Yu-
vraj Singh, Lokesh Rahul and Wriddhiman Saha will
be paid Rs. one crore per annum.
Grade-C players (Sixteen) including Shikhar Dhawan,
Amit Mishra, and Ashish Nehra, will be paid Rs. 50
lakh annually.
61. Indian Para-athletes bagged medals in the 9th Fazaa In-
ternational IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai -- Eight.
Note: 3 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze.
62. The 71st edition of premier domestic football tourna-
ment Santosh Trophy by defeating Goa at Bambolim --
West Bengal.
Note: Santosh Trophy is an annual Indian football
tournament started in 1941.
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63. Indian pair have won the USD 20,000 Vietnam Open In-
ternational Challenger badminton title in Hanoi, Vietnam
-- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
Note: They defeated the fifth-seeded Thai duo of Trawut
Potieng and Nanthakam Yordphaisong in 17-21, 21-9, 21-
15.
64. Indian forward has been named the Asian Player of the
Year 2016 by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) -- V
Sunil.
Note: The nominations for the awards were made by
coaches across the national teams in Asia.
65. In the junior Hockey men's category, drag flicker has been
named the Asian Promising Player of the Year 2016 --
Harmanpreet Singh.
66. Who won the Deodhar Trophy at Visakhapatnam -- Tamil
Nadu.
Note: Tamil Nadu beat India B by 42 runs in the final to
clinch the Deodhar Trophy at Visakhapatnam. The
Deodhar Trophy is a List A cricket competition in Indian
domestic cricket.
67. Who has won the India Open badminton title 2017 -- P.V.
Sindhu.
Note: She has defeated top seed Carolina Marin (Spain)
in straight sets 21-19, 21-16 at the India Open badminton
championship 2017 at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in
New Delhi.
68. The first title of the season Leon Challenger Tour tennis
tournament's men's doubles trophy in Mexico -- Leander
Paes & Adil Shamasdin.
Note:They defeated Luca Margaroli (Switzerland) and
Caro Zampieri (Brazil) 6-1, 6-4 in the title clash. With this
win, Paes clinched his 20th ATP Challenger title.
69. Who will not take part in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter
Olympics -- The National Hockey League (NHL).
Note: The NHL had participated in every Winter Olympics
since the 1998 Nagano Winter Games.
70. The Indian Premier League has begun with defending
champions Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Royal Challeng-
ers Bangalore in the season opener in the city -- Hydera-
bad.
Note: The IPL matches this time will be played over the
course of 47 days at 10 different venues, with a total of
60 matches to be played between April 6 and May 21.
71. Indias first NBA Basketball School has started in the city -
- Mumbai.
Note: The school is a part of a multi-year agreement with
India On Track (IOT), open to male and female players
between ages 6-18.
72. The company has been named the official Innovation
Partner for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 -- Intel.
Note: The ICC has collaborated with Intel to transform
the cricket experience for fans and help coaches and
players improve performance.
www.gradeup.co
73. The ace cueist has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and
seventh overall Asian championship -- Pankaj Advani.
Note: He defeated compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 to
clinch the Asian Billiards Championship title in
Chandigarh.
74. The 2017 Mens singles Singapore Open Badminton tour-
nament winner -- B Sai Praneeth.
Note: Indian badminton player B Sai Praneeth has won
mens single title, beating Kidambi Srikanth 17-21, 21-
17, 21-12 in the 2017 Singapore Open Badminton
tournament.
75. Both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan
Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta -- Gayatri Pullela.
Note: Gayatri defeated (21-11, 18-21, 21-16) her doubles
partner Samiya Farooqui to win the girls U-15 singles
title.
76. Two International captains are a part of a stellar line-up
of commentators named by the ICC for the upcoming
Champions Trophy -- Sourav Ganguly (India) and Ricky
Ponting (Australia).
Note: Some of the other former captains in the line-up
include Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Kumar
Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) and Graeme Smith (South Africa).
77. Indias first visually impaired runner to compete the his-
toric Boston Marathon -- Sagar Baheti.
Note: He covered the 42.195 km distance in 4 hours, 14
minutes and 7 seconds and finished the race at the 18th
spot in the visually impaired category.
78. The men's doubles Monte Carlo Masters-2017 winner --
Rohan Bopanna and Cuevas.
Note: India's Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner
Pablo Cuevas win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Marc
Lopez (6-3, 3-6, 10-4) at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Best wishes for your exams!
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79. Indian shot putter has clinched a gold in the first leg of
the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in Jinhua, China
__Manpreet Kaur.
Note: Manpreet came up with the best throw of 18.86
metre and Bian Song (China) finished second with
17.96m.
80. India's top goalkeeper has been provisionally suspended
after failing a dope test -- Subrata Paul.
Note: Paul will go for the 'B' sample test and claimed that
he will prove his innocence.
81. The oldest person to sky walk around Aucklands famous
landmark Sky Tower and set a new world record on the
field -- Athlete Mann Kaur.
Note: Kaur stepped out 192 meters above 'Auckland city'
to achieve the feat.
Note: He could not become the first player to win both
Asian titles in Billiards and Snooker in same calendar
year.
82. The Sultan of Azlan Shah Cup Men's Hockey tournament
has begun in -- Ipoh, Malaysia.
Note: Six nations (India, Malaysia, Australia, Great Britain,
Japan, and New Zealand) are taking part in the 8-day
tournament which will be held in a round-robin format.
83. The worlds biggest cricket stadium will come up at --
Motera area (Ahmedabad).
Note: The stadium will be constructed at a cost of Rs 700
crore, spread across a 63-acres land and seating capacity
of 1.10 lakh people Designed by architect firm M/s.
Populous and the construction has been given to Larsen
and Turbo (L&T).
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