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GENERAL AWARENESS – OCTOBER 2014 2

GENERAL AWARENESS

OCTOBER 2014 Year: 2014 Vol. 3, Issue 04

A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.

SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH

CONTENTS

CURRENT AFFAIRS JUNE TO AUGUST 2014 1-22

BULLET NEWS MARCH to MAY 2014 24-32

IBPS PO MODEL TEST PAPER 33-50

SSC CGL TEST PAPER 52-64

HISTORY & ALGEBRA Qs. 65-77

LATEST GK BYTES 79-96

FIGURES TO REMEMBER

REPO RATE 8.00%

REVERSE REPO RATE 7.00%

MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE

9.00%

STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 22%

CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 9.00%

BASE RATE(s) (of various banks)

9.80% – 10.25 %

INDIA’S RANK IN

Human Development Index 135th

Global Innovation Index 76th

Economic Confidence Index 01st

Choice for FDI 4th

Global Peace Index 143rd

Press Freedom Index 2014 78th

Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 134th Social Progress Index 102nd

World Press Freedom Index 140th

Environment Performance Index 155th

Index for Nuclear Safety 23rd

Index of Economic Freedom 120th

Rank in Energy Usage 69th

Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 98th Corruption Perception Index 94th

World Prosperity Index 106th

Global Hunger Index 2013 63rd

NATIONAL NEWS

AUGUST 2014 INDIA SAYS NO TO WTO TRADE AGREEMENT At the recent WTO meet at Geneva, India blocked a deal on "Trade Facilitation Agreement", a worldwide streamlining of customs rules that would cut container handling times, guarantee standard procedures for getting goods to and from their destinations and kill off vast amounts of paperwork at borders around the world. Some estimates said it would add $1 trillion to the world economy as well as 21 million jobs, 18 million of them in developing countries. (See article on next page) MODI VISITS NEPAL Prime Minister Mr Modi visited Kathmandu, Nepal and addressed the Constituent Assembly. India agreed to provide Nepal with $ 1 billion as concessional line of credit for various development purposes. Modi suggested HIT formula for Nepal’s development, implying H for highways, I for I-ways (for digital revolution) and T for Transways (for electricity transmission). He said that India will focus on the 4 Cs - cooperation, connectivity, culture and constitution - to enhance bilateral ties. U K DY P M VISITS INDIA Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister of UK visited India. He met Prime Minister and expressed his desire to work with India in realising the new government’s goal of economic and social transformation through greater collaboration in areas such as clean energy, infrastructure development and cleaning of rivers. WORLD’s HIGHEST PILLAR BRIDGE Northeast Frontier Railway (NRF) has started construction of a bridge with highest pillars in the world, near Noney in Manipur, with height of pillars upto 141 metres. The bridge is part of the Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line to connect the capital of Manipur with the Broad Gauge network of the country. Rs. 8,000 CRORE SUPPORT FOR J&K Prime Minister waived off Rs. 60-crore liability of Jammu and Kashmir towards the Food Corporation of India and announced Central assistance of Rs. 8,000 crore for four major road projects connecting J&K with rest of the country. OVER 28 % CHILDREN ARE MALNOURISHED A report released by the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) about anganwadis says that about 2.3 crore children in India, up to 6 years of age, are suffering from malnourishment and are under-weight. This staggering number amounts to over 28% of the 8 crore children who attend anganwadis across India. The situation is worst in Bihar where roughly 50 per cent children in 0-6 age group are malnourished.


NEW DOMAIN NAMES ENDING WITH .BHARAT Indian domain names will now make their debut with the extension .Bharat which will be in Devanagari script. The facility wil be available in Indian languages like Hindi, Dogri, Konkani, Maithalai, Marathi, Nepali and Sindhi. RUN FOR AWARENESS FOR BREAST CANCER “Pinkathon Delhi 2014” - a run for cause was organised in Delhi with the slogan "Each One, Kheench One" urging all men to encourage at least one special woman in their life to run for a good cause. The event raises awareness of breast cancer among women. Sushma Swaraj, the External Affairs Minister visited

Vietnam on August 24 to give a fillip to bilateral ties in keeping with Prime Minister’s Look East policy.

India's first Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) inaugurated at Shibpur, Howrah in West Bengal

Prime Minister to visit Japan on 30th August to take the relations of the two countries to a new level and increase cooperation in various fields.

47th Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on 8th August, attended by Sushma Swaraj.

India to construct a pipeline for supply of petroleum products from Raxual, Bihar to Amlekhganj, Nepal; to be extended to Kathmandu later on.

JULY 2014

FOREST COVER CROSSES 24 PER CENT

As per India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2013 the total forest and tree cover of the country is 78.92 million hectare, 24.01 percent of the geographical area of India. Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover of 77522 square kilometer, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, 67321 square kilometer. In terms of percentage, Mizoram has highest cover at 90.38 percent, followed by Lakshadweep-84.56 percent. Punjab retains the ‘distinction’ of having the lowest area under Forest cover with only 3.52% of its area under forest cover while Haryana is a little better with 3.59% of its area under forest cover.

AREA ( MILLION HA)

AREA (IN %)

Forest Cover 69.79 21.23 Tree Cover 9.13 2.78 Total 78.92 24.01

INDO–CHINA ENCYLOPEDIA RELEASED India and China have jointly released the first encyclopedia on their age-old cultural contacts, tracing back their history to over 2,000 years, starting from the visit of Chinese scholar Huen Tsang to India in the 7th century to bring Buddhist scriptures to China.

INDIA RATIFIES MARRAKESH TREATY India has become the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled. The Treaty was adopted by 79 member countries of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in June 27, 2013 at Marrakesh, Morocco.

INDIA RANKED 76th IN INNOVATION India has slipped ten places in the Global Innovation Index 2014 to the 76th rank. Switzerland topped the 142-nation list. The index ranks countries on innovation, based on a survey done by INSEAD, Cornell University and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

ULTRA RICH GROW FAST IN POOR INDIA The number of ultra-high networth individuals (UHNIs) in Indiahaving an investible surplus of over Rs 25 crore rose 16 per cent to 1.17 lakh last fiscal, and this is estimated to triple to 3.43 lakh in the next three years, says a wealth report by the Kotak group and Ernst & Young.

DELHI 2nd MOST POPULOUS CITY IN WORLD A recent UN study “World Urbanization Prospects” by U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has ranked Tokyo as the world’s most populous city with 38 million inhabitants, followed by Delhi with 25 million inhabitants. The study has projected rapid urban growth in India, China and Nigeria.

INDIA RANKS 135TH IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT India’s ranking in the Human Development Index (HDI) remained unchanged at 135 in 2013, reflecting little improvement in the living standard of its people. The report is topped by Norway, followed by Australia and Switzerland. Countries at the bottom of index are Niger, Congo and Central African Republic. The HDI reflects long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human lives - a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. It covers 187 countries and is published annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). DILIP’S HOUSE IS NATIONAL HERITAGE SITE Legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s ancestral home at Mohalla Khudadad in Peshawar, Pakistan has been declared as a national heritage monument by the Pak government. After acquiring the house, the government is plans to convert it into a museum.

World Bank Group President, Jim Yong Kim visits India.


JUNE 2014 PANJAB UNIVERSITY BEST IN INDIA Panjab University, Chandigarh, is the highest ranked Indian higher educational institution in the globally recognized Times Higher Education’s Asia rankings. Placed 32nd in Asia’s top 100 institutions, PU has outperformed IITs on all ranking parameters. University of Tokyo tops the list. INDIA SIGNS ‘WASHINGTON ACCORD’ Indian students with accredited technical education degrees will now find it easy to get academic recognition and jobs in 17 major nations across the world, including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and Russia as India has become a permanent signatory to the Washington Accord (WA), a global agreement that covers mutual recognition in respect of tertiary-level engineering qualifications among the signatory countries. INDIA HOUSE TO 1.56 LAKH MILLIONAIRES According to the World Wealth Report 2014, released by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management, there were 1,56,000 high net worth individuals in India in 2013, up from 1,53,000 in 2012. India has been ranked 16th in the list of countries with highest number of HNWI population, the US topping the chart with 40,06,000 millionaires, followed by Japan (23,27,000). U N AWARD FOR ‘MOBILE SEVA’ 'Mobile Seva', an initiative conceptualised by Indian government’s Department of Electronics and Information Technology for delivery of public services electronically through the mobile platform has been awarded a United Nations Public Service Award. INDIA NO 1 IN ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE In a 25 nation-list compiled by global research firm Ipsos, India has been placed at number one rank in terms of economic confidence of citizens. As many as 60 per cent Indians surveyed have predicted that domestic economy would be stronger in the next six months, making it the most confident nation. INDIA 4th CHOICE OF MNCs FOR INVESTMENT Unctad's annual World Investment Report 2014 shows that China remained the first choice of MNCs, followed by the US. But, Indonesia has overtaken India as the third most preferred destination for 2014-16. A series of policy flip-flops and harsh tax measures commonly referred to as "tax terrorism", have dented India's image. P M VISITS BHUTAN ON FIRST FOREIGN TRIP Prime Minister Mr. Modi made his first overseas trip by visiting Bhutan. He inaugurated the new Supreme Court building at Thimpu, constructed with Indian assistance. He also laid the foundation for a 600 megawatt hydroelectric power station as part of an energy cooperation plan.

PROJECT ‘MAUSAM’ FOR INDIAN OCEAN Union Ministry of Culture has launched the Project Mausam at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Doha, Qatar. The Project aims to explore the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean region. AIR INDIA JOINS STAR ALLIANCE National carrier Air India has joined Star Alliance - a group of 26 (now 27) carriers with as many as 4,338 aircraft flying to 1,328 destinations across 195 countries. It is an agreement between member airlines to use each other’s existing routes and facilities. For an Air India passenger it means simpler transit through single booking across multiple airlines to places where Air India does not operate. ANSARI VISITS CHINA Vice-President Hamid Ansari visited China to meet President Xi Jinping and Vice-President Li Yuanchao. He unveiled the first jointly compiled two - volume encyclopaedia, chronicling a 2,000-year history of cultural exchanges between India and China. TELANGANA - THE 29th STATE OF INDIA

June 2, 2014 witnessed the birth of 29th state of India – Telangana. Formed by carving out 10 districts of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the new state will have an area of 1.14 lakh sq kms and a population of over 3.5 crore. Telugu and Urdu are the main languages in the region. City of Hyderabad will continue to remain the joint capital of both – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for next ten years. Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is the new Chief Minister of the state. INDIA 143RD IN TERMS OF PEACE Global Peace Index (GPI) 2014 released by the Institute for Economics and Peace released in London has placed India at 143rd place in list of 162 countries. Syria is the least peaceful nation while Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh on her first solo overseas visit.

The Narmada Control Authority gave its nod to Gujarat for raising the height of the Narmada dam to a level of 138.72 metres from the present 121.92 metres.


NEWS FROM STATES

AUGUST 2014 FOUR NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED Kalyan Singh Rajasthan Vajubhai Vala Karanatka C Vidyasagar Rao Maharashtra Mridula Sinha Goa Sheila Dikshit resigned as Governor of Kerala K Sankaranarayanan quits as Governor of Maharashtra Kamala Beniwal sacked as Mizoram Governor V K Duggal resigned as Manipur Governor ‘HIMALAYAN KUMBH’ STARTS IN U’KHAND The 20-day Nanda Devi Raj Jat yatra, also called the ‘Himalayan Kumbh,’ began amid religious customs and traditions from Nauti village in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on 18th August. The yatra, which is dedicated to the Nanda Devi — the reigning deity of Uttarakhand — takes place once in 12 years, and involves a 280-kilometre difficult hilly trek. Sikkim has become the first choice of foreign tourists in

the north-eastern states of the country, attracting 31698 tourists in 2013, followed by Arunachal Pradesh.

JULY 2014 AMITABH BACHCHAN: The Indian Megastar was appointed as Brand Ambassador of Maharashtra for promoting horticulture sector of the state.

SANIA MIRZA: International tennis star was appointed Brand Ambassador of the Telangana State

JUNE 2014 U K AWARD FOR BENGAL’s GIRL SCHEME Kanyashree Prakalpa, a West Bengal government scheme that provides scholarship to girls from economically-backward backgrounds, has been given international recognition jointly by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development and UNICEF. MUMBAI BECOMES 4TH CITY TO GET METRO Mumbai became the fourth city in the country to have Metro rail operations, besides Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore. The 11.4 km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar section, connecting western suburbs with eastern suburbs, will carry around 11 lakh passengers every day. $100 MN WORLD BANK LOAN FOR HIMACHAL World Bank will provide $ 100 million to Himachal Pradesh for promoting development of sustainable hydropower adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change and empower local communities to conserve their watersheds.

SIKKIM TO GIVE JOBS TO BPL CANDIDATES Sikkim government has announced 12 per cent reservation in all state government jobs and posts in public sector undertakings for candidates of Sikkimese origin living below poverty line, with immediate effect. ‘GAURAVI’ TO HELP WOMEN IN STRESS

India’s first One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) named Gauravi was launched in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 16 June 2014. It was launched by the Bollywood actor Amir Khan. The centre is first of its kind in India for women who are victims of violence. It will provide help and assistance to rape survivors and victims of dowry harassment, domestic violence and other atrocities on women, all under one roof.

Gujarat has become the first state in India to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force, across all cadres.

GOVERNMENT

INITIATIVES

AUGUST 2014 BILL PASSED FOR JUDICIAL COMMISSION On 13th August, the Lok Sabha passed the National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 to scrap the collegium system of appointing Supreme Court and High Court judges. Along with it, the 99th Constitution Amendment Bill was also passed which gives constitutional status to the proposed Commission. The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha also on14th August. (SEE THE ADJOINING BOX)

FDI IN DEFENCE RAISED TO 49% The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for raising FDI limit in Defence from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. In Railways, the proposal is to allow up to 100 per cent FDI in infrastructure projects such as high-speed train systems, suburban corridors and dedicated freight line that are to be executed under public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

FLIPKART MoU WITH HANDLOOM WEAVERS Union Textiles Ministry has signed a MoU with online shopping company Flipkart to provide online marketing platform to handloom weavers all over India. It aims to help weavers and artisans on areas such as deciding on the right selling price, payment automation, proper packaging, transportation, and brand building etc. at the national level.


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW JUDICIAL BILL – 2014 A six member panel for appointment of judges to the Supreme Court &

High Court CJI will head the panel which will have 2 SC judges, 2 eminent

persons and law minister Constitutional amendment status to stop easy change in current

legislation by future govts. Eminent persons will be selected by CJI, PM & Open party in Lok

Sabha One of eminent persons will be nominated from persons belonging to

SC/STs OBCs. Minorities or women Term of eminent person will not exceed 3 years will not be re-

nominated If two members are panel do not agree appointment will not happen

President can return recommendation for reconsideration once

ADVANTAGES Judges no more will choose themselves. Armed with expertise of legal

luminaries. Parliament to have a significant say With the dearance of bill. Government to lay down a set procedure for

appointment of judges to higher judiciary Government vested with more powers no more to remain a post office

can flag objections at elementary stage of selection and shoot down a candidature

More transparency, consistency and accountability in judicial appointments

CRITICISM Moe political interference likely in recommendation of ‘suitable’

candidates for elevation to the bench Given the composition of the commission executive can have its way

by attainting majority in the committee intelligence reports can be cited by political parties to scuttle chances of a candidate who may not find favour with political parities

Procedural delay for appointment of Judges, Thereat to judicial independence as political parties may strike a deal over a candidate

HISTORY OF THE COLLEGIUM SYSTEM Putting an end to interference of political parties and the executive, the collegium system was introduced in 1993 under which no ‘outsider’ had any role to play in selection and appointment of judges to HCs and SC Under the current system, a collegium of three senior most judges of a high court, headed by the CJ of the said court, recommends name of lawyers / lower court judges to the Supreme Court of elevation to the bench. The law ministry or the government has little say in the entire selection process. Even if the executive objects to a candidature it has little choice but to accept the same after the SC relterates its decision. ADVANTAGES Aware of performance of lawyers and lower judiciary, HC/SC judges

better placed to recommend names Performance as a lawyer / lower court judge sole consideration for

recommending or selecting Total judicial independence without any interference of political party or

executive Minimal delay in the selection process as all main decisions to be

taken by HCs & SC PITFALLS Executive can object but only to a limited extent. Final word lies with

the Supreme Court Abject lack of transparency in selection as grounds for clearing or

rejecting remain’s unknown Larger room for arbitrary and whimsical decisions

CABINET NOD FOR DIGITAL INDIA PROJECT Union Cabinet has approved the Digital India Programme to transform the Indian economy into a digitally empowered knowledge economy. The project aims to provide thrust to nine growth areas that include - Broadband highways, Everywhere Mobile Connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance, e-Kranti for electronic delivery of services, Information For All, Electronics Manufacturing, IT for Jobs and early harvest programmes. RASHTRIYA GOKUL MISSION LAUNCHED Govt has launched a nationwide scheme by the name Rashtriya Gokul Mission to promote conservation and development of indigenous breeds of cows in a focused and scientific manner. The Mission is a focused project under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development. AGE OF JUVENILE LOWERED TO 16 The Union Cabinet has cleared a historic, all new juvenile justice law under which 16 to 18 year olds who commit heinous offences such as rapes and robberies can be tried as adults. Heinous offence has been defined as “an offence for which the minimum punishment under the IPC or any other law is imprisonment for seven years or more.” The bill is yet to be passed by the Parliament. EXPENDITURE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION Govt has approved the constitution of the Expenditure Management Commission to be headed by former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan. The commission will suggest ways to reduce food, fertiliser and oil subsidies and narrow the fiscal deficit. The subsidy bill on food, petroleum and fertilisers is estimated at Rs 2.51 trillion for 2014-15,

The Union Cabinet has lifted the restriction of one LPG cylinder per month for domestic use, within the overall limit of 12 cylinders in a year.

Govt. has set up R. Ramanujam committee to identify obsolete laws which hamper governance by creating avoidable confusion.

JULY 2014 WEBSITE LAUNCHED FOR PUBLIC GOVERNANCE Prime Minister has launched a website, mygov.nic.in to help people contribute in governance of the country by giving their views on important issues. Initially three suggested topics include–

Creative engagement with govt. departments Suggest ideas to boost girl child education Suggest a roadmap to clean the Ganga


FDI IN INSURANCE HIKED TO 49% The Union Cabinet has hiked FDI cap in insurance sector from 26 to 49 per cent, liberalizing foreign investments, a move that will cheer foreign investors and facilitate funds’ flow. It will provide a boost for the pension sector also as the FDI cap in pension has been linked to insurance. GOVT TO LAUNCH 4 NEW VACCINES Four new vaccines will be introduced in India as part of the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by next year. The 4 vaccines are against rotavirus, rubella and polio (injectable) and an adult vaccine against Japanese encephalitis

RS. 7060 CR FOR 100 SMART CITIES Govt plans to allocate Rs 7,060 crore in this financial year for developing 100 ‘smart cities' in the country as satellite towns of larger cities and for modernising the existing mid-sized cities. The new cities need to be developed to accommodate the burgeoning number of people, otherwise, the existing cities would soon become unliveable. PRADHAN MANTRI KRISHI SINCHAYEE YOJANA The government plans to launch a nationwide rural irrigation scheme to insulate farmers from excessive dependence on monsoon. Rs 1,000 crore will be spent on creating infrastructure for the ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana’ to provide assured water to farmers. ‘SOIL HEALTH CARD’ LAUNCHED FOR FARMERS Govt plans to provide 'Soil Health Card' to all farmers for optimum utilization of resources and right selection of crops. The Card will give crop-wise recommendations of nutrients/fertilizers required for a particular village to help the farmers improve productivity by wise use of inputs. ‘KISAN TV’ FOR FARMERS Government to launch ‘Kisan TV' dedicated to the interests of agriculturists and allied sectors and has allocated Rs 100 crore for this purpose. The channel will provide real time information on farming techniques, water conservation and on new technologies to help the farmers.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR 50 CRORE BY 2022 Government has set a target to develop skills of 50 crore people by 2022 under the National Policy on Skill Development (NPSD). This target will be distributed among 20 ministries and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Government has set up a National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) to coordinate and harmonise the skill development efforts of the government and the private sector.

VALIDITY OF INDUSTRIAL LICENCES EXTENDED The Government has extended the validity period of an industrial licence to three years from present two years, with a provision for further extension by two years. The licence will, however, lapse automatically after five years, in the absence of commencement of commercial production PLAN TO MERGE 3 SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES The Ministry of Labour and Employment plans to launch a pilot in 20 districts from January 1, 2015 to enable unorganised workers to avail benefits of the Rashtriya Swastha Bima Yojana (RSBY), Aam Aadmi Bima Yojan (AABY) and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) via one single smart card. The pilot project would be funded from the National Social Security Fund. GOVT TO SET UP 660 NIRBHAYA CENTRES Women and Child Development Ministry has advised that at least 660 rape crisis centres will be established across the country and named as Nirbhaya centres, as a tribute to the victim of December 16, 2012 Delhi gangrape case. The Nirbhaya Centres will act as one stop centre for women victims of molestation, rape, sexual assault, domestic violence and provide them medical assistance, police assistance, psycho-social support and counselling, legal aid and temporary shelter.

To protect investors, the Cabinet has cleared the SEBI Bill, to empower SEBI to initiate action against ponzi schemes and investment frauds.

JUNE 2014

NO TRANSFERS FOR PARENTS OF DISABLED Central govt has decided that all the govt employees who have differently abled children to take care of, will be exempted from routine transfers and they will not be asked to take voluntary retirement on refusing such postings. GOMs AND EGOMs SCRAPPED With a view to improve accountability and responsibility, govt has decided to abolish, with immediate effect, all the Groups of Ministers (GoMs) and Empowered Groups of Ministers (EGoMs) set up by the previous UPA-II govt.

FOOD BUDGET RAISED FOR POWER SPORTS Govt. has decided to increase the daily food supplement budget from Rs 280 to Rs 750 for the power games which include boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo and boxing. The decision was taken keeping in mind the Commonwealth Games & Asian Games this year and Rio Olympics in 2016. 12000 LABOUR CHARGES TO POOR FOR HOUSE The Centre has decided to give Rs 12,000 per household as labour charges to the poor for building their homes under Indira Awaas Yojna-IAY. Govt. provides Rs. 75,000 for construction of a house under IAY in hilly areas and Rs 70,000 in plains, of which 20% is the labour component.


ECONOMIC INDICATORS

AUGUST 2014 GDP GROWTH JUMPS TO 5.7% Latest data from CSO shows that India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 5.7 per cent during April-June, the highest in past 10 quarters. The boost came from increase in factory output with the latter showing a big jump from –1.2% in the last year to 3.5 % growth this quarter. Electricity output grew robust 10.2 per cent as compared to 3.8 per cent in same quarter this year. RBI PUTS GDP GROWTH RATE AT 5.5% With improvement in economic activity and revival of sentiments, the RBI has projected that GDP growth in the current fiscal may rise up to 5.5% from 4.7% in the last financial year as there are early signs of modest strengthening of corporate sales and business flows. UN REPORT PUTS INDIA’s GROWTH AT 5.5% A report from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) says that India’s economy is expected to record stronger growth momentum of 5.5 per cent in the current fiscal, underpinned by "solid expansion" in industrial and services sectors, and impetus to economic reforms by the new government. CORE SECTOR UP BY 7.3% Core sector growth hit a 9-month high of 7.3% in June 2014 following good show by coal, crude oil, cement and electricity. During April-June, growth in the eight core industries grew by 4.6% from 3.7% in the year-ago period.

Global rating agency Moody’s has projected a better growth outlook for India saying that the country’s GDP would grow by 5% this year.

India’s exports grew by 7.33% to $27.72 billion in July, while imports rose by 4.25% to $39.95 billion resulting in trade deficit of 12.22 billion

The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $810.7 million to $318.579 billion for the week ended August 22, on account of drop in foreign currency assets.

JULY 2014 NOMURA PREDICTS 6% GROWTH FOR INDIA According to the Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, India is set to be Asia's biggest turnaround story and the country's GDP growth is expected to rise to over 6 per cent in FY 2015 and over 7 per cent in FY 2016. The Indian economy is starting to turn around as inflation is abating, the current account deficit is narrowing, forex reserves are accumulating and growth is just starting to rise.

ADB PUT INDIA’S GROWTH AT 5.5 % Asian Development Bank has upgraded India’s economic growth forecast to 6.3 per cent in 2015-16 on hopes of speedy reform process. However, it has retained forecast of 5.5 per cent growth for the current year. FITCH PROJECTS 5.5 % GROWTH FOR INDIA International rating agency Fitch has improved India's economic growth forecast to 5.5 per cent this financial year and 6.5 per cent in FY16 due to the clear mandate received by the pro-reform Narendra Modi government. The agency said there will be significant risks to growth if the monsoon turns out to be much weaker than expected.

JUNE 2014 GDP GROWS @ 4.7% IN 2013-14 Latest data released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) has estimated value of India’s GDP at current market prices at Rs. 113.55 lakh crore, achieving a growth rate of 4.7 percent in 2013-14 as against 4.5 percent achieved in 2012-13. This is the first time in 26 years after 1987-88 that GDP has grown at sub 5% in two successive years. The per capita income at current prices during 2013-14 is estimated to have attained a level of Rs.74,380.

INDIA TO GROW @ 5.5% - WORLD BANK The World Bank has projected a 5.5% growth for India in 2014-15, estimating that this will accelerate to 6.3% in 2015-16 and 6.6% in 2016-17.

ECONOMY

AUGUST 2014 S C REJECTS COAL BLOCK ALLOCATION Supreme Court on 25th August ruled that all coal blocks allocated since 1993 were ‘illegal and arbitrary’ as the allocation done by screening committee was "not fair and transparent".

The allocation of coal block licenses has been the subject of a CBI investigation that is being monitored by the Supreme Court. It became a major political issue when CAG Vinod Rai in his report in 2012 stated that around Rs. 1.83 lakh crore has been lost because coal blocks were not auctioned openly.

PHONE USERS REACH 943 MILLION The number of telephone subscribers in India increased by 0.49 per cent over May 2014 to 942.95 million at the end of June, 2014. The share of urban subscribers was 59.36%.


SEBI SETS 15 MINUTE LIMITS SEBI has proposed that all listed companies should intimate decisions on dividends, bonus, fund-raising and buyback, among others, within 15 minutes of closure of the board meetings. The move is part of SEBI's effort to ensure 'timely and adequate' disclosures by listed companies to avoid chances of insider trading.

Retirement fund body EPFO’s trustees have decided to retain interest payment on provident fund deposits for 2014-15 at 8.75 per cent.

‘Vistara’: Brand name of the new joint venture airline of the Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines.

Country’s first seaplane service was launched on Mumbai-Lonavla short route (80 kms) from the Juhu aerodrome on 25th August.

JULY 2014 RANGARAJAN PANEL REPORT ON POVERTY As per Dr. C Rangarajan panel estimates, a person spending less than Rs 1,407 a month (Rs 47/day) in urban areas and Rs 972 a month (Rs 32/day) in rural areas would be considered Below Poverty Line. The number of poor in India stood at 36.3 crore (29.5%) in 2011-12, down from 45.4 crore (38.2%) in 2009-10, as per the Rangarajan panel norms. As per Tendulkar Committee, these figures were fixed at Rs 1,000 a month (Rs 33/day) in cities and Rs 816 a month (Rs 27/day) in villages.

INDIA HAS WORK FORCE OF OVER 47 CRORE As per NSSO survey result for 2011-12, the estimated workforce in India is 47.41 crore persons of which 82.7 per cent is in unorganised sector and 17.3 percent is in organised sector.

DISINVESTMENT TARGET - RS. 58,425 CRORE The government has set a target of mopping Rs 43,425 crore from stake sale in PSU firms and an additional Rs 15,000 crore from sale in other entities such as SUUTI (Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India). The bulk of the Rs 15,000 crore would be from offloading shares in Axis Bank

MSP FOR KHARIF CROPS 2014-15 CROP MSP PER QUINTAL PADDY 1360 JOWAR 1530 BAJRA 1250 MAIZE 1310

GROUNDNUT 4000 TUAR AND URAD DAL 4350

MOONG 4600 SUNFLOWER 3750

SAHOO PANEL PROPOSES ‘BhDRs’ A government panel led by M S Sahoo has proposed a new class of securities, 'Bharat Depository Receipts (BhDRs)', for foreign firms to raise money in India, to provide more choice to domestic investors. A BhDR would be a rupee denominated instrument issued by domestic depository against listed equities of a foreign company.

FDI IN DEFENCE, INSURANCE RAISED TO 49% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence manufacturing has been hiked from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. The ownership of such joint ventures will stay with Indian companies. FDI in insurance sector has also been hiked to 49 per cent from 26 per cent. W B LOAN FOR ROAD CONNECTIVITY World Bank has sanctioned $500 million loan for India’s National Highways Inter-connectivity Improvement Project (NHIIP) to improve the national highway network connectivity to less-developed states. INDIA SIGNS FATCA WITH USA India and the US have agreed to implement Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), a US law that targets tax non-compliance by US taxpayers with foreign accounts. As per FATCA, it is compulsory for US taxpayers to report about their offshore assets and accounts. Similarly, foreign financial institutions are required to report about accounts held by US taxpayers. INDUSTRIAL MoU SIGNED WITH CHINA India and China have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that allows Chinese companies to invest in industrial parks and zones in India. This way Indian firms will get the benefit of learning economies of scale and inventory management from the Chinese firms. TCS REACHES MARKET CAP OF 5 TRILLION Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has become first Indian company to achieve a market capitalization of Rs. 5 lakh crore rupees. TCS is followed by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at 3.5 lakh crore rupees and Reliance Industries at 3.3 lakh crore rupees.

World Bank to provide $153 million (Rs 920 crore) loan for the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project to restore and improve housing and public services in Odisha.

The ADB has approved a multi-tranche loan facility of $300 million to help Assam continue its drive to eliminate power sector inefficiencies.

Britain has granted one billion pound ($1.68 billion) credit line for investment in Indian infrastructure projects.

The government has granted Navratna status to Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR).


JUNE 2014 SOLO EVENTS NOT PART OF CSR The Corporate Affairs Ministry has clarified that one-off events such as marathons / awards / charitable contribution /advertisement / sponsorships of TV programmes etc would not be qualified as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure. Activities like housing for Economically Weaker Sections, slum clearance, disaster management, rural development, road safety, skill development of agriculture labour can be considered under the CSR.

CSR rules are applicable to companies having at least Rs 5 crore net profit, or Rs 1,000 crore turnover or Rs 500 crore net worth. As per CSR rules, such companies are required to shell out at least two per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR activities.

BAN ON MILK PRODUCTS FROM CHINA The government has extended the ban on imports of milk and its products from China for one more year till June 2015. The ban was first imposed in September 2008 due to presence of melamine in milk products, a chemical used for making plastics and fertilisers.

F I OF 10% TO BE TREATED AS FDI Foreign investment of 10 per cent or more in a listed company will now be treated as foreign direct investment (FDI) as the government has accepted the Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram committee’s recommendations on rationalising definitions of FDI and FII.

NEW SEBI NORMS FOR DEBT SECURITIES SEBI has issued new norms for public issuance of debt securities (debentures, bonds etc.) under which such offers will have to be of minimum Rs 100 crore and the companies will have to attain at least 75 per cent subscription. ISRAEL TO HELP IN AGRICULTURE Israel is planning to open two centres of excellence at Nalanda and Vaishali in Bihar in the field of vegetables and mango respectively to help cultivators increase their produc-tivity. In these centres, Israeli agricultural experts along with local farm scientists would impart knowhow of the latest technology to growers to help them raise the production level. PSUs TO HAVE 25% PUBLIC HOLDING SEBI has said that public sector undertakings listed on stock exchanges to have should also adhere to the mandatory 25% public shareholding norms that are applicable to private companies. At present, private sector companies are compulsorily required to have at least 25% public shareholding, while for government-owned companies, minimum threshold level is only 10%.

India has overtaken Germany and Italy to emerge as the world's second largest textile exporter. But it lags China, whose exports are nearly seven times higher.

The World Bank has approved funding of USD 107 million (nearly Rs 650 crore) for a road project in Mizoram, connecting Myanmar and Bangladesh.

BANKING & FINANCE

AUGUST 2014

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJNA Prime Minister has announced a new financial scheme - Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna to provide a bank account to every poor in the country, and the account holder will be provided a debit card and a life insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh. To begin with over 1.84 crore accounts were opened on launch date 28th August. The government has set a target of 15 crore new accounts by 2018, ensuring at least two bank accounts per family. The salient features of the scheme are: The scheme will be launched in two phases – first from

15.8.14 to 15.8.15 and second from 16.8.15 to 15.8.18, each phase targeting opening of 7.5 crore bank accounts.

The accounts will be opened with zero balance with no minimum balance condition.

Every account holder will get a accidental insurance cover of Rs. One lac.

Persons opening account upto 26th January, 2015 will also get a life insurance cover of Rs. 30,000.

All account holder will be issued Rupay debit card to facilitate ATM withdrawals.

All account holders will get mobile banking facility for easy money transfer.

Accounts runs satisfactorily for 6 months will be allowed to have over draft facility of Rs. 5000.

Of the 24.67 crore households in the country, 10.19 crore do not have access to banking services. In rural areas, 44 per cent households and in urban areas 33 per cent still do not have a bank account. The present banking network of the country comprises of a branch network of 1,15,082 and an ATM network of 1,60,055. SLR SLASHED TO 22 PER CENT RBI has reduced the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of scheduled commercial banks by 50 basis points from 22.5 per cent to 22.0 per cent with effect from the fortnight beginning 9th August, 2014, unlocking around Rs 40,000 crore of bank funds. All other rates – Repo, Reverse repo, MSF and Bank Rate have been left unchanged.


FREE ATM TRANSACTIONS LIMITED TO 5/3 Banks have been advised to provide their savings bank account holders with at least five free transactions per month at their own ATMs. Beyond this, banks may decide to levy transaction charges (not exceeding Rs 20). The number of free transactions on ATMs set up by other banks had been reduced to three, from five earlier, in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. ‘BHARAT BILL PAYMENT SYSTEM’ For the convenience of people to pay school fees and municipal taxes and utility bills through an integrated platform, the Reserve Bank proposes to set up an "anytime anywhere" bill payment system by the name ‘Bharat Bill Payment System’. Bill payment is a major component of the retail payment transactions as over 3,080 crore bills amounting to more than Rs 6,00,000 crore are generated each year in the top 20 cities in the country.

The Reserve Bank has approved the transfer of surplus (profit) amounting to Rs 526.79 billion for the year ended June 30, 2014 to the Government of India.

India post announced the launch of over 1000 ATMs in the near feature. It will also enable core banking solution at its 25000 offices over the next year.

JULY 2014 RBI MOOTS PAYMENT BANK AND SMALL BANK The Reserve Bank has issued guidelines for setting up of Payment Bank and Small Banks. A minimum paid-up capital of Rs.100 core will be required for setting up of these banks. Both the banks will have to comply with the CRR and SLR requirements. Payment Banks will be allowed only acceptance of demand deposits and payments and remittances services to migrant labour workforce, low-income households, small businesses and other unorganised entities. They will not be allowed to undertake lending activities. Small Bank shall primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to small farmers, small businesses, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities. The area of operations of the small bank will be restricted to contiguous districts in a homogenous cluster of States.

REVISED KYC NORMS FROM RBI RBI has revised its "know your customer" guidelines where a main change is that it has now specified "officially valid documents" to be the Aadhaar card, voter ID card, permanent account number (PAN) card, driving licence, passport, or the NREGA card. The Ration Card has been dropped from the list. Now, Banks are no more authorized to accept any other document as proof of identity.

Rs. 5000 OD FOR NEW BANK ACCOUNT To promote financial inclusion, govt proposes to sanction an overdraft (OD) facility of Rs 5,000 by the bank to individuals who open an account with them. But there is a caveat for those availing of the OD: customers should be willing to take financial literacy lessons from lenders. A Rs 1,000-crore credit guarantee fund will be set up by NABARD for this purpose. The OD offer is part of 'Sampoorn Viteeyea Samveshan' (SVS) or Comprehensive Financial Inclusion to ensure that every earning citizen opens a bank account.

Rs. 5000 CR LYING IN UNCLAIMED ACCOUNTS Parliament has been advised that Banks had Rs 5,124 crore in unclaimed deposits (accounts with no operations for 10 years) lying with them as of December 31, 2013. This amount will be transferred to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund to be utilized for promotion of depositors' interests. The Reserve Bank has from time to time advised banks to play a more pro-active role in finding the whereabouts of the people whose accounts have remained inoperative. Banks are required to transfer the unclaimed amount to Reserve Bank of India every month.

RBI TO IDENTIFY ‘LARGE’ BANKS The Reserve Bank has said that Banks having size equal to or more than 2 per cent of GDP will be designated as domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) and they will be subject to higher capital requirements. Additionally, five largest foreign banks, based on their size, will also be added to the sample for identification of D-SIBs.

D-SIBs are perceived as banks that are ‘Too Big To Fail (TBTF)’. This perception of TBTF creates an expectation of government support for these banks at the time of distress. Due to this perception, these banks enjoy certain advantages in the funding markets. PSBs TO ISSUE RUPAY CARDS Govt has urged public sector banks to issue RuPay cards to all existing customers who do not have debit cards as well as to new clients. Banks have also been told to "encourage" merchant establishments to install point of sale terminals for RuPay cards. Already, 20 million cards have been issued.

GOVT PLANS UBI’s MERGER WITH IDBI The government has asked IDBI Bank and Kolkata based United Bank of India to prepare a consolidation plan in view of poor performance of UBI. Govt also plans to approve the merger plan of SBI and State Bank of Patiala.

SIX NEW DRTs TO BE SET UP To expedite the process to recover bad bank loans, govt proposes to set up six new Debt Recovery Tribunals. The Government of India had constituted 33 Debts Recovery Tribunals and five Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunals across the country. These six additional tribunals will make total number of tribunals to 39.


NO 60% CUT OFF FOR EDUCATION LOANS

The Madras High Court has ruled that banks cannot fix 60% cut off of minimum marks in Plus Two as condition for extending education loan to students joining engineering courses. Once a candidate has been admitted in a course, banks should consider his request for loan on genuine grounds of need and not on basis of marks obtained at plus two level. RBI TO SWAP GOLD RBI plans to swap some of the old gold lying in its Nagpur vault since pre-Independence times — and whose quality is not exactly top grade — with purer gold. The operation would "standardise the gold available with RBI in India with respect to international standards" and the gold acquired would be delivered to its overseas custodian, the Bank of England. MFIs CAN NOT CHARGE MORE THAN 27.75% RBI has advised that the lending rate ceiling for micro finance companies will continue at their present level - at 27.75% for the July to September quarter. This is the highest rate MFIs can charge to their borrowers in the next quarter. They may have to charge less if their cost of funds is lower than 17.75%. The Non Banking Finance Companies engaged in Micro Finance are required to be registered with RBI as NBFC-MFIs and have to follow the guidelines for maximum rate of interest they can charge on loans. BANK CREDIT GROWTH MORE THAN DEPOSITS

Bank deposits grew 13.24 per cent year-on-year to Rs 79,96,060 crore during the fortnight ended July 11 and credit growth was 13.67 per cent reaching Rs 61,21,418 crore during the same period.

The RBI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Monetary Authority of Hong Kong for exchange of supervisory information of banking.

The Reserve Bank will soon put to circulation Rs 10 denominated coins on the occasion of diamond jubilee of Coir Board.

RBI has allowed Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to accept e-KYC service to verify identity and address proof of customers to reduce risk of fraud.

JUNE 2014 RBI CUTS SLR DOWN TO 22.5 % RBI in its second bimonthly policy statement reduced statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) to 22.5% from 23%, freeing almost Rs 40,000 crore of resources. Interest rates on home and auto loans are unlikely to fall soon, but they could gradually ease as the banks may lend more to companies and individuals rather than buy government securities. SLR is the mandatory provision for banks to block a certain prescribed percent of their total deposits in government securities.

INTEREST ON ‘UNCLAIMED’ DEPOSITS RBI has advised that Interest on unclaimed deposits transferred to a newly set up fund for educating depositors shall be payable only from the date of their transfer to the fund. Banks will transfer the accounts to the fund after applying up-to-date accrued interest.

PROOF OF LOCAL ADDRESS NOT REQUIRED RBI has advised that for opening of bank accounts, in case the proof of address furnished by the customer is not the local address or address where the customer is currently residing, the bank may take a declaration of the local address on which all correspondence will be made by the bank with the customer. No proof is required for this local address.

ECR REDUCED TO 32 PER CENT The Reserve Bank has reduced the availability of funds under the export credit refinance (ECR) window from 50 per cent of export credit outstanding to 32 per cent with immediate effect. To compensate for the resulting reduction in liquidity, RBI has introduced a special term repo facility up to 0.25 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities- NDTL (total deposits).

RBI ALLOWS ENGAGING NBFCs AS BC The Reserve Bank has permitted non-banking finance companies -NBFCs to act as business correspondents (BCs) of banks, allowing them to offer limited services with the aim of spreading financial inclusion. The RBI said the existing guidelines on the appointment of BCs were reviewed taking into account recommendations of the Nachiket Mor Committee. LIMIT RAISED TO CARRY CURRENCY ABROAD The Reserve Bank has permitted residents and non-residents, except Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, to carry up to Rs 25,000 in Indian currency notes while leaving the country as against Rs 10,000 earlier.

IndusInd Bank has launched ‘video branch’ - a unique service allowing customers to interact face-to-face with their bank branch using desktop, tablet or smartphone.

Reserve Bank has raised the annual overseas investment ceiling for individuals to $ 125,000 from present $ 75,000.

The Reserve Bank has asked banks to disclose sector wise loans in their financial statements from 2014/15 onwards.


DEFENCE, SCIENCE

& TECHNOLOGY

AUGUST 2014 INDO RUSIA JOINT AIR DRILL

India and Russia conducted their first-ever joint Air Force exercise “Avia Indra-2014” in Astrakhan region located north of the Caspian Sea. Beginning on 25th August, the exercise will continue till 5th September. CHINA DISPLAYS ICBM DONGFENG - 41 China has unveiled its next generation Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Dongfeng – 41 (DF-41). The missile with an operation range varying between 12000 km to 15000 km is amongst the world’s longest range missiles. INDARC OBSERVATORY DEPLOYED IN ARCTIC Country’s first multi-sensor moored observatory IndARC was successfully deployed in Kongsfjorden Fjord of the Arctic region, roughly halfway between North Pole and Norway on July 23. A team of scientists from the Earth System Science Organisation-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT) Chennai and ESSO-National Centre for Antartic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) termed the same as a milestone in India’s scientific endeavours in the Arctic region. MARS ROVER CREATES TRAVELLING RECORD NASA’s Mars exploration rover ‘Opportunity’ set the record of maximum distance covered by a rover in one go when it travelled a distance of 157 feet (48 meters) on 27 July 2014 on the surface of Mars. The 384-pound rover landed on Mars on January 25, 2004. ROSETTA CREATES SPACE HISTORY After travelling a distance of 6.4 billion kilometres since it was launched in March 2004, Rosetta- space vehicle by European Space Agency made history on August 6 when it became the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet — 67P/Churyumov - Gerasimenko, a 4.5-km-long object. It will airdrop a lander – Philae on the comet. DRAUGHT PREDICTIONS BY SATELLITE NASA scientists have developed Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite that can predict the severity of droughts worldwide and help farmers maximize the crop yield. This mission is scheduled to launch in November 2014.

REVERSE VENDING MACHINES IN UAE An integrated environment and waste management company will install reverse vending machines designed to collect and recycle domestic light bulbs and batteries across the UAE, making the Gulf country the second nation in the world, after the UK to adapt this technology.

JULY 2014 INS KOLKATA JOINS INDIAN NAVY

The Indian Navy‘s largest ever destroyer – INS Kolkata was inducted in to service on 10th July. It is India’s first domestically built guided missile destroyer to feature a Western-style air search radar and stealth technology. ADVANCED BRAHMOS TEST FIRED An advanced version of the 290-km range Brahmos supersonic cruise missile was successfully tested off the coast of Odisha, giving the country the capability to hit enemy targets hidden behind mountains or in a cluster of buildings with “pinpoint accuracy”. The missile travelled its full strike range of 290 km in 500 seconds. INDIA LAUNCHES FIVE FOREIGN SATELLITES India successfully launched five foreign satellites from four countries on board PSLV-C23 rocket on June 30. The five satellites, launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, included two from Germany, and one each from France, Canada and Singapore.

PSLV: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle HIGH SPEED DATA TRANSFER BY LI-FI A Mexican software company has managed to transmit audio, video and Internet data across the spectrum of light emitted by LED lamps — at a data transfer rate of 10 gigabytes per second. The technology called Li-Fi or light fidelity can illuminate a large work space, such as an office, while providing full mobile Internet to every device that comes into the range of the light spectrum. OBJECTS SPOTTED BEYOND PLUTO Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered two new objects beyond Pluto for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft to visit. New Horizons spacecraft, launched in 2006, is on track to become the first probe to visit Pluto in July 2015, some 4.7 billion miles from Earth in the Kuiper Belt.


CARBON GEL – WORLD’s LIGHTEST MATERIAL The world's lightest solid material - carbon aerogel - created by Chinese scientists has fetched a staggering $1.6 million at an auction. With a density of just 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter, a sixth of air's density, the carbon aerogel was developed by scientists at Zhejiang University last year.

NASA SATELLITE TO TRACK CO2 American space agency NASA has successfully launched a satellite -Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), designed to track atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, a leading human-produced greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.

Warships, submarines, aircrafts and helicopters of India, US and Japan participated in the trilateral Malabar naval exercise from 24th July in North Western Pacific Ocean.

JUNE 2014 INS KAMORTA TO JOIN INDIAN NAVY India’s first indige-nously - built anti submarine warfare corvette INS Kamorta will be commissioned into the Indian Navy next month. Built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata, it will be the first warship armed with an indigenous rocket launcher for anti submarine warfare. BRAHMOS MISSILE TEST FIRED Indian-Russian joint venture Brahmos Aerospace test-fired its 290-km range supersonic missile from the stealth destroyer INS Kolkata off India's west coast near Karnataka. GARUDA-V: AIR EXERCISE WITH FRANCE The fifth Indo-French bilateral air exercise — Garuda-V was held at the Jodhpur Air Base. It is aimed at enhancing operational cooperation and validating capabilities. During the war games, both the Air Forces will practice aerial warfare, including manoeuvres to carry out surgical strikes. NASA TO BUILD WORLD’s LARGEST TELESCOPE NASA plans to build world’s most powerful telescope - Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) to analyse the environment of other planets and ability to track existence of aliens life. It will be able to track life which is as far as thirty light years away. EARTH’s LARGEST WATER RESERVOIR FOUND Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico believe they have found the Earth's largest water reservoir around 643 km underneath North America, inside mantle rock. Though not in the familiar liquid form - the ingredients for water are bound up in rock deep in the Earth's mantle. ‘KEPLER 10 C’ – NEW GIANT PLANET A huge Earth-like planet found by US astronomers has changed the perception of planet formation. The newly discovered Kepler-10c planet has been dubbed ‘Mega-Earth’ thanks to its diameter of 29,000 kilometers and an estimated weight 17 times greater than Earth, which has a diameter of 12,742 kilometers. This makes Kepler-10c the biggest rocky planet ever discovered.

INTERNATIONAL

AUGUST 2014 EBOLA CATASTROPHE IN WEST AFRICA

Three West Africa nations - Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, are struggling to control an outbreak of Ebola viral fever that has claimed over 700 lives in the recent past. The World Bank has pledged USD 200 million in emergency funding to contain spread of deadly Ebola. Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal illness in human with almost 90 per cent mortality rate. It is highly infectious and can spread easily through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluid. The virus was first discovered nearly four decades ago in Congo in a village near the Ebola River. NAGOYA PROTOCOL RATIFIED BY 51 MEMBERS The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization will enter into force on 12th October 2014 following its ratification by 12 more countries. With this development, 51 members to Convention on Biological Diversity that was agreed in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan have ratified the treaty. India is currently the President of CoP till CoP-12 is held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in October this year. CoP equal to Conference of the Parties. BANGLADESH TO JOIN BRICS BANK Bangladesh has decided to join the newly formed BRICS Bank, an initiative of the world's five emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Named as 'New Development Bank', BRICS Bank was formed after an agreement was signed by BRICS countries during July, 2014 Summit in Brazil, with the aim at easing financing constraints faced by BRICS and other developing countries to address infrastructure gaps and sustainable development needs. 100 YEARS OF WORLD WAR I Britain observed Lights Out Project on 4 August 2014 to commemorate 100 years of First World War (WW-1). Under the project, lights were turned-off for an hour to pay tribute to all those who died in World War I. World War I, also called The Great War, took place in and around Europe from July 1914 to November 1918 involving 135 countries and claiming more than 9 million lives.


WORLD’s FIRST ECO TEMPLE A Hindu temple - Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, claimed to be the world's first 'eco-temple' featuring solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system, has been opened in northwest London in the UK. THE "ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE" Over the past several weeks, social media has been flooded with one of the most effective fund-raising campaigns of all time - The "Ice Bucket Challenge". It encourages participants to dump bucket of freezing water on their head to raise awareness for the ‘amyotrophic lateral sclerosis’ (ALS) – a debilitating disease. Participants are encouraged to donate $10 if they complete the challenge or $100 if they don't. In the past few weeks alone, the ALS Association has earned more than $88.5 million this way. The World Health Organization has asked for a ban on

the use of e-cigarettes indoors and its sale to children. The US government has said that its economy grew at

a brisk annual rate of 4.2 percent in the April-June quarter, slightly faster than it had first estimated.

JULY 2014

6TH BRICS SUMMIT HELD AT FORTALEZA, BRAZIL Prime Minister Mr. Modi visited Fortaleza, Brazil to attend the 6th BRICS Summit. The five countries decided to establish the New Development Bank with an initial authorised capital of USD 50 billion which will be equally shared by the founding members to prevent domination by any one member. The Bank will work for funding infrastructure and “sustainable development” projects in the BRICS countries. India will have the first Presidency of the NDB for six years with headquarters in China. Agreement was also reached on establishing a Contingency Reserve Arrangement with an initial size of USD 100 billion to provide additional liquidity protection to member-nations during balance of payments problems. Funding of CRA is 41 per cent by China, 18 per cent each from Brazil, India, and Russia, and 5 per cent from South Africa. The 7th BRICS Summit will be held in the Russian city of Ufa.

ISRAEL OPENS WAR WITH GAZA Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched “Operation Protective Edge” against Hamas militants in Gaza strip for their alleged kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers. In over a month long conflict, Israeli forces have killed over one thousand persons in Gaza strip through attack by ground and air strikes.

MALAYSIAN PLANE SHOT DOWN, KILLING 298 A Malaysian aircraft, flight MH 17 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by terrorist using a Russian Buk missile when it was flying above 33,000 feet over eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 295 people aboard. The disaster is clouded in mystery as both Russia and Ukraine claim that their forces have not shot the plane.

UKRAINE MOVES TOWARDS EUROPEAN UNION Ukraine signed a landmark economic trade pact with the European Union June 27. The Association Agreement is expected to boost Ukraine’s exports to the European Union but has attracted strong negative reaction from the Russia. It was a refusal to sign this pact last year by Mr Poroshenko’s predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, which triggered popular protests in Ukraine, leading to Russia’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula

India will host the 7th IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) summit in 2015.

JUNE 2014 ISIS LAUNCHES FIERCE ATTACK IN IRAQ

Sunni militants, led by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have since the beginning of June, killed thousands of civilians and army personnel in Iraq in their bid to dethrone the present Shia government led by Premier Nouri al-Malikii. They have been successful in gaining control of some major cities like Tikrit and Mosul. ISIS militants are supporters of Saddam Hussein, ex president of Iraq who was sentenced to death in 2012.

USA FIRST CHOICE FOR FDI A survey by global consulting firm A T Kearney has shown that the USA is the top destination in the world for foreign direct investment. India has slipped to its lowest position; seventh, in over a decade. China plans to shut down over 2,000 small coal mines

to eliminate outdated capacity and improve work safety and address pollution concerns.

G7 meet of industrialized nations held at Brussels, Belgium

PERSONS IN NEWS

AUGUST 2014 IROM SHARMILA CHANU: The human rights activist and former journalist was in news as an Imphal sessions court on 19th August ordered her release, accepting her plea that she did not attempt suicide by fasting unto death. Ironically, after release she again went on protest fast and was rearrested. She has been on a fast since November, 2000 when Assam Rifles men killed 10 persons at Malom area in Imphal in an alleged encounter with insurgents. She has been demanding repeal of the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which gives sweeping powers to armed forces in disturbed areas.


V K DUGGAL: Manipur Governor resigned, the 9th governor to do so in last few months, following change of govt at the center. SHAH RUKH KHAN: Indian superstar has been roped in as an ambassador for Inter-pol’s “Turn Back Crime” campaign to promote awareness of how everyone can play a role in preventing crime. The campaign aims at empowering the public to not to be duped by criminals when buying products or using the internet. KAMLA BENIWAL: Governor of Mizoram was in news as she was sacked by a Presidential order. She was earlier Governor of Gujarat and shifted to Mizoram on July 6 this year. She was sacked reportedly for certain irregularities committed by her during her Gujarat tenure. NIKHIL CHANDWANI: The 20-year-old noted Indian author and documentary filmmaker, has become the first Asian to win the prestigious Author of the Year award from the American Literary Forum Society for his novel 'Coded Conspiracy’. K. SANKARANARAYANAN: Maharashtra Governor was in news as he quit his office to protest his transfer to Mizoram. JOHN KERRY: US Secretary of State (Foreign Minister) visited in India to hold 5th Indo-US Strategic Dialogue CHUCK HAGEL: U.S. Defence Secretary (Defence Minister) visited India to lay the groundwork for the revival of Indo-U.S. defence ties. GENERAL PRAYUTH CHAN-OCHA: Thailand's coup leader was in news as he was appointed Prime Minister by a legislature that was formed by him only, giving the army chief a veneer of legitimacy to his action.

JULY 2014 ARSENIY YATSENYUK: Ukraine’s Prime Minister was in news as he resigned in a shock move to protest the disbanding of the ruling parliamentary coalition, plunging the strife-torn nation into political uncertainty. AKHOURI SINHA: In a rare honour, the USA has named a mountain in Antarctica after this eminent Indian-American scientist whose pioneering biological research expedition to Antarctica has provided vital data about animal populations in that area. NEYMAR: Ace striker of Brazil’s football team was in news as he suffered a back bone fracture after being hit by the Colombian defender Juan Zuniga. Brazil’s bid to win a sixth World Cup suffered a devastating blow as Neymar was ruled out of the rest of the tournament.

JUNE 2014 ARUNADHATI BHATTACHARYA: Chairperson of State Bank of India has been ranked as most powerful women in India by the Forbes Magazine. She stood at 36th rank. KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAW: India's biotechnology queen, Chairperson of Biocon Industries, has been awarded the coveted Global Economy Prize for business by the Kiel Institute in Germany during its centenary celebrations. The annual prize is awarded to three individuals - a high-ranking policy maker, a renowned economist and an outstanding entrepreneur. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: 45 year old German Formula One champion was in news as he emerged out of coma after almost five and a half months, following his devastating ski accident in December, 2013. ANGELA MERKEL: Chancellor of Germany, she has been declared as most powerful women in the world by Forbes Magazine. BOWE BERGDAHL: An US sergeant was in news as he was released by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan on May 31 to American forces in exchange for five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison in USA. JUAN CARLOS: Spain's King, who led Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy, was in news as he announced his abdication in favour of his son, Prince Felipe, making way for a "new generation”.

APPOINTMENTS

AUGUST 2014 FOUR NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED

Kalyan Singh Rajasthan Vajubhai Vala Karanatka, C Vidyasagar Rao Maharashtra Mridula Sinha Goa

K.V. THOMAS: Congress MP appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. The post is given for one year to a member of the largest opposition party in the Lower House. The committee scrutinizes the accounts of the government and the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. S S MUNDRA: Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for three year term. He is ex CMD of Bank of Baroda. T M BHASIN: Chairman of the Indian Banks Association – IBA for 2014-15. He is CMD of Indian Bank. RAJNI RAZDAN: Chairman, Union Public Service Commission – UPSC.


M. THAMBIDURAI: Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha K. V. Chowdary: Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) AHMET DAVUTOGLU: New Prime Minister of Turkey HAIDAR AL-ABADI: Prime Minister of Iraq GEN. PRAYUTH CHAN-OCHA: Prime Minister of Thailand

JULY 2014 NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED

Ram Naik Uttar Pradesh. Kesri Nath Tripathi West Bengal Om Prakash Kohli Gujarat Balramji Dass Tandon Chhattisgarh. Padmanabha Acharya Nagaland. Kaptan Singh Solanki Haryana

PINKY ANAND: Additional Solicitor-General

FUAD MASUM: President of Iraq

JOKO WIDODO (JOKOWI): President of Indonesia

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER: President of the European Commission

JUNE 2014 RANJIT KUMAR: Solicitor General of India

Dr. AJIT KUMAR DOVAL: National Security Adviser, Govt of India

ARUN JAITLEY: The Union Finance Minister has been appointed as India's Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank.

MADHURI DIXIT: The Bollywood celebrity has been appointed as UNICEF's 'celebrity advocate for child rights'.

VISHAL SIKKA: Chief Executive Officer, Infosys

SUMITRA MAHAJAN: Speaker, Lok Sabha

DR. SUDHIR KUMAR MISHRA: CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace Corporation

Arun Mishra, Adarsh Kumar Goel and Rohinton Nariman: Judge in Supreme Court N. SRINIVASAN: First Chairman of International Cricket Council, Dubai

JUSTICE VK RAJAH: Attorney General of Singapore, he is an Indian-origin judge.

ALEXANDER STUBB: Prime Minister of Finland

REUVEN RIVLIN: President of Israel, from Likud party

BASHAR AL-ASSAD: Elected as President of Syria, for the third time successively.

PRINCE FELIPE: New King of Spain

ABDUL FATTAH AL-SISI: President of Egypt

AWARDS & HONOURS

AUGUST 2014 OUTSTANDING PARLIAMENTARIAN AWARDS BJP leader Arun Jaitley for 2010 Congress Veteran Karan Singh for 2011 JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav for 2012 The awards were given by the President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 August, 2014. ASHOK CHAKRA: Major Mukund Vardarajan named for highest peace time gallantry award for showing exemplary bravery in killing two terrorists in Kashmir before he was shot dead in April this year. 22ND RAJIV GANDHI SADBHAVNA AWARD: Noted film maker Muzaffar Ali, for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. The award carries a citation and cash award of Rs 5 lakh. CORE BANKING SYSTEM INITIATIVE AWARD-2014: won by Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd at the Asian Banking and Finance - Retail Banking Awards, Singapore. FIELDS MEDAL: Known as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics” won by Manjul Bhargava. Four such prizes are awarded by the International Mathematical Union.

MARYAM MIRZAKHANI: Iranian-born mathematician has become the first woman to win this prize (Fields Medal).

PARDO D’ORO (GOLDEN LEOPARD): Award for best film at the 67th Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland won by “Mula sa kung ano ang noon” by Lav Diaz, Philippines

JULY 2014 PREM BHATIA AWARD for Journalism:

SMITA GUPTA, Associate Editor with The Hindu, for political reporting.

NITIN SETHI, Associate Editor, Business Standard, for excellence in environmental and development reporting

JUNE 2014 49TH JNANPITH AWARD – 2013: Noted Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh. The award includes Rs 11 lakh as cash.

27TH MOORTIDEVI AWARD – 2013: Renowned scientist-turned- Malyalam writer C Radhakrishna for his book 'Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram'

Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction: Eimear McBride for her first novel ‘A girl is a Half-Formed Thing’

'LEGION OF FRANCE': Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan for his contribution to Cinema. It is one of its highest civilian awards conferred by France.

TANG PRIZE 2014 DECLARED Dr. Samuel Yin, a business tycoon from Taiwan established the Tang Prizes in December 2012 in four major fields of Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, Rule of Law to encourage research in these fields. They are given once in two years.


FIELD NAME CONTRIBUTION

Sinology Yu Ying-shih Research in Chinese cultural, intellectual and political history

Sustainable Development

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Ex. PM of Norway.

innovation, leadership and implementation of sustainable development

Rule of Law Albie Sachs fight against apartheid

Bio-pharma- ceutical science

Dr. Tasuku Honjo & James Allison

fight against cancer

WORLD FOOD PRIZE: won by Sanjaya Rajaram, India born veteran plant scientist from Mexico, for his contribution in increasing the wheat production in world. The Prize, carrying a cash prize of $ 250,000, would be presented during the U.N. World Food Day on October 16.

DAG HAMMARSKJOLD MEDAL: Gallantry award given by UNO to eight Indian soldiers on 29th May - International Day of UN peacekeepers.

Two Indian-Americans Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe jointly won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbour, Maryland (USA).

BOOKS & AUTHORS

AUGUST 2014 Heaven is for real by Todd Burpo &Lynn Vincent The boys in the boat by Daniel James Brown Orange is the new black by Piper Kerman The book of life by Deborah Harkness The goldfinch by Donna Tartt Half girlfriend by Chetan Bhagat Simian by Vikram Balagopal One Life is Not Enough by Natwar Singh Not just an accountant by Vinod Rai, former CAG of India Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi: An Inside Job? by Faraz Ahmad Strictly Personal, Manmohan and Gursharan by Ms Daman Singh

JULY 2014 The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee Finding Neema by Juliet Reynolds Half a Rupee Stories by Gulzar The Substance and The Shadow by Udaya Tara Nayar, a biography of veteran actor Dilip Kumar Innovation in India by Shyama V. Ramani

JUNE 2014 Blood Feud: The Clintons vs. The Obamas by Edward Klein Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Americanah Hannah Kent – Burial Rites

Audrey Magee – The Undertaking Eimear McBride – A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing Donna Tartt – The Goldfinch

OBITUARY

AUGUST 2014 B K S IYENGAR: 96 years old Padma Vibhushan awardee Yogacharya, known for his vast contribution in spreading Indian Yoga all over the world. U.R. ANANTHAMURTHY: Jnanpith awardee and renowned Kannada novelist and story writer MADHUKAR SINGH: Eminent Hindi litterateur and novelist from Bihar PRAN KUMAR SHARMA: Eminent cartoonist, popularly known as Pran, who gave life to lovable comic characters Chacha Chaudhury and his friend Sabu. RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH: Oscar-winning British filmmaker and actor, renowned for his critically-acclaimed biopic ‘Gandhi’ on Mahatma Gandhi that won eight Oscars, died at the age of 90. ROBIN WILLIAMS: Oscar winning famous US comedy actor dies of suspected suicide.

JULY 2014 ZOHRA SEHGAL: Legendary actress from Hindi theatre and cinema, aged over 102 years.

NADINE GORDIMER: South African Nobel Prize-winning author, one of the most powerful voices against the injustice of apartheid

JUNE 2014 SULTAN AZLAN SHAH: Known as the 'Father of Malaysian Hockey' for his colossal contribution to the international hockey for over 41 years -- both as a player and as an administrator. He was Sultan of Perak, Malaysia.

GOPINATH MUNDE: Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Prominent BJP leader from Maharashtra.


PLACES IN NEWS

AUGUST 2014 MALIN VILLAGE: A small village in district Pune, Maharashtra was in news as it was hit by a massive mud slide, washing out almost entire village, claiming several lives. SINDHUPALCHOK: District of Nepal was in news as a massive land slide near Mankha on 2 August 2014 blocked the Sunkoshi River and caused maasive damage to local settlements, claiming at least 156 lives. MOUNT SINJAR: place in Nineveh province of northern Iraq was in news as US forces dropped food packets there to thousands of Yezidis stranded there as they flee from nearby areas persecuted by ISIS militants. Hundreds of Yezidis have been massacred by the ISIS militants for their refusal to convert to Islam. Yezidis are a gentle community of ethnic Kurds, whose religious beliefs are traced to antiquity and the ancient Zoroastrian and Hindu religions as well as to Christianity and Islam. LONGTOUSHAN: A town in Ludian county of Yunnan province of China was in news as it was struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, killing over 400 persons and causing widespread devastation.

JULY 2014 NEOGURI: Name of powerful typhoon that lashed Japan's southern Okinawa islands on 8th July, forcing over half a million people to seek shelter, as the typhoon damaged buildings, downed trees and brought air/sea traffic to a halt.

JUNE 2014 INDIRA GANDHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: The airport in Delhi was declared second best in service quality in world and sixth best airport in the world. MEHRANGIR: Name of the bungalow of Late J. J. Bhabha, a pioneer nuclear scientist, at Malabar Hills, Mumbai that was auctioned for a record price of Rs. 372 crore. Sh. Bhabha wanted that auction money may be used for the development and the upkeep of the National Centre for the Performing Arts- NCPA, a non-profit organization. However, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has appealed to the govt to acquire the property and to maintain it as a monument. RANI-KI-VAV, PATAN: The 11th century step well at district Patan of Gujarat has been approved as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, describing it as an “exceptional example of technological development” in utilising ground water resources. Rani-ki-Vav (queen’s step well) is a particularly large and complex

example of a stepwell with seven storeys of ornamented panels and relief representing the height of the Maru-Gurjara style. GHNP, KULLU: The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh has been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status for its “exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity.” Some other Indian World Heritage Sites (WHS) include the Taj Mahal, Ellora Caves, Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas National Park, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve and the Sunderbans. THALOT/ LARJI: place about 40 km from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh was in news as 24 engineering students, including six girls, were washed away in River Beas due to sudden release of water from the reservoir of Larji hydropower project on river Beas, some five kilometers away from the accident site. The students were from a Hyderabad engineering college on an educational trip. The accident took place when they were taking photographs on the bank of the river. GARIPHEMA: Village in Nagaland was in news as it has been declared the country’s first tobacco-free village on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on May 31.

SPORTS WORLD AUGUST 2014

COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2014 CONCLUDE 20th Commonwealth games came to an end on August 3 at Hampden Park, Scotland’s National Stadium, Scotland. 4,750 athletes from 71 countries participated in 18 sports over 11 days for 824 medals. The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be held at Gold Coast, Australia. India won 64 medals – 15 gold, 30 silver and 19 bronze and stood at 5th rank. England topped the medal tally with 174 medals, including 58 golds.

INDIA’s GOLD MEDALS IN CWG - 2014 SR. NO. SPORTS PERSON SPORTS

1 K Sanjita Chanu Weight lifting 2 Sukhen Dev Weight lifting 3 Satish Sivalingam Weight lifting 4 Abhinav Bindra Shooting, 10 m rifle 5 Apurvi Chandela Shooting, 10 m rifle 6 Jitu Rai Shooting, 50 m pistol 7 Rahi Sanorbat Shooting, 25 m pistol 8 Sushil Kumar Wrestling 9 Amit Kumar Wrestling

10 Vinesh Phogat Wrestling 11 Yogeshwar Dutt Wrestling 12 Babita Phogat Wrestling 13 Vikas Gowda Discuss throw 14 Parupalli Kashyap* Badminton 15 Joshna Chinappa

and Dipika Pallikal** Squash


*Parupalli Kashyap became the first Indian male shuttler in 32 years to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Badminton.

**Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal won the first ever medal in squash since 1998, when this game was included in Commonwealth Games.

NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDS 2014

These awards are announced every year on 29th August on the birthday of legendary hockey wizard Sh. Dhyan Chand, which is observed as National Sports Day. DHYAN CHAND AWARDS (FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT)

Sl. No. Name Discipline

1. Shri Gurmail Singh Hockey 2. Shri K.P. Thakkar Swimming (Diving) 3. Shri Zeeshan Ali Tennis DRONACHARYA AWARDS (FOR COACHES)

Sl. No. Name Discipline 1. Shri Mahabir Prasad Wrestling 2. Shri N. Lingappa Athletics – Lifetime 3. Shri G. Manoharan Boxing – Lifetime 4. Shri Gurcharan Singh Gogi Judo – Lifetime 5. Shri Jose Jacob Rowing – Lifetime

ARJUNA AWARDS

S. No. NAME DISCIPLINE 1. Mr. Abhishek Verma Archery 2. Ms. Tintu Luka Athletics 3. Mr. H.N. Girisha Para-Athletics 4. Mr. V. Diju Badminton 5. Ms. Geetu Anna Jose Basketball 6. Mr. Jai Bhagwan Boxing 7. Mr. R. Ashwin* Cricket 8. Mr. Anirban Lahiri Golf 9. Ms. Mamta Pujari Kabaddi 10. Mr. Saji Thomas Rowing

11. Ms. Heena Sidhu Shooting 12. Ms. Anaka Alankamony Squash 13. Mr. Tom Joseph Volleyball 14. Ms. Renu Bala Chanu Weightlifting 15. Mr. Sunil Kumar Rana Wrestling

TENZING NORGAY AWARDS 2013

Sl. No. Name Discipline 1. Subedar Jagat Singh Land Adventure 2. Shri Passang Tenzing

Sherpa Land Adventure

3. MWO Surender Singh Air Adventure 4. Wing Commander (Retd)

Amit Chowdhury Life Time

Achievement

ARCHERY WORLD CUP, Wroclaw, Poland: Indian women’s team, led by Deepika Kumari, clinched the recurve team gold. THE WORLD KABADDI LEAGUE started in London on August 9. The league to be played across 16 international cities, will end on November 30, 2014 in India. SABINE LISICKI of Germany created a world record of fastest serve in the women’s tennis by serving at 131 miles per hour at a match played in Stanford, USA. FRANKIE JONES: Canadian gymnast was awarded the David Dixon Award for the best athlete of the Games. She won six medals, including one gold. RORY MCLLROY: of Ireland became number one in Golf by winning the elite World Golf Championships held at Akron, USA. USAIN BOLT: Jamaican sprint superstar set a new best time record of 9.98 second for the rarely run 100 meter indoors at Warsaw’s national football stadium in Poland. DANIEL RICCIARDO of Australia won the Belgian Grand Prix F1 car race for team Red Bull. BWF World Badminton Championship held in Copenhagen, Denmark

JULY 2014 20TH C’WEALTH GAMES START IN GLASGOW The 2014 Commonwealth Games (officially the 20th Commonwealth Games) will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3 August 2014. Mascot for the games has been named ‘Clyde’ after the famous Clyde river of Scotland. It is in the shape of a thistle plant, not an animal. Shooter Vijay Kumar led Indian Contingent as flag bearer.

SAINA NEHWAL: Indian shuttler lifted her first Super Series title in two years, clinching the $ 750,000 Star Australian Open after outplaying Spain's Carolina Marin at Sydney, Australia.

PANKAJ ADVANI won his 9th world title beating Poland’s Kacper Flilpiak in the IBSF World 6-Red snooker championship at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Ritu Rani to captain India’s women hockey team for the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow. GERMANY LIFTS FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 Mario Gotze scored the winning goal for Germany in the 22nd minute of extra time as Germany became the football world champions when they beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at Rio-de Janeiro. Germany, who had made the final for the fourth time in a row, won their first title after 1990.


AWARDS FOR FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 GOLDEN BALL Player of the Tournament- Lionel Messi, Argentina GOLDEN BOOT Highest Goal Scorer (6) –: James Rodriguez, Colombia GOLDEN GLOVE Best Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer, Germany The Indian men's football team has been ranked 151th in the FIFA world rankings, which is topped by recently-crowned world champions Germany. Wimbledon Tennis Open, London: Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Men’s title defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland.

Women’s title was won by Petra Kvitova of Czechslovakia by defeating Eugenie Bouchard of Canada VINCENZO NIBALI of Italy won the world famous three week cycling marathon - Tour de France. SIM BHULLAR has become the first player of Indian origin to be a part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in USA after joining the Sacramento Kings team. The 21-year-old is 7.5 feet tall and hails from Kapurthala in Punjab. India clinched their first Test win against England at the historic Lord's ground in London in nearly three decades.

JUNE 2014 Jitu Rai became first Indian shooter to win three medals in successive ISSF Shooting World Cup. Also, by winning his first-ever Gold medal and one Silver at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia, he became the first Indian shooter to win two medals at the same World Cup.

Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil won the gold medal and silver medal respectively, in wrestling in International Competition in Sassari city, Italy.

Indian Premier League – 7: Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL title beating Kings Eleven Punjab at the final played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Abhishek Verma has become the first Indian archer to win three gold medals in a single international tournament after a silver medal he won last year was converted to gold. Abhishek won a silver in the compound men’s event at the Asian Archery Championship in Chinese Taipei in October-November last year. Viswanathan Anand won the bronze medal at the World Rapid Chess Championship held at Dubai.

NATIONAL GAMES: The 35th edition of these will be held in Kerala in Jan– Feb, 2015. Sachin Tendulkar has been appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for these games. FRENCH OPEN TENNIS at Roland Garros, Paris Rafael Nadal of Spain won the men’s title for the ninth time, and the fifth time in a row, beating Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Women’s title was won by Maria Sharapova of Russia, defeating Romania's Simona Halep. Hockey World Cup (men) Australia defeated The Netherlands to win the cup at The Hague, Netherland. Women’s cup was lifted by The Netherland defeating Australia 16th Asian Junior Athletics Championship: India won 2 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze medals to finish 5th in final medal tally at Taipei City, China from 12 June to 15 June 2014.

DAYS & DATES

OCTOBER

International Non- violence Day October 02 World Habitat day October 03 World Teacher’s Day October 05 Indian Air Force Day October 08 World Post Day October 09 World Food Day October 16 United Nation (UN) Day October 24

SEPTEMBER

Teacher’s Day (Birth Day of S.Radhakrishnan) September 05

World Literacy Day September 08 Raj Bhasha Divas (Hindi Divas) September 14 World Deaf Day September 23 World Tourism Day September 27 World Heart Day September 29

AUGUST

World Breast – Feeding Week August 1-07 Friendship Day August 05 Hiroshima Day August 06 August Kranti Divas August 09 Nagasaki Day August 09 Dengue Prevention Day August 10 International Youth Day August 12 National Independence Day August 15 World Photography Day August 19 Sanskrit Day August 24 Women’s Equality Day August 26 National Sports Day August 29

ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES

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