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December 1, 2014

1) Due to continued decreased in international oil prices the price of petrol in India was slashed by 91 paise per litre on 30 November 2014 while that of diesel was reduced by 84 paise. The revised prices came into effect from the midnight of 30 November and 1 December 2014. What significant international price level was broken for crude oil recently? – The price of Brent crude oil went down below $70 per barrel on 28 November, which is its lowest level since 2010

Explanation: The price of international crude oil, called Brent crude, went below $70 per barrel level mark following decision made by the 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on 27 November 2014 to keep daily oil output at 30 million barrels. The step was taken despite a major oversupply that has caused oil prices to fall more than 30%. This also meant that the cost of January futures fell by 4.47%, to $66.07 per barrel.

2) On 30 November 2014 who became the first Indian footballer to be inducted into Asian Football Confederation (AFC‘s) Hall of Fame? – Baichung Bhutia

Explanation: The Asian Football Confederation inducted 10 continental superstars in its Hall of Fame in Manila on 30 November 2014. The awards were awarded by FIFA Chief Sepp Blatter. Bhutia joined Iran‘s legendary Ali Daei and Saudi Arabia‘s Sami Al Jaber in the Hall of Fame. Other prominent players to be inducted in AFC‘s Hall of Fame included Harry Kewell, regarded as one of Australia‘s finest football exports to Europe, thanks to a successful career with England‘s Leeds United and Liverpool.

3) How much cable is proposed to be laid over next three and a half years to provide broadband in every village of the country, as revealed by the Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on 29 November 2014? – 7,50,000 KM

Explanation: Under Union Government‘s ‗Digital India‘ project 7,50,000 KM of fiber optical cable is proposed to be laid over next three and a half years to ensure digital empowerment of people. ‗Digital India‘ project envisages bringing all the existing initiatives such as the Ebiz project, E-kranti, virtual classroom, e-visas and the National Optical Fibre Network project under a single

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umbrella. Other programmes include implementation of e-office to make Government departments paperless, encouraging domestic manufacturing of electronic products and kick starting Research & Development and entrepreneurship development fund. The project was unveiled in the Budget 2014-15 and is being directly monitored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

4) Indian woman badminton player P.V. Sindhu won which Grand Prix tournament on 30 November 2014, which was her first title of the season? – Macau Grand Prix Gold Trophy

Explanation: World No. 11 Sindhu was the defending champion of this trophy and she prevailed over 91st-ranked Kim Hyo Min of Korea, defeated her 21-12, 21-17 in the final. This was the first title for her in 2014 season. She had lost the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final to

fellow Indian Saina Nehwal in January this year.

5) Thailand‘s crown prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on 28 November 2014 revoked the royally-assigned family name of his wife Princess Srirasmi. Her royal-appointed surname Akharaphongpreecha was revoked due to which reason? – Due to the arrest of several of her relatives in a high-profile corruption case

Explanation: Three people with the Akharaphongpreecha name were among 19 arrested in a crackdown on alleged police corruption this month in raids that netted tens of millions of dollars in assets. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is the first in line for the Thai throne. His father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is widely revered by Thais, is 86. The Thai monarchy can bestow honorary names to families in return for service under a 1915 law.

December 2, 2014

1) The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP20) started on 1

December 2014 at which city? – Lima (Peru)

Explanation: COP20 the 20th yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP10) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. COP20 is being organised to negotiate on a new ambitious and

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binding deal to cut global carbon emissions, in the last chance to reach on a historic deal to be signed next year in Paris. Officials from 190 nations, including India, are participating in this 12-day summit. During the summit countries will put forward what they plan to contribute to the 2015 pact in the form of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) by the first quarter of 2015, well in advance of the Paris conference in December. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar leads India‘s 17-member delegation to negotiate terms for the final agreement to be signed in Paris, which will take effect in 2020.

2) At least 13 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel were killed and many were injured in a Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh on 1 December 2014. This incident took place in which Maoist-infested district of south Chhattisgarh? –Sukma

Explanation: The ambush took place near Kasalpara village of Sukma district. Kasalpara village is the same place where the CRPF had claimed to have killed 15 alleged Maoists on 21 November 2014 in an encounter.

3) A referendum held in Switzerland on 30 November 2014 rejected the proposed curbs on immigrations in the country. What was the specific issue that was addressed by holding this referendum? – To cut net immigration to no more than 0.2% of the population

Explanation: The referendum was conducted to know the opinion of country‘s 26 cantons about the proposal to cut net immigration into the country to not more than 0.2% of the population. About 74% of the people rejected the proposal. Supporters of the measure argued that it would have reduced pressure on the country‘s resources. Opponents said it would have been bad for the economy. It is worth mentioning that around a quarter of Switzerland‘s eight million people are foreigners. The issue addressed in this referendum would have required the government to reduce immigration from about 80,000 to 16,000 people a year.

4) Who won the Presidential elections held in Uruguay on 30 November 2014? –Tabare Vazquez

Explanation: Tabare Vazquez is a former President of the country who led the country from 2005 to 2010. He won comfortably with 52.8% support while his center-right challenger, Luis Lacalle Pou, trailed with 40.5% votes. Returning to power, he will succeed President Jose Mujica, an ally and former guerrilla whose straight-talking style won him widespread affection in the country. Vazquez is a respected oncologist who helped heal rifts inside the Broad Front in the late 1990s and led it to power in 2005, ending two decades of conservative rule that followed a military dictatorship.

5) Which application software company was chosen by the ICC as its

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exclusive Analytics and Cloud Partner for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as announced on 1 December 2014?- SAP SE

Explanation: SAP SE is a worldwide leader in enterprise application software services. The partnership, which starts immediately and runs through to the end of the tournament, will see SAP utilise its HANA platform to power numerous live match experiences across the ICC‘s network of Web sites, to enhance the experience for fans and media with real-time data, statistics and performance analysis that will help them get closer to the action and tell more insightful and informed stories. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand.

6) Which film won the coveted Golden Peacock award for Best Film at the 45thInternational Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded on 30 November 2014? –„Leviathan„ (Russian film)

Explanation: ‗Leviathan‗ is a survival drama directed by Russian director Andrey Zvyaginstev. ‗Ek Hazaarchi Note‗, set against the backdrop of farmers‘ suicide in Vidharba region of Maharashtra, created history at IFFI by

winning the centenary and special jury award (for debutante director Shrihari Sathe). ‗Leviathan‗ star Alexel Serebriakov shared the best actor award with Dulal Sarkar of ‗Chotoder Chobi‗. Cuban actress Arina Rodriguez won the Best Actress award for her role in the Cuban-Spanish movie ‗Behaviour‗ while Israeli actress Sarit Larry shared the trophy with Rodriguez for her role in ‗The Kindergarten Teacher‗. The award for best director went to Nadaf Lapid for ‗The Kindgarten Teacher‗.

7) Who was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)? – Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)

Explanation: Wong Kar-Wai is one of Hong Kong‘s most celebrated filmmakers. Some of his world-acclaimed films include ‗Days of Being Wild’ (1990), ‗Ashes of Time‘ (1994), ‗Chungking Express‘ (1994), ‗Fallen Angels‘ (1995), ‗Happy Together‘ (1997), ‗2046‘ (2004) and ‗The Grandmaster’ (2013). ‗My Blue berry Nights‘ is Wong Kar-Wai‘s only English language Film and ‗In the Mood for Love‘ is by far his most universally loved film.

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December 3, 2014

1) 3 decades (30 years) of the Bhopal tragedy of 1984 were completed on 2 December 2014. This disaster, which took place on 2 December 1984 due to accidental leakage of poisonous gas from the factory owned by the U.S. multinational Union Carbide Corp in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, is known as one of the world‘s worst industrial disasters ever. Which poisonous gas had leaked from this plant resulting in death of over five thousand people? – Methyl Isocyanate

Explanation: The Union Carbide plant in Bhopal was established in 1969 for manufacture of a range of pesticides used by farmers. On the night of 2 December 1984 almost 40 tonnes of highly poisonous Methyl Isocyanate gas was released and carried by the wind to the surrounding densely populated. The government recorded 5,295 deaths, but activists claim 25,000 people died in the aftermath and following years. Another 100,000 people who were exposed to the gas continue to suffer today with sicknesses such as cancer, blindness,

respiratory problems, immune and neurological disorders. Some children born to survivors have mental or physical disabilities. Union Carbide was sued by the Indian government after the disaster and agreed to pay an out-of-court settlement of $470 million in damages in 1989. Union Carbide was later acquired in 2001 by Dow Chemical Company.

2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) presented its 5th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy review for 2014-15 fiscal on 2 December 2014. Despite pressure to cut interest rates from industry as well as some quarters of the government, RBI kept the major rates unchanged as it kept its focus on tackling inflation. What are the major projections and rates coming out of this review?

- GDP growth rate projected at 5.5% for current fiscal

- Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation projected to remain at 6% by March 2015

- Repo rate (short term lending rate) unchanged at 8%

- Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4%

- Statutory Liquidity Ratio (used for unlocking banking funds) retained at 22%

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3) The RBI in its 5th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy review for 2014-15 fiscal presented on 2 December 2014, kept the most important repo rate unchanged at 8%. The last time this rate was changed was – January 2014

Explanation: In January 2014 the RBI had increased the repo rate by 25 basis points to 8%. Since then this rate has been unchanged.

4) Deven Verma, Bollywood film actor, who was known for his comic roles, passed away on 2 December 2014 at Pune at the age of 77 years. He had won how many Filmfare Awards for best comic roles? – Three

Explanation: Deven Verma won three Filmfare Awards respectively for ‗Chori Mera Kaam‘ (1976), ‗Chor ke Ghar Chor‘ (1978) and ‗Angoor‘ (1982). ‗Angoor‘, directed by Gulzar and featuring Sanjeev Kumar in main role, is still considered one of the best Hindi comedy films ever made.

5) Abdul Rahman Antulay (A.R. Antulay), who passed away on 2 December 2014, was a former Chief Minister of which state of India? – Maharashtra

Explanation: Antulay was the first and only Muslim Chief Minister of Maharashtra during the years 1980 to 1982. However he had to resign from his post following allegation of corruption. He was convicted in an extortion case by the Bombay High

Court. He passed away at the age of 85 years.

6) Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee‘s birthday (25 December) would be observed as which national day, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 December 2014? – „Good Governance Day‟

Explanation: Addressing party MPs at the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party Narendra Modi made this announcement. On the occasion the national ‗Good Governance Day‘ all government officials will make the day symbolic of good governance.

7) Who was appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 2 December 2014? – Anil Sinha

Explanation: Anil Sinha is the Bihar cadre IAS officer of the 1979 batch and is presently the Special Director with the CBI. He replaced Ranjit Sinha, who relinquished office on superannuation on the same day. The appointment was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). Earlier name of Anil Sinha was shortlisted by the three-member selection committee consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition leader in Lok Sabha (Congress) Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu.

8) Who was named as the next Director General of National Disaster

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Relief Force (NDRF) on 1 December 2014? – O P Singh

Explanation: O P Singh is an Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer of the 1983-batch. Singh is serving presently as additional DG (Airport) in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He will now be the full-fledged NDRF chief

in the rank of additional DG for his remaining period of central deputation till 15 January 2018. NDRF is a disaster response agency under National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) created by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in 2009.

December 4, 2014

1) In an unprecedented move, the Chief Justice of India during December 2014 constituted which Special Bench that would meet every Friday to handle cases associated with it? – The Social Justice Bench

Explanation: The Social Justice Bench of the Supreme Court was constituted to handle Public Interest Litigations (PILs) and other petitions on social issues. This newly constituted bench would meet every Friday afternoon. The issues associated under this bench would range from the availability of night shelters for the homeless to whether

children in government schools are being provided free mid-day meals and the efficacy of the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) which is meant to provide poor families access to subsidized grain. The two judges who will handle these cases every Friday are Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice UU Lalit.

2) During December 2014 Indian Railways issued guidelines for constituent railway zones to invite tenders to offer three-year maintenance contracts to professionals for managing India‘s railway stations. Under this proposed exercise, contracts would be given for cleaning and managing cover key station areas, such as tracks, platforms, buildings, concourses, approach roads, and parking areas. How many railway stations are being made available under this initiative? – 50

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Explanation: 50 railway stations made available for privatized clean-up are Nasik Road, Solapur, Jalgaon, Howrah, Sealdah, Bhagalpur, Patna, Mughalsarai, Gaya, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Puri, New Delhi, Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Allahabad, Kanpur, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Lucknow Jn, Kathgodam, Rangiya, New Bongaigaon, Kishanganj, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Chennai Central, Egmore, Trivandrum Central, Secunderabad, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Ranchi, Raipur, Bilaspur, Drug, Hospet, Vasco-Da-Gama, Belgaum, Mumbai Central Main, Bandra Terminus, Vadodara, Bhopal, Jabalpur and Kota. The Railways have stipulated the contract should be given to a single agency and there should be no mixed system of management, a move to help fix accountability. The work will also cover rag-picking, disinfection, pest and rodent control, garbage collection, and segregation of waste and disposal.

3) Recently arguments have been given in favour of implementing the M.S. Swaminathan Committee‘s recommendation on assessment of agricultural costs. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Urban Development Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu have pushed for implementing this committee‘s recommendation. What is the basic formula for estimating agricultural costs as recommended by M.S. Swaminathan Committee? – Procurement prices of agricultural produce should be set as the entire

cost of production with a 50% profit quotient

Explanation: Renowned agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan led a committee on minimum support price (MSP) for farmers. This committee came out with its recommendations during the UPA-1 regime. The basic recommendation of this committee was that the MSP for farmers should be calculated as cost of production plus a 50% margin. Parkash Singh Badal recommended that the Indian Government fix minimum support prices of paddy and wheat keeping in mind rising input costs. On the other hand M.Venkaiah Naidu called for the Government to seriously consider implementing the M.S. Swaminathan Committee‘s recommendation at the 10th National Conference of Farmers.

4) What was India‘s rank in the list of corrupt countries released by graft watchdog Transparency International India (TII) on 3 December 2014? – 85th

Explanation: India‘s rank has improved from 94th last year to 85th this year in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report by TII. India‘s score stood at 38 as compared to 36 last year. In India‘s neighbourhood, China moved to 100th place, down from 80th last year, while Pakistan and Nepal were at 126th position. Bangladesh was 145th and Bhutan 30th in the ranking. Sri Lanka was ranked 85thwith India. Afghanistan was at a bleak 172. Denmark retained its position as the least corrupt country in 2014 with a score of 92 while North

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Korea and Somalia shared the last place, scoring just 8.

5) Which university was ranked no.1 in Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2015, covering 18 countries, that was released on 4 December 2014? – Peking University, China

Explanation: China topped this prestigious list with as many as 27 universities in the top 100 list. India now has four universities in the top 40 – IISc, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT Roorkee and Punjab University, Chandigarh – and seven more in the top 100. Punjab University, ranked 13th last year, however, has fallen to 39th in the rankings. China‘s Peking University and Tsinghua University occupied the first and second positions.

6) During December 2014 who was appointed as the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, an appointment that was protested by the Congress as it alleged that procedures were not followed in this appointment? – Anoop Mishra

Explanation: Anoop Mishra is a senior bureaucrat from Uttar Pradesh and a formal announcement about his appointment was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on 1 December 2014. Congress alleged that procedures were not followed in this appointment as it was not consulted during the procedure of this appointment. Congress also wanted to know whether none of the secretariat officials of the Lok Sabha were competent for the post.

December 5, 2014

1) Eminent jurist and former Supreme Court judge Justice Krishna Iyer passed away on 4 December 2014 at the age of 100 in Kochi. Apart from being one of the foremost legal luminary India has produced, what was a special fact associated with him? – In between his legal practice he also joined politics and became an MLA of Kerala Assembly

Explanation: He became a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly in

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1952. He held portfolios such as law, justice, home, irrigation, power, prisons, social welfare and inland navigation in the first Communist government in Kerala headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad that came to power in 1957. He was instrumental in passing several pieces of people-oriented legislations during his tenure as minister in the Communist government. Later in 1959 he resumed his legal practice. He was sworn in as the judge of the Supreme Court on 17 July 1973 and retired at the age of 65 on 14 November 1980. His landmark judgments include the Shamser Singh case which interpreted the powers of the Cabinet vis-à-vis the President, Maneka Gandhi case which gave a new dimension to Article 21, Ratlam Municipality case and Muthamma‘s case.

2) Government of India is kicking off its ambitious divestment programme for the current fiscal year from 5 December 2014 with the sale of a 5% stake in a PSU. Govt. is expected to raise $275 million through this stake sale. Which PSU is this? –Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL)

Explanation: SAIL thus becomes the first PSU to be divested for meeting the proposed budget deficit target. The government, which owns an 80% stake in SAIL, plans to sell up to 206.5 million shares through an auction on the stock exchanges on 5 December. The floor price for the share auction of SAIL has been set at 83 rupees apiece. Union Govt. had planned to raise $9.5 billion from divestments in

the fiscal year ending in March 2015. However, it is likely to miss this target due to slow speed of the divestment programme.

3) Union Govt. on 3 December 2014 constituted a high level committee with the objective of bringing about clarity on tax laws. Who is heading this committee? –Ashok Lahiri (Former Chief Economic Advisor)

Explanation: This committee has been constituted in line with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley‘s announcement during the 2014-15 Budget speech pertaining to bringing about clarity in tax laws in the country. This committee will interact with trade and industry to ascertain where clarity on tax laws is required. Other members of the committee include retired Settlement Commission Member Sidhartha Pradhan and Gautam Ray, retired Director General (Audit) of Customs and Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

4) During December 2014, what important decision was taken by the Union Govt. in the area of FDI in construction sector? – The lock-in period for foreign investments in the construction sector has been diluted

Explanation: A note released on 3 December 2014 by DIPP stated, while foreign investment cannot be repatriated before three years following completion of minimum capitalisation, an investor may be allowed to exit earlier by getting

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approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). This decision has been taken following Union Cabinet‘s nod to allow FDI in construction development in October 2014.

Following are the important points associated with above decision:

The minimum capital requirement for such projects (for joint ventures with Indian partners) has been halved from $10 million to $5 million. For wholly owned subsidiaries of foreign companies, the requirement is $10 million.

At least 50% of each project must be developed within a period of five years from the date of obtaining all mandatory clearances. The investor would not be allowed to sell under developed plots.

The minimum area to be developed is 10 hectares of land area for serviced housing plots and 50,000 sq meters of built-up area for construction development projects. For combined projects, any one of the two conditions is sufficient

5) During December 2014 India signed a multilateral agreement admitting India‗s participation in the development of the World‘s largest telescope – the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT). This telescope will be established at which place? – Hawaii (US)

Explanation: Institutions from the USA, India, Canada, Japan and China are participating in the construction of the world‘s largest telescope on Mount Mauna Kea. This telescope, 4207 m above sea level, may cost more than $1.47 billion. TMT will contain 492 hexagonal mirror segments of 82 different kinds. These will behave like a single mirror with an aperture of 30 metre diameter. This large collecting area of 650 square metres is thrice as sensitive as the Hubble Space Telescope. India‘s role will primarily be to create the control systems and software that keep the mirrors aligned and collects the data. This project was rapidly cleared by the Union Cabinet and India has agreed to spend Rs. 1299.8 crores over the next decade for this project. Besides learning about the universe, India will gain the technology to manufacture fine aspherical mirror segments from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

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December 6, 2014

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5 December 2014 gave what relaxations in norms for White Label ATM (WLA) operators? – They can now accept international cards and also source cash supply from other than banks

Explanation: The RBI provided a breather to WLA operators by allowing them to accept international credit/debit/prepaid cards. The cards issued under card payment network schemes (authorized under the PSS Act 2007) will be allowed for the purpose. The WLA operators have to ensure that they have established technical connectivity with the respective card network operators either directly or through their sponsor banks. In addition, RBI enabled delinking of cash supply from sponsor banks. WLA operators would now be able to tie up with other commercial banks for cash supply at WLAs. Earlier, the cash supply had to be managed only through a sponsor bank which limited the scope of cash management for the operators. During

2012 the RBI had allowed corporates to set up white label ATMs to increase the penetration of ATMs in several areas of the country. These ATMs are being operated by non-banking corporates and organisations and are providing ATM services to customers of all banks.

2) 13 security personnel including eight Army men and five policemen were killed in a major militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 5 December 2014. In the retaliatory strike six militants were killed. This attack was carried at which army camp situated in the Uri area in north Kashmir? – Mahura Army camp

Explanation: 6 Six terrorists entered the Mahura Army camp in Rampur area of Uri at early morning of 5 December and attacked the camp. All six terrorists were killed in the encounter while eight of Army soldiers, including a Lt. Colonel and five policemen lost their lives too. The attack happened four days before Uri goes to the Assembly elections on 9 December. This was one the biggest attacks by the militants in the recent past.

3) During December 2014 Union Govt. took an important decision to decrease subsidy load by scrapping the supply of subsidised kerosene through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

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Under this decision, from now on subsidised kerosene would be supplied to only one category of households. Which category is this? –Households without electricity connection

Explanation: According to information given by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley the Centre is in the process of writing to States asking them to provide subsidised kerosene only to un-electrified households. States which have achieved near 100% electrification will be incentivised to become kerosene-free. In the remaining States, un-electrified households will be given the choice between cash subsidy in lieu of kerosene allocation and upfront subsidy for greener solar lighting systems. This decision comes close on the heels of cuts in the Centre‘s social sector spending allocations aimed at aligning plan expenditure with subdued revenue collections. The allocation of kerosene subsidy will now be in accordance with Census 2011 data, which shows that it‘s no longer a fuel of choice for cooking but is used for lighting purposes. The Census showed that kerosene has been almost completely replaced by LPG in urban and semi-urban areas and biomass is the cooking fuel of choice in the rural areas. Less than 2% of India‘s rural households use kerosene as cooking fuel, according to the Census.

4) The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 5 December 2014 sent supplies of

drinking water to which of its neighbouring country? – Maldives

Explanation: Indian Air Force (IAF) pressed the services of its IL-76 aircrafts and the C-17 Globemaster to provide drinking water to the people of Maldives. Water was cut off to more than 100,000 residents in the Maldives‘ capital Male because of a fire in the city‘s water treatment plant. Maldives had made a request to India for supplying drinking water. Following this, the Centre asked the Defence Ministry to provide assistance. The Ministry in turn directed the IAF to ship the drinking water in IL-76 aircrafts to Maldives. India would supply 400 tonnes of packaged drinking water under this initiative. An offshore patrol vessel in the ocean with a water treating facility was also diverted to Maldives.

5) The Union Govt. has recently made amendments in Indian Medical Council Regulations 2002 pertaining to prescribing generic medicines. What has been done under this amendment? – Physicians have been directed to prescribe drugs with generic names in legible and capital letters

Explanation: The Central government has approved to amend Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002, providing therein that every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names in legible and capital latter and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs. This amendment has been done as it was felt by a section of parliamentarians

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that illegible prescription by doctors may lead to serious implications and

even death in certain cases.

December 7-8, 2014

1) What is the name of the Indian communication satellite that was placed in orbit by Ariane 5 rocket on 6 December 2014 from the space port of Kourou in French Guiana? – GSAT-16

Explanation: GSAT-16 is the 11thamong GSAT series of Indian communication satellites, and will have estimated lifespan of 12 years. It will support civil aviation services apart from backing up the services provided by other communication satellites. The satellite is aimed as a replacement for satellite INSAT-3E. It was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by European Space Agency‘s Ariane 5ECA rocket. This launch was initially planned for 4 December 2014, but was postponed due to inclement weather.

2) What important recommendation was given by a committee constituted in 2010 to design future currency notes as disclosed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 5 December 2014? – No other national leader‟s image should be put on banknotes except Mahatma Gandhi

Explanation: The committee in its report said that it would be improper to put image of other national leader on country‘s currency notes as no other personality could better represent the ethos of India than Mahatma Gandhi. On the advice of the Government, the RBI had, in October 2010, constituted a Committee to design future currency notes.

3) Due to iron ore crunch Tata Steel recently underwent a situation for the first time in the over 100 years of its glorious history. What was this situation? – For the first time in its history the company operated its Jamshedpur plant with raw material bought from domestic sources besides imports

Explanation: This was done as all the mines of Tata Steel are closed. The company is now operating its 9.7 million tonnes per annum facility in

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Jamshedpur with raw material bought from domestic sources besides imports. The company bought iron ore from state-run NMDC besides importing the key steel making raw material from Australia. While it has bought around 0.8 million tonnes from NMDC, the remaining is imports from Australia. One of the first steel units in the country, the Jamshedpur facility of Tata Steel was founded in 1907 and the plant has been running on captive source of iron ore. Apart from Tata Steel, state-run steelmaker Steel Authority of India (SAIL) enjoys the benefit of having captive iron ore sources. Others depend upon the market purchase. The problem of Tata Steel started following a notification of the Mines Ministry in July amending the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 which provides a period of two years for execution of the renewal lease deed Post expiry of lease, for the first renewal.

4) What is the name of the powerful typhoon which struck through the central Philippines on 7 December 2014 resulting in 1 million people fleeing their homes? –Typhoon Hagupit

Explanation: Typhoon Hagupit was not as powerful and on the same scale as last year‘s deadly Typhoon Haiyan but it still toppled trees and power lines and cut off communication lines across the central Philippines. More than 1 million people fled to shelters away from coastal areas and landslide-prone villages by the time Typhoon Hagupit slammed into the town of

Dolores, on the eastern coast of Samar island.

5) What is the name of the book written by President Pranab Mukherjee to be released on 11 December 2014, that has been caught between brick-and-mortar retailers and e-retailers as it is being released exclusively on Amazon.in? – “The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years”

Explanation: The book published by Rupa & Co., will be released exclusively on Amazon.in on 11 December 2014 and will be available for sales in book stores only after 31 December. Traditional bookstores have now decided to boycott this book saying competition in the Indian publishing industry has been upset by such exclusive sales.

6) The 2014 Men‘s Champions Trophy started on 6 December 2014 at Bhubaneswar. This is which edition of Champions Trophy? – 35th

Explanation: Champions Trophy is one of the most prestigious hockey tournaments and includes the top hockey playing nations. The 35th edition of men‘s Champions Trophy is being played at Kalinga Stadium in Odisha‘s capital Bhubaneswar. 8 countries are taking part in this tournament. These 8 countries include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Pakistan and hosts India. The tournament will conclude on 14 December 2014.

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7) The marketing approval of 25 generic drugs of which Indian pharma company was suspended on 6 December 2014 by drug regulators of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg due to concerns over the quality of data from clinical trials? – GVK Biosciences

Explanation: French watchdog ANSM had inspected GVK Biosciences‘ site in Hyderabad and found anomalies in the way electrocardiograms were monitored during the bioequivalence studies. It said the inspection raised serious concerns over whether the company complied with good clinical practices. GVK was given approval based on clinical trials meant to show that these generic drugs were equivalent to the original branded versions conducted by GVK between 2008 and 2014. All of the drugs being suspended, several of which are manufactured by Mylan Inc. and Abbott, have brand name equivalents that can be used instead, so patients will not have to interrupt their treatment. The quality of Indian pharmaceuticals has come under fire this year, with regulators in Europe

and the United States citing problems ranging from data manipulation to sanitation and banning the import of certain products from several firms.

8) Tennis great and 17 time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer (Switzerland) made his historic debut in India on 7 December 2014 by participating in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). He is representing which team of IPTL? – Micromax Indian Aces

Explanation: IPTL is a brainchild of Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi. Modeled after the IPL, IPTL is comprised of four teams in its inaugural edition. These four teams are from India (Indian Aces), the Philippines (Manila Mavericks), Singapore (Singapore Slammers) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE Royals). It features some of the legends of tennis world including Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Sania Mirza. In his opening game Federer led his team to defeat Singapore Slammers.

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December 9, 2014

1) Andhra Pradesh Government on 8 December 2014 signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with which country to assist it in developing master plan for the new proposed capital city? – Singapore

Explanation: Andhra Pradesh (AP) has to develop its own capital following formation of Telangana in June 2014 and subsequently Hyderabad becoming its capital. The AP Govt. had earlier proposed to develop its new capital in the Guntur-Vijayawada region. Following this the govt. wants to take the experience and expertise of Singapore in developing its capital. AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wants to develop a capital city which would be better than the best city anywhere in the world. The proposed capital is being touted as a smart and environmentally sustainable city. The master plan for the same is expected to be prepared within 6 months.

2) US-based news and blogging platform Huffington Post launched its Indian edition on 8 December 2014.

The India edition of Huffington Post thus becomes its 13th edition worldwide. This edition has been launched in association with which Indian media company? – The Times of India Group

Explanation: Huffington Post is the first major global entrant into a fast growing digital news space in India. Owned by AOL, it has 119 million multi-platform visitors per month in the US and has over 80,000 bloggers. Huffington Post has editions in the UK, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Maghreb, Germany, Brazil, South Korea and Greece apart from the US.

3) Which Indian private airline is presently going through rough weather and an emergency board meeting was held on 8 December 2014 to take important decisions pertaining to airline‘s recapitalization and payment plans for vendors? –SpiceJet

Explanation: SpiceJet is the second largest budget airline in India and is operating its passenger services in all important sectors of the country. Its problems arose after it continued to cancel flights over the last few days in many sectors. Company claimed that it is being done to restructure airline‘s operations. However, many analysts claimed that it is going through same conditions as the bankrupt Kingfisher Airlines had before its closure. Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil

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Aviation (DGCA) on its part asked the airline to prepare a payment plan by 15 December 2014. The airline reportedly owes Rs. 700 crore to creditors and Rs. 400 crore to other vendors.

4) According to the recently released ―Global Wealth Databook 2014‖ by Swiss banking entity Credit Suisse, how much of India‘s wealth is held by country‘s 10% rich people? – Around 75%

Explanation: This databook has come out with some staggering data on the wealth gap and disparity between the rich and the poor in India. It states that India‘s richest 10% holds 370 times the share of wealth that it‘s poorest hold. India‘s richest 10% have been getting steadily richer since 2000, and now hold nearly three-quarters of total wealth. It also states that India thus dominates the world‘s poorest 10%, while China dominates the global middle class and the United States the world‘s rich. The world‘s super-rich – the top 1% – is overwhelmingly American. Indians make up just 0.5% of the world‘s super-rich.

5) Which private sector bank on 8 December 2014 announced hiking of ATM usage charges for its saving account holders from 1 January 2015? – ICICI Bank

Explanation: ICICI Bank announced that from 1 January 2015 the number of free transactions in a month has been fixed at five using own ATMs, while it has been capped at three for

other banks‘ machines. Thus bank‘s customers would be able to enjoy only five free transactions, including financial and non-financial, at the bank‘s own ATMs. After exceeding the free transaction limits, customers will have to pay Rs. 20 per financial transaction excluding service tax and Rs. 8.50 for every non-financial transaction. For transactions at non-ICICI Bank ATMs, the number of free financial and non-financial transactions have been reduced to three per month at six metros of Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, after which the customer will have to pay Rs. 20 for a financial transaction and Rs. 8.50 per non-financial transaction. In case of usage in non-metro areas, a customer can enjoy five free transactions per month at non-ICICI Bank ATMs, after which the same charges apply.

6) The Delhi government on 8 December 2014 banned all operations by private cab service Uber with immediate effect and blacklisted it from providing any transport service in the national capital in the wake of the alleged rape incident in a taxi plying for it. Uber is hire-a-cab firm of which country? – The US

Explanation: The Delhi transport department banned all activities related to providing of any transport service by www.uber.com with immediate effect. The department also blacklisted the company from providing any transport service in the NCT of Delhi in future. It was alleged that the cab firm misled the commuter

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(rape victim) about the nature of the taxi service offered by its App. The alleged rape incident took place on 5 December 2014 when the victim, who

works for a finance company in Gurgaon, was headed back to her home in north Delhi.

December 10, 2014

1) Which Indian drug company launched in India the first biosimilar version of the anti-inflammatory medicine Adalimumab, the world‘s top-selling drug, at a fifth of its U.S. price on 9 December 2014? –Cadila Healthcare Ltd

Explanation: Adalimumab‘s branded version is sold under the name ‗Humira‘ by U.S. firm AbbVie Inc, and costs $1,000 for a vial in the United States. Cadila Healthcare launched cheaper copy of this drug at a price of $200 a vial in India and named it ‗Exemptia‘. Adalimumab is used for treating diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Biosimilars are cheaper copies of biotech drugs –

medicines made from proteins and other large molecules. Several hundred companies around the world are chasing the biosimilars market, including Indian generic drugmakers Dr Reddy‘s Laboratories Ltd, Cipla Ltd and Lupin Ltd.

2) Which ally of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced quitting the alliance on 8 December 2014? – Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)

Explanation: MDMK a regional party of Tamil Nadu and is and is led by pro-Tamil leader Vaiko. It joined the six-party grand alliance led by BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of Lok Sabha elections held in May 2014. Though the party contested seven seats out of 39, it could not win any. BJP and PMK, another partner of the NDA alliance, managed to win a seat each. MDMK alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was acting against Tamils and betrayed the people of the state.

3) Union Govt. on 9 December 2014 put out an official list of six radio cab services that have the requisite

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licenses to operate in the national capital Delhi. Which are these six radio cab services? – Easy Cab, Mega Cab, Meru Cab, Chanson Cab, Yo Cab and Air Cab

Explanation: These 6 radio cab services are licensed with the Delhi Transport Department for operating radio taxis in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and apart from these all other radio cab services have been banned. The Delhi government on 8 December banned Uber taxi services, after a 27-year-old MNC executive, who used its mobile app to book a cab on 5 December, was raped allegedly by the driver.

4) Which Southeast Asian country on 8 December 2014 ordered U.S. online taxi booking company Uber to cease operations, on the same day taxi apps were banned in Delhi where an Uber driver is under arrest for suspected rape? –Thailand

Explanation: Thailand‘s Department of Land Transport said drivers picking up fare-paying passengers via Uber‘s app were neither registered nor insured to drive commercial vehicles, and that Uber‘s credit-card payment system did not comply with regulations. Taxi booking apps have irked drivers at traditional taxi firms across the globe. Consumers are increasingly using the smartphone software to find people willing to drive them, rather than booking a cab by phone.

5) Jet Airways joined hands with which international banking entity to launch a

first-of-its-kind airline co-branded corporate card for owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their employees, as announced by Jet on 9 December 2014? – American Express

Explanation: The card is named ‗Jet Airways American Express Corporate Card‘ and will help SMEs and their executives to drive substantial savings on business travel and associated expenses. Any SME with an annual turnover of Rs. 5 crore or more can apply for the card, which allows them to make the most of every business expense they incur on either travel, hotel stays or dining with business associates. It allows SMEs to get accelerated rewards and discounts on purchasing tickets from Jet Airways and also on Taj Group of hotels.

6) The Competition Commission of India (CCI) during December 2014 approved the Sun Pharma-Ranbaxy merger with some conditions. What is the main condition applied for this? – The merged entity will have to divest seven drug formulations in which its combined market share goes up to 95%, resulting in a monopoly

Explanation: Acknowledging that the CCI approval was a step ahead, the companies said these products constitute less than 1% of the combined entity‘s revenues in India. The CCI had received a notice from Sun Pharmaceuticals and Ranbaxy Laboratories for the proposed merger of Ranbaxy with Sun Pharma on 6 May 2014. It then sought opinion from

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the public on this mega-merger which is the largest merger in India‘s corporate history. This $4-billion agreement is the first merger deal where CCI had sought opinion from the public. According to the terms

inked between Ranbaxy and Sun Pharmaceuticals in April 2014, each Ranbaxy shareholder will get 0.8 shares of Sun Pharmaceuticals for every share of Ranbaxy.

December 11, 2014

1) The Lok Sabha on 9 December 2014 passed the Payments and Settlement Systems (Amendment) Bill. What is the main objective of this bill? – To bring India‟s banking payment system in sync with international practices

Explanation: The Bill seeks to improve the payment and settlement systems by increasing transparency and stability of Indian financial market. Amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 was proposed to update the regulations in line with globally accepted standards. The amendment seeks to protect funds collected from the customers by the payment system providers and to

extend the Act to cover trade repository and legal entity identifier issuer. A Legal Entity Identifier is a unique ID associated with a single corporate entity. It was felt that numerous obsolete laws exist in the Indian financial system and they are needed to be rectified.

2) Which Indian bank has become the first in India to have developed its own economic index on lines of HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers‘ Index (PMI) and HSBC India Manufacturing PMI? – State Bank of India (SBI)

Explanation: SBI‘s economic index has been named ‗SBI Composite Index‘ and will be released in January 2015. It will have both monthly and yearly indices. The short-term report, to be released in the first week of every month, will forecast the state of the economy two months down the line. The annual index will make year-on-year forward predictions. This index has gone through eight years of back-testing (2007-2014) and during this

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index accurately predicted economic direction 72% of the time. SBI Composite Index will take into account the credit demand and other indicators of economic activity like consumer spending, mining activity, interest rates, inflation, exchange rate and other thematic indices and service and manufacturing activities.

3) World‘s longest train journey was completed on 9 December 2014 when a train covering record 13,052 km long journey reached Spanish capital Madrid. This train had started its journey from which country? – China

Explanation: The train named ‗Yixinou‘ had started its journey from Chinese city of Yiwu. The train comprised of 40 wagons, carrying 1,400 tons of cargo, consisting of stationary, craft products and products for the Christmas market and it will return to China filled with luxury Spanish produce such as cured ham, olive oil and wine. The marathon journey crossed China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France, before arriving in Spain. The results of this first historic journey which will then be evaluated with the aim of opening a regular two-way rail link between China and Spain, which could commence operations in early 2015. The 13,052 kilometers between Madrid and Yiwu is a greater distance than that between the North and South Pole, although the distance was not covered using the same crew, nor the same engine.

4) 3-day Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) kicked off on 10

December 2014 that features more than 400 online retailers and companies offering deals and discounts to fast-growing online shopping fraternity in India. Who is organising GOSF? – Google

Explanation: GOSF is in its third edition and was initially launched in 2012 by Google to boost the adoption of online shopping in India. GOSF 2014 features numerous exclusive launches including Google‘s Nexus 6 smartphone. Google India has partnered Aditya Birla Money My Universe as a preferred partner for this year‘s event. Last year, GOSF saw tremendous response from consumers in India and the company claimed it attracted 2 million visitors. The company had also claimed that its GOSF 2013 partners (over 200 e-commerce websites) saw daily sales jumping 3 to 4 times.

5) Who was confirmed as the next US Ambassador to India by the US Senate on 9 December 2014 and would thus become the first Indian-American to hold this post? – Richard Rahul Verma

Explanation: Richard Rahul Verma has served as assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs at the State Department in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011. He is currently a senior counsellor at Steptoe & Johnson law firm and the Albright Stonebridge Group, a business advisory company, led by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. He had earlier played an important role in the

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Congressional passage of Civil Nuclear Deal. The very fact that Verma was confirmed by a voice vote in a bitterly divided Senate with more than fifty ambassadorial nominations pending, signify the bi-partisan support to India-US relationship.

6) Which country was rated as the Most Dangerous Country in the World in the Country Threat Index (CTI) released on 9 December 2014 by IntelCenter, a Washington-based company working for intelligence agencies? – Iraq

Explanation: The index were prepared after examining the volume of terrorist and rebel alerts, messaging traffic, videos, photos, incidents and the number of killed and injured in a country over the past 30 days. The other countries in the top 10 are Nigeria (second), Somalia (third) followed by Afghanistan (fourth), Yemen (fifth), Syria (sixth), Libya (seventh), Pakistan (eighth), Egypt (ninth) and Kenya (tenth). There are a total of 45 countries with a CTI greater than zero.

December 12, 2014

1) The United Nations Organisation (UNO) on 11 December 2014 declared which day as World Yoga Day, for which the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the world community three months ago? – 21 June

Explanation: The announcement to declare 21 June as World Yoga Day is being seen as a huge diplomatic win for India. Narendra Modi had asked the UN members to celebrate India‘s Yoga as World Yoga Day during his address to the UN General Assembly during September 2014. Yoga is the 5,000-year-old Indian physical, mental and spiritual practice that aims to transform body and mind.

2) Union Govt. on 10 December 2014 decided to repeal Section 309 from the Indian Penal Code (IPC) claiming support of 18 states and 4 Union Territories. This Section is associated with which subject? – Attempt to

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commit suicide being declared a crime

Explanation: Section 309 of IPC makes the act punishable with jail term of up to one year and fine. The Law Commission in its 210th report on ―Humanization and Decriminalisation of Attempt to Suicide‖ had recommended that Section 309 of IPC needs to be effaced from the statute book. The Commission had said Section 309 needs to be deleted because the provision is inhuman, irrespective of whether it is constitutional or unconstitutional. On 10 December, Union Govt. claimed that 18 states and 4 union territory administrations have supported that Section 309 of the IPC may be deleted.

3) According to the announcement made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 10 December 2014, the Centre has proposed to release how much money to the States towards Central Sales Tax (CST) compensation, as part of consensus building for GST rollout? – Rs. 11,000 crore

Explanation: CST compensation is one sticky issue that has been holding up agreement on introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to replace all indirect taxes. Clearance of CST compensation arrears has been a bone of contention between the Centre and States, as the States still wait for Rs 13,000 crore arrears pending till 2010. CST, a tax imposed on the inter-state movement of goods, was reduced from 4% to 3%

in 2007-08 and further to 2% in 2008-09 after the introduction of Value-Added Tax (VAT). The Centre had then promised the states that it would bear losses due to reduction of CST. The Centre collects CST and distributes it among states. Rs.11,000 crore is one-third of the total CST compensation proposed to be paid to the States.

4) Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced selling 49% stake in its iconic textile brand ‗Vimal‘ to which Chinese textile company? –Shandong Ruyi Science & Technology Group

Explanation: Shandong Ruyi Science & Technology Group is $3 billion Chinese textile major and it is purchasing 49% stake in ‗Vimal‘ for an undisclosed amount. It has its own major worldwide brands such as Harris Tweed and Taylor & Lodge. Selling this stake would be nostalgic for RIL as it was the first business under Reliance group. Reliance founder late Dhirubhai Ambani had established the ‗Vimal‘ manufacturing plant at Naroda in Ahmedabad in 1966. The brand ‗Vimal‘ was named after his elder brother Ramaniklal‘s son. Vimal started as a saree brand and later focused on suiting fabrics in the early-nineties. But it got swamped by competition such as Raymond, Siyaram, S Kumar‘s, Digjam and OCM. These players notched up better brand recall with more ad spending. The stake sale is being done as the focus of RIL shifted to its other businesses with much higher margins

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and the original business with which the group had started, contributed less than 1% to its revenues. The ‗Vimal‘ brand now accounts just $300-350 million of RIL‘s total revenues of around $65 billion.

5) Who was named Time Magazine‘s Person of the Year for 2014 as announced by magazine‘s managing editor Nancy Gibbs on 10 December 2014? – Ebola Fighters

Explanation: While announcing this decision, Time said ―These men and women did the hard and dangerous work in treating patients and protecting the rest of us.‖ The magazine applauded the fighters for demonstrating an ―exceptionally great amount of courage and kindness and bravery.‖ Other finalists this year included Russian President Vladimir Putin, singer Taylor Swift, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Apple CEO Tim Cook and President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq Massoud Barzani. The magazine also considered larger news stories, including the protestors in Ferguson, Missouri, following the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Chosen by the magazine‘s editors each year, Time‘s Person of the Year is an individual or group of individuals who have had the greatest impact on news that year.

6) The Delhi High Court in an interim order on 11 December 2014 banned which Chinese mobile company from importing and selling its mobile phones

in India due to charges of patent infringement? – Xiaomi

Explanation: The High Court granted an ex parte injunction order against Xiaomi for allegedly infringing on Ericsson‘s Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). Flipkart, online e-commerce site, was also restrained from selling Xiaomi through its website. The ex parte injunction against Xiaomi, reported by SpicyIP, stops the Chinese manufacturer from ―selling, advertising, manufacturing or importing devices‖ that infringe upon Ericsson‘s patents. Ericsson has been fighting manufacturers to protect its SEPs in the Indian legal system, including a lawsuit against Micromax last year.

7) What history was created by the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) cricket team in Ranji Trophy on 10 December 2014? – It defeated 40 time Ranji Trophy champion Mumbai at their home

Explanation: J&K team, led by Parveez Rasool, defeated Mumbai in their Group A Ranji Trophy cricket opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by successfully chasing the target of 237 runs. They won the match before lunch with more than a session to spare. This was the first clash between the two teams in 80 years of Ranji Trophy.

8) Virat Kohli, who made a brilliant 115 on 11 December 2014 against Australia in the first Test being played at Adelaide, achieved which feat with

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this Test century? –He became the fourth Indian to smash a hundred in his first Test as captain

Explanation: Virat Kohli is leading India for the first time in a Test match in the absence of Mahendra Singh Kohli. He scored a fighting century on the third day of the Test match against

Australia. He thus became the fourth Indian to smash a hundred in his first Test as captain after Vijay Hazare (164 not vs England at Delhi in 1951-52), Sunil Gavaskar (116 vs New Zealand at Auckland in 1975-76) and Dilip Vengsarkar (102 in the second innings vs West Indies at Delhi in 1987-88).

December 13, 2014

1) Iconic Hindi film ‗Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge‘ completed its 1,000 week at a cinema hall in South Mumbai on 12 December 2014. Which cinema hall is this, which also recorded its name in history books with this feat? – Maratha Mandir

Explanation: Yash Chopra‘s ‗Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge‘, popularly known as DDLJ, was released at Maratha Mandir on 20 October 1995. The film, featuring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles, has been running uninterrupted at this single-theatre cinema hall at its usual playing time slot of 11:30 am for the last 19 years. DDLJ is by far the longest running film

in Indian cinema. Located just opposite the Mumbai Central railway station, offering it an advantageous location, Maratha Mandir is one of the few single screen theatres that have survived the onslaught of the multiplexes. It first caught the limelight when it ran ‗Mughal-e-Azam‘ for eight years at a stretch. However, with DDLJ it caught international attention.

2) What was the consumer price or retail inflation in November 2014 as announced by the govt. on 12 December 2014? – 4.38%

Explanation: 4.38% consumer inflation recorded during November 2014 is a record low and was substantially lower than October‘s 5.52%. A cooling off in food prices accompanied by a sharp drop in global crude oil prices and high base effect contributed to the fall in inflation. But on the other hand the industrial output in October 2014 fell sharply by 4.2%. November‘s inflation data and slowing of factory output in October will be a

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shot in the arm for those who want the RBI to cut rates quickly to stimulate growth. Despite the improvement in inflation, the data suggests a lack of momentum in India‘s recovery from its weakest phase of economic growth since the 1980s.

3) The Lok Sabha on 12 December 2014 passed the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill. What is the objective of this Bill? – It provides for fresh auction of 204 coal blocks de-allocated by the Supreme Court in September 2014

Explanation: The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill also replaces the Ordinance promulgated by the Union Govt. in October 2014 to put in to acquire the land of those 214 coal blocks mines the allocations of which the Supreme Court had quashed. The Bill provides for allocation of coal mines and vesting of the right, title and interest in and over the land and mine infrastructure, together with mining leases, to successful bidders and allottees through a transparent bidding process. It is expected to ensure continuity in coal mining operations and production of coal. The Union Govt. also allayed the apprehensions of some parties that the legislation would lead to privatisation of the sector.

4) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 12 December 2014 senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Minister Madan Mitra in the multi-crore Saradha scam case. The

arrest comes as a major embarrassment to the West Bengal‘s ruling party which had already suffered a battering of its image on account of several of its leaders involved in various Ponzi scams. Madan Mitra is holding which portfolio in West Bengal Govt.? – Transport Minister

Explanation: CBI stated that Madam Mitra was arrested on prima facie evidence of criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation as well as deriving undue financial benefits from the Saradha Scam. Mitra was earlier summoned by the agency on 21 November 2014. However, since he was admitted to a city hospital he sought exemption from appearing before the CBI. His arrest comes three weeks after the CBI arrested Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose in the Saradha scam.

5) Which Crimean leader‘s presence on the occasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s state to India created buzz with the Ukrainian President and some Western leaders flaying his presence? – Sergey Aksyonov

Explanation: Sergey Aksyonov, previously an obscure nationalist politician, was elected leader of Crimea in a closed session of the regional parliament after Russian forces in February 2014 took control of the Crimean peninsula in a bloodless operation. He masterminded a quickfire referendum to join Russia that was recognised by Moscow. Kiev and the West felt that this referendum was rigged. Aksyonov‘s presence in India created a flutter in diplomatic

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circles with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko lashing out at India on 12 December 2014 a day after he was seen in India. Critics argued that his visit enjoyed Russia‘s full diplomatic backing. It is worth mentioning that India does not back Western sanctions against Russia.

6) What is the objective of the Authorisation for Use of Military Force (AUMF) bill, which was passed by a key US Congressional committee on 11 December 2014? –To authorise the use of military force against the dreaded Islamist State (IS) militant group

Explanation: The Authorisation for Use of Military Force (AUMF) bill allows the President to use military force against ISIS for up to three years. AUMF would, however, require a report on the comprehensive strategy for this campaign after 60 days. The US is contemplating using force against IS that has seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.

7) What is the name of the political party founded by Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan which was recently recognized by the Election Commission of India paving the way for its foray into electoral politics? – Janasena Party

Explanation: Janasena Party was announced by Pawan Kalyan earlier

this year. Pawan Kalyan, younger brother of former Union Minister and actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, is a top-ranking hero in the Telugu film industry. He had campaigned extensively in support of the TDP-BJP combine in undivided Andhra Pradesh for the general elections earlier this year. His campaign is believed to be one of the key factors in the success of the TDP-BJP combine in the elections.

8) ―Born Again on the Mountain―, the book released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 December 2014, is a book on the life struggle of which personality? –Arunima Sinha, first female amputee to climb Mt. Everest

Explanation: Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee and first Indian woman amputee to climb Mount Everest. The book describes her struggle to become mountaineer after starting her career as a volleyball player. She was a national level volleyball player who was pushed out of a running train by thieves on 11 April 2011 while resisting them. One of her legs had to be amputated below the knee as a result. But this never deterred her. Two years later, she retrained as a mountaineer and became the first female amputee to scale Mount Everest on 21 May 2013.

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December 14-15, 2014

1) Which country won the 35th Champions Trophy Hockey (Men‘s) by winning the final held on 14 December 2014? – Germany

Explanation: Germany defeated Pakistan in the final by 2-0 to win their tenth Champions Trophy title. This edition of Champions Trophy was held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and eight teams took part in it. Australia has won Men‘s Champions Trophy for the highest 13 times followed by Germany (10 times). Champions Trophy is one of the most prestigious tournaments of men‘s hockey as all the top teams take part in it. It was founded by Pakistan‘s Air Marshal Nur Khan in 1978.

2) What was India‘s position in 35th Champions Trophy Hockey

(Men‘s) that concluded on 14 December 2014? – Fourth

Explanation: Australia defeated India by 2-1 in the classification match held for third and fourth position. India thus once again finished at fourth position, the same position it achieved in 2012 Champions Trophy held in Melbourne (Australia). India‘s best performance in Champions Trophy is third position it got in the 4th edition held at Amstelveen (Netherlands) in 1982. The Netherlands finished at a disappointing fifth place followed by Argentina (sixth), England (seventh) and Belgium (eighth and last place).

3) Negotiators from over 190 countries, including India, on 14 December 2014 adopted a format for national pledges to cut global carbon emissions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP20) held at Lima (Peru). This ended a deadlock between rich and poor countries to agree on a new ambitious and binding deal to be signed in Paris in 2015. The proposed climate control deal is to come into effect from which year? – 2020

Explanation: The deal, dubbed the Lima Call for Climate Action, paves the way for what is envisioned as the historic agreement in environmental history. The draft approved in the deal mentioned only that all pledges would be reviewed a month ahead of

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December 2015 Paris summit to assess their combined effect on climate change. Consistent with India and other developing countries push, a separate paragraph was added regarding differentiation – the principle of categorising countries based on their ability to pay for climate action measures. The last portion was lifted directly from the US-China climate agreement announced in November this year.

4) Which leading financial luminary of the country recently came to news for apparently rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s highly ambitious ‗Make in India‘ and suggesting ‗Make for India‘ strategy instead? – Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor

Explanation: Raghuram Rajan gave stress on ‗Make for India‘ instead of ‗Make in India‘ on the occasion of the Bharat Ram Memorial Seminar on ‗India‘s Growth Trajectory in a Fractured World Economy: Opportunities and Challenges‘, organised by FICCI in Delhi on 12 December 2014. He said that India should focus on domestic demand and create a unified market with a view to reducing transaction costs. His message was clear – what worked for China may not necessarily work for India too. He elaborated that when India pushes manufacturing exports, it will have to compete with China, and an export-led growth will not be as easy as it was for the East-Asian economies. We warned that the strategy of import substitution has been tried and it has not worked

because it ended up reducing domestic competition, making producers inefficient, and increasing costs for consumers.

5) The Supreme Court-backed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money lead by Justice M.B. Shah recently made what important recommendation pertaining to high value purchases? – Quoting of permanent account number (PAN) in addition to submitting an identity proof such as Aadhaar should me made compulsory for purchases over Rs. 1 lakh

Explanation: The SIT recommended that quoting of PAN and Aadhaar should be made mandatory for purchases over Rs. 1 lakh and should cover purchases made by cash as well as cheque. It further recommended that a central ―Know Your Customer‖ (KYC) database be set up which captures details of PAN, passport number or driving licence number, which are often quoted for transactions. Other important SIT recommendation is that the amount of cash in possession should be capped at Rs 10 or 15 lakh and any amount beyond the threshold should be confiscated.

6) Russia has proposed to establish a manufacturing facility in India to produce as well as export which two helicopters during President Vladimir Putin‘s state visit to India? – Mi-17 and KA-226

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Explanation: Mi-17 is a medium lift helicopter (MLH) while KA-226 is light utility helicopter (LUH). The proposed manufacturing facility, to be put up in collaboration with an Indian partner, will also aim at exporting helicopters to other countries. The KA-226 had competed in the Indian military‘s global LUH tender before the Indian Defence Ministry cancelled the process and decided to source the helicopters through the ‗Make in India‘ project. India‘s ambitious ‗Make in India‘ campaign is expected to gain momentum with Russian decision to establish helicopter manufacturing unit in India.

7) The Union Home Ministry recently proposed to add a new category to the list of notified disasters eligible for assistance from national and state disaster relief funds. Which natural disaster is this? – Lightning

Explanation: The Union Home Ministry has moved a proposal to the 14th Finance Commission, suggesting inclusion of lightning in the list of notified disasters eligible for assistance from national and state disaster relief funds. India accounts for an average 400 deaths due to lightening every year. India has unusually high death toll due to lightning every year, mostly during monsoon season. On an average, three people die in Britain each year due to lightning strikes, while in the US, an average 30 people die following these strikes.

8) What is the name of the warship manufactured in India that would soon become the first to be exported by the country? – Coast Guard Ship Barracuda (CGS Barracuda)

Explanation: CGS Barracuda has been designed and built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders. It is currently on its way to be exported to Mauritius for Rs. 350 crore. It would thus become the first warship to be exported by India. The off-shore patrol vessel will be used to police Mauritian waters, spread over 1.9 million square km, against piracy, smuggling, illegal fishing and drug trafficking. It will also provide logistical support, including search and rescue operations. Unlike in the past, India no longer needs to look to foreign manufacturers for warships. All its boats are now being manufactured in Indian shipyards.

9) What is the name of the Indian-origin woman who is poised to become the first woman to head a major British bank, the Santander UK? – Shriti Vadera

Explanation: Shriti Vadera Vadera was a Labour minister in the Cabinet Office, Business Department and International Development Department from 2007 to 2009 and served in the House of Lords. She will join the board of Santander UK as joint deputy chairman in January 2014. She will also join a very exclusive club of just three FTSE 100 firms, listed on the London Stock Exchange with the highest market capitalisation, with women as their chair.

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10) Who was chosen as the new Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) on 13 December 2014? – Dineshwar Sharma

Explanation: Dineshwar Sharma is presently Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau. He will take

charge on 1 January 2014 succeeding Syed Asif Ibrahim. He is a 1979 batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre and will have two-year tenure. Sharma has served at various desks in IB since he was posted in the organisation in 1991 which includes Kashmir, Northeast besides stints in Lucknow.

December 16, 2014

1) What was the name of the lone heavily-armed man of Iranian-origin who held 17 people hostage at a café in Sydney for around17 hours on 15 December 2014 before being killed in the police attack? – Man Haron Monis

Explanation: Man Haron Monis was killed along with 2 hostages in this hostage drama as the police attacked the café in the early hours of 16 December. Monis had held 17 people hostage in the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney‘s commercial district at around 9:45 am on 15 December. He had tried to link himself with the ISIS with two hostages holding a black flag with Arabic script similar to the ISIS. 11 hostages had escaped the café before the police raided it at 2:10 am on 16

December. Monis, who arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1996, notoriously sent letters to the families of Australian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan, accusing them of being murderers. He was a self-styled Muslim cleric and was described as an isolated figure, who was acting alone. Two Indian nationals, Vishwakant Ankit Reddy and Pushpendu Ghosh, were among the hostages involved when Monis began his siege. However both escape unhurt in this hostage drama.

2) Which company was ranked at the top place in the Fortune 500 list of Indian companies for 2014 that was released on 15 December 2014? – Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)

Explanation: The Fortune 500 list ranks companies according to their revenues. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) topped this list with an annual revenue of Rs 5,00,973 crore, while Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd‘s (RIL) full-year revenue is Rs 4,44,021 crore. Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) was

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placed at the third spot with a revenue of Rs 2,67,718 crore. Hindustan Petroleum‘s (HPCL) Rs 2,36,797 crore revenue earned the fourth place for the company. Others in the top 10 list include Tata Motors (5th in the ranking, with a revenue of Rs 2,36,502 crore. State Bank of India (Rs 2,26,944 crore), ONGC (Rs 1,82,084 crore), Tata Steel (Rs 1,49,663 crore), Essar Oil (Rs 99,473 crore) and Hindalco Industries (Rs 89,175 crore). This year‘s list, compiled by global business magazine Fortune‘s Indian edition, said there has been a 9.5% annual growth in total revenues, while in terms of profit it is 4.5%.

3) Wholesale price inflation (WPI) in India hit the zero level in November 2014 as stated in data released by the Union Govt. on 15 December 2014. This was mainly on account of a decline in prices of food, fuel and manufactured items. When WPI was lower than this level? – July 2009

Explanation: This is probably the first time when WPI inflation has hit the exact zero level. In July 2009, the WPI-based inflation was (-) 0.3% (negative 0.3%). The inflation rate thus recorded during November 2014 was the lowest in about five-and-a-half years. The WPI-based inflation was at 1.77% in October 2014 and 7.52% in November 2013.

4) Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group on 15 December 2014 announced selling its multiplex business to South India based Carnival Group. What is the

name of cinema chains owned by Reliance Group‘s Reliance MediaWorks which would be sold under this deal? – BIG Cinemas

Explanation: The deal will make Carnival the third largest multiplex operator with nationwide presence and over 300 screens. The transaction will reduce Reliance Capital‘s overall debt by Rs. 700 crore and is part of Reliance Capital‘s strategy to exit minority investments. Reliance Capital had recently announced its plans to focus on core business and is in the process of encashing its minority investments. Reliance Capital is the parent firm of Reliance MediaWorks, which operates one of the largest cinema chains, under the brand ‗BIG Cinemas‘ with over 250 screens pan-India.

5) Which Indian politician was recently appointed as a member of United Nations Environment Programme‘s (UNEP‘s) advisory board? – Jairam Ramesh

Explanation: Ramesh recently accepted the offer to serve as a member of the International Advisory Board (IAB) which gives strategic policy advice to the Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the programmatic direction of International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC). The IETC, based in Osaka, Japan, was established with the mandate of providing support to developing countries in transition with environmentally-sound technologies. In the short and medium term, IETC is

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focusing on support for waste management.

6) 22-year old Rolene Strauss was adjudged the Miss World 2014 at the Miss World beauty pageant held in London on 14 December 2014. Rolene Strauss is from which country? – South Africa

Explanation: Hungary‘s Edina Kulcsŕr came second and Elizabeth Safrit, representing the United States, came third. This year‘s Miss World beauty pageant was the 64th edition of Miss World but it was marred by tragedy after a Honduran beauty queen was found shot dead in a suspected crime of passion days before she was due to take part.

7) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s coalition cruised to a big win in the parliamentary elections held in the country on 14 December 2014. The win ensured that he will stick to reflationary economic policies and a muscular security stance. What is the name of Abe‘s party which is leading the ruling coalition in Japan? –Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

Explanation: Liberal Democratic Party is leading Japan with its junior partner the Komeito party. The coalition was assured more than the 317 seats in the 475-member lower house required to maintain a two-thirds majority that smoothes parliamentary business. However, the final turnout of 52.4% was below 59.3% in a 2012 poll that returned Abe to power for a rare second term on pledges to reboot an

economy plagued by deflation. Abe had called for this snap poll in November 2014.

8) Which northeastern state signed agreement with a Russian power company for collaborating in hydropower projects in the state on the sidelines of Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s visit to India during December 2014? – Arunachal Pradesh

Explanation: Arunachal Pradesh Govt. signed agreement with RusHydro International, a company partly owned by the Russian government. This was done mainly to explore collaboration prospects in creating manpower for the several hydro-electric projects coming up in the state. Arunachal also wants the Russian company to design hydro-electric projects in the state. RusHydro International is one of Russia‘s largest power generating companies with 38.2 GW installed electricity generation capacity distributed over 70 renewable energy source facilities across the country. The company had earlier designed Tehri dam, said to be one of the safest dams in the world.

9) Who was named as Australia‘s captain for the second cricket Test against India, replacing an injury-ravaged Michael Clarke, and thus became country‘s 45th Test captain? – Steve Smith

Explanation: 25-year old Steve Smith is an all-rounder and he was appointed vice-captain of the Australian Test

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team by Cricket Australia (CA) and will thus lead the Australian side in the absence of Michael Clarke. Current vice-captain Brad Haddin, who led the Australian side on the final day of the Adelaide Test, will serve as Smith‘s deputy in Brisbane. He will thus become Australia‘s 45th Test captain and at the age of 25 will also be one of country‘s youngest captains.

10) Which company was ranked first in the ‗2015 50 Best Places to Work‘ list released during December 2014 by Glassdoor, a US-based website that provides insider ratings and information from employees about the companies they work for? – Google

Explanation: Extra attention to ensuring a balance between work and family responsibilities for its

employees nudged Google to the No.1 spot this year. At No.2 is Bain & Company, an American global management consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and at third spot is Nestle Purina PetCare, a St. Louis, Missouri-based subsidiary of Nestle that produces and markets pet food, treats and litter. Micro-blogging site Twitter, which was placed second last year, has fallen off the grid and is out from the list. Social networking site Facebook has slipped to 13th position from fifth last year while business-oriented social networking service LinkedIn has dropped from third position to the 23rd spot. This list includes companies of the United States and Britain.

December 17, 2014

1) In an important development, a major deadlock between the Centre and the States was broken on the issue of Goods and Services Tax

(GST) on 15 December 2014 paving the way for the GST Bill to be introduced in the current session of Parliament. To break the deadlock, the Centre agreed to which major demand of the States? – To keep petroleum out of the GST regime

Explanation: While on its part, the Centre agreed to the demand of the States to keep petroleum out of the GST regime, the States on their part agreed to entry tax being subsumed in the new tax regime which is proposed

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to be introduced from April 2016. Compromise was reached after an over hour-long meeting between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and finance ministers of seven states – Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Jammu and Kashmir. Concerns of other states have already been addressed. It was agreed that petroleum goods would be kept out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill for initial few years and a decision to include in the new tax regime would be taken later. States, which earn over 50% of their revenue from taxes on petrol and other petro products, wanted it to be out of GST so they could continue with levying different tax rates on these products.

2) Which terrorist organisation of Pakistan carried out a horrendous attack on a school in Peshawar on 16 December 2014 killing more than 130 people including a very large number of school children? – Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

Explanation: The gunmen of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (which is also known as Taliban Pakistan), carried out one of the most ghastly attacks in recent times by storming the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on 16 December. The attack began in the morning hours, with the gunmen entering the school, a military-run facility with students in grades 1-10 and shooting randomly. Pak Army commandos quickly arrived at the scene and exchanged fire with the gunmen. Later TTP spokesman Mohammed

Khurasani claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to media, saying that six suicide bombers had carried out the attack in revenge for the killings of Taliban members at the hands of Pakistani authorities. 3 day of national mourning was declared by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later. Whole international community condemned this attack.

3) The 14th Finance Commission submitted its report to the President on 15 December 2014. The commission headed by former RBI Governor Y.V.Reddy has been constituted for which period for which it submitted its report? – 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2020

Explanation: The 14th Finance Commission was constituted by the President on 2 January 2013 and was to give its report by October 31 this year. But its tenure was extended till 31 December. In this report the commission gave its views on the devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the states between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2020. The Commission had sought two more months to examine financial projections and carry out consultations with the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments. It was also asked to look into the issue of Goods and Services Tax (GST). The commission‘s terms of reference also included the pricing of public utilities such as electricity and water in an independent manner and the sale of non-priority public-sector units.

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4) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar flagged off the first nuclear-powered submarine manufactured indigenously in India for its sea trials from Vishakhapatnam on 15 December 2014. What is the name of this submarine? – INS Arihant

Explanation: INS Arihant is a 6000-tonne vessel and has 83 Megawatt Indian designed and built pressurised water reactor. All systems on board will be tested during this sea trial. If all trials go as planned, the submarine can be inducted within the next two years. It is worth mentioning that India presently operates another nuclear submarine, the INS Chakra, a nuclear attack submarine of the Akula-2. But it was manufactured in Russia.

5) Whose appointment as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States was confirmed by the Senate on 15 December 2014 and he would thus become the first person of Indian origin to hold this prestigious post? – Vivek H. Murthy

Explanation: Vivek H. Murthy‘s appointment was confirmed by the upper house of US Congress by 51 votes to 43. This confirmation came more than a year after President Barack Obama had nominated him to this top administration post on public health issues in November 2013. 37-year old Murthy would also become the youngest person to hold this post. He was born to parents who are originally from South India. He came to the United States when he was three years old and grew up in Miami, Florida. Murthy is a Hospitalist

Attending Physician and Instructor in Medicine at Brigham and Women‘s Hospital at Harvard Medical School, a position he has held since 2006.

6) Vistara, the airline joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, on 15 December 2014 received the Air Operator Permit (AOP) from aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation or DGCA. With this Vistara would become the ……………full service air carrier in India when it starts its operations – Third

Explanation: Vistara would become India‘s third full service carrier after state-run Air India and Jet Airways. Tata Sons holds a 51% stake in Vistara while the remaining 49% is with Singapore Airlines. Headquartered in New Delhi, Vistara will begin operations with its fleet of Airbus A 320-200 aircraft and will soon make an announcement on the start of sales, routes and schedules.

7) Indian Railways has identified eight stations where reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water units will be put up on experimental basis very soon. Which 8 railway stations are these? – Bhopal, Dwarka, Gadag, Guwahati, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Madurai, Patna and Tirupati

Explanation: Railways have identified the provision of RO water units at these 8 railway stations. As per guidelines, maximum retail price per bottle of package drinking water other than Rail Neer of 1000 ml is Rs. 15

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only. The RO process involves substantial wastage of water depending upon its quality and will require uninterrupted power supply.

8) Which website was the most searched one on Google in India during 2014 as revealed in the data released by the search engine on 16 December 2014? – IRCTC(The official website of Indian Railways for reservations)

Explanation: According to statistics released by Google, the most trending

topic of 2014 in India was Election 2014, followed by FIFA 2014, iPhone 6, GATE 2015 and Narendra Modi. E-commerce website Flipkart, PSU lender SBI Online, e-tailer Snapdeal and PNR status were other most searched words. Bollywood actress Sunny Leone was the most searched person in 2014 pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the second spot. Low-cost mid-end smartphone MotoG tops the most searched Tech devices, followed by Apple iPhone 6.

December 18, 2014

1) What important decision pertaining to curtailing terrorism in the country was taken by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 17 December 2014 a day after his country was at the receiving end of the deadliest terror attack in its history that saw over 130 children being killed? – The moratorium on capital punishment was lifted for terrorists

Explanation: Nawaz Sharif announced lifting up of the moratorium on capital punishment and approval for the implementation of death penalty to any and all of captives who have been involved in terrorism or militancy. The announcement was made in an all party meet held in the Governor House that was led by the PM Nawaz Sharif and attended by all parties like PML-N, PTI, PPP, ANP, MQM and also Jamaat-e-Islami. 3 day national mourning is being observed in the country after Taliban militants killed over 130 people nearly all of them children, at a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

2) Which prominent country‘s currency came under tremendous crisis on 16 December 2014 as the price collapsed

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almost 11% against US dollar on this day? –Russian Ruble

Explanation: Russian currency Ruble (also called Rouble) hit record low on 16 December due to numerous reasons – low oil prices, looming recession and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. It lost almost 11% of its value against the US dollar on this single day, which was its steepest one-day fall since the Russian financial crisis of 1998. It has fallen 20% since the start of the week and more than 50% this year. The price however stabilized to some extent on 17 December. For the Russian economy, the currency crisis means a deeper recession is more likely next year as high interest rates will crimp growth. For businesses, it means more uncertainty and less access to funding. For the Russian central bank, it means a credibility crisis. It is also expected to shake President Vladimir Putin‘s grip over power.

3) The Lok Sabha on 17 December 2014 passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2014 through a voice vote. This bill has proposed how many amendments to the existing company law enacted in 2013? – Thirteen

Explanation: While some amendments were intended at improving the ease of business, some were focused on addressing the drafting errors. There were also amendments being introduced to tackle the ―oversight‖ issues and those

provisions seen to be ―oppressive‖ for doing business.

4) Flight operations of cash-strapped SpiceJet were grounded on 17 December due to which reason? – Non-supply of jet fuel by oil marketing companies

Explanation: Not a single flight of SpiceJet could take-off in the morning of 17 December 2014 as PSU oil supply companies did not supplied fuel to airline‘s planes. However, some flights took-off in the evening as oil companies resumed supply. Earlier on 16 December the airline had won a crucial reprieve from clamouring creditors after the government asked airport operators and fuel suppliers to give the carrier more time to pay its bills. The Civil Aviation Ministry had also said that airport operators would be asked to give the airline 15 days to make payments, while state oil companies would be ask to give credit for up to 15 days. SpiceJet, which has been in the red since last year, has already cut the size of its fleet by a third since September 2014 and cancelled more than 70 flights a day for the rest of this year.

5) What punishment was given to Indian woman boxer Sarita Devi by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) on 17 December 2014 for refusing to accept Asian Games bronze medal during Asian Games 2014 held in South Korea? – Ban of one year

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Explanation: The AIBA also handed down a two-year ban on India‘s foreign coach B.I. Fernandez (Cuba), while clearing national coach G.S. Sandhu. Sarita Devi lost in the semifinals of the women‘s lightweight competition at Incheon, and had tried to give her medal to her opponent at the presentation ceremony.

6) Former Supreme Court judge KS Radhakrishnan was given PETA India‘s People of the Year award by animal rights organisation PETA as announced on 17 December 2014. Why this award was conferred on him? – KS Radhakrishnan headed the bench which had imposed a ban on Jallikattu bull races

Explanation: Justice Radhakrishnan headed a bench that passed a landmark judgement in favour of PETA India and the Animal Welfare Board of India, clarifying that bulls must not be used in jallikattu, bull races, bullfights or any other type of performance and called for animals to be respected in many other ways. Jallikattu is the traditional bull-fighting festival held in Tamil Nadu during Pongal festivities. PETA on 17 December named Justice (retd) Radhakrishnan as ‗Man of the Year‘ and actress Jacqueline Fernandez as ‗Woman of the Year‘. In 2013, Fernandez took to Twitter to call for the release of a formerly abused

elephant Sunder, who was finally moved from his life of misery to a forested park where he has room to roam and the companionship of other elephants.

7) According to the latest report released by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on 17 December 2014, which country has the best work-life balance in the World? – Denmark

Explanation: According to this OECD report, 2% of employees work very long hours in Denmark, much less than the OECD average of 9%. An important aspect of work-life balance is the amount of time a person spends at work. The two main indicators used to determine work-life balance were ‗time devoted the leisure and personal care‘ and ‗employees working very long hours‘. In Denmark, full-time workers devote 16.1 hours, or 67%, of their day on average to personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure (socialising with friends and family, hobbies, games, computer and television use, etc.) – more than the OECD average of 15 hours. According to the report, Turkey has the worst work-life balance, according to the study. In Turkey 43% of the employees work very long hours. India is not among the 34 member countries of OECD.

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December 19, 2014

1) What is the name of the heaviest next generation rocket launched by ISRO on 18 December 2014 that marked first step towards India‘s manned missions? –Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mark-III)

Explanation: The 630-tonne GSLV Mark-III and standing 43.43-metre tall is the heaviest rocket launched till date by ISRO. The launch was done from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (AP). With successful launch of this rocket ISRO is now hoping this will become the main stay rocket in the future, which later will be suitably equipped for ferrying Indian astronauts into space. Once ISRO

masters this rocket, there may not be any need for India to send its heavy-duty communications satellites to space using expensive foreign launchers. It can also hope to make a dent in the multimillion-dollar commercial launch market of the world. The mission cost Rs. 155 crore and its main purpose was to test the rocket‘s atmospheric flight stability with around four tonne luggage. The second objective was to study the re-entry characteristics of the crew module – called Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment – its aero braking and validation of its end-to-end parachute system.

2) In a historic development United States and Cuba on 17 December 2014 agreed to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago. President Barack Obama called for an end to the long economic embargo against its old Cold War enemy. Which US hostage was released by Cuba on 17 December, which made this development possible? – Alan Gross

Explanation: 65-year old Alan Gross, a U.S. international development professional, had been imprisoned in Cuba for five years. He was prosecuted in 2011 after being accused of crimes against the Cuban state for bringing satellite phones and computer equipment. He was released by Cuba on 17 December 2014. His

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case had been a major obstacle to improving relations. After 18 months of secret talks, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in a phone call on 16 December on a breakthrough prisoner exchange, the opening of embassies in each other‘s countries, and an easing of some restrictions on commerce. The two leaders made the announcement in simultaneous televised speeches. Cuba and the United States have been ideological foes since soon after the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 as it steered a leftist course that turned it into a close ally of the former Soviet Union.

3) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 December 2014 imposed fines on state-run Bank of Baroda (BOB) and ICICI Bank – the largest private bank in India. What was the charge on these two banks? – Violation of KYC and anti-money laundering norms

Explanation: RBI imposed fines worth Rs.50 lakh and Rs.25 lakh on ICICI Bank and Bank of Baroda, respectively, for violations of its instructions on know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering norms. Three other banks including State Bank of India, Axis Bank and State Bank of Patiala, were cautioned to put in place appropriate measures and review them from time to time to ensure strict compliance of KYC requirements in future. This RBI action came after it received a complaint in this regard. It cautioned these banks to

put in place appropriate measures and review them from time to time to ensure strict compliance of KYC requirements in future. The fraudsters had managed to open fictitious accounts in the name of the statutory organisation in the above five banks and operated the accounts mainly for encashing cheques/demand drafts/postal orders of which they were not the rightful owners, for periods ranging from one month to two years, without being detected by the banks.

4) What is the name of the top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander accused of plotting the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai in 2008, who was granted bail in the same case on 18 December 2014 by Pakistan‘s Anti-Terrorism Court? – Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi

Explanation: Lakhvi, who was the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba, was one of the key planners of the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. The court observed that the prosecution has been unable to provide evidence against him. He and six others had applied for the bail on 17 December. Granting of bail to Lakhvi came as a big shock to India, especially just a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had pledged to root out terrorism from his country. It is worth mentioning that the seven accused – Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are facing trial at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

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5) Which West Indian cricketer hit six sixes in an over on 16 December 2014 during a trial match for Australia‘ s Big Bash season? – Kieron Pollard

Explanation: Kieron Pollard smashed six sixes in an over in a trial game for the Big Bash team Adelaide Strikers.

He thus joined the elite league of 5 players – Sir Garfield Sobers (1968), Ravi J. Shastri (1985), Herschelle Gibbs (2007), Yuvraj Singh (2007) and Jordan Clark (2013) to achieve this feat. Big Bash season started from 18 December.

December 20-21, 2014

1) Which team won the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) which concluded on 20 December 2014? –Atletico de Kolkata

Explanation: Atletico de Kolkata defeated Kerala Blasters by 1-0 in the final of the inaugural edition of ISL played at Mumbai‘s D.Y. Patil Stadium on 20 December. The solitary goal for Kolkata was scored by substitute Mohammad Rafique in the 94th minute, a minute before the second half injury time was slated to end. The final was billed as a clash between cricketing heroes Sachin Tendulkar – co-owner of the Kerala side – and Atletico De

Kolkata part-owner Sourav Ganguly. ISL is India‘s first real professional football league featuring some top international names. In its inaugural edition, which started on 12 October 2014, eight teams took part – Atlético de Kolkata (Kolkata), Chennaiyin (Chennai), Delhi Dynamos (Delhi), FC Goa (Goa), Kerala Blasters (Kerala), Mumbai City (Mumbai), NorthEast United (Guwahati) and Pune City (Pune). ISL is owned by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and International Management Group (IMG).

2) In an important development on 19 December 2014 Indian scientists claimed achieving self-reliance in development of which armament after successfully testing it? – Glide Bomb

Explanation: Glide Bomb relies on small control surfaces which direct the weapon towards a target as it progressively loses altitude after being released from an aircraft. Unlike missiles, glide bombs have no

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onboard motor and are therefore far cheaper to build and maintain than missiles. On 19 December 2014 India tested a one ton indigenously-developed glide bomb in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha which successfully hit a target 100 kms away. The bomb was dropped by an Indian Air Force aircraft. It was developed by multiple centres linked to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

3) The Mid-Year Economic Review for fiscal year 2014-15 was tabled in the Lok Sabha on 19 December 2014. According to this review the Indian economy is expected to record what growth rate during the year? – 5.5%

Explanation: The Mid-Year Economic Review (2014-15) was prepared by Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry. In the review it was stated that adhering to the fiscal deficit target of 4.1% of GDP is a major challenge for the government. The Finance Ministry is now betting big on a pick-up in economic activity in the second half of the year.

4) India on 20 December 2014 exported its first warship – CGS Barracuda to Mauritius. Which ship-building company of the country has built this warship? – Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE)

Explanation: Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) is a public sector

undertaking (PSU) and has so far made 92 warships for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Coast Guard Ship Barracuda (CGS Barracuda) is an offshore patrol vessel measuring measures 74.10 m in length. It is capable of moving at a maximum speed of 22 knots with an approximate displacement of 1350 tonnes. The handing over ceremony of the warship was attended by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh.

5) The RBI Deputy Governor H R Khan on 19 December 2014 stated that RBI will come out with norms on easing the two-factor authentication requirement for small value transactions in a couple of months. What is the limit for small value transactions as proposed by the RBI for same? – Rs. 3,000

Explanation: RBI is looking at removing the two-factor authentication requirement for small value transactions up to Rs. 3,000 to facilitate easy transactions especially in the wake of e-commerce transactions gaining traction.

6) E-commerce major Flipkart on 20 December 2014 filed application to become a public company. Flipkart is being based operated through which country from where it is now being incorporated as a public company? – Singapore

Explanation: Flipkart announced filing application with Singapore based companies‘ regulator ACRA to become a public company after raising

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$700 million for long term strategic investments in India. Following this latest investment round its number of investors exceeded 50 and public incorporation is a mandatory procedure for all companies where the number of shareholders exceeds 50. Flipkart was founded in 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. Legally, Flipkart is a Banglore based company but majority of its shareholders and investors are foreigners. It is presently India‘s largest e-retail company and is valued over $10 billion.

7) The name of the co-founder of SpiceJet came to news for leading a $240 million rescue effort to pull the

airline from the brink of collapse. Who is he? – Ajay Singh

Explanation: Ajay Singh was one of the co-founders of SpiceJet and he had helped set up the airline in 2005. SpiceJet is presently India‘s second-largest budget airline but it has been struggling for months. When Kalanithi Maran bought 58.4% stake in SpiceJet in 2010, it was the most profitable airline in the Indian skies. But a series of bad decisions including replacing professionals with family and friends to run the airline have put the carrier in deep trouble. Ajay Singh owns roughly 5% of SpiceJet and is leading talks with private equity firms and the government to hammer out the deal to rescue it.

December 22, 2014

1) A latest report on the status of health insurance in India prepared by the Insurance Regulatory and

Development Authority (IRDA) was tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during December 2014. According to this report what percentage of Indian population has been covered under health insurance? – Around 17%

Explanation: This IRDA report stated that Only 21.62 crore people, or around 17% of the total population, were covered by health insurance at the end of March 2014. It is worth mentioning that the figure of health insurance quoted in this IRDA report is far fewer than the estimates given by a World Bank report of 2012. The World

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Bank report of 2012 titled ―Government-Sponsored Health Insurance in India: Are You Covered?‖ estimated that over 30 crore people, or more than 25% of the population, gained access to some form of health insurance by 2010, up from 5.5 crore during 2003-04. More than 18 crore of them were people below the poverty line. World Bank report found that from 2007 to 2012, government-sponsored schemes contributed to a significant increase in the population covered by health insurance, at a pace possibly unseen elsewhere in the world.

2) The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released the findings from its 70thSituation of Agricultural Households in India on 20 December 2014. This is the most extensive survey of farm households to date conducted by NSSO. What are the most important conclusions of this survey?

- Around 90% of India‟s farmers have less than two hectares of land

- One in three farm households has less than 0.4 hectares of land and less than 0.5% are large farmers, having over 10 hectares of land

- The average farm household makes less than Rs. 6,500 a month from all sources of income

- Over half of all agricultural households are in debt and 42% of them owe money to banks and 26% owe moneylenders

- Over 40% of agricultural households have Mahatma Gandhi

National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) job cards

- Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) farm households were over-represented among the poorest classes with the smallest land holdings

- Large farmers were almost exclusively OBC or forward caste

- Wheat is the most commonly grown crop in the first half of the year

- Paddy growing dominates the second half

- Sugarcane is the most profitable crop, giving its cultivator an average of over Rs 80,000 per season

- Private traders dominate the procurement space, and few farmers have enough information about Minimum Support Prices or report getting the MSP for their produce

3) Which river in Bangladesh was the site of a huge oil spill in December 2014 that is now threatening a huge ecological disaster in the ecologically sensitive Sunderbans area? – Sela River

Explanation: An oil tanker named OT Southern Star 7 had spilled nearly 350 tonnes of oil into the Sela River with an empty cargo vessel on 12 December 2014. The collision sent Indian official agencies, including the West Bengal forest department,

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Border Security Force (BSF) and the Coast Guard, into a tizzy on speculation that the spillage might cross over to the Indian side of the forest. The Sunderbans is one of the 32 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India, known for its cultural and natural importance. The forest is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, Olive Ridley turtle, Ganges dolphin and several migratory birds from Siberia, apart from rare species of crocodiles.

4) During December 2014 Union Govt. decided to set up Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) as an independent public sector company. What is the main operation of POSOCO? – It operates the National Load Despatch Centre and the Regional Load Despatch Centre which are responsible for operating the electricity market in the country

Explanation: POSOCO is also the nodal agency for major reforms in the power sector such as Renewable Energy Certificate mechanism, transmission pricing, short term open access in transmission, deviation settlement mechanism and the power system development fund (PSDF). It will now become a wholly owned Government of India company under the Power Ministry.

5) Who was appointed as the new Director of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India‘s external intelligence agency during December 2014? – Rajinder Khanna

Explanation: Khanna is from the 1978 IPS batch and of the Odisha cadre and

has held several operational roles. He is known as a counter-terror expert in the intelligence circle. He was to retire on 29 December 2014, but will now get a two-year fixed tenure to head the RAW.

6) Who was appointed as the new Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by the Union Govt. on 20 December 2014? – Prakash Mishra

Explanation: Prakash Mishra was the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry till now. He is senior 1977-batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre and has served as Director-General of the Odisha Police and in the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

7) Who won the Golden Boot award for scoring the highest number of goals in the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) that concluded on 20 December 2014? – Elano Blumer (Chennaiyin FC)

Explanation: Brazilian striker Elano scored eight goals in 11 matches, apart from one assist and thus grabbed the Golden Boot award. In goal scoring he is followed by FC Goa‘s Mirosalv Slepicka (five goals/ four assists, 10 games), Kerala Blasters‘ Iain Hume (five/ three, 16), Delhi Dynamos‘ Gustavo Santos (five/ two, 15) and ATK‘s Fikru Lemessa (five/ two, 11). The Golden Glove Award for best goalkeeper was awarded to FC Goa‘s goalkeeper Jan Seda who topped with 40 saves/

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seven clean sheets in 14 matches for his team.

December 23, 2014

1) Who was declared winner in Tunisia‘s first free presidential election held on 21 December the results for which were declared on 22 December 2014? – Beji Caid Essebsi

Explanation: Beji Caid Essebsi is a veteran of Tunisia‘s political establishment and he won over 55% of votes in the presidential elections held on 21 December. He defeated former human rights activist and incumbent Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki. Marzouki has been an interim president for the transitional period since he was voted into the post by the constituent assembly in December 2011. This election was Tunisia‘s first free presidential election since independence from France in 1956. It is worth mentioning that 88-year old Caid Essebsi was persuaded out of retirement following the people‘s revolution that overthrew the regime of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011 This revolution is known as

‗Jasmine Revolution‘ and began the so-called Arab Spring.

2) The 2013 data for the Sample Registration Survey (SRS), conducted by the Registrar General of India (RGI), was released on 22 December 2014. The most important population trend revealed in SRS was that fertility rate is falling faster than expected in India. In how many states the Total Fertility Rate has fallen below two children per woman? – Eight

Explanation: Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children that will be born to a woman during her lifetime. It was revealed that this rate has fallen below 2 in eight states – Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. SRS also revealed that India‘s overall TFR stood at 2.3 and is now just 0.2 points away from reaching replacement levels. Replacement level is the level below which populations begin to decline and it is 2.1 for the country. Demographic experts believe that India will achieve its demographic transition and reach replacement levels as early as 2020 or 2022.

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3) The Advisory Group for Integrated Development of Power, Coal and Renewable Energy set up by the union govt. during June 2014 submitted its report during December 2014. The group has primarily recommended urgent action on providing coal linkages to power plants likely to be commissioned by March 2015. Who headed this group? – Suresh Prabhu (present Rail Minister)

Explanation: This Advisory Group was set up by the Government on 25 June 2014. Its report was tabled in the Lok Sabha during December 2014. On the power sector, the Advisory Group‘s recommendations include urgent reforms in the distribution sector, phasing out old thermal power plants which are inefficient and consume more fuel. It also suggested that opening up of the coal sector may be necessary for enhancing the domestic production. For renewable energy, the Group suggested that large scale capacity will be required to balance the power sector profile of the country.

4) Indian Navy achieved a huge milestone in the field of naval aviation when the first prototype (NP1) of Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) made its first successful flight from ski-jump facility on 20 December 2014. This historic flight was conducted at which shore-based test facility of the Indian Navy? – INS Hansa in Goa

Explanation: The Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is the first indigenously designed and the 4th plus generation

combat aircraft. It has been designed to operate from the decks of air-craft carriers. Its first prototype was successfully tested at INS Hansa (Goa) on 20 December. The Naval version of LCA is designed with stronger landing gears to absorb forces exerted by the ski jump ramp during take-off, to be airborne within 200m as against 1000m required for normal runways. This prototype was piloted by Commodore Jaideep Maolankar, the Chief Test Pilot of National Flight Test Centre. The Shore Based Test Facility at INS Hansa has been created to replicate the aircraft carrier with a ski jump for take-off and arresting gear cable for arrested landing by Aeronautical Development Agency with the participation of the Indian Navy, Goa shipyard and Indian Navy with Russian agencies providing the design support and specialised equipment.

5) Indian Railways is in the process of forming special purpose vehicles (SPVs) with state governments to undertake railway development in states. Under this initiative the railways has formed SPV with the Odisha Govt. some time back. By forming SPVs with the states, what Indian Railways expect from them? – To bear part of the funding for development of railway infrastructure in these states

Explanation: Indian Railways wants states to form special purpose vehicles (SPVs) which would take care of bearing the costs incurred to developed railway infrastructure in the

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states. SPVs would be able to raise funds through their respective mechanisms and with support from the Ministry of Railways.

6) Which Indian golfer won the inaugural Dubai Open title on 21 December 2014? –Arjun Atwal

Explanation: Ace golfer Arjun Atwal ended his four-year title drought as he won the inaugural edition of US$500,000 Dubai Open at the Els Club in Dubai. He held on to his nerves to push 19-year-old Korean Wang Jeung-hun to second place. Atwal won his first and only title on the PGA Tour in 2010, and his last success on the Asian Tour came in 2008.

7) Rupert Murdoch-led News-Corp acquired which Indian financial education website as announced on 21 December 2014? – BigDecisions.com

Explanation: BigDecisions.com is a Mumbai-based financial education website. It was founded by former Citi banker and IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus Manish Shah in 2013 by tying up with a former-Arthur Andersen and KPMG consultant-turned-techie-turned-insurance professional Gaurav Roy. It is worth mentioning that News-Corp had picked up a strategic stake in PropTiger.com, a leading residential real estate platform, another Indian website just a month ago.

December 24, 2014

1) Which party emerged as the largest party in Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections of 2014, results for which were declared on 23 December 2014?

– Jammu & Kashmir People‟s Democratic Party (JKPDP)

Explanation: JKPDP won 28 out of total 87 assembly seats that went to polls. It was closely followed by the BJP which won 25 seats. Ruling National Conference (NC) was at third place with 15 seats while Congress was able to save itself from being decimated by winning 12 seats. JKPDP was formed in 1998 by former Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. It had captured power in the state in 2002 assembly elections. BJP was the biggest gainer

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in these elections as it was able to significantly increase its tally from just 1 seat in 2002 and 11 seats in 2008 to 25 seats now. However, it was clear that any govt. in state would be formed only by a coalition.

Party Name (No. of Seats out of 87)

Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party ( 28 )

Bharatiya Janata Party ( 25 )

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference ( 15 )

Indian National Congres ( 12 )

Jammu & Kashmir People Conference ( 2 )

Independents and others ( 5 )

2) Jharkhand got first stable government since it was formed in 2000 when the results for state‘s Assembly Elections were declared on 23 December 2014. BJP-led coalition was able to win 42 seats out of total 81 seats in Jharkhand Assembly. BJP won 37 seats on its own while its coalition partner was able to win 5 seats. What is the name of BJP‘s coalition partner? – All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU)

Explanation: AJSU was formed in 1986 and was modelled after All Assam Student‘s Union (AASU) of Prafulla Mahanta. It is led by Sudesh Mahto. Party won 5 seats despite Sudesh Mahto losing from his Silli seat which he represented for around 15 years. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won 19 seats and its partner in government Congress won 6 seats. While BJP numbers more than doubled from 18 in 2009 to 37

this election, JMM‘s numbers improved by one from 18 to 19 despite the loss of government. Chief Minister Hemant Soren won from Barhait by a good margin of 24,087 votes while lost in Dumka by a 5,262 votes. Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) of former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi won 8 seats. Jharkhand has seen a long series of unstable politics since it was formed 14 years ago in 2000. It has seen nine governments and three stints of President‘s rule in these 14 years.

Party Name (No. of Seats out of 81)

Bharatiya Janata party ( 37 )

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ( 19 )

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) ( 8 )

Indian National Congress ( 6 )

All Jharkhand Students Union ( 5 )

Bahujan Samaj Party ( 1 )

Others ( 5 )

3) Veteran director and filmmaker K. Balachander passed away on 23 December 2014 at private hospital in Chennai. He was 84. In which year he was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition for excellence in cinema in the country? – 2010

Explanation: K. Balachander was an institution in himself and was revered for being a talent-spotter both among artistes and technicians. Apart from directing over 150 films he was known for nurturing innumerable talents in film industry. The two greatest talents he has nurtured are Kamal Hassan

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and Rajinikanth. Balachander‘s most prolific years were in the three decades from 1960s to the 1980s. Among Balachander‘s best-known films are ‗Aval Ora Thodar Kathai’, ‗Apoorva Raagangal’, ‗Avargal’, ‗Varumayin Niram Sigappu’ and ‗47 Natkal‘. He also directed Bollywood hit ‗Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ starring Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri.

4) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23 December extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations including Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000. What is the new deadline? – 30 June 2015

Explanation: Earlier in March 2014 the RBI had set 1 January 2015 as the deadline to exchange pre-2005 currency notes. Thus it extended this deadline by 6 months. RBI also clarified that all such notes will continue to remain a legal tender. These notes can be exchanged for their full value. Currency notes issued before 2005 do not have the year of printing on the reverse side. In notes issued after 2005, the year of printing is visible at the bottom on the reverse. Post-2005 notes have added security features and help in curbing the menace of fake currency. Seeking cooperation for withdrawing pre-2005 currency notes from circulation, the RBI has asked the public to deposit the old design notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.

5) The Union Government on 23 December 2014 constituted a committee to examine the possibility of constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for reinvestigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. Who is heading this committee? –Justice (retired) G.P. Mathur (former Judge of the Supreme Court)

Explanation: The committee will submit its report within 3 months. The 1984 riots had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Many parties including the BJP were demanding reinvestigation into all cases related to these riots. Supreme Court lawyer H.S. Phoolka, who has been fighting the anti-Sikh riot cases, had in an open letter to then Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, demanded that an SIT be set up to probe the riots. The committee will also oversee the implementation of the payment of enhanced compensation of Rs. 5 lakh per person killed during the riots, as approved by the Union Cabinet on 10 December 2014.

6) US retail major Walmart announced opening a new cash and carry store in India after a gap of two years. The last store opened by it was in Bhopal in 2012. Where is this new cash and carry store being opened? – Agra

Explanation: Walmart runs 20 cash and carry stores under brand ‗Best Price‘ across 9 states. The company is focusing only on cash and carry business in India in the absence of clarity on FDI in multi-brand retail trade. Earlier this year, Walmart

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announced plans to open 50 wholesale stores in the next 4-5 years

to expand its footprint across the country.

December 25, 2014

1) The Union Government on 24 December 2014 made announcement to award the Bharat Ratna, country‘s highest civilian honour to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, and educationist and social reformer Madan Mohan Malviya. With this announcement how many personalities have received Bharat Ratna? – Forty Five (45)

Explanation: Educationist Madan Mohan Malviya and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee are the 44th and 45thdistinguished personalities who have been conferred with country‘s highest civilian award. The announcement of Bharat Ratna for Madan Mohan Malviya and Atal Behari

Vajpayee was made after a meeting of the Union Cabinet took place on 24 December. The announcement coincides with Vajpayee‘s birthday on December 25 which the government has already declared as ‗Good Governance Day‘. A Bharat Ratna for Madan Mohan Malaviya, freedom fighter and educationist popularly known as ‗Mahamana‘, was one of the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaigns. Malviya is the 11th person to receive the award posthumously, while Vajpayee is the sixth Prime Minister to receive the award. Malviya established the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Asia‘s largest residential university in 1916. Bharat Ratna, the country‘s highest civilian award instituted in 1954, is given in recognition of exceptional service, performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for this award. The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President. The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year. On conferment of the award, the recipient receives a Sanad (certificate)

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signed by the President and a medallion.

2) The suspected Bodo militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) faction carried out a series of horrendous massacres on 23 and 24 December 2014 in Assam and killed over 70 tribal people. Which two districts of the state faced major brunt of these attacks? – Sonitpur and Kokrajhar

Explanation: Heavily armed militants suspected to be associated with the Songbijit faction of NDFB went on a killing spree and killed the ‗adivasis‘ mainly in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts as well as Chiang district and killed many people. Later many people succumbed while receiving treatment in various hospitals. Later militants launched fresh attack in Udalguri district on 24 December. The latest incidents of violence occurred very near to the inter-state border between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The NDFB and its factions are fighting for a separate homeland for indigenous Bodo tribesmen, saying that the tea-growing state has been flooded with outsiders. Adivasis, who migrated to Assam more than 100 years ago, have been targeted by Bodo rebels in the past along with Muslim settlers in the state.

3) In a historic development the multilateral Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) came to force from 24 December 2014. ATT aims to regulate the international trade in conventional

weapons. When was this treaty adopted by the United Nations (UN)? – 2 April 2013

Explanation: The Treaty was negotiated at a global conference under the auspices of the United Nations from July 2–27, 2012, in New York. Later the UN adopted it on 2 April 2013. It has been signed by 130 countries while 61 countries ratified it. The ATT is part of a larger global effort begun in 1997 by Costa Rican President and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias. However, India is not a signatory of ATT as it feels that the Treaty is weak on terrorism and non-state actors and these concerns find no mention in the specific prohibitions of the Treaty. Further, India said that it cannot accept the Treaty as it could be used as an instrument in the hands of exporting states to take unilateral force majeure measures against importing states parties without consequences. It is generally perceived that ATT would not be able to disarm the world at it merely puts responsibility on the sellers of arms for their end use.

4) The union cabinet on 24 December 2014 approved ordinances to push reforms in the coal and insurance sectors after it was unable to pass bills for these in the winter session of Parliament that ended on 23 December. The Bills could not be taken up in the Rajya Sabha as a united opposition held up proceedings for much of the month-long session. The Insurance Bill has been pending

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in the Rajya Sabha since which year? – 2008

Explanation: The Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, 2008 seeks to make way for hike in foreign investment limit in insurance sector to 49% from existing 26%. The 49% cap would include both FDI and foreign portfolio investments. The move to hike foreign investment limit in the insurance sector is seen as a game changer for private insurance players, who could now look to raise much needed capital to fund business growth. The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 has already been approved by the Lok Sabha during the session but could not be approved in the upper house due to disruptions. However, the opposition parties including Congress and CPM reprimanded the govt. to bring in ordinances on such important issues and thus bypassing the Parliament.

5) What important recommendation was made by I.M.G. Khan Committee which was constituted in February 2014 to review the existing test system of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC)? – SSC exam should be conducted online

Explanation: During February 2014 the Union Govt. had constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of former Union Public Service Commission Member I.M.G. Khan to review the existing examination system of SSC. The committee made recommendation to conduct SSC exam through online mode. Other suggestions include use of biometrics at every stage, digital height-weight-chest measurement with webcam display, radio-frequency identification chip, barcoded pure carbon-less optical mark recognition, mobile jammers, CCTV recordings of all events and online validation of data. Three working groups were formed to deliberate on committee‘s recommendations.

December 26, 2014

1) The Union Government has notified ‗Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2015‘, which will come into effect from 1 January 2015. This means that the 1 rupee paper note, which was discontinued due to high cost, would make its comeback. When

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the Re. 1 paper note discontinued? – November 1994

Explanation: Due to higher cost and for freeing capacity to print higher denomination notes, printing Re. 1 note was discontinued in November 1994, followed by Rs. 2 in February 1995, and Rs. 5 in November 1995. Since then, only coins have been issued for these denominations. However, old notes are still in circulation and remain legal tender. The new Re. 1 note will be different in terms of colour, too. It will be predominantly pink and green. Earlier, the Re. 1 currency note had a predominantly indigo colour. Also, the new note will have ‗Bharat Sarkar‘ on its masthead, with ‗Government of India‘ printed below that. As before, the new one rupee note will have the signature of the Finance Secretary. Apart from the one rupee note, all other paper currency (Rs. 2, Rs. 5, Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000) will have the signature of the RBI Governor, as these are issued by the Reserve Bank of India, whereas Re. 1 is issued by the Government of India.

2) Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee‘s birthday (25 December) was observed as which national day for the first time, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 December 2014? – „Good Governance Day‟

Explanation: First ‗Good Governance Day‘ was observed on 25 December 2014 and on this occasion all government officials vowed to provide

good governance through improvement in their services. However, some controversy was also created as a circular pertaining to this had stated that December 25 will be a working day (for the government) as ‗Good Governance Day‘ will be observed. The principal opposition party, the Congress, criticized the BJP government for setting ‗Good Governance Day‘ on the same date as Christmas, and for declaring this date as a government working day.

3) Health & Family Welfare Ministry launched ―Mission Indradhanush‖ on 25 December 2014. What is the objective of this initiative? – To achieve full immunization coverage for all children by 2020

Explanation: The Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases which include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. The ministry has identified 201 high focus districts in the country in the first phase which has nearly 50% of all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children. These districts will be targeted by intensive efforts to improve the routine immunization coverage. Of the 201 districts, 82 districts are in just four states of UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and nearly 25% of the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children of India are in these 82 districts of 4 states.

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WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other donor partners will provide technical support in implementing ―Mission Indradhanush‖.

4) The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour that looked into the changes proposed in the Factories Amendment Bill, 2014 tabled its report in the Parliament during December 2014. One of the most important suggestions of this committee is that labour courts be set up within the factory complex for on-the-spot disposal of complaints/grievances. Who headed this committee? – Virendra Kumar, BJP MP

Explanation: The Committee also suggested that all factory workers be controlled by the Labour Commissioner concerned and a periodical audit by an independent agency should be conducted to certify compliance. The Committee did not accept the amendment to raise the threshold limit of employment (for falling under the purview of the Factories Act) from 10 to 20 workers (in case of factories using power) and from 20 to 40 workers (in case of factories not using power). The Factories Amendment Bill, 2014 one of the key labour reforms being pushed by the Narendra Modi Government, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 7 August 2014. It was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee by the Speaker for examination.

5) Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital recently entered into a long-term strategic alliance with which Japanese banking group to make its foray into the banking sector? – Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank

Explanation: As part of the agreement, the Reliance Capital will allot a 2.77% stake valued at Rs. 371 crore through a preferential allotment with a one year lock-in period to Sumitomo. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group is the fourth-largest bank in Japan by market capitalisation and corporate loans, and Japan‘s largest financial institution managing assets of $682 billion with assets under custody of $1.8 trillion as of September 2014.

6) Which airline introduced world‘s first-of-its-kind three-room suite service on its planes during December 2014? – Etihad

Explanation: Etihad‘s three-room suite service has been named ―Residence by Etihad‖ and it is the only three-room suite in the sky at present. ―Residence by Etihah‖ features a living room, separate ensuite shower room, and bedroom, and as another first in the industry, a dedicated Butler. Measuring 125 square feet in total, ―Residence by Etihad‖ is located on the forward upper deck of the A380 and is for single or double occupancy. Etihad‘s A380 will start its daily operations to London Heathrow from 27 December 2014.

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December 27-28, 2014

1) What achievement was made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the first time in India‘s electoral history recently? – It became the first political party in India to have more state legislators than the Congress across the country

Explanation: According to the data compiled by Sonipat-based Ashoka University‘s Political Data Centre the total number of BJP state legislators (MLAs) stood at 1058 while there were 949 Congress legislators across the country. For the BJP, which has never before had more than 1,000 MLAs, this is a historic peak. For the Congress, which only fell below 1,000 MLAs in the 1977 and 1979 elections, this is its lowest point ever. Moreover, the numbers show that from being a regionally concentrated party, the BJP‘s spread of state legislators is now geographically far more diverse. It dominates India‘s north, has doubled the Congress‘ presence in the west and is neck-and-neck with the

Congress in the east. The Congress still holds the edge in the north-east but is reduced in size in the south. Taken together with the Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP with 282 seats had its best ever showing, and the Congress with 44 seats had by far its lowest result, the numbers show that this is by far the Congress‘ lowest ever ebb in Indian politics.

2) Who was elected as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand on 26 December 2014 by the BJP legislature party thus paving the way for him to lead the BJP-AJSU alliance government in the state? – Raghuvar Das

Explanation: Raghuvar Das is a five-time MLA from the state. Das, who originally hails from neighboring Chhattisgarh, has been a Tata Steel employee and later entered into politics. He has been the state‘s Urban Development Minister and also a Deputy chief Minister. On 26 December he met the Governor Syed Ahmed and staked his party‘s claim to form the government.

3) Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag reviewed the security situation in Assam on 27 December 2014. This review was done in the shadow of which incident in the state? – The killing of tribals by Bodo militants

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Explanation: General Suhag had a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 26 December over the situation in Assam. Following this he reviewed the situation in the state where was given an overview of the current status of operations, including the various measures taken to improve the larger security situation. He reviewed the deployment of 66 Army columns in the disturbed areas, after violence unleashed by Bodo militants left 73 people dead and rendered over 70,000 homeless in the four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Sonitpur and Udalguri. It is worth mentioning that security forces have intensified operations along the international border with Bhutan in view of this massacre in which around 80 tribals were killed by Bodo militants. Later tribals also retaliated and killed a few Bodo people.

4) Which e-retail company recently tied up with India Post (Indian postal department) to bring thousands of weavers and artisans from Varanasi through its website? – Snapdeal

Explanation: Snapdeal has launched a pilot project with India Post to set-up facilitation desks at Varanasi post offices to enable local weavers to sell on its platform. This initiative has been launched to empower local artisans, small and medium entrepreneurs to sustain their livelihood by providing a platform to popularise their indigenous products. Through this association, weavers will be able to access the national audience by listing their products on Snapdeal, at negligible

cost. The post offices will act as a dropping point for sellers, and India Post will deliver the goods to the buyers.

5) Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni broke the world record for most number of stumpings in international cricket after he effected his 134th dismissals on day two of the third cricket Test against Australia in Melbourne on 27 December 2014. Whose record he broke? – Kumar Sangakkara

Explanation: Dhoni surpassed Sri Lanka‘s Kumar Sangakkara when he stumped Mitchell Johnson off the bowling of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his world record dismissal. He reached the landmark in his 460th innings while Sangakkara has 133 stumpings from 485 innings. Sri Lanka‘s other keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana is third on the list with 101 stumpings from 270 innings, while another Indian, Nayan Mongia is 10th on the list with 52 stumpings. Dhoni has 38 stumpings to his name in Tests, 85 in ODIs and 11 in T20s.

6) During December 2014 the name of Rajhans Vidyalaya (Andheri) came to limelight in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) Harris Shield Plate Division boys U-16 inter-school cricket championship due to which reason? – This school‟s team was bundled out for just 4 runs in the final of the championship

Explanation: Yashodham High School (Goregaon) bundled out

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Rajhans Vidyalaya‘s whole team for a paltry score of just 4 runs in the second innings to win the final. This final was placed at Shivaji Park during December. Just one player of Rajhans Vidyalaya could score 2 runs while all

others were out for duck. Two runs came through extras. This was Yashodham High School‘s maiden Plate Division (Group D) title which they won by an innings and 187 runs.

December 29, 2014

1) The United States and NATO on 28 December 2014 marked the formal end of the war in Afghanistan with a ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul. These western troops have been in Afghanistan since 2001 and had unseated the Taliban regime following the 11 September New York attacks. What was the official name of this force led by the United States? – International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)

Explanation: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was set up in 2001 after the U.S.-led invasion as an umbrella for the coalition of around 50 nations that provided troops and took responsibility for security across the country. From 1 January 2015 its combat role in Afghanistan would end and it will change into a training and

support mission for Afghan forces. Around 3,500 soldiers belonging to ISAF were killed in 13-year long operation including 2,224 American soldiers. However, the insurgency that ISAF has fought in Afghanistan for last 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion.

2) BJP‘s Raghubar Das took over as the 10th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on 28 December 2014. He was administered oath of office by Governor Syed Ahmed at capital Ranchi‘s Birsa Munda Football Stadium. What is an important fact associated with Raghubar Das becoming Chief Minister of Jharkhand? – He is the first non-tribal Chief Minister of the state

Explanation: Other than being a non-tribal, he originally hails from neighboring Chhattisgarh state. This BJP-led government marks first stable government in the state which was carved out of Bihar in November 2000. Jharkhand has had nine governments and three stints of President‘s Rule

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since 2000. The BJP and the All Jharkhand Student‘s Union (AJSU) won the state polls, getting 42 seats in the 81-member assembly. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 37 seats while the AJSU won five seats.

3) An AirAsia plane with 161 people on board lost contact with ground control on 28 December 2014 while flying over the Java Sea. This plane was on its regular flight for Singapore from which provincial city in Indonesia? – Surabaya

Explanation: AirAsia is a Malaysian low-cost carrier with presence in several Southeast Asian countries. One of its Airbus A320-200 aircrafts (flight QZ8501) lost communication with Jakarta‘s air traffic control at 7.24 a.m. (Singapore time), about an hour before it was scheduled to land in Singapore. The plane had six crew and 155 passengers, including 16 children and one infant. The plane lost contact when it was believed to be over the Java Sea between Kalimantan and Java islands. The whereabouts of the plane were not made till early morning of 29 December 2014. This is the third major air incident for Malaysia this year. On 8 March 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight 370 went missing soon after taking off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing. It remains missing until this day with 239 people in one of the biggest aviation mysteries. Another Malaysia Airlines flight, also a Boeing 777, was shot down over rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine while on a flight from

Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on 17 July 2014. A total of 298 people on board were killed.

4) One woman was killed and three were injured in a low-intensity blast that was set-off by suspected terrorists using an improvised explosive device (IED) in a crowded street of Bangalore on 28 December 2014. This blast was set-off just outside which popular eating joint of the city? – Coconut Grove

Explanation: The improvised explosive device (IED) was kept wrapped in a piece of cloth behind a flower bush in front of Coconut Grove, a popular joint on Bangalore‘s Church city. The blast took place at 8:35 pm and people ran helter-skelter after the blast. The blast is being investigated as no organisation has claimed responsibility for it till late hours of 28 December.

5) What is the name of the Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) who resigned during December 2014 amid a controversy following reports in a section of media that attributed it to two alleged requests from the Union Govt.? –RK Shevgaonkar

Explanation: RK Shevgaonkar submitted his resignation more than two years before the end of his tenure. It was alleged in some sections of media that he resigned due to friction with the Union Government after two alleged requests from it. The first request was allegedly for land in the

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institute‘s premises for a cricket academy which will be run by former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and second was for settling a salary dues

case with BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. However, Union Govt. as well as Sachin Tendulkar denied these media allegations.

December 30, 2014

1) GDP growth expected to be “much better” in 2015/16

The economy is expected to grow ―much better‖ in 2015/16 as per the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The Indian economy grew by 5.3 percent in the September quarter from a year earlier, and is expected to grow 5.5 percent in the current financial year that ends on March 31. It is for the first time after two successive years the economic growth will be over 5 percent.

2) IFCI to become Government Company

The government will infuse Rs. 60 crore in IFCI Ltd. to make it a Government Company. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister,

Shri Narendra Modi, approved the infusion of RS. 60 crore by way of acquisition of preference shares from existing share holder(s) in Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd. to make it a Government company.

Background Industrial Finance Corporation of India was set up in 1948 as a Statutory Corporation under the Industrial Finance Corporation Act, 1948. IFCI Ltd was registered under the Companies Act, 1956 on 31.03.1993. The current shareholding of Government of India in IFCI is 47.93 percent. Therefore, IFCI is not a Government Company as its shareholding is less than 51 as per section 2(45) of the Companies Act, 2013. A contribution of Rs. 60 crore to the capital of the company would raise the shareholding of the Government to 51 percent.

3) Reform in Land Acquisition

Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act- 2013, Amended.

The Government eased the land-acquisition rules in sectors like power,

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housing and defence to kick-start stalled projects.

Restrictions on buying land, as per the law made by the last Congress government, are among barriers holding up projects worth almost $300 billion. Several states Revenue Ministers had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to overhaul the law enacted in January. Two major

amendments are that the projects in defence, rural electrification, rural housing and industrial corridors would not need to seek the consent of 80 percent of the affected landowners as mandated and secondly such projects will also be exempted from holding a social impact study. However the compensation to landholders will stay at four times the market price.

December 31, 2014

1) MS Dhoni retires from Test cricket

Dhoni has decided to retire from Test cricket citing strain of playing all formats; Virat Kohli to captain India for fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has retired from his 90-Test cricket career in order to concentrate on the shorter formats of ODIs and Twenty 20. Dhoni‘s decision came as a surprise as he never gave a hint of his plans post-match but praised his players for

fighting it out. Also the decision came after the third test between India and Australia concluded in a draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Dhoni led India in 60 Tests and has the most number of victories (27) by an Indian captain. He took over from Anil Kumble in 2008. Under his leadership, India reached a historic No. 1 Test ranking in December 2009, a position it held for 18 months.

Dhoni captained India to three premier ICC titles, the No. 1 Test spot, the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011. Since 2011, however, India suffered several setbacks away from home under his captaincy. In this period, India lost 13 of the 22 Tests it played on foreign soil, winning only two.

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More about Dhoni – India‘s most successful test captain ends his long test ride

Dhoni also an honorary Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel announced his retirement from tests at the age of 33, after helping India secure a draw in the third match against Australia. Dhoni developed his own style of batting and keeping techniques, with conventional field settings and displayed a natural tendency to take calculated risks while keeping calm. Under his leadership, India won the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup four years later and became the top-ranked test team for a year and half in between.

He was an explosive middle-order batsman, made 4,876 runs in 90 Tests at 38.09. As a wicket-keeper he held 256 catches and effected 38 stumpings. He handled the workload of being a wicketkeeper batsman and a captain longer than any other cricketer in the game‘s history.

Dhoni leaves test cricket with a 45 percent winning record as captain to focus on his favoured limited-overs game, starting with leading India‘s title defence in the 50-over World Cup. Dhoni will lead his team mates in Australia and New Zealand starting in February, and his fans will get to see his trademark ―helicopter shot‖ once again.

2) The debris of missing Air Asia spotted

The debris of AirAsia flight QZ8501 the missing plane along with floating bodies of some of the 162 people on board were spotted on Tuesday in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan in the Java Sea off Indonesia, close to the area where aircraft lost its contact on Sunday morning.

About 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States have been involved in the search. The search process in coordination with Basarnas (the National Search and Rescue Agency), spotted a ―shadow‖ on the seabed believed to be that of the Airbus A320-200. The air force Hercules found an object described as a shadow at the bottom of the sea in the form of a plane. Indonesian officials said they recovered several bodies floating in waters near the area where the missing plane was last seen.

Ten pieces of debris were found during the search for the ill-fated AirAsia Indonesia aircraft southwest of Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan. The Airbus A320-200 was carrying 155 passengers — one British, one Malaysian, one Singaporean, three South Koreans, 149 Indonesians — and seven crew members — six Indonesians and a French co-pilot.

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