RBI/Finance News Business, MoUs & Deal s National News PM Visit to Seychelles PM Visit to Mauritius PM Visit to Sri Lanka News Around the World Appointments Awards & Honors Sports News ICC World Cup National Games Important Days Important Books & Authors Obituaries Reports & Indexes Important Yojanas Union Budget 2015-16 Economic Survey Railway Budget 2015-16 MUDRA Bank Land Bill Indian Census 2011 Organisation & Headquarters Insurance Terms Table of Contents NICL AO - General Awareness & Current Affairs Magazine Important Notice The news covered in the Magazine are sufficient for NICL AO 4th April and 11-12th April. If you have any doubt regarding any news kindly verify it. If you find any Typing Error, Repeated News then our Apologies for that. The Insurance Terms are fully covered, study whatever you feel like. Thank you for Downloading. All the Best. We will be giving quiz for NICL AO, kindly keep an eye on our site.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
NICL AO - General Awareness & Current Affairs Magazine
Important Notice
The news covered in the Magazine are sufficient for NICL AO 4th April and 11-12th April. If you have anydoubt regarding any news kindly verify it. If you find any Typing Error, Repeated News then our Apologiesfor that.
The Insurance Terms are fully covered, study whatever you feel like.
Thank you for Downloading. All the Best. We will be giving quiz for NICL AO, kindly keep an eye on oursite.
Union Government on 4 February 2015 approved a development package and ad hoc support of 850
crore rupees for Andhra Pradesh.
ICICI Bank on 10 February 2015 launched India’s first digital Bank on mobile phone, Pockets. This digital
e-wallet can be downloaded from Google Playstore. Pockets, the digital e-wallet uses a virtual VISA cardthat enables the users to transact on any website or mobile application in India.
Users can fund it from any bank account across India and start transacting immediately. It requires no
documentation or branch visit. Users can also choose to add a zero balance Savings Account to the
wallet, which will allow them to earn interest on their idle money.
Mahindra Finance in talks with IFC for JV for Payment Bank. IFC is a World Bank Group. Most of the big
telecom players who possess huge distribution networks have entered the fray. Reliance Industries tied
up with SBI; Airtel with Kotak Bank.
Standard Chartered revised FY16 GDP growth forecast to 7.7% from 6.3%.
Union Government on 10 February 2015 approved a proposal to increase the authorised Share Capital
of the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) to 3000 crore rupees from
1500 crore rupees. NMDFC works for welfare of minorities.
ICICI Bank has tied up with UAE Exchange to offer an instant bank transfer service to the Indians residingin the Gulf nation. ’FLASHremit’ service started by the bank enables customers to conveniently send
money instantly to their beneficiaries in India in Indian Rupees.
RBI issued guidelines on CCCB
Reserve Bank of India had issued guidelines on when it would require Indian banks to maintain a
CCCB, an additional layer of loss-absorbing capital on top of banks’ increased minimum capital
requirements under Basel III.
According to the RBI’s guidelines, the key trigger for activating the CCCB will be when the
credit/GDP ratio has risen relative to its long-term trend. The RBI said it would require banks to hold the full 2.5 per cent buffer when the gap between
the credit/GDP ratio and the long-term trend exceeds 15 percentage points.
The government said up to 26 per cent FDI in insurance companies will be allowed through automatic
route, as it notified rules to increase foreign direct investment ceiling in the sector to 49 per cent.
Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in the first week of February 2015 finalised new oil subsidy
sharing formula between the public sector oil refining companies and oil marketing companies. As perproposal, No contribution towards subsidy for crude oil price less than and equal to 60 dollars per
barrel.
Assam’s Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 19 February 2015 advocated for Naturonomics for Assam and
other North Eastern (NE) states to usher in a robust economy in the region.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 19 February 2015 approved the continuation of
the incentive scheme for marketing and promotion services of raw sugar production during the currentsugar season (October-September) of 2014- 15.
State Bank of India (SBI) will provide finance totaling ` 100 crore benefiting 3,000 small tea growers in
the North East soon.
Reserve Bank of India said it will shortly issue ` 10 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi
Series-2005. "It will incorporate rupee symbol on the obverse and the reverse, with inset letter 'N' in
both the numbering panels, bearing the signature of Raghuram G Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of
India and the year of printing '2014' printed on the reverse of the Banknote," an RBI release said.
PSU banks employee unions and bank management, Indian Banks' Association (IBA), agreed on 15 per
cent wage hike and entered into an agreement for it. The bank employees will now also get holidays on
two Saturdays in a month. The second and 4th Saturday will be the holiday and other two will have full
working days.
Insurance sector regulator IRDA has given in-principle approval for setting up of ` 1,500 crore nuclear
liability pool for providing risk cover to nuclear reactors.
The Asian Development Bank has inked two loan agreements worth $400 million with India to upgrade
district roads in Madhya Pradesh and to support improvements to power transmission and distribution
The government has decided to delink 8 Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), including National
eGovernance Plan, Backward Regions Grant Funds, Modernization of Police Forces and Rajiv Gandhi
Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyaan (RGPSA), from its support.
In a significant move, the Government said commodities market watchdog FMC will be merged with the
capital market regulator SEBI. After the emergence of a major crisis at National Spot Exchange Ltd, the
Forward Markets Commission (FMC) was last year brought under the Finance Ministry.
RBI Announces External Advisory Committee For Evaluating Applications Of Small Finance Banks And
Payments Banks. Usha Thorat, former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will chair the
External Advisory Committee (EAC) to evaluate applications received for small finance banks, while Dr.
Nachiket Mor, Director, Central Board of the Reserve Bank will chair the EAC for payment banks. Morethan 100 entities have applied for small finance and payment banks.
In its bi-monthly monetary policy review, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said that 72 applications for
Small Finance Banks and 41 applications for Payments Banks were received up to the deadline for
submission. This number excludes applications that might have been received at other venues.
IRDAI released India Insurance Vision 2025. The study, India Insurance Vision 2025, done by McKinsey
for CII, was formally released by TS Vijayan, Chairman of Insurance Regulatory and DevelopmentAuthority of India (IRDAI). The industry has a potential to reach $250 billion mark by 2025, it said.
To give financial confidence to the budding entrepreneur, especially those in the socially excluded
category, the government has proposed creation of a special bank – MUDRA – to fund small enterprises.
MUDRA, or the Micro Units Development Refinance Agency Bank, will have a corpus of Rs. 20,000
crore and credit guarantee corpus of Rs. 3,000 crore.
Gross bank credit grew by 10.1 per cent in the December quarter as against 14.2 per cent growth
registered in the year-ago period, according to the RBI data.
Aggregate deposits grew 10.9 per cent in the period which was slower than 15.4 percent
registered in the year-ago quarter.
Metropolitan branches, constituting 53.1 per cent of aggregate deposits and 64.2 percent of
gross bank credit, recorded the highest credit-deposit (CD) ratio at 92.3 per cent, it said. For
other population groups, CD ratio was lower than the national level of 76.4 percent.
RBI reduced Repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March 2015 reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to
7.5 percent with immediate effect.
This is the second time since January 2015 that RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points.
With this, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5 percent, and themarginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank rate to 8.5 percent .
The RBI reduced the repo rate outside the bi-monetary policy review cycle taking into account the
following developments:
1. The new Consumer Price Index (CPI) rebased to 2012 was released on 12 February 2015. As per
this, inflation in January 2015 stood at 5.1 percent which was well within the target of 8 percent
for January 2015.
2. The prices of vegetables and inflation excluding food and fuel reached a new low indicating that
disinflation is evolving along the path set out by the RBI in January 2014 and at a faster pace
than earlier envisaged.
3. The recently-released GDP estimates based on base year 2011-12 by Central Statistical Office
(CSO) pictures a steadily recovering economy which appears to be right.
4. In Union Budget 2015-16, many important and valuable structural reforms has been included.
This will help improve supply over the medium term and help achieve fiscal consolidation.
5. The rupee remained strong relative to peer countries, thus, creating disinflationary impulses.
To make it easier for new individual investors, market regulator SEBI announced a 'Saral' or simplified
account opening form for such persons and eased the process for submitting address proof documents.
The move comes in the backdrop of the government and the regulator making efforts to attract new
retail investors to the market especially for the disinvestment share sales through Offer For Sale (OFS)
and other routes.
Insurance Bill passed by Lok Sabha The long-pending Insurance bill, a key economic reform legislation
providing for raising foreign investment cap to 49 per cent, was passed by Lok Sabha with thegovernment insisting that the measure is crucial for expanding the penetration of insurance in the
country.
The controversial Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to replace an ordinance, also
provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years for selling policies without registration with the
The proposed legislation will also allow PSU general insurers to raise funds from the capital
market and provides for increased penalty to deter multilevel marketing of insurance products.
The bill, one of the key reform legislations, has been pending since 2008.
Lok Sabha passed the Coal Mines bill to allow e-auction of coal blocks after the Supreme Courtcancelled their allocation leading to uncertainty in the coal sector, amid opposition by Left and some
other opposition parties.
The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, would replace two ordinances issued by the
government - - the first on October 21 last year and the other in December, after the apex court
cancelled the allocation of 204 blocks.
Replying to a debate on the bill, Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal said its passage would
ensure "transparent and honest" process of auctioning of coal blocks.
Highlighting the necessity of passing the bill, he warned that if the Bill is not passed, then there
could be a crisis in the coal sector with the closure of these mines.
Union Government and RBI signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework
Union Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed an agreement on Monetary Policy
Framework. The agreement was signed on 20 February 2015 but was made public on 2 March
2015.
The agreement empowers the RBI to go for inflation targeting that is common in developed
countries and it also empowers RBI to monitor its monetary policy framework.
As per the agreement, RBI will aim to bring down the inflation below six percent by January
2016 and inflation target for 2016-2017 and subsequent years will be 4 percent +/-2 percentage
points.
Features of the agreement that empowers RBI to monitor its framework
India’s monetary policy framework will be operated by the RBI.
India’s monetary policy framework will aim to “maintain price stability while keeping in mind
the objective of growth.
If the RBI fails to meet the target, then it will have to report to the Union Government the
reasons for the failure to achieve the target.
It will also provide the remedial action to take and estimate of the time period within which the
It will put in place a framework of a modern monetary policy to meet the challenges of an
increasingly complex economy.
The RBI’s Governor will determine the country’s key interest rates or any measures needed to
achieve that inflation target.
It binds the Union Government to take proactive measures for price control.
The agreement will provide a predictable policy stance on inflation, helping investors, especially
in the debt market
The agreement was signed in line with the recommendations of the RBI’s Urjit Patel committee. The
committee’s recommendation will smoothen the monetary policy scene in the country. At present, the
Union Government and the RBI provides inflation estimates but don’t set any targets for it.
Union Ministry of Shipping on 3 March 2015 signed an agreement with Toyota for export of automobile
units. The export of automobile units will be done through Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL).
Giving a boost to affordable housing, the RBI eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs 10 lakh by
allowing banks to include stamp duty and registration charges to the cost of a unit. These charges form
around 15 per cent of the cost of the house and place a burden on borrowers. As per the current
practice, banks do not include stamp duty, registration and other documentation charges in the cost of
housing property.
Global food prices fell to a nearly five-year low in February this year on increased supply of key food
items and strong US dollar, according to the United Nations food agency FAO.
Food prices averaged at 179.4 points in February, down from 181.2 points in January and 208.6
points in February 2014, the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s price index showed.
FAO’s Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that tracks prices of five major food
commodity groups on international markets. It aggregates price sub-indices of cereals, meat,dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar. FAO HQ – Rome, Italy.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organisation for all retail payment system
in India, has successfully linked 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar number.
2014. Food prices rose 7.74 per cent, according to official data released in March. Inflation in prices of
onions, pulses and protein-rich food items such as egg, meat and fish rose and declined in prices of
vegetables, fruits and milk during February.
Social networking giant Facebook on 14 March 2015 acquired the shopping search engine TheFind.With the acquisition, Facebook has moved into the e-commerce. Both Facebook and TheFind cast the
acquisition as a way to lift the digital advertising business of Facebook.
India's third largest IT services exporter Wipro Ltd. announced the appointment of appointment of
former TCS top executive Mr. Abid Ali Neemuchwala as the Group President and Chief Operating
Officer of the company.
HDFC Bank launched Chillr, a mobile app that allows users to instantly transfer money to any contact intheir phonebook.
The bank has partnered with MobME, a Kochi-based technology firm, to launch this app. Chillr is
a first-of-its kind application that is linked directly to customers’ bank accounts.
With Chillr, the bank’s customers can transfer money to any person in India once they download
the app and register.
The app works on the Android and iOS operating systems and will soon be launched for the
Windows phone as well.
The app is useful for college students and young professionals. Parents whose children study in
other cities can transfer money via the app.
Soon users will also be able to pay utility bills and various merchants via the mobile, HDFC Bank
said in a statement.
Each transaction will be charged Rs. 3.50.
There is a limit of 10 transactions of Rs. 5,000 and a maximum of Rs. 50,000 in a month,
according to company officials.
The ongoing dispute between Sahara and Mirach took a new turn with the latter announcing a $400-million defamation suit against the Sahara Group and a news outlet for attempting to discredit Mirach
and its CEO in the court of public opinion.
IAS officer D K Ravi who 'exposed tax frauds' and took on land mafia in Karnataka found dead.
The Expert Appraisal Committee on Infrastructure Development on 31 January 2015 approved the
development of no-frill airports at Kishangarh, Ajmer in Rajasthan and Belgaum in Karnataka. Thecommittee was constituted by Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
E-commerce firm Alibaba on 4 February 2015 signed an agreement to acquire 25 percent stake in
One97 Communications. One97 Communications is the parent of mobile commerce firm Paytm.
Homegrown handset maker, Micromax took over Korean electronics giant Samsung and became India’s
biggest smartphone vendor and third largest in the world. This was revealed by a report released by
research firm Canalys on 4 February 2015.
China on 9 February 2015 launched its first cruise liner to sail via its ambitious transcontinental initiative
Maritime Silk Road (MSR). The sail was launched from the Beihai port located in southwest China’s
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Gujarat State Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation (GSHHDC) on 4 February 2015
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global e-commerce giant eBay.
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) on 5 February 2015 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL). The MoU is
aimed at fostering collaboration on research and exchange of technical expertise in areas of material
sciences and testing capabilities for bank notes, security documents and coins.
The Rajasthan Government and Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) on 9 February 2015 signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) to jointly set up India’s largest solar park with capacity of 10000 MW of
electricity in Rajasthan.
Reliance Communications and Facebook announced a tie-up to provide free access to 33 Web sites —
an initiative that aims to encourage more people to use the Internet. These Web sites are across eight
categories — social media, news, career, education and knowledge, sports, health and social welfare
and search engine Bing. The free Web sites include Facebook, ecommerce portal OLX, Cleartrip,
TimesJobs, Babajob and sports Web site ESPN Cricinfo.
Star India Pvt. Ltd on 11 February 2015 acquired the Telugu television channel network Maa Television
Network Ltd (MTNL) including its brand, assets and four channels for an undisclosed amount.
Microsoft on 11 February 2015 acquired Sunrise for 100 million US dollars. Sunrise is the maker of one
of the top calendar apps for iOS and Android.
Union Government constituted Anil Baijal Panel to suggest a framework to assess CSR activities.
The India Cements Limited on 11 February 2015 transferred the Indian Premier League (IPL) team
Chennai Super Kings Cricket (CSK) franchise to its new subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricket (CSKC)
Limited.
The Board of Directors of Grasim Industries Limited on 11 February 2015 approved the proposed merger
of Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Limited (ABCIL) with Grasim.
FMCG major ITC has entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to acquire its brands, ’Savlon’
and ‘Shower To Shower’, in India.
Kerala-based business conglomerate Muthoot Group on 14 February 2015 tied-up with World WideFund (WWF) for Nature-India for its Friends for Life project.
To create ‘India’s first online luxury mall’, online marketplace Snapdeal.com announced the acquisition
of Exclusively.com (formerly Exclusively.in), the definitive online destination for premium and luxury
fashion.
Mashable, the leading media company for the Connected Generation, and India.com Web Portal
Limited, India's fastest-growing and leading publisher of original content, on Wednesday announcedtheir partnership to launch Mashable India.
Europe-based RUAG Aerostructures and Tata Group firm TAL Manufacturing Solutions on 17 February
2015 signed a multi-year contract worth over 150 million US dollar to supply components for Airbus 320.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure Ltd on 4 March 2015 announced the acquisition of
management control of Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd (PDOE) for 2082.3
crore rupees. With this acquisition, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd will foray into the emerging business of
defence production.
Forbes magazine on 3 March 2015 released Global Billionaire’s 2015 annual list. Bill Gates co-founder of
Microsoft topped the global billionaires list of Forbes magazine with worth of 79.2 billion US dollars for
the 16th time. The United States topped the list with 536 rich people, followed by China at 213 rich
people, Germany at 103 rich people and India at 90 rich people.
Among Indian women, Savitri Jindal and family was ranked 283 on the list with a net worth of
$5.3 billion in 2015, up from $4.9 billion in 2014.
Sun Pharma Group's promoter Dilip Shanghvi moving ahead of Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani to
become the richest Indian. Excluding Ranbaxy's valuation (its merger with Sun Pharma is yet to becompleted), Shanghvi's net worth after recent gains was Rs 1.4 lakh crore. Ambani's net worth was Rs
1.3 lakh crore.
Flipkart on 6 March 2015 acquired mobile ad network AdiQuity. The acquisition is aimed at increasing
advertising muscle of Flipkart.
Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to build its first all-electric car in Austria. The luxury
car-maker’s Jaguar brand could begin production of the vehicle next year.
Tata Consultancy Services has been named as the top employer in Europe for the third consecutive
year by a top employers certification agency Top Employers Institute, citing the Indian IT major as an
“exceptional performer” in nine core human resources areas.
Fast moving consumer goods major Emami Ltd has roped in actor Hrithik Roshan as one of the brand
ambassadors for the ‘Fair and Handsome’ brand. Hrithik, already a brand ambassador for Emami’s “He”
range of men’s deodorants, will now endorse the “fairness” face-wash (under the Fair and Handsome).
With e-commerce business growing in India, realty major DLF has tied-up with online market place
Snapdeal to sell its apartments and would offer 1 per cent discount to potential home buyers. DLF will
offer on Snapdeal about 50 flats in eight housing projects across the country in a price range of Rs 34
Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 10 March 2015 released data of top ten Corporate of 2014. The
pack of top ten corporate comprises of eight public sector undertakings and two private sector
undertakings.
In term of assets, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is the largest corporate with assets worth 3.68lakh crore rupees. RIL is followed by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) with assets worth
2.52 lakh crore rupees and mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) with
assets worth 2.25 lakh crore rupees.
News Related to India
10th Aero India show concluded in Bengaluru
10th Aero India show concluded on 22 February 2015 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru,
Karnataka. The five-day long show had started on 18 February 2015 and was inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
During the 10th Aero India show, audience witnessed the performance of Sarang aerobatic team from
the Indian Air Force (IAF) flying the Dhruv helicopters. Squadron Leader Deepika Misra and FlightLieutenant Sandeep Singh became the first women to be a part of SARANG Team.
Audiences also witnessed the aerobatic performances of the aerobatic teams from Sweden, England,
Czech Republic and Open Sky Jump team from US.
Highlights 10th Aero India show
The 10th edition of Aero Show was focused on Make in India campaign of the Union
Government. It is aimed at encouraging small and medium industries to invest in defencemanufacturing base.
Delegates from 109 countries participated in the event and over 700 companies from India and
abroad took part in the exhibition.
In the exhibition, India showcased its indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas,
India on 14 February 2015 successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Indian
Navy's latest destroyer INS Kolkata.
Vanaj 2015 is a weeklong National Tribal Festival for the first time. It was in news as it was inaugurated
by the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on 13 February 2015 at the the Indira Gandhi NationalCenter for Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi.
The third National Lok Adalat on 14 February 2015 disposed of 56000 cases in a single day. It also
disbursed of 265 crore rupees as claims towards final settlement in bank recovery and cheques bounce
cases.
Construction of toilets under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,
has gained momentum with 7.1 lakh individual household toilets being built in January, the highest forany month since the project was launched in October, government data showed.
Dosmoche festival was celebrated with religious and traditional fervor in the Ladakh region of Jammu
and Kashmir in the third week of February 2015. The festival was celebrated with a week-long period of
prayers and ritual at Liker monastery.
India and Sri Lanka on 16 February 2015 signed bilateral agreements on civil nuclear cooperation,
cultural cooperation and cooperation in the field of Agriculture. Besides, an agreement was also signed
for Sri Lanka's participation in the Nalanda University Project.
Union Government on 18 February 2015 approved Project-17A worth 8 billion US dollar. The project is
aimed at building country's most advanced warships. Under the Project-17A seven frigates will be built
indigenously with stealth features to avoid easy detection.
India on 19 February 2015 successfully test-fired nuclear weapons capable, surface-to-surface Prithvi-II
missile from Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, Odisha as part of a user trial by the army. The missile
was tested for a shortened range of 250 km as against its full range of 350 km.
India’s first air quality checking Mobile App, SAFAR-Air was launched on 17 February 2015 at the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, Maharashtra.
Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav on 25th February, 2015 sent his resignation after the
Union home ministry asked Yadav to step down after he was named in an exam scam in the state.
World Bank in January 2014 released a strategy report titled Building Resilience for Sustainable
Development of the Sundarbans. The report states that the environmental damage in the climatechange-hit islands of Sundarbans is costing India a sum of 1290 crore rupees annually.
Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers on 25 February 2015 declared the year 2015 as the Year of
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). It was declared by the Union Minister of Chemicals &
Fertilizers Ananth Kumar.
Dreaded terror group ISIS and all its affiliate organizations, responsible for series of savage attacks and
killings in Iraq and Syria, have been banned in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.Earlier Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said in Parliament on December 16, 2014 that the West Asian
group had already been declared banned in India under a United Nations Schedule.
Government will roll out a pilot project to give a digital boost to the flagship rural job scheme MNREGA
in gram panchayats to ensure its better implementation through mobile monitoring system . Under the
scheme expected to be functional from April this year, a total of 35,000 gram panchayats will be covered
which would be given a mobile/tablet, Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat said in
a written reply in Lok Sabha. An amount of Rs 35 crore have been sanctioned as each mobile/tablet
would be costing Rs 10,000.
The Union Cabinet on 25 February 2015 approved the implementation of the scheme for setting up of
15000 Mega Watt (MW) Grid-connected Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) Power projects under the National
Solar Mission (NSM).
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 25 February 2015 issued 6th Amendment to the
Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulation, 2009. This amendment will facilitate full
MNP (Pan-India Portability) across India with effect from 3 May 2015.
Indian Air Force, Army and Navy have placed orders worth Rs 83,858 crore from 2011 to the last fiscal
while domestic defence industries have earned Rs 69 crore by export of military hardware. Replying to
questions in the Lok Sabha, Parrikar also said that Foreign Direct Investment amounting to Rs 24.36
crore has been received after government opened the defence industry for private sector.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Gujarat Forest Department on 26 February 2015 signed
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for conservation of Asiatic lion and its habitat.
Andhra Pradesh has become the first state to opt for executing the National Optical Fibre Network
(NOFN) on its own and the telecom department will reimburse the cost for the same.
Indian Navy on 27 February 2015 concluded its Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise
(TROPEX)-2015. The event encompassed all dimensions of maritime warfare.
Union Government on 12 February 2015 approved revised Guidelines for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY). The guidelines were revised to accord priority in the selection of roads for new
connectivity as well as upgradation, leading to the eligible habitations in the Gram Panchayats identified
by the Members of Parliament (MP) under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).
Union Government blocked private email network like Yahoo and Gmail for official work. The aim of the
move is to monitor staff's online activities.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party
formed J&K Government jointly. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will take oath as CM on 1 st March, 2015.
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 28 February 2015 approved buying of 38 more Pilatus trainer
aircraft from Switzerland at a cost of 1500 crore rupees. These trainer aircraft will train Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilots. Besides, DAC appointed Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) as the lead agency to build 12
Mine Counter Measure Vessel (MCMV) for the Navy. The decision was taken by DAC meeting chaired
by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
A Bill to amend the Citizenship Act, one of the six items on which government had issued ordinances,
was today passed by the Lok Sabha. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015 seeks to remove disparity
between Persons of Indian Origin cardholders and Overseas Citizens of India cardholders.
In order to facilitate last mile connectivity to passengers and tourists, the IRCTC has launched concierge
services at New Delhi railway station. The service aims to facilitate train passengers at the station in
hiring a porter, getting information regarding running status of the trains, and arranging a taxi for
dropping the passenger to his residence or hotel, a senior IRCTC official said.
prime objective to bring a total error-freeand authenticated electoral roll. During
the NERPAP, Electronic Privacy
Information Centre (EPIC) data of electors
will be linked with Aadhar data of UIDAI
for the purpose of authentication.
President Pranab Mukherjee on 2 March 2015 gave his assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation
(Amendment) Bill 1995. This amendment bans slaughter of bulls and bullocks in Maharashtra. Presidentgave his assent to the Bill as per the provisions in Article 201 of the Constitution of India.
Features of the amendment
If anyone is found selling beef or in possession of it can be jailed for five years and fined up to
10000 rupees.
The new act will however allow slaughter of water buffaloes, which provides carabeef, generally
seen as inferior quality meat (that makes up only 25 percent of the total beef market in the
state).
World’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled on 3 March 2015 at Town Park in
Faridabad, Haryana. The flag was unfurled by BJP president Amit Shah, Haryana CM ML Khattar and
Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor.
The flag has dimension of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48 kilograms. Flag was hoisted at the
height of 250 feet (75 meters). Thus, making it the world’s largest and the highest hoisted
Indian flag in the world.
The unfurling event was organised by Nav Chetna Trust which is formed to work on social issues
like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign and Swachh Bharat Mission.
Another such flag is located at the Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi. This flag is 60
feet in width and 90 feet in length and is hoisted at the height of 207 feet.
MOST IN NEWS
BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION(BBC) ON 4 MARCH 2015 RELEASED A
National Building Construction Corporation Ltd (NBCC) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on
March 4, 2015 signed an MoU for the first smart sub-city to come up at Karkardooma in East Delhi. The
30-hectare DDA land will be developed by NBCC as the first transit oriented development (TOD) smart
city in Delhi -- ‘East Delhi Hub Project’.
Union Minister Raosaheb Dadarao Danve, who was made Maharasthra BJP president a few months
back, resigned from the Council of Ministers over the principle of ‘one-man, one-post’. Mr. Danve, who
held the portfolio of Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, quit the
Council of Ministers over the principle of ‘one-man, one-post’, the sources said.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar completed his SAARC Yatra of four nations on 4 March 2015. His SAARC
Yatra started on 1 March 2015 and ended on 4 March 2015. He undertook the SAARC Yatra with an aim
to firm up India’s ties with members of the grouping while reviewing regional and bilateral cooperation.
During the Yatra, he visited four countries namely Afghanistan on 4 March 2015, Pakistan on 3 March
2015, Bangladesh on 2 March 2014 and Bhutan on 1 March 2015.
Jaishankar visit to Afghanistan: During the visit, he called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and
CEO Abdullah Abdullah and held extensive talks focusing on India's development projects and
the security situation in the war-torn country.
Jaishankar visit to Pakistan: During the visit, he held Foreign Secretary level talks with his
Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Chaudhary, which was cancelled in July 2015. He also met with
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz.
He handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif.
Jaishankar visit to Bangladesh: During the visit, Jaishankar met with Prime Minister of
Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. He also met with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan
Mahmud Ali and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque. He held foreign secretary level
talks in Dhaka.
Jaishankar visit to Bhutan: During the visit, he met with Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering
Tobgay and held discussions on SAARC co-operation and bilateral ties. He also met with the 4th
King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the 30 most influential people on theinternet by Time magazine. The list also features President Barack Obama. Time said Prime Minister
Modi roughly has 38 million followers on social networking sites.
The Kathmandu-Varanasi-Kathmandu bus service was on 5 March 2015 flagged off jointly by India and
Nepal. Nepal Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Bimalendra Nidhi and Ambassador of
India to Nepal Ranjit Rae flagged off the bus service.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 March 2015 inaugurated two units of 600 Mega Watt (MW) each
of Shree Singaji Thermal Power Project at Dongliya village in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. The
first phase of Shree Singaji Thermal Power Project with 1200 MW capacity has been developed by
Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Company Limited (MPPGCL) at an expense of 7820 crore rupees
With the commissioning of two plants, the total thermal power generation capacity of the State
increased to 4500 MW.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on 4 March 2015 released a documentary film India's
Daughter.
The documentary film has been directed by Leslee Udwin.
The film is based on the Delhi gang rape and murder of the 23-year-old female named Nirbhaya
that took place on 16 December 2012. The film was simultaneously released in Denmark,
Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Canada.
The documentary includes an interview conducted by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin and BBC
of Mukesh Singh, the driver of the bus. Mukesh has made derogatory statements against
women.
India and Spain on 5 March 2015 signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information
to provide the framework for enhanced bilateral cooperation in areas of defence research,
development and technology cooperation. The agreement was signed by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Defence Minister of Spain Pedro Morenes Eulate. It was signed during the official visit of
Defence Minister of Pedro Moremes to India.
Subway opened an all-women operated outlet in Mumbai.
National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) and Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences
(CCRAS) on 5 March 2015 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to commercialise ayurvedic
medicines and technologies developed at CCRAS. The MoA was signed by Abhimanyu Kumar, Director
General of CCRAS and H Purushotham, Chairman & Managing Director of NRDC. The MoA provides
Intellectual Property Rights services to CCRAS in India and abroad.
The government has decided to recruit young female officers in the force and deploy them at select
locations like Nathula Pass along the Indo-China frontier. This is a maiden initiative undertaken for
women empowerment in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Till now, women could only don the
combat uniform in the officer cadre in all central security forces like the Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the border guarding forces Border Security Force
and Sashastra Seema Bal, except ITBP.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 8 March 2015 launched a scheme for girl child – AapkiBeti Humari Beti. The scheme was launched with an aim to combat the problem of declining child sex
ratio in the state.
The scheme was announced at a state-level function on the occasion of International Women’s
Day at Panchkula. Khattar launched the scheme by giving away a cheque of 21000 rupees each
to mothers of six female children born on or after 22 January 2015.
Key Characteristics of the Scheme
Under the scheme, the first girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 in Schedule Caste (SC)
and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families will be eligible to receive 21000 rupees.
The second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families will also receive the same
amount.
Families where twin girls or multiple girls are born will also get 21000 rupees per girl child.
Other schemes that were launched during the function
Haryana Kanya Kosh: for the welfare and development of girl child and women in the state
Multi Sectoral Nutrition Programme: The programme will address the maternal and child
nutrition in five districts namely Mewat, Fatehabad, Narnaul, Palwal and Kaithal.
Maharashtra Government on 8 March 2015 launched Bhagyashree scheme for girl child. The schemereplaced Sukanya scheme. As per the scheme, the state government will deposit an amount of 21200
rupees in bank for a girl child born in a Below the Poverty Line (BPL) family. The Bhagyashree scheme
aims at providing one lakh rupee on maturity after the girl completes 18 years of age. The scheme was
launched by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Bollywood actress
Bhagyashree. Bollywood actress Bhagyashree is the brand ambassador of the scheme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 March 2015 launched the first indigenously developed Rotavirus
vaccine named Rotavac. This is the third such vaccine, besides GSK Rotarix and Merck’s RotaTeq
available globally against Rotavirus.
First Kisan Call Centre (KCC) of North-East was opened on 9 March 2015 in Agartala, Tripura. The KCC
was launched by the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. KCC was financed by the Tripura
’Barracuda’ which has automatic 30 mm Rapid Fire Gun and 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns aspart of its ammunition was handed over to Mauritius in December 2014 by Kolkata-based
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE).
About Mauritius
Capital of Mauritius is Port Louis.
Currency of Mauritius is Mauritian rupee.
The president and prime ministers are Kailash Purryag(President) and Anerood Jugnauth(Prime
Minister).
India, Sri Lanka sign four agreements – Narendra Modi Visited Sri Lanka
India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements during Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to the country,
the first bilateral tour by an Indian Prime Minister in 28 years, with the PM announcing a slew of
measures aimed at resetting ties with the strategic neighbour.
Prime Minister Modi, who arrived here this morning on the final stop of his three-nation tour of
Indian Ocean island nations, met Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and discussed bilateral
and issues of regional importance.
The two sides signed four agreements on visa, customs, youth development and building
France on 16 February 2015 signed a 5.2-billion-euro (5.9 billion US dollar) agreement with Egypt for
the first foreign sale of its Rafale fighter plane. As per the deal, France will supply 24 Rafale fighters to
Egypt.
Three Indian, two women and one man were among the shortlisted 100 applicants who were chosen for one-way trip to Mars under Mars One mission in the third week of February 2015. These Indians are
Ritika Singh, Shradha Prasad and Taranjeet Singh Bhatia.
Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited on 18 February 2015 tied-up with United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, education and youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African
countries.
India and the US on 19 February 2015 held their first-ever bilateral dialogue on the United Nations (UN) and other multilateral issues in Washington.
Two tropical cyclones Marcia and Lam hit Australia on 20 February 2015. This is the first time that two
cyclones have hit Australia at one time.
Parliament of Thailand (National Legislative Assembly) on 19 February 2015 passed a law banning
commercial surrogacy, putting a halt on foreign couples seeking to have children through Thai
surrogate mothers.
Former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed was arrested on 22 February 2015 in Male. He was
arrested under anti-terrorism laws after a court said that he might flee the country to avoid hearings on
terrorism charges.
WHO approved ReEBOV Antigen rapid test kit to identify Ebola-infected patients.
Former Jatiya Party lawmaker Abdul Jabbar was sentenced to life imprisonment on 24 February 2015 by
the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Bangladesh.
The United States (US) on 24 February 2015 announced that it would allow work permits to spouses of
H-1B visa holders from 26 May 2015. The move will benefit thousands of talented and professional
Indian spouses who come to America but are unable to work.
Australian researchers unveiled the world's first 3D-printed jet engine, a manufacturing breakthroughthat could lead to cheaper, lighter and more fuel-efficient jets.
One of the largest public school system in the US is planning to introduce Texas's first Hindi dual
language school, a move that could benefit the country's significant Indian-American population.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States (US) on 26 February 2015 voted to
implement the Net Neutrality Rules. Net Neutrality Rules define same rate by all Internet Service
Providers. It is very important for India and a lot of petitions has been filed for Net Neutrality Rules inIndia.
FBI announced 3 million US dollar award for information on Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev. Bogachev,
currently is one of the FBI’s most wanted criminal. He created a virus named GameOver Zeus. According
to a report by Symantec, Gameover Zeus has largely been used for banking fraud and distribution of the
CryptoLocker ransomware.
Parliament of Jamaica on 25 February 2015 passed a law to decriminalise the possession of small
amount of marijuana up to 57 grams for personal use.
US blogger and creator of Mukta-Mona, Avijit Roy was hacked to death in Bangladesh.
Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia to trial new flight tracking system.
NASA's Dawn spacecraft on 6 March 2015 completed its Orbit around Dwarf Planet Ceres. By doing so,
it became the first spacecraft to orbit around a dwarf planet.
Sri Lankan Government on 5 March 2015 temporarily suspended construction work of China’s port city
The world's oldest person Misao Okawa, a mother of three, grandmother of four and great-
grandmother of six, turned 117 in western Japan.
Connaught Place in the national capital has become the world's fifth most expensive office location,beating the central business districts of Russia, Japan and China, according to property consultant
Cushman & Wakefield. London's West End is the most expensive office market for the third
consecutive year globally. Connaught Place or CP -- developed as a showpiece of Lutyens' Delhi -- was
ranked seventh in the 2013 list. Its ranking has improved on account of renewed demand and
strengthening economic environment. Connaught Place has been commanding a rental value of Rs 412
per sq ft a month and has seen a rental value increment of less than 1 per cent over the previous year.
Solar Impulse, claimed to be the world's only solar-powered aircraft, made a stopover in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan test-fired its surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen III, which is capable of carrying
nuclear and conventional warheads upto a range of 2750-kilometers.
India 14th among most popular destinations for Muslim travellers. Singapore took the top spot for the
non-OIC destinations. Malaysia topped the list for OIC countries, which also included Turkey, the UAE,
Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Google Launches Virtual Tour of Nepal's Everest Region.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has found strong evidence of a massive saltwater ocean under the icy
crust of Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede that could potentially support life.
In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers have successfully transmitted electric power wirelessly to a
pinpoint target using microwaves, an advance that brings space-based solar power closer to reality.
According to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or Jaxa, the researchers were able to transform 1.8kilowatts of electric power into microwaves and transmit it with accuracy into a receiver located 55
metres away.
Pakistan successfully tested its first indigenous all-weather armed drone and a laser guided missile
that can strike its targets with pinpoint accuracy. The drone, named Burraq, has the ability to fly in all
types of weather conditions and strike its targets with pinpoint accuracy. Pakistan also tested its laser
guided missile named Barq.
The Times Higher Education on 13 March 2015 released the World Reputation Rankings 2015. This year
rankings show that the United Kingdom boasts 12 of the 100 most renowned higher education institutions in the world.
Top 5 Universities
1. Harvard University (US)
2. University of Cambridge (UK)
3. University of Oxford (UK)
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
5.
Stanford University (US)
In a major development, former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13- year
imprisonment by a criminal court here under the anti-terrorism laws. Capital of Maldives – Male.
A California-based institution Zaytuna College has become the US' first officially recognised Muslim
college after receiving formal academic accreditation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has overtook Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure the top rank in
handling domestic and international affairs in a global survey conducted by a Chinese firm.
In the 'China's National Image Global Survey 2014, conducted in nine countries — the US, UK,
Australia, Japan, South Africa, India, Russia, Brazil and China — Modi's handling of domestic and
international affairs has won him the top rank while Xi figured second.
China has raced ahead of Germany to become the world's third largest arms exporter, a Stockholm
based think tank said in a report. Exports of major arms from the world's second largest economy grew
143 percent between 2010 and 2014. In the preceding five year period China had ranked ninth globally,the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report.
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani was named Young Global Leader from India by the World Economic
Forum (WEF). In the list of 187 YGLs for 2015 from across the world, Irani is accompanied by 10 other
Indians, including Gaurav Gogoi, an MP and son of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
2. Amartya Sen won inaugural Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize 2015.
3. Indian-origin scientist Professor Srikanth Jagabathula received CAREER Award.
4. Nagesh Kukunoor’s film Dhanak won two awards at 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
5. Saurav Ganguly awarded Honorary Life Membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
6. Indian-American Purnendu Dasgupta won 2015 American Chemical Society Division of
Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award.7. Kristen Stewart first American actress to win the Best Supporting Actress Award at France's
Cesar Awards.
8. Clemson University honoured Ratan Tata with Doctorate of Automotive Engineering.
9.
Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba won 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership.
10.
U.S. economist Stephen Ross wins Deutsche prize for pricing models. The last recipient, in 2013,
was Raghuram Rajan, governor of the Reserve Bank of India and former chief economist at the
International Monetary Fund.
11. Three South Asian women, namely Niloofar Rahmani, Nadia Sharmeen and Tabassum Adnan
on 3 March 2015 were selected for the prestigious International Women of Courage Award for
the year 2015 given by the US Secretary of State.12. Kerala Tourism on 8 March 2015 won the silver prize of Golden Gate award at the
Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2015, Germany. Kerala won the award for its
global multimedia campaign to promote the backwaters of Kerala. The Golden Gate award (Das
Golden Stadttor) is presented every year at the ITB-Berlin and is dubbed as the Oscar in
tourism communication. It is considered the ultimate recognition in global tourism
communication.
13. Indian-Origin Educator Ganasen Reddy Gets Lifetime Achievement Award In South Africa.
14.
Indian Researcher Minoti Apte Wins Woman of the Year 2015 in New South Wales, Australia.
15. Rajendra Singh, an eminent environment activist known as “Water Man”, has been conferred
the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize this year for his innovative water restoration efforts andextraordinary courage to empower communities in Indian villages.
87 th Academy Awards or OSCAR 2015
Awards -
Best Picture - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Actor - Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking
Best Actress - Julianne Moore – Still Alice as Dr. Alice Howland
Best Directing - Alejandro González Iñárritu – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
India Set to Host Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Awards for the First Time.
Spanish tennis ace, Rafael Nadal on 2 March 2015 won the Argentina Open title of Tennis. In the
summit clash, Nadal defeated Juan Monaco of Argentina in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 in Buenos Aires. This
was the 65th career title for Nadal. As a result, Nadal moved onto fifth place in the Open era all-time list led by Jimmy Connors of the US who had won 109 titles.
Olympic medalist pugilist MC Mary Kom on 2 March 2015 announced that she will quit boxing after the
2016 Rio Olympic Games. She decided to retire after the Olympic Games as her body would not be able
to cope with the rigours of the sport any further.
Swiss Tennis ace, Roger Federer on 28 February 2015 won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
title. To lift his seventh Dubai Championship title, Federer defeated world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-5. This was 126th ATP final for Federer of which he had won 84th career title. He also
passed 9000 aces in singles matches, the fete achieved only by three other players since 1991.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Sania Mirza of India has decided to team up with former World No. 1
Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the US-leg of the WTA Tour circuit after parting ways with women's
doubles partner Hsieh Su-wei of Chinese Taipei with whom she featured in the doubles final of the just
concluded Doha Open championship.
Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal’s quest for becoming the first Indian woman to win the most
prestigious All England badminton championship ended in agony after she suffered a heart-breaking
loss to Spain’s Carolina Marin in the summit clash. Olympic bronze medallist, Saina, thus, failed to
emulate her long-time coach Pullella Gopichand (2001) and legendary Prakash Padukone (1980), who
had won the prestigious title in the past.
Karnataka won eighth Ranji Trophy title by defeating Tamil Nadu.
India beat Nepal 2-0 in 1st leg of 2018 World Cup Qualifiers.
Young Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth clinched the Swiss Grand Prix Gold championship title after
overcoming a strong challenge from Viktor Alexson in a hard-fought men's singles final.
Putting up a dominating show, India scored in three of the four quarters to outplay Poland 3-1 to win
the FIH World Hockey League Round 2 at Major Dhyan Chand stadium. India skipper Ritu Rani then
Chris Gayle became first cricketer to score Double Century in Cricket World Cup. He scored against
Zimbabwe. He also became the first cricketer outside India to score a double century. There are total 5
double centuries, first double century was scored by Sachin Tendulkar, 2nd was by Virender Sehwag, 3rd
and 4th was by Rohit Sharma and also he score the Highest Individual Score(264 runs) in ODIs.
AB De Villiers hits fastest ODI 150 in South Africa World Cup win. He also holds the record of fastest
century. South Africa's 257-run victory was the joint-biggest by runs in World Cups, equaling India's win
over Bermuda in 2007.
Kumar Sangakkara became only the second batsman after Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar to score
14,000 One—day International runs when the Sri Lankan veteran reached the landmark against
Australia in a World Cup Pool A match. He also became the first batsman to score hundreds in three
consecutive World Cup matches. On 11 March 2015 he entered the record books by scoring four
consecutive centuries in a Cricket World Cup. He achieved the feat when he scored 124 runs against
Scotland in the Pool A match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Hobart, New Zealand. With this, he also
became the first cricketer to achieve this feat in the One Day Internationals (ODI) history.
England were knocked out of the World Cup by a spirited Bangladesh who grabbed a quarter-final spot
following a dramatic 15-run victory in a tight Pool A match in Adelaide on March 9th.
MS Dhoni’s team betters West Indies Clive Lloyd outfit's record with 10th straight WC win. Dhoni isalso credited with most wins (13) by an Indian captain in World Cups. He has overtaken 1983 World
Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev (11), Mohammed Azharuddin (10) and Sourav Ganguly (9). Now, the
Men in Blue stand second only to Ricky Ponting’s Australian side that had registered a staggering 24
consecutive victories in the showpiece event.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni achieved the memorable milestone of recording 100 ODI wins as captain after
leading India to a resounding victory against Bangladesh in the cricket World Cup quarterfinals. Dhoni is
the first non-Australian captain to achieve the feat — in his 178th ODI — as he got past South Africa’s
Hansie Cronje, who won 99 ODIs for his side. Ricky Ponting, with 165 ODI wins as captain, and Allan
Border (107) are the two Australian greats leading the chart in the 50-overs format.
Martin Guptill, the batsman of New Zealand cricket team, on 21 March 2015 scored the highest-ever
score of 237 not out in Cricket World Cup history.
According to the Limca Book’s 2015 Special Literature Edition, it is a play about a mascot which had
been staged in most number of schools.
Legendary Javed Akhtar penned Hariharan composed National Games Anthem for National Games 2015
Kerala.
The games torch,a cauldron shaped in the form of a traditional Kerala lamp, was lit by P.T. Usha andAnju Bobby George, which was passed to them by Sachin Tendulkar.
The oath was taken on the behalf of the participants by the Kerala captain, Preeja Sreedharan.
Sachin Tendulkar was the goodwill ambassador for national games.
Maharashtra Netball player Mayuresh Pawar passed away during the 35th National Games.
Medal Tally
The Services Sports Control Board has been the all-time leader in Medal Tally of National Games.
Individual –
Sajan Prakash of Kerala won the most medals in National Games 2015. He won 6 Golds, 2 Silvers. He
won the medals in Swimming. He was ranked 1st in Individual Medal Tally.
Rajina Kiro of Andaman Nicobar and Inaocha Devi Mayanglambam of Madhya Pradesh 5 Golds 1 Silvers
each. They both won medals in Canoe & Kayak but individually. They ranked 2nd jointly in Medal Tally.
Aakanksha Vora of Maharashtra won 5 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal. She was ranked 3rd.
Saloni Dalal, a school girl of Karnataka became the youngest medal winner in the ongoing 35th National
Games in Kerala on 3 February 2015. The 12-year-old, Saloni won a Bronze medal in the 200 meter
The 2016 National Games is likely to be held in Goa.
Important Days
1. World Cancer Day (WCD) 2015 was observed across the world on 4 February 2015. The tagline
for the WCD 2015 was Not beyond Us.
2. Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda declared 10 February as the
National Deworming Day.
3. World Radio Day was observed globally on 13 February 2015 with the theme Youth and Radio.
4. National Women's Day of India observed on 13 February on the date of birth of India’s first
women governor Sarojini Naidu.
5.
15th
International Mother Language Day was celebrated across the world on 21 February 2015.The theme for the year 2015 is Inclusive Education through and with Language - Language
Matters.
6. International Rare Disease Day observed on 28 February. The slogan for 2015 was Day-by-day,
hand-in-hand.
7. National Science Day celebrated on 28 February to commemorate the invention of Raman
Effect by Prof. CV Raman. The theme of 2015 National Science Day was Science for Nation
The Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on 19 March 2015 with
an outlay of 1500 crore rupees. The programme aims to impart skill training to youth with focus on first
time entrants to the labour market and class 10 and class 12 drop outs.
Key characteristics of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKY)
The programme aims to impart skill training to youth with focus on first time entrants to the
labour market and class 10 and class 12 drop outs.
The scheme will cover 24 lakh persons and skill training would be based on the National Skill
Qualification Framework (NSQF) and industry led standards.
The programme will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) training partners.
In addition, Central and State Government affiliated training providers would also be used for
training purposes.
Skill training would be on the basis of skill gap studies conducted by the NSDC for the period2013-17.
Focus of the training would be on improved curricula, better pedagogy and better trained
instructors.
Training would include soft skills, personal grooming, behavioral change for cleanliness, good
work ethics.
A monetary reward will be given to trainees on assessment and certification by third party
assessment bodies. The average monetary reward would be around 8000 rupees per trainee.
Funds Allocation
Out of the total outlay of 1120 crore rupees to be spent on skill training of 14 lakh youths, 220
crore rupees has been allocated for recognition of prior learning. 67 crore rupees has been allocated for awareness building and mobilization efforts. Mobilization
would be done through skill melas organized at the local level with participation of the State
Governments,
Municipal Bodies, Pachayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and community based organizations.
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Budget 2015-16 announced a low-cost personal accidental cover
named Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana to increase the insurance penetration level in the
country.
Highlights of Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
1.
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is expected to be launched on June 1, 2015.
2.
It is an insurance policy which covers death or disablement of the policyholder caused due to
The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana will offer an accidental death and full disability
cover of Rs. 2 Lakh and for partial disability cover of Rs. 1 Lakh.
4.
This cover is available to people in age group 18 to 70 years.
5. The premium of Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is Rs.12 per annum.
6.
The premium will be directly auto-debited by the bank from the subscribers' account.
7.
The scheme will be offered by all public sector general insurance companies - New India Assurance Company, National Insurance Company, The Oriental Insurance Co, and United India
Insurance Co - through tie-ups with banks. The government also plans to rope in other insurers
as well.
8. Any person having a bank account and Aadhaar number linked to the bank account can give a
simple form to the bank every year before 1st of June in order to join the scheme. Name of
nominee to be given in the form.
Government Contribution:
Various Ministries can co-contribute premium for various categories of their beneficiaries from
their budget or from Public Welfare Fund created in this budget from unclaimed money.
This will be decided separately during the year.
Common Publicity Expenditure will be borne by the Government.
Subscribers have to renew this accidental cover every year. If they don't want to have the hassle of
renewing the cover every year, they can give an instruction for auto-debit of bank account every year.
Two new institutes called Apprenticeship Training Institute for Women were announced for
Haryana and Uttarakhand.
A networked system called the Student Financial Aid Authority was announced which would
monitor the allocation of scholarships and educational loans under the Pradhan Mantri Vidya
Lakshmi Karyakram.
The education budget was allocated ₹69,074 crore for the year 2015-16. This was a reductionfrom the revised estimates from 2014-15 which was ₹70,505 crore.
The school education sector was allocated ₹42,219.50 crore and higher education sector was
allocated ₹26,855 crore.
Excise and Customs – How things got cheap/costly
The education cess were subsumed from central excise duty. Instead, the central excise duty
rates were rounded off from 12.36% to 12.5%.
The clean energy cess was increased from ₹100 to ₹200 per tonne of coal.
It was announced that the Goods and Services Tax is expected to be implemented by 1 April
2016.
The excise duty on cigarettes was increased by 25%.
The excise on cut tobacco was raised from ₹60 to ₹70 per kg.
The duty on plastic bags was increased from 12% to 18%.
The duty on soft drinks and packaged water was increased from 12% to 18%.
On cement, it increased from ₹900 per tonne to ₹1,000 per tonne.
The duty was removed from compounds used in the manufacture of incense sticks.
Excise duty on leather footwear was reduced from 12% to 6%.
The duty on locally manufactured mobile phones, LED/LCD panels, LED lights and lamps was
reduced.
The duty on ambulance chassis reduced from 24% to 12.5%.
22 components used in electronics sector were exempted from import duty.
Basic custom duty on magnetrons were removed.
Import duty on various refrigerator components were removed.
Import duty on solar water heaters was removed.
Some pacemaker components were exempted.
Duty on imported commercial vehicle was increased from 10% to 40%.
Using the new estimate for 2014-15 as the base, GDP growth at constant market prices is
expected to accelerate to between 8.1 and 8.5 percent in 2015-16.
Inflation declined by over 6 percentage points since late 2013 which is likely to remain in the 5-
5.5 percent range in 2015-16, creating space for easing of monetary conditions.
The current account deficit declined from a peak of 6.7 percent of GDP in Quarter 3 of 2012-13
to an estimated 1.0 percent in the fiscal year 2015-16.
After a nearly 12-quarter phase of deceleration, real GDP has been growing at 7.2 percent on
average since 2013-14, based on the new growth estimates of the Central Statistics Office.
Foodgrains production for 2014-15 is estimated at 257.07 million tonnes, which will exceed
average food grain production of last five years by 8.5 million tones
Foreign portfolio flows have stabilized the rupee, exerting downward pressure on long-term
interest rates which is reflected in yields on 10-year government securities and surge in equity
prices.
From a cross-country perspective, a Rational Investor Ratings Index (RIRI) which combinesindicators of macro-stability with growth illustrates that India ranks amongst the most attractive
investment destinations.
It ranks well above the mean for its investment grade category (BBB), and also above the mean
for the investment category above it (on the basis of the new growth estimates).
In the short run, growth will receive a boost from the cumulative impact of reforms, lower oil
prices, likely monetary policy easing facilitated by lower inflation and improved inflationary
expectations, and forecasts of a normal monsoon in 2015-16.
Growth in medium-term prospects will be conditioned the “balance sheet syndrome with Indian
characteristics” that has the potential to hold back rapid increases in private sector investment.
In the long-run, private investments will be the engine of growth. However, there is a case for
reviving targeted public investment as an engine of growth in the short run to complement and
crowd-in private investment.
Expenditure control and expenditure switching from consumption to investment will be the key
• To address complaints of people Mobile application is being developed
• Integrated tickets will be introduced
• Hand-held devices will be introduced for ticket checkers; it is move towards paperless ticketing
• In next 2 years, centrally managed railway display network will be introduced in over 2000 stations
• Rail-cum-road ticket to be extended in many stations
• Rail connectivity will be enhanced in North Eastern states• To aid expanding freight handling capacity and provide end-to-end logistic solutions, Transport Logistic
Corporation of India will be set up
• PPP model will be used to augment resources and generate more employment
• 6608 kilometer of track will be electrified
• 96182 crrore rupees will be spent to expand capacity of 9420 km rail lines
• For women safety, CCTVs will be introduced in selected trains and suburban trains
• Train Protection Warning System and Train Collision Avoidance System will be installed on select
routes at the earliest
• Projects for rail connectivity to many ports and mines
• Foreign Rail Technology Cooperation Scheme will be launched in order to achieve the higher quality
service
• Programme to improve design, quality and cleanliness of bed linen will be launched within the next six
months
In the budget, Prabhu gave 11 thrust areas to improve quality of life in train journeys which also includes
Swachh Rail - Swachh Bharat drive. The 11 thrust areas include
Cleanliness
Swachh Rail - Swachh Bharat campaign
New department for cleanliness
Integrated cleaning by engaging professional agencies and training our staff
Waste to energy conversion plants
New toilets covering 650 additional stations compared to 120 stations in 2014
Bio-toilets to be fitted in the coaches
Bed linen
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi to design bed linen
The facility of online booking of disposable bedrolls at select stations will be extended to allpassengers through the IRCTC portal on payment basis
MUDRA BANK – Refinancer of Micro Finance Institutes
Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank will be a refinance institution for micro-
finance institutions. Till date, MUDRA has been conceived only as a refinance institution and not as a
regulator for the micro finance institutions.
Union Budget 2015-16 has proposed to create MUDRA with a corpus of 20,000 crore, and credit
guarantee corpus of 3,000 crore. MUDRA Bank will refinance Micro-Finance Institutions through a
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
MUDRA Bank proposes to give the utmost priority to enterprises set up by the under-privileged sections
of the society particularly those from the scheduled caste / scheduled tribe (SC/ST) groups, and also first
generation entrepreneurs and existing small businesses.
There are estimated to be some 5.77 crore small business units in India, mostly individual
proprietorship, which run small manufacturing, trading or service businesses. 62% of these are owned
by SC/ST/OBC as stated in the Union Budget speech of 2015-16.
What makes MUDRA Bank so special?
The innovative bank has four unique features.
One, it is structured as an apex refinancer to enable over 50 million unfunded entrepreneurs to access
formal credit from and through layers of credit institutions registered under it.
The micro entrepreneurs not only earn their livelihood but also provide jobs to others. They need credit
at reasonable interest, not doles or subsidies with which, sadly, the idea of inclusive growth has come to
be associated.
Two, MUDRA will fund the micro units which are more efficient than modern corporates. According to
the Economic Census 2014, the gross fixed assets of the 5.77 crore small businesses is about₹11.5 lakh
crore.
Three, the MUDRA Bank concept rests on theoretical depth and practical wisdom. It challenges the
experts who thought that micro businesses and marginal farming would face eventual euthanasia .Why then worry about them, they felt. An economist who had headed the Planning Commission for a
decade had even said that the jobs generated by the micro units were not clean.
Yet both micro businesses and marginal farming have grown bigger and faster since the 1990s,
challenging modern theories and experts alike. Long back, in the 1930s, a Russian economist called
Alexander Chayanov had theorised the efficiency of family farming and family economics over both
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister for Rural Development, Mr.
Birender Singh on February 24, 2015. The Bill amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency
in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR Act, 2013).
Lok Sabha on 10 March 2015 passed the Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015 by voice vote. The bill
amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
The Union Cabinet on 29 December 2014 approved promulgation of an ordinance that amends the Right
to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement
(RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
The amendments were approved in a cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The
decision to amend the act was taken in the backdrop of suggestions that came up in interactions withthe State Revenue Ministers and key implementing Ministries, who faced difficulties in implementing
the Act.
Before being passed the Union Government made nine amendments in the Bill (more than 50 were
proposed) which was promulgated on 29 December 2014. But it refused to bring back the consent
clause or social impact assessment.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement
Act, 2013 came into effect on 1 January 2014. The Bill related to this was passed by the Parliament in
2013
1.
The act seeks to provide just and fair compensation to farmers while ensuring that no land can
be acquired forcibly
2.
The Act also stipulates mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent for acquiring land for Public
Private Partnership (PPP) projects and 80 per cent for acquiring land for private companies.
3.
The Act, which replaced Land Acquisition Act, 1894 made it mandatory compensation that is up
to four times the market value in rural areas and two times the market value in urban areas.
Nine amended provisions which were accepted includes
Removed exemptions for Social Infrastructure Projects in public-private-partnership mode.
Social infrastructure projects (SIP), as the name implies, is defined as those buildings,structures and facilities specifically constructed to serve the community at large.
Land that will be acquired for industrial corridors will be limited to one kilometre on either side
of highways and railway lines
Compulsory employment will be provided to one member of a farming family that is selling its
land
A hassle-free grievance redressal mechanism of land losers will be put in place
Farmers may get right to appeal/complain over land acquisition hearing and redressal of
grievances at the district level
Ceiling on land for acquisition in industrial corridors
Panchayat's nod may be mandatory for acquiring tribal land Government may acquire land for government bodies, corporations
Term private entity was replaced with private enterprise
KEY POINTS of DEBATE in Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015
1.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 seeks to Amend the Act of 2013 (LARR Act, 2013).
2.
The Bill creates five special categories of land use: 1. defence, 2. rural infrastructure, 3.
affordable housing, 4. industrial corridors, and 5. infrastructure projects including Public
Private Partnership (PPP) projects where the central government owns the land 3.
The Bill exempts the five categories from provisions of the LARR Act, 2013 which requires the
consent of 80 per cent of land owners to be obtained for private projects and that of 70 per cent
of land owners for PPP projects.
4.
The Bill allows exemption for projects in these five categories from requiring Social Impact
Assessment be done to identify those affected and from the restrictions on the acquisition of
irrigated multi-cropped land imposed by LARR Act 2013.
5.
The Bill brings provisions for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement under other related
Acts such as the National Highways Act and the Railways Act in consonance with the LARR Act.
6.
The Bill changes acquisition of land for private companies mentioned in LARR Act, 2013 to
acquisition for ‘private entities’. A private entity could include companies, corporations and
nonprofit organisations.
7.
The Bill states that if an offence is committed by a government employee he cannot be
prosecuted without the prior sanction of the government, as provided in Section 197 of the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. The amendments state that the government employee can
be prosecuted if procedure laid down in Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 is
followed. Section 197 requires the prior sanction of the government prior to prosecuting a
Spread across 29 states and 7 union territories, the census covered 640 districts, 5,767 tehsils, 7,933
towns and more than 600,000 villages. A total of 2.7 million officials visited households in 7,933 towns
and 600,000 villages, classifying the population according to gender, religion, education and occupation.
Conducted every 10 years, this census faced big challenges considering India's vast area and diversity of
cultures and opposition from the manpower involved.
C. Chandramauli is the Registrar General and commissioner of 2011 Indian census. Census data was
collected in 16 languages and training manual was prepared in 18 languages. The census was conducted
in two phases.
The 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration.
Census has been conducted in India since 1872 and 2011 marks the first time biometric information was
collected.
According to the provisional reports released on 31 March 2011, the Indian population increased to 1.21billion with a decadal growth of 17.64%. Adult literacy rate increased to 74.04% with a decadal growth
of 9.21%.
The motto of census 2011 was 'Our Census, Our future'.
The cost of the exercise was approximately ` 2200 crore (US$350 million) – this comes to less than $0.50
per person, well below the estimated world average of $4.60 per person.
The population of India on 1 March 2011 was 1,210,569,573. India added 181.5 million to its population
since 2001, slightly lower than the population of Brazil. India with 2.4% of the world's surface area
accounts for 17.5% of its population. Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state with roughly 200 million
people.
OVERVIEW
Population Total 1,210,726,932
Males 623,121,843
Females 587,447,730
Literacy Total 72.99%
Males 80.89%
Females 64.64%
Density of population per km2 382
Sex ratio per 1000 males 940 females
Child sex ratio (0 –6 age group) per 1000 males 919 females
1. Mumbai of Maharashtra comes up as the most populous city on the country with a population
of 1.25 crores.
2.
Nagda city in Uttar Pradesh features the least population figure in the country: 100,036.3. The Indian city with the highest rate of literacy is Aizwal (Mizoram) with a literacy rate of
98.80%.
4. Rampur city in Uttar Pradesh is the Indian city with the lowest literacy level- the literacy rate in
Rampur is 60.74%.
5. According to Indian Census 2011, Kozhikode (Kerala) has the highest sex ratio with 1093
females per 1000 males.
6. Vapi city in Gujarat features the lowest sex ratio with 734 women per 1000 men.
Union Territories:
1.
Delhi is the most populated Union Territory.2. Lakshadweep is least populated UT.
3. Delhi is The Most Densely Populated Union Territory in India. Population Density per square km
11463.
4. Andaman & Nicobar Islands is the Least Densely Populated Union Territory in India. Population
Density per square km 46.
5. Pondicherry has the highest Sex Ratio among UTs. 1037 per 1000 males.
6. Daman and Diu has the lowest Sex Ration among Union Territories. 618 per 1000 males.
7. Lakshadweep has the highest literacy rate 91.85%.
8. Dadra and Nagar Haveli has the least literacy rate with 76.24%.
9. Delhi has the highest Rural & Urban Population in UTs with 944,727 and 12,905,780
respectively.
10. Lakshadweep has the least Rural & Urban Population in UTs with 33,683 and 26,967
respectively.
11. Andaman and Nicobar Islands is largest Union Territory by Area and Lakshadweep is the
smallest.
Disclaimer: The contents of the PDF are collected from various websites around the web. We, Team
ExamPundit do not claim any copyright on any of the content except the last “Union Territory” Portion.
Feel free to distribute but make sure you mention our name. Say a thanks?