P

a
g
e
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S






P
a
g
e
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 1-2, 2014

1) Which three West African countries
are the worst-hit with the Ebola
outbreak, which is said to be the largest
recorded Ebola outbreak in history?
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone
Explanation : Ebola epidemic is a viral
disease spread through the Ebola virus.
The present Ebola outbreak, which
began in Guinea in February 2014, has
spread to Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It is
the most severe in recorded history,
both in the number of cases and
fatalities. Over 340 deaths were
reported from Guinea, 233 from Sierra
Leone and over 150 from Liberia. The
leaders of West African countries met
the World Wealth Organisation (WHO)
head on 1 August 2014 to introduce a
$100 million plan to deploy hundred
more medical professionals in the
affected areas.
2) Palghar became the 36
th
and the
newest district of Maharashtra on 1
August 2014. It was carved out from
which district, which was Indias most
populous district? Thane
Explanation : The proposal for a new,
smaller and manageable Palghar district
was hanging fire for over two decades.
The proposal was finally cleared by the
Maharashtra Cabinet on 13 June 2014.
With a population of over 12 million, till
31 July 2014, Thane held the distinction
of being the most populated district in
the country, spread across 9,600
sq.kms of hills, forests and coastal
areas.
3) A three-day ceasefire in the Gaza
Strip went into effect on 1 August 2014
bringing a temporary break in the
ongoing war between Palestinian group


P
a
g
e
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Hamas and the Israeli Army. This
ceasefire was called by which
countries/entities? The United Nations
and the USA
Explanation : The hostilities between
Hamas and Israel started on 8 July
2014 and around 1,450 Palestinians
have been killed in it. Israel claimed that
61 of its soldiers and 3 civilians also
died. But this ceasefire too crumbled
within a few hours as Israel struck
Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip after
capture of an Israeli soldier. At least
four short humanitarian ceasefires have
been announced since the conflict
began, but each has been broken within
a few hours by renewed fighting.
4) US Secretary of State John Kerry
headed a high-powered delegation to
co-chair the annual India-US Strategic
Dialogue with the Indian External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi
on 31 July 2014. This was which edition
of India-US Strategic Dialogue? Fifth
Explanation : No breakthroughs marked
this 5
th
edition of strategic dialogue
between India and the U.S. on the trade
facilitation talks at the WTO. India
stayed firm on the issues of food
security and stockpiling. Sushma
Swaraj, on the other hand, raised the
snooping issue in a very strong manner
in the dialogue. Kerry called on Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1
August 2014. It was the first Cabinet-
level between the Obama administration
and the new Indian Government.
5) Who was the deputy National
Security Adviser (NSA) who tendered
his resignation on 31 July 2014 more
than 20 months ahead of his contractual
retirement? Nehchal Sandhu
Explanation : Nehchal Sandhu was a
former Intelligence Bureau Director and
he had joined the NSAs office in March
2013 on a three-year contract. The
tenure of Joint Intelligence Chief Ajit Lal
and Military Adviser Lt. General
Prakash Menon also came to an end on
31 July and they did not receive any
extension. With these two officials
retiring, the secretariat of NSA Ajit
Doval has been left with three
vacancies.
6) Who are the 6 winners of the Ramon
Magsaysay Awards 2014 as announced
on 31 July 2014? Hu Shuli (China),
Saur Marlina Manurung (Indonesia),


P
a
g
e
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Randy Halasan (The Philippines), Wang
Canfa (China), Omara Khan Masoudi
(Afghanistan), The Citizen Foundation
(Pakistan)
Explanation : The Magsaysay Awards,
often regarded as Asias version of the
Nobel Prize, are named after the
popular Philippine president Ramon
Magsaysay, who died in a 1957 plane
crash. These are given to personalities
from Asia for their contribution in
various fields of the society.
Read More about Magsaysay
Awards 2014
7) Which great cricket all-rounder
announced his retirement from all
formats of the game during July 2014?
Jaques Kallis of South Africa
Explanation : Jaques Kallis was one of
the greatest all-rounders of all time in
the game of cricket. He was on par with
the likes of Imran Khan, Ian Botham and
Kapil Dev. During his illustrious career,
spanning nearly two decades, Kallis
played a total of 519 internationals in
which he scored 25,534 runs with 62
centuries and took 577 wickets, besides
338 catches. Since making his
international debut at the age of 20, he
has been a mainstay of the South
African line-up in all forms of the game.
He announced his retirement on 30 July
2014 during the ODI series against Sri
Lanka.
8) What is the name of the last surviving
member of the plane named Enola
Gay that dropped the first atomic bomb
on Hiroshima, who passed away during
July 2014? Theodore Van Kirk
Explanation : Van Kirk was the
navigator of the plane named Enola
Gay that on 6 August 1945 on
Japanese city of Hiroshima. Tom
Ferebee and Paul Tibbets were the
other members of this mission.
However, as far as crew-members of
this plane were concerned, Van Kirk
was the last surviving member since the
death of Morris Jeppson in 2010.
9) General Dalbir Singh Suhag on 31
July 2014 took charge as new chief of
the Indian Army. He succeeded Gen.
Bikram Singh, who retired on the same
day. Suhag is the Chief of the
Army Staff 26
th



P
a
g
e
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : 59-year-old Suhag, a
Gurkha officer who had participated in
the 1987 Indian Peace Keeping Force
(IPKF) operation in Sri Lanka, was till
now the Vice-Chief of Army Staff. An
alumnus of Sainik School, Chittorgarh,
he joined National Defence Academy in
1970 and was commissioned into 4/5
GR (FF) in June 1974.
10) Which multiplex chain is poised to
acquire Delhi-based Satyam Cineplexes
as announced on 30 July 2014? Inox
Leisure Ltd
Explanation : Multiplex chain Inox
Leisure Ltd. announced its plan to
acquire Delhi-based Satyam
Cineplexes. It has executed transaction
documents to acquire 100% of the
equity share capital of Satyam from its
existing shareholders for a
consideration of Rs. 182 crore. Satyam
Cineplexes has a total of 38 screens
now in Amritsar, Mysore, Rohtak,
Aurangabad, Jodhpur, Indore and New
Delhi and another 30 are in the pipeline
in six cities. With this acquisition, Inox
will expand its presence to 50 cities with
91 multiplexes and 358 screens.

August 3, 2014

1) With west and central African
countries continuing to witness an
outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus,
Indias top health watchdog on 2
August 2014 issued an advisory to
state health intelligence officials and to
the National Centre for Disease
Control (NCDC) to keep a watch on
the disease. What is the name of
Indias health watchdog that issued
this advisory? Integrated Disease
Surveillance Programme (IDSP)


P
a
g
e
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : IDSP was launched with
World Bank assistance in November
2004 to detect and respond to disease
outbreaks quickly. The project was
extended for 2 years in March 2010.
The Programme continues during
12
th
Plan under NRHM (National Rural
Health Mission) with outlay of Rs. 640
Crore from domestic budget.

2) In a landmark initiative Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 1 August
2014 pushed for shifting to self-
certification of documents and pitched
for minimum use of affidavits. On this
day all ministries and departments at
the Centre and in states were asked to
make provision for self-certification of
documents in place of affidavits. Under
the self-certification method, the
original documents are required to be
produced at the final stage. What is
the provision for false self-certification
in this initiative? The person charged
with false self-certification can be
booked under relevant sections of the
Indian Penal Code
Explanation : The Prime Minister,
during his meeting with all Union
Secretaries on 4 June 2014, had
spoken of reforming the public service
delivery system and bridging the
governance deficit. Getting an affidavit
is a tough task for the common man.
People have to either shell out money
to get affidavits from notary or
approach a gazetted officer.

3) Who was appointed as the new
Chairman of the Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 1 August
2014? K.V. Chowdary
Explanation : K.V. Chowdary is the
1978-batch officer belonging to the
Indian Revenue Service (IRS). He was
working as the Member
(Investigations) of the direct taxes
revenue collection board till now and
succeeded R.K. Tewari who retired on
31 July 2014. CBDT is the top policy
making body of the Income Tax
department and is constituted of six
members apart from the Chairman.



P
a
g
e
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


4) Vishal Sikka, who took charge as
CEO and MD of Infosys on 1 August
2014, is the .head of the
company Fifth
Explanation : He replaced S.D.
Shibulal, who was among the co-
founders of Infosys founded in 1981.
Four earlier CEOs of the company
were N.R. Narayan Murthy (1981 to
2002), Nandan Nilekani (2002 to 2007)
and S. Gopalakrishnan (2007 to 2011).
Sikka is the first CEO to be outsourced
from outside the organisation.

5) Who was chosen for the 22
nd
edition
of the Rajiv Gandhi National
Sadbhavana Award? Muzaffar Ali,
the noted filmmaker
Explanation : Muzaffar Ali is known for
directing the classic Bollywood film
Umrao Jaan. He is also known for his
social work and Sufi poetry. The award
is given in the memory of late Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi and is given for
outstanding contribution towards the
promotion of communal harmony,
peace and goodwill. It carries a cash
prize of Rs. 5 lakh apart from a
citation. Recipients of the award
include Mother Teresa, K.R.
Narayanan, Ustad Bismillah Khan,
Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, Dilip
Kumar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.

6) What is the name of the latest
Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite of the United States (U.S.)
that was launched on 1 August 2014
from Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station? GPS IIF-7
Explanation : This satellite has an
expected service life of twelve years
and will replace USA-132 (GPS IIR-2),
which was the first Block IIR satellite to
enter service and was launched in July
1997. GPS IIF-7 is the part of the US
Air Forces Global Positioning System
(GPS), a program aimed at providing
worldwide navigational data which
began in the 1970s. Although originally
developed for military use, some GPS
signals are also made freely available
for civilian navigation and the network
is used by most commercial navigation


P
a
g
e
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


devices. The decision to make the
GPS available to civilian users was
taken by Ronald Reagan in 1983, after
269 people were killed when a Korean
airliner became lost and strayed into
Soviet airspace, where it was shot
down.

August 4, 2014

1) On 3 August 2014 the curtains were
raised on the 20
th
Commonwealth
Games 2014 held at Glasgow
(Scotland). Which country topped the
medals tally? England
Explanation : England was placed at
first spot in the medals tally with a haul
of 58 gold, 59 silver and 57 bronze
medals. Australia followed with 49
gold, 42 silver and 46 bronze medals
while Canada was at third place with
32 gold medals. England finished at
the top in the medals tally for the first
time since Commonwealth Games of
1986 (Edinburgh). From 1990
Australia dominated six Games till
19
th
Commonwealth Games in 2010.

2) Which city would host the
21
st
Commonwealth Games of 2018?
Gold Coast City (Australia)
Explanation : Gold Coast City is
situated in the Queensland province of
Australia. The city would host the
21
st
Commonwealth Games from 4 to
15 April 2018. The hosting rights to
Gold Coast City were awarded in
November 2011. It thus would be the
fifth hosting of these games in
Australia, with the earlier stagings in
1938 (Sydney), 1962 (Perth), 1982
(Brisbane), and 2006 (Melbourne).


P
a
g
e
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


3) What is Indias final position in the
medals tally in the 20
th
Commonwealth
Games 2014 that culminated on 3
August 2014? Fifth
Explanation : India was placed at fifth
placed (after England, Australia,
Canada and hosts Scotland
respectively). India won 15 gold
medals, 30 silver medals and 19
bronze medals. Indias total medal tally
was thus 64, which is far less than the
19
th
Commonwealth Games of 2010 at
New Delhi, where India won a total of
101 medals.

4) What is the name of the Secretary
General of the Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) who was arrested
on 2 August 2014 at the ongoing
Commonwealth Games on charges of
drunken driving? Rajeev Mehta
Explanation : Rajeev Mehta was
arrested on 2 August 2014 following
reports of an alleged assault at City
Centre of Glasgow. On the other hand
unattached wrestling referee, Virender
Malik, was arrested for a more serious
charge of sexual assault. The two
were not staying with the Indian
contingent at the Commonwealth
Games Village. The arrest of the two
of officials left the Indian contingent
thoroughly embarrassed.

5) Indian badminton player Parupalli
Kashyap (P. Kashyap) created history
by winning mens singles gold medal
at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow on 3 August 2014. He thus
became the first Indian player in 32
years and the third overall to win the
mens badminton singles title in
Commonwealth Games. Who are the
two players who had won the title in
the past for India? Prakash Padukone
and Syed Modi
Explanation : Prakash Padukone had
won the mens singles gold medal at
the 1978 Commonwealth Games in
Edmonton (Canada), Syed Modi
retained it for India four years later at
Brisbane (Australia)



P
a
g
e
1
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


6) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
visited Nepal on 3 and 4 August 2014.
He became the first Indian Prime
Minister to come to Nepal on a state
visit in last 17 years. Who was the last
Prime Minister to visit Nepal? Late
Inder Kumar Gujral
Explanation: Inder Kumar Gujral had
visited Nepal on a state visit in 1997.
After that Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee had visited Kathmandu in
2002 but it was not a state visit and he
came only to attend the SAARC
Summit.
7) How much financial assistance was
announced for Nepal by the Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3
August 2014 on his state visit? $1
billion
Explanation : This $1 billion credit to
Nepal was offered on concessional
rates and would be used for road and
hydro-power projects to be developed
in the country.

August 5, 2014

1) India and Nepal on 4 August 2014
agreed to review, adjust and update
the Treaty of Peace and Friendship
between the countries with an
objective of charting a new course in
bilateral relations. In which year this
historic treaty was signed between the
two countries? In 1950
Explanation : The official name of this
bilateral treaty is Treaty of Peace and
Friendship Between the Government
of India and the Government of
Nepal. The treaty allows free
movement of people and goods


P
a
g
e
1
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


between the two nations and a close
relationship and collaboration on
matters of defence and foreign affairs.
After an abortive attempt in 1952 of
the Communist Party of Nepal to seize
power with Chinese backing, India and
Nepal stepped up military and
intelligence cooperation under treaty
provisions, and India sent a military
mission to Nepal. It was signed on 31
July 1950 at Kathmandu by the then
Prime Minister of Nepal Mohan
Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and
Indian ambassador to Nepal,
Chadreshwar Narayan Singh.

2) Union Govt. on 4 August 2014
came up with a formula to resolve the
ongoing controversy pertaining to the
Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).
What is this formula which was
rejected by some sections of civil
services aspirants who are demanding
scrapping CSAT altogether? The
section on English language
comprehension skills should not be
included for gradation or merit
Explanation : The formula brought
forward by the Union Govt. ensures
that questions on English Language
Comprehension Skills, worth 22.5
marks out of the total 200, will not be
counted for preparing merit list of
candidates. The govt. also said this is
its opinion and it was not sure whether
this would translate into policy.

3) What is the name of Indias first
multi-sensor moored observatory that
was deployed between North Pole and
Norway during July 2014? IndARC
Explanation : The IndARC observatory
has been termed as a major milestone
in Indias scientific endeavours in the
Arctic region. This observatory has
been designed and developed by the
Earth System Science Organisation-
National Institute of Ocean Technology
(ESSO-NIOT) Chennai and ESSO-
National Centre for Antarctic and
Ocean Research (NCAOR). It was
deployed from the Norwegian Polar
Institutes research vessel R.V. Lance
in Kongsfjorden Fjord of the Arctic


P
a
g
e
1
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


roughly halfway between North Pole
and Norway on 23 July 2014.

4) S.K. Jain, who was arrested by the
CBI on charges of allegedly accepting
a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to enhance the
credit limit of some companies, was
the Chairman and Managing Director
(CMD) of which public-sector bank?
Syndicate Bank
Explanation : He was arrested on 2
August 2014 by the CBI and was
suspended by the Union Govt. on 4
August 2014. Jain was appointed
CMD of state-owned Syndicate Bank
in July last year for a period of five
years. He was one of the youngest
CMDs of a public sector bank and was
due to retire in 2020.
5) The government of Portugal on 4
August 2014 announced how much
relief package for countrys largest
listed bank Banco Espirito Santo
(BES) to bill out the beleaguered
bank? 4.9 billion euros ($6.58 billion)
Explanation : This relief package was
announced just months after Portugal
exited an international bailout and is
therefore expected to test the Euro
Zones resilience to another banking
crisis. The rescue of Banco Espirito
Santo would include split of the bank
into a good bank, renamed Novo
Banco, and a bad bank, which will
house BES exposures to the troubled
Espirito Santo business empire as well
as its subsidiary.






P
a
g
e
1
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 6, 2014

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
presented its bi-monthly policy review
on 5 August 2014. It kept the policy
repo rate under the liquidity
adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at
8.0%. It also left the cash reserve ratio
(CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged
at 4.0% of net demand and time
liabilities (NDTL). However, which is
the only major rate to be changed in
this policy review? Statutory Liquidity
Ratio (SLR)
Explanation : The SLR of scheduled
commercial banks was reduced by 50
basis points from 22.5% to 22.0% of
their NDTL with effect from the
fortnight beginning 9 August 2014.
The major rates after this policy review
are as follows:
* Short-term lending (repo) rate
unchanged at 8%
* Cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged
at 4%
* SLR cut by 0.50% to 22% to unlock
banking funds
* Lowers banks SLR holdings in held-
to-maturity category by 0.5% to 24%

The other major estimates/projections
in this policy review are as follows:
* Estimates GDP growth at 5.5% for
current fiscal
* Targets 8% CPI inflation by January
2015, 6% by Jan 2016
* Govt policies to improve domestic
demand, supply conditions
* Higher oil prices, pass-through of
administered price increases pose
upside risks to inflation


P
a
g
e
1
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


* Monsoons still a concern, posing
risks to inflation
* Govt. action on food management
and fast-tracking project completion to
improve supply
* Banking sector reforms will continue

2) Who on 5 August 2014 took over as
the first woman Chief Justice of
Calcutta High Court, which is the
oldest High Court of India? Justice
Manjula Chellur
Explanation : Justice Chellur was till
now the Chief Justice of Kerala High
Court. She broke the gender barrier on
a number of occasions, starting from
being the first lady advocate to
practice in Bellary in Karnataka

3) What important notification
pertaining to dissection of animals in
colleges was issued by the University
Grants Commission (UGC) during
August 2014? It has banned the
dissection in zoology and life sciences
undergraduate and postgraduate
courses
Explanation : In this notification, the
UGC has asked universities and
colleges across India to stop
dissection of animals immediately. The
ban follows discussions with the
People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) India and the Minister
for Women & Child Development,
Maneka Gandhi. The UGC had issued
a partial ban on dissection in 2011. It
is estimated that around 19 million
animals are dissected in the labs of
countrys universities and colleges
every year.

4) On 4 August 2014 what deadline
was announced by Beijings Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau for
ban of all coal use in the city?
Year 2020
Explanation : Beijings Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau
announced year 2020 as the deadline
for imposing complete ban of coal in
the Chinese capital. Coal-fired power


P
a
g
e
1
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


and heating is a major generator of
greenhouse gases and has helped
turn China into the worlds largest
emitter of carbon and other heat-
trapping gases. Coal accounted for a
quarter of Beijings energy
consumption in 2012 and 22% of the
fine particles floating in the citys air.
Motor vehicles, industrial production
and general dust also contributed to
pollution in city with a population of 2.1
crore. Pressure is growing on Chinas
central government to clean up the
countrys polluted environment, as
discontent over smog and water and
soil contamination grows among
Chinas growing middle class.

5) Which company during the quarter
of April-June 2014 toppled South
Korean mobile giant Samsung to
become the largest mobile handsets
selling company in India? Micromax
Explanation : Micromax is a home-
grown mobile brand. According to data
released by Hong Kong-based
Counterpoint Technology Market
Research, Micromaxs share of the
overall handset market (smartphones,
feature phones, and low-cost
handsets) stood at 16.6%, while
Samsung settled for 14.4% during
April-June 2014. Nokia was relegated
to the third spot with a 10.9% share,
while Karbonns share was 9.5% and
Lavas 5.6%. However, Samsung
retained its top slot in the smartphone
market with a 25.3% share, while
home-grown players Micromax
(19.1%) and Karbonn (5.9%) were
second and third, respectively.





P
a
g
e
1
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 7, 2014

1) In order to solve the ongoing tussle
between India and the WTO (World
Trade Organisation), India has
suggested fixing of the base year for
food subsidies on the basis of average
of last three years. What is the year
proposed by the WTO to be taken as
the base year? 1986-87
Explanation : India is of the view that
taking 1986-87 as a base year in
2014-15 is completely illogical and it
has hence suggested a more scientific
calculation for base year calculation.
Indian Government had vetoed the
adoption of a WTO treaty to simplify,
standardise and streamline the rules
for shipping goods across borders,
having previously agreed to its terms
at a ministerial conference in Bali
(Indonesia) during December 2013.
India wanted more attention paid to its
concerns over WTO limits on
stockpiling of food which will ultimately
hit its subsidised food distribution
programme, the worlds largest,
targeted at nearly 850 million people.

2) The Securities Laws (amendment)
Bill, 2014 was approved unanimously
by the Lok Sabha on 6 August 2014.
This Bill empowers the SEBI with
powers to disgorge (taking back the
money) the money from fraudulent
companies and schemes. SEBI has
issued disgorgement orders only in
two cases in over two decades of its
formation. Which two cases are these?
IPO irregularities issue of 2006 and
the Satyam Computer scandal
Explanation : According to the
provisions in this bill, the money
collected through SEBIs disgorgement
orders will now be parked in SEBIs


P
a
g
e
1
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Investor Protection and Education
Fund (IPEF).

3) The Union Cabinet on 6 August
2014 cleared a proposal to allow 100%
foreign direct investment (FDI) in
Indian Railways. Apart from this, two
U.S. companies were shortlisted for a
proposed diesel locomotive factory to
be built in Bihar. Which two companies
are these? GE and EMD
Explanation : GE (GE Transportation
Systems) is a leading U.S. based
locomotive manufacturer and is
engaged in manufacturing of both
electric and diesel locomotive engines.
EMD (Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.)
designs, manufactures and sells
diesel-electric locomotives and diesel
power engines under the EMD brand.
It is owned by Caterpillar through its
wholly owned subsidiary Progress Rail
Services Corporation.
After 100% FDI in Indian Railways,
except operations of trains, FDI can be
brought into all other areas like high-
speed train systems, freight terminals,
building of rail links, electrification and
signalling systems.

4) Noted Indian cartoonist Pran Kumar
Sharma, popularly known as Pran,
passed away on 5 August 2014 at the
age of 75. He was the creator of iconic
Indian cartoon characters such as
Chacha Chaudhary and his friend
Sabu, Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman
and Channi Chachi. What was the
name of first character created by
him? Dabbu
Explanation : He created the character
Dabbu for a Delhi-based
newspaper Milap. His most famous
character was Chacha Chaudhary
which was first published in 1969 in
Lotpot, a famous Hindi magazine.
Later (in 1981) all his characters were
given shelf space in Gulshan Rais
Diamond Comics and this publication
became almost synonymous with Pran
and his comic characters.
5) Who was appointed as the Deputy
NSA (National Security Advisor) on 4
August 2014? Arvind Gupta


P
a
g
e
1
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : The post of Deputy NSA
had fell vacant after the resignation of
Nehchal Sandhu, who took retirement
on 31 July 2014 some 20 months
before the end of his term. Arvind
Gupta is a 1979-batch Indian Foreign
Service (IFS) officer who retired in
2013. He was presently working as
Director-General of Institute of
Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA).

6) Which country during August 2014
held a special tribute named Lights
Out to pay tribute to all those who
died in the First World War? Britain
Explanation : The project named
Lights Out was held on the occasion
of the 100 years of the First World
War. Under this lights were turned-off
all over Britain on 4 August 2014 to
pay tribute to all those who died in this
War. The Lights Out project was
organised by the Royal British Legion
and people in the UK were urged to
leave just one light on or candle
burning for an hour approaching the
declaration of war. It was inspired by a
famous comment made by the then
Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey,
shortly before the war began on 4
August 1914.

August 8, 2014


1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on
6 August 2014 issued guidelines for
asset reconstruction companies
(ARCs) to increase their investments
in security receipts (SRs) with the
objective of strengthening the asset
recovery sector. What is the minimum
prescribed percentage of funds that


P
a
g
e
1
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


ARCs would now have to invest in
SRs as directed in this RBI guideline?
15%
Explanation : This minimum
investment requirement for ARCs was
5% at present. Public sector banks sell
their bad loans or NPAs (non-
performing assets) to these ARCs.
Sale of bad loans to ARCs gained
momentum in 2013-14 mainly because
banks were able to obtain better prices
for these sales. But this RBI directive
is likely to dissuade ARCs from
offering a better price, since they will
now have to make a higher upfront
payment.

2) Who is heading the special
committee to review the security of
Indian Parliament that was constituted
on 7 August 2014? RK Singh,
Former Union Home Secretary
Explanation : This special committee
was constituted Lok Sabha Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan and will include
former Rajasthan DGP Harish
Chandra Meena and former Mumbai
Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh.
The committee has been asked to give
its report within one month after
making a comprehensive review of the
existing security set-up and suggest
measures to further strengthen it. In
the previous Lok Sabha, a committee
on security in Parliament complex,
headed by then Deputy Speaker Karia
Munda, was set up in the aftermath of
the pepper spray attack inside Lok
Sabha by a suspended Congress MP
that sparked massive outrage. The
Parliament witnessed a terrorist attack
on 13 December 2001 when five
terrorists in a white Ambassador car
with a red beacon had stormed the
Parliament complex.

3) What are the names of two former
Khmer Rouge leaders who were
sentenced for life by Cambodias UN-
backed court on 7 August 2014 after
being found guilty of crimes against
humanity? Nuon Chea and Khieu
Samphan
Explanation : The two are the most
senior surviving ex-Khmer Rouge


P
a
g
e
2
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


officials and were convicted for crimes
against humanity, political persecution
and other inhumane acts committed
during the infamous Khmer Rouge era
from 1975-1979. 88 year old Nuon
Chea was known as Brother Number
Two during Khmer Rouge era while
83 year old Khieu Samphan was the
head of the state. Led by Brother
Number One Pol Pot, who died in
1998, the Khmer Rouge dismantled
modern society with regime atrocities
affecting virtually every family in
Cambodia.

4) Mexicos Congress on 6 August
2014 gave final approval to a historic
reform that would open up an
important state-controlled sector to
foreign investment for the first time
since 1938. Which sector is this?
Energy Sector (comprising of oil and
natural gas)
Explanation : Mexican energy sector
has been a monopoly of state-run
energy giant Pemex since foreign
companies were kicked out of Mexico
75 years ago. On 6 August countrys
Congress voted 78-26 for the package
of Bills that will break this monopoly
and will allow foreign companies to
sign profit-sharing contracts with
Mexico. The reform is the centrepiece
of President Pena Nietos reform drive
to breathe new life into Latin Americas
second biggest economy. However,
this move is opposed by the leftist
opposition who is saying that it will
amount to a damaging privatisation of
Pemex.

5) Indian cricket team almost
surrendered to English bowlers as it
was dismissed for a paltry 152 runs in
the opening day of the fourth Test
match at Manchester on 7 August
2014. The Indian team became the
owner of an ignominous statistic with
six of their batsmen getting out for
ducks (zero), thereby equalling the
record number of six ducks in a single
Test inning by an international team.
India now jointly hold this record of six
ducks with which two other countries?
South Africa and Bangladesh


P
a
g
e
2
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : Six Indian batsmen
(Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar
Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pankaj
Singh) were dismissed without scoring
a single run. Only three batsmen
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (71),
Ajinkya Rahane (24) and
Ravichandran Ashwin (40) had
respectable scores against their
names. The last time that India had
five batsmen out for duck was during
the 1952 series at the Headingley,
when England won by seven wickets
inside four days.

August 9, 2014

1) The World Health Organization
(WHO) on 8 August 2014 declared the
Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an
international public health emergency.
The emergency was declared a Public
Health Emergency of International
Concern (PHEIC), which is the name
of the formal declaration of health
emergency by the WHO. On how
many occasions the PHEIC
declaration has been issued by the
WHO till date? Three
times (including this Ebola declaration)
Explanation : PHEIC is a legally
binding international instrument on
disease prevention, surveillance,
control, and response adopted by 194
countries worldwide. It was first issued
in April 2009 for H1N1 (Swine Flu)
epidemic. The second declaration of
PHEIC was issued in May 2014 with
the resurgence Polio after its near-
eradication. On 8 August WHO
declared its third PHEIC in response to
the outbreak of Ebola in Western
Africa.


P
a
g
e
2
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


2) U.S. fighters dropped bombs on
Islamic militants in Iraq on 8 August
2014, a day after U.S. President
Barack Obama authorised the
Pentagon to launch targeted airstrikes
on Islamic militants in Iraq. This attack
is the deepest American engagement
in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew from
the country after nearly a decade of
war. In which year U.S. troops
withdrew completely from Iraq? In
2011
Explanation : The withdrawal of U.S.
military forces from Iraq began in June
2009 and was completed by
December 2011. The last U.S. troops
left Iraq on 18 December 2011, in
accordance with the agreement signed
between the then U.S. President
George W. Bush and the Iraqi
Government. U.S. troops had invaded
Iraq on 20 March 2003.
At the request of the Iraqi Govt.,
American military planes on 7 August
2014 also carried out airdrops of food
and water to tens of thousands of Iraqi
religious minorities (the Yazidis) atop a
mountain surrounded by militants and
desperately in need of supplies.
However, the U.S. President vowed
anew not to put American combat
troops back on the ground in Iraq,
being mindful of the publics aversion
to another lengthy war.

3) What is the name of the Border
Security Force (BSF) jawan, who was
swept into Pakistan by strong currents
of Chenab River and after being
picked up by Pakistan Rangers, was
handed over to BSF authorities on 8
August 2014? Satyasheel Yadav
Explanation : Satyasheel Yadav was
captured by Pakistani troops after he
was swept away by strong currents in
the Chenab river into Pakistani
territory on 6 August 2014. He was
handed over to BSF authorities on 8
August in RS Pura sector of Jammu
district in the Jammu sector by the
Pakistani Rangers. Indian Govt. had
raised the issue of the expeditious
release of Satyasheel through
diplomatic channels both in India and
Pakistan on 7 August 2014.


P
a
g
e
2
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


4) Who was appointed as the
Managing Director (MD) of public-
sector based Mangalore Refinery and
Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) on 7
August 2014? H. Kumar
Explanation : H.Kumar replaced PP
Upadhya, who retired as MD of MRPL
on 31 July 2014. Kumar was till now
posted as the Executive Director
(corporate strategy and planning) of
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
Limited (HPCL). MRPL is an oil
refinery established in 1993 at
Mangalore (Karnataka). It is a
subsidiary of ONGC.
5) Social networking company
Facebook during August 2014
acquired which cyber-security startup
firm to boost its huge server network?
PrivateCore
Explanation : PrivateCore is a
California-based cyber-security startup
firm that was launched in 2012. The
company specializes in protecting
servers against malware and other
kinds of virus intrusions. However, the
terms of this deal were not released by
the two companies.

August 10-11, 2014

1) Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan won the Presidential
election held in the country on 10
August 2014. Why these elections
were a watershed event in countrys
91-year history? Because this was
the first-ever direct presidential
elections in the country


P
a
g
e
2
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : The Turkish president
was previously chosen by parliament,
but a 2010 referendum gave Turks the
power to choose the head of state by
direct vote. With 99% of ballot boxes
counted, Erdogan had 51.95% of the
vote. Opposition candidate
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a former
diplomat and academic had 38.34%
and the third candidate, Selahattin
Demirtas, had 9.71%. 60-year
Erdogan old has been in power since
2003. Barred by party rules from
seeking a fourth term as prime
minister, he has faced multiple
challenges to his 11-year rule, amid
growing opposition to his authoritarian
style. A clear victory in these elections
is expected to solidify his hold on
Turkey.

2) Indias capital market regulator
SEBI cleared final guidelines for
creation and listing of business trusts
for key sectors of real estate and
infrastructure on 10 August 2014.
These guidelines have been cleared to
help attract greater foreign and
domestic investments into these
sectors. What are the names of
business trusts associated with real
estate and infrastructure which would
be created and listed with these SEBI
guidelines? Real Estate Investment
Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure
Investment Trusts (InvITs)
Explanation : Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley had outlined the proposal for
establishment of Real Estate
Investment Trusts (REITs) and
Infrastructure Investment Trusts
(InvITs) in the Union Budget 2014-15
presented on 10 July 2014. The new
norms would enable listing and trading
of REITs and InvITs as any other
security on the stock exchange
platforms and would also help create
new platforms for raising of funds by
real estate and infrastructure
companies. Along with foreign
investors, domestic institutions like
insurers, pension funds and provident
funds would also be allowed to invest
in these trusts.



P
a
g
e
2
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


3) SEBI gave its approval to single
registration for stock brokers recently.
What would be the main benefit for
brokers with this approval? Now the
brokers would not need to obtain
multiple certificates from SEBI for
operating in the different segments of
equity, equity derivatives, currency
derivative and debt
Explanation : Under the proposed
regime, initial certificate of registration
as stock broker/clearing member will
be granted by SEBI and subsequent
permissions to act as stock
brokers/clearing member of other
stock exchanges/clearing corporations
will be granted by respective stock
exchange/clearing corporation after
following the prescribed procedure.
The latest SEBI move will also obviate
the need for separate certificate for
each category of operations trading
member, trading-cum-self clearing
member and professional clearing
member.

4) What is the name of the newly
constituted act which was signed into
law by the U.S. President Barack
Obama on 8 August 2014 and which
authorises the President to appoint a
Special Envoy in the near East and
South Central Asia? Near East and
South Central Asia Religious Freedom
Act
Explanation : The House of
Representatives had passed the Bill
associated with this Act on 25 July and
the Senate passed it on 29 July 2014.
The Bill requires the Special Envoy to
promote the right of religious freedom
of religious minorities in the countries
of the near East and South Central
Asia, denounce the violation of such
right, and recommend appropriate US
Government responses to such
violations. The Special Envoy carries
the rank of that of an ambassador.

5) Who is the author of the book
Strictly Personal, the new biography
of the former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and his wife
Gursharan Kaur, which is to be
released during August 2014?


P
a
g
e
2
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Daman Singh, the daughter of
Manmohan Singh
Explanation : Daman Singhs book
does not deal with the period of Dr.
Singhs tenure as the Prime Minister,
instead it is a description of all the
years before 2004. The book portrays
her parents on the basis of interviews
with them conducted over the past five
years, and Manmohan Singhs letters
to friends during his student years.

August 12, 2014

1) What is the name of the proposed
airline of Tata-SIA Airlines Limited
(TSAL), a joint-venture between Tata
Group and Singapore International
Airlines (SIA)? Vistara
Explanation : The much-anticipated
name was announced on 11 August
2014 by TSAL amid the release of the
aubergine and gold logo of Vistara.
Vistara is derived from the Sanskrit
word, which means limitless expanse
and draws inspiration from the brands
domain the limitless sky. It would be
a full service airline service and may
take to the skies in October 2014.

2) Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
introduced The Repealing and
Amending Bill, 2014 in the Lok Sabha
on 11 August 2014, which seeks to
remove obsolete Amendment Acts and
Principal Acts from the statute books
as they have outlived their utility. How
many archaic laws are proposed to be
repealed through this bill? Thirty Six
(36)
Explanation : This is the first time
since 2001 that such an exercise is
being undertaken by the Law Ministry.
The Amendment Acts which are


P
a
g
e
2
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


sought to be repealed include
amendments to the Representation of
the People Act, Marriage Act, Election
Laws, Divorce Laws and Anand
Marriage Act and the Evidence Act.
Two of the standalone Acts which will
also be repealed through the Bill are
Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947, and
Sugar Undertaking (Taking Over of
Management) Act. Through the Bill,
the Government also seeks to amend
a patent error committed by the Law
Ministry during the passage of the
Whistleblowers Bill. While the Bill
became an Act in May this year, it is
called the Whistleblowers Protection
Act, 2011 instead of 2014. Between
1950 and 2001, over a hundred Acts
have been repealed by such bills.

3) Who was nominated as the new
Prime Minister of Iraq to replace Nouri
al-Maliki on 11 August 2014? Haider
al-Abadi
Explanation : Haider al-Abadi, is a low-
key figure who spent much of his life
living in exile in Britain, before
returning to Iraq after the 2003
invasion. Iraqi President Fouad
Massoum nominated Haider al-Abadi,
a member of the governments Shia
coalition, as the countrys next Prime
Minister. But this nomination has set
off a potential clash with Nouri al-
Maliki, the current Prime Minister, who
has demanded he remain in power.
Maliki has insisted that he had the
right to form the government as he
commands the largest bloc in the Iraqi
Parliament. On 10 August, a defiant
Maliki mustered Iraqi forces in the
Green Zone, Baghdads government
centre. However, Maliki has been
accused of pursuing a sectarian
agenda and excluding the moderates
from power.

4) What is the name of NASAs
vintage spacecraft which successfully
completed a return visit to the earth-
moon system during August 2014?
ISEE-3
Explanation : The ISEE-3 spacecraft
made its closest approach to the earth
on 9 August 2014 and a flyby of the
moon on 10 August 2014. Its closest


P
a
g
e
2
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


approach was 15,600 km from the
moons surface. This spacecraft was
originally launched in 1978 and was
tasked with studying the outer reaches
of the earths magnetosphere. Its
second mission was in the 1980s to
chase comets before NASA decided to
shut it down in 1997. In an
unprecedented move, NASA formally
handed over control of ISEE-3 to a
private ISEE-3 Reboot Project, which
was formed through a crowd-funding
project.

5) Which batsman on 9 August 2014
broke cricketing-great Sir Don
Bradmans 66-year-old record for most
scores of 190 plus? Kumar
Sangakkara of Sri Lanka
Explanation : Kumar Sangakkara
struck his 10
th
double hundred in Galle
(Sri Lanka) on 9 August in the first
innings of the first Test match against
Pakistan. With this double century he
broke the record of nine double
centuries made by West Indian Brian
Lara. The knock also put him two
behind the great Don Bradman.
However, he managed to break the
Australians 66-year-old record for
most scores of 190 plus.

August 13, 2014

1) Indian Parliament on 12 August
2014 passed the bill to empower SEBI
to act against ponzi operators and
market manipulators more effectively.
What is the name of this bill? The
Securities Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014


P
a
g
e
2
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : The bill was passed by
the Lok Sabha on 6 August 2014 and
the Rajya Sabha passed it on 12
August 2014. It empowers SEBI to act
against ponzi operators and market
manipulators more effectively through
search and seizure, attachment orders
and recovery proceedings and with
access to call data records. This
marks a dilution from the direct powers
granted to SEBI Chairman through as
many as three ordinances in the past
one year to authorise search and
seizure operations. Under the act
constituted (with the passing of this
bill), a special SEBI court would be set
up in Mumbai to fast track prosecution
proceedings launched by SEBI, as
also to clear search and seizure
operations proposed by SEBI.

2) What is the key recommendation of
Indian telecom and broadcasting
regulator TRAI pertaining to
independence of press in India, as
announced by it on 12 August 2014?
Restrictions should be imposed on
political bodies and corporates from
entering the television and newspaper
business
Explanation : The Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) presented a
paper on Issues Relating to Media
Ownership on 12 August 2014 under
its Chairman Rahul Khullar. In this
paper it suggested that political
bodies, religious bodies and central
and state government ministries or
departments should be barred from
entry into broadcasting and television
channel distribution sectors. It also
recommended if such a permission
has been given, an appropriate exit
route must be provided. In an attempt
to ensure plurality of news and views,
it suggested restrictions on political
bodies and corporates entering the
television and newspaper business.
With respect to the media regulator,
TRAI said Government should not
regulate the media; there should be a
single regulatory authority for TV and
print mediums.

3) Petroleum Ministry recently
accorded its in-principle approval for


P
a
g
e
3
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


stake-sale in ONGC which may fetch
the government about Rs. 18,000
crore to meet disinvestment target for
the current fiscal. For this how much
stake-sale in the company is
proposed? 5%
Explanation : As per the Budget 2014-
15, the disinvestment target
is Rs. 58,425 crore including receipts
from disinvestment of government
stake in the non-government
companies. The Department of
Disinvestment (DoD) has kick-started
the process of stake sale in ONGC
and has invited bids for appointing
merchant bankers to manage the
share sale.

4) What is the name of the 45
megawatt hydro-electricity project in
J&K that was dedicated to the nation
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
12 August 2014? Nimoo Bazgo
Hydroelectric Project
Explanation : The project is on the
Indus River and is situated at village
Alchi, 70 kilometers from Leh in J&K
state. The Prime Minister dedicated
this project on the occasion of his visit
to the state on 12 August. He also laid
the foundation stone for Leh-Kargil-
Srinagar transmission system on this
occasion.

5) The Wadia Group-owned GoAir
declared that it has entered into profit
zone by earning a profit of around Rs.
100 crore during financial year 2012-
13. It has thus become only the
second airline in Indian market space
to earn profits. Which was the only
profit-earning airline in the Indian
airline space till now? IndiGo
Explanation : GoAir was founded in
2005 as an aviation venture of Wadia
group of Bombay Dyeing fame. IndiGo
was founded in 2006 by Rahul Bhatia.
It is the largest Indian airline at present
and was the only profitable airline
venture in India. Both GoAir and
IndiGo operate in the low-cost
segment but IndiGos marketshare of
around one-third of Indian market is
way more than that of GoAir (around
9%).


P
a
g
e
3
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


6) Tata Motors launched a new car
after a gap of almost 4 years on 12
August 2014. What is the name of this
car? Zest
Explanation : Zest is a all-new
compact sedan launched by the
company. It is available in both petrol
and diesel variants. The top-end petrol
is priced at Rs.5.99 lakh and the top-
end diesel at Rs.6.99 lakh (ex-
showroom in Delhi). Given that the
Tata Motors performance in the
domestic market has been under a lot
of pressure in the recent past, a lot
depends on the success of the Zest.

7) Oscar winning Hollywood actor
Robin Williams was found dead in his
home in California on 11 August 2014.
He was considered one of the most
talented actors in Hollywood at present
with incredible ability to excel in both
comic and serious roles. For which film
he won the Oscar Award for Best
Supporting Actor? Good Will
Hunting (1997)

August 15-16, 2014

1) A landmark bill to overturn the
collegium system for higher judiciary
was passed by the Lok Sabha on 13
August 2014. What is the name of this
passed bill? - The National Judicial
Appointments Commission Bill, 2014
Explanation : The bill was passed by
the Lok Sabha by a voice-vote. Union
Govt. is against the collegium system
of judges appointing judges. Under the
collegium system top judges of the
Supreme Court, headed by the Chief
Justice of India, decides the
appointment of judges to higher


P
a
g
e
3
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


courts. Under the new law, where the
National Judicial Appointments
Commission will decide appointment
of judges to Supreme Court and High
Courts, seniority along with ability and
merit will be considered for elevation.

2) 99
th
Constitution Amendment Bill
was passed by the Lok Sabha on 13
August 2014. What is the subject of
this constitutional amendment?
Giving Constitutional status to the
proposed National Judicial
Appointments Commission
Explanation : The 99
th
Constitution
Amendment Bill was passed by 367
members in favour and nil against it.

3) Which city was chosen as the ad
hoc capital of Andhra Pradesh by the
state government on 12 August 2014?
Vijayawada
Explanation : Vijayawada would be
used as ad hoc capital of the state
until the needed infrastructure and
other projects for the new capital are
completed. Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minsiter N. Chandrababu Naidu also
asked the members of the advisory
committee on Capital City to see that
the ad hoc capital houses key
administrative offices during the
interregnum.

4) Who was elected as the Deputy
Speaker of the Lok Sabha on 13
August 2014? - M. Thambidurai
Explanation : M. Thambidurai
represents AIADMK in the Lok Sabha.
He was elected unanimously as
almost all parties moved motions for
his election, including the Congress.
The AIADMK has 37 MPs in the lower
house of parliament and is the third
largest party after the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) and the Congress.
5) Who were presented the
Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards
for year 2012, 2011 and 2010
respectively on 12 August 2014? -
Sharad Yadav (2012), Karan Singh
(2011) and Arun Jaitley (2010)
6) Who are the two mathematicians of
Indian origin, who are among the eight


P
a
g
e
3
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


winners of the prestigious awards of
the International Mathematical Union
(IMU) announced on 13 August 2014?
- Manjul Bhargava and Subhash Khot
Explanation : These awards were
announced at the inaugural session of
the 9-day International Congress of
Mathematicians (ICM) which began at
Seoul, Republic of Korea on 13
August. The 40 year-old Canadian-
American Manjul Bhargava, a number
theorist from Princeton University, was
one of the four Fields Medalists
chosen for the ICM2014 awards. The
Fields Medal is considered the highest
award in mathematics. Subhash Khot,
an Indian-American theoretical
computer scientist at the Courant
Institute of Mathematical Sciences of
New York University was chosen for
the ICM2014 Rolf Nevanlinna Prize.
7) Indian Railways recently launched a
contact-less smart card enabling
passengers to pay for reserved as well
as unreserved travelling train tickets
as part of a pilot project. What is the
name of this smart card with lifetime
validity? Go-India
Explanation : The Go-India Card has
been launched to be used at
nominated UTS counters and
Automatic Ticket Vending Machines
(ATVMs) and nominated PRS
counters for reserved tickets. The card
will enable passengers to pay for
tickets for long distance reserved,
unreserved and suburban journeys. It
is part of a pilot project to be
implemented on two sectors New
Delhi Howrah and New Delhi
Mumbai. On New Delhi Howrah
sector this card could be used at 6
railway stations New Delhi, Kanpur,
Allahabad, Dhanbad, Asansol and
Howrah whereas on New Delhi
Mumbai sector the card could be used
at New Delhi, Kota, Vadodara, Ratlam,
Surat and Mumbai Central. The card
would be of pre-paid nature and can
be bought for Rs. 70 where passenger
can get a value of Rs. 20 balance.
After that the card can be recharged
for Rs. 20 or in multiples of Rs. 50 up
to Rs. 5,000. Maximum recharge value
for Go-India Card would be Rs.
10,000.


P
a
g
e
3
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 15-16, 2014

1) India created history on 14 August
2014 by winning the bronze medal in
the 41
st
World Chess Olympiad held in
Norway. This was for the first time
India won a medal in the Chess
Olympiad. Which country won the gold
medal (open category) in this edition of
Chess Olympiad? China
Explanation : 41
st
edition of Chess
Olympiad was held from 1 to 14
August 2014 at Troms, a northern
city in Norway. China won the gold
medal in the open category for the first
time by defeating Poland 3-1 in the
11
th
and last round. Hungary clinched
the silver in open category while India
won bronze medal after crushing
Uzbekistan 3.5-0.5 in the final round.
Indian players who represented the
country in open category included
Parimarjan Negi, Sethuraman,
Sasikiran, Adhiban and Lalith Babu.
Top three spots in women category
were claimed by Russia, China and
Ukraine respectively. Chess Olympiad
is a biennial chess tournament in
which teams from all over the world
compete against each other. The
event is organised by FIDE, which
selects the host nation. Total number
of 1,570 players participated at the
41
st
edition of Chess Olympiad, with
881 in the open and 689 in the
womens section.

2) What is the name of the new
scheme announced by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August
2014 to help the poor in opening bank
accounts, which will come with the
facility of a debit card and an
accidental insurance cover of Rs. 1


P
a
g
e
3
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


lakh? Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
Yojana
Explanation : The Union Cabinet has
already cleared the two-phase
financial inclusion scheme under
which bank accounts will be opened
for 15 crore poor persons with an
overdraft facility of Rs 5,000 and
accidental insurance cover of Rs. 1
lakh. The scheme, to be pushed by the
government in a mission mode, seeks
to provide two accounts to 7.5 crore
identified households by August 2018.
The Prime Minister in his
Independence Day address observed
that people have mobile phones but
not bank accounts and he hoped that
the scheme will help in bringing the
benefits of formal banking system to
them.

3) 55 gallantry awards (peacetime)
were announced on the eve of
68
th
Independence Day on 14 August
2014. Who was conferred the lone
Ashok Chakra, Indias highest
peacetime gallantry award? Late
Maj. Mukund Varadarajan
Explanation : Major Mukund
Varadarajan was the officer from the
44
th
battalion of Rashtriya Rifles, who
laid down his life in a gun battle after
killing three Hizbul Mujahideen
militants in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
earlier this year. He was leading an
anti-terrorist search operation in
Qazipathri village in J&K. The other 54
gallantry awards announced on this
occasion were 12 Shaurya Chakras,
39 Sena Medals (gallantry), one Nau
Sena Medal (gallantry) and two Vayu
Sena Medals (gallantry).

4) The Reserve Bank of India on 14
August 2014 announced its decision to
reduce the number of mandated free
transactions for savings bank account
holders at other bank ATMs located in
six metro cities from five to three per
month. This reduction would come into
effect from which date? 1 November
2014
Explanation : The six metro cities
(Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai,
Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad)
were chosen first for reducing the


P
a
g
e
3
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


number of mandated free transactions
as they are well-served in terms of
payment infrastructure. This reduction
in the number of mandated free
transactions will, however, not apply to
customers having no-frills/small/Basic
Savings Bank Deposit Account
(BSBDA) type of accounts as well as
for transactions done by savings bank
account holders at ATMs situated
outside these six metro cities. Banks
are also free to offer free transactions
above this mandated limit.

5) In a departure from the over five-
decades-old tradition of Independence
Day celebrations at Parade Grounds,
the Telangana Chief Minister K.
Chandrasekhar Rao on 15 August
2014 hoisted the national flag at a
newly selected historic spot in capital
Hyderabad. Which place is this? The
Golconda Fort
Explanation : The Andhra Pradesh
governments of the past had been
organising this event at the Parade
Grounds in Secunderabad for well
over 5 decades. In a move aimed at
showcasing the rich cultural heritage
of Telangana, the CM chose the fort
for the first Independence Day
celebrations after formation of
Telangana as a separate state. The
ruined Golconda Fort on the fringes of
Hyderabad was the capital of Qutub
Shahi kingdom from 1518 to 1687.
The fort was built by Kaktiyas of
Warangal during 10
th
century as a mud
fort and was fortified by Qutub Shahis.

6) Which Iranian-born professor
became the first woman ever to win
the Fields Medal of the International
Mathematical Union (IMU), which is
considered the top prize in the field of
mathematics? Dr. Maryam
Mirzakhani
Explanation : Maryam Mirzakhani is a
Iran-born woman professor at Stanford
University (US). She received the
Fields Medal, known as the Nobel
Prize of mathematics, at the
International Congress of Mathematics
in Seoul on 13 August 2014, along
with three other mathematicians
honoured with the prize this year. The


P
a
g
e
3
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


other recipients were Artur Avila,
Manjul Bhargava and Martin Hairer.
Dr. Mirzakhanis research focusing on
geometry and dynamical systems has
contributed to the understanding of
symmetry of curved surfaces, which
has implications for physics and
quantum field theory.

7) Which woman bank officer was
appointed as the Executive Director of
the Bharatiya Mahila Bank on 14
August 2014? SM Swathi
Explanation : SM Swathi was till now
the General Manager of Corporation
Bank. She headed important
branches, zones and other offices
during her tenure in Corporation Bank.
She took the charge on 14 August
2014.

August 17, 2014

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16
August 2014 dedicated to the nation
the largest indigenously-built destroyer
warship INS Kolkata. This huge
6800-tonne warship has been
manufactured by which PSU defence
unit? Mazgaon Dock Limited (MDL)
Explanation : Mazgaon Dock Limited is
public-sector undertaking (PSU) unit
based in Mumbai. It is engaged in
manufacturing warships and
submarines for the Indian Navy, as
well as offshore platforms and
associated support vessels for
offshore oil drilling. INS Kolkata is a
part of the Kolkata Class destroyers
and is the first of the three such ships
that will join the Indian Navy in the
next few years. It has an in-built anti-
submarine capability and can take on
an anti-ship missile and fighter aircraft.
INS Kolkata is also the first Indian ship


P
a
g
e
3
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


to be armed with the land attack, anti-
ship Brahmos missile.
2) The 2
nd
Summer Youth Olympic
Games started on 16 August 2014 in
China with Rugby making its return to
the Olympic programme after 92 years
with these Games. Which Chinese city
is hosting these Games? Nanjing
Explanation : The Youth Olympic
Games were established by the
International Olympic Committee in
2007. The first-ever Summer Youth
Olympic Game was held in 2010 at
Vancouver (Canada). Over 200
countries are taking part in these
Games to be held from 16 to 28
August 2014.
3) Who was appointed the Chairman
of the Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan on 16 August 2014? K.V.
Thomas
Explanation : K.V. Thomas is a senior
Congress leader and former Food
Minister. PAC is the top finance panel
of the Indian Parliament and is
constituted for the auditing of the
expenditure of the Government of
India. It comprises of selected
Members of Parliament (MPs). It is
formed every year with a strength of
not more than 22 members of which
15 are from Lok Sabha, the lower
house of the Parliament, and 7 from
Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the
Parliament. The term of office of the
PAC members is one year. The
Chairman of PAC is selected from the
opposition.
4) The greatest-ever female chess
player retiredfrom competitive chess
arena on 14 August 2014 with the
conclusion of the 41
st
World Chess
Olympiad at Troms (Norway). She
had been the world No.1 woman
player for 25 years and had been one
of the worlds top players for a couple
of decades. She was once ranked No.
8 among men. What is the name of
this legendary player? Judit Polgar
Explanation : Judit Polgar of Hungary
has sometimes been rated as the
greatest sportswoman of all time. Judit
did not want to play with women
because they posed no challenge for


P
a
g
e
3
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


her. Besides, she was good enough to
beat the strongest of men. She has
defeated 10 world champions. The
chess greats whom Judit Polgar had
defeated in her illustrious career
included Garry Kasparov,
Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov,
Veselin Topalov and the present World
Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen.
She was the youngest of the three
legendary Hungarian sisters called
Polgar Sisters, the other two being
Susan (the eldest) and Sofia (the
middle-one).
5) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
announced on 14 August 2014 that its
board has given approval to create an
additional post in the rank of Deputy
Governor. For this RBI has
approached the government for
required legislative changes. Which
post is this? Chief Operating Officer
(COO)
Explanation : The RBI, the central
bank of India, is presently headed by a
Governor and assisted by four deputy
governors looking after different
functions of the bank. It now wants to
create a post of COO and re-allocate
work among the five. The RBI has
been deliberating on a broad HR
restructuring exercise to align
organisational resources and
structures with the needs of the
domestic economy and changes in the
external environment.

August 18, 2014

1) Who was selected as the Chairman
of the Estimates Committee of
Parliament by the Lok Sabha Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan on 16 August 2014?
Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi


P
a
g
e
4
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : The Estimates
Committee consists of 30 members, all
from Lok Sabha, who are elected
by Lok Sabha every year from
amongst its members. The main
function of this committee is to suggest
alternative policies in order to bring
about efficiency and economy in govt.
administration.

2) Who was selected as the Chairman
of the Committee on Public
Undertakings (CoPU) of Parliament by
the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan on 16 August 2014? V.
Shanta Kumar

3) India lost the 5
th
and final test of the
Test series against England at the
Oval on 17 August 2014 to lose the
series 1-3. India suffered a humiliating
loss by an innings and 244 runs after
they were bundled out for a paltry 94
in the second innings in the final test.
England won the series despite a
defeat at Lords in the second Test.
Who was named man of the series?
James Anderson of England
Explanation : James Anderson took 25
wickets in the series and contributed
heavily in Indias series defeat. He
gave this sterling performance despite
being involved in a controversy,
involving Indias Ravindra Jadeja. The
loss at Oval was the third biggest
innings defeat for India. With this
series win England retained the
Pataudi Trophy, awarded to the winner
of the England-India Test Cricket
series.

4) Which area of upper Assams
Golaghat district came to news during
August 2014 due to raids by armed
groups from Nagaland, that left 11
dead and seven injured and forced
over 10,000 people to take shelter in
relief camps? Uriamghat
Explanation : Uriamghat is situated
along the disputed Assam-Nagaland
border. It witnessed raids from
Nagaland-based armed groups on 12
and 13 August 2014. The incident


P
a
g
e
4
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


created panic among the people living
in the disputed area. Assam Chief
Minister Tarun Gogoi on 16 August
2014 sought Prime Minister Narendra
Modis intervention for restoration of
peace in the Uriamghat area.

5) What is the name of the Indo-Nepal
Combined Army Training Exercise that
started from 18 August 2014 near
Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand? Surya
Kiran-VII
Explanation : Surya Kiran-VII is a joint
bilateral army exercise between India
and Nepal being conducted from 18
August to 31 August 2014. It is being
held in the mountain terrain of
Pithoragarh in the Northern Himalayas
at an altitude of 5000-6000 feet under
the aegis of Guard Division. It is the
Second Battalion Level Combined
Exercise and approximately 300
personnel including officers and JCOs
from both the armies are participating
in this exercise.
6) Who took over as the new
Chairman of Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC) on 16 August
2014? Rajni Razdan
Explanation : Rajni Razdan was till
now a member of the UPSC. She
succeeded Prof. D.P. Agrawal, who
also administered the oath of office
and secrecy to her. Razdan, an IAS
Officer of Haryana Cadre of 1973
Batch, joined the UPSC as Member on
19 April 2010. UPSC is Indias central
agency authorised to conduct some of
the premier all-India examinations
including IAS, IES, CDS, NDA, etc.

7) In order to honour its jawans and
officers killed in action, the Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has
decided to prefix the name of these
courageous people with an honourable
word. Which word is this? Shaheed,
which means a martyr
Explanation : CRPF is Indias largest
paramilitary force and is the leading
anti-Naxal operations force, which by
virtue of its huge deployment has the
highest casualty rate among all forces
deployed in internal security duties. It


P
a
g
e
4
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


recently issued orders for use of the
prefix Shaheed with immediate effect
for all casualties where the trooper or
officer was on duty. There was a
demand from all quarters about the
need to address the slain personnel in
a befitting manner. CRPF has the
maximum deployment of troops in anti-
Naxal operations at close to 90,000
personnel and has lost hundreds of
men in combating Maoists over the
years.
8) Which suburb of Missouri State in
the U.S. witnessed widespread
violence, protests and incidents of
looting during August 2014 as a result
of the shooting of a black teenager by
a white policeman? Ferguson
Explanation : Ferguson is a small
suburb in St. Louis County in the state
of Missouri. The violence and protests
started after a black unarmed teenager
Michael Brown was killed by a white
police officer on 9 August 2014. On 16
August 2014 Missouri Governor Jay
Nixon declared a state of emergency
and announced a curfew to go into
effect between midnight and 5 a.m.

August 19, 2014

1) India on 18 August 2014 called off
Foreign Secretary-level talks with
Pakistan slated to be held on 25
August 2014 at Islamabad. What was
the reason given for calling-off these
talks? Pakistani High Commissioner
Abdul Basits meetings with Kashmiri
separatist leaders belonging to the
Hurriyat
Explanation : India on 18 August
conveyed a blunt message to Pakistan
that it was interfering in Indias internal


P
a
g
e
4
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


affairs by holding talks with Kashmiri
separatists. India was upset that
despite being firmly told by the Indian
Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh that
Pakistan has to choose between India
or separatists for talks, its top envoy
Abdul Basit in New Delhi went ahead
with the meeting with the separatist
leader Shabbir Shah, the leader of
Jammu and Kashmir Democratic
Freedom Party (JKDFP). Sujatha
Singh was to travel to Islamabad on 25
August 2014 to hold talks with her
Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Chaudhry,
nearly two years after the Indo-Pak
talks were stalled due to incidents
along the LoC.

2) According to information released
by Indias power regulator Central
Electricity Regulatory Commission
(CERC), around what percentage of
countrys total power generation
capacity is contributed by diesel
gensets (generators)? Around 36%
Explanation : According to the
information released by CERC during
August 2014, millions of diesel
generator (DG) sets working to meet
the shortage in industrial and
commercial units now add up to a
cumulative capacity of 90,000 MW or
around 36% of countrys current
installed generation capacity. Taking
into account domestic loadrunning on
gensets, would take this figure to
beyond 90,000 MW. That figure is
nearly equal to what was Indias total
installed power generation capacity
just over a decade ago (March 2002).
According to CERC data, DG capacity
is growing at a rate of 5,000 MW to
8,000 MW every year. That is higher
than the cumulative nuclear and solar
capacities being added year-on-year in
the country.

3) Who was nominated as the
Parliamentary Party leader of the
AIADMK on 18 August 2014 following
the election of M Thambidurai as
Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
P Venugopal
Explanation : P. Venugopal, a two-time
Lok Sabha MP from Tiruvallur
(reserved) constituency, will be


P
a
g
e
4
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


AIADMK Parliamentary Party leader
and the floor leader of the party in Lok
Sabha. A Navaneethakrishnan, Rajya
Sabha MP and former Advocate-
General, will be the Deputy
Parliamentary Party leader and the
floor leader in the Rajya Sabha.
AIADMK has the third largest MPs in
the Lok Sabha after the BJP and
Congress.

4) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
on 18 August 2014 said that he will
soon leave the Ecuadorian Embassy
he has been holed up for nearly two
years to avoid his arrest. He has been
living in which countrys
Ecuadorian Embassy which he wants
to leave now? Britain
Explanation : Julian Assange, whose
website WikiLeaks published classified
US military and diplomatic documents
embarrassing the US government, has
been living inside the Ecuadorian
embassy building in London since
being granted diplomatic asylum by
the Ecuador Govt. in August 2012. He
is under continuous surveillance and
will be arrested if he leaves the
building. Scotland Yard officers have
been stationed outside the building
round-the-clock for two years now.
Reports suggest that he has
developed life-threatening ailments
that require hospitalisation.

5) Who will head the Indian contingent
as the Chef-de-Mission for the
oncoming 17
th
Asian Games to be held
at Incheon, South Korea during Sep-
Oct 2014? Adille Sumariwala
Explanation : Adille Sumariwala is the
President of the Athletics Federation of
India (AFI). India won 65 medals in the
2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou in
China with 12 medals (5 gold, 2 silver
and 5 bronze) coming from athletics.

6) With 16,100 MW wind power
produced in 2013, China was ranked
World top wind power producing
country in the recently released
Renewables 2014 Global Status
Report. What was Indias rank in this
report? 5
th



P
a
g
e
4
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : India added 1,700 MW
wind producing capacity in year 2013
to emerge as the fifth largest wind
power producing country. China was
followed by USA, Germany, Spain and
India to complete the Top 5 nations in
this list. In terms of annual investment
in the wind energy sector in 2013,
China ranked number one followed by
Germany, UK, India and Canada.
Worlds aggregate wind power
capacity during 2013 stood at 3,18,000
MW.

7) Who was the founder of the
Jharkhand Disom Party (JDP) which
merged with the BJP on 18 August
2014? Salkhan Murmu
Explanation : Jharkhand Disom Party
(JDP) was founded in 2002 by
Salkhan Murmu, who was a former MP
of the BJP. It was founded with the
objective of working for the rights of
the Adivasi (tribal) people of
Jharkhand. The party was merged with
the BJP as it wants to fight the next
assembly elections in the state under
the banner of BJP.

8) The Department of Telecom (DoT)
is considering merger of Mumbai and
Kolkata circles with Maharashtra and
West Bengal service areas. This step
will end roaming charges on
subscribers travelling from these two
cities to other parts in respective
states and vice versa. Which Telecom
Minister had in 2004 started the
discussion to merge certain circles like
Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai into
their respective states? Dayanidhi
Maran
Explanation : Dayanidhi Maran, the
then Telecom Minister in 2004, had
asked the DoT to merge Chennai
service area with Tamil Nadu, Mumbai
with Maharashtra and Kolkata with
West Bengal so that customers are not
required to pay roaming charges within
a state. Later, plans for merger of Uttar
Pradesh West and East were also
taken up. However, in 2005, only
Chennai was merged with Tamil Nadu.


P
a
g
e
4
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 20, 2014

1) What is the name of the
controversial survey conducted by the
Telangana Government throughout the
state on 19 August 2014 and due to
which various sections of the state
were scared and apprehensive?
Samagra Kutumbh Survey or
Intensive Household Survey
Explanation : The Intensive
Household Survey, completed in one
day across Telangana, was to identify
genuine beneficiaries of government
welfare measures. The surveyors
sought to see bank account details
and the Aadhar card. The government
had declared holidays under the
Shops and Establishment Act.
Residents of Telangana, especially
capital Hyderabad, who originally
came from Andhra areas were scared
with this survey as they felt that the
information collected from them would
be used against them at a later stage.
As various sections of the state
populace were apprehensive about
this survey, the matter was taken to
the Hyderabad High Court about
validity of the survey. The High Court
on 14 August 2014 permitted the
Telangana government to go ahead
with the survey on the assurance of
the states Advocate General that the
exercise was not mandatory and
denizens could choose not to answer
the queries of enumerators. The
survey was conducted across the ten
districts in the state with the help of
four lakh government employees and
a huge team of outsourced
enumerators in the state.
2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on
18 August 2014 constituted a 15-
member inter-regulatory committee to
monitor the growing phenomenon of


P
a
g
e
4
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


shadow banking. Who has been
appointed as the Chairman of this
committee? P. Vijaya
Bhaskar (Executive Director, RBI)
Explanation : Shadow banking refers
to banking-like activity by non-banking
finance companies (NBFCs) that
remain outside the regulatory net.
They generally operate as
intermediaries between investors and
borrowers. The role of this newly
constituted committee will be to find
out the volume of money in shadow
banks, who the investors are and
direction of the money flow, etc. Also
real estate dealings will be looked into
very meticulously by the committee.
The 15-member committee comprises
of officials of the RBI, Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI),
Central Economic Intelligence Bureau
and the National Housing Bank (NHB).

3) A Manipur court on 19 August 2014
ordered the release of Manipuri
woman Irom Sharmila, who has
staged a 14-year hunger strike in
protest at human rights abuses in
Manipur. She began her fast on 4
November 2000 after witnessing the
killing of 10 people by the army at a
bus stop near her home in Manipur.
Her protests against the abuses
allegedly committed by security forces
are subject of which law, which has
been opposed in the state? Armed
Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)
Explanation : Sharmila, known as the
Iron Lady of Manipur for her
unwavering and non-violent protest,
has refused food and water for almost
14 years to draw attention to abuses
allegedly committed by security forces,
a subject which comes under the
purview of the AFSPA. The AFSPA,
which covers large parts of
northeastern India and Kashmir, gives
security forces sweeping powers to
search, enter property and shoot-on-
sight and is seen by critics as cover for
human rights abuses.

4) What is the name of the Mission
Director of the Direct Benefits Transfer
(DBT) Scheme, who resigned from the


P
a
g
e
4
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


post during August 2014? S.
Sundareshan
Explanation : Sundareshan was a
1976 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre
and was appointed Mission Director,
Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme, in
June 2013. The reason for his
resignation was not disclosed. The
much touted DBT programme was
rolled-out by the previous UPA
government on 1 January 2013, for
transferring subsidies of various
welfare schemes through the Aadhaar-
linked platform. The UPA government
had also initiated transfer of LPG
subsidy through DBT from 1 June
2013, under which consumers are paid
cash subsidy to help them buy LPG
cylinders at market price.
5) Who was appointed as the Team
Director of the Indian cricket team by
the BCCI on 19 August 2014 for the
upcoming ODI series against England,
a decision which virtually sidelined
Chief Coach Duncan Fletcher? Ravi
Shastri, Former Indian cricketer and
captain
Explanation : While Fletcher will
continue as the head coach of the
team, the shake-up is a clear
indication that his wings will be
clipped. Under pressure to act after
Indias disastrous performance in the
Test series, the BCCI also appointed
former players Sanjay Bangar and
Bharat Arun as assistant coaches and
R. Sridhar as the fielding coach as it
revamped the team management.
BCCI also gave a break to bowling
coach Joe Dawes and fielding coach
Trevor Penny for the upcoming ODI
series.





P
a
g
e
4
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 21, 2014

1) World-renowned Yoga guru B.K.S.
Iyengar passed away at a Pune
hospital on 20 August 2014 at the age
of 96 years. He was considered one of
the foremost Yoga teachers in the
world and founded the style of yoga
known as Iyengar Yoga. Iyegar is
credited with providing global
popularity to Yoga with his unusual
style. What is the name of the iconic
book written by him which is
considered as the Bible of Modern
Yoga? Light on Yoga
Explanation : B.K.S Iyengar (full name
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja
Iyengar) is credited with integrating the
eight aspects of astanga yoga, now
known as Iyengars Yoga. His iconic
book Light on Yoga has been
translated into 19 languages and has
sold more than 3 million copies
worldwide. He was awarded the
Padma Vibhushan, Indias second
highest civilian award, during the
Republic Day celebrations earlier this
year.

2) Who is heading high-level
committee to recommend restructuring
of Food Corporation of India (FCI) that
was constituted by the Union
Government on 20 August 2014?
Shanta Kumar
Explanation : Shanta Kumar is the
former Chief Minister of Himachal
Pradesh and is presently a Lok Sabha
MP of the BJP. The committee will
mainly study various models of
restructuring or unbundling of FCI to
improve its operational efficiency and


P
a
g
e
5
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


financial management as well as
measures for overall improvement in
management of foodgrains by FCI. It is
commonly perceived that FCI is
plagued with several functional and
cost inefficiencies, which need to be
removed for efficient management of
foodgrains and saving costs.

3) Which international finance entity
launched a $2.5-billion onshore Indian
rupee bond programme on 20 August
2014 so as to strengthen the capital
market and support infrastructure
development in India? International
Finance Corporation (IFC)
Explanation : IFC is a member of the
World Bank Group. It finances and
provides advice for private sector
ventures and projects in developing
countries in partnership with domestic
financial institutions and banks. Under
the rupee bond programme, IFC will
use a combination of rupee-
denominated bonds and swaps to
raise local currency financing of up to
$2.5 billion or Rs. 15,000 crore over
the next five years. Proceeds from the
programme will be used for
infrastructure investments in India.

4) On 20 August 2014 the Finance
Ministry ordered a forensic audit to be
done at the branches of two banks in
view of the reports of misappropriation
of funds worth Rs. 436 crore. Which
two banks are involved in this matter?
Dena Bank and Oriental Bank of
Commerce (OBC)
Explanation : According to media
reports, a Mumbai-based branch
manager of Dena Bank mobilised fixed
deposits (FDs), using middlemen, to
the tune of Rs 256.5 crore from seven
corporates, while in the case of OBC,
misappropriation of funds to the tune
of Rs. 180 crore was reported. In the
wake of rising scams in public sector
banks, the Finance Ministry is looking
at various steps, including
strengthening of risk management,
appointment of bank chiefs for longer
tenures, separation of posts and better
quality of nominee and independent
directors.


P
a
g
e
5
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


5) Who took over as the fourth Deputy
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) during July 2014? Subhash
Sheoratan Mundra (S.S. Mundra)
Explanation : S.S. Mundra took the
charge as the Deputy Governor of the
RBI on 31 July 2014. Three other
deputy governors of the RBI are Urjit
Patel, HR Khan, and R. Gandhi.
Before taking this responsibility at RBI,
Mundra was the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of the
public-sector bank Bank of Baroda
(BOB). Mundra filled the vacancy
created by the retirement of K.C.
Chakrabarty in April 2014, two months
before his five-year tenure was come
to an end.

August 22, 2014

1) What is the name of the ambitious
e-governance project of the Union
Govt., which was approved by the
Union Cabinet on 20 August 2014 and
which aims to ensure that government
services are available to citizens
electronically? Digital India Project
Explanation : The project, which has a
total overlay of Rs 1 lakh crore, aims
to ensure that government services
are available to citizens electronically
and help people gain benefits from the
latest information and communication
technology. 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 umbrella. Other


P
a
g
e
5
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


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.

2) Who was chosen as the next Prime
Minister of Thailand by countrys junta-
appointed legislature on 21 August
2014? General Prayuth Chan-ocha
Explanation : General Prayuth Chan-
ocha is due to retire from the army
during September 2014 and was the
only candidate put forward for the post
of Prime Minister. He served as de
facto premier since toppling the
elected govt. of Yingluck Shinawatra
on 22 May 2014. Thai legislatures
choice of Gen. Prayuth as next Prime
Minister will now be endorsed by Thai
King Bhumibol Adulyadej as a mere
formality.
3) What is the name of the American
journalist who was killed by the
militants of the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS) by beheading, as
shown in a video released by the
militants on 19 August 2014? James
Foley
Explanation : The militants of the
Islamic State had released a horrific
video which contained the beheading
of U.S. freelance photojournalist
James Foley. The White House on 20
August 2014 authenticated the video
as real. James Foley thus became the
first American citizen to be formally
executed under the ISIS
establishment.

4) What is the name of the Punjabi
film, the slated release of which on 22
August 2014 was stopped by the
Union Govt. on 21 August 2014?
Kaum De Heere
Explanation : Kaum De Heere is a
Punjabi film on former Prime Minister
Indira Gandhis assassination and its
release was barred by the govt. citing


P
a
g
e
5
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


apprehensions of law and order
problems in parts of the country. The
decision was taken collectively by the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry,
Home Ministry and the Central Board
of Film Certification (CBFC) after
watching the movie. The film is
reportedly based on the lives of the
assassins of the late Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi Beant Singh, Satwant
Singh and Kehar Singh and is
alleaged to glorify their act.

5) Which 5 Indian companies were
listed among Forbes list of the
Worlds 100 Most Innovative
Companies released on 20 August
2014? Hindustan Unilever, Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS), Larsen &
Toubro (L&T), Sun Pharma Industries
and Bajaj Auto
Explanation : Hindustan Unilever was
listed at 14
th
place and in the list and
was followed by TCS (57
th
place), L&T
(58
th
place), Sun Pharma Industries
(65
th
place) and Bajaj Auto (96
th
place)
among Indian companies. The list has
been topped by California-based
global cloud computing company
Salesforce for the fourth year in a row.
Forbes Worlds 100 Most Innovative
Companies is based on innovation
premium, which is a measure of how
much investors have bid up the stock
price of a company above the value of
its existing business based on
expectations of future innovative
results like new products, services and
markets. Salesforce, with a market cap
of USD 35.87 billion, had an
innovation premium of 75.9% and
continued its reign as Forbes most
innovative company for the fourth
straight year.




P
a
g
e
5
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 23-24, 2014

1) What is the name of Indias first
Naval vessel with all weapon systems
built indigenously, that was
commissioned into the Indian Navy on
23 August 2014? INS Kamorta
Explanation : INS Kamorta was
commissioned into the Indian Navy by
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley at
Vishakhapatnam on 23 August. The
first indigenously-built stealth was
handed over to Indian Navy by Garden
Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd.
(GRSE) earlier on 12 July 2014.
GRSE is a public-sector ship building
enterprise and has manufactured INS
Kamorta. The ship will be based at the
Vishakhapatnam-based Eastern
Command of Indian Navy.
2) Which state government on 21
August 2014 announced proposal to
clamp complete prohibition on liquor in
various phases? Kerala
Explanation : The Congress-led United
Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala,
which met 21 August 2014 to discuss
the liquor policy of the government,
decided to bring in prohibition in a
phased manner. The state govt.
proposed to make Kerala a dry state in
10 years. Presently Gujarat is the only
dry state of India.

3) Indias capital market regulator
SEBI on 22 August 2014 ordered
which NBFC entity to refund the
money raised from some 58.5 million
customers through collective
investment schemes (CIS)? Pearls
Agrotech Corp. Ltd
Explanation : Delhi-based Pearls
Agrotech operates from 15 regional
offices and had 3.35 million field


P
a
g
e
5
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


associates in 2011-12. SEBI found
Pearls Agrotech violating CIS
regulations by mobilizing the money
without being registered with the
regulator. The company offered two
kinds of plans- a cash-down payment
plan and an instalment payment plan.
Under the former, it offered to allot
land to customers within 270 days of
payment and under the latter within 90
days.

4) U.R. Ananthamurthy, the writer of
incredible literary works like
Samskara and Bharatipura and the
winner of Indias highest literary
award- the Janapith Award, passed
away on 22 August 2014. He did his
writings in which language?
Kannada
Explanation : U.R. Ananthamurthy (full
name Udupi Rajagopalacharya
Ananthamurthy) was considered the
doyen of Kannada literature. He was
the pioneer of the Navya movement.
His works have been translated into
several Indian and European
languages and have been awarded
with important literary prizes.

5) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on
22 August 2014 released the charter
of customer rights, which seeks to
provide the right to be treated with
courtesy to both the customer and the
financial services provider. What are
the important clauses of this charter?
- The customer should not be unfairly
discriminated against on grounds such
as gender, age, religion, caste and
physical ability when offering and
delivering financial products by the
financial services provider
- The key risks associated with the
financial product as well as any
features that may especially
disadvantage the customer should be
made known to him/her by the
financial services provider
- The financial services provider
should provide customers with product
terms and conditions that are in simple
language, easily understandable, and
with sufficient information that the


P
a
g
e
5
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


customer could be reasonably
expected to make an appropriate
choice of product
- The financial services provider may,
however, have certain special
products which are specifically
designed for members of a target
market group or may use defensible,
commercially acceptable economic
rationale for discriminating between
customers

August 25, 2014

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
during August 2014 notified that the
two-step authentication for credit card
transactions including card not
present transactions is a must as
mandated under the rules. This
announcement was made by the RBI
primarily to set right which anomaly?
To bring under check the so-called
customer-friendly payment model
followed by certain service providers
Explanation : The toughening RBI
stance on two-step authentication
process is primarily aimed to set right
an unintended wrong arising out of the
so-called customer-friendly payment
model followed by certain service
providers. By doing so, they have
managed to give the two-step
authentication requirement a slip.
According to the RBI, however, this is
resulting in foreign exchange outflow.
The non-adherence to the two-step
authentication process has also made
the field uneven for players especially
in fields such as taxi operation.


P
a
g
e
5
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Frequent taxi users among credit card
holders will prefer a cab provider who
accepts a hassle-free payment
process.

2) History was created at Delhis
prestigious St. Stephens College on
23 August 2014 as student from the
Hindi medium was elected president of
its students union. What is the name
of this student who achieved this
success despite his humble
background for a college traditionally
known as college of the elite? Rohit
Kumar Yadav
Explanation : Rohit Kumar Yadav, is
the son of Harish Yadav, who works
as a gardener in the college premises.
A student of 3rd year BA Programme,
Rohit has been educated in Hindi
medium all through his student life. St.
Stephens does not work in
accordance with other Delhi University
colleges. While other colleges are yet
to conduct their students union
elections, St. Stephens conducted its
polls on 23 August and announced the
result the same day.

3) Maharashtra Governor K.
Sankaranarayanan on 24 August 2014
quit the office consequent to his
transfer from Maharashtra. He was
transferred to which state as its next
Governor? Mizoram
Explanation : K. Sankaranarayanan
was transferred from Maharashtra to
Mizoram on the same day. He was
also the only Governor appointed by
the Congress-led UPA to openly come
out against the manner in which the
Modi Government sought his
resignation. He took strong exception
to the Union Home Secretarys action
seeking his resignation.

4) Which company replaced IT giant
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as
Indias most admired company in
Forbes list of Indias Most Admired
Companies for 2014 released during
August 2014? ITC Limited
Explanation : ITC Limited is tobacco-
to-consumer goods conglomerate.
Releasing the third annual list of 45


P
a
g
e
5
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


most admired companies in India for
the year 2014, Forbes magazine
announced there are as many as 19
new entities on the list including GMR
Infra, Shapoorji Pallonji, Idea
Cellular, BSES Rajdhani Limited,
Cognizant and Abbott Pharma. In the
latest list for the year 2014, ITC is
followed by engineering and
infrastructure major L&T, Hindustan
Unilever, carmaker Maruti Suzuki and
public sector bank SBI among the top
five most admired companies in
India. In comparison, the list for 2013
was topped by TCS, followed by HUL,
ITC, Infosys and SBI at in the top-five.
TCS has moved down to the sixth
position this year. The rankings are
based on a survey of over 1,500
companies as per responses from the
top industry executives, including on
the basis of peer group response.

5) What is the name of the American
teenaged swimmer who broke her own
womens 1500 m freestyle World
Record on 23 August 2014? Katie
Ledecky
Explanation : 17-year old Katie
Ledecky broke her own World Record
womens 1500 m freestyle swimming
which she had set in June 2014 by
completing the event in 15 minutes
28.36 seconds. She hacked almost six
seconds off her previous record. This
feat was achieved at the ongoing Pan
Pacific Championships being held in
Gold Coast, Australia.

6) Who won the Belgian F1 Grand Prix
held on 24 August 2014? Daniel
Ricciardo of Red Bull team
Explanation : Australian driver Daniel
Ricciardo pipped this years F1 leader
Nico Rosberg (Germany) to second
spot while third place was claimed by
Williams Valttteri Bottas (Germany).
Now Red Bulls Rosberg has 29 points
lead over his teammate Lewis
Hamilton (Great Britain) for 2014s F1
title.



P
a
g
e
5
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 26, 2014

1) Search engine behemoth Google is
in the process of building the largest
store of information in human history
that autonomously gathers and
merges data from across the web to
provide unprecedented access to all
facts about the world. What is the
name given to this enormous project of
information and knowledge being
implemented by Google?
Knowledge Vault
Explanation : Knowledge Vault will
be a type of knowledge base or a
system that stores information so that
machines as well as people can read
it. Googles existing knowledge base,
called Knowledge Graph relies on
crowd-sourcing to expand its
information. However, humans could
only take it so far so Google decided
to automate the process and
undertake a new project called
Knowledge Vault. Knowledge Vault
has pulled in 1.6 billion facts to date.

2) In an important development, the
Supreme Court on 25 August 2014
declared all coal block allocations
made from 1993 to 2011 illegal and
arbitrary. How many coal block
allocations stand cancelled with this
order? 218
Explanation : While pulling up the
Centre on this issue, the SC Bench
elaborated that the entire allocation of
218 coal blocks as recommended by
the Screening Committee from 14 July
1993, in 36 meetings and the
allocation made through the
government dispensation route
suffered from the vice of arbitrariness
and legal flaws. Though the present
judgment would imply that the coal
block allocations are to be cancelled,
the Bench said the consequences of


P
a
g
e
6
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


declaring the allocations illegal would
be considered on 1 September 2014
taking into account the investments
made by companies for various
projects and the procedure to be
adopted for cancellation. In February
2012, the court had also ordered the
cancellation of spectrum allocations
and directed fresh auction.

3) The results of the by-elections in 18
Assembly constituencies in Bihar,
Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and
Karnataka came as a setback for the
ruling National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) as Congress-led opposition
scored a major win over NDA. How
many seats were won by Congress
and its allies? 10
Explanation : Congress and its allies
won 10 out of 18 Assembly
constituencies where by-elections
were held during August 2014.
Remaining 8 seats were won by BJP
and its allies. The so-called Grand-
Alliance of RJD-JDU-Congress in
Bihar won 6 out of 10 seats while BJP
won and its allies won the remaining 4
seats. In Karnataka Congress secured
win in 2 assembly constituencies while
1 seat went into BJPs fold. In Punjab,
Congress and the ruling Shiromani
Akali Dal (SAD) shared one seat each
while in Madhya Pradesh BJP won 2
and Congress got 1 seat.

4) French President Francois Hollande
dissolved the government on 25
August 2014 and after accepting the
resignation of Prime Minister Manuel
Valls and ordering him to form a new
government by 26 August. What was
the main reason for resignation of
Manuel Valls Socialist government?
The issue of countrys stagnant
economy
Explanation : France has had
effectively no economic growth this
year and President Hollandes
approval ratings are at an all-time low.
The country is under pressure from the
European Union (EU) to get its
finances in order.



P
a
g
e
6
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


5) Renowned Actor-Director Sir
Richard Attenborough passed away at
the age of 90 on 24 August 2014. As
the Director of much-lauded Gandhi
he became an unflagging pillar to
British cinema. In which year his film
Gandhi won 8 Oscar awards to etch
its name in the history of film making?
1982
Explanation : He won the 1982
Academy Award (Oscar) for Best
Director and the Academy Award for
Best Picture for Gandhi. Apart from
his film-making talent, Richard
Attenborough was a prolific actor too.
In his 60-plus years of acting, he
amassed some 70 acting credits,
including Brighton Rock, The Great
Escape, Doctor Dolittle, 10
Rillington Place, Jurassic Park (as
the failed theme park developer) and
the 1994 remake of Miracle on
34
th
Street. (Naturally, he played Kris
Kringle.) He was a constant advocate
for the British film industry as well as
other humanitarian causes, including
his extensive work as a goodwill
ambassador for UNICEF. He was
awarded the Martin Luther King Jr.
Peace Prize in 1983.

August 27, 2014

1) Tata Value Homes, a subsidiary of
Tata Housing with focus on affordable
housing, on 26 August 2014 entered
into partnership with which online
seller to enable users to buy houses
online? Snapdeal
Explanation : As part of the
partnership, about 1,000 homes


P
a
g
e
6
2


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


across projects in cities like Mumbai,
Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and
Chennai will be put up for sale on
Snapdeal. These houses are priced
between Rs. 18-70 lakh and range
from 1 BHK to 3 BHK. Upon
possession of the house, customers
buying the house through Snapdeal
will get Rs. 10,000 per month for a
year as an assured rent (whether they
stay on premise or lease it out) as part
of the deal. Tata Value Homes will
continue to sell through its own portal
as well.

2) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
dropped veteran leaders Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and Murli
Manohar Joshi from its parliamentary
Board, the partys highest decision-
making body, on 26 August 2014. The
three veterans, leading lights of the
BJP for nearly four decades, were
dropped from its central election
committee too. The three leaders were
however placed in a new five-member
guidance panel along with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh. What is
the name of this newly constituted
panel? Margadarshak Mandal
Explanation : The trio of Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and Murli
Manohar Joshi had occupied the top
rung of BJP since the formation of the
party in 1980. Vajpayee has been
unwell, and has not been active in
politics for several years. L.K. Advani
and Murli Manohar Joshi are still
active in politics.

3) Which four persons were named as
the new Governors of the four states
of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka
and Goa by the President on 26
August 2014? Kalyan Singh
(Rajasthan), C. Vidyasagar Rao
(Maharashtra), Vajubhai Rudabhai
Vala (Karnataka) and Mridula Sinha
(Goa)
Explanation : Kalyan Singh is a former
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. C.
Vidyasagar Rao is a former Union
Minister while Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
is a senior leader of the BJP. Mridula


P
a
g
e
6
3


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Sinha is a renowned Hindi writer and
is a former BJP Mahila Morcha
president Mridula Sinha. On the other
hand Manipur Governor Vinod Kumar
Duggal will continue to hold additional
charge of Mizoram until regular
arrangement for the office is made.

4) What is the name of the Jewish
centre in Mumbai that reopened on 26
August 2014, nearly six years after
heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists
stormed the building and killed six
people inside during the infamous
terrorist attacks of 2008? Chabad
House
Explanation : Chabad House is the
name of a Jewish centre in South
Mumbai was left bullet-ridden and
bereft of its directors Rabbi Gavriel
Holtzberg and his pregnant wife Rivky,
who were both killed in the siege. They
were among 166 people killed in the
three-day onslaught which started on
the evening of 26 November 2008,
which targeted five-star hotels, the
popular Leopold Cafe and the main
train station. The refurbished five-
storey Chabad House has a
synagogue, a cafeteria and a function
room for the Jewish community. The
top two floors, due to be turned into a
museum, have been left bearing the
damage from bullets and grenades as
a reminder of the tragedy.

5) What is the name of the probe
launched by American space agency
NASA which passed Neptunes orbit
on 25 August 2014? New Horizons
Explanation : New Horizons was
launched on 19 January 2006 from
Cape Canaveral to study the dwarf
planet Pluto, its moons and one or two
Kuiper Belt objects. It is scheduled to
pass through the Pluto system on 14
July 2015. The probe craft passed
through Neptunes orbit nearly 25
years after Voyager 2 spacecraft
executed the first-ever flyby of faraway
Neptune and its icy moon Triton.

6) Sheila Dikshit tendered her
resignation on 26 August 2014 as the
Governor of which state? Kerala


P
a
g
e
6
4


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : The former Delhi chief
minister Sheila Dikshit was appointed
the Governor of Kerala by the UPA-II
government about five months ago.
She thus became the eighth Governor
to have resigned since the Narendra
Modi government came to power on
26 May 2014.

7) The trustees of the Employees
Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
on 26 August 2014 retained the rate of
interest on provident fund deposits for
2014-15. The move will benefit over 5
crore subscribers across the country.
What is this retained rate of interest?
8.75% per annum
August 28, 2014

1) Indias national carrier offered air
tickets at Rs. 100 (excluding fuel
surcharge, taxes and fees) for five
days beginning 27 August 2014 on the
occasion of Air India Day. Air India
Day is being celebrated for the first
time by Air India. Air-India Day stands
for what? Air Indias amalgamation
with erstwhile Indian Airlines into one
airline as Air India on 27 August 2007
Explanation : Rs. 100 tickets are being
sold only through Air India website
from 27-31 August for travel during 27
August to 30 September 2014.

2) 19
th
Rajiv Gandhi National Quality
Awards for the year 2012 were
announced by Union Minister for
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan on 26
August 2014. Which organisation has


P
a
g
e
6
5


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


won the highest prize under this Award
category? Rail Wheel factory
(Ministry of Railways), Bangalore
Explanation : The award winners and
recipients of commendation
certificates were selected from a total
of 63 applicants from various sectors
following vigorous evaluation by a
group of qualified and trained
professionals from different spheres of
intellectual activity. The awards, given
annually, were instituted by the Bureau
of Indian Standards (BIS) in the year
1991 with a view to encouraging
Indian manufacturing and service
organizations to strive for excellence
and giving special recognition to those,
who are considered to be the leaders
of quality movement in India.

3) What is the name of the U.S. citizen
who came to limelight for being the
first American jihadi to have died in
Syria while fighting for Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a terrorist outfit
that has gained control of large parts
of Syria and Iraq? Douglas McAuthur
McCain
Explanation : According to the Britain-
based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, Douglas McCain died in a
battle between rival extremist groups
in the suburbs of Aleppo, the
commercial capital and largest city of
Syria. He reportedly converted from
Christianity to Islam several years ago.
While McCain is the first American
jihadi to have died fighting for ISIL in
Syria, he is not the only one. The US
estimates say that there are about 100
American passport holders who are
fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

4) Ratan Tata, Tata Sons Chairman
Emeritus, recently made personal
investments in which online
marketplace company?
Snapdeal.com
Explanation : Snapdeal is the second
largest online marketplace in India
after Flipkart.com. The company has
raised about $400 million since its
inception and has invested about $100
million in logistics and operations to
expand its presence in the $3 billion
Indian e-Commerce market. Snapdeal


P
a
g
e
6
6


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


currently houses over 5 million
products across 500 diverse
categories from over 50,000 sellers.
Snapdeal claims that it had seen
600% growth year-on-year for the last
two years.

5) The USB Implementers Forum
(UIF) has come up with the
specifications for a new USB standard.
This standard would make it sure that
theres a new universal port where it
doesnt matter which side faces
upwards or which end of the cable is
used. What is the name of this new
upcoming USB standard? USB 3.1
Explanation : USB stands for Universal
Serial Bus, an industry standard
developed in the mid-1990s that
defines the cables, connectors and
communications protocols used in a
bus for connection, communication,
and power supply between computers
and electronic devices. The first USB
standard was 1.0 which was
introduced in January 1996. The USB
3.1 is will be an update of USB 3.0
which was released in November
2008. It will be backward compatible
with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Using
three power profiles of those defined in
the USB Power Delivery Specification
it lets devices with larger energy
demands request higher currents and
supply voltages from compliant hosts.
USB 3.1 is compatible with up to
10Gbps data transfer rates. That
means a full movie can be transferred
in a single second, theoretically.
August 29-30, 2014

1) The city of Chennai celebrated its
landmark anniversary during August
2014. What landmark anniversary is
this? 375
th



P
a
g
e
6
7


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : The city of Chennai
(previously known as Madras)
celebrated its 375
th
anniversary on 22
August 2014. The city was established
on 22 August 1639 as on this date the
East India Company acquired a small
piece of land from the king of
Chandragiri (Peda Venkata Raya) for
establishing Fort St. George. This
event laid the foundation of the
modern city of Madras, which slowly
started building up around Fort St.
George. The city thus completed 375
years of its establishment during
August 2014.

2) What is the most important
recommendation of the Kelkar
Committee on gas pricing, as
disclosed in the second report of the
committee presented during August
2014? Domestic gas prices should
be linked to the market
Explanation : The committee to
recommend a new gas-pricing formula
was constituted in 2013 under former
Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar. The
suggestion of market-linked pricing for
domestic natural gas came after a
series of consultations by the
committee. The committee in its
recommendations said that natural
resources should be priced at the
highest price possible in the market,
based on market-determined pricing.
This will ensure energy security for the
country by encouraging domestic
exploration and production, efficient
use of the resource and reduction in
the import burden. The first report of
this committee was brought out in
January 2014.

3) 2
nd
Summer Youth Olympics
concluded at Chinas Nanjing city on
28 August 2014. Which country topped
the medals tally at these games?
China
Explanation : Hosts China won 38
gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze medals
to top the medals tally with a total of
65 medals. Russia was second with 27
gold medals and the United States
was third with 10 gold medals. The
second edition of Summer Youth
Olympics 2014 was held from 16 to 28


P
a
g
e
6
8


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 2014 at Nanjing. The first-ever
Summer Youth Olympic Game was
held in 2010 at Vancouver (Canada).

4) To strengthen warehousing facilities
in the commodity futures market,
regulator Forward Markets
Commission (FMC) has come out with
which important proposal during
August 2014? Uniform norms should
be established for the accreditation of
warehousing service providers
Explanation : The draft rules, on which
public comments have been sought by
15 September 2014, come in the wake
of Rs 5,600 crore payment scam at the
National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL)
that surfaced in July last year,
exposing loopholes in the system. The
proposed changes are being made
because at present no uniform norms
are being followed by national level
commodity exchanges for
accreditation of warehousing service
providers (WSPs).

5) The Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) on 28 August 2014 constituted
a high-level committee to scrutinise all
income tax cases arising out of the
retrospective tax amendment. Which
govt. official heads this committee?
TheJoint Secretary of the Foreign Tax
and Tax Research Unit -1 of CBDT
Explanation : The announcement
about this mechanism was announced
by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his
Budget 2014-15 speech on 10 July
2014. According to the terms of
reference for the new committee, it
would decide on such retrospective
cases within of 60 days of receiving
them from the Assessing Officer.
Retrospective tax is the tax rate levied
by income tax department which is
perceived higher by the company
being assessed, charged higher due to
some unknown reasons.



P
a
g
e
6
9


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


August 31, 2014

1) Narendra Modi arrived at which
country on 30 August 2014 on his first
bilateral foreign visit outside South
Asia after becoming Prime Minister?
Japan
Explanation : Prime Minister Narendra
Modi arrived at Tokyo on his five-day
official visit to Japan. The two
countries Modi visited before Japan
are Bhutan and Nepal. This Japan visit
is expected to boost bilateral relations
in several key fields such as defence,
civil nuclear and infrastructure besides
commerce.

2) India and Japan signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
on 30 August 2014 to turn Varanasi
into a smart city. This MOU was
signed on the occasion of Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modis official visit
to Japan. Which Japanese city would
provide its expertise to turn Varanasi
in a smart city? Kyoto
Explanation : Under the signed MOU a
Smart Heritage Cities Programme
would be implemented in Varanasi.
Under this programme Kyoto will
provide cooperation in the fields of
conservation and modernisation of
Varanasi, as well as art, culture and
academics. Kyoto is called the city of
ten thousand shrines and has been
the imperial capital of Japan for more
than 1,000 years. The city has
modernised while keeping its old city,
temples and monuments alive.

3) Prof. Bipan Chandra, who passed
away on 30 August 2014, was a
renowned academician associated
with which field? History


P
a
g
e
7
0


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


Explanation : Prof. Bipan Chandra was
considered to be a specialist in
economic and political history of India.
He wrote several authentic books on
modern Indian history including The
Rise and Growth of Economic
Nationalism, In the Name of
Democracy: The JP Movement and
the Emergency, Nationalism and
Colonialism in Modern India and The
Making of Modern India: From Marx to
Gandhi. Prof. Chandra had donned
multiple roles including that of
chairperson of the Centre for Historical
Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
Member of the University Grants
Commission (UGC) and the Chairman
of the National Book Trust (NBT). His
text books on History have been
taught in schools and colleges in the
country for a long time.

4) Indias P.V. Sindhu had to be
content with the bronze medal in
womens singles event at the World
Badminton Championships held at
Copenhagen (Denmark) after she lost
in the semi-final on 30 August 2014.
Which player defeated Sindhu in this
match? Carolina Marin of Spain
Explanation : 9
th
seeded Carolina
Marin defeated P.V. Sindhu by 21-17,
21-15 to reach womens singles final.
She will take on World No.1 and
reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui
of China in the finals. The 11
th
seeded
Sindhu had created history on 29
August 2014 when she made into the
semi-finals to become the first Indian
to notch two medals at the
badmintons most prestigious event,
having also clinched the bronze last
year in Guangzhou.

5) What is the GDP growth rate of
India during the first quarter (April-
June) of 2014-15, which is the best
growth rate in around ten quarters?
5.7%
Explanation : The GDP growth of 5.7%
during first quarter (Q1) was recorded
as compared with the same quarter of
2013-14. According to the data
released by the Central Statistics
Office (CSO) on 29 August 2014,


P
a
g
e
7
1


C
U
R
R
E
N
T

A
F
F
A
I
R
S


quarterly GDP at factor cost at
constant (2004-2005) prices for Q1 of
2014-15 is estimated at Rs14.38 lakh
crore, as against Rs13.61 lakh crore in
Q1 of 2013-14, showing a growth rate
of 5.7% over the corresponding
quarter of previous year. The
economic activities which registered
significant growth in Q1 of 2014-15
over Q1 of 2013-14 are electricity, gas
& water supply at 10.2%, financing,
insurance, real estate and business
services at 10.4% and community,
social and personal services at 9.1%.















Current Affairs | Banking & Financial | Daily Multiple Choice Questions | Free PDF