February 2015 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Zoe Konstantopoulou Elected As new President Of Greece
Greece Parliament has elected Zoe Konstantopoulou, a member
of the left wing party Syriza as its new President on 6 February.
She was elected after receiving a record number of 235 of 300
deputies votes in the Parliament. With this win, she has the
record of more votes a President of parliament received after the
restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974. This will be the
second time that a woman is elected as the Greece Parliament
President, with the first being Anna Psarouda-Benaki in 2004.
However, Konstantopoulou also set another record, since the 38year-old politician is the youngest Parliament President that has
ever been elected in Greece.
Australias Prime Minister Tony Abbott Survives Confidence
Vote
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on 9 February survived a
vote of confidence motion on spilling the top leadership of Liberal
Party. Tony Abbott was elected as the Prime Minister of Australia
in September 2013.
Russia Ukraine Signed Ceasefire Agreement
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France signed a
Ceasefiredeal on 12 February after marathon talks at Minsk, the
capital of Belarus. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko
hosted these talks which were held in the background of new
attacks in eastern Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk regions on 12
February. At the end of the talks, both Russia and Ukraine agreed
to bring into effect a ceasefire in the warring zone of eastern
Ukraine from 15 February 2015.
Sri Lanka Parliament Enacts witness Protection Law
Sri Lankan Parliament has passed the Assistance to and

Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Bill on 20 February.

This bill aims at protecting the rights of criminal victims and
witnesses especially in human rights accountability.

INDIA & WORLD

India and China Jointly Launched Visit India Year In China
India and China on 2 February jointly launched the Visit India Year
in China in Beijing. The initiative is aimed at enhancing the flow of
tourists from China to India and to strengthen the people to
people bond. China will support the promotion of Indian tourist
resources in its country.
India Ranked 29th On Intellectual Property Index
India has been placed at 29th rank among the 30 countries in the
international intellectual property (IP) index released by U.S.
Chamber of Commerces Global Intellectual Property Center
(GIPC) on 4 February. US has been placed at the top in the list
and Thailand at last position.
India Ranked 136 In World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2015
India was ranked 136 out of 180 nations worldwide in terms of
press freedom in 2015, which marks an improvement from its
rank of 140 in 2014, even though its absolute score declined from
40.34 to 40.49. In the top of the list were three Scandinavian
countries: Finland on the 1st position followed by Norway and
Denmark.
India and Sri Lanka Signed 4 Agreements Including Civil
Nuclear Cooperation
Sri Lankas newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena on 16
February held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New
Delhi.After the talks, India and Sri Lanka signed bilateral
agreements on civil nuclear cooperation, cultural cooperation and

cooperation in the field of Agriculture. Besides, an agreement was

also signed for Sri Lankas participation in the Nalanda University
Project.India and Sri Lanka also agreed to expand defence and
strategic cooperation, including a trilateral format with the
Maldives.
US To Provide Work Permits For H-1B Spouses Visa Holders
The United States on 24 February announced that it would allow
work permits to spouses of H-1B visa holders from 26 May 2015.
Under existing US laws, spouses of H-1B visa holders are not
eligible to work. This announcement is expected to benefit
thousands of talented and professional spouses who have settled
in US but are unable to work.

NATIONAL
31 Major Minerals To Be Notified As Minor Minerals
The Union government has on 5 February decided to notify 31
major minerals as minor ones.This is being done to devolve more
power to the states and, consequently, expedite the process of
mineral development in the country. State governments are
allowed to make rules to regulate the grant of quarry leases,
mining leases or other mineral concessions in respect of minor
minerals.
Telecom Subscriber Base Reaches To 97 crore
Telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
on 7 February released a report on subscriber base. India
telecom subscriber base reaches all-time high at 970 million at
the end of December 2014.The number of telephone subscribers
in India increased from 964.20 million at the end of November
2014 to 970.97 million at the end of December 2014. This
surpasses the previous record of 965.5 million reached in June

2012. Teledensity in the country, which means connection per

100, reached 77.58.
PM Constituted 3 Sub-groups Of Chief Ministers within NITI
Aayog
The first meeting of the Governing Council of NITI (National
Institution for Transforming India) Aayog was held in New Delhi on
8 February. The meeting was presided by NITI Aayogs Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.During the meeting, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has constituted three sub-groups of Chief
Ministers within National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog.
* First sub-group - It will study the 66 centrally-sponsored
schemes and recommend which schemes should continue, which
should be transferred to states, and which to discontinue.
* Second sub-group It will focus on skill development and
creation of skilled manpower within states.
* Third sub-group It will decide on the institutional mechanisms
to be evolved for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, so that cleanliness
becomes a part of life in perpetuity.
PM Narendra Modi Launched Soil Health Card scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the centrally sponsored
nation-wide Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme on 19 February in
Suratgarh town of Sriganganagar district, Rajasthan. The
nationwide scheme will help farmers to scientifically analyse the
soil of farms in the country. The scheme aims at helping farmers
in improving productivity by appropriate use of nutrients or
fertilisers.

STATES
Maharashtra Govt Planning To Revamp Jeevan Amrut Yojana
Maharashtra Government is planning to revamp the Jeevan Amrut

Yojana (blood-on-call) scheme to make it more beneficial to

people. State government is seeking to strengthen the network of
blood storage units in rural areas instead of current mechanism of
transporting blood through motorcycles. It is first of its kind
scheme in the country, launched in 2014. It aimed at facilitating
blood supply to patients scheduled to undergo surgeries and
medical procedures in remote areas.
Adani To Set Up Countrys Largest 10,000 MW solar Plant In
Rajasthan
Adani Enterprises Ltd on 9 February signed a pact with the
Rajasthan government to develop the countrys largest solar park
in the state with 10,000 MW capacity over the next 10 years at an
estimated investment of about Rs 40,000 crore. The company will
set up solar power project of 5000 MW on its own in the next five
years. The Adani Group will also develop solar manufacturing
units and power evacuation systems.
Delhi Assembly Elections 2015 Results Declared
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 10 February declared
the results of Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections 2015. Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) headed by social activist turned politician
Arvind Kejriwal with 67 seats has emerged as the largest party in
the house of 70 seats. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Won record 67
seats with record vote share of 54.2% percent. Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) Won 3 seats with vote share of 32.3% percent.
2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were held on 7
February 2015 to elect 70 members of the Sixth Delhi Legislative
Assembly.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Launched CCTNS
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on 11 February
launched the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System
(CCTNS) project in the state. This 19 crore rupees project will be
completely funded by the Union Government. It will help in

connecting 177 sites and 114 police stations in the state besides
13 district headquarters, 26 sub-divisional police officers and
three police ranges along with state crime records bureau.

CONFERENCES
15th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit
The 15th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit was held from
5-7 February 2015 in New Delhi.The theme of the summit was
Sustainable Development Goals and Dealing with Climate
Change.The summit was organized by The Energy and
Resources Institute (TERI). The summit witnessed a pool of
distinguished speakers from a wide spectrum of backgrounds.
Politicians, Diplomats, Corporates, Government Officials, media,
NGOs and activists attended the summit.During the summit, two
reports namely, Global Sustainable Development Report and
Energy Security Outlook were also launched.Issues like the need
for mitigation in Energy supply sector, generating finances for
projects focusing on Sustainable Development, and educating the
youth about sustainable development were discussed. Stress was
laid on collective actions of both public and private sectors in
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

AWARDS & HONOURS

Eminent Marathi Writer Bhalchandra Nemade Selected For
Jnanpith Award 2014
Eminent Marathi writer Bhalchandra Nemade on 6 February was
chosen for the Jnanpith Award 2014 by the Jnanpith Selection
Board. He is the 4th Marathi writer to receive the honour and is
the 50th recipient of Jnanpith award.His novel Kosala (Cocoon)
published in 1963 was not only instrumental in changing the

dimensions of the Marathi novel, but also the world of Marathi

fiction was transformed with its advent.
57th Annual Grammy Awards
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on 8 February at the
Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. In all, 83 Grammy
Awards were presented at the function.
* Two Indians Ricky Kej and Neela Vaswani took home a
Grammy Award each. Neela Vasvani won the trophy in the Best
Childrens Album category for I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood
Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai).
She had narrated the audio version of the book. On the other
hand Ricky Kejs collaboration in the album Winds Of Samsara
won the Best New Age Album trophy. He had teamed up with
South African musician Wouter Kellerman for the album, which
symbolises peace and harmony.
* Beck Hansens album Morning Phase won the Best Album of
the Year Award while the song Stay With Me featuring James
Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith won Best Song of the Year
Award and Best Record of the Year Award.
Amartya Sen Won John Maynard Keynes Prize
Economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has won the newly
instituted Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize 2015 on
10 February.With this, Professor Sen will receive 7500 British
pounds to commission a work of art and will give the annual
Charleston-EFG Keynes Lecture at the Charleston Festival in the
United Kingdom. This years lecture is scheduled for 23 May 2015
and it will be on The Economic Consequences of Austerity.
87th Annual Academy Oscar Awards 2015
The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was held on 23
February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.The
Academy Awards (commonly referred as Oscars) were presented

in twenty four categories. They are :* Best Actor Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything).
* Best Actress Julianne Moore (Still Alice).
* Best Supporting Actor J. K. Simmons (Whiplash).
* Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette (Boyhood).
* Best Director Alejandro G. Irritu for Birdman or (The
Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
* Best Original Screenplay Birdman or (The Unexpected
Virtue of Ignorance).
* Best Adapted Screenplay The Imitation Game.
* Best Original Song Glory (Selma).
* Best Original Score The Grand Budapest Hotel.
* Best Production Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel.
* Best Editing Whiplash.
* Best Cinematography Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance).
* Best Sound Editing American Sniper.
* Best Sound Mixing Whiplash.
* Best Foreign Language Film Ida (Poland).
* Best Documentary Feature CitizenFour.
* Best Documentary Short Subject Crisis Hotline: Veterans
Press 1.
* Best Live Action Short Film The Phone Call.
* Best Visual Effects Interstellar.
* Best Animated Feature Film Big Hero 6.
* Best Animated Short Film Feast.
* Best Makeup and Hairstyling The Grand Budapest Hotel.
* Best Costume Design The Grand Budapest Hotel.
* Most awards Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (Both received 4
awards).
* Most nominations in 87th Academy Awards Birdman or
(The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and The Grand Budapest
Hotel (both 9 nominations)

SPORTS & GAMES

35th National Games
The 35th National Games of India concluded on 14 February
2015 at Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). In all the 35th National
Games saw disbursal of 1334 medals comprising of 405 Gold,
406 Silver and 523 Bronze medals respectively. Services Sports
Control Board emerged overall champion and winner of the Raja
Bhalendra Singh Trophy for the third consecutive time. Services
have won total 159 medals including 91 Gold Medals. It was
followed by hosts Kerala with 54 golds and Haryana with 40
golds. Now the 36th edition of National Games would be held at
Goa in 2017. The 2015 National Games of India, also known as
the 35th National Games of India, were held in Kerala from 31
January 2015 to 14 February 2015.The mascot of the 35th
National Games isAmmu, The Great Hornbill, or the Great
Indian Hornbill, the State bird of Kerala.
Anil Kumble and Betty Wilson Inducted into ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame
Former India captain Anil Kumble and Australian legend Betty
Wilson were inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of
Fame on 22 February at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia.
Kumble and Wilson became the 77th and 78th inductees into the
Hall of Fame. Kumble is the fourth Indian to be included in the
elite group other three includes Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and
Bishan Bedi. Wilson is the second Australian woman in the Hall of
Fame behind Belinda Clark. Wilson was given the honour
posthumously. Anil Kumble had played 132 Tests for India and
captured 619 wickets. Wilson played 11 tests between 1947 and
1958 and scored 862 runs and claimed 68 wickets. Wilson
passed away on 22 January 2010, aged 88

Chris Gayle Becomes First Batsman To Hit Double Century In

World Cup History
West Indies opener Chris Gayle made his name into history
books by becoming the first ever batsman to score a doublecentury in the ICC World Cup. He achieved this feat against
Zimbabwe in a Pool B clash in Canberra on 24 February 2015.
Gayle hit Tendai Chatara for a boundary in the 46th over of the
West Indies innings to reach the double-century mark in 138 balls.
Assisted by this double-century, West Indies reached mammoth
total of 372 for 2 wickets. Gayle surpassed the previous World
Cup best of 188 not out by South Africas Gary Kirsten against the
United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi in 1996.
AB De Villiers Hits Fastest 150 In ODI History
South Africa captain AB de Villiers has hit the fastest 150 in oneday internationals (ODIs). He achieved this feat in 64 balls in
World Cup Pool B match against West Indies held on 27 February
at Sydney and also broke the previous record of Australias Shane
Watson by 19 balls. AB De Villiers in the innings scored 162 runs
from 66 balls and it comprised of 8 sixes and 17 fours. In this
match, South Africa scored 408 runs which is the second-highest
total in World Cup history.

ECONOMY
RBI 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Review 2014-15
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has on 3 February announced
sixth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2014-15. In its bimonthly monetary policy statement, RBI has not changed its main
lending rate i.e.Repo Rate and cash reserve ratio (CRR). But
changed statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of scheduled commercial
banks.The RBI reduced the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of
scheduled commercial banks by 50 basis points from 22.0% to
21.5% of their net demand and time liabilities.

ICICI Bank Launches Indias First Digital Bank Pockets

The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI)
Bank, has on 10 February launched Indias first digital Bank on
mobile phones, Pockets. This service will enable users to instantly
send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook
and bank account.
Railway Budget 2015-16
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 26 February 2015 presented
the Railway Budget 2015-16 in the Lok Sabha. In his first Railway
Budget, Prabhu outlined a plan to invest over 8 lakh crore rupees
over 5 years. The size of the Plan Budget has gone up by 52
percent from 65789 crore rupees in 2014-15 to 100011 crore
rupees in 2015-16.
2015-16 Railway Budget at a Glance (Rs in crore) :* Gross Traffic Receipts 1,83,578.00
* Total Work Expenditure 1,62,210.00
* Net Railway Revenue 25,076.45
* Total Passenger Earnings 50,175.00
* Good Earnings 1,21,423.00
* Divindend Payable To General Revenues 10,810,74
* Operation Ratio 88.5%
Highlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16 :New Trains :- Announcement of no new trains (This will be done
after doing a comprehensive analysis and feasibility studies)
Passenger Fare :- No increase in Passenger fares
Freight :- Freight increase up to 10% on select items: 10% for
urea, 2.7% for cement and 6.3% for coal, 0.8% for iron and steel
Railway Operations :- Railways Operating Ratio to improve to
88.5% in 2015-16 compared with targetted 91.8% in 2014-15

Railway Finances :a) Five-year outlay at Rs 8.5 lakh crore

b) Plan expenditure in Railways to he hiked 52% to Rs 1.11 lakh
crore for 2015-16
c) 77 projects totalling Rs 96,182 crore on cards to expand
capacity
Railway Safety :a) Rs 6,581 cr earmarked on level crossing safety
b) Train protection warning system to prevent fires
c) Collision avoiding system
d) 917 safety work projects to eliminate over 3,000 unmanned
crossings in all states
e) Audio visual warning and radio based signals design for
unmanned level crossing with technical assistance from IITKanpur on cards to enhance safety
f) Five years safety plan will be ready by June 2015
g) Surveillance camera on cards for womens safety, financing
from Nirbhaya fund
Improving Train Speed :- Speed of 9 railway corridors to be
increased from existing 110 and 130 kmph to 160 and 200 kmph
respectively. Average speed of freight trains in empty and loaded
conditions will be enhanced to 100 kmph for empty freight trains
and 75 kmph for loaded trains.

Network Expansion :- Fast-track sanctioned works on 7000 kms

of double/third/fourth lines Commission of 1200 km of network in
2015-16 at an investment of 8686 crore rupees.
Railway Modernisation :a) 6,000 km of route km to be electrified in 2015-16, up from 462
route km in 2014-15
b) 800 km of gauge conversion on cards
Railway Convenience :a) Proposes to move towards paperless ticketing
b) Now, book your tickets 120 days in advance
c) Rs 120 crore provided for lifts and escalators at Railway
stations
d) Phone charging facilities will be provided in all trains including
general compartments
e) Online booking of wheelchairs for seniors, physically
challenged passengers
f) Food can be ordered through IRCTC website while booking
tickets
g) Wifi availability at 400 railway stations across the country
including B class stations too
h) To introduce Operation 5 minutes to allow unreserved
passengers to book tickets in 5 minutes
Railway Cleanliness :a) 17,000 toilets to be replaced and modernized

b) Vacuum-based toilets on cards

c) New toilets in 650 railway stations
d) Railways will set up waste management plants to dispose off
waste
e) Will work on Swacch Rail in lines with Swacch Bharat
Bullet Train :- Feasibility study for High Speed Rail between
Mumbai-Ahmadabad is in advanced stage.
Station Redevelopment :- Zonal and Divisional offices to be
empowered for quicker decision making Development of 10
Satellite Railway terminals in major cities with twin purpose of
decongesting the city and providing service to suburban
passengers
Infrastructure :* Track capacity will be increased by 10% to 1.38 lakh km.
* 10 satellite railway terminals will be developed in major cities in
2015-15.
* Connectivity to North-East India will be improved. In J&K rail
connectivity will be on focus.
Tourism :* Railways will promote Gandhi circuit in order to mark centenary
year of Mahatma Gandhis return from South Africa. Special travel
scheme Kisan Yatra for farmers for farming and marketing
technique centres. Under Incredible India, Incredible Rail will be
launched.
Union Budget 2015-16
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on 28 February 2015
presented Union Budget 2015-16 in the Lok Sabha. It was the first
full year Budget of the NDA government under leadership of
Prime Minister of Narendra Modi and the second budget of Arun

Jaitley as Finance Minister.

2015-16 Budget Estimates (Rs in Crore )
* Revenue Receipts 1,141.6
* Capital Receipts - 635.9
* Total Receipts 1,777.5
* Non-Plan Expenditure 1,312.2
* Plan Expenditure 465.3
* Total Expenditure 1,777.5
* Revenue Deficit 394.5
* Effective Revenue Deficit 283.9
* Fiscal Deficit 555.6
* Primary Deficit 99.5
Highlights of the Union Budget 2015-16 :Taxation:* No change in the Tax slab on personal income.
* Wealth tax abolished.
* Additional 2% surcharge for the super-rich with income more
than Rs. 1 crore.
* For next 4 years, corporate tax has been reduced to 25 percent
from present 30 percent.
* Service tax increased to14 per cent.
* Apart from CSR, 100% tax exemption for contribution to
Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.
New projects:* New projects 5 more AIIMSs in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab,
Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Assam.
* IIT in Karnataka. While, the Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad,
Jharkhand will be converted into IIT.
* 2 more IIMs in Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh.
* Post-Graduation institutes of Horticulture in Amritsar, Punjab.
* University of Disability Studies will be established in Kerala.
* In Arunachal Pradesh, Centre of film production, animation and

gaming will come up.

* For Infrastructure sector Rs. 70,000 crores allocated.
* Projects in rail road and irrigation bonds will be tax free.
* Infrastructure development through PPP model will be
revitalised and government will bear majority of the
risk.
* Atal Innovation Mission will be established to draw on expertise
of researchers and entrepreneurs to foster
scientific innovations. For this mission Rs. 150 crore allocated.
* 5 ultra-mega power projects each of 4000MW proposed by
Government
Defence:* 2,46,726 crore allocated for Defence. It is 9.87 per cent greater
than last year.
* Make in India campaign will take into consideration for speedy
manufacturing of Defence equipment.
Welfare Schemes and new Programmes :* Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, six crore toilets across the
country will be built.
* By 2020, housing for all.
* Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act
(MGNREGA) will get MGNREGA of Rs. 5,000 crore. It is highest
allocation to this scheme.
* To improve quality of life of common man, GST and JAM trinity
(Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile) will be launched. To
encourage first generation SC/ST entrepreneurs, MUDRA bank
will provide finance.
* Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) will be further be expanded to 10.3
crore from 1 crore.
* Government will contribute 50% of the premium limited to Rs.
1,000 a year for the Atal Pension Yojana.
* 9,000 crore unclaimed funds in PPF/EPF will be used for Senior
Citizens Fund.
* For all Indian, government will create universal social security

system.
* For electric cars production Rs. 75 crore allocated.
* Renewable energy target for 2022 60K MW in wind; 10K MW
in biomass, 100K MW in solar and 5K MW in small hydro plants.
* Under the new tourism scheme, development of churches and
convents in old Goa; Hampi, Elephanta caves, , Jallianwala Bagh,
Forests of Rajasthan, Leh palace, Varanasi Qutb Shahi tombs at
Hyderabad.
* Visa on Arrival (VoA) facility to be increased for 150 countries
from present 43 countries.
* As an alternative to purchasing gold, Sovereign Gold Bond will
be launched.
* In order to facilitate depositors of gold to earn interest and
jewellers to obtain loans on their metal accounts new scheme will
be launched.
* Forward Markets Commission (FMC) will be merged with the
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). * Under
SARFAESI Act 2002, NBFCs registered with the RBI having asset
size of Rs 500 crore and above to be considered as financial
institution for mid-corporate businesses and fund SME.
* For Rural Infrastructure Development Bank, Rs. 25,000 crore
allocated.
* To support Micro Irrigation Programme, Rs. 5,300 crore
allocated.
Economic Survey 2014-15
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Economic
Survey for 2014-15 in the Parliament on 27 February 2015.The
Economic Survey forms the basis for the Union Budget for the
fiscal year starting 1 April. This Economic Survey has been
prepared by the Finance Ministrys Chief Economic Adviser Arvind
Subramanian.
Following are the important highlights of Economic Survey:Economic Growth :* Economic growth at market prices is expected between 8.1 to

8.5% during 2015-16 (based on the new GDP calculation formula)

* Growth rate in 2014-15 is estimated at 7.5%
* The total stock of stalled projects stands at Rs. 8.8 lakh crore or
7% of GDP and are mostly in private sector
Fiscal Deficit and Current Account Deficit :* Union Govt. will stick to fiscal deficit target of 4.1% of GDP in
2014-15
* Country needs to meet its medium-term fiscal deficit target of
3% of GDP
* Current Account Deficit (CAD) estimated to fall 1% of GDP in
2015-16
Inflation:* Consumer inflation in 2015-16 likely to range between 5 to 5.5%
* Inflation likely to be below RBIs target by 0.5 to 1% point
* Inflation shows declining trend in 2014-15
* Decline in inflation by over 6% points since late 2013
Foodgrain Production:* Foodgrains production for 2014-15 estimated at 257.07 million
tonnes
* The production will exceed last 5 years by 8.5 million tonnes
Subsidy :* Food subsidy at Rs. 1,07,823.75 crore during 2014-15 (up to
January 2015), an increase of 20% over previous year

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Pakistan Successfully Test Fires Cruise Missile Raad
Pakistan on 2 February conducted a successful flight test of the
indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM)
named Raad. The Raad Missile, with a range of over 350 km,
has been developed exclusively for launch from Aerial
Platforms.This missile system has enabled Pakistan to achieve a
greater strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.

Irans Safir Rocket successfully Launches Fajr Satellite into

Orbit
Iran has launched its Fajr (Dawn) observation satellite on 2
February, using a Safir-2 rocket, its first launch since 2012 and
declared that it has safely entered orbit. The launch marks the
35th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and comes one day
ahead of the countrys Space Technology Day.
US Names Russian Nuclear Power Plants For India and Iran
Best Projects of 2014
Iranian nuclear power station Bushehr and the Indian
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant topped the Nuclear energy
category as the modern technologies they use produce cleaner
and more effective sources of energy. The Russian-backed
Iranian nuclear power station Bushehr and the Kudankulam
Indian nuclear power plant projects were named projects of the
year 2014 by the US Power Engineering magazine in the Nuclear
energy category on 13 February 2015.
India Successfully Test Fired BrahMos Missile From INS
Kolkata
India on 14 February successfully test-fired its 290-km range
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Indian Navys latest
destroyer INS Kolkata. BrahMos is a missile with a range of 290
kilometers and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300
kilograms. It has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is three times
faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This speed
makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world. It
can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft and land. INS
Kolkata the countrys largest indigenously built warship was
commissioned in Indian Navy on 16 August 2014.
India Successfully Test Fired N-capable Prithvi-II Missile
Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile was test-fired on 19 February
at Chandipur, Odisha. The test-fired was part of a regular training

exercise of Strategic Force Command of Defence (SFC) and

monitored by Defence Research & Development Organisation
(DRDO). Prithvi-II was developed indigenously which is nuclearcapable and has a strike range of 350 km. It is capable of carrying
500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Arvind Kejriwal Sworn In As 8th Delhi Chief Minister
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal sworn in as 8th
Chief Minister of Delhi on 14 February at a function in Ramlila
Maidan, Delhi. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung administered
the oath of office and secrecy to Kejriwal. In 2015 Delhi Assembly
elections, AAP staged a historic victory by sweeping 67 of the 70
seats. This will be Arvind Kejriwals second term as Delhi Chief
Minister. Earlier in February 2014, he had resigned after running a
49-day government with the support of Congress.
Nitish Kumar Sworn In As Bihar Chief Minister For 4th time
Senior Janata Dal United leader Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the
24th Chief Minister of Bihar on 22 February. He succeeded Jitan
Ram Manjhi, who resigned from his office on 20 February 2015
before the trust vote wherein he was supposed to prove majority
in the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly. With this, Nitish
Kumar took oath as the states chief minister for the fourth time. In
2000, for first time he was made CM of Bihar but had resigned
within 7 days. In 2005, he was sworn in as the CM of Bihar for
second time and in 2010 for third time. In May 2014 he had
resigned from the CM post taking the responsibility of his partys
(JDU) dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

B)RESIGNS
IPCC Chairman RK Pachauri Resigned
Dr Rajendra K Pachauri has stepped down as Chairperson of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with effect
from 24 February. Pachauri is suspected to be involved in a
sexual harassment case with a woman employee of The Energy
and Resources Institute (TERI), the environmental-think tank that
he heads as its Director General.
C)DEATHS
Indian Sculptor and Artist Mrinalini Mukherjee Died
Acclaimed sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee was died on 2 February in
New Delhi. She was 65. She was the daughter of acclaimed
artists Benode Behari and Leela Mukherjee. She was best known
for her sculptures crafted using knotted hemp ropes and cast
bronzes. Mrinalini Mukherjee was the first Indian artist whose
work was displayed at the Sydney Biennale in 1986. In 1994, her
art sculptures were displayed in the Museum of Modern Art,
Oxford and later she travelled all over United Kingdom.
D)VISITORS
Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam Visited India
Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam visited India from 8 11
February 2015. During his four day visit, Tony Tan Keng Yam met
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.The two leaders held
wide-ranging discussions on enhancing bilateral relations, as well
as broadening cooperation in fighting terrorism, among other
issues.In their talks, the two leaders deliberated on strengthening
of cooperation on regional and international issues to raise the
partnership to a higher level.They agreed on sharing of
experiences in science and technology, space and other areas to
enhance productivity and efficiency as well as broadening
cooperation in fighting terrorism.

E)MISCELLANEOUS
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan Named In LIMCA Book
of Records
Indore MP and Loksabha speaker Sumitra Mahajans name was
included in the LIMCA book of records in the month of February
2015. Her name was included for being the only woman of the
country to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the
same party ticket for eight times in a row. As a leader of Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), she represents the Indore constituency of Lok
Sabha in Madhya Pradesh. For the first time she was elected to
the Lok Sabha in 1989. Since then she has been re-elected to the
Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and finally to
the 16th Lok Sabha on 18 May 2014.She was unanimously
elected as Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha on 6 June 2014.

PLACES IN NEWS
Four New Fish Species Discovered In Kerala
Four new fish species named Puntius nelsoni, Puntius nigronotus,
Systomus chryseus and Systomus rufus have been discovered in
Kerala. They were discovered by Mathews Plamoottil, a zoology
professor at Baby John Memorial Government College in Kollam.

ABBREVIATIONS
1) ICICI Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India
2) SWIFT Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial
Telecommunication
3) TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
4) ILO International Labour Organization

5) UNDP United Nations Development Programme

6) OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development

BOOKS IN NEWS
Kiran Bedi Released Comic Book Titled Kiran Bedi Kaise
Bani Top Cop
Kiran Bedi on 9 February 2015 released a comic book titled Kiran
Bedi Kaise Bani Top Cop at a thanksgiving event organised in
her Vidhan Sabha constituency Krishna Nagar, Delhi. The book is
penned down by her sisters, Reeta Peshawaria Menon and Anu
Peshawaria.The 32-page comic book with Hindi text and
illustrations narrates the story of the first woman IPS officer of the
country.The comic talks about Bedis childhood life in Amritsar,
how she met her husband Brij Bedi while playing tennis and how
she became the first woman IPS officer on 16 July 1972.

COMMITTEES
Usha Thorat Committee For Evaluating Applications Of Small
Finance Banks and Payments Banks
The Reserve Bank of India on 3 February 2015 constituted a
committee to evaluate applications received for the proposed
small finance banks. The committee was headed by Usha Thorat,
former Deputy Governor of RBI. The purpose of the small banks
will be to provide a whole suite of basic banking products such as
deposits and supply of credit, but in a limited area of operation.
The objective for these Small Banks is to increase financial
inclusion by provision of savings vehicles to under-served and
unserved sections of the population, supply of credit to small

farmers, micro and small industries, and other unorganised sector

entities through high technology-low cost operations.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

International Mother Language Day Celebrated On February
21
The International Mother Language Day 2015 was celebrated all
over the world on February 21, 2015. The objective of this day is
to promote linguistic and cultural goodwill among diversity. It aims
to fosters unity among various nations. As it promotes the
preservation and protection of all languages used by people all
over the world.The year 2015 is the 15th anniversary of
International Mother Language Day. International Mother
Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) in November 1999. The day, February 21, represents
the date in 1952 when students from Bangladesh demonstrating
for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two
national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by
police in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh.
World Cancer Day was Observed Across The World
World Cancer Day (WCD) 2015 was observed across the world
on 4 February 2015.The tagline for the WCD 2015 was Not
beyond Us. The tagline signified that solutions do exist across the
continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach.The WCD
2015 explored how we can implement what we already know in
the areas of prevention, early detection, treatment and care so as
to impact the global cancer burden for the better.