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May 1, 2015

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1) US space agency NASAs 11year old probe mission for Mercury

ended abruptly on 30 April 2015
after it crashed into the little planet.
What was the name of this historic
probe? Messenger
Explanation: NASAs Messenger
probe was launched on 3 August
2004 from the Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station in Florida. Messenger
was actually an acronym for
Mercury Surface, Space
Environment, Geo-chemistry and
Ranging. It became the second
mission after Mariner 10s 1975
flyby to reach Mercury when it
made a flyby in January 2008,
followed by a second flyby in
October 2008,and a third flyby in

September 2009. In March 2011 it

entered Mercurys orbit and thus
created history to become the first
probe to do so. Before this probe
the knowledge about Mercury,
which is the closest planet to the
Sun, was very sparse. It was able
to throw significant light on the
structure and composition about
this planet. Messengers original
goal was to take 2,500 images of
the planet, but it has returned more
than 270,000 to earth. On 30 April
Messenger slipped out of orbit and
slammed into Mercury after being
out of fuel.
2) Which district of West Bengal
was declared as the first Open
Defecation Free (ODF) district in
the country on 30 April 2015?
Nadia
Explanation: This announcement
was made by West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee on 30
April. The mission to make Nadia
Open Defecation Free (ODF)
district was started on 19 November
2013. West Bengal is also doing

efforts to make two more districts

Hooghly and Burdwan as ODF
districts very soon. The state govt.
also declared 30 April as the
Nirmal Bangla Diwas to mark the
occasion.

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3) On 30 April 2015 an anti-terrorist

court (ATC) in Pakistan sentenced
10 militants to 25 years in prison.
They had claimed responsibility for
the 2012 attack on child activist
Malala Yousafzai. These militants
were associated with which Talibani
militant group? Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan
Explanation: Malala Yousafzai was
14 years old in October 2012 when
militants belonging to Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan shot her as she
was returning in a bus from her
school in Pakistans Swat district.
She was campaigning for the rights
of girls to be educated in the
militant-infested region. She
survived life-threatening gun shots,
including one to her head, and

recovered after months of

treatment. Pakistani doctors
removed a bullet that entered her
head. She was later flown to Britain
and treated for brain trauma care at
a Birmingham hospital in part with
the help of induced coma. She only
gradually regained her sight and
her voice, and three months later,
walked out of hospital. Malala is
now an internationally known name,
celebrated for her unyielding
condemnation of Talibans
regressive diktats. She won the
Nobel Peace Prize last year. 25
year prison term was announced by
the ATC in Swat District of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province after it found
the 10 militants guilty of attacking
Malala.

4) What is the name of a new rating

mechanism for television in India
that announced its first data for
week 16 of 2015 on 30 April 2015
and is now being seen as a
replacement to the existing ratings

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provider, TAM? Broadcaster

Audience Research Council
(BARC)
Explanation: Broadcaster
Audience Research Council
(BARC) was formed in 2012 by the
Indian Broadcasting Foundation
which has a 60% stake, the Indian
Society of Advertisers and the
Advertising Agencies Association of
India each of whom have a 20%
stake. It has been established as a
replacement for TAM, the existing
ratings provider, which is a joint
venture between Nielsen and
Kantar. BARC uses an advanced,
audience measurement technique audio watermarking, to track
content through its broadcast cycle.
This is a code inserted into the
audio channel of the television
signal which transmits through the
distribution platforms and cannot
be, either deleted or overwritten in
the cryptographic family it adopts.
This increases the integrity and
reliability of the data generated by
BARCs ratings and each channel
being watched by the viewer can be
identified uniquely by the system.

BARC system will also captures

data about TV content consumed
through any form of distribution
terrestrial, DTH, analog cable and
digital cable. Till now TAM was the
most prominent television audience
measurement tool in India.
5) Which country will become the
first to make a cricket tour of
Pakistan since 2009 as announced
on 30 April 2015? Zimbabwe
Explanation: As per the schedule
announced on 30 April 2015,
Zimbabwe will play two Twenty20
Internationals and three one-day
internationals (ODIs) in Pakistan
during May 2015. Pakistan has not
hosted international cricket since
the 2009 attack by gunmen on the
visiting Sri Lankan cricketers. All
five matches will be played at
Lahore and a Cricket Zimbabwe
(CZ) security team will reach soon
Pakistan to assess the
arrangements at Lahore.

May 2, 2015

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1) In an important step the Union

Govt. made it easier to incorporate
a new business from 1 May 2015.
Under this initiative, entrepreneurs
keen on setting up new enterprises
will be able to incorporate their
entities by filing just one form as
against eight as was the practice till
now. Which new form is this?
INC-29
Explanation: This initiative is part
of the governments drive to
improve Indias ranking on the
globally tracked parameter of ease
of doing business. It is worth
mentioning that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has made it a
personal mission to improve Indias

scores on this parameter. The

government wants to reduce the
time taken to register a company in
India to one day. From 1 May 2015,
the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
made available, an integrated
company incorporation form (INC29) that makes compliance and
reporting easier and convenient for
corporates. All important
procedures associated with
incorporation (such as availability,
allotment of Director Identification
Number (DIN), company
incorporation and commencement
of business) will be facilitated
through this single form. The red
tape that businesses faces while
registering themselves, including at
least 8 different forms for various
permissions has been a pet peeve
of entrepreneurs in India.

with the launch of Firefox (2004)

and Google Chrome (2008), and
with the growing popularity of
operating systems such as OS X,
Linux, iOS and Android.

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2) Software giant Microsoft recently

unveiled its new web browser,
which would eventually replace the
existing Internet Explorer. What is
the name of this browser which will
incorporate several new pathbreaking features? Edge
Explanation: Edge is the name of
the new web browser of Microsoft
that was till now wrapped under
secretive named Project Spartan.
According to Microsoft, Edge is
lighter and faster than Internet
Explorer and comes with new
features like a built-in notation tool,
a distraction-free reading mode,
and website information from
Cortana, a personal voice-assistant
app for Windows. Edge would be
available only for Windows 10 and
further. It is worth mentioning that
Internet Explorer was the dominant
web browser since launch in 1995,
attaining a peak of about 95%
usage share during 2002 and 2003.
Its usage share has since declined

3) Which state govt. on 30 April

2015 issued a circular banning the
use of the phrase Horn Ok
Please on the rear side of
commercial vehicles?
Maharashtra
Explanation: This order was
passed by Maharashtra State
Transport Department as it is of the
view that this phrase (Horn Ok
Please) gives licence to motorists
to honk unnecessarily and there
have been numerous complaints of
excessive honking in silence zones
such as near hospitals, schools and
colleges. The phrase is part and
parcel of Indian of commercial
vehicles, such as trucks and
tempos, across the country. It was
coined basically to allow vehicles to
overtake on narrow roads. Several

years ago, roads were narrow and

one really had to honk to alert the
vehicle in front while overtaking. But
it was deemed unnecessary in
todays era of wider four to six lane
highways where drivers can use
lights and indicators while
overtaking.

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4) The Parliamentary Committee on

Empowerment of Women recently
gave what important suggestion
regarding ladies coaches in trains?
It mooted shifting of ladies
coaches from end to the middle
of the train
Explanation: In the wake of
several cases of crimes against
women aboard trains, the
Parliamentary Committee on
Empowerment of Women
recommended that the Railways
should reconsider their policy of
placement of ladies compartments
and should explore the ways and
means to position it in the middle of
trains. In passenger and local trains
where pantry cars or vestibules do
not pose a technical hitch, the
position of ladies compartments
should inevitably be at the middle of
the train. The committee also noted

that the present strength of Railway

Protection Force (RPF) is not
adequate for providing security on
railway premises and on trains,
especially for women, and wanted it
to be increased at the earliest to
check crimes.
5) The Maharashtras Food and
Drugs Administration (FDA) on 1
May 2015 filed an FIR against CEO
of which e-commerce major on
charges of for selling prescription
drugs online? Snapdeal
Explanation: This FIR was filed 15
days after the FDA raided the
Mumbai offices of Snapdeal. It was
alleged that the company was
selling prescription drugs such as
Viagra and Ascoril on its website. It
is illegal to sell (both offline and
online) drugs to patients or
customers without a proper
prescription in the country.
Maharashtra FDA had also asked
Snapdeal to immediately de-list
such drugs from its site to which the
company had complied. It was also
investigating other e-commerce
platforms such as Flipkart,
Amaozon, Shopclues and Ebay. On
1 May the FIR was filed against e-

commerce major Snapdeals CEO

Kunal Bahl, co-founder Rohit

Bansal and other directors

May 3-4, 2015

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1) The boxing bout between which

two boxers held on 2 May 2015 was
billed by numerous hyperboles such
as the Fight of the Century and
The Battle for Greatness? Floyd
Mayweather, Jr. and Manny
Pacquiao
Explanation: The Professional
Boxing Match between American
boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and
Manny Pacquiao (the Philippines)
created sensation all around the
world. This bout (welterweight
category) was held at MGM Garden
Arena in Las Vegas (US). It was
won by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who
defeated his Pilipino opponent on

points. The bout was not just the

most anticipated bout in recent
times but was also the highest
grossing fight in the history of
boxing. While Mayweather earned a
mind-boggling Rs. 1142 crore,
Pacquiao also pocketed Rs. 761
crore despite losing. The bout was
actually anticipated as early as in
2009 but disagreements between
the two boxers camps on terms for
the fight prevented this. After this
win Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a
perfect professional record of 48
wins and 0 losses (although he lost
in the Olympic games of 1996). On
the other hand Manny Pacquiao
has won 57 of his 64 bouts with 38
wins in knock-outs. He is a cult
personality in the Philippines and is
a likely candidate for Presidency.
2) The Department of Telecom
(DoT) deadline to fully implement

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9 CURRENT AFFAIRS

the mobile number portability

(MNP) across the country was
extended by how many months on
2 May 2015? Two months
Explanation: The earlier deadline
to roll out Full MNP was 3 May
2015. DoT had sought extension for
implementing nationwide MNP as
telecom operators have to make
some technical changes to their
networks due to changes in national
numbering plan (NNP) and this
could take about 8 weeks. It has
amended NNP asking telecom
operators to allow their subscribers
to dial on to mobile numbers within
the same circle as well as intercircle without any prefix. Calls can
also be made using the prefix 0
and/or +91. The full MNP will allow
subscribers to retain their mobile
number in any part of the country
even when they change their
operator or state. At present, MNP
allows subscribers to change
mobile network while retaining their
number in the same telecom circle.
3) Which state govt. launched
Niramaya, a free drug distribution
scheme to cover whole state on 1
May 2015? Odisha

Explanation: Niramaya is the

name given to an ambitious free
drug distribution scheme of the
Odisha Govt. to provide as many as
570 medicines in all the 30 districts
of the State. The scheme was
formally launched by Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik on 1 May. It will be
managed by the Odisha State
Medical Corporation (OSMC). The
State Government has already
allocated Rs.200 crore for the free
medicine scheme in the budget for
2015-16. Apart from general
ailments, medicines for treatment of
cancer, haemophilia, thalassemia
and sickle cell diseases will also be
provided under the scheme.

4) Which noted Indian scientist was

chosen for Japans highest civilian
award the Order of the Rising
Sun, Gold and Silver Star as
announced by the Japanese Govt.
on 2 May 2015? Prof. C.N.R.
Rao

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Page

Explanation: Professor C.N.R. Rao

is a National Research Professor
and Honorary President of the
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research,
Bengaluru, an autonomous
institution supported by the Ministry
of Science & technology,
Government of India. He is one of
the most distinguished scientists of
India at present and apart from
being honoured with the highest
civilian award of India, Bharat
Ratna, he has been bestowed with
about 70 honorary doctorates. He
was named as a winner of Japans
prestigious Order of the Rising
Sun, Gold and Silver Star for his
contribution to promoting academic
interchange and mutual
understanding in science and
technology between Japan and
India. The order is awarded to
those who have made distinguished
achievements in the following fields:
international relations, promotion of
Japanese culture, advancements in
their field, development in welfare
or preservation of the environment.
5) Who took over as the new
Director General of the Central

Industrial Security Force (CISF) on

1 May 2015? Surender Singh
Explanation: Surender Singh is a
1980-batch Indian Police Service
(IPS) officer of the West Bengal
cadre. He was serving as a special
director in the Intelligence Bureau
(IB) before taking up his new
assignment as CISF chief. He
succeeded Arvind Ranjan, a 1977batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre
who retired on 30 April 2015.

6) Ruth Rendell, who passed away

on 2 May 2015, was associated
with which field? Crime fiction
writing
Explanation: 85-year old Ruth
Rendell was an English author of
thrillers and psychological murder
mysteries. She was one of Britains
best-selling contemporary authors,
also wrote under the pen-name
Barbara Vine. Many of her works
were translated into more than 20
languages and adapted for cinema

and TV, attracting worldwide sales

of 60 million. Some of her famous
works include From Doon to
Death, A Judgement in Stone,
The Face of Trespass, Live
Flesh, Talking to Strange Men,
The Killing Doll, Going Wrong,
Adam and Eve and Pinch Me,
The Monster in the Box and The
Vault. Inspector Reginald Wexford
was one of the most famous
characters created by her.

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7) Which Indian airport was recently

presented the worlds best airport
award for the year 2014 by Airports
Council International (ACI), under
the category of handling 25 to 40
million passengers per annum?
Indira Gandhi International
Airport (Delhi)
Explanation: Delhis Indira Gandhi
International Airport (IGIA) was
presented Airports Council
International (ACIs) Airport Service
Quality (ASQ) award at a ceremony
of the ACI Asia-Pacific/World
Annual General Assembly held at
Jordan on 28 April 2015. The Delhi
airport scored 4.90 on a scale of 5
points measured by 300 members
of the ACI ASQ benchmarking

programme. IGIA bettered its

ranking from second position for the
years 2011, 2012 and 2013 to
emerge on top in 2014. Their score
was 3.02 in 2007. ASQ is the key to
understanding how to increase
passenger satisfaction and improve
business performance. IGIA hosts
six domestic carriers, 56
international carriers and also has
the capacity to handle the gigantic
Airbus A380 aircraft. It is a joint
venture between the GMR Group,
Airports Authority of India, Fraport
and Malaysia Airports Holdings
Berhad.
8) Which Latin American city has
highest bookstores per capita than
any other major city in the world,
according to a recent study by the
World Cities Cultural Forum?
Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Explanation: According to the data
disclosed by World Cities Cultural
Forum (WCCF), Argentine capital
Buenos Aires has more bookstores
per capita than any other major city
in the world. With a population of
2.8 million people within the city
limits, there are 25 bookstores for
every 100,000 people, putting

Buenos Aires far above other world

cities like London, Paris, Madrid,
Moscow and New York. The closest
is Hong Kong, which has 22
bookstores per 100,000 people.

WCCF said hence Buenos Aires

could also be described as worlds
bookstore capital. WCCF is an
organization that works to promote
culture.

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May 5-6, 2015

1) In an important development, the

Indian Army on 5 May 2015
inducted an indigenously developed
supersonic surface-to-air missile
which is capable of targeting enemy
helicopters, aircraft and UAVs from
a range of 25 km. What is the name
of this missile which has been
commissioned almost 3 decades
after this project was initiated?
Akash
Explanation: The Akash Weapon
System (AWS) has been developed

by the Defence Research and

Development Organisation
(DRDO). It is an indigenously
developed supersonic short range
surface-to-air missile system with
the capability to engage a wide
variety of aerial threats like aircraft,
helicopters and unmanned aerial
vehicles up to a maximum range of
25 km and up to an altitude of 20
km. The first test flight of Akash
missile was conducted in 1990, with
development flights conducted up
to March 1997.The system, which
has 96% indigenisation, is capable
of simultaneously engaging multiple
targets in all weather conditions and
is capable of providing
comprehensive short range missile
cover to the vulnerable assets in
the field force of the Army. It will be

a boost for the Army Air Defence

Corps, which had been grappling
for years with obsolete air defence
weapons.

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2) Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

(DMRC Limited) completed how
many years of its establishment
during May 2015? 20 years
Explanation: DMRC Limited is the
state-owned entity that operates the
highly successful Delhi Metro
network in Delhi NCR region. It was
established on 3 May 1995 with the
legendary E. Sreedharan serving as
its first Managing Director (MD).
Apart from being involved in
operating Delhi Metro, DMRC is
also involved in the planning and
implementation of metro rail,
monorail, and high-speed rail
projects in India and abroad. Delhi
Metro has changed the course of
public transport in India. DMRC has
maintained the reliability and
punctuality of Metro services. The
punctuality of the trains during
2014-15 remained 99.88%. DMRC

has served as the project

consultant and has prepared
detailed project reports (DPR) for
every metro and monorail project in
India, except the Kolkata Metro and
Chennai Mass Railway Transit
System (MRTS).
3) According to the latest SEBI
data, mutual fund (MF) managers
invested a net sum of Rs.7,618
crore in equity segment during April
this year, which is the highest
monthly net inflow (equity) in more
than seven years. This was the best
MF equity inflow since which
month? January 2008
Explanation: The net MF inflow of
Rs. 7,618 crore recorded in April
this year was the highest net inflow
in equities since January 2008,
when fund managers poured in Rs.
7,703 crore. In comparison, the MF
equity inflow during April 2014 was
just Rs.2,698 crore. Besides, fund
managers invested a net amount of
Rs. 28,650 crore in debt markets
during April 2015. Experts have
attributed this strong inflow in stock
markets to positive investor
sentiments, governments reforms
agenda, improved fundamentals of

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the domestic economy, and

increased participation from retail
investors. Fund managers have
shown interest in equity markets in
the past one year. They pumped in
over Rs. 40,000 crore in equity
markets in 2014-15, making it their
first net inflow in six years, for an
entire fiscal. The huge inflows also
helped the MF industry reach
around Rs.12 lakh crore-mark in
assets under management (AUM)
at the end of the financial year.

4) Kishore Biyani and Rajan Bharti

Mittal announced the merger of
Biyanis Future Retail with Mittals
Bharti Retail on 4 May 2015. This
move is expected to create one of
the largest retail networks in the
country. What is the total value of
this all-stock transaction? Rs. 750
crore
Explanation: After this huge
merger in Indian retail segment, the
combined retail entity is expected to
have a total turnover of Rs. 15,000

crore. While Biyani and Mittal

termed this as consolidation,
analysts saw the deal as Bharti
moving to exit from its retail
business, following its Walmart
experience and the policy
uncertainty on FDI in multi-brand
retail. According to data disclosed
by Biyani, post merger, the frontend retail and logistics
infrastructure businesses will be
split and operated through two
distinct entities. The first entity,
likely to be named Future Retail
Ltd, will host the retail operations,
while the second, proposed to be
called Future Enterprises Ltd, will
handle infrastructure, investments,
and assets. The combined entity
will have over 570 retail stores in
243 cities with operational retail
space of over 18.5 million square
feet. It will operate 203 Big Bazaar
and easyday hypermarkets, 197
Food Bazaar and easyday
supermarkets, and 171 other stores
comprising Home Town, eZone,
FBB and Foodhall. Post merger,
Future Retail Ltd will have a debt of
around Rs. 1,200 crore, while
Future Enterprises Ltd will have a
debt of around Rs. 3,500 crore. The

current debt of Future Retail Ltd is

around Rs. 5,200 crore.

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5) During May 2015 the Aditya Birla

Group announced a decision to
consolidate all its branded apparel
businesses into one listed entity.
The group will demerge Madura
Garments from AB Nuvo and then
consolidate it into Pantaloons
Fashion. What will be the name
given to this new entity? Aditya
Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd
(ABFRL)
Explanation: The merger of
Madura Garments and Pantaloons
will create a $2 billion entity that will
easily be the countrys largest
branded clothing company with
1,869 stores spread across 5
million square feet of space. The
transaction is expected to be
completed in the next six to nine
months. Aditya Birla Group expects
that brining all the branded apparels
businesses under one roof will
accelerate growth.

6) What was the name of the CEO

of online survey development
company SurveyMonkey, who died
during May 2015? Dave
Goldberg
Explanation: Dave Goldberg was a
noted American entrepreneur and
Silicon Valley executive. Apart from
being the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of SurveyMonkey he was the
co-founder of media company
LAUNCH. Goldberg was the
husband of Facebook Chief
Operating (COO) Sheryl Sandberg.
He died on 1 May 2015 as he fell
off a treadmill while exercising at a
gym and suffered head trauma and
blood loss while being on a holiday
with Sandberg in resort in
southwest Mexico. As of 2015,
SurveyMonkey has 25 million users
completing 90 million surveys a
month.

7) A noted Indian investor and

mutual fund entrepreneur passed
away during May 2015 after a car
accident in the United States. At the
time of accident he was going to
attend the annual general meeting
of Berkshire Hathaway, the
company controlled by legendary
investor Warren Buffett. Who was
this renowned Indian investor?
Parag Parikh

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16 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Parag Parikh died

while the car he was travelling in
met with an accident in Omaha,
Nebraska. 61-year old Parikh was
the founder of Parag Parikh
Financial Advisory Services
(PPFAS), a mutual fund company
with long term investment focus as
its vision.
8) What is the name given to the
newly born daughter of Britains
Prince William and the Duchess of
Cambridge, as announced on 4
May 2015? Charlotte Elizabeth
Diana

Explanation: The name Charlotte

Elizabeth Diana is being seen as a
choice that honours the babys late
grandmother Princess Diana and
her great-grandmother Queen
Elizabeth. The girl-child was born
on 2 May 2015 at St. Marys
Hospital in London. The baby will
be known as Her Royal Highness
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge,
as announced by the Kensington
Palace. Charlotte, Diana and
Elizabeth were all among the
names most favoured by
bookmakers for the princess, who is
the fifth great-grandchild of Britains
89-year-old Queen Elizabeth.

9) Which club won the English

Premier League for 2014-15 after
winning its match on 3 May 2015?
Chelsea
Explanation: Chelsea won its
fourth English Premier League
(EPL) title for 2014-15 on 3 May
2015 with three games to spare.
Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 10 in a home game to romp home

with the title. This was Chelseas

first league title since 2010, their
fourth Premier League title and their
fifth English league title overall. EPL
is also known as Barclays Premier
League (BPL) because it is

sponsored by Barclays. It is the

most prestigious professional
league championship for English
football clubs and was established
in 1992.

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May 7, 2015

1) Which village of Haryana state

came to news with the discovery of
huge water resources from a field
on 5 May 2015, a discovery some
experts believed to be part of the
mystic Saraswati River described in
Rigveda? Mugalwali
Explanation: Mugalwali is a small
village in Haryanas Yamunanagar
district. It came to prominence on 5

May 2015 when a huge water

source was discovered beneath an
excavation field while work under
MNREGA was being undertaken
here. Water was discovered from
four spots in the area. Many experts
hinted that this discovery could
prove a major link in the discovery
of the mystic Saraswati River which
has been described prominently in
the Rigveda. Many scholars have
identified the Vedic Sarasvati River
with the Ghaggar-Hakra River,
which flows in northwestern India
and Pakistan. This was proposed
by several scholars in the 19th and
early 20th century. Satellite images
in possession of the ISRO and
ONGC have confirmed that the

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major course of a river ran through

the present day Ghaggar River in
Haryana. However, numerous
experts are susceptible to accept
that the discovery made in
Mugalwali has any major linkage
with the Saraswati River, which,
according to mythology, had dried
up in desert. It is also important to
mention that the present Union
Govt. led by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is particularly keen
in discovering Saraswati River. In
August 2014 the govt. had
announced launching an effort to
unravel the mystery behind the
ancient Saraswati River.

2) The National Commission for

Backward Classes (NCBC) during
May 2015 recommended to the
Centre to raise the creamy layer
criterion for other backward castes
(OBCs) from the present annual
salary of Rs. 6 lakh to what new
level? Rs. 10.50 lakh

Explanation: Creamy layer is the

income ceiling that separates poor
OBCs from the well-off who are
ineligible for quotas. If this
recommendation of NCBC is
accepted, it would bring more
backward aspirants for central jobs
and educational institutions in the
reservation net. Though the
recommendation is of non-binding
nature, it will test the Modi
government given the political
sensitivity associated with the
issue. A high income bar would be
cheered by OBCs but has the
potential to rile the forward castes
that are hostile to reservations,
especially for affluent
individuals. The creamy layer was
introduced at Rs. 1 lakh in 1993,
and revised to Rs. 2.5 lakh in 2004,
Rs. 4.5 lakh in 2008 and Rs. 6 lakh
in 2013.

3) A Mumbai sessions court on 6

May 2015 sentenced Bollywood film
star Salman Khan to five years in

prison, for killing a man in a hit-andrun accident. Later the Mumbai

High Court gave 2-day bail to Khan
after the superstar applied for it.
When this accident had taken
place? 28 September 2002

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19 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: On 28 September
2002 actor Salman Khans Toyota
Land Cruiser SUV rammed a
roadside bakery in Bandra West,
resulting in death of one person and
injuries to 4 others. The legal trial
pertaining to the accident has been
going on since but the trial began in
earnest last year after a series of
court hearings and legal hold-ups.
On 6 May 2015 Judge D.W.
Deshpande of Mumbai Sessions
Court convicted the 49-year-old
actor of culpable homicide for
crashing his SUV while drunk into a
group of homeless men sleeping on
the pavement and then fleeing the
scene.

4) The skywatchers got a chance to

see a delightful meteor shower of a

comet on 5 and 6 May 2015. Which

famous comet is this? Halleys
Comet
Explanation: Halleys Comet wont
make another appearance in our
solar system for close to fifty years,
but on its last visit, in 1986, it left
some pieces of itself behind.
Halleys cosmic litter has been
making biannual appearances in
the night sky ever since once
every October in the form of the
Orionid meteor shower, and again
every May, as the Eta Aquarids.
The same shower was visible on 5
and 6 May.

5) Which city had the highest

vehicle density in India as disclosed
by a series of latest data released
recently? Chennai
Explanation: In terms of vehicle
density the Tamil Nadu capital
Chennai has topped in India with as
many as 2093 vehicles per unit
length of the roadway. It was
followed by Pune with 1260,

Mumbai with 1014, Hyderabad with

723, Kolkata with 355 and Delhi
with 245 vehicles per unit length of
the roadway. This might come as a
surprise to a few people as Delhi is
the biggest automobile market in
India. The reason for this is Delhis
enormous advantage in road
length. Compared to 1800 km in
Chennai and Pune, 2000 km in
Mumbai and a mere 1400 km in
Kolkata, Delhi boasts around
30,000 km of road length. On the
other hand, the six top cities in
terms of vehicle population in India
are Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata.

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20 CURRENT AFFAIRS

6) A youth from Hyderabad came to

prominence recently as he and his
team of researchers at Salk
Institute of Biological Studies in
California has developed a
technique that could help women
prevent their children from inheriting

severe illnesses including those of

heart and brain. What is the name
of this Indian youth? Pradeep
Reddy
Explanation: The technique
developed by the team comprising
Pradeep Reddy involves editing of
DNA in the mitochondria, dubbed
as the powerhouse, as it
generates chemical energy for the
body. Mitochondria contain genetic
material which is inherited only from
the mother, unlike DNA in the cells
nucleus which is inherited from both
parents. This technique will
primarily help women prevent their
children from inheriting severe
illnesses. Pradeep Reddy is from
Hyderabad and had obtained a
doctorate from Sweden. He later
completed post-doctorate work at
Stanford University before joining
Izpisua Belmontes lab at the Salk
Institute as a research associate.

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21 CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 8, 2015

1) In an important development,
Indias 41-year-old border issue
with Bangladesh was settled on 7
May 2015 as Indian Parliament
unanimously passed a historic bill
to operationalise the Land
Boundary Agreement that provides
for exchange of territories. This
agreement became possible as the
Lok Sabha, showing rare unanimity,
passed the Constitution
(119th Amendment) Bill. With the
passing of this bill which
Constitutional amendment came
into effect? 100th Constitutional
amendment
Explanation: It is worth mentioning
that while this bill was
119th Amendment Bill, the
Amendment became the 100th of

Indian constitution as other

constitutional amendment bills have
not been passed and are under
discussion in the Parliament. Under
the agreement, India will get 510
acres while Bangladesh will get
10,000 acres. It is worth mentioning
that nearly 160 enclaves exist on
either side of the border, a historical
oddity left after the Partition in
1947. There are 51 Bangladeshi
enclaves with about 15,000 people
within states like Meghalaya,
Tripura, Assam and West Bengal.
With the new agreement, these will
become part of India and the
people here have the option to
relocate to Bangladesh if they
prefer. Across the border, there are
about 100 enclaves that now
transfer officially to be a part of
Bangladesh. The agreement thus
intends to end decades of
uncertainty for tens of thousands of
citizens living in enclaves on the
wrong side of their homelands
border. Fifteen states in India now
have to clear the amendment,
which is unlikely to be a problem.

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2) India and Iran on 6 May 2015

signed an agreement to develop a
strategic port in southeast Iran. This
was done despite U.S. pressure not
to rush into any such trade
agreements before world powers
clinch a final nuclear accord with
Iran. Which Iranian port is involved
in this agreement? Chabahar
Port
Explanation: Chabahar Port is
situated in on the Gulf of Oman,
near Irans border with Indias arch
rival Pakistan. Shipping Minister
Nitin Gadkari and his Iranian
counterpart Abbas Ahmad
Akhoundi signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to develop
this strategic port. Under the MoU,
Indian firms will lease two existing
berths at the port and
operationalise them as container
and multi-purpose cargo terminals.
India and Iran agreed in 2003 to
develop the port, but the venture

has made little progress because of

Western sanctions tied to Tehrans
disputed atomic programme. It is
worth mentioning that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi wants
swiftly to sign trade deals with Iran
and other Gulf countries, spurred
on by Chinese President Xi
Jinpings signing of energy and
infrastructure agreements with
neighbouring Pakistan worth $46
billion. However, the United States
has expressed concern that India is
moving too fast and could
undermine a sanctions regime
imposed on Iran to try to bring it to
the negotiating table.

3) Indias first satellite-controlled

solar power plant was inaugurated
in which state on 6 May 2015?
Punjab
Explanation: Indias first-ever
satellite-controlled solar power plant
was opened in Lalpur village in
Punjabs Hoshiarpur district. Built at
a cost of Rs. 35 crore, the project
will produce 4.2 MW of electricity.

The plant uses the Single Axis

Tracking East West Tilt
Technology, which follows the path
of the sun during the day to
generate 8% more units of
electricity compared to solar power
plants having traditional fixed type
structures. The plant has been
established by Aditya Medisales,
which is part of the Sun Pharma
Group and is around 160 km from
Chandigarh.

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4) What was Indias place in the

State of the Worlds Mothers 2015
Report prepared by Save the
Children that was launched on 6
May 2015?- 140 out of 179
countries
Explanation: Worlds Mothers
2015 report titled The Urban
Disadvantage has been prepared
by Save the Children organisation
and was launched in India by Union
Minority Affairs Minister Najma
Heptulla in New Delhi on 6 May
2015. The Index scores countries
on five criteria: maternal health,
childrens well being, educational
status, economic status and
political status. While India was
ranked at 140th place out of a total

of 179 countries, it is also one of

the 10 countries in the world with
the greatest survival divide between
wealthy and poor urban children. It
figures in this worrying list with
other nations that include, Rwanda,
Cambodia, Kenya, Vietnam, Peru,
Madagascar, Ghana, Bangladesh
and Nigeria. According to the report
around 1.3 million children under-5
die every year, while 7.5 lakh
newborns die every year in India. In
these 10 countries poor urban
children are three to five times as
likely to die as their most affluent
peers, the report says. In India, the
percentage of the urban population
living in slums is 29%. This urban
poor population is 3.2 times as
likely to die by the age of 5 as the
urban rich, an indicator of the richpoor gap. The report also
mentioned that the quality of life of
mothers and children in the urban
slums of Delhi is one of the worst in
the world and the health inequity
between the rich and the poor is
stark.
5) Which countries were placed at
top and bottom places respectively
in the 2015 Mothers Index of 179

countries that was released on 6

May 2015? Norway
(top)and Somalia (bottom)

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24 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Save the Childrens

State of the Worlds Mothers 2015:
The Urban Disadvantage Report
was released globally on 6 May
2015. The contrast between the top
and bottom countries remains stark
as disclosed in this report. While
0.3% of Norwegian children die
before their 5th birthday, some 15%
of Somali children do. Somali
children who survive will get fewer
than 2.5 years of formal education,
while Norwegian children will get
17.5 years of formal education. The
other key findings of the report are
that while great progress has been
made in reducing urban under-five
mortality around the world,
inequality is worsening. It
emphasized the issue of urban
mothers and children being

deprived of lifesaving health care.

The report also disclosed that the
United States continues to be
outpaced by smaller countries in its
treatment of its mothers, dropping
two spots to 33rd place in the report.
5 Best countries for mothers:
1. Norway
2. Finland
3. Iceland
4. Denmark
5. Sweden
5 Worst countries for mothers:
179. Somalia
178. Democratic Republic of the
Congo
177. The Central African Republic
176. Mali
175. Niger

May 9, 2015

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25 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Prime Minister David Cameron

scored a stunning election victory in
Britain on 8 May 2015 as his
Conservative Party gained majority
on its own by winning 331 seats.
With this resounding victory, the
Conservatives will be able to
govern the country alone for the
first time since which year? 1992
Explanation: The last time the
Conservative Party had a majority
on its own was in 1992 when Prime
Minister John Major led the party to
an almost unexpected win by
winning 336 seats. David
Camerons victory thus overturned
poll predictions that the election
would be the closest in decades to
sweep easily into office for another

five years, with his Labour

opponents in tatters. Conservatives
won 331 seats to gain clear majority
in British Parliament while Labour
Party could win just 232 seats.
Scottish National Party (SNP)
scored huge gains in Scotland to
win 56 seats while the Liberal
Democrat inflicted huge losses with
just 8 seats under its belt.
Democratic Unionist Party also won
8 seats. Camerons victory also
means Britain will face a vote which
he has promised on continued
membership in the EU. The huge
win for SNP meant that Scotland,
which voted just last year to stay in
the United Kingdom, will send just
three representatives of major
British parties to parliament and be
all but shut out of the cabinet. That
could revive calls for it to leave the
United Kingdom.

2) Who became the youngest

British MP since 1667 after her
historic win in the British
Parliamentary elections of 2015?
Mhairi Black

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26 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: 20-year old student

Mhairi Black created history as she
became the youngest British MP
since 1667. Representing the
Scottish National Party (SNP), she
defeated Labour Partys Douglas
Alexander in the seat of Paisley and
Renfrewshire South. Alexander, 47,
was the opposition Labours foreign
policy spokesman. Black thus
became the youngest lawmaker
since Christopher Monck entered
Parliament in 1667 at age 13. In
UK, people wishing to stand as an
MP must be over 18 years of age
and be a British citizen or citizen of
a Commonwealth country or the
Republic of Ireland.
3) In one of the most tragic aviation
disasters in Pakistan, Ambassadors
of two countries were killed when a
Pakistani Army helicopter crashed
in a mountainous part of northern
Pakistan on 8 May 2015. Which
countries Ambassadors to Pakistan

died in this bizarre accident?

Norway and the Philippines
Explanation: Norwegian envoy Leif
Larsen and Domingo Lucenario of
the Philippines were killed in this
helicopter crash which took place in
the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).
The wives of the Indonesian and
Malaysian envoys, two pilots and a
crew member also died as the illfated helicopter tried to make an
emergency landing. The diplomats
flying in the ill-fated MI-17 were
headed for inauguration ceremony
of a ski chairlift, built in the
breathtaking resort of Naltar, in
northern Pakistan. Pakistani Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif was
scheduled to attend the
inauguration, but his aircraft turned
back from Gilgit after reports of the
crash.
4) Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley on 7 May 2015 announced
decision to set up a high-level
panel to examine the issue of
minimum alternate tax (MAT) on
foreign institutional investors (FIIs).
Who will lead this panel? Justice
A.P. Shah

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27 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Justice AP Shah is

presently heading the Law
Commission. The decision to set up
this panel is being seen as a move
aimed at calming jittery foreign
investors, along with other legacy
issues. The tax departments
notice to FIIs to pay MAT on capital
gains had triggered a row with
angry FIIs writing to the Centre to
have a rethink. The tax department
had moved swiftly to contain the
damage saying that MAT on the
capital gains made by overseas
funds in Indian stock markets would
not be applicable, if the money is
routed through countries such as
Mauritius, Singapore and others
with which India has signed double
taxation avoidance agreements.
The government has maintained
that the decision to levy MAT on
foreign portfolio investors was taken
not by the government but by quasijudicial bodies.

5) Who was appointed as the new

Election Commissioner on 7 May
2015 to fill one of the two vacancies
in the three-member body? Achal
Kumar Jyoti
Explanation: Achal Kumar Jyoti is
a former Chief Secretary of Gujarat
during the tenure of Narendra Modi
as states Chief Minister. He had
retired from active service in
January 2013 after serving in
various capacities in Gujarat
including as Chairman of the
Kandla Port Trust between 1999
and 2004 and Managing Director of
the Sardar Sarovar Narmada
Nigam Ltd (SSNNL). After V S
Sampath demitted the office of
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
in January 2015, H S Brahma was
elevated as CEC. But after Brahma
demitted office, two posts of ECs in
the three-member body have
remained vacant. Between 19 April
2015, when Nasim Zaidi took over
as the CEC, till 7 May, he was the
only member in the poll body. In the
coming days, the government will
appoint one more Election
Commissioner to fill up the last
vacancy.

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6) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

on 7 May 2015 put in place a new
framework for banks to check loan
frauds. Under this framework early
warning signals will be integrated at
banks to give quick information
about loan frauds being committed.
A new concept has been introduced
in the current framework as an
important step in fraud risk control.
What is this new concept? Red
Flagged Account (RFA)
Explanation: The concept of a Red
Flagged Account (RFA) is being
introduced in the current framework
as an important step in fraud risk
control. An RFA is one where a
suspicion of fraudulent activity is
thrown up by the presence of one
or more early warning signals
(EWS). These signals in a loan
account should immediately put the
bank on alert regarding a weakness
or wrong doing which may
ultimately turn out to be fraudulent.
No restructuring or grant of
additional facilities may be made in
the case of RFA or fraud accounts.

7) Which entity during May 2015

completed Indias single largest
office space leasing deal so far by
signing up for a 2-million sq. ft.
custom-built office campus in
Bengaluru? Flipkart
Explanation: Indias leading ecommerce company Flipkart
finalized a 20-year deal with
Embassy Group under which it will
take a huge 2-million sq. ft. office
campus at Embassy Tech Village
on the Outer Ring Road in
Bengaluru. This property is owned
by US private-equity giant
Blackstone and Bengaluru-based
builder Embassy Group. Thus
countrys biggest e-commerce
company will be able to move all its
operation from multiple offices to
one location. It currently occupies 5
lakh sq. ft. spread across
Bengaluru. Flipkart-Embassy deal
is by far the single largest
commitment of office space
anywhere in the country till date.

May 10, 2015

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1) A new strategic naval base of the

Indian Navy named INS Sardar
Patel was commissioned on 9 May
2015. This base has been
established in which coastal city of
Gujarat? Porbandar
Explanation: The base was
commissioned by Gujarat Chief
Minister Anandiben Patel and it
became the second in the state for
the Indian Navy after INS Dwarka
near Okha. The commissioning
ceremony was attended by Admiral
RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval
Staff and other senior naval
officers. The commissioning of
INS Sardar Patel at Porbandar
would enable the Indian Navy to

qualitatively augment its

infrastructure and organisational
effectiveness in the State of
Gujarat, which would improve
coordination and synergy with other
maritime agencies of the
Government. It has been
established as a Forward Operating
Base (FOB) of the Indian Navy.
Cmde BR Prakash, VSM who is the
Naval Officer-in-Charge (Gujarat,
Diu & Daman) became the first
Commanding Officer of INS Sardar
Patel.
2) From May 2015 National
Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) has reduced the switching
fee it charges banks for processing
inter-bank ATM transactions by five
paise. What is the new switching
fee after this reduction? 45 paise
per transaction
Explanation: Till now NPCIs
switching fee for processing interbank ATM transactions was 50
paise per transaction, which stood

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30 CURRENT AFFAIRS

since four years when NPCI had cut

the switching fee to 50 paise from
Rs. 1 through its National Financial
Switch in 2011. The reduction in
switching fee came on the back of
ATM transaction volumes rising to
about 27 crore a month from eight
crore five years back. Currently,
each time a customer of a particular
bank withdraws cash at the ATM of
another bank, the former bank has
to pay the later a transaction fee
of Rs. 20. Further, the first bank has
to pay NPCI a switching fee of Rs.
0.45.

3) Russia staged a massive and

extravagant parade on Red Square
in Moscow with display of some
new armour for the first time. What
was the reason for this massive
parade? Commemoration of 70
years of Russian victory over
Nazi Germany in World War II

Explanation: Military units from

across Russia took part in the
massive parade held on 9 May at
the historic Red Square to mark the
completion of 70 years of the defeat
of Hitlers army to the then Soviet
forces in 1945. Russian Victory Day
Parade has been organised
traditionally every year since 1945
but the parade of 9 May was held
on a much larger scale with
participation of some international
contingents. Chinese President Xi
Jinping, President Pranab
Mukherjee of India and UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
were among more than 20 world
leaders who watched this parade.
But the parade was boycotted by
almost all Western countries
because of Russias role in the
Ukraine crisis. Russia denies claims
by the West that it is arming rebels
in eastern Ukraine. More than 6,000
people have been killed since
fighting began in April 2014 in
Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk
regions.
4) History was made for the Indian
Army on 9 May 2015 when for the
first time one of its contingents took

part in the international military

parade, as part of Russias Victory
Day commemoration. This
contingent was from which regiment
of the Indian Army? Nine
Grenadiers regiment

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31 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: 75-member
contingent of the Nine Grenadiers
regiment was part of 10 militaries,
including Russias Red Army and
Chinas Peoples Liberation Army
(PLA), which took part on the 9 May
parade at Moscows Red Square.
This contingent had been practising
at an army facility outside Moscow
since 25 April 2015 for this historic
event. At six feet in their safas or
turban headgear, the Grenadiers,
with their long and twirled
moustaches, cut a distinctive figure
in the parade. Their uniforms were
also more traditional, in tune with
their home States of Haryana and
Rajasthan.
5) Which West African country,
which was at the center of the
largest Ebola epidemic so far, was
declared free of Ebola by the World

Health Organization on 9 May

2015? Liberia
Explanation: Liberia was one of
the three West African countries at
the center of the largest epidemic of
Ebola till date since the disease
was first reported in 1976. The two
other countries are Sierra Leone
and Guinea. In a statement
released on 9 May, the United
Nations public health agency said
Liberia had gone 42 days-twice
Ebolas maximum incubation
period-since the burial of its last
confirmed patient without
discovering a new case. This
marked the end of a national
outbreak that infected as many as
400 new victims a week at its peak.
However, the epidemic is still not
over in West Africa. Liberias
neighbors, Guinea and Sierra
Leone have also had outbreaks and
are still reporting cases, including
18 in the week ended 3 May.

May 11, 2015

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32 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on

10 May 2015 inaugurated a
revamped and modernized 2.5
million tonne steel plant of IISCO on
the occasion of his maiden visit to
West Bengal. This plant is situated
at which? Burnpur
Explanation: IISCO (former name
Indian Iron and Steel Company) is a
subsidiary of the Steel Authority of
India Limited (SAIL) and has this
major steel plant in Burnpur in
Asansol district of West Bengal. It
was a private sector plant before
being acquired by the Union Govt.
in 1972 and being brought under
the umbrella of SAIL in 1978. The
plant has now been completely
modernized and revamped with an

investment of Rs. 16,000 crore. The

brand new state-of-the-art IISCO
Steel Plant at Burnpur is the fifth
integrated steel plant of SAIL. The
annual hot metal capacity of the
plant has been ramped up to 2.9
million tonnes, from the earlier 0.85
million tonne. Spread over a
compact 953 acres, the new plant is
equipped with the latest green
technologies with zero emission.
The revival of this plant is being
seen as a sign of renewed
industrialisation drive in West
Bengal.
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
became the first prime minister in
last 30 years to visit Naxal hotbed
of Dantewada (Chhattisgarh) on 9
May 2015. Who was the last to do
so? Rajiv Gandhi
Explanation: The PMs stopover at
Dantewada, the first by a prime
minister since the visit of Rajiv
Gandhi in 1985, took place under
intense security with layers of

security arranged for this visit.

Welfare projects worth about Rs.
25,000 crore were initiated by the
Prime Minister on this occasion and
this included establishment of a
major steel plant as well as a
railway line.

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33 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) A memorandum of
understanding (MoU) for
establishment of a three-milliontonne ultra mega steel plant
(UMSP) was signed on the
occasion of Prime Minister
Narendra Modis visit of
Chhattisgarh on 9 May 2015. This
UMSP would be established at
which village of the state? Dilmili
Explanation: Dilmili is situated
about 35 km. from the divisional
headquarters of Bastar. State-run
companies Steel Authority of India
Limited (SAIL) and National Mineral
Development Corporation (NMDC)
would set up the UMSP here with
an investment of Rs 18,000 crore.
The MoU for the same was signed
between the state govt., SAIL and
NMDC for this greenfield project.
SAIL would have equity of 74%
while NMDC would hold remaining
26% in the project.

4) What is the name of the super

storm that made landfall in
northeastern region of the
Philippines on 10 May 2015
prompting evacuations and
warnings of flooding and landslides
in the region? Noul
Explanation: Super Typhoon Noul
was referred to as Dodong in the
Philippines and it hit at the
northeastern tip of the island of
Luzon, near the small town of Santa
Ana in the afternoon of 10 May.
Nouls outer bands lashed Luzons
eastern coast through the afternoon
as it drew nearer, packing
maximum sustained winds of about
260 kph (160 mph) and gusts as
strong as 315 kph (195 mph).
Philippines Govt. had issued its
highest storm warning for the storm
in the northeastern region. The
Philippines is situated in a
vulnerable part of the Pacific, and
experiences an average of 20
typhoons a year, with five of them
being destructive.
5) Which private sector financial
entity from India has emerged the
only Indian company among a list of

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34 CURRENT AFFAIRS

the worlds 10 biggest consumer

financial services firms complied by
Forbes magazine and released
recently? HDFC
Explanation: HDFC is ranked
7th on the list, compiled by business
magazine Forbes, where American
Express is placed on the top
followed by Capital One Financial,
Visa, Discover Financial Services
and Orix in the top-five. Mastercard
is ranked sixth. HDFC is followed
by CIT Group of the US at eighth
position, Taiwans Hua Nan
Financial at 9th and Chinas
Franshion Properties is at the
10th place. The list is part of Forbes
annual compilation of 2,000 biggest
and most powerful companies
globally, which includes a total of 56
companies from India across
various sectors. In the overall list,
HDFC is ranked 485th, while
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance
Industries leads the pack of the
Indian companies at 142nd overall
position.
6) Who won the Spanish Formula 1
Grand Prix that culminated on 10
May 2015? Nico
Rosberg (Germany)

Explanation: Nico Rosberg had

started the race from pole position
and by winning the race has finally
got the better of his Mercedes
teammate Lewis Hamilton (Great
Britain) who is leading this season.
This was first victory for Rosberg
since winning the Brazilian GP in
November 2014 and the ninth
overall of his Formula 1 career.
Ferrari teams Sebastian Vettel
(Germany) was third.
7) What is the name of the festival
of Indian arts and culture in Russia
that was inaugurated by President
Pranab Mukherjee in Moscow on 10
May 2015? Namaste India
Explanation: Namaste India is
the name given to the 7-month long
festival of Indian arts and culture
that will be held across Russia. It
will feature dance and music
performances by Indian groups as
well as exhibition of painting and
sculptures by some noted Indian
artists. The festival will be held
between May and November 2015
in Russian cities like Moscow, St
Petersburg, Kaliningrad,
Kislovodsk, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa
and others. Namaste India festival

is being hosted under the

patronage of the Ministry of Culture
of the Russian Federation and
Indian Council for Cultural Relations
(ICCR). The organisers of the
festival are the Russian State
Concert Company

SODRUZHESTVO and the

Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre at
the Embassy of India in Moscow.

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35 CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 12, 2015

1) Which noted banker of India was

on 11 May 2015 appointed as the
first President of the $100-billion
New Development Bank (NDB) of
the BRICS countries, to be based in
Chinas financial hub Shanghai?
KV Kamath
Explanation: KV Kamath is one of
Indias most well-known bankers.
He retired as Managing Director

and CEO of ICICI bank in April

2009, and took up his current
position as non-executive chairman.
5 BRICS countries Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa had
agreed to set up the $100 billion
development bank last July, in a
step toward reshaping the Westerndominated international financial
system. The name of the bank the
New Development Bank was
suggested by Prime Minster
Narendra Modi at a meeting of
member countries in Fortaleza,
Brazil in November 2014. It was
also agreed that the New
Development Bank (NDB), which
will fund infrastructure projects in
developing nations, would be based

in Shanghai. It would be headed by

an Indian for a first five-year term,
followed by a Brazilian and then a
Russian.

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36 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) A 5-day census of the Asiatic

Lions was conducted at the famous
Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat
that concluded on 5 May 2015.
According to the primary results of
this census there are how many
lions at the sanctuary? 523
Explanation: The Lion Census at
Gir Wildlife Sanctuary concluded
that there is a considerable
increase in the population of Asiatic
lions in the sanctuary in 2015 as
compared to the last census
conducted in 2010. While lion
population in 2010 stood at 411, the
present figure stands at 523.
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben
Patel released the much-awaited
census data at a function held at
Sasan in Gujarat on 10 May 2015.
The lion census, conducted by over
1,000 enumerators over five days,

concluded on 5 May. The

enumerators found 109 adult
males, 201 adult females, and 213
cubs and sub-adults distributed
across four districts Junagadh,
Gir Somnath, Amreli, and
Bhavanagar.

3) The Karnataka High Court on 11

May 2015 overturned a trial court
judgment and acquitted AIADMK
chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J. Jayalalitha along
withthree of her associates in an
18-year-old disproportionate assets
case. This case is associated with
which tenure of her as the Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu? 1991-96
Explanation: J. Jayalalitha was
charged of misusing her office
during her tenure of 1991-96 to
amass properties worth Rs. 66.65
crore. The assets under the purview
of the case are the farm houses
and bungalows in Chennai,
agricultural land in Tamil Nadu, a
farm house in Hyderabad, a tea

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37 CURRENT AFFAIRS

estate in the Nilgiris, valuable

jewelry, industrial sheds, cash
deposits and investments in banks
and investments and a set of luxury
cars. The judgement of the case
was pronounced on 27 September
2014 in the Special Court which
convicted all four, including
Jayalalithaa, guilty. Jayalalithaa
thus became the first Chief Minister
to lose the post due to the
conviction while in office. This
judgment was overturned by the
Karnataka High Court on 11 May
paving her way to come back as
Tamil Nadus CM.
4) Eastern Indias newest
Greenfield airport the Kazi Nazrul
Islam Airport, started its symbolic
operations on 10 May 2015 as
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
became the first passenger to fly
out of the airport on this day. This
airport is situated at which place in
West Bengal? Andal
Explanation: Kazi Nazrul Islam
Airport, is located at Andal,
Bardhaman in Durgapur subdivision, 25 km from Asansol and
15 km from Durgapur in West
Bengal, India. This airport is located

between the twin cities of AsansolDurgapur. It is worth mentioning

that Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport as the
countrys first privately constructed
aero city project at Andal received
the nod for commercial operation
from the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation only recently. The Rs
10,000-crore project that includes a
full-fledged airport capable of
handling flights like Boeing B 737800 and Airbus A320 aircraft has
been developed by Bengal
Aerotropolis Project Ltd
(BAPL). Changi Airports of
Singapore has a 32 per cent stake
in the Aerotropolis project. The
airport starts its commercial
operations from 12 May.
5) During April 2015, China
overtook the United States in import
of which important commodity to
become worlds largest importer of
this commodity? Crude Oil
Explanation: According to
information disclosed in media
reports recently, during April 2015
China surpassed the United States
to become the largest crude oil
importer in the world. During this
month Chinas crude oil import

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38 CURRENT AFFAIRS

stood at 7.4 million barrels per day

(bpd) or 200,000 bpd more than the
US. This news comes as a surprise
because the Chinese economy has
been slowing and just in May 2015,
in an effort to stimulate growth, the
Peoples Bank of China cut interest
rates for the third time in 6 months.
Over the next few months, the US
and China may be in and out of the
top spot, but because American
imports dropped by about 3 million
bpd in the last decade and because
Chinas purchases have boosted
seven-fold, the Chinese should be
the top crude oil importer on a long
term basis. It is worth mentioning
that China overtook the US as the
worlds top energy consumer in
2010 and is already the number
one purchaser of many
commodities, such as coal, iron ore
and most metals.

6) Who became the first black to be

elected as the leader by South
Africas main opposition party, the
Democratic Alliance (DA), on 10
May 2015? Mmusi Maimane
Explanation: 34-year old Mmusi
Maimane was elected leader of the
Democratic Alliance (DA), which is
the main opposition party in South
Africa. He succeeds Helen Zille,
who had almost unexpectedly
announced she would step down
last month after increasing the
share of the DAs vote in the 2014
poll. Maimane became party
spokesman in 2011 and is known to
regularly lock horns with the South
African President, Jacob Zuma.

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39 CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 13, 2015

1) A closely watched Japanese

forecast on 12 May 2015 confirmed
the return of the El Nino
phenomenon this year which is
expected to adversely affect
economies heavily dependent on
agriculture, particularly India which
is already reeling from bad weather.
In which year El Nino had last made
its lasting impact felt in India?
2009-10
Explanation: El Nino is the name
given to a weather pattern which
can drive droughts and flooding. It
is associated with a band of warm
ocean water that develops in the
central and east-central equatorial

Pacific. Developing countries

dependent upon agriculture and
fishing, particularly those bordering
the Pacific Ocean, are the most
affected. Since 2000, a number of
El Nio events have been
observed. El Nino events were
observed in 200203, 200405,
200607 and 200910. In 2009-10,
the El Nino brought the worst
drought in four decades to India. It
razed wheat fields in Australia and
damaged crops across Asia. Apart
from Japanese scientists, the US
scientists had earlier in April 2015
announced that El Nino had arrived,
but it was described, then, as
weak phenomenon.

2) An earthquake of 7.3 magnitude

struck Nepal on 12 May 2015 with
significant impact on India. At least
60 people were injured and over

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40 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1,500 injured in Nepal while 16

people died across the border in
Bihar. What was the epicenter of
this earthquake? 18 km southeast of Kodari (Nepal)
Explanation: According to data
disclosed by USGS, the epicenter
of this earthquake was 18 km
south-east of Kodari or
approximately 80 km north-east of
Nepali capital Kathmandu. The
exact location of this earthquake
was on Nepals border with Tibet
(China) near Namche Bazar area
which is the base camp for Mount
Everest expeditions. It inflicted
maximum damage in Dolakha and
Sindhupalchowk districts in Nepal,
which were already reeling from the
frequent aftershocks in the wake of
the 25 April massive earthquake of
7.9 magnitude which has till now
killed over 8,000 persons. The
earthquake tremors were also felt
almost all over North India,
including capital Delhi, with damage
to life and property reported in Bihar
and Uttar Pradesh. This earthquake
was thus the biggest aftershock
after the earthquake of 25 April.

3) Who was appointed as the acting

Chairman of the National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) by the
President Pranab Mukherjee on 12
May 2015? Justice Cyriac
Joseph
Explanation: Justice Cyriac
Joseph was authorized to act as the
interim chairperson of the NHRC
until the appointment of a new
chairperson. Former NHRC
chairperson K.G. Balakrishnan had
completed his tenure on 11 May.
He was the sixth NHRC chairman
and the longest serving one. Justice
Balakrishnan had joined as NHRC
chairperson on 7 June 2010 after
his retirement as the Chief Justice
of India. During his tenure, Justice
Balakrishnan was instrumental in
charting out several new initiatives
towards promotion and protection of
human rights in the country and laid
a lot of emphasis on increasing the
outreach of the commission to build
awareness about human rights.

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41 CURRENT AFFAIRS

4) The largest-ever rankings of

global schools prepared by the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) was released on 12 May
2015 with Asian countries in the top
five spots and African countries at
the bottom. It placed UK at
20th place and the US at 28th place.
Which Asian country topped this
list? Singapore
Explanation: Singapore headed
this list and followed by Hong Kong,
South Korea, Japan and Taiwan for
the top 5 places. Finland was
placed at 6th place and led amongst
European countries. The rankings,
based on test scores in maths and
science, is a much wider global
map of education standards than
the OECDs Pisa tests, which focus
on more affluent industrialised
countries. It shows once again the
poor performance of the United
States, slipping behind successful
European countries and being
overtaken by even Vietnam.
Important countries like India and
China were not included in these
rankings.

5) What is the name of the oil

painting of Spanish artist Pablo
Picasso which smashed the record
for the most expensive artwork ever
sold at auction when it soared to
$179.4 million (around Rs. 1100
crore) at Christies auction on 11
May 2015? Les femmes
dAlger (Version O) which
means (Women of Algiers (Version
O)
Explanation: Till now the most
expensive painting to be sold at an
auction was Three Studies of
Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon
which was sold for $142.4 million at
Christies in November 2013. The
auction house had estimated Les
femmes dAlger (Version O)
would sell for about $140 million,
but several bidders competing via
telephone drove the winning bid to
$160 million, for a final price of
$179,365,000. This huge price
included Christies commission of
just over 12%.

6) On 12 May 2015 Google

announced integration of Indian
Railways schedules as well as
updated information about public
transport in eight Indian cities on
Google Maps. This facility would be
made available under which feature
of Google Maps? Google
Transit
Explanation: Google Transit is
the feature in Google Maps that
helps plan travel using public
transport. The facility will work on
Android or iOS based devices as
well as on desktops. Commuters
will now be able to access Indian

Railways schedule on their mobiles

as well as desktops using Google
Maps. Besides, information on
12,000 trains, the Maps will now
offer updated details for bus and
metro routes in nine cities, including
New Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad,
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Mumbai and Pune. Users can
choose preferred mode of transport
from bus, metro or train and also
the time they will like to depart or
arrive by. Users will need to type
the destination into updated Google
Maps, click on Get Directions
button and then select Public
Transit icon that will now include
trains apart from bus, car and
walking options.

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42 CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 14, 2015

1) In a departure from tradition,
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi started his historic 3-day
official visit of China from which
ancient Chinese city on 14 May
2015? Xian

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43 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Narendra Modi

started his official Chinese visit from
Xian as he arrived at this ancient
city on 14 May. This city is in
Shaanxi province, which is the
native place of Chinese President
Xi Jinping. Traditionally the official
visits of state guests are started
from capital city, Beijing. It is worth
mentioning that Modi had invited
Jinping to visit Ahmedabad and
Gandhinagar first during his official
visit of India last year. So this
gesture is being seen as reciprocal
move by the Chinese premier. Xian
is also replete with historic
significance for the India-China
relationship. It is the place where
Chinas first Emperor Qin Shi
Huang, who unified China and
constructed the first Great Wall,
was buried.
2) The Union Govt. appointed new
Governors for four states on 12
May 2015. Who are these? V.
Shanmuganathan (Meghalaya),
Draupadi Murmu (Jharkhand),
Tathagata Roy (Tripura) and J.P.
Rakkhowa (Arunachal Pradesh)
Explanation: V. Shanmuganathan
is a member of BJP national

executive while Draupadi Murmu

has been an active member of BJP
and had contested many elections.
She was an MLA from Odishas
Rairangpur constituency in 2000.
Tathagata Roy is a senior leader
from West Bengal and had
unsuccessfully contested from
Kolkata Dakshin in 2014 Lok Sabha
elections. J. P. Rakkhowa is a
former Chief Secretary of Assam.
Apart from these 4 new Governors,
the union Govt. shifted Syed
Ahmed from Jharkhand to Manipur
and Nirbhay Sharma from
Arunachal Pradesh to Mizoram for
the remainder of their terms.
Despite these changes, there are
vacancies still in four states Bihar,
Assam, Telangana and Himachal
Pradesh.

3) The Union Govt. on 13 May 2015

gave its clearance for disinvestment
of which two public-sector
undertakings (PSUs) with the aim of
garnering around Rs. 15,000 crore

from this sale? Indian Oil

Corporation (IOC) and NTPC

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44 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: The Cabinet

Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) gave its in-principal
approval to disinvestment of 10%
stake in Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC) and 5% stake in NTPC.
Union government expects to get
over Rs 15,000 crore from selling
its share in these entities. Both
disinvestment processes will be
executed through the offer-for-sale
(OFS) or auction method. The retail
investor will have 20% reservation
in both the disinvestments.
4) The Union Cabinet on 13 May
2015 gave its approval to the new
Benami Transaction (Prohibition)
Bill to curb generation and
circulation of black money in
domestic sectors such as real
estate. This will be the second time
that a legislation pertaining to
curbing benaami and black money
transactions would be enacted.
When was the first such legislation
enacted in India? 1988
Explanation: A similar law was
enacted by the Indian Parliament in

1988. However, despite getting the

Presidential assent, successive
Governments failed to notify the
rules. As a result, the Act could not
be made operational. In 2011, the
UPA Government introduced a new
Bill, which also was vetted by the
Parliamentary Committee, but could
not be passed. The Bill lapsed after
the Lok Sabha was dissolved. It is
worth mentioning that the 1988 Act
defined benaami transaction as
any transaction in which property is
transferred to one person for a
consideration paid or provided by
another person. The 2011 Bill
listed the reasons why a person
does this to defeat the provisions
of law, avoid payment of statutory
dues, or to avoid payment to
creditors. The 1988 Act stated that
whoever entered into a benaami
transaction could be punished with
imprisonment up to three years,
which was to up to two years in the
2011 Bill. The fine, however, was
retained.
5) The Supreme Court in its order
given on 13 May 2015 said that
picture of only three officials can
feature in government

advertisements that are placed by

the centre and state governments
to publicize various schemes.
Which three officials are these?
The President, the Prime
Minister and the Chief Justice of
India

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45 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: This Supreme Court

ruling means that Chief Ministers
and Governors cannot feature in
government ads. The top court has
also appointed a committee of three
members to ensure that the new
guidelines are not violated. Giving
this order the SC observed that
Photos have the potential of
developing personality cult. It also
clarified that party symbols and
flags cannot be used in such ads.
The verdict was based on petitions
filed by NGOs including that of
lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan,
which said taxpayers money was
being spent liberally on gaining
political mileage.
6) In a setback to the Narendra
Modi govt., which global financial
entity on 13 May 2015 downgraded
India to underweight category,
which was the first major

downgrade for the India in the past

one year? HSBC
Explanation: Global brokerage
house HSBC downgraded India by
changing its stance on the country
to underweight. In doing so it cited
projections for weak monsoon,
muted corporate earnings, and
odds against further rate cuts. It
also said India has become the
second most expensive and one of
the most over-owned markets in
Asia, after a strong rally on the back
of reform optimism generated by
the Modi government over the past
one year. The downgrade came at
a time when Indian markets are
already under acute pressure,
primarily because of foreign
investors turning heavy sellers on
concerns related to the
controversial MAT levy and delay in
the ambitious indirect tax (GST)
and land reforms.

7) Which city would become the

first in India to get Google Street

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46 CURRENT AFFAIRS

View as announced on 12 May

2015? Hyderabad
Explanation: This announcement
was made by a delegation of
Telangana ministers led by IT
Minister K T Rama Rao that met the
Google Street View team on 12
May. Upon the request made by the
Minister, Google has agreed to
make Telangana the first state
which will get Street View for one
complete city, namely, Hyderabad
to begin with, with subsequent
extension to other major cities and
towns. While Street View has been
extensively used in the US,
Canada, and many European
countries, its applications in India
have been limited so far. Google
has launched Street View for some
of the tourist sites like Taj Mahal
and Qutub Minar in partnership with
the Archaeological Society of India,
but not yet been able to offer streetlevel views of Indian cities. Google
has in the past attempted to offer
Street View in India, but ran into
regulatory hurdles. Others like
WoNoBo have stepped in to fill the
gap.

8) According to a latest report

disclosed by a South Korean
intelligence agency, the minister of
the Peoples Armed Forces in North
Korea was executed during April
2015 for allegedly showing
disrespect for its top leader, Kim
Jong Un. What was the name of
this official? Gen. Hyon Yong
Chol
Explanation: A report of South
Koreas National Intelligence
Service claimed that Gen. Hyon
Yong Chol was deemed disloyal by
Kim Jong Un as Chol allegedly
dozed off during military events and
second-guessed Kims orders. Chol
was believed to have been
executed with an anti-aircraft gun in
Pyongyang, the North Korean
capital, around 30 April. Kim has
been terrorizing North Koreas elites
with executions and purges as he
has struggled to establish his
authority since the death of his

father, the longtime dictator Kim

Jong Il, in late 2011.

May 15-16, 2015

countries, MoU on education
exchange programme, MoU
between Indias between NITI
Aayog and Development Research
Centre of China, etc.

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47 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) How many agreements between

India and China were signed after
Prime Minister Narendra Modis
talks with Chinese Premier Li
Keqiang on 15 May 2015?
Twenty Four (24)
Explanation: 24 agreements worth
over 10 billion dollars were signed
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
held talks with Chinese premier Li
Keqiang at Beijing on 15 May.
These agreements include
protocol for establishment of
consulates in Chengdu and
Chennai, agreement on the
establishment of sister states
Sichuan and Karnataka, action plan
between railways of the two

2) On the second day of his state

visit to China on 15 May 2015,
Indian Prime Minister made the
announcement of the opening of
the second route for the KailashManasarovar Yatra by China from
June 2015. This second route
would be through which pass to
complement the existing route
through the Lipulekh Pass in
Uttarakhand? Nathu La (Sikkim)
Explanation: The over 4,000 m
high Nathu La pass connects
Indias Sikkim state with Chinas
Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one
of the three open trading border

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48 CURRENT AFFAIRS

posts between China and India- the

other two being Lipulekh Pass
(Uttarakhand) and Shipki La
(Himachal Pradesh). Till now the
only available route for the annual
Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra was the
Lipulekh Pass. But it was badly
damaged in the floods of
Uttarakhand in 2013. The Chinese
Govt. has accepted Indian request
to open the Nathu La from June
2015 which will allow more Indians
to undertake the pilgrimage, in
addition to the existing Lipulekh
Pass.

3) A new set of insider trading

norms came into effect from 15 May
2015 with the aim to tackle insider
trading menace in Indian capital
markets. The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
had imposed the old regulations on
insider trading in which year?
1992
Explanation: Indian capital
markets were run by over two

decade old insider trading norms

that were imposed by the SEBI in
1992. It is worth mentioning that the
SEBI had notified the new
regulations (Prohibition of Insider
Trading Regulations, 2015) on
insider trading in January 2015.
These norms came into force from
15 May 2015. The new norms,
which revamped the 1992 norms,
are also expected to ensure that
genuine trades are not impacted.
The tightening of norms assumes
significance in the wake of SEBI
coming across cases of insider
trading not just at small companies
but at big corporates as well. Under
the new framework, the definition of
Insider has been expanded to
include persons connected on the
basis of being in any contractual,
fiduciary or employment
relationship that allows such people
access to unpublished price
sensitive information (UPSI). The
broader definition of insider will
also bring into its ambit persons
who may not seemingly occupy any
position in a company, but are in
regular touch with the company and
its officers who are involved in the
operations.

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4) What is the name of Indias

largest online fashion retailer which
after months of speculation, finally
closed its website to become an
app-only service from 15 May
2015? Myntra
Explanation: Myntra, which was
last year acquired by Flipkart, on 15
May shut-down its website
(myntra.com) to become an apponly platform for online shopping.
This was apparently a tough
decision for Myntra as well as some
of its loyal customers. However,
Myntra had disclosed that it already
gets about 70% of its revenue from
mobile apps, and these apps
accounts for about 90% of its traffic.
Myntra was earlier a website only
online retailer and had launched its
app in 2014 only. But at that time,
little did they know that within a
year, they will not only surpass their
own targets in terms of growth in
this segment, but will also become
an app-only platform. But there are
some solid reasons for this strategic

move of company. Myntra

estimates that the rapid expansion
of smartphones from 120-140
million in 2014 to 600-700 million in
2020 will provide the base for
creation of an inclusive market for
fashion shopping. For a large
percentage of the current Indian
population, their first taste of high
speed internet services would have
been through their mobile devices.

5) The first ever meeting of which

important council of Indian Railways
was held on 13 May 2015 and was
headed by noted industrialist Ratan
Tata? Kayakalp Council
Explanation: Constitution
of Kayakalp Council was
announced in the Rail Budget 201516 by Union Rail Minister Suresh
Prabhu with the aim of revamping,
business re-engineering and
introducing a spirit of innovation in
the Railways. The first-ever meeting
of the council, headed by its
Chairman Ratan Tata, was held on

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50 CURRENT AFFAIRS

13 May at New Delhi and was

attended by Union Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu and Minister of
State for Railway Manoj Sinha
along with all the Railway Board
members. General Secretary of
National Federation of Indian
Railwaymen M Raghavaiah and
General Secretary of All-India
Railwaymens Federation Shiv
Gopal Mishra also attended the
meeting. Ratan Tata, the Chairman
Emeritus of the Tata Sons group,
suggested an incentive-driven
mechanism for employees and
giving importance to innovative
ideas given by employees. It was
decided to collect various data
concerning railways of other
countries like China, France,
Germany and UK to fix a target for
Indian Railways.
6) The Companies (Amendment)
Bill, 2014 was passed by the Rajya
Sabha on 13 May. How many
amendments in total were affected
in the Companies Act of 2013
through this amendment bill?
Sixteen
Explanation: The Lok Sabha had
passed the Companies

(Amendment) Bill, 2014, in

December last year and with the bill
being passed by the Rajya Sabha,
a total of sixteen amendments were
made to the Companies Act of
2013. The amendments to the
Companies Act, 2013, which came
into effect from 1 April 2015, are
designed to address some issues
raised by stakeholders. The
amendments include winding up of
companies, board resolutions, bail
provisions and utilisation of
unclaimed dividends, protecting
confidentiality of board resolutions,
the provision of auditors being
required to report suspected frauds,
etc.
7) How many smokers (approx.) are
there globally as disclosed in the
newly disclosed status report of
Global Statistics on Addictive
Behaviours (GSAB)? 1 billion
Explanation: The Global Statistics
on Addictive Behaviours: 2014
Status Report, which was released
during May 2015, revealed that
more than 20% of the worlds adult
population (i.e., around 1 billion
people) smoke tobacco. The study
also revealed that almost 5% of the

worlds adult population (240 million

people) has an alcohol use
disorder. This status report has

been prepared based on the most

up-to-date evidence on addictive
disorders globally.

May 17, 2015

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1) What is the name of the US firm

which was selected by the Ministry
of Urban Development as the
knowledge partner for smart cities
mission in which this firm would
assist in selecting the cities for
financing under the mission?
Bloomberg Philanthropies (BP)
Explanation: Bloomberg
Philanthropies (BP) is a
consultancy entity founded by
former mayor of New York Michael
Bloomberg. BP will help the ministry
in conducting the Cities Challenge
competition for selecting the cities

for financing under the smart cities

mission of the government. It will
assisting the ministry in the design
and implementation of the process
for selection of cities, designing &
delivery of a capacity development
programme for applicant urban
local bodies and formulating &
execution of effective
communication and branding
strategy for cities. It has been
involved in smart cities
development programme in
different parts of the world enabling
selection of right and capable cities
for their transformation as smart
cities. Under this smart cities
mission, central government will
spend Rs. 48,000 crore over the
next five years for providing an
assistance of Rs. 100 crore per
year for each selected city.

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52 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) Which three Indian cities will

have Sister Cities in China as
proposed in the 24 agreements
signed between India and China on
15 May 2015 during Prime Minister
Narendra Modis state visit to
China? Chennai, Hyderabad
and Aurangabad
Explanation: The three sets of
Sister Cities which were agreed
upon in the signed agreements will
be Chennai-Chongqing,
Hyderabad-Qingdao and
Aurangabad-Dunhuang. Apart from
this, provincial ties will be
established between Karnataka and
Sichuan. Sister Cities exchange
programme looks to bring synergy
in various areas including
education, culture, sports, youth
affairs, urban planning, waste water
management, infrastructure,
environment, public health and
exchange of trade and commerce.
During President Xi Jinpings visit to
India in September, an agreement
was signed establishing Sister City
relationship between Ahmedabad
and Guangzhou. Gujarat and
Guangdong had become Sister
Provinces. In October 2013, three
metros of India found Sister Cities

in China the pairs were DelhiBeijing, Bengaluru-Chengdu and

Kolkata-Kunming.

3) Which African country came to

news in May 2015 for a failed coup
against its President? Burundi
Explanation: The central African
country Burundi came to news after
its Army General Godefroid
Niyombare on 13 May 2015
declared that that he was
dismissing President Pierre
Nkurunziza after huge unrest
against him. President Nkurunziza
was at the time in neighbouring
Tanzania attending the 13th ExtraOrdinary Summit of the East African
Community Heads of State, which
had been convened to discuss the
situation in Burundi. Nkurunziza
quickly attempted to return to
Burundi, but he was apparently
unable to do so because rebel
soldiers had taken control of the
airport in Bujumbura. However, he

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53 CURRENT AFFAIRS

was able to return in the country

and army and police loyal to
Nkurunziza regained control of
much of Bujumbura on 14 May. On
15 May the govt. announced that
the coup attempt has been
defeated. From 16 May the
Burundian govt. started a huge
crackdown against those suspected
of being involved in the coup. The
unrest in Burundi started on 26
April, with protests sparked by
Nkurunzizas announcement a day
earlier that he would run for reelection in June 2015. The country
is facing its worst turmoil since the
12-year civil war ended in 2005.

4) A 12-member jury on 15 May

2015 gave death sentence to the
accused of the Boston Marathon
bombing of 2013. What is the name
of this accused? Dzhokhar
Tsarnaev
Explanation: 21-year old Dzhokhar
Tsarnaev was the accused of

Boston Marathon bombings that

took place at the finish line of this
famous marathon event on 15 April
2013. Dzhokhars elder brother
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the main
accused in this case. He apparently
wanted to punish the U.S. for its
wars in Muslim countries. He died
days after the bombing when he
was shot by police and run over by
Dzhokhar during a chaotic getaway
attempt. Three people were killed
and more than 260 wounded when
two pressure-cooker bombs packed
with shrapnel exploded near the
finish line. The decision sets the
stage for what could be the nations
first execution of a terrorist in the
post-9/11 era, though the case is
likely to go through years of
appeals. The execution would be
carried out by lethal injection. The
12-member jury had to be
unanimous for Tsarnaev to get the
death penalty. Otherwise, he would
have automatically received a
sentence of life in prison without
parole. It was the most closely
watched terrorism trial in the U.S.
since the Oklahoma City bombing
case two decades ago.

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54 CURRENT AFFAIRS

5) A team of scientists from Tohoku

University (Japan) recently reported
discovery of a new state of matter
that was developed in the lab. This
new substance is expected to prove
a game changer for the way we use
and produce energy. What is the
name given to this substance?
Jahn-Teller metal
Explanation: When an
international team of physicists,
chemists, and material
scientists tested the phase
properties of a new type of material
that they had created in the lab,
they discovered something they
had never seen before a
substance that exhibited the
properties of an insulator,
superconductor, metal, and magnet
all in one. The results of this study
were released in Science Advances
journal in April 2015. During the
study the team came across a
phase shift that transformed the
material from an insulator into a
conductor a process called the

Jahn-Teller Effect, that was first

predicted in 1937. Appropriately,
the team is calling this novel
material a Jahn-Teller metal. This
new substance is expected to
become a game-changer because
these Jahn Teller metals could
usher in a new type of
superconductor that scientists and
engineers have been chasing after
for decades.

6) A new research done by the US

National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) has found
the worlds first fully warm-blooded
fish. This fish circulates heated
blood throughout its body much like
mammals and birds. What is the
name of this fish? Opah (or
Moonfish)
Explanation: The Opah is an ovalbodied fish and could weigh up to
90 kg. It is mostly rusty-red in
appearance. NOAAs research
published in the Science journal
mentions that Opahs constant fin

flapping heats its blood and

increases its metabolism,
transforming the fish into a swift
predator. Then opahs unique gill
design allows for a phenomenon
known as counter-current heat
exchange, which essentially
involves warm blood leaving the

body core to warm cold blood

returning from the respiratory
surface of the gills, where oxygen is
absorbed. To an extent, great white
sharks also are considered warm
blooded, but the mechanisms are
different.

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55 CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 18, 2015

1) What was the fiscal deficit

(estimated) for 2014-15 as
announced by the Union Finance
Ministry on 17 May 2015? 4% of
the GDP
Explanation: The Union Finance
Ministry announced that it was able
to contain the fiscal deficit for 201415 at 4% of GDP against 4.1% set
to be achieved in the Union Budget.

Similarly the revenue deficit was

estimated at 2.8% of the as against
the revised estimate of 2.9% of
GDP, marking a sharp improvement
over 3.2% for 2013-14. The
Narendra Modi-led NDA
government had adopted the fiscal
deficit target set by the UPA
government in its interim budget for
2014-15 even as it pointed out that
it would be a challenge to meet the
target. The government has
budgeted a fiscal deficit of 3.9% of
GDP in the current fiscal (2015-16).
Fiscal deficit is the gap between the
governments expenditure and
revenue for a stipulated period. On
the other hand revenue deficit

refers to the shortfall in total

government revenue realization
from the targeted figure.
2) What was the gross tax
collection in 2014-15 as announced
by the Union Finance Ministry on 17
May 2015? Rs. 12,45,037 crore

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56 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: The gross tax

collection in 2014-15 grew 9% as
compared to the last fiscal (201314) but it remained partially lower
than the revised estimate of Rs.
12,51,391 crore. The gross tax
collection for 2014-15 was thus
9.8% of the GDP. Devolution of tax
collections to states at the end of
2014-15 was Rs. 3,37,808 crore,
which is higher by Rs 19,578 crore
over the previous financial year.
3) Mangaluru-headquartered
Corporation Bank recently dropped
plans to take over the assets and
liabilities of a Maharashtra-based
cooperative bank whose license
was cancelled by the RBI in 2013.
Which bank is this? Rupee Cooperative Bank Limited
Explanation: Rupee Co-operative
Bank Limited is based in Pune

(Maharashtra). It is over 100 year

old and is one of Indias oldest
cooperative banks. The bank
operates 36 branches across
Maharashtra, and has accumulated
losses of Rs. 652 crore. Due to
increasing bad loans, the RBI had
suspended the license of the Rupee
Co-operative Bank and had
imposed severe monetary strictures
in 2013. Since the imposition of the
moratorium, talks for merger with
other banks have been on.
Corporation Bank had evinced
interest in merging the operations of
Rupee Co-operative Bank with it
and had asked for various reports
from the bank to assess its financial
health. Corporation Bank was the
most serious among the
prospective suitors for the bank in
the two years since it was put under
a Reserve Bank of India (RBI)appointed administrator. But now
Corporation Bank has dropped
plans to acquire Rupee Cooperative Bank. The latest
development will affect over 6.30
lakh depositors of Rupee Bank,
bringing upon the beleaguered
bank the spectre of going into
liquidation unless another suitor or

some method of reviving banks

interest is found. Punjab National
Bank and Allahabad Bank had also
examined the proposal but had
reportedly been asked to drop out
early in the race.

the final proved the winning tie for

China in which its iconic player Lin
Dan defeated Takuma Ueda by 2115, 21-13, thus giving the title to
China. It was record 10th Sudirman
Cup title for China. The Sudirman
Cup was launched in 1989 and is
one of the most prestigious
tournaments in badminton. It
features mixed teams from top
Badminton playing countries of the
world.

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57 CURRENT AFFAIRS

4) Which country won the 2015

Sudirman Cup (for Badminton) on
17 May 2015? China
Explanation: Hosts China
displayed its strength and depth as
it overpowered Japan 3-0 in the
finals of this prestigious tournament
on 17 May. Chinas leading duo
Zhang Nan/Fu Haifeng defeated
Japanese pair of Hiroyuki
Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa by 21-17,
20-22, 21-17 to take 1-0 lead. Later
Li Xuerui, the womens singles
champion in the 2012 London
Olympics, defeated Akane
Yamaguchi 23-21, 21-14 in the
womens singles match and put
China 2-0 ahead. The third tie of

5) Pope Francis on 17 May 2015

canonized Sister Marie-Alphonsine
Danil Ghattas and Maryam
Baouardy in a ceremony in Saint
Peters Square. These two women
belonged to which country?
Palestine
Explanation: Sister MarieAlphonsine Danil Ghattas was the
founder of the Sisters of the Most
Holy Rosary of Jerusalem while
Maryam Baouardy had founded a
Carmelite convent in Bethlehem.
Both Ghattas and Baouardy,

entered religious orders as

teenagers in the late 1800s and
died in 1927 and 1878 respectively.
The canonization ceremony was
held just days after the Vatican
formalised its de facto recognition
of the State of Palestine and was

attended by Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas. The
canonisations of two Palestinians
were the first of their kind since the
days of the apostles.

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May 19, 2015

1) What important and concerning

revelation was made in the recently
released Q1 data (January to
March 2015) pertaining to mobile
phone industry in India? Mobilephone sales in India has dropped
for the first time in a quarter in 20
years
Explanation: According to a recent
press release from CyberMedia
Research, a consultancy with
specialization in monitoring mobile

phone sales, mobile phone sales

dropped 14.5% in Q1 (January to
March 2015), on a quarter-toquarter basis, as compared to Q4
(October to December 2014) 2014.
The sales dropped from 62 million
handsets in Q4 2014 to 53 million
handsets in Q1 2015. The decline
in smartphone sales from quarterto-quarter was 7.14% while the
drop in cheaper feature phones
was worse with decline of 18.3%.
This data indicated that the mobile
phone market in India had probably
topped out and is now on a
declining stage. However, most of
the industry experts believe that the
downtrend is only due to some
cyclical glitches like unexciting

phones, tax issues, increased

competition, etc. India became the
fastest-growing market for
smartphones in Asia-Pacific in
2014, and is supposed to overtake
US as the second-largest
smartphone market globally, with
204 million smartphone users by
2016, according to a study by
eMarketer, a research firm.

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2) A beautiful valley of Uttarakhand

state was opened recently for
tourists for the first time since the
1962 Indo-China war because of its
proximity to the China border.
Which valley is this? Nelong
Valley
Explanation: The Nelong Valley is
situated in the picturesque Gangotri
National Park (GNP) in Uttarkashi
district of Uttarakhand state. It is at
an altitude of around 11,000 feet
and has a landscape comparable to
Lahaul-Spiti of Himachal Pradesh.
Before the Indo-China war, the
Nelong Valley was an important
route for cross-border trade. But the
valley was closed for tourists and
trade after the war and the aura of
this beautiful valley went into

oblivion. The valley was recently

opened to tourists and the first
batch of tourists reached it on 16
May 2015 after covering the 25-km
distance from Bhaironghati to the
valley in gypsies provided by the
Uttarakhand forest department. The
Border Roads Organization (BRO)
has initiated work to ensure that the
roads leading to the valley are
spruced up so that tourists are not
inconvenienced.

3) 67-year old former nurse Aruna

Shanbaug passed away in a
Mumbai hospital on 18 May 2015
after being in coma for 42 years
after a sexual assault by a wardboy in 1973. What is the name of
this Mumbai hospital in which she
used to serve and passed 42 years
of her life, being taken care-off by a
group of hospital nurses and
doctors during this duration?
Kings Edward Memorial (KEM)
Hospital
Explanation: Aruna Shanbaug was
being taken care-off by a group of
KEM hospital nurses and doctors
for the last four decades. a night in
November 1973, Shanbaug who

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60 CURRENT AFFAIRS

then worked as a junior nurse at the

KEM Hospital in Mumbai, was
brutally assaulted and raped by a
wardboy-cum-sweeper of the
hospital, Sohanlal Bharta Valmiki,
after throttling her with a dog chain.
Valmiki was apparently angry with
Aruna after she had complained
about his carelessness in work.
The brutal assault cut off blood and
oxygen supply to key parts of her
brain. She had been in a vegetative
state since and confined to a bed at
the KEM hospital where nurses and
the hospital staff take care of her.
Her case had triggered a national
debate on mercy killing. In 2011,
the Supreme Court responded to a
plea for euthanasia filed by
journalist Pinki Virani but turned
down the mercy killing petition.
4) What is the name of the former
Army General who took over as the
8thPresident of Guyana on 16 May
2015? David Arthur Granger
Explanation: David Arthur Granger
was sworn in as Guyanas
8thExecutive President on 16 May
2015. His party (Partnership for
National Unity and Alliance for
Change or APNU), in collation with

the AFC, won the 2015 General

and Regional Elections by a slim
margin. It is worth mentioning that
the Indian-dominated Peoples
Progressive Party (PPP) has held
power for 23 years. APNU+AFC
coalition, won 206,817 votes,
compared to the ruling PPPs
201,457. Granger lost the last
election to Donald Ramotar, the
incumbent President. Guyana is the
third poorest country in Latin
America after Haiti and Nicaragua,
according to World Bank figures.
5) Private-sector Federal Bank on
18 May 2015 forayed into credit
card segment with the launch of a
co-branded credit card. It has tied
up with which PSU bank for this cobranded credit card? SBI
Explanation: This is for the first
time that Federal Bank has entered
into credit card segment. In the first
year, the bank aims to issue as
many as 1.5 lakh credit cards to its
customers. Initially, two variantsPlatinum and Gold N More-will be
issued under the Visa platform for a
specified fee. Federal Bank is
among the largest Indian private
sector banks and is headquartered

in Aluva, Kochi (Kerala). It had over

1200 branches and over 1400

ATMs all over India at the end of

October 2014.

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61 CURRENT AFFAIRS

May 20, 2015

1) The Finance Ministry on 19 May

2015 put up draft of the ambitious
Gold Monetisation Scheme which
aims to bring out around 20,000
tonnes of gold lying idle with
households. Based on the views of
the public and stakeholders, the
new scheme will be finalised and
made operational. What will be the
main benefit of this scheme? The
new scheme will allow the
depositors of gold to earn
interest in their metal accounts
and the jewellers to obtain loans
in their metal account
Explanation: The new Gold
Monetisation Scheme (GMS) was

announced in the Union Budget

2015-16 with the aim of replacing
both the present Gold Deposit and
Gold Metal Loan Schemes. The
new scheme will allow the
depositors of gold to earn interest in
their metal accounts and the
jewellers to obtain loans in their
metal account. Banks/other dealers
would also be able to monetise this
gold. The minimum quantity of gold
that a customer can bring in
proposed to be set at 30 grams, so
that even small depositors are
encouraged. Gold can be in any
form (bullion or jewellery) and the
scheme will give interest as well as
tax benefits. The depositors will
have the option to take cash or
physical gold at the time of maturity.
Minimum tenure of such account
will be one year with an option of
rolling over in multiples of one year.
Earlier, one Gold Deposit scheme
was introduced in 1999 with an aim

to mobilise the idle gold in the

country and put it into productive
use. However, it has not been very
successful and less than 10 tonnes
of gold has been collected.

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62 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) Who was appointed as the

Chairman of the 30-member Joint
Parliamentary Committee (JPC)
that was constituted on 18 May
2015 to look into the provisions of
the controversial Land Acquisition
Bill? S.S. Ahluwalia
Explanation: S.S. Ahluwalia is a
Lok Sabha MP of the BJP from
Darjeeling in West Bengal. The JPC
was constituted to analyze and
study the various provisions of the
Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement
(Second Amendment) Bill, 2015
that was introduced in the Lok
Sabha by the Minister for Rural
Development, Birender Singh on 11
May 2015. There have been

innumerable controversies about

the provisions of the said bill which
is being described as anti-farmer
and pro-corporate companies. The
JPC on the subject comprises of 20
members from the Lok Sabha and
10 from the Rajya Sabha. It is
expected to submit its report on the
first day of the monsoon session.
3) The credit-card base in India, at
the end of 2014, crossed which
level of year 2010, which is often
described as the pre-crisis level in
banking parlance? 20 million
Explanation: According to the data
released by the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI), the number of
outstanding credit cards at the end
of December was 20.29 million.
This was the first time that the total
number of credit cards in India has
crossed 20 million mark since
February 2010. The period after
2010 is generally assumed as the
crisis period for Indian credit card
industry when number of cards
swelled despite payment
incapability of numerous card
holders. Banking experts believe
that rise in e-commerce and
improved infrastructure in the

banking system, leading to easy

acceptance of cards, have helped
in growth of credit cards. RBI data
also suggests it is not just the
number of cards in the system but
even the spends on these cards
have gone up significantly. At the
end of December 2011, the spends
on credit cards stood at Rs. 8,532.6
crore, which has more than doubled
to Rs. 17,437.1 crore by the end of
December 2014.

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4) A Cricket Committee of the

International Cricket Council (ICC)
has recently recommended staging
of Test matches that extend into the
evening hours and to be played in
day-night format. Which former
Indian Test player headed this ICC
committee? Anil Kumble
Explanation: These suggestions
were discussed at ICCs 2-day
meeting held at Mumbai. The
committee chaired by former
cricketer Anil Kumble also
deliberated on the concept of fourday Test match, but in the end,
decided to stick to the usual fiveday format. The Cricket
Committees mandate is to discuss
cricket-playing matters and make

recommendations to the ICC Chief

Executives Committee and the ICC
Board that will meet in Barbados
during the ICCs annual conference
week between 22 and 26 June
2015.
5) According to a report of the
United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
that was released on 18 May 2015,
Asian region has, for the first time,
became the worlds largest investor
region in 2014. How much
investment was done in the Asian
region during 2014? $440 billion
Explanation: Asia has become, for
the first time, the worlds largest
investor region with investments of
$440 in 2014. It was followed by
North America ($390 billion) and
Europe ($286 billion). This was
disclosed in the global investment
trend monitor published by the
UNCTAD. This showed that among
20 largest investors, nine were
either from developing or transition
economies, while China became
the third largest investor in the
world. The report said in 2014,
transnational corporations (TNCs)
from developing economies alone

invested almost half a trillion U.S.

dollars abroad a 30% increase
from the previous year. Their share
in global foreign direct investment
(FDI) reached a record of 36%, up
from 12% in 2007, the year prior to
the financial crisis.
6) What is the name of the Delhibased steel company, charges
against which were framed by the
special court on 19 May 2015 in the

coal blocks allocation scam case?

Rathi Steel and Power Ltd (RSPL)
Explanation: The case pertains to
alleged irregularities in allocation of
the Kesla North coal block in
Chhattisgarh to RSPL. In this case,
the special court on 19 May framed
charges against RSPL and three of
its top officials. The accused were
charge-sheeted for alleged offences
under Sections 120-B (criminal
conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of
the IPC.

May 21, 2015

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1) On 20 May 2015 which

anniversary of Indias first
successful expedition of Mt. Everest
was observed? 50th
Explanation: It was on 20 May
1965 that the first-ever Indian
expedition ascended to the top of
the world the Mt. Everest peak.
This successful mission put India in
the exalted group of countries who
had ascended the worlds highest
point-the 8848 meter high Mount

65 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

Everest that had been scaled only

thrice earlier. The historic
expedition comprised of 21
members and was led by Captain
M.S. Kohli. However, only 9
members were successful in
climbing to the top of the summit.
Captain Avtar Singh Cheema and
Nawang Gombu were the first to
scale the peak on 20 May 1965,
followed by Sonam Gyatso and
Sonam Wangyal on 22 May,
C.P.Vohra and Ang Kami on 24
May and Major HPS Ahluwalia,
Harish Rawat and Phu Dorji on 29
May. This record, of nine members
of an expedition summiting,
remained unbroken for 17 years.
On 20 May 2015 the Prime Minister
met 9 surviving members of Indias
first successful expedition to Mt.
Everest. This included Captain M.S.
Kohli, Col. N Kumar, Gurdial Singh,
Maj HPS Ahluwalia, C.P. Vohra,
Sonam Wangyal, GS Bhangu, Brig
Mulk Raj and Lala Telang.
2) Which major European country
slipped into deflation recently as
disclosed by the government on 19
May 2015? Britain

Explanation: This is the first time

Britain has fallen into deflation since
official records began in 1996.
Modelled data produced by the
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
suggest it is also the lowest rate
since 1960. Prices, as measured by
the consumer prices index (CPI),
fell by 0.1% in the year to April
2015, following zero inflation in
February and March. Deflation is
the economic stage of an economy
when there is decrease in prices of
commodities and services. It occurs
when the inflation rate falls below
0% (a negative inflation
rate). Deflation thus increases the
real value of money, i.e., a person
can buy more goods with the same
amount of money over time.
Deflation is generally regarded
negatively, as it causes a transfer of
wealth from borrowers and holders
of illiquid assets, to the benefit of
savers and of holders of liquid
assets and currency. It results in
reduction in investments (or underinvestment).

translation 1998), and Seiobo Down

Below (2008, English translation
2013).

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66 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) Who won the 2015 Man

International Booker Prize as
announced on 20 May 2015?
Laszlo Krasznahorkai (Hungary)
Explanation: The Man
International Booker Prize is
awarded to a living author of any
nationality who has published fiction
either in English or in English
translation. Unlike the annual Man
Booker Prize for Fiction, the Man
Booker International Prize, which is
awarded once in two years, is in
recognition of a writers body of
work and overall contribution to
fiction rather than to a single novel.
61-year old Hungarian writer Laszlo
Krasznahorkai was among a
shortlist of 10 writers that included
India-born Amitav Ghosh.
Krasznahorkais novels are known
to be complex and demanding, a
single sentence can extend to a
page. His novels include
Satantango (1985, English
translation 2012), The Melancholy
of Resistance (1989, English

4) Which automaker unveiled a new

800 cc car named Kwid in the
Indian market on 20 May 2015?
Renault
Explanation: French car brand
Renault held the global premier of a
feature-packed small car Kwid in
Chennai on 20 May 2015. Renault
claimed that the company has
achieved 98% localization for this
car. Kwid is powered by an all-new
0.8 litre petrol engine and will be
the first product out of RenaultNissans new vehicle platform CMFA, a global platform meant to
design and develop affordable cars
for India and other developing
markets. With launch of Kwid,
French car brand Renault would be
covering 75% of the Indian car
market. The final price for the Kwid
will be announced around the
launch time.

5) Which Indian stock exchange on

18 May 2015 announced the
introduction of the first-of-its-kind
Overnight Liquid Fund product
which will provide the facility to
invest even for a single night in
liquid funds? BSE

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67 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Indias leading stock

exchange BSE announced the
introduction of an Overnight Liquid
Fund product on the Exchanges
Mutual Fund platform, BSE StAR
MF. The product will help the
smallest investor, corporate or trust
to invest even for a single night in
liquid funds anywhere in India. It will
be an alternative investment
avenue for idle monies which would
be invested in liquid mutual funds
for better returns and relatively
lower risk. The facility will be
available only for non-Demat mode.

6) The State Bank of India (SBI) on

20 May 2015 signed a

Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with which e-commerce
entity to develop payment and
commerce solutions for customers
and small businesses? Amazon
Explanation: SBI is presently in the
process of being aggressive in
digital and online space with the
aim to grab a piece of the business
in the digital commerce space. As
part of this initiative, the bank on 20
May signed an MoU with Amazon
under which it will develop payment
and commerce solutions for
customers and small businesses
pertaining to Amazon. SBI is
working on ways to enrich
customers payment experience
and opening up the window of ecommerce to its customers. SBI will
also provide loans to SME
customers which supply products to
Amazon, to help them increase
their operations. The bank also
elaborated that it is open to similar
tie-ups with other e-commerce
players. It might soon sign an
agreement with Snapdeal, another
major e-commerce entity.

May 22, 2015

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1) What is the name given to Indias

first space observatory which has
been developed at ISROs Satellite
Centre in Bangalore and is now
ready for intensive tests before its
tentative launch in October 2015?
AstroSat
Explanation: AstroSat is the name
given to countrys first space
observatory that is now being
finalized for its launch by the ISRO
in October 2015. It is a 1,650-kg
spacecraft that would orbit Earth
equatorially at 650 km and study
distant stars, galaxies, black holes
and other cosmic objects. It will put
India in an elite orbit with the U.S.,
Europe, Russia and Japan. Final
assembly of AstroSat was

completed during May 2015 and it

has been switched on. It is worth
mentioning that while previous
national satellites carried small
astronomy-related devices, but it
will be the first time that a
spacecraft with a dedicated satellite
for major space probes has been
developed. In the coming days,
AstroSat will undergo a host of
environmental tests
electromagnetic interference,
electromagnetic compatibility,
thermal vacuum, vibration and
acoustics, etc.

2) A Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft of

the Indian Air Force (IAF)
successfully landed on the Yamuna
Expressway near Mathura on 21
May 2015. What was the objective
of this first-of-its-kind operation of
the IAF? To make the IAF

fighters capable of using national

highways for emergency landing

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69 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: It is worth mentioning

that the IAF has been considering
the use of national highways for
emergency landing by its fighter
aircraft. Such landings can be
carried out in emergencies if an
active airport is not available under
certain circumstances. For this
operation a stretch of Yamuna
Expressway near Mathura was
used, which is the longest
Greenfield expressway in India. All
facilities like make shift Air Traffic
Control, safety services, rescue
vehicles, bird clearance parties and
other requirements were set in
place by the IAF for this trial
experiment. Numerous countries in
the world have dedicated stretches
on their expressways for aircrafts to
land in emergency situations.
3) Indias largest commercial bank
SBI on 21 May 2015 signed an
MoU with which leading
international digital payments
company to facilitate cross-border
transactions? PayPal

Explanation: PayPal has a

presence in 203 countries and
processes 11.5 million transactions
daily. SBI on 21 May entered into
an agreement with PayPal to help
its nine lakh SME customers make
varied international transactions in
a safe and secured manner. The
agreement initially aims at
facilitating cross-border
transactions after which domestic
payments would be covered.
Subsequently, SBI would look into
e-governance areas such as evisas, e-travel documents. The
facility would also be available to
SBI debit card holders.
4) Which new record was made by
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on
20 May 2015 in its run after a twoyear upgrade? The protons in
the LHC collided at the recordbreaking energy of 13 TeV
(teraelectronvolts) for the first
time
Explanation: The LHCs previous
highest energy for collisions was
eight TeV, which was achieved in
2012. The LHC at the European
Organisation for Nuclear Research
(CERN) was started up again in

April 2015 after completing a 2-year

long overhaul in its design. It has
the potential to be cranked up to 14
TeV. Experiments at the collider are
aimed at unlocking clues as to how
the universe came into existence by
studying fundamental particles, the
building blocks of all matter, and the
forces that control them. Before the
upgrade, the LHC was used to
prove the existence of the Higgs
Boson, also known as the God
particle, which confers mass.

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5) The US Department of Justice on

20 May 2015 imposed record
$5.7bn fine on 5 banks for rigging
foreign exchange markets. Which
five banks are involved in this
case? Barclays, Royal Bank of
Scotland (RBS), UBS, Citigroup
and JP Morgan
Explanation: The imposition of
fines was announced by Loretta
Lynch, the US Attorney General,
who said that the banks had
exhibited flagrancy in setting up a
group they called the cartel to
manipulate the foreign exchange
market between 2007 and the end
of 2013. The decision came as
another huge blow to these banks.

The new fines followed 2.6bn of

penalties announced in November
2014 for manipulation of the 3.5
trillion a day currency markets. An
unprecedented series of guilty
pleas was extracted by the US DoJ
from four of the banks: Barclays,
RBS, Citigroup and JP Morgan.
Swiss bank UBS was granted
immunity for being the first to report
the manipulation of the foreign
exchange markets, although it was
forced admit to wrongdoing in other
offences.

6) Which 2,000 year old ancient city

of Syria associated with the Oasis
Civilization was taken under control
by the insurgents of the Islamic
State (IS) on 20 May 2015?
Palmyra
Explanation: Palmyras ancient
monuments, which lie on the southwestern fringe of the modern city,
were put on UNESCOs World

Heritage in Danger List in 2013.

The ruins were part of a desert
oasis that was one of the most
significant cultural centres of the
ancient world. The central city, also
known as Tadmur, is built alongside
the remains of an Oasis civilisation
whose colonnaded streets, temple
and theatre have stood for 2,000
years. IS insurgents stormed this
historic city on 20 May, fighting off
pro-government forces who
withdrew after evacuating most of

the civilian population. The capture

of Palmyra is the first time the IS
has taken control of a city directly
from the Syrian Army and allied
forces, which have already lost
ground in the northwest and south
to other insurgent groups in recent
weeks. Islamic State has destroyed
antiquities and ancient monuments
in neighbouring Iraq and is being
targeted by U.S.-led air strikes in
both countries.

May 23, 2015

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will be made. This plant is not in

operation since which year? 2002

1) The Union Cabinet on 21 May

2015 gave its approval for the
revival of closed urea unit of
Fertilizer Corporation India Limited
(FCIL) at Sindri (Jharkhand), for
which an investment of Rs. 6,000

Explanation: The Sindri plant of

FCIL was the first fertilizer plant in
India. It was modernized in 1974. It
was largely ammonia and ureabased fertilizer plant. However, the
production stopped on 16 March
2002 owing to mismanagement and
continuous poor performance. Now
the union govt. has planned to
establish a new urea unit at the
Sindri complex. It is important to
mention that there is no functional

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urea unit in the Eastern part of the

country except two small units at
Namrup (Assam). The annual
consumption of urea in the country
is approx. 310 lakh metric tonne
(LMT), out of which 230 LMT is
produced indigenously and rest is
imported. The setting up of a new
unit at Sindri will meet the growing
demand of urea in the States of
Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand.
It will also ease the pressure on
railway and road infrastructure due
to long distance transportation of
urea from Western and Central
Regions and thereby saving in govt.
subsidy on freight.

Chaar Adhyaye and Parshuram ki

Pratiksha was inaugurated by
Narendra Modi at a function held at
Delhis Vigyan Bhawan on 22 May
2015. A series of events were
announced to mark 50 years of
outstanding works of poet.
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (19081974) is considered as one of the
most important poets of the modern
Hindi era. He won the prestigious
Bharatiya Jnanpith award in 1972
and the Sahitya Akademi Award in
1959. He was hailed as Rashtrakavi
(national poet) due to patriotic
nature of his innumerable works.
His other important works include
Urvarshi, Rashmirathi and
Kurukshetra.

2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on

22 May 2015 inaugurated the
Golden Jubilee celebrations of
which noted Hindi poet and author?
Ramdhari Singh Dinkar

3) Pawan Goenka was appointed

Honorary Ambassador of Foreign
Investment Promotion for Korea on
22 May 2015 at a ceremony held at
Mumbai. He is a top executive of
which Indian automobile company?
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M)

Explanation: The golden jubilee

celebration of Ramdhari Singh
Dinkars two works Sanskriti ke

Explanation: Pawan Goenka is the

Executive Director of Mahindra &

Mahindra (M&M). As Honorary

Ambassador for Korea, he will
promote economic ties between
India and Korea and advise
corporate India on potential
investment opportunities in South
Korea.

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4) Indias largest bank the State

Bank of India (SBI), on 22 May
2015 reported a better-thanexpected 23% increase in quarterly
profit for fourth quarter ended
March 2015. What was the total net
profit during the quarter? Rs.
3742 crore ($589.11 million)
Explanation: Net profit earnings
thus were 23% more as compared
to the same quarter of 2015, which
it stood at Rs. 3041 crore. SBIs
gross bad loans ratio stood at
4.25% in the March quarter,
compared with 4.9% in the
December quarter. SBI accounts for
about a quarter of Indian loans and
deposits.
5) Gujarat Government recently
entered into an agreement with
which Chinese firm to collaborate in

developing smart cities in the state?

ZTEsoft
Explanation: ZTEsoft is a
subsidiary of ZTE Corporation, the
largest public telecom equipment
manufacturer in China. ZTEsoft and
the Gujarat Government will work
jointly to find the target city/area to
be converted into a smart city. After
technical closure, they would set up
a trial project in Gujarat. The
Gujarat Govt. is in the process of
developing seven smart cities in the
state. According to information
disclosed by ZTESoft, the company
has the experience in developing
smart cities and has worked for 110
such projects across more than 40
countries.
6) The State Bank of India (SBI) on
21 May 2015 entered into a seller
financing scheme agreement with
which Indian e-commerce major
under which it will provide loans to
small and medium enterprises at
easier interest rates? Snapdeal
Explanation: SBIs seller financing
scheme agreement with Snapdeal
will help Micro-Small-Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs), i.e., traders,

sellers and manufacturers- to scale

up their operations by catering to
their working capital requirements.
These MSMEs are associated with
Snapdeal and sell their products
through its portals. Data on sellers
credit worthiness will be provided

by Snapdeal. Snapdeal, currently,

has 150,000 sellers on its platform.
Rates of interest to be charged by
SBI will be determined by the credit
worthiness of the seller. A special
concession of 0.25% will be
provided to women.

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May 24-27, 2015

1) Bank unions and the Indian

Banks Association (IBA) on 25 May
2015 signed a wage revision
agreement, which will benefit 1
million bank employees, including
some from foreign and private
banks. How much increase in bank
employees salary and allowances
has been agreed to in this
agreement? 15%

Explanation: The wage revision

affected by the agreement is
effective retrospectively from 1
November 2012. Following the
wage revisions, the scale of pay of
officer-level employees has been
revised from Rs.14,500Rs.52,000
to Rs.23,700Rs.85,000, including
special allowance and dearness
allowance. The scale of pay of
workmen-non-subordinate has
been revised fromRs.7,200
Rs.19,300 to Rs.11,765Rs.31,540,
while the scale of subordinate staff
has been revised from Rs.5,850
Rs.11,350 to Rs.9,560Rs.18,545,
including allowances. The wage
settlement also includes a medical

insurance scheme for the families

of employees.

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2) Which country became the first

country in the world to give its
approval to same-sex marriage by a
popular vote on 24 May 2015?
Ireland
Explanation: Ireland swept aside
the opposition of the Roman
Catholic Church to become the first
country to approve same-sex
marriage. Around 62% people
voted in favour of same-sex
marriage while 38% opposed this in

the historic referendum undertaken

to gauge public opinion on this
controversial issue. The turnout
was large, with more than 60% of
the 3.2 million eligible voters cast
ballots, and only one district out of
43 voted the measure down. The
results of this referendum changes
Irelands Constitution so that civil
marriage between two people is
now legal without distinction as to
their sex. It requires ratification by
both houses of the Irish Parliament
and the president. Though that is a
formality, the date when gay and
lesbian couples can marry will be
determined in that process. Not
long ago, even holding this
referendum would have been
unthinkable in the country. Ireland
decriminalized homosexuality only
in 1993, the church dominates the
education system, and abortion
remains illegal except when a
mothers life is at risk. But the
influence of the church has waned
amid scandals in recent years,
while attitudes, particularly among
the young, have shifted.

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3) Countrys largest private bank

ICICI Bank on 25 May 2015
launched which new password
service for its customers? Voice
Password Service
Explanation: Under ICICI Banks
Voice Password Service, the
customers can make transactions
using just their voice, without using
other means of authentication like a
password. The voice recognition
service authenticates customers
based on their speech patterns and
allows them to execute banking
transactions through the banks call
centre. Customers, in general, use
various means of authentication like
entering card numbers, answering
security questions and entering a
personal identification number (PIN)
to carry out a phone banking
transaction. Over 33 million savings
bank and credit card customers of
ICICI Bank will be able to use the
service. This password service
works on unique voice prints which
comprise over 100 characteristics,
including voice modulation, speed,
accent and pronunciation, which

are impossible to imitate. The voice

print is stored and matched
whenever the customer calls from
the registered mobile number.

4) J. Jayalalithaa, who took over as

the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on
23 May 2015, has now become
states Chief Minister how many
times? 5 times
Explanation: Jayalalithaa, who is
the supremo of the India Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK), was on 23 May 2015
sworn in as the Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu for the fifth time. The
ceremony marked her return to the
Chief Ministers chair, about a
fortnight after the Karnataka High
Court acquitted her and three
others of corruption charges in the
disproportionate assets case. After
this verdict, O. Panneerselvam quit
his post of Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister to make way for
Jayalalithaa. Jayalalithaa had four
previous tenures as Chief Minister

(June 1991 to May 1996), (May

2001 to September 2001, March
2002 to May 2006 and May 2011 to
September 2014).

Super Kings and Mumbai Indians

have won twice while Rajasthan
Royals and Deccan Chargers have
won one each.
Prominent players of IPL 2015
Player of the Tournament: Andre
Russell (KKR).

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5) Mumbai Indians won their

second IPL title as they defeated
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by a
convincing margin of 41-runs in the
finals of the 8th edition of IPL played
at Kolkatas Eden Gardens on 24
May 2015. This was the second IPL
title for Mumbai. With this loss, CSK
has now lost how many IPL finals?
Four
Explanation: CSK is the most
successful IPL team having won the
title twice and qualified for the finals
in every season except in 2009 and
2014 and have reached each
playoff. With this loss, Chennai
have now lost four finals (2008,
2012, 2013 and 2015) in six
appearances. Of the 11 teams to
have competed since its inception,
five have won the title at least once:
Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai

Orange Cap: David Warner

(Sunrisers Hyderabad). For
scoring highest runs (562 runs)
Purple Cap: Dwayne Bravo (CSK).
For getting highest wickets (26
wickets)
Emerging Player of the
Season: Shreyas Iyer (Delhi
Daredevils)

6) Iconic American mathematician

John Nash was killed in a car crash
along with his wife Alicia in New
Jersey on 23 May 2015. Nash was
known for having solved some of
the greatest theoretical problems of
math and battling mental illness.
What is the name of the film based

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on this life that won the best film

Oscar in 2001? A Beautiful
Mind

Presidential Elections as
announced on 25 May 2015?
Andrzej Duda

Explanation: John Nash is most

famous for his research into game
theory, the mathematics of
decision-making and strategy, since
it was this work that led to his being
awarded the 1994 Nobel in
Economics. His fame also came
from the 2001 Oscar-winning film A
Beautiful Mind, in which he was
played by Russell Crowe. The film,
which turned him into probably the
best known mathematician in the
world, was based on the superb
biography by Sylvia Nasar and
charts his early career and then the
struggle with schizophrenia that
dominated most of his adult life.
Nash was in Oslo five days before
his death to receive the 5,00,000
Abel Prize from the King of Norway.

Explanation: Andrzej Duda won

51.5% of votes in the run-off
elections while President
Komorowski polled 48.5%. It is
worth mentioning that the President
in Poland has limited powers, but is
head of the armed forces and can
veto new laws. The victory of
opposition leader Duda is being
seen as a wake-up call to Prime
Minister Ewa Kopacz, an ally of
Komorowski, ahead of
parliamentary elections this
autumn. The main significance of
Dudas victory is the fact that he
was relatively unknown in Poland
while Komorowski has been a
popular president. It suggests that
many Poles have grown weary of
President Komorowskis backers,
the governing centre-right Civic
Platform party. 62-year old
Komorowski took office five years
ago after his predecessor, Lech
Kaczynski, died in a plane crash.

7) What is the name of the

opposition leader of Poland who
defeated the incumbent President
Bronislaw Komorowski in the

8) What is the name of the former

Israeli Prime Minister who was
during May 2015 sentenced 8-

month imprisonment in a corruption

case involving a US businessman?
Ehud Olmert

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Explanation: Ehud Olmert had

served as Israels Prime Minister
from 2006 to 2009 and took over
after a stroke had incapacitated
Ariel Sharon. He was mayor of
Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003.
Israeli Police said that Olmert
received the money from 1993
through 2006, during his tenure as
Jerusalems mayor and while
holding ministerial positions under
former Prime Minister Sharon. The
new sentence is in addition to the
six years in prison Olmert is already
facing for taking bribes related to a
controversial Jerusalem housing
project. The latest case involves
American businessman Morris
Talansky.

May 28, 2015

9) Who won the Monaco F1 Grand

Prix on 24 May 2015? Nico
Rosberg (Germany)
Explanation: Nico Rosberg of
Mercedes team won the Monaco
Formula 1 Grand Prix as his fellow
teammate and reigning F1
champion Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
was denied victory in the
prestigious race because of a
strategic error by his Mercedes
team. Hamilton controlled the race
until Mercedes pitted him after a
late safety car following Max
Verstappens crash during the race.
Hamilton finished the race at
second place followed by Ferraris
Sebastian Vettel (Germany). The
result cut Hamiltons advantage in
the championship over Rosberg to
10 points, with Vettel a further 18
points adrift.

private companies to increase

investment in infrastructure. He had
advocated increased public
spending and promised to look into
ways to resolve issues hampering
the so-called public-privatepartnership (PPP) model. India is
one the largest PPP markets with
over 900 projects at various stages
of development.

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1) On 26 May 2015 who was

appointed as the head of the newly
constituted committee that will give
recommendations to recast the
model of the so-called publicprivate-partnership (PPP) model in
India? Vijay Kelkar
Explanation: Vijay Kelkar is a
renowned economist and a former
Finance Secretary. The Kelkar
committee will review the PPP
policy and suggest a better risksharing mechanism between
private developers and the
government after analysing such
projects in different. It is worth
mentioning that Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget
speech had announced the
committee after stating that the
current PPP model was not robust
enough to reduce risk for the

2) What is the name of the Swedish

newspaper that came into limelight
after it claimed India had recently
asked it to delete the reference
made by President Pranab
Mukherjee to the Bofors scam in an
interview to it, a claim protested by
the Indian Govt. on 27 May 2015?
Dagens Nyheter
Explanation: India on 17 May
denied that it had asked the
Swedish newspaper Dagens
Nyheter (DN) to retract portions of
its interview with President Pranab
Mukherjee where he had made

references to the Bofors issue,

because it could affect the state
visit of the President. This
development came in the wake of
DN claiming that Indias
Ambassador to Sweden and Latvia
Bose Harrison has said asked for a
retraction and said the controversy
generated by the reference to the
Bofors issue could affect the state
visit. While India has expressed
disappointment over the disrespect
shown to the President, the
newspaper has defended its right to
publish what was said during the
interview.

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3) How many obsolete laws have

been repealed by the Union Govt.
with the passage of two Bills in
Parliament as disclosed in recently
released data compiled by the
Legislative Department of the Law
Ministry? 125
Explanation: This is the first time
since 2001 that such an exercise to
repeal old and archaic laws is being
undertaken by the Law Ministry.
This initiative is in line with Prime
Minister Narendra Modis agenda to
do away with such laws which were
hindering efficient governance. It is

worth mentioning that between

1950 and 2001 just over 100 Acts
were repealed. On the other hand,
another 945 which have lost
relevance are awaiting
Parliamentary approval to lose their
place in statute books. A Bill to
repeal 758 Appropriation Acts,
including Railways (Appropriation)
Acts, which have lost relevance and
are clogging the statute books was
introduced in Lok Sabha recently.

4) What is the name of the

exclusive television channel for
farmers, that was launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
26 May 2015? DD Kisan
Explanation: DD Kisan channel is
the initiative of the public
broadcaster Prasar Bharati. It
comes under the Doordarshan
umbrella which is still the largest
television network in the country as
far as reach is concerned. This 24hour channel is initially in Hindi and

is dedicated to agriculture and allied

sectors of India. It seeks to
disseminate real-time inputs to
farmers on new farming techniques,
water conservation and organic
farming among other information. It
is worth mentioning that Indias
longest running agriculture
programme Krishi Darshan has
been broadcasted by Doordarshan
regularly since 26 January 1967.

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5) Which Pakistani spinner was

banned by the Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) from playing any form
of cricket for two years after being
tested positive for a prohibited
substance? Raza Hasan
Explanation: The PCB had
conducted dope tests during the
Pentangular one-day cup 2015 in
Karachi. The sample collected from
Hasan was subsequently analysed
at a World Anti-Doping Agency
accredited laboratory. The results
were relayed to the PCB, which
banned Hasan on the basis of its
anti-doping rules. Hasan has played
10 Twenty20 matches for Pakistan,
having made his debut in
September 2012. His ODI
experience is limited to only one

match, and he last played

international cricket in December
2014 against New Zealand.

6) SBI Chief Arundhati

Bhattacharya, ICICI bank head
Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HT
Media Chair Shobhana Bhartia
were listed in the 12th Forbes100
Most Powerful Women List, which
was released on 26 May 2015. Who
was placed at first place in this list?
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel
Explanation: The top 10 include
US presidential hopeful Hillary
Clinton (2), philanthropist Melinda
Gates (3), Federal Reserve Chair
Janet Yellen (4), GM CEO Mary
Barra (5), IMF Chief Christine
Lagarde (6), Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff (7), Facebook COO
Sheryl Sandberg (8), YouTube
CEO Susan Wojcicki (9) and US
First Lady Michelle Obama (10). 59year old State Bank of India Chief
Arundhati Bhattacharya ranked

30th on the list, followed by

Kochhar on the 35th spot,
Mazumdar-Shaw (85) and
newcomer on the list Bhartia is on
the 93rd spot. She was ranked
36th last year and moved up six
spots in the 2015 list. Kochhar also
moved up eight notches in the
rankings, from the 43rd spot last

year. Mazumdar-Shaw moved up

from the 92nd spot last year to 85 in
the 2015 rankings. Forbes said
Bhartia made her debut on the list
this year. She chairs and runs listed
HT Media, publisher of English daily
Hindustan Times, a Hindi daily
Hindustan, and business paper
Mint.

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May 29, 2015

1) What is the population of hungry

people globally in 2015, as
disclosed in the UN Annual Hunger
Report 2015 that was released by
the United Nations on 27 May
2015? 795 million (79.5 crore)
Explanation: The UN Annual
Hunger Report is the joint
publication of Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO), the

International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) and the World
Food Programme (WFP). The
primary conclusion of the report for
2015 is that the number of hungry
people globally has declined from
about one billion 25 years ago to
about 795 million today, or about
one person out of every nine,
despite a surge in population
growth.
Other important findings of UN
Annual Hunger Report 2015
In developing regions, the number
of hungry people has fallen to 780

million today, or 12.9% of the

population, from 991 million 25
years ago, or 23.3% of the
population at the time.
72 of the 129 nations monitored
by the FAO had achieved the target
under the so-called Millennium
Development Goals (MDG) of
halving the percentages of hungry
people in their populations and that
developing regions had missed the
target by only a small margin.

undernourished by 2015. India

missed two targets the millennium
development goal and the goal set
by the World Food Summit in 1996.
While the proportion of
undernourished in Indias
population fell from 23.7% in 199092 to 15.2% in 2014-15 (a decline
of 36%), Nepal and Bangladesh
reported improved reductions at
65.6% and 49.9%, respectively.

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Progress was most pronounced in

East Asia, Southeast and Central
Asia, Latin America and the
Caribbean.
2) What is the total population of
hungry (underfed) people in India in
2015, as disclosed in the UN
Annual Hunger Report 2015?
194.6 million (19.4 crore)

3) Tripura Government on 27 May

2015 revoked the Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) with
the claims of decline in insurgent
activities in the state. When was
AFSPA clamped in the state?
February 1997

Explanation: The UN Annual

Hunger Report 2015 disclosed that
India is the home to a quarter of the
worlds underfed people. It has
overtaken China in both absolute
term as well as proportional term in
number of hungry people. The
report criticized India as the country
has failed to cut the proportion of

Explanation: Tripura Chief Minister

Manik Sarkar announced the
decision to revoke AFSPA as
insurgency is on the wane in the
State. It is worth mentioning that
tribal parties such as the
Indigenous Nationalist Party of
Tripura and the Indigenous Peoples

85 CURRENT AFFAIRS
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Front of Tripura had been

demanding the withdrawal of the
Act, saying it was aimed at
suppressing the States 33% tribal
population. Tripura was under this
Act since 1997, and its application
was extended for another six
months November 2014. The
Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act, 1958, empowers the governors
and administrators of states and
Union Territories to declare areas in
their states or UTs concerned as
disturbed. The prime provision of
the Act empowers any armed
official to, after giving due warning,
arrest without warrant or fire upon
or use force of any kind, against
person(s) acting against law for
maintenance of public order.
AFSPA is currently in force in
Manipur (excluding Imphal
Municipal Council area), Assam
and Nagaland and in several
districts of Arunachal Pradesh. It is
also in force in the Kashmir valley in
Jammu and Kashmir, where its
withdrawal has been a continuing
demand of the local populace.

4) Who was crowned as the new

Maharaja of Mysuru (Mysore) royal
family on 28 May 2015?
Yaduveer Krishnadatta
Chamaraja Wadiyar
Explanation: Yaduveer
Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar is
the 23-year old grandson of
Princess Gayathri Devi, who was
the eldest daughter of the last
Maharaja of Mysuru, Sri
Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. He
recently finished his graduation
from a University in the United
States and was adopted by
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar. Her
husband and the last scion,
Srikantadatta Wadiyar passed away
in December 2013. The coronation
was held at Mysurus famous Amba
Vilas Palace, which was decked up
for the occasion.
5) Which US state became the first
conservative state in more than 40

years and 19thoverall to abolish the

death penalty? Nebraska

recently? Dr. Manabi

Bandopadhyay

Explanation: The Nebraska

legislature on 27 May overrode
Governor Pete Rickettss veto on a
bill repealing the states death
penalty law by a 30-to-19 vote.
Republican Governor Ricketts is a
staunch supporter of capital
punishment and had lobbied
vigorously against banning it. Since
2007, six states have abolished the
death penalty Maryland,
Connecticut, Illinois, New Mexico
and New Jersey. But no
conservative state has banned
capital punishment since North
Dakota in 1973. The state of
Nebraska thus became the first
conservative state in more than 40
years to abolish the death penalty.

Explanation: Dr. Manabi

Bandopadhyay created history of
sorts when she became the firstever person from the third gender
(transgender) community to be
appointed the principal of an Indian
college, the Krishnanagar Womens
College. It is worth mentioning that
she was known as Somnath before
she changed her sex in 2003. But
till 2014 she was Somnath on
college records, which caused her
considerable annoyance. The big
boost came when the Supreme
Court recognised the third gender in
April 2014 in a landmark
judgement. She takes over as
college principal on 9 June 2015.

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7) Who was appointed as the new

coach of the England cricket team
on 27 May 2015? Trevor Bayliss

6) What is the name of the

transgender who created history by
being appointed the principal of a
government college in West Bengal

Explanation: 52-year old Trevor

Bayliss was appointed the new
coach of England to replace Peter
Moores who was sacked a few
days ago. Bayliss is from Australia
and was in charge of Sri Lanka
from 2007 until 2011. He also had a

brief spell coaching at Kent in 2003.

Before accepting the England job,
he was combining coaching roles

with New South Wales in Australia

and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in
the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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May 30, 2015

1) Sepp Blatter was re-elected as

FIFA president for a fifth term at the
65th Annual Congress of FIFA held
at Zurich on 29 May 2015. This
election for the post of FIFA
President was held amidst the
worst scandal in the organizations
111-year history. Who stood
against Blatter in this election?
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein
(Jordan)
Explanation: 39-year old Prince Ali
was a FIFA vice president for the

past four years with a close-up view

of Blatters previous scandal-hit
mandate. 209 FIFA member
federations gave the 79-year-old
Blatter another four-year term after
Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan
conceded defeat after losing 133-73
in the first round. Prince Alis
promise of a clean break from
FIFAs tarnished recent history was
rejected even though he was able
to push the election to a second
round by getting a surprising 73
votes. Before the second round
started, Prince Ali stood before the
congress and conceded. Blatter
won despite calls for his resignation
from UEFA president Michel Platini
and others. It is worth mentioning
that FIFA is going through a major
controversy regarding corruption in
the organisation with two FIFA vice
presidents and a recently elected

FIFA executive committee member

still in custody.

2) Who will be the next Cabinet

Secretary after his name was
approved by the Union Govt. on 29
May 2015? Pradeep Kumar
Sinha

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Explanation: Pradeep Kumar

Sinha is a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS
officer and will take as the next
Cabinet Secretary by replacing Ajit
Seth. He is presently serving as
Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
He had earlier worked as Secretary
in the Ministry of Shipping, and has
held several other important
positions in the Union Government
and the State of Uttar Pradesh. His
appointment will come into effect
from 13 June 2015.

3) Union Govt. on 28 May 2015

appointed Selvin Christopher as the
new Director General (DG) of

Defence Research and

Development Organisation
(DRDO). This appointment was
done almost 4 months after Avinash
Chander was sacked from this post.
What is an important fact
associated with this appointment?
With this appointment, the post
of DRDO Chief and Scientific
Adviser to the Defence Minister
have also been split
Explanation: It is worth mentioning
that till now it was a tradition that
the Director General (DG) of DRDO
also looked after the post of the
Scientific Adviser to the Defence
Minister. But with the appointment
of Selvin Christopher as the new
Director General (DG) of DRDO, a
separate post of Scientific Adviser
to the Defence Minister was carved
out and missile scientist GS Reddy
was appointed to this post. Like his
predecessors, Avinash Chander,
who was sacked in January 2015,
held the two posts. But the
government concluded that it was
erroneous to expect a scientist to
be an adviser as well as head the
research development body and
decided to bifurcate the post.
Christopher, who heads the
Bengaluru-based Centre for
Airborne Systems and the project to
develop airborne early warning and
control systems, will be the
Secretary, Department of Defence
Research and Development as well
as DG of the DRDO. The new
Scientific Adviser to Defence

Minister, GS Reddy is the Director

of the Hyderabad-based Research
Centre Imarat (RCI), the missile
avionics hub of DRDO that is
considered the brainchild of former
president APJ Abdul Kalam.

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4) An incident of suspected
radioactive leak was reported at
Delhis Indira Gandhi International
Airport (IGIA) on 29 May 2015. This
incident took place on board a
plane of which airline? Turkish
Airlines
Explanation: The suspected leak
was found in a medical
consignment on board a freight
aircraft of Turkish Airlines at the
container terminal of IGIA. Airport
authorities quickly cordoned-off the
site of leakage and deployed
emergency services, which put a
blanket over the spill. This was
followed by dispatch of atomic
experts to the scene. The airport
source denied media reports that
there was any threat of radioactive
leak and said no people had
suffered any radioactive
contamination. However, three
employees of the airport were
admitted in the AIIMS as a
precautionary measure. The
medical consignment was sent from
Turkish city Istanbul for a private
hospital in India (Fortis) and
comprised of 10 packets of sodium

iodine, which is used to treat

cancer.

5) What is the name of a futures

contract instrument launched by the
National Stock Exchange (NSE) on
29 May 2015 that offers 7.72% yield
through govt. bond? Interest
Rate Futures (IRF)
Explanation: An IRF is a contract
between a buyer and a seller
agreeing to the future delivery of
any interest-bearing asset such as
government bonds. Banks, primary
dealers, mutual funds, insurers,
FIIs, corporates and brokers, as
well as retail investors will trade in
this product. The NSE recently
received the consent to launch the
IRF contracts. It is worth mentioning
that the 7.72% government bond
was launched on 22 May 2015 in
the primary market and the NSE is
now offering the same to derivative
market participants on the futures
platform. The said IRF will mature
on 25 May 2025.

6) The 4th North East Youth Festival

was inaugurated on 29 May 2015 at
which place in Assam? Majuli

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Explanation: 4th North East Youth

Festival is being held from 29 May
to 31 May 2015. Contingents from
the eight North East states,
volunteers , delegates from other
states for the Food Festival and
Yuva Kriti and cultural troupes and
youth delegates from the
neighboring districts and about
2100 youth delegates are
participating in this biggest youth
festival of the North Eastern region.
North East Youth Festivals were

started in 2009 with the first edition

being held in Kohima (Nagaland) in
October 2009. Second and third
editions were organised in Shillong
(Meghalaya) and Itanagar
(Arunachal Pradesh) in 2011 and
2012 respectively. The Festival is
being organized by the Nehru Yuva
Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) on
behalf of the Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports, Government of
India.

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