Daily Current Affairs from 12 August 2014

1) Actor Robin Williams dead in

apparent suicide bid: Oscar Winning veteran actor Robin
Williams,63, was found dead, Police has said. The
apparent cause of the death was suicide, authorities said.
"Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been
battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and
sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy
as they grieve during this very difficult time," a statement
issued by his publicists said. He was also lauded for his
serious roles. Williams's performance as Sean Maguire, the
therapist who counsels Matt Damon's math genius in
"Good Will Hunting" (1997), earned him a best supporting
actor Oscar. He was also nominated for his performances
in films like "The Fisher King" (1991), "Dead Poets Society"
(1989) and "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987). Born in
Chicago in 1951, Williams became one of only two
students accepted into John Houseman's prestigious
acting program at Julliard, the other being Christopher
Reeve, who became a lifelong friend.
2) Haider al-Abadi named as New Iraqi Prime Minister:
Iraq's president has named Haider al-Abadi as the

country's new prime minister, an appointment that came

amid speculation that the embattled incumbent, Nouri alMaliki, would cling onto power even after his country had
dissolved into chaos and the United States made it clear
that it would not support him as leader anymore.
3) Modi dedicates two hydro power projects in Leh and
Kargil: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid
the foundation stone for Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Transmission
System in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir besides
inaugurating the Nimmo Bazgo hydel project as he
promised development of the region. Modi, who is the
first PM to visit Leh after the Kargil war, is dedicating to
the nation two hydel power projects in Leh and Kargil in
Jammu & Kashmir. These projects are the 44 MW Chutak
hydroelectric project in Kargil district and the 45 MW
Nimoo Bazgo project in Leh district. Modi thus also laid
the foundation of the first power transmission line from
Leh to Kargil and Kargil to Srinagar. After Leh he will
visit Kargil.
4) 3rd World Elephant Day 2014 observed: The day is
dedicated towards the preservation and protection of the
worlds elephants as a whole and Asian and African
elephants in particular. Both the species are part of IUCN
Red List of threatened species. African Elephants are in
vulnerable category while Asian Elephants are considered
endangered.

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 13 August 2014

1) AIADMK's Thambidurai elected Deputy Speaker of
Lok Sabha: AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai was elected
unopposed as Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha on
Wednesday after all major parties, including Congress,
extended support to his candidature. The 67-year-old
AIADMK leader was the only candidate to file
nominations for the post within the stipulated time with
11 parties in the ruling side and the oppositionincluding
BJP and Congress supporting him. The AIADMK leader
was elected to the post after a motion, moved by Home
Minister Rajnath Singh and seconded by External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj supporting him, was carried by
voice vote amid thumping of desks from all sides.
2) Arun Jaitley, Karan Singh and Sharad Yadav get
outstanding Parliamentarian awards: President Pranab
Mukherjee on 12 Aug 2014 conferred the Outstanding
Parliamentary award to Karan Singh, JD(U) chief Sharad
Yadav and Arun Jaitley. Presented by the Indian
Parliamentary Group, the outstanding Parliament award
for the year 2010, 2011, 2012 were given to Jaitley, Singh
and Yadav respectively at the Balyogi Auditorium in
Parliament Library. President said the award recognizes
illustrious parliamentarians who have contributed
significantly to strengthen the country's democratic
traditions and enrich the Parliamentary system. He said
that it honours the finest parliamentarians who have

upheld the dignity of the House and have set exemplary

precedents in Parliamentary conduct.
3) No Khel Ratna this year, 15 named for Arjuna Awards:
No sportsperson has been named for the prestigious Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna while 15, including cricketer
Ravichandran Ashwin, were recommended for the Arjuna
Award this year. The 12-member selection committee,
headed by legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, decided not to
name any sportsperson out of the seven candidates for the
Khel Ratna at a meeting. This is the third time no
sportsperson has been named for the Khel Ratna since the
inception of the country's highest sporting award in 1991.
The Sports Ministry will examine 15 names recommended
by the selection panel and it may drop or even add any
sportsperson in the list for the Arjuna Award. The Arjuna
Award consists of a statuette, a certificate, ceremonial
dress, and a cheque of Rs 5 lakh. The award will be
conferred on August 29, the National Sports Day.

4) Indian-origin mathematician Manjul Bhargava wins

Fields Medal 'Nobel Prize' of maths: Two Indian-origin
academicians have won prestigious global prizes in the
field of mathematics with one of them being awarded the
Fields Medal - known as the "Nobel Prize of mathematics".
Manjul Bhargava won the Fields Medal while Subhash
Khot won the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize, awarded by the
International Mathematical Union (IMU), at the
International Congress of Mathematicians 2014 held in
Seoul. Manjul Bhargava, a professor of mathematics at
Princeton University, was among the four winners who
have been awarded the Fields Medal, given out every four
years. Iranian-born mathematician and Stanford
University professor Maryam Mirzakhani became the first
woman to win the Fields Medal this year.
5) Real Madrid wins UEFA Super Cup: Moving on from a
frustrating World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo began the new
season as the last one ended for Real Madrid C.F. with
goals and a trophy. The Portugal forward netted both
goals as the European champions convincingly overcame
Europa League winner Sevilla with a 2-0 victory to collect
the UEFA Super Cup.
6) Himachal Pradesh selected to host First Para-gliding
World Cup in India: Paragliding World Cup Association
selected Himachal Pradesh as a venue to host the 2015
para-gliding World Cup. This will be the first para-gliding
World Cup to be hosted in India. The tournament will be

organised under the aegis of Para-gliding World Cup

Association, France. The information was disclosed by
Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma, who is also
Chairman of the Billing Paragliding Association on 13
August 2014.

Daily Current Affairs: 14 August 2014

1) Judicial appointments bill passed in Rajya Sabha: The
Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the landmark National
Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014, which was
passed unanimously by the Lok Sabha on 13 August 2014,
in a move that is being seen as a major victory for the
Modi sarkar. The Bill was passed by a voice vote and will
lead to the scrapping of the current collegium system
of appointment of judges to Higher Judiciary in India. The
Constitution Amendment Bill was cleared by the Rajya
Sabha with 179 votes in favour and one abstention of
noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani. The bill will make way for
the setting up of a National Judicial Appointments
Commission which will appoint and transfer judges to the
Supreme Courts and the 24 High Courts.
2) Major Mukund Varadarajan Awarded Ashok Chakra,
the Highest Gallantry Award:
Major Mukund
Varadarajan, who killed three terrorists in Kashmir before
he was shot dead in April this year, has been awarded the
Ashok Chakra, the nation's highest peace-time gallantry

award. The 31-year-old Major's buddy Sepoy Vikram

Singh and two naval officers who died on board the INS
Sindhuratna while trying to save fellow sailors, are among
12 others who have been awarded the Shaurya Chakra.
This year's list of 55 gallantry awards also includes 39
Sena (Army) Medals, one Nao Sena (Navy) Medal and
two Vayu Sena (Air Force) Medal.
3) WHO clears use of experimental drug ZMapp: The
World Health Organization gave a green light to the use of
experimental drugs to combat the Ebola outbreak in West
Africa, with demand forand questions aboutuntested
treatments growing after two infected Americans received
some.
4) RBI cuts number of free cross-bank ATM transactions
to 3 per month in six metropolitan cities: Frequent
withdrawal of money from ATMs will become expensive
from November, with the RBI imposing a limit of 3
transactions per month from ATMs of other banks and 5
from the same bank in six metropolitan cities. A customer
will be required to pay a fee of up to Rs 20 for using
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) beyond the permitted
numbers of transactions in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai,
Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad. The new guidelines,
which were issued in pursuance of a representation made
to the central bank by Indian Banks' Association, will
come into effect from November 1, 2014.

5) Life sentence to Sher Singh Rana for killing Phoolan

Devi: A Delhi court on Thursday pronounced life sentence
to lone convict Sher Singh Rana for the murder of banditturned-politician Phoolan Devi in 2001. The court also
imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Rana.
6) Borussia Dortmund beat Bayern Munich 2-0 to win
German Super Cup: Borussia Dortmund beat Bayern
Munich 2-0 in the German Super Cup on Wednesday to
win the first domestic title of the season. Dortmund shut
down former teammate Robert Lewandowski, while on
the other side Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored in the 23rd
minute and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed the
victory in the 62nd.
7) French winger Franck Ribery retired from
International Football: French winger Franck Ribery has
announced his retirement from international football, he
said in an interview with the German magazine Kicker.
Bayern Munich's Ribery, 31, the winner of the 2013 UEFA
European Player of the Year award, has won 80 caps for
France since his international debut in 2006.

8) Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan to

head expenditure panel: Bimal Jalan, former RBI

Governor,
will
head
Expenditure
Management
Commission which will suggest ways to reduce food,
fertiliser and oil subsidies to contain the fiscal deficit.
"Terms for reference would be shortly issued," Jalan told
PTI. The EMC is being set up following the announcement
made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget 201415.
9) Hindi name of water resources ministry changed: The
name of the Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in Hindi has been
changed to Jal Sansadhan, Nadi Vikas Aur Ganga
Sanrakshan Mantralaya. Earlier it was known as Jal
Sansadhan, Nadi Vikas Aur Ganga Jeernodhar
Mantralaya, a press release said. A Gazette notification to
this effect has been issued, it added.

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 11 August 2014

1) German Striker Miroslav Klose announced retirement
From International Football: German striker Miroslav
Klose, the all-time World Cup top scorer, announced his
retirement from international football on Monday. The 36year-old leaves the German national team as a World Cup
winner after last month helping Joachim Loew's side to
their first global crown since 1990 when they defeated
Argentina 1-0 in the Rio-hosted final. The Lazio frontman

picked up his 16th goal, in what was his fourth World

Cup, to surpass Brazilian Ronaldo as the tournament's
leading scorer.
2) Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines 'Vistara' set for October
launch: The Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines joint venture on
Monday unveiled the brand name of its new airline
'Vistara', and said it is expected to launch operations by
October with the first aircraft coming in by September.
"We are in the last lap of the process of securing the Air
Operator Permit (AOP of flying licence). There are a series
of approvals which we have to get to the satisfaction of
DGCA," said Phee Teik Yeoh, the CEO of the start-up fullservice airline 'Vistara'.
3) Centre moves new version of Judicial Appointments
Bill: The government on Monday withdrew the UPAs Bill
on judicial appointments in the Rajya Sabha and
introduced a fresh one in the Lok Sabha, where it has a
majority.
The
National
Judicial
Appointments
Commission Bill, 2014, and the 121st Constitution
Amendment Bill (Insertion of new articles 124A, 124B and
124C) were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad.
4) Government to declare National Hypertension Day
soon: Union Health Ministry has conceptualized
dedicating a particular day of each year for highlighting
the dangers of Hypertension. Speaking at the 23rd Annual

Conference of the Hypertension Society of India

(HSICON), Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, said I am
preparing the Ministry to meet the growing burden of
non-communicable diseases (NCD). Hypertension,
diabetes, cancers, coronary artery disease, etc. are
projected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the
biggest gnawers of our public health budget in the next
decade. According to a report released by the WHO,
Hypertension accounts for 7 per cent of disability adjusted
life years worldwide and 9.4 million deaths annually.
5) John Nyumbu becomes second Zimbabwean to take
five wickets on Test debut: John Nyumbu became the
second Zimbabwe bowler to take five wickets in an
innings on Test debut. He achieved the milestone during
the only Test against South Africa at the Harare Sports
Club. Nyumbu recorded figures of five for 157 as
Zimbabwe bowled South Africa out for 397. Andy
Blignaut was the first Zimbabwean bowler to achieve the
milestone with recorded figures of five for 73 against
Bangladesh in the year 2001.
6) R Ashwin becomes world's No.1 Test all-rounder:
India's Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday became the
number one Test all-rounder in ICC rankings following
his fine show with the bat in the fourth cricket Test against
England in Manchester. Ashwin scored 40 and 46 not out
at the Old Trafford though India lost the Test by an
innings and 54 runs. As a bowler, Ashwin went wicketless

in his 14 overs in England's first innings. The Indian offspinner, who now has 372 rating points, displaced South
Africa's Vernon Philander (365) at the top of the Reliance
ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders.
7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Roger Federer to win
Rogers Cup: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the Rogers Cup on
Sunday, beating second-seeded Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3)
for his fourth straight victory over a higher-seeded
opponent. The 13th-seeded Frenchman won his first ATP
Tour title of the season and 11th overall. He beat topranked Novak Djokovic on Thursday, eighth-seeded Andy
Murray on Friday and seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov on
Saturday.

8) Hyundai rolls out Elite i20:

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), on Monday, launched
Elite i 20, the all-new version of its premium compact car i
20. The company expects a growth of eight per cent in
sales this year driven by gradual turnaround in the
automobile market. The Elite i 20 will be available in both
petrol and diesel options. While the petrol version is
priced between Rs.4.90 lakh and Rs.6.46 lakh, the diesel
variants will be between Rs.6.09 lakh and Rs.7.67 lakh.

Daily Current Affairs: 09 & 10 August 2014

1) Amit Shah confirmed as BJP President at partys
National Council meeting: The Bharatiya Janata Party's
first National Council meet after forming the government
at the Centre held in New Delhi on Saturday. The meet
was held to discuss party organization issues. Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh lavishly praised new
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah for his huge
contribution in facilitating the party's victory in the 2014
general elections.
2) AIMA Managing India Awards 2014: Godrej group
Chairman Adi Godrej was presented the Business Leader
of the Year award by the All India Management
Association (AIMA) at its Managing India Awards 2014
function held in New Delhi on 6 August 2014. HDFC
Chairman Deepak Parekh bagged the Lifetime
Achievement Award, Malayala Manorama Chief Editor &
MD Mammen Mathew was honoured for his outstanding
contribution to the media, while Sankara Nethralaya
Founder and Chairman Emeritus S. S. Badrinath was
selected for Outstanding Institution Builder award.
3) Indian Mens Hockey team defeated Bangladesh to
clinch hockey series: Indian Mens Hockey team on 9
August 2014 won the three-match hockey series against
Bangladesh, 3-0. To win the series, the Indian team
defeated Bangladesh 3-1 in the third and final match in

Dhaka. India had taken a winning lead by clinching the

second encounter played on Friday by a 5-1 margin.
4) Iran-140 Sepahan Air passenger plane crashed near
Mehrabad airport: Iran-140 Sepahan Air passenger plane
crashed on 10 August 2014 near Mehrabad airport, west of
Tehran in Iran. At least 39 passengers including 8 crew
members died in the crash that occurred after the engine
of the plane went out. Nine people were injured in the
incident.

5) Indian Women's Recurve Team Win Gold, Men Bag

Silver at Archery World Cup: India women's recurve
team, led by Deepika Kumari, clinched the gold medal by
defeating Mexico 6-0 while, the men's recurve team settled
for silver in the final Archery World Cup Stage IV in
Wroclaw, Poland. India defeated Mexico without
yielding a single set point in a clean sweep to clinch the
recurve women's gold medal.

6) Iraq president names Haider al-Abadi new prime

minister: Iraqs president asked a veteran Shiite politician,

Haider al-Abadi, to form a new government, setting the

stage for a vicious political showdown in a country
already struggling to contain an Islamist extremist
insurgency.

Current Affairs Questions & Answers: 08 to 10 August

2014
1) World Health Organization (WHO) on 8 August 2014
declared which disease as international health emergency?
(A) Swine Flu
(B) Polio
(C) Ebola
(D) None of these
2) Who was selected as the Chairman of the Dronacharya
Award Selection Committee on 7 August 2014?
(A) Kapil Dev
(B) P T Usha
(C) Ajitpal Singh
(D) Sunil Gavaskar

3) Philips India has recently roped in whom as its brand

ambassador for its beauty business?
(A) Alia Bhatt
(B) Shraddha Kapoor
(C) Deepika Padukone
(D) All the above
4) Didier Drogba who has announced his retirement
from international football on 8 August 2014 is from
which country?
(A) South Africa
(B) France
(C) Ivory Coast
(D) Nigeria
5) Who was confirmed as BJP President at partys National
Council meeting held on 9 August 2014?
(A) Amit Shah
(B) Narendra Modi
(C) Rajnath Singh
(D) Venkaiah Naidu
6) Who was presented the Business Leader of the Year
award in AIMA Managing India Awards 2014 recently?
(A) Ratan Tata
(B) Cyrus Mistry
(C) Sumit Mittal
(D) Adi Godrej

7) Iran-140 Sepahan Air passenger plane crashed on 10

August 2014 near which airport?
(A) Islamabad Airport
(B) Tenhran Airport
(C) Mehrabad airport
(D) None of these
8) Haider al-Abadi was recently named as the new prime
minister of?
(A) Bangladesh
(B) Iran
(C) Afghanistan
(D) Iraq
9) India women's recurve team recently won gold in
Archery World Cup Stage IV held at?
(A) Scotland
(B) Poland
(C) Germany
(D) Tajikistan
10) According to latest energy efficiency ranking, which
among the following countries has been ranked no.1?
(A) Germany
(B) USA
(C) India
(D) Australia

Answers
1) Ans. (C) Ebola
2) Ans. (C) Ajitpal Singh. He is a three-time Olympian and
former Hockey Captain.
3) Ans. (A) Alia Bhatt
4) Ans. (C) Ivory Coast
5) Ans. (A) Amit Shah
6) Ans. (D) Adi Godrej
7) Ans. (C) Mehrabad airport
8) Ans. (D) Iraq
9) Ans. (B) Poland
10) Ans. (A) Germany. India placed at No.11.

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 08 August 2014

1) WHO declared Ebola
an
international
health
emergency: The World Health Organization (WHO) on
Friday declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an
international public health emergency that requires an
extraordinary response to stop its spread. The WHO
announced the Ebola outbreak the largest and longest in
history is worrying enough to merit being declared an
international
health
emergency.
WHO declared similaremergencies for
the swine
flu
pandemic in 2009 and for polio in May. The WHO chief,
Dr. Margaret Chan, said the announcement is a clear call
for international solidarity but acknowledged that many
countries would probably not have any Ebola cases. The

current outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea in March and

has since spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia.
2) US defence secretary Hagel arrived in India: The US
will make India an offer to "co-produce and co-develop"
state-of-the-art Javelin infra-red-guided anti-tank missiles
during defence secretary Charles 'Chuck' Hagels threeday visit. Hagel arrived in New Delhi and will be meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Arun
Jaitley.
3) RBI proposed 'anytime anywhere' bill payment
system: For the convenience of people to pay school fees
and municipal taxes and utility bills through an integrated
platform, the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday
proposed setting up an "anytime anywhere" bill payment
system. Bill payment is a major component of the retail
payment transactions as over 3,080 crore bills amounting
to more than Rs 6,00,000 crore are generated each year in
the top 20 cities in the country.
4) Ajitpal Singh to head Dronacharya Award Selection
Committee: Three-time Olympian and former Hockey
Captain Ajitpal Singh was selected as the Chairman of the
Dronacharya Award Selection Committee on 7 August
2014. The committee will have 15 members, including 12
eminent sportspersons and three officials. The three
officials -- Director General of the Sports Authority of

India and a joint secretary and deputysecretary from the

ministry -- will also be in the committee.

5) Philips ropes in Alia Bhatt as brand

ambassador for beauty biz: Philips India has roped in
Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador for its beauty business
which includes a range of hair and depilation devices. The
company said in a statement that Bhatt will help take the
style revolution that Philips India has started among the
new age Indian women to the next level. She will start by
endorsing Philips Kerashine range and the company will
run a 360 degre campaign in mid-August.

6) Didier Drogba retired from international football:

Didier Drogba has announced his retirement from
international football after 12 years playing for the Ivory
Coast. The 36-year-old striker made more than 100
appearances for the Ivorians and played in three World
Cups, most recently in Brazil this summer. He also played
in two editions of the African Cup of Nations.

07 August 2014 Current Affairs Updates for exams

1) 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting begins in New Delhi:
The 18th BASICMinisterial Meeting will be held on
August 7-8, 2014 at New Delhi. The two-day 18th
BASIC Ministerial Meeting will provide an important
opportunity to BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa,
India and China) to enhance coordination on important
issues under consideration in ClimateChange negotiations
and arrive at a common position. Environment Ministers
of BASIC countries will meet in New Delhi to discuss
important issues relating to current United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
negotiations.
2) Construction Work of Worlds tallest Railway Bridge
began at Noney in Manipur: The construction work of the
worlds tallest railway bridge began on 28 July 2014 near
Noney in Manipur, India. Northeast Frontier Railway
Construction Organisation (NFRCO) will be administering
the whole project. At 141 meters, the height of the tallest
pillar of the bridge of Jiribaum Tupul Imphal railway
line is slated to become the tallest bridge in the world from
viewpoint of pillars height. The height of the other piers
of this 700 metres bridge varies between 50-90 metres.
3) Gujarat Governor assumed additional charge of Goa:
Gujarat Governor Om Prakash Kohli was sworn in as
Governor of Goa at a simple ceremony held at Durbar

Hall, Raj Bhavan, near Panaji on Thursday evening. Chief

Justice of Bombay High Court Justice Mohit Shantilal Shah
administered the oath of office to the new Governor. Chief
Minister Manohar Parrikar and other dignitaries were
present on the occasion.
4) Indian Chamber of Commerce appoints new VicePresident: Aditya Vardhan Agarwal, Director, Emami
Group, has been nominated and appointed as the VicePresident of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He is the
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ethiopia in Kolkata.
5) Padho Pardesh scheme for minority community:
Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah has said the
government has launched a scheme titled, Padho Pardesh,
for providing interest subsidy on educational loans for
overseas studies for students belonging to the notified
minority communities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs,
Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. She said the objective of the
scheme is to award interest subsidy to meritorious
students belonging to economically weaker sections of the
notified minority communities so as to provide
opportunities for higher education abroad and enhance
their employability.

6) Kapil Dev to head Arjuna Awards selection

committee: Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev will
head the Arjuna Awards selection committee for choosing
this years outstanding sportspersons of the country while
former hockey skipper Ajitpal Singh is likely to be in
charge of selecting the Dronacharya awardees.
7) Former Home Secy RK Singh to head panel reviewing
Parliament security: Parliament, which was targeted by
terrorists 13 years back, is set to be strengthened further
with a special committee being set up on Thursday to
suggest measures for it within a month. The committee,
formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, will be
headed by former Union Home Secretary RK Singh and
will include former Rajasthan DGP Harish Chandra
Meena and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal
Singh, who are also BJP members in Lok Sabha.

8) India equal record for most ducks in an

innings: Indian cricket team on 7 August 2014 equaled the
world record of maximum number of 6 ducks (zero runs)

in a Test innings. India equaled the record on the first day

of the Manchester Test played against England. Murali
Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pankaj Singh were the batsmen
to be out for duck.

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 01 August 2014

1) Muzaffar Ali to get Rajiv Gandhi National
Sadbhavana Award: Noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who
had directed the Bollywood classic Umrao Jaan, has
been selected for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana
Award for his outstanding contribution towards the
promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. It
carries a citation and cash award of Rs 5 lakh.
The decision to honour the 69-year-old film maker, social
worker and sufi poet was taken at a meeting of the
Advisory Committee of the Rajiv Gandhi National
Sadbhavana Award. This will be the 22nd edition of the
Sadbhavana award, which will be presented at a special
ceremony at Jawahar Bhavan on August 20, the birthday
of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Congress president
Sonia Gandhi has been presenting the award ever since it
was constituted.
2) Dipa Karmakar wins historic bronze in gymnastics at
2014 Commonwealth Games: Young Dipa Karmarkar
scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman

gymnast to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games

after she bagged a bronze in the vault event on 31 July
2014. The 20-year-old from Tripura collected 14.366 points
to finish third in the women`s vault final at the SSE
Hydro. The gold went to England`s Claudia Fragapane
who got 14.633 points while Elsabeth Black was second
with 14.433 points. In the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth
Games, Ashish Kumar became the first Indian gymnast to
win a medal at the CWG by winning a silver in vault and
bronze in floor events.

3) Book 'One Life is Not Enough' written by

Natwar Singh released: One Life is Not Enough: An
Autobiography written by Kunwar Natwar Singh was
published on 1 August 2014. The book is an
autobiography of the former External Affairs Minister and
senior Congress Party leader Natwar Singh. This
autobiography has been in news and debate since past few
days because it reveals much information about Sonia
Gandhi, the President of the Congress Party. The book has
been published by Rupa. See details and buy from here.

4) K V Chowdary appointed as new CBDT Chairman:

Senior IRS officer K V Chowdary has been appointed as
the new Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT), the top policy making body of the Income Tax
department. Mr. Chowdary, a 1978-batch officer, on
Friday took charge of his office in North block in the
Finance Ministry. He will have tenure of three months.
The officer was till now working as the Member
(Investigations) of the direct taxes revenue collection
board. Incumbent Chairman R K Tewari retired on
Thursday after being at the helm for five months.

Current Affairs daily Updates: 02 and 03 August 2014

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Nepal;
Addressed Nepal Parliament: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, who arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day visit to
Nepal on Sunday, addressed the nation's Constituent
Assembly. India's relation with Nepal is as old as the
Himalayas and the Ganga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
said on Sunday addressing Nepalese parliament.
Annoucing a slew of measures to help Nepal in its
development, Modi said, "border should be a bridge not a
barrier between the two neighbours." Modi thus became
the first Prime Minister to visit Nepal in 17 years. I K
Gujral was the last Indian prime minister to visit Nepal in
1997.

2) 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games concluded:

20th CommonwealthGames (CWG) 2014 concluded at
Hampden Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on 3 August
2014 at. The game that saw 17 sports in a competition of 11
days was held from 23 July to 3 August 2014. The
Glasgow 2014 CWG was declared closed in presence of
British Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince Edward,
the
Earl
of
Wessex
and
vice
patron
of CommonwealthGames
Federation.
The
21st Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast in
Australia. England topped the medals tally while
Australia got the second position. Canada was third
followed by Scotland.
3) India
finished
5th
with
64
medals
in Commonwealth Games
2014:
India
in
the
2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, Scotland stood at
the fifth position in the rankings after closing its account
with total 64 medals (15 Gold, 30 silver and 19 Bronze).
This was third highest medal haul after 2010 Delhi CWG
(101 medals) and 2002 Manchester CWG (69 medals).

4) P Kashyap bags gold for India after 32 years in mens

singles in badminton: Kashyap became the 1st Indian in
32 years to win men's singles gold after he defeated Wong
21-14 11-21 21-19. Rewriting CommonwealthGames'
badminton history, Parupalli Kashyap won India's third
men's singles gold in CWG 2014 but Jwala Gutta and
Ashwini Ponnappa failed to defend their women's
doubles title they won four years ago at home. Second
seed Kashyap emulated former champions Prakash
Padukone (1978) and Syed Modi (1982) to clinch his first
major championship by defeating Singaporean sixth seed
Zi Liang Derek Wong to turn the bronze he won four
years ago in New Delhi into a gold. The 27-year-old won
21-14, 11-21, 21-19 in just over an hour at the Emirates
Arena.
5) CWG: India mens hockey team settle for silver:
Indias quest for aCommonwealth Games hockey gold
remained unfulfilled as they went down tamely 0-4 to title
holders and world champions Australia in the final at the
National Hockey Centre, in Glasgow on Sunday. Even
though the two teams are class apart, it was an ideal
opportunity for eight-time Olympic champions India to
avenge their 0-8 thrashing at the hands of mighty
Australia in the 2010 edition of the Games in New Delhi.
But it was not to be as Australia produced a clinical
performance and completely dominated the match by

scoring two goals in each half to secure their fifth

consecutive Commonwealth Games
title
since
the
introduction of hockey in the quadrennial event in 1998.

Current Affairs Questions with Answers: 01-03 August

2014
1) The Book 'One Life is Not Enough' which has been in
news and debate recently is the autobiography of which
political leader?
(A) S M Krishna
(B) K Natwar Singh
(C) L K Advani
(D) Shashi Tharoor
2) Who among the following was recently selected for
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award 2014?
(A) N Radhakrishnan
(B) D. R. Mehta
(C) Amjad Ali Khan
(D) Muzaffar Ali

3) Who among the following recently scripted history by

becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to win a medal
at the Commonwealth Games?
(A) Dipa Karmakar
(B) P V Sindhu
(C) Tintu Luka
(D) Elsabeth Black
4) Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two day visit
to Nepal in the first week of August 2014, thus becoming
the first PM in 17 years to visit Nepal. Who was the last
PM to visit Nepal in 1997?
(A) Rajiv Gandhi
(B) A B Vajpayee
(C) I K Gujral
(D) P V Narasimha Rao
5) 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games concluded on 3
August
2014.
Which
city
will
host
21st Commonwealth Games in 2018?
(A) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(B) London, UK
(C) New Delhi, India
(D) Gold Coast, Australia
6) Parupalli Kashyap on 3 Aug 2014 became the 1st Indian
in ...... years to win men's singles gold in Badminton
at Commonwealth Games?
(A) 32

(B) 16
(C) 25
(D) 41
7) Which country topped the medals tally in the recently
concludedCommonwealth Games?
(A) Australia
(B) Scotland
(C) England
(D) Canada
8) What was India's position the commonwealth games
2014?
(A) 1st
(B) 5th
(C) 3rd
(D) 9th
9) Which country defeated India to win Gold in the men's
hockey event atCommonwealth Games 2014?
(A) Australia
(B) Netherlands
(C) England
(D) Pakistan
10) Recently which company has become the first Indian
company to exceed Rs 5 lakh crore in market
capitalisation?
(A) SBI Life

(B) Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

(C) Relaince Industries
(D) Infosys
Answers
1) Ans. (B) K Natwar Singh
2) Ans. (D) Muzaffar Ali
3) Ans. (A) Dipa Karmakar
4) Ans. (C) I K Gujral
5) Ans. (D) Gold Coast, Australia
6) Ans. (A) 32
7) Ans. (C) England
8) Ans. (B) 5th
9) Ans. (A) Australia
10) Ans. (B) Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Current Affairs Quiz Questions and Answers: 04 & 05

August 2014
1) Who among the following was appointed as deputy
National Security Adviser of India on 4 August 2014?
(A) Nehchal Sandhu
(B) Ajit Kumar Doval
(C) Arvind Gupta
(D) Shivshankar Menon
2) Who recently took charge as Vice Chief of Indian
Army?

(A) Philip Campose

(B) Bikram Singh
(C) Dalbir Singh Suhag
(D) V K Singh
3) Justice Manjula Chellur on 5 August 2014 took oath as
first women chief justice of which High Court?
(A) Kerala High Court
(B) Delhi High Court
(C) Chennai High Court
(D) Calcutta High Court
4) Government on 4 August 2014 suspended S K Jain as
Chairman and Managing Director of which Bank, two
days after CBI arrested him for allegedly accepting a bribe
of Rs 50 lakh?
(A) Canara Bank
(B) Syndicate Bank
(C) Vijaya Bank
(D) None of these
5) Reserve Bank of India in its bi-monthly monetary policy
statement released on 5 August 2014 made Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR) cut by 0.50% to .....
to unlock banking funds?
(A) 22%
(B) 22.5%
(C) 7%

(D) 8%
6) Xavi Hernandez who recently announced his retirement
from International Football was from?
(A) Italy
(B) Germany
(C) Argentina
(D) Spain
7) Name the second-largest private sector bank in India
which opened its branch in Dubai in the first week of
August 2014?
(A) HDFC Bank
(B) ICICI Bank
(C) Yes Bank
(D) Kotak Mahindra Bank
8) Margaret Alva has recently completed her term as
Governor of?
(A) Gujarat
(B) West Bengal
(C) Rajasthan
(D) Maharashtra

9) In July 2014, who became the most popular person on

Facebook with over a 100 million likes, the most for any
public figure?
(A) Shakira
(B) Eminem
(C) Barack Obama
(D) Rihanna
10) What is the current Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)?
(A) 7%
(B) 4%
(C) 8%
(D) 3%
Answers
1) Ans. (C) Arvind Gupta
2) Ans. (A) Philip Campose
3) Ans. (D) Calcutta High Court
4) Ans. (B) Syndicate Bank
5) Ans. (A) 22%
6) Ans. (D) Spain
7) Ans. (A) HDFC Bank
8) Ans. (C) Rajasthan
9) Ans. (A) Shakira
10) Ans. (B) 4%
Latest Current Affairs Questions for exams: 06 & 07
August 2014

1) Name the famous cartoonist and creator of the lovable

comic character Chacha Chaudhary who died on 6 August
2014?
(A) Ravi Shankar
(B) Pran Kumar Sharma
(C) Chandra Free
(D) P Sukumar
2) Indian cricket team on 7 August 2014 equaled the world
record of maximum number of 6 ducks (zero runs) in a
Test innings playing against which country?
(A) Australia
(B) Srilanka
(C) England
(D) South Africa
3) Cabinet on 6 August 2014 cleared amendments to
Juvenile Justice Act, paving way for harsher punishment
for juveniles above 16 years. In which year Juvenile Justice
Act was passed?
(A) 2013
(B) 2009
(C) 2000
(D) 2005
4) Union Cabinet on 6 August 2014 allowed foreign
investment in the Railways for the first time and it is now
at .......%?
(A) 100%

(B) 49%
(C) 51%
(D) None of the above
5) According to a recent report by a market research firm,
which mobile manufacturer has replaced Samsung to
become the leading mobile phone vendor in India?
(A) Micromax
(B) Nokia
(C) Lava
(D) Karbonn
6) Which bank has recently (August 2014) launched a
travel card for students going abroad for studies?
(A) State Bank of India
(B) ICICI Bank
(D) HDFC Bank
(D) Bank of India
7) 18th BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and
China) ministerial meeting which began on August 7 is
hosted by which country?
(A) New Delhi, India
(B) Beijing, China
(C) Fortaleza, Brazil
(D) Durban, South Africa
8) Construction work of the worlds tallest railway bridge
began on 28 July 2014 near Noney in which state on India?

(A) Sikkim
(B) Jammu and Kashmir
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) Manipur

9) Government has recently launched a

scheme for providing interest subsidy on educational
loans for overseas studies for students belonging to the
notified minority communities. Name that scheme?
(A) Padho Pardesh
(B) Seekho aur Kamao(Learn & Earn)
(C) Nai Roshni
(D) Nalanda Project
10) Kamla Beniwal who was recently sacked from her post
was the Governor of?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Kerala
(C) Arunachal Pardesh
(D) Mizoram
Answers
1) Ans. (B) Pran Kumar Sharma

2) Ans. (C) England

3) Ans. (C) 2000
4) Ans. (A) 100%
5) Ans. (A) Micromax
6) Ans. (B) ICICI Bank
7) Ans. (A) New Delhi, India
8) Ans. (D) Manipur
9) Ans. (A) Padho Pardesh
10) Ans. (D) Mizoram

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 06 August 2014

1) Cartoonist Pran,
creator
of iconicChacha Chaudhary, dead: Creator of the lovable
comic character Chacha Chaudhary, cartoonist Pran
Kumar Sharma breathed his last on Wednesday. He
passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer at
a hospital in Gurgaon. He was 75 years old. With a
career spanning over five decades, Mr. Sharma employed
a simple style of art and sense of humour to create a
family of characters like Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman
and Channi Chachi, which are regularly published in
Indian magazines. He began his career in 1960 as
a cartoonist for the Delhi-based newspaper Milap with
comic strip Daabu and in 1969, he sketched Chacha

Chaudhary for the Hindi magazine Lotpot which made

him famous. He was born in Kasur, near Lahore in
Pakistan in 1938.
2) Kamla Beniwal, governor of Mizoram, sacked: Kamla
Beniwal, who had a running battle with Narendra Modi
when he was Gujarat chief minister, was sacked as
governor of Mizoram on Wednesday just two months
before her tenure comes to an end. "The President has
directed that Dr. (Smt.) Kamla shall cease to hold the office
of the governor of Mizoram," a Rashtrapati Bhavan
communique said, exactly a month after she was shifted to
Aizwal from Ahmedabad. Governor of Manipur V K
Duggal has been asked to discharge the functions of the
governor of Mizoram untilregular arrangements are
made, the communique said.
3) Cabinet cleared amendments to Juvenile Justice Act
paving way for harsher punishment: A proposal which
will empower the Juvenile Justice Board to decide whether
a juvenile above 16 years involved in heinous crimes such
as rape is to be sent to a observation home or tried in
a regularcourt is learnt have been cleared by the Union
Cabinet on Wednesday. With all central ministries giving
their approval to the amendments to the Juvenile Justice
(Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, the proposal
was placed on the agenda for cabinet meeting.

4) FDI cap raised to 100% for Railways, 49% for defence

projects: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday allowed
foreign investment in the Railways for the first time and
raised limit for such investment in the defence sector,
steps intended to raise funds for expansion of the
Railways and encourage domestic manufacture of arms.
100 per cent foreign investment in railway infrastructure
projects will be allowed while in the case of defence the
limit has been raised to 49 per cent from the current 26 per
cent, subject to the Indian owners exercising management
control.
5) Micromax replaces Samsung as largest mobile phone
vendor in India: According to a recent report by a market
research firm, Micromax has replaced Samsung to become
the leading mobile phone vendor in the country in terms
of market share. It has also become the second largest
smartphone vendor in India behind Samsung.
Counterpoint, a technology market research firm, finds
that Micromax with a 16.6 percent market share has
overtaken Samsung (14.4 percent) as the largest mobile
phone supplier in Q2 2014. Micromax and Samsung were
closely followed by Nokia (10.9 percent), Karbonn (9.5
percent), and Lava (5.6 percent).

6) ICICI Bank launched travel card for students going

abroad for studies:ICICI Bank, the countrys largest

private sector bank, has announced the launch of the

ICICI Bank Student Travel Card, which enables students
going abroad for higher studies to take care of their
expenses.
Daily Current Affairs from 05 August 2014
1) RBI keeps key rates unchanged, cuts SLR by 50
bps: Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan
kept interest rates unchanged for the third time in a row as
expected, making it abundantly clear that his intent is to
stay the course and slay the inflation demon once and for
all, declaring that he has Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
backing in his efforts to tame prices even if such a stance is
perceived by some to be obstructing recovery.
2) Xavi
Hernandez announced retirement from International
Football: Xavi Hernandez, Spain's leading playmaker in
its run of three major titles, has retired from
international duty after a disappointing World Cup. "I
have taken the decision to leave the selection," the 34-yearold Xavi said. "I think my time has ended." Xavi was the
key component of Spain's tiki-taka passing style during its
unprecedented run of winning the World Cup in 2010 and
two European championships in 2008 and 2012. He was
voted the best player of the 2008 European championship.
In that final he made the critical pass to Fernando Torres
to score the winning goal in its 1-0 win over Germany.

3) Sanju Samson, Karn Sharma get

maiden ODI call-up: Prolific young wicketkeeperbatsman Sanju Samson and leg-spinner Karn Sharma
received maiden call-up into the Indian squad as selectors
on Tuesday announced the team for the upcoming
limited-overs cricket series against England. Both Samson
and Karn were included in the 17-member squad. MS
Dhoni will lead the team against England in five ODIs and
a one-off Twenty20, starting August 25. Virat Kohli will be
his deputy. The BCCI confirmed the news through their
official account on micro-blogging site Twitter.
4) HDFC Bank opened branch in Dubai: HDFC Bank, the
second-largest private sector bank in India, opened its
branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
to provide wealth management services to the nonresident Indians (NRIs) based in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE). This is the bank's third branch outside India, the
other two being located at Bahrain and Hong Kong.

5) UP Governor Ram Naik gets additional charge of

Rajasthan: Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has been
given additional charge of Rajasthan as state governor

Margaret Alva has completed her term. Alva, who was

Rajasthan governor, was given additional charge of Goa
last month after resignation of B V Wanchoo as its
Governor. A press communique of Rashtrapati Bhavan
said that Gujarat Governor Om Prakash Kohli has been
given additional charge of Goa as Alva has demitted office
on completing her term.

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 04 August 2014

1) Arvind Gupta appointed deputy NSA: Former Indian
Foreign Service officer Arvind Gupta was on Monday
appointed as deputy National Security Adviser, a post
which fell vacant following the resignation of Nehchal
Sandhu. Mr. Gupta, a 1979 batch officer, will also be
Secretary,National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), an
apex advisory body tasked with suggesting to the
government on political, economic andstrategic security
concerns. The officer, who is at present Director-General
of Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), has
been appointed for a period of three years on
reemployment and on contract basis, said an official
order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training
(DoPT).

2) Lt Gen Philip Campose takes over

as Army Vice Chief: Lt Gen Philip Campose- a veteran
mechanised infantry officer, has taken over as the new
Vice Chief of Army Staff succeeding Gen Dalbir Singh
Suhag, who is now heading the 1.3 million strong force.
59-year-old Lt Gen Campose, who was till now the
Western Army Commander, took over as the Vice Chief
on August 1, an Army release said.
3) Justice Manjula Chellur takes oath as first women
chief justice of Calcutta High Court: Dr Manjula Chellur
was on 5 August 2014 swornin as Calcutta High Courts
first woman Chief Justice. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi
administered the oath to Dr Chellur at the High Court.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Assembly Speaker
Biman Banerjee were present at the sweringin ceremony.
4) UPSC exam row: Centre says English marks should
not be included:Giving in to sustained pressure from
Hindi belt parties on the Civil Services Aptitude Test
(CSAT) pattern, the government on 4 August 2014
announced that marks for 8-9 English comprehension
questions in Paper II of prelims exam would not be
counted for gradation and merit. However, the CSAT

format stays and the August 24 prelims exam will be held

as per schedule.
5) Govt suspended arrested Syndicate Bank Chairman S
K Jain: The government on 4 August 2014 suspended
Syndicate Bank Chairman and Managing Director S K
Jain, two days after CBI arrested him for allegedly
accepting a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to enhance the credit limit
of some companies, Financial Services Secretary G.S
Sandhu
said
the
Finance
Ministry
received
a preliminary report from the CBI on the arrest of Mr. Jain
on Saturday, based on which he was suspended. Mr. Jain,
54, was appointed CMD of state-owned Syndicate Bank in
July last year for a period of five years. He was one of the
youngest CMDs of a public sector bank and was due to
retire in 2020.
1) Which schedule of the Indian Constitution divides the
legislative powers between the Union and states?
(A)6th schedule
(B)7th schedule
(C)8th schedule
(D)9th schedule
2) Who appoints Chairman of UPSC?
(A)President
(B)Parliament
(C)Union Home Minister

(D)Cabinet Committee on Appointments

3) The constitution of India does not provide for
impeachment of which in the below list?
(A)Chief Justice of India
(B)President of India
(C)Vice President of India
(D)Governor of an Indian State
4) Which schedule of Indian constitution contains
languages?
(A)6th
(B)7th
(C)8th
(D)9th
5) President can proclaim a state of Financial emergency
under which of the below list of articles?
(A)Article 345
(B)Article 352
(C)Article 360
(D)Article 375
6) Right to vote can be placed in which of the below list of
categories?
(A)Fundamental Right
(B)Constitutional Right
(C)Fundamental Duty
(D)None of These

7) Which in the below list of articles helped the Madarsas

in India to remain out of purview of the Right to
Education Act?
(A)Article 26
(B)Article 27
(C)Article 29
(D)Article 30
8) For how many times, a person can become President of
India?
(A)Once
(B)Twice
(C)Thrice
(D)No limit
9) If President and Vice President, both are unavailable,
who can discharge the functions?
(A)Prime Minister
(B)Lok Sabha Speaker
(C)Chief Justice of India
(D)Any person nominated by President or Vice President
10) Till now, the Preamble of Constitution of India has
been amended for how many times?
(A)Never
(B)Once
(C)Twice
(D)Thrice

Answers
1) Ans. (B)7th schedule
2) Ans. (A)President
3) Ans. (D)Governor of an Indian State
4) Ans. (C)8th
5) Ans. (C)Article 360
6) Ans. (B)Constitutional Right
7) Ans. (D)Article 30
8) Ans. (D)No limit
9) Ans. (C)Chief Justice of India
10) Ans. (B)Once. The preamble to the Constitution of
India is a brief introductory statement that sets out t
PMs address to the Nation at Red Fort on the 68th
Independence Day- Highlights

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today called upon all

citizens to contribute to the cause of building national
character. Addressing the nation for the first time from the
ramparts of the Red Fort on the 68th Independence Day,
he said, it is an occasion for introspection for all, as to how

his or her acts would weigh on the scale of National

Interest. Let all actions be in the National Interest, and be
seen as a contribution towards nation building, the Prime
Minister said. Greeting the people of India on
Independence Day, Shri Narendra Modi stated that he
was addressing them not as Pradhan Mantri but
as Pradhan Sewak the first servant.
Here are the highlights of his speech and new schemes
announced
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a series of
initiatives aimed at empowering the common man, and
unleashing the potential of India`s youth.
* In a major new scheme to universalize banking access
and financial inclusion, the Prime Minister announced
the Pradhanmantri Jan-Dhan Yojana which will provide
for a bank account, a debit card and an insurance amount
of Rs. one lakh, to poor families.
* A nationwide Skill India movement will be initiated
to provide skills which ensure employability.
* Prime Minister also announced a vision of Come and
Make in Indiainviting manufacturers from across the
world to invest in India, and help boost India`s industrial
growth.

* Shri Narendra Modi announced his Government`s

resolve to work towards Digital India, which would
provide information and services to the people in a timely
and effective manner.
* Stressing on the need for cleanliness, the Prime
Minister announced
his
Government`s
resolve
for Swachh Bharat a vision which will be launched on
October 2nd this year, to be accomplished by 2019, on the
150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. In a related
initiative, thePrime Minister said the first step
towards Swachh Bharat begins with immediate effect,
through a commitment to build toilets in all schools,
including separate toilets for girls, within one year.
* Prime Minister announced the launch of the Saansad
Adarsh Gram Yojana, under which each Member of
Parliament would be invited to make one model village in
his constituency, by 2016. He said a complete blueprint for
this scheme would be announced on October 11th, the
birth anniversary of Shri Jayaprakash Narayan.
* Shri Narendra Modi announced that a new institution
would be created to replace the Planning Commission.
This new institution would respect the federal structure of
the country, he asserted.
Referring to reports of the positive change in work culture
of the Union Government since he took over as Prime

Minister, the Prime Minister said he was taken aback by

such news reports since it should be the norm for
Government Servants to work with due diligence.
The Prime Minister said the fact that this should make
news, shows how low our collective standards of duty
and responsibility have fallen. The Prime Minister called
upon society to give up the selfish attitude of Mera Kya,
Mujhe Kya.
The Prime Minister also said he was appalled by the
discord and disunity among various Government
departments that he saw after assuming office. He assured
the people that he would resolve this issue, so that the
Government of India worked not as an assembled entity,
but as an organic entity. The Prime Minister said
development and good governance were the only two
tracks which could take the nation forward.
The Prime Minister expressed dismay at the rising number
of rape incidents in the country. Pointing out that
daughters are asked a lot of questions in a family, he
called upon parents to question their sons also, and keep a
tab on their activities. Every rapist is someone`s son,
the Prime Minister said. In a similar vein, he called upon
misguided youth who had taken to terrorism or Maoism,
to give up violence and return to the national mainstream.

The Prime Minister quoted Shri Aurobindo and Swami

Vivekananda, reflecting on their vision to see India as
a Jagatguru once again, and called upon all Indians to
help convert this vision into reality.

RBI's monetary policy review 5 August 2014:

Highlights

Freinds..Here are the highlights of RBIs bi-monthly

monetary policy statement released on 5 August 2014.
>> Short-term lending (repo) rate unchanged at 8%
>> Cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4%
>> SLR cut by 0.50% to 22% to unlock banking funds
>> Estimates GDP growth at 5.5% for current fiscal
>> Targets 8% CPI inflation by January 2015, 6% by Jan
2016
>> Lowers banks

SLR

holdings

in

held-to-maturity

category by 0.5% to 24%

>> Govt policies to improve domestic demand, supply
conditions

>> Higher oil prices, pass-through of administered price

increases pose upside risks to inflation
>> Monsoons still a concern, posing risks to inflation
>> Govt action on food management and fast-tracking
project completion to improve supply
>> Banking sector reforms will continue
>> Next bi-monthly policy statement on September 30.
Current RBI rates as on 5 August 2014 are as follows:
1) Bank Rate- 9%
2) Repo Rate- 8%
3) Reverse Repo rate- 7%
4) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)- 4%
5) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)- 22%
6) Marginal Standing Facility- 9%
1) Nation celebrated its 68th Independence Day:
Drenched in patriotic fervour, the country celebrated its
68th Independence Day with unfurling of tricolour and
tributes to freedom fighters while Chief Ministers
announced a number of schemes to accelerate
development and appealed to extremists to shun violence.
The celebrations marked by colourful parades and other
events in the state capitals passed off peacefully with
authorities making elaborate security arrangements in
view of boycott calls given by Maoists and some insurgent

outfits. From the issues of development, tackling

insurgency to security of women and children, the leaders
flagged the challenges faced by their states and
announced steps todeal with them.
2) Govt to launch Jan Dhan scheme to promote financial
inclusion: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 Aug 2014
launched 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' to help the
poor open bank accounts which will come with the facility
of a debit card and an insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh. "We
want to integrate the poorest of the poor with bank
accounts with Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana," he said
in his maiden Independence Day address to the nation.
Observing that people have mobile phones but not bank
accounts, Modi said, the scheme will help in bringing the
benefits of formal banking system to them. Read more
about PM's speech at Red Fort from here.
3) Railway Minister launched next generation e-ticketing
system: The long and irritating experiences of booking
train ticket through IRCTC website seems to be a thing of
past
now
as
the
Railways
today
launched
thenext generation e-ticketing system enhancing the
booking capacity to 7200tickets per minute and making
the whole process much faster and easier. The new system
developed by Centre for Railway information Systems
(CRIS) with an estimated cost of Rs 180 crore would allow
booking of 7200tickets per minute against 2000 tickets in
the old system. With the launch of the system, now

1,20,000
concurrent
users
can
book
eticketssimultaneously against the earlier capacity of 40,000
concurrent users at a time.
3) Planning Commission to be replaced with new
institution: PM- The government has decided to abolish
the Planning Commission, a 64-year old apex policy
making body, and replace it with a new institution to
address the emerging economic needs and strengthen
federal structure. "We will very soon set up a new
institution in place of Planning Commission," Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said in his Independence Day
address to the nation. The Planning Commission, he said,
was set up to cater to the needs of earlier times and has
participated in his own way in the development of the
country.

4) SC dismissed PIL seeking ban on Amir Khans PK: In

a major relief Supreme Court dismissed the public interest
litigation seeking ban on the release of Aamir Khan's film
PK for promoting nudity and vulgarity. Supreme Court

dismissed plea filed against Aamir Khan and director of

film 'PK' Rajkumar Hirani for allegedly showing nudity in
the movie. Aamir Khans latest poster of film PK had
caused a controversy with a section of viewers. The
Supreme Court told the petitioner that If you don't like
then don't watch the film but don't bring religious facets
in it. The Supreme Court also said that These are
matters of art and entertainment and let them remain so.
5) Kush Kumar became first Indian player to reach
semifinal of World Junior Squash Championship: Kush
Kumar entered the semi-final of the WSF World Junior
Individual Squash Championship and became the first
Indian men's player to have risen this high in a global
competition. In a thrilling quarterfinal, which showcased
his brilliant form, Kumar beat George Parker of England
11-6, 11-8, 11-8.

'Ebola' was in news now, a disease which continues to

spread in several West African countries. Ebola
virus disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is
the human disease caused by the Ebola virus. The largest
outbreak to date is the ongoing 2014 West Africa Ebola
outbreak, which is affecting Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia
and likely Nigeria. As of August 2014 more than 1600
cases have been identified. Efforts are ongoing to develop

a vaccine; however, none yet exists. Here are the things

related to Ebola virus from competitive Exams point of
view, which was shared by one of our friend who doesn't
like to be named. We thank him on behalf of our team.
1) Name the German Striker who announced his
retirement From International Football on 11 August 2014?
(A) Philip Lahm
(B) Thomas Muller
(C) Miroslav Klose
(D) FRank Ribery
2) Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines joint venture on 11
August 2014 unveiledthe brand name of its new airline as?
(A) Vistara
(B) Flyhigh
(C) Megha
(D) Varuna

3) National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014,

and the 121st Constitution Amendment Bill (Insertion of

new articles 124A, 124B and 124C) were introduced in the

Lok Sabha on 11 August 2014 by Law Minister?
(A) Sadananda Gowda
(B) Ashok Gajapathi Raju
(C) Ram Vilas Paswan
(D) Ravi Shankar Prasad
4) Recently which Indian became the world's No.1 Test allrounder?
(A) Ravindra Jadeja
(B) Ravichandran Ashwin
(C) Stuart Binny
(D) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
5) Who defeated Roger Federer to win Rogers Cup 2014
on 10 August 2014?
(A) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
(B) Radael Nadal
(C) Novak Djokovic
(D) Stanslas Wawrinka
6) Which automobile company launched Elite i20, the allnew version of its premium compact car i20, on 11 August
2014?
(A) Maruti Suzuki
(B) Tata Motors
(C) Hyundai Motor India
(D) None of these

7) Name the Oscar Winning veteran actor who was found

dead on 12 August 2014?
(A) Jeremy Irons
(B) Tom Cruise
(C) Jack Nicholson
(D) Robin Williams
8) 3rd World Elephant Day 2014 was observed on?
(A) 10 August
(B) 11 August
(C) 12 August
(D) 13 August
9) Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated two hydro
power projects in Leh and Kargil to nation on 12 Aug
2014. Both these power projects are in which state?
(A) Punjab
(B) Jammu and Kashmir
(C) Sikkim
(D) Arunachal Pradesh
10) Which country finished third in FIFA 2014 World
Cup?
(A) Argentina
(B) Barzil
(C) Germany
(D) Netherlands

Answers
1) Ans. (C) Miroslav Klose
2) Ans. (A) Vistara
3) Ans. (D) Ravi Shankar Prasad
4) Ans. (B) Ravichandran Ashwin
5) Ans. (A) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
6) Ans. (C) Hyundai Motor India
7) Ans. (D) Robin Williams
8) Ans. (C) 12 August
9) Ans. (B) Jammu and Kashmir
10) Ans. (D) Netherlands
Ques. :1Currently, what is the Bank Rate as specified by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?
1) 7 per cent
2) 8 per cent
3) 9 per cent
4) 9.5 per cent
5) None of these
Answer:- 3) 9 per cent
Ques. :2 Who among the following has written the book Half
Girlfriend?
1) Amish Tripathi
2) Chetan Bhagat
3) Ravinder Singh
4) Durjoy Datta
5) None of these

Answer:- 2) Chetan Bhagat

Ques. The Hiroshima day was observed recently on which of
the following dates? On this day in 1945, an atom bomb was
dropped by the US on Hiroshima in one of the final chapters of
World War II.
1) Aug 6
2) Aug 7
3) Aug 9
4) Aug 10
5) None of these
Answer:- 1) Aug 6
Ques. :4 The 41st Chess Olympiad was held recently in which
of the following cities?
1)Tromso, Norway
2)Belgrade, Serbia
3)Sofia, Bulgaria
4)Havana, Cuba
5)None of these
Answer:- 1) Tromso, Norway
Ques. :5 The RBI announced its bimonthly policy review on 5
Aug 2014.
Which of the following is NOT correct in the light of the policy
review?
1) Repo rate 7 per cent
2) Cash Reserve Ratio 4 per cent
3) Statutory Liquidity Ratio 22 per cent

4) Marginal Standing Facility 9 per cent

5) None of these
Answer:- 1) Repo rate 7 per cent
Ques. :6 Pran Kumar Sharma, who died, recently, was an
eminent
1) novelist
2) guitarist
3) cartoonist
4) historian
5) None of these
Answer:- 3) cartoonist
Ques. :7 Nirmala Sitharaman is holding which of the following
Union Ministries as of now? Minister of State (Independent
Charge) for
1) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
2) Ministry of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth
Affairs and Sports
3) Ministry of Planning, Statistics and Programme
Implementation
4) Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region
5) None of these
Answer:- 1) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Ques. :8 India has put on hold all defence procurements from
the Finmeccannica company and its affiliate firms in the wake of
an alleged chopper scam. This company is based in

1) France
2) Italy
3) Israel
4) Sweden
5) None of these
Answer:- 2) Italy
Ques. :9 The 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting was held in which
of the following cities recently? The Environment Ministers of
BASIC countries met to discuss important issues relating to
current United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.
1) Cape Town
2) Beijing
3) New Delhi
4) Brasilia
5) None of these
Answer:- 3) New Delhi
Ques. :10 A massive landslide took place in Nepal after an
artificial lake was created in Sunkoshi river near Nepal-Tibet.
This also poses serious flood threat to several districts of Bihar
as Sunkoshi flows across the border into Bihar as the
1) Gandak River
2) Kosi River
3) Punpun River
4) Sone River
5) None of these

Answer:- 2) Kosi River

Introduction on Ebola Virus?

* Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola
haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in
humans. It affects central nervous system.
* Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks,
in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of
Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola
River, from which the disease takes its name.
Transmission
* The natural host of the Ebola virus is Fruit bats of the
Pteropodidae family.
* Ebola is introduced into the human population through
close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other
bodily fluids of infected animals.
* Spreads from person to person on contact with blood or
bodily fluids of infected person.
* Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact
with the body of the deceased person can also play a role
in the transmission of Ebola.
* Health-care workers have frequently been infected.
Family members are at risk.
* Incubation period: 2 to 21 days after infection.

Signs and symptoms

* Fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore
throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired
kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal
and external bleeding.
Vaccine and treatment
* No licensed vaccine for EVD is available. No specific
treatments beyond managing symptoms.
Prevention and control
* Controlling Reston ebola virus in domestic animals.
* Reducing the risk of Ebola infection in people.
* Controlling infection in health-care settings.
Why is it in news?
* Recent outbreak in 3 West African countries and their
capitals are affected.
* Sierra Leone (Freetown), Liberia (Monrovia) and Guinea
(Conakry).
* High alert after a US doctor working in Liberia
contracted the virus and died in Lagos, Nigeria.
1) Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana
Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana for feeder
separation will be launched to augment power supply to
the rural areas and for strengthening sub-transmission
and distribution systems. Its long term aim is to provide

247 uninterrupted power supply to all homes. A sum of

Rs. 500 crores has been set aside for this scheme.
2) Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission will be
launched to deliver integrated project based infrastructure
in the rural areas. The scheme will also include
development
of
economic
activities
and
skill
development. The preferred mode of delivery would be
through PPPs while using various scheme funds. It is
based on the example of Gujarat that has demonstrated
successfully the Rurban development model of
urbanization of the rural areas, through which people
living in the rural areas can get efficient civic
infrastructure and associate services.
3) Soil Health Card Scheme for Every Farmer
The deteriorating soil health has been a cause of concern
and leads to sub optimal utilization of farming resources.
The Government will initiate a scheme to provide to every
farmer a soil health card in a mission mode. A sum of Rs
100 core for this purpose has been kept aside by the
government. An additional Rs 56 crores have been
allocated to set up 100 mobile soil testing laboratories
across the county. There have also been growing concerns
about the imbalance in the utilization of different types of
fertilizers resulting in deterioration of the soil.
4) Swatchh Bharat Abhiyan

The Government intends to cover every household by

total sanitation by the year 2019, the 150th year of the Birth
Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
5) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
The Government has proposed to initiate the scheme
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. It is proposed
to meet the need to provide assured irrigation to mitigate
risk to the farmer since bulk of the farm lands are rainfed
and depend on monsoon. This scheme would facilitate
access to irrigation. A sum of Rs.1,000 crores is being set
aside for this scheme.
Prepared by: www.currentaffairs4examz.com
6) A Dedicated TV Channel Kisan TV to be Launched
for Farmers
Kisan TV, dedicated to the interests of the agriculture and
allied sector will be launched in the current financial year.
This will disseminate real time information to the farmers
regarding new farming techniques, water conservation,
organic and farming etc.
7) Multi Skill Programme Skill India
The Government has announced the launch of a national
Multi-Skill programme called Skill India. This programme
would skill the youth with an emphasis on employability
and entrepreneur skills. It will also provide training and
support for traditional professions like welders,
carpenters, cobblers, masons, blacksmiths and weavers

etc. Convergence of various schemes to attain this

objective is also proposed.
8) Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) Re-Introduced
Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) is being re-introduced to
encourage people, who may have banked and unbanked
savings to invest in this instrument. Kisan Vikas Patra is a
saving scheme that doubles the money invested in eight
years and seven months. The Directorate of Small Savings
Government of India, sells these saving bonds through all
Post Offices in the country so that the scheme can be
accessed by citizens from all over the country. A KVP can
be encashed after two and a half years from the date of
issue at the value it has been bought and the interest
accrued for the period.
9) Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission Namami
Gange
The Government has proposed to set up an Integrated
Ganga Conservation Mission called (Namami Gange). An
amount of Rs. 2037 crore has been set aside for the Mission
in the current Budget. The Mission is being launched
because a substantial amount of money has been spent in
the conservation and improvement of the river Ganga but
the efforts have not yielded desired results because of the
lack of concerted effort by all the stakeholders. To harness
the enthusiasm of the NRI Community to contribute
towards the conservation of the river Ganga, an NRI Fund

for Ganga will be set up which will finance special

projects.
10) Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana Launched
Government has introduced a new scheme called Beti
Bachao, Beti Padhao, which will help in generating
awareness and improving the efficiency of delivery of
welfare services meant for women with an initial corpus
of Rs 100 crore. The government would focus on
campaigns to sensitize people of this country towards the
concerns of the girl child and women. The process of
sensitization must begin early and therefore the school
curriculum must have a separate chapter on gender
mainstreaming.
11) Digital India Programme
Centre has proposed to launch a pan India Programme
called Digital India to further bridge the divide between
digital haves and have-nots. This would ensure Broad
band connectivity at village level, improved access to
services through IT enabled platforms, greater
transparency in Government processes and increased
indigenous production of IT hardware and software for
exports and improved domestic availability. Special focus
would be given on supporting software product startups.
The Government has also proposed to set-up A National
Rural Internet and Technology Mission for services in
villages and schools, training in IT skills and E-Kranti for
government service delivery and governance scheme with

an initial corpus of Rs. 500 crore. A programme for

promoting Good Governance will also be launched and
a sum of Rs.100 crore will be set aside for this.
12) Housing for All by 2022
Government has proposed to set up a Mission on Low
Cost Affordable Housing to be anchored in the National
Housing Bank. A sum of Rs 4,000 crore has been
earmarked for National Housing Bank with a view to
increase the flow of cheaper credit for affordable housing
to the urban poor/EWS/LIG segment. The Government
has already outlined some other incentives such as easier
flow of FDI in this sector and is willing to examine other
positive suggestions. The government has included slum
development in the list of Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) activities to encourage the private sector to
contribute more towards this activity.

Current Affairs 15th August 2014 - Important Points

India celebrated 68th Independence Day
Next gen e-ticketing system launched by Indian Railways
Free ATM usage of other banks cut to three from five per month
Govt to launch Jan Dhan Scheme

Current Affairs 14th August 2014 - Important Points

Himachal Pradesh to host First Para-gliding World Cup in India

Real Madrid won UEFA Super Cup in Cardiff

Vijayawada to be ad hoc capital of Andhra Pradesh
Delhi University Professor Dr. Sunil Kumar bagged Global
South Award
Union Cabinet approved 4 highway projects in J&K to provide
all-weather connectivity
Current Affairs 13th August 2014 - Important Points
Arun Jaitley, Karan Singh and Sharad Yadav felicitated with
Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards
Legendary Burra Katha expert Daroji Eramma passed away
Crown found off Harappan site in UP
Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan to head the Expenditure
Management Commission
Current Affairs 12th August 2014 - Important Points
ICC Test Rankings : Ashwin is No 1 all-rounder
Iraqi president names Haider al-Abadi as new Prime Minister of
Iraq
Member of first Lok Sabha Reshamlal Jangade passed away
Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, passed awat at 63
Union Government introduced Judicial Appointments
Commission Bill, 2014 in Lok Sabha
World Elephant Day observed across the globe on 12 August
SEBI issued KYC Registration Agency (Second Amendment)
Regulations, 2014

German Striker Miroslav Klose Announced retirement from

International Football
Govidas below 18-years of age banned in Dahi Handi festival :
Bombay High Court

Current Affairs 10th-11th August 2014 - Important Points

Indian Men's Hockey cliched hockey series by defeating
Bangladesh by 3-0
Iran-140 Sepahan Air passenger plane crashed near Mehrabad
airport
Indian Women's Recurve team won Gold medal at Archery
World Cup Stage IV
Narendra Modi released a book titled Gujarat's success story in
Water Management
The Urban Town Planner Sir Peter Geoffrey Hall passed away
PM laid the foundation of two hydel projects Chutak and Nimoo
Bazgo in J&K
K.V. Chowdary appointed as new Chairman of Central Board of
Direct Taxes
Current Affairs 9th August 2014 - Important Points
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba announced retirement from
International football
Munger through the Ages written by late DP Yadav released
AIMA Managing India Awards 2014 announced in New Delhi

Current Affairs 8th August 2014 - Important Points

India equals record for most ducks in a test innings
Rosetta becomes the first spacecraft to ever go into orbit of a
Comet named 67P
RBI proposes unified bill payment system
Strictly Personal, Manmohan and Gursharan authored by Daman
Singh
WHO declared Ebola as Global Health Emergency
Kapil Dev to head Arjuna Awards Selection Committee
Former Hockey Captain Ajitpal Singh to head Dronacharya
Award Selection Committee

Current Affairs 7th August 2014 - Important Points

Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal removed
Lok Sabha passed Securities Laws Amendment Bill, 2014
Cabinet clears Juvenile Justice Act amendments
Vladimir Putin signed decree baning imports of agricultural
products from West
Wrestling Federation of India suspends arrested referee Virender
Malik
Justice Dr. Chellur sworn in as CJ of Calcutta HC
Union Cabinet approved raising FDI cap in defence to 49 per
cent from 26 percent
Deaf educator and pioneer Robert Panara dies at 94

Construction of world's tallest railway bridge began at Noney in

Manipur
Current Affairs 6th August 2014 - Important Points
Spain midfielder Xavi retires from international football
Prasar Bharati signed MoU with Deutsche Welle for
Distribution
Cartoonist Pran, the creator of Chacha Chaudhury, dies at 75
China to Ban All Coal Use in Beijing by 2020
Hungarian Olympic javelin champion Angela Nemeth died
Current Affairs 5th August 2014 - Important Points
Union Government granted Navratna Status to CONCOR
Penguin Language Decoded By Italian Researchers
British minister Sayeeda Warsi resigns over Gaza conflict
NCW Chairperson Mamta Sharma demitted office
Arrested Syndicate Bank chairman SK Jain suspended for
allegedly receiving bribe
Mr. Arvind Gupta appointed as Deputy NSA

Current Affairs 3rd-4th August 2014 - Important Points

New species of Australian humpback dolphins identified
India finished 5th with 64 medals in 2014 Glasgow
Commonwealth Games

Union Ministry set up Hari Gautam Committee to review the

status of UGC
Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014 announced
Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi visited Nepal
Defence Ministry not to blacklist Rolls-Royce
Current Affairs 2nd August 2014 - Important Points
Legendary musician Dick Wagner passed away at 71
RBI canceled the Licence of The Vasavi Co-operative Urban
Bank Ltd., Hyderabad
Muzaffar Ali to get Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
East Bengal conferred Bharat Gaurav to Bachendri Pal
Current Affairs 1st August 2014 - Important Points
Dipa Karmakar became first Indian woman gymnast to win
medal in Commonwealth Games
Deputy National Security Advisor Nehchal Sandhu resigned
SS Mundra appointed as fourth RBI Deputy Governor
Book written by Natwar Singh, "One Life is Not Enough"
released
Ghana offers land to Punjab farmers
Sierra Leone declares Ebola virus public health emergency