Professional Documents
Culture Documents
India is ranked at the 115th position in the Economic Productivity category that takes into
account GDP per capita, political risk and oil intensity. This rank is same as in the Index 2014.
In the Risk Quality factor, India is placed at the 109th position from 113th rank in 2014 which
took into account exposure to natural hazard, Quality of natural hazard risk management and Quality
of fire risk management.
In the Supply Chain category, which takes into account control of corruption, Infrastructure
and local supplier quality, India has improved its rank from 100th position in the year 2014 to 89th
position.
According to the report, despite Indias huge economic potential it is placed at the 119th
position because one third of its population is still living below the poverty line-one of the highest
incidences outside sub-Saharan Africa.
1. SBI, ICICI, HDFC Bank heed Raghuram Rajan's call, cut base rate
i. State Bank of India was the first off the block to impress the regulator by reducing its base
rate, forcing private sector peers HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank to follow suit as they took heed
of RBI governor Raghuram Rajan's stern message to ensure transmission of monetary
policies.
ii. State Bank of India lowered its base rate by a token 15 basis points from 10% to 9.85%.
HDFC Bank lowered its base rate by 15 bps to 9.85%, while ICICI Bank cut it by 25 bps to
9.75%, the lowest in the industry now.
iii. SBI's new base rate is effective from April 10, while HDFC Bank's will come into effect from
April 13. ICICI Bank said its existing floating rate customers will get the benefit of the new rate
from April 10, while new borrowers will get it from July 1.
iv. HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank have also reduced deposit rates by 25 bps for medium-term
deposits of up to Rs 1 crore.
Base rate is the minimum rate at which a bank can lend. One basis point is onehundredth of a percentage point.
2. Rs 20,000 cr MUDRA Bank launched by PM Narendra Modi
i. PM Narendra Modi launched the Rs 20,000 cr Micro Units Development Refinance Agency
(MUDRA) Bank and said , the aim of the bank is to fund the unfunded small entrepreneurs
and to strengthen savings habit in the country.
ii. MUDRA Bank will provide credit of up to Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs and act as a
regulator for Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs).
iii. The roles envisaged for MUDRA include laying down policy guidelines for micro enterprise
financing business and registration of MFI entities as well as their accreditation and rating.
iv. MUDRA is to be set up through a statutory enactment. It would be responsible for
developing and refinancing through a Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana.
v. MUDRA would also partner with state/regional level coordinators to provide finance to Last
Mile Financiers of small/micro business enterprises.
i. Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai on 12 April 2015 won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at the
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
ii. Rai won the bronze medal after he scored 181.1 points in the final and had missed out for the gold
medal shoot-out by 0.4 points.
iii. Jitu Rai after winning won silver in the 50m Free Pistol event in 2014 at the World Championships
in Granada, Spain had qualified for the 2016 Olympics.
2. 17 Agreements signed between India and France during PM Narendra Modis visit
i. India and France on 11 April 2015 signed 17 agreements in various fields during Prime Minister
(PM) Narendra Modis visit to France.
ii. They were signed in presence of Indian PM and his counterpart French President Francois
Hollande after they had held wide-ranging talks in Paris.
MoU between Larsen and Tubro and AREVA- It aims at improve the financial viability of the
Jaitapur Nuclear plant project by reducing cost by increasing localization. It will also enable France to
transfer of technology to India for development of indigenous nuclear energy industry in India.
Pre-engineering agreements (PEA) between NPCIL and Areva- It intends to bring clarity
on all technical aspects of the plant. It will help all parties including AREVA, Alstom and NPCIL to fix
their price and optimise all provisions for risks (still included at this stage) in the costs of the project.
MoU between CNES and ISRO on Megha Tropiques satellite-It extends MoU for two more
years of joint project for sharing and use of data from the satellite. The satellite was launched in
October 2011 on board of Indian launch vehicle PSLV.
MOU between ISRO, CNES and ONERA- It proposes cooperation in the areas of satellite
remote sensing, satellite communications and satellite meteorology and others field.
MoU between Union Sports Ministry and French Ministry of Sports- It envisages
cooperation and exchange of experiences in the fields of sports medicine and institutional
cooperation.
Railway protocol between Union Railways Ministry and French National Railways
(SNCF)- It seeks to establish cooperation between Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed
rail and station renovation.
Other agreements signed between both nations in the fields of economy, energy, culture,
tourism, conservation, Ayurveda, skill development and science and technology. Note- NPCIL
(Nuclear Power Corporation of India), CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies), ISRO
(Indian Space Research Organisation).
3. Asteroid 316201 named after Malala Yousafzai
i. Asteroid 316201 was named as 316201 Malala after the youngest Nobel laureate and girls
education campaigner Malala Yousafzai.
ii. The asteroid was named after her by Amy Mainzer, astronomer at NASAs Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in California, United States under the International Astronomical Union rules.
iii. In 2010, Mr. Mainzer had discovered the asteroid which was known as 316201. As a discoverer of
the asteroid he had owned the rights to name it.
iv. Asteroid 316201 Malala is located in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter. It orbits around the
Sun every 5.5 years and is more-than 2 mile wide.
ITF Futures tournament title is a series of professional tennis tournaments held around the
world.
This title represents the lowest rung of the mens professional tennis ladder.
These tournaments are incorporated into the ATP rankings which helps young professionals
to progress on to the ATP Challenger Tour and then in ATP World Tour.
5. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates Songs and Dances of the North East festival
i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated first Songs and Dances of the North East, a cultural
festival in New Delhi.
ii. The day long festival was organized by Government of Meghalaya and sponsored by the North
Eastern Council (NEC).
iii. The purpose of festival is to showcase the culture of Indias northeast region and highlight the
immense contribution made by the people of the region in nation building.
iv. This festival will be held by rotation in different parts of the country as part of the series of events
planned by NEC and Union Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER).
v. All eight States of the northeast region will collaborate to host the festival in different parts of the
country with an aim to attract investors and visitors to the region.
He has been the Chairman of JK Lakshmi Cement Ltd., the holding company of Hansdeep
Industries and Trading Company Ltd., since May 2013.
He has been a Director of Bengal and Assam Company Ltd. since February 2009.
i. Arun Kumar Jha was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Khadi and Village Industries
Commission (KVIC).
ii. The decision in this regard was taken on 10 April 2015 by the Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) of the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
iii. As the CEO of KVIC, he will oversee the day-to-day functioning of the commission and report
about its activities to the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
iv. Before this appointment, he had been working as the Director General of National Institute of
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) functioning under the Union Ministry
of MSME.
v. Jha is a 1985-batch Indian Economics Service (IES) officer.
About KVIC
It is a statutory body established by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956.
Its primary objective is to create self-reliance amongst the poor and build strong rural
community spirit by producing saleable articles and providing employment.
8. Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix of Formula One
i. Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton from Britain on 12 April 2015 won Chinese Grand Prix of
Formula One on the Shanghai International Circuit in China. This was his second win of the season
and his fourth Chinese Grand Prix win.
ii. It was also Lewis Hamiltons overall 35th Grand Prix win.
iii. In Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton was followed by teammate Nico Rosberg at second place.
iii. Germany is Indias largest trading partner in Europe and total bilateral trade between the two
countries was valued at 16.08 billion euro (17 billion dollars) in 2013. There are currently more than
1,600 Indo-German business collaborations and 600 Indo-German joint ventures in operation.
3. SBI Cuts home loan rate by another 10 bps for new buyers
i. State Bank of India (SBI), has cut the interest rate for new home loans by another 10 bps, to 9.9 per
cent.
ii. In effect, the interest rate for new home loans will be reduced by 25 bps. For the existing ones, 15
bps is the reduction.
iii. The move comes amid the RBI directive that an interest rate differential will not be allowed if
customer profiles are similar.
6.
Sania
seals
historic
world
no.
1
rank
with
Charleston
title
i. Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first female tennis player from India to achieve the
world
number
one
rank
in
doubles.
ii. Sania achieved her stupendous title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner Martina Hingis.
iii. The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0 6-4 in just 57
minutes
in
the
lop-sided
final
of
the
$731,000
clay
court
event.
iv. Before Sania, only Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had achieved the top rank when they
dominated mens doubles circuit in the last 90s.
iii. Vividh Bharati offers a mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes. It is known
to have the largest collection of film and non-film songs in the country.
iv. Mobile applications of all channels that are livestreamed by AIR like Vividh Bharati, FM Gold, FM
Rainbow, Urdu service and several regional channels, will also be made available.
Haryana
govt
to
give
cabinet
minister
status
to
Baba
Ramdev
i. The BJP government in Haryana has decided to give the status of cabinet minister to yoga guru
Ramdev, who was earlier made the states brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda.
North
Korean
foreign
minister
Ri
Su
Yong
to
visit
India
i. North Koreas top diplomat, Ri Su-yong, arrived in India on a rare visit where Delhi hosted the meet.
ii. Ri became the first North Korean foreign minister to visit India in at least 25 years.
iii. In New Delhi, Ri met with his counterpart, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
According to reports, the two discussed North Koreas nuclear weapons program and regional
security
issues,
including
the
stability
of
the
Korean
peninsula.
iv. In addition to Swaraj, Ri met with Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari. Ris trip to India comes
ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit to Seoul, South Korea, which is
expected in May.
iii. The two countries also decided to strengthen defence and security cooperation and
decided to cooperate to stabilise the Asia Pacific region. Modi also announced Electronic
Visa Authorisation for tourist visa for Canadian nationals.
iv. Canada's Stephen Harper returns 900-year-old Khajuraho temple sculpture to PM
Narendra Modi
v. The sculpture, known as 'Parrot Lady', was handed over by Harper to Modi yesterday in
accordance with 1970 UNESCO Convention.
iii. For all term deposits above Rs. 15 lakh banks can offer deposits without the option of
premature withdrawal as well.
iii. With 30 MPs, the new party will be the third largest bloc behind the Congress (68) and
the BJP (47) in the Rajya Sabha, where the Modi government continues to be in a
minority.
iv. In the Lok Sabha, the party will have 15 MPs, making it the eighth largest party in the
House.
5. MoU to set power plant in Kazakhstan between BHEL and Russian firm
INTMA inked
i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), an engineering and manufacturing company
announced that it has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Russian
company named INTMA with an aim to set up a gas-based power project in Kazakhstan
as well as further boost its presence in the CIS countries.
ii. BHEL, currently executing 23 major projects in 16 countries has set its footprint in over
75 countries.
iii. INTMA is one of the leading general Engineering Procurement and Construction
contractors (EPC) in Russia and Kazakhstan.
iii. Readers from more than 225 countries in total participated, with U.S. votes leading the pack at
37%, followed by India at 17% and Russia at 12%.
iv. Mr. Modi was named by TIME among the 100 most influential people in the world in its annual list
on Thursday, with U.S. President Barack Obama penning a flattering profile of him.
iv. The 'Champions of Change' programme was created as an opportunity for the White House to
feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
iii. RIL had lost its crown as India's most profitable firm to outsourcing giant TCS in the December
quarter.
iv. TCS, which announced its March quarter numbers on Thursday, reported a net profit of around Rs
5,900 crore (including one-time bonus for employees).
ii. A 1981-batch IFS officer, Mohan Kumar is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
iii. The official announcement for Mohan Kumar's appointment comes six days after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's visit to France.
iii. Harper and Modi welcomed the progress made on negotiating a Bilateral Foreign Investment
Promotion and Protection Agreement and agreed to intensify discussions to finalise all outstanding
issues.
iv. agreement involving Saskatchewan-based Cameco will see the company supply India with over
seven million pounds of uranium over the next five years.
iii. Johar founded SughaVazhvu Healthcare (SVHC) and IKP Centre for Technologies in Public Health
(ICTPH) to create a primary- care delivery network through rural clinics.
iv. New Delhi-based Pandita has reported extensively about conflicts in Iraq and Sri Lanka and is
known for his reportage on Maoist insurgency in central and eastern India, and on the turmoil in
Kashmir.
5.
World
Heritage
Day
2015
observed
globally
i. World Heritage Day was observed across the world on 18 April 2013. The day is observed with an
aim to create awareness among the people to conserve and protect the valuable assets and cultural
heritage
across
the
world.
ii. The day marks the necessity of protecting the historical monuments and sites located in every part
of the world by making collective efforts at international level.
iii. The first world Heritage Day was celebrated on 18 April 1982 by the International Council on
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in Tunisia and was approved in 1983 by UNESCO.
iv. The 2015 World Heritage Day also marked 50th anniversary of ICOMOS.
6.
World
Hemophilia
Day
2015
observed
globally
i. World Haemophilia Day was observed globally on 17 April 2015 with theme Building a family of
support. The day provides an opportunity to talk to your extended family and friends, colleagues, and
caregivers to raise awareness and increase support for those living with an inherited bleeding
disorder.
ii. Hemophilia day was established in 1989 with the support of the World Federation of Hemophilia
(WFH).
iii. The date of 17 April was chosen to honor Frank Schnabel the founder of WFH, whose birthday falls
on
the
same
date.
7.
Hinduja
brothers
win
Asian
Business
Leader
of
the
year
award
i. NRI industrialists Hinduja brothers S P Hinduja and G P Hinduja have won the Business Leader
of the Year 2015 award at the prestigious 5th Asian Awards for their outstanding achievement in the
field
of
business.
ii. Receiving the award, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group G P Hinduja said this year his group has
been winning one or two award every month and each award keep us going and put more
responsibility on our shoulders to do better. He received the award from Lord Karan Billimoria.
iii. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan also received an award for outstanding achievement in cinema
while Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, who scored four consecutive centuries in the recent
World
Cup,
won
an
award
for
achievement
in
sports.
iv. The Asian Awards honouring Asian Excellence is founded by businessman Paul Sagoo.
iii. Three party veterans two former Chief Ministers, V.S. Achuthanandan from Kerala and
Budhhadeb Bhattacharya from West Bengal, and Nirupam Sen have been dropped from the CC.
ii. It can be used for merchant payments by merely tapping a NFC-enabled mobile phone
or a tag on the counter.
iii. For making payments, the user will have to bring the NFC tag or the mobile phone
near a device at the merchants facility and the amount will automatically get debited
from the prepaid account.
iv. Two units of 120 mw each, supplied and executed earlier by BHEL are already in
operation at Sikka. Another 250 mw unit, presently under execution at Sikka TPS, is also
in an advanced stage of commissioning.
iii. He was also the Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly from 2004 to 2009.
iv. Mr. Patnaik, who started his career as a journalist, was a Sanskrit scholar and wrote several books.
ousted
President
ii. The case stems from violence outside the presidential palace in December 2012. Morsys
supporters attacked opposition protesters, sparking clashes that killed at least 10 people.
iii. 12 Brotherhood leaders and supporters, including Mohammed el-Beltagy and Essam el-Erian, also
were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
iv. A cornerstone of the project will be to develop the Pakistani port of Gwadar, a warm-water port run
by the Chinese on the doorstep of the Middle East.
iv. Apart from budget-related projects, the E-Samiksha can also be used for monitoring the
infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up.
7. Bharatiya Mahila Bank inks MoUs with LIC, New India Assurance
i. Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd has entered into MoUs with New India Assurance Company Ltd and Life
Insurance Corporation of India to provide insurance cover to its accountholders.
ii. The insurance covers are being provided under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Bima Yojana and
the Pradhan Mantri Jeevanjyoti Bima Yojana schemes respectively.
iii. The insurance option is voluntary and comes at a premium of Rs. 12 for the PM Jan Suraksha
Bima Yojana and Rs. 330 for the PM Jeevanjyoti Bima Yojana.
iv. The age eligibility under the former is 18-70 years and under the latter 18-50 years. The enrolment
period under the schemes will be from June 1, 2015, to August 31, 2015.
ii. The Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Puraskar and Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya Gyan-Vigyan Maulik Pustak
Lekhan Puraskar, launched more than two decades ago, have given way for Rajbhasha Kirti
Puraskar and Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar.
iii. The two awards have been discontinued by the Union Home Ministry, which instead launched two
new schemes for doing outstanding work for promoting the progressive use of official language.
iii. The Commission is established by amending the Constitution of India through the ninety-ninth
constitution amendment vide the Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 passed by the Lok
Sabha on 13 August 2014 and by the Rajya Sabha on 14 August 2014.
International
Mother
Earth
Day
observed
agreement, a lease deed was executed and registered finally by HCCBPL on January 23, 2014.
6. Kudermukh and Rajaji National Parks Declared as Tiger Reserves: Centre
i. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has accorded final approval to two national parks
i.e. Kudermukh National Park in Karnataka and Rajaji National Park in Uttarkhand for being declared
as tiger reserves.
ii. In accordance to this approval, Rajaji National Park is declared as India's 48th Tiger Reserve. With
this notification, Uttarakhand got its second tiger reserve after the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
iii. The notification was announced by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat while releasing logo
of
the
Rajaji
Tiger
Reserve.
iv. The Rajaji National Park that came into existence in 1983 is spread across three districts of
Uttarakhand namely Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal in an area over 820 square km.
7.
Pakistan
confers
Nishan-e-Pakistan
on
Chinese
president
Xi
Jinping
i. Pakistan conferred the Nishan-e-Pakistan, its top civilian award, on Chinese President Xi Jinping,
lauding his "outstanding contribution in the promotion of the relationship between the two countries".
ii. President Mamnoon Hussain conferred the award on 61-year-old Xi during a ceremony held at the
President's
House.
iii. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, federal ministers, members of the
National Assembly and Senate, the three service chief and the Chinese delegation.
iv. The award was given for Xi's contribution in promoting China's relationship with Pakistan. Xi, also
the General-Secretary of the ruling Communist party, was given a warm welcome on his arrival in the
President's House in a traditional horse carriage.
ii. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu introduced from here the mobile app for paperless
unreserved ticketing for commuters in Egmore and Tambram suburban sections in
Chennai under Southern Railway zone.
iii. Developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) "utsonmobile" - the paperless
unreserved ticketing feature in mobile application aims to eliminate the need.
iv. The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the passenger during the
booking process.
2. Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award
i. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Film
Foundation Award 2015 for his performance in the movie Happy New Year. The award
ceremony was held in Mumbai.
ii. Actor Rajkummar Rao won the prestigious award for his performance in the critically
acclaimed film Citylights, which was released in 2014.
ii. Actress Huma Qureshi bagged an award for her memorable performance in the movie
Dedh Ishiqya.
iii. Bollywood actors Shreyas Talpade, Tiger Shroff, actress Jaya Prada, singer Udit
Narayan and Pankaj Udhas were also felicitated with the award.
iv. While the amendments in the bill adds provisions that in case a heinous crime
committed by a person between 16 and 18 years, will be examined by the Juvenile
Justice Board (JJB) to assess if the crime was committed as a child or as an adult.
iii. RBI has introduced a sub-target within the 18% share of agriculture. Banks must give 8% loans to
small and marginal farmers.
iv. Social infrastructure, such as school and healthcare facilities in smaller towns, and renewable
energy have been included in the basket of priority loans.
2.
Indian-American
Vivek
Murthy
takes
over
as
US
Surgeon-General
i. 37-year-old Indian-American Vivek Murthy was sworn-in as the US Surgeon General by Vice
President Joe Biden at a ceremony, becoming the youngest-ever in-charge of the country's public
health. Murthy, who took the oath on the Gita, is now the highest ranking Indian-American in the US
President Barack Obama Administration.
ii. He succeeded Boris D. Lushniak who had served as Surgeon General from 2013 to December
2014.
iii. The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the U.S. Public Health
Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public
health
in
the
federal
government
of
the
United
States.
iv. The U.S. Surgeon General is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by a
majority vote of the Senate. The Surgeon General serves a four-year term of office.
3. India among unhappiest countries in the world
i. People from countries as diverse as Bhutan and Pakistan are much happier than Indians, according
to the World Happiness Report 2015.
ii. India is one of the unhappiest countries in the world. It ranks 117 out of the 158 countries surveyed
for the report.
iii. In the South Asian region, the country fares better than Nepal (121st rank), Myanmar (129th), Sri
Lanka (132nd) and Afghanistan (153rd).
iv. The top country in the list is Switzerland with a score of 7.587; India is at 4.565.
i. The long-pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill was moved
in the Lok Sabha for consideration amid stiff resistance by several Opposition parties.
ii. The Bill seeks to establish a GST Council tasked with optimising tax collection for goods and
services by the State and Centre.
iii. The Council will consist of the Union Finance Minister (as Chairman), the Union Minister of State in
charge of revenue or Finance, and the Minister in charge of Finance or Taxation or any other,
nominated by each State government.
5. Rajya Sabha clears bill to protect rights of transgenders
i. The Rajya Sabha, unanimously handed a personal members bill to protect the rights of the group.
ii. The personal member bill supplies for the formulation and implementation of a complete national
coverage to guarantee general improvement and welfare of transgenders by the State.
iii. There are 58 clauses and 10 chapters in the Bill depicting different aspects of transgenders life
from childhood to oldage, so that they are supported and integrated in the society.
iv. A National Transgender Welfare Commission and a special transgender court will also be set up.
6.
24
April:
National
Panchayati
Raj
Day
i. National Panchayati Raj Day was observed across India on 24 April 2015. The day is observed to
mark the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from
24 April 1993.
ii. The Amendment institutionalized Panchayati Raj through the Village, Intermediate and District
levels Panchayats. This registers a defining moment in the history of decentralization of political
power
to
the
grassroots
level.
iii. On the day, the best performing Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas were honoured with
Panchayat Sashaktikaran Award 2015 and Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Award 2015.
iii. Nemade's contribution rests in initiating Deshivad, a theory of nativism that negated globalisation,
asserting the value of a writer's native heritage, and language.
iv. Seventy-six-year-old Nemade hails from Jalgaon.
2. Bank of Baroda ties up with UAE Exchange for instant money transfer
i. Bank of Baroda, a leading Indian public sector bank, has tied up with UAE Exchange to offer an
instant cash transfer facility to NRI customers.
ii. UAE Exchange, a global remittance and foreign exchange company, serves over 7.9 million
customers worldwide and currently has over 750 branches across 32 countries.
iii. Following the agreement, customers can send money to their desired bank accounts in Bank of
Baroda in India, within minutes.
iv. Bank of Baroda has a network of more than 5,000 branches across Europe, US, Africa, Asia and
Australia and in financial centres like New York, London, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
ii. He was presented the award by noted historian and writer Babasaheb Purandare. Apart from Anil
Kapoor, veteran Marathi actor Dilip Prabhavalkar was also bestowed with the prestigious Master
Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015.
iii. Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award was instituted in 1999 in memory of Dinanath Mangeshkar,
father of Lata Mangeshkar.
iii. Children between 14 and 18 years will not be allowed to work in hazardous industries. According to
the labour ministry official, this provision is in conformity with the ILO convention
iv. India has seen a sharp drop in the number of child labourers in the last decade, down to 4.3 million
from 12.6 million.
ii. The move is aimed at quickly resolving the controversial tax issue
facing foreign portfolio investors.
iii. The Income Tax Department has sent notices in 68 cases to FIIs for payment of dues totalling Rs
602.83 crore towards Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT).
iv. Central Board of Direct Taxes said several FIIs, which have received income from transactions in
securities, claim such income as exempt from tax under the DTAAs signed between India and their
countries of residence.
5. Bharatiya Mahila Bank Wins The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015
i. Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has won The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015.
ii. The award was presented to the BMB in the Technology Implementation category of Best
Outsourcing Project (New Bank).
iii. Usha Ananthasubramanian, Chairman and Managing Director of BMB received the award at a
function held in Hongkong as a part of The Asian Banker Summit 2015.
iv. BMB is Indias first all-women public sector bank and was formally launched on November 19,
2013. It's objective is to focus on the banking needs of the women and promote economic
empowerment.
iii. Mr. Fadnavis will attend an exhibition on agricultural technology, Agritech Israel 2015, and explore
areas of co-operation including in emergency preparations and crises management technologies.
iv. Agritech Israel 2015 is one of the world's most important exhibitions in the field of agricultural
technologies.
i. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced compensation of Rs 1,092 crore to farmers
affected by inclement weather conditions, to be disbursed by May 15.
ii. Of the total amount, Rs 720 crore will be provided by the Centre while rest will be provided by the
state government.
iii. 3.17 lakh acres was hit with crop loss between 76 to 100 per cent, 1.92 lakh acres with crop loss
between 51 to 75 per cent and 8.24 lakh acres between 25 and 50 per cent.
iii. Ms. Rajeswari, 43, who had migrated to the U.S. from Chennai as a teenager, previously worked
with the Richmond County District Attorneys Office for her entire career in several bureaus including
Criminal Court, Narcotics, Supreme Court, and the Sex Crimes Special Victims Bureau, where she
last served as Deputy Chief.
iv. Currently, there are two male judges of Indian descent in civil court settings Jaya Madhavan on
the New York City Housing Court in Bronx County, and Anil C. Singh of New York County Supreme
Court, 1st District.
ii. Tremors were also felt in other regions such as Malakand and Swat, leading to fears among locals
as it comes days after the devastating Nepal earthquake, that has killed over 4000.
iii. The depth of the earthquake was 144 kilometres, according to the meteorological department.
iii. New India Assurance Company Ltd will issue a master policy under group insurance scheme,
which is voluntary for the customers.
iv. The social security scheme is meant for all Aadhar linked SB account holders who are not covered
under any other social security scheme, whose age is in between 18 to 70 years can enroll in to the
scheme by paying a premium amount, a bank communique here states.
iii. The official amendments propose to confer the powers of attachment upon the trial Court (Special
Judge) instead of the District Court.
iv. The proposed amendments would fill in perceived gaps in the domestic anti-corruption law and
also help in meeting the country's obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
(UNCAC).
iii. The Cabinet also approved corresponding grant of continuous annual budgetary support for
implementing the minimum pension, which will be to the tune of Rs 850 crore per year on a tapering
basis.
iii. China was beaten in the final round by Georgia, who finished the event with an impressive 17
points to clinch the gold medal. Georgia drew just one and won the remaining eight matches in this
round-robin contest.
6. Delhi government gives nod to farmer scheme named after Gajender Singh
7. ISRO successfully
capacity
tests
indigenous
cryogenic
engine
with
four-tonne
i. An indigenous cryogenic engine, that will help India put satellites of upto four tonnes in
geostationary orbit, was tested successfully at ISRO's propulsion complex at
Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu.
ii. The powerful version of the cryogenic engine was successfully ground tested at the
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).
iii. The test was conducted for 635 seconds and it was successful, Vikram Sarabhai Space
Centre sources in Thiruvananthapuram.
iv. India has till now been dependent on foreign launch vehicles to send heavier satellites
to the required orbits.
i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley withdrew the clauses from the Finance Bill pertaining to setting up of
the proposed Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) and the amendments to the Reserve Bank of
India Act.
ii. The government in consultation with the RBI will prepare a detailed roadmap separating the debt
management function and the market infrastructure from the RBI.
iii. The entire chapter on PDMA (Chapter VII) in the Finance Bill is being dropped, in addition to the
changes proposed in sections 45U and 45W of the RBI Act.
iv. Having an independent debt management office is also the best international practice in countries
like US and UK neither public debt is managed by central bank nor is regulation of GSec, Currency
and Derivative with the central bank.
2. India and Japan sign action plan for investment and trade promotion
i. India and Japan on Thursday signed an action agenda for boosting investment and trade.
i. The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 crore each on Dena Bank, Bank of
Maharashtra and Oriental Bank of Commerce and cautioned eight other public sector banks following
its investigation into last year's fixed deposit fraud.
ii. The fixed deposit fraud involved the perpetrators forging fixed deposit certificates of large
organizations and misusing cash credit facilities against them.
iii. The fraud, which ran into several hundred crores, affected organizations such as Mumbai
Metropolitan Regional Development Authority, South Indian Education Society and Jawaharlal Nehru
Port Trust.
iv. The banks cautioned by the RBI are Central Bank of India, Bank of India, Punjab and Sind Bank,
Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India and Vijaya
Bank.
ii. Malala was seriously wounded and airlifted to Britain for treatment, where she now lives.
iii. Since then, Malala has become a symbol of defiance in the fight against militants operating in
ethnic Pashtun areas in northwest Pakistan. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.