RBI Assistant 2015 Finalcopy Exampundit

General Awareness Magazine
For RBI Assistant 2015
Table of Contents
News Related to RBI/Finance/Banking
PM Visits in recent months
News Related to India
Socio Economic Caste Census 2011
Appointments - India
Housin for all by 2022
Appointments - World
AMRUT
Sportz Newz
Union Budget 2015-16
Global News
News Agencies
Reports/Lists and Indexes
Important World Cup Venues
Awards - Global
List of Important Days
Awards - India
Governors of Indian States
Days in News
Stock Exchanges and Indexes
Books & Authors
Important Stadiums
BRICS Summit
List of Largest Producing Countries
Obituaries
Indian States and Capitals

Organisations and HQs
Currency and Capitals
RBI Assistant 2015 PDF
News Related to Finance/RBI/Banking/Industry
Policy Repo Rate

Reverse Repo Rate
Marginal Standing Facility Rate
7.25%
6.25%
8.25%
Highlights of RBIs 2nd Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy
Bank Rate
Shortterm lending rate (repo) cut by 0.25 per cent to 7.25 per CRR
cent
SLR
Cash Reserve Ratio unchanged at 4 per cent
Statutory Liquidity Ratio retained at 21.5 per cent
Inflation expected to rise to 6 per cent by January 2016
Growth forecast lowered to 7.6 per cent for 2015-16 from 7.8 per cent projected in April
RBI Estimates Current Account Deficit at 1.5% in FY16
8.25%
4%
21.5%
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 16 July 2015 permitted Cooperative Banks with Core Banking Solution (CBS) to issue
ATM cards/ATM-cum-debit cards in tie with a sponsor banks. The decision was taken by the RBI in an attempt to
move towards a less-cash economy and with an aim to inculcate the habit of using electronic payment channels among
bank customers.
Following are the criteria to become a sub-member of NFS:
Core Banking Solution (CBS) fully implemented
Licence for conducting banking business Introduction from sponsor bank (a bank having ATM network
connectivity)
Connectivity with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI)
The decision is in addition to the earlier decision of the RBI taken on 16 April 2015 to allow State Cooperative
Banks (StCBs) to install offsite/ mobile ATMs as per their need and potential in their area of operation.
However, they were allowed to install mobile ATMs only with prior permission of the RBI and subject to satisfying the
following criteria:
CRAR not being less than 9 per cent
No default in maintenance of CRR/SLR during the preceding financial year
Net NPA being less than 5 per cent
The bank should have a track record of regulatory compliance and no monetary penalty should have been imposed on
the bank on account of violation of RBI directives/guidelines during last two financial years
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 July 2015 constituted a committee to work out a five-year (medium-term) action
plan for financial inclusion. The 14-member panel will be headed by RBI executive director Deepak Mohanty. The
Committee will work to spread the reach of financial services to unbanked population.
The terms of reference of the Committee are as under:
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To review the existing policy of financial inclusion including supportive payment system and customer
protection framework taking into account the recommendations made by various committees set up earlier.
To study cross country experiences in financial inclusion to identify key learnings, particularly in the area of
technology-based delivery models, that could inform our policies and practices.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 16 July 2015 directed banks to ensure that their overall direct lending to farmers
should not fall below the average of last three years. The direction was given by RBI against the backdrop of
government expressing concern over adverse impact of any reduction in direct credit, given the adverse weather
conditions. Further, the RBI warned the banks that direct lending below the target set for priority sector lending will
attract usual penalties. The apex bank also said that banks should also continue to maintain efforts to reach the level
of 13.5 percent direct lending to beneficiaries who earlier constituted the direct agriculture sector.
The RBI has asked banks to consider the due date on which the customer is supposed to pay the minimum amount
towards credit card dues while calculating the 90-day period beyond which the customer will be considered an NPA
if there is no payment made.
The Reserve Bank signed a special currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka that will allow the
latter to draw up to USD 1.1 billion. Under the arrangement, the Sri Lankan bank can draw up to USD 1.1 billion for a
maximum period of six months. This special arrangement is in addition to the existing Framework on Currency Swap
Arrangement for the SAARC member countries. In March, RBI had signed a Currency Swap Agreement with the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka for USD 400 million under the existing SAARC Currency Swap Framework within the overall limit of
USD 2 billion.
India and World Bank on 16 July 2015 signed Financing Agreement for assistance of 250 million US dollars for Andhra
Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project. It is a loan for an implementation period of 5 years and Andhra Pradesh
Government will be the implementing agency of project
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 17 July 2015 imposed penalty of 671.05 crore rupees upon four Public
Sector Insurance Companies. These companies and their penalties are National Insurance (162.80 crores rupees),
New India Assurance (251.07 crores rupees), Oriental Insurance (100.56 crores rupees) and United India Insurance
(156.62 crores rupees).
With bilateral trade extremely low, India and Russia have initiated steps to remove hindrances and boost commerce
by signing an agreement in the area of customs and moving to liberalise business visas. The two countries have fixed
a target of $30 billion to be achieved by 2025.
Supported by a healthy monsoon and new investments, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has retained its India
economic growth forecast for 2015-16 at 7.8 percent. This growth forecast is the same level as projected in March this
year by ADB in its flagship publication Asian Development Outlook (ADO).
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For 2016-17, the growth forecast remains unchanged at 8.2 percent with expectations of strong services sector growth
bolstering overall performance.
Mid-tier IT services company Mindtree has acquired two companies based in the US and UK. The Bengaluru-based
company, in a regulatory filing to BSE, said that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per cent equity
interest in Bluefin Solutions Limited ('Bluefin'), a UK-based IT solutions provider specialising in SAP HANA solutions, in
an all-cash transaction for 42.3 million (Rs. 419 crore).
Government cleared the utilisation of India's capital contribution to SAARC Development Fund (SDF) for promoting
cross-border infrastructure projects, trade and growth. The Cabinet approved the proposal to permit utilisation of
India's capital contribution to SDF for Economic and Infrastructure Windows, an official statement said. So far, India's
capital contribution was only for the Social Window of SDF.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 17 July 2015 approved the proposed deal related to a Joint Venture
Aegon Religare Life Insurance Company where Religare Enterprises will now exit this joint venture.
Indias first air freight station in the private sector has come up at Irungattukottai near Chennai. The first AFS in the
country was set up in 2007 inside Central Warehousing Corporation in the city. Set up by the city-based Indev Logistics
at a cost of 50 crore, the AFS will reduce congestion at the gateway airports and the carrier operators can choose the
AFS as a final destination for cargo delivery
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 1 June 2015 allowed cross holding in long-term infrastructure bonds. With this,
now banks would be able to cross hold these bonds among themselves for financing infrastructure and affordable
housing loans, which earlier was not permitted.
Maharashtra continued to dominate the mutual fund landscape in the country with an assets base of Rs 1.21 lakh
crore at the end of April in equity-oriented schemes, followed by Delhi in the second place.
Cult bike maker Harley-Davidson has tied up with fashion portal Myntra to sell its casual merchandise through an
exclusive online store.
The decision of the Parliament to increase the rate of service tax from 12.36 to 14 percent became operational on 1
June 2015. Now, the new rate subsumes the education cess (2 percent on the service tax amount) which was earlier
levied separately. The decision to increase the rate was taken to facilitate smooth transition to the Goods Service Tax
(GST) regime which is proposed to be implemented from 1 April 2016. Once implemented, GST will subsume service
tax, excise and other indirect taxes.
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After the Her Ghar loan product, countrys largest bank State Bank of India launched Her Ghar Her Car loyalty scheme
offering reduced interest on car loans. Under this scheme, Her Ghar borrowers can go in for a Her Car loan at reduced
rates of 10 per cent per annum... Her Ghar Her Car is an addition to products available with SBI wherein concession in
rates have been introduced with the objective of reaching out to women in the country and empowering them to take
decisions that can change the course of their family and society at large.
SBI launched mCASH for money transfer. State Bank of India customers can transfer money to anyone without knowing
their Bank account details irrespective of whether the recipient bank is SBI or not.
Recipient will receive the intimation of the transfer request through SMS/Email and has to either download
the State Bank mCASH app or visitwww.onlinesbi.com to enter his/her Bank account details, IFSC code and
Email ID/Mobile to receive the transfer-money.
FMCG company Emami Ltd. has entered into an agreement with Sanjeev Juneja to acquire his hair and scalp-care
business under the Kesh King and allied brands. The total consideration has been pegged at Rs.1,651 crore.
Non-repatriable investments by NRIs, OCIs and PIOs will be treated as domestic investments and will not be subject
to foreign direct investment caps. NRIs would also include Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) and Persons of Indian
origin (PIOs).
Multi-lateral lender World Bank approved USD 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for
reconstruction of flood-affected public infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir.
The World Bank has extended $400 million loan for Tamil Nadu Sustainable Urban Development Project. The loan
and project agreements for the IBRD assistance were signed between the Central Government, Government of Tamil
Nadu and the World Bank.
Snapdeal, an online marketplace and gojavas, a supply-chain company, announced the launch of an industry first
service for customers - 90 minutes reverse pick-ups.
Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) and ING Bank have joined hands to cooperate and explore opportunities arising from
cross border business, investment and trade flows across Benelux, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America,
Asia and Australia.
The 'Companies Law Committee', chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal to address issues related
to the new companies law and suggest necessary changes.
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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 9 June 2015 issued Draft Framework on Issuance of Rupee linked Bonds Overseas.
It is intended to permit Indian corporate and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to issue rupee-linked bonds
overseas.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 8 June 2015 announced Strategic Debt Restructuring (SDR) Scheme which allows
banks and non-banking lending institutions to convert their loans into equity stake. The scheme will benefit all
Scheduled Commercial Banks, excluding Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), all-India term lending and Refinancing
Institutions including Export-Import (EXIM) Bank and National Housing Bank (NHB) and National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (NABARD).
PVR Ltd, Indias largest multiplex chain, on 9 June 2015 agreed to acquire DLF's DT Cinemas for 500 crore rupees. The
board of directors of the company at its meeting approved the acquisition of the cinema exhibition business of DLF
Utilities ltd.
White label operator, Tata Communications Payment Solutions, partnered with FINO PayTech, a payment technology
provider, to set up more ATM services in rural unbanked regions. Tata Communications Payment Solutions, which
operates under the brand name Indicash, will install ATMs at the existing FINO Money Marts, the retail outlets of
FINO PayTech.
Mauritius has regained the position as top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India by pushing Singapore to
the second slot in 2014-15.
In a bid to go paperless, SBI Life Insurance introduced Connect Life, a tablet-based service to digitise the entire
documentation process.
RBI extended External Commercial Borrowings window for airlines, affordable housing projects till March 2016.
The Reserve Bank allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit funds on non-repatriation basis without any
ceiling, a move that will encourage flow of capital into the country.
The government has launched an insurance pool to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore which is mandatory under the Civil
Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND) in a bid to offset financial burden of foreign nuclear suppliers.
India's largest private miner Vedanta Ltd will absorb oil firm Cairn India in a USD 2.3 billion all-share deal to create
India's largest diversified natural resources company.
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The Reserve Bank on Friday issued final guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year cash settled interest rate futures (IRF).
IRF is A futures contract with an underlying instrument that pays interest. An interest rate future is a contract between
the buyer and seller agreeing to the future delivery of any interest-bearing asset. The interest rate future allows the
buyer and seller to lock in the price of the interest-bearing asset for a future date.
ADB to Increase India Lending by 50% to $12 Bn by 2018.
Wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation remained in the negative territory for the seventh straight month in May
2015 at (-) 2.36 percent, largely due to softening of food articles prices and further contraction in prices of
manufactured products.
To strengthen its position in the m-commerce domain, online marketplace Snapdeal announced that it has acquired
Letsgomo Labs, a mobility solutions company.
Gearing up to roll out GST from April 1, 2016, the Finance Ministry set up two committees to suggest tax rates and look
into IT preparedness for the new indirect tax regime. The panel has members from Revenue Department, Central Board
of Excise and Customs, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) and representatives of state governments.
The government approved 16 foreign investment proposals, including those of Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Star India
Private Limited, amounting to Rs 6,750.86 crore.
India and Poland set trade target of 5 billion US dollars by 2018. The decision was taken on 15 June 2015 at the fourth
session of the bilateral Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, held in Warsaw, capital city of Poland.
India Emerged as UK's Third Largest FDI Source in 2014.
Countrys second-largest private sector lender, HDFC Bank launched a 10-second paperless instant loan plan for its
existing customers. HDFC Bank will now disburse personal loans to its customers in just 10 seconds. With this product,
existing customers will have a pre-approved loan amount available to them 24x7.
Union Ministry of Finance on 22 June 2015 issued draft proposals for facilitating electronic transactions in the
country. E-transactions mean authorization of transfer of money through electronic means and flow of funds directly
from one account to another. The goal of the proposed policy is to provide the necessary incentives to use Etransactions to replace the use of cash - either in government transactions, or in regular commerce over a period of
time through policy intervention
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Utility service providers could be advised to give a discount to users for small ticket payments through Epayments, on the lines of BSNL, which provides an incentive of 1 percent of the billed amount if the payment
is done through electronic mode
It envisages adoption national E-payment gateway PayGov India for collection of revenue, fee, penalties etc.
Tax benefits could be provided to merchants for accepting electronic payments, e.g. an appropriate tax rebate
can be extended to a merchant if at least say 50% value of the transactions is through electronic means.
The Board of Financial Benchmarks India Private Limited (FBIL) on 22 June 2015 decided to adopt FBIL overnight
Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate (MIBOR) from 22 July 2015.
The new benchmark rate will replace the current MIBOR benchmark interest rate administered by FIMMDANSE (Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India National Stock Exchange).
Online retailer Amazon joined hands with Best Deal TV, a home shopping channel co-founded by Bollywood actor
Akshay Kumar to expand foothold in fashion and apparels segment in India.
National Stock Exchange (NSE) on 22 June 2015 operationalised the Overnight Liquid Transaction facility on its webbased Mutual Fund Service System (MFSS) platform. The platform was launched on 19 June 2015.
Retirement fund body EPFO notified an order to make Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers
covered under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952.
The Union Government on 19 June 2015 released the Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme. The government
invited comments till 2 July 2015 on it.
The scheme is aimed at reducing the demand for physical gold and to shift part of the estimated 300 tons of
physical bars and coins purchased every year for investment into demat gold bonds.
The sell would be restricted to resident Indian entities and each entity cannot buy more than 500 grams per
person per year.
The bonds will be issued in denominations of 2, 5 and 10 grams of gold or other denominations.
The bonds will be issued with a nominal rate of interest (which will be linked to international rate for gold
borrowing).
The rate of interest on the bonds will be payable in terms of grams of gold.
The interest will be calculated on 10000 at a certain per cent say 2 or 3 percent. On maturity, the investor
receives the equivalent of the face value of gold in rupee terms.
Union Ministry of Finance on 5 June 2015 constituted a Task Force on Financial Redress Agency (FRA). The 10- member
task force will be headed by Dhirendra Swarup who served as the first chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and
Development Authority (PFRDA) in 2004.
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Country's largest lender State Bank of India has launched SBI eforex, an Internet- based platform that enables
customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online. The customers will be able to obtain forex rates without
having to visit the branch, the bank said in a statement.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 17 June 2015 gave
its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Kharif Crops of 2015-16 season. The approved MSPs of pulses
per quintal, inclusive of bonus, are: Tur (Arhar) 4625 rupees against 4350 rupees during the 2014-15 season; Moong4850 rupees against 4600 rupees; and Urad 4625 rupees against 4350 rupees during the previous season.
Seeking synergies between Swedish and Indian entrepreneurship, Indian mission in Sweden has launched 'India
Unlimited' platform.
The Union Cabinet on 24 June 2015 approved renaming of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as Renewable
Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
The Union Cabinet on 24 June 2015 gave its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between
the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry of Japan.
India has moved down to 61st place in terms of foreigners money in Swiss banks and it now accounts for a meagre
0.123 per cent of the total global wealth worth USD 1.6 trillion in Switzerlands banking system.
Japan headquartered telecommunications and Internet major SoftBank Corp, Bharti Enterprises Limited and Taiwanbased Foxconn Technology Group on 22 June 2015 formed a Joint Venture (JV) named SBG Cleantech Limited. This JV
is aimed at promoting the adoption of clean and safe energy in India.
India on 22 June 2015 decided to be a partner country in the major Industrial Fair named INNOPROM 2016 to be held
at Yekaterinburg, Russia in July 2016. India accepted the invitation extended by the Russian Government in December
2014
GMR Airport Developers Limited (GADL) on 17 June 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oman
Airport Management Company (OAMC) for providing aviation training and consultancy services.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorised Dealer Category I (AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign
currency from International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs).
Further, such borrowings should be for the purpose of general banking business and not for capital
augmentation.
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Authorised Dealer Category -I Banks (AD CategoryI Banks) is one of the three types of Authorised Money
Changers (AMCs) approved by the RBI under Section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act,
1999.
An AMC is a Full Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) permitted to deal in foreign exchange for specified purposes.
Other two AMCs are: Authorised Dealers Category - II (ADs CategoryII) and Full Fledged Money Changers
(FFMCs).
At present 102 entities are recognised as AD CategoryI Banks including State Bank of India, Canara Bank and
Axis Bank Ltd.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 25 June 2015 released the Financial Stability Report (FSR) June 2015. It is the
eleventh issue of its half yearly publication. The FSR reflected the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the
Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability, as also the resilience of the financial
system. Besides, the report discussed issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector
Export-Import (Exim) Bank has extended a line of credit of USD 268.35 million to Tanzania for financing extension
of Lake Victoria pipeline. With this agreement, Exim Bank has now in place 198 LOCs, covering 63 countries in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, Europe, Oceania and the CIS, with credit commitments of over USD 12.10 billion, available for
financing exports from India.
The Andhra Pradesh Mining Development Corporation (APMDC) 24 June 2015 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with an Australian firm NSL Mining Resources India Pvt Ltd for beneficiation of low-grade iron
ore in Kurnool and Kadapa districts.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 9 July 2015 released the final guidelines on Prepaid Payment Instruments for Mass
Transit System (PPI-MTS). The issued guidelines enable the issuance of a separate category of semi-closed prepaid
payment instruments for mass transit systems. The PPI-MTS will enhance commuter convenience and will also
facilitate the migration to electronic payments in line with the countrys vision of moving to a less-cash society. The
PPI-MTS can be used within the mass transit systems and will have a minimum validity of six months from date of issue.
Such PPIs will be reloadable instruments subject to an outstanding limit of 2000 rupees at any point of time.
The Income Tax (IT) Department on 13 July 2015 launched One Time Password (OTP) based e-filing verification system
for taxpayers.
State Bank of India (SBI), the largest bank in India, has partnered online financial product aggregator bankbazaar.com
along with the banks subsidiary SBI CAP Securities.
Retail inflation rose to eight-month high of 5.4 per cent in June on costlier food items, fuel, housing, clothing and
footwear even as prices of sugar and confectionery items eased during the month. The retail inflation measured in
terms of Consumer Price Index (CPI) was at 5.01 per cent in May. The rate of price rise was at 6.77 per cent in June last
year.
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HCL Tech to acquire assets of U.S.-based Trygstad
Flipkart offers Rs. 50,000 allowance to employees for adoption
The MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) card under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)
scheme was launched by the Corporation Bank. Hasmukh Adhia, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry
of Finance, released the card.
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on 8 July 2015 signed framework agreements for equity investments in
infrastructure projects in BRICS countries. The agreement was signed at the BRICS summit in Ufa.
The partners in the BRICS member-states include
Indias IDFC (Infrastructure Development Finance Company) group
Brazils BTG Pactual
Chinas Silk Road Fund
The Development Bank of Southern Africa
Wipro acquires Denmark-based design firm Designit for 85 million
Healthcare firm Practo acquires tech start-up Genii
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has signed a multilateral agreement to cooperate with New Development
Bank (NDB) along with other member development banks of BRICS nations. New Development Bank (NDB) is promoted
by the BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
E-commerce has overtaken banking and financial services (BFSI) as the second largest occupier of office space in India
after information technology (IT), said global property consultants CBRE.
Indias GDP crossed the $2-trillion mark in 2014, according to data released by the World Bank in Washington. After
taking 60 years to reach the $1-trillion mark, India added the next trillion in just seven years. The World Bank data also
show that Indias gross national income per person rose to $1,610 (around Rs. 1 lakh) a year during 2014 from $1,560
the previous year. An analysis by The Hindu found that it would take India a little more than a decade to rise from its
current lower middle income category to the upper middle income level.
Countrys largest lender State Bank of India launched an initiative to provide doorstep services and expedite home
loans application process. The initiative known as Project Tatkal will help get the loan within 10 days after receipt of
application form and relevant supporting documents, the bank said in a release.
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In a significant step in economic cooperation, Russia's Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) signed an MoU with India's
Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) for funding of hydro-generation projects.
HDFC Bank, the countrys second largest private sector bank, launched Watch Banking application for Apple Watch in
the first week of July 2015.
Countrys second largest IT services firm Infosys has signed a multi-million euro deal with Deutsche Bank.
Union Government on 1 July 2015 notified dates for compliance window under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign
Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 (Black Money Act). It gave three months time (till 30 September
2015) for people to declare their undisclosed foreign income and assets to escape prosecution under the new Black
Money Law.
To check offshore tax evasion, India and the US signed an agreement to implement The Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act (FATCA) that will facilitate exchange of information between the two countries from October 1.
India will be the worlds fastest growing economy, for the second consecutive year in 2016 at 7.5 per cent, International
Monetary Fund said, even as it lowered its current year global economy growth forecast to 3.3 per cent.
Kotak Mahindra Bank's proposal to raise foreign investment limit in the lender to 55 per cent was cleared by the
Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). After deferring a decision on the proposal in the past, the FIPB cleared
the application during meeting after the Department of Financial Services gave its opinion on the matter, sources said.
FIPB is headed by Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.
European major Airbus teamed up with diversified Mahindra Group, to establish a joint venture for manufacturing
helicopters for the Indian Armed Forces. The joint venture between Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence aims to
become the first private Indian helicopter manufacturer under the Make in India initiative, the companies said. To be
set up in the coming months, the venture would produce helicopters to meet the countrys military requirements.
Leading mobile wallet MobiKwik on 2 July 2015 tied up with books and stationary retailer WHSmith India to enable
offline shopping at all its retail stores.
Riding on the booming e-commerce space and increasing adoption of non-cash transactions, the combined share of
SBI and its five associate banks in the debit cards space has touched 25 per cent in the financial year 2015.
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The UK-based Entrepreneurial Spark and Indias Viridian Ventures on Tuesday announced a joint venture called Viridian
ESpark Accelerator to create programmes for entrepreneurship development, for which the Viridian Venture-led
consortium and its partners plan to invest about $300 million (Rs 1,950 crore) in a phased manner.
BSNL launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service on Friday which allows customers to transfer cash, pay for
services as well as withdraw cash of up to Rs 1 lakh.
BHEL executed the 500 MW, oil-fired Kosti thermal power project on an engineering, procurement and construction
basis. The company designed, manufactured, supplied and installed the power project with four units of 125 MW each.
The Adani Group on signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government for setting up a 648 MW solar power plant
in Ramanathapuram district.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) decided to include India as a full member, prompting Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to offer to work with the six-member grouping to enhance connectivity, combat terror and create an
environment for boosting trade by easing barriers. India, which has an Observer status for the past 10 years, will
technically become the member by next year after completion of certain procedures. Beijing-based SCO currently has
China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as members. Along with India, the process to include
Pakistan as a member was also initiated.
Micro-finance institution Bandhan Financial Services, which got the final licence from Reserve Bank of India to start
universal banking, would formally start operations as a banker from August 23.
Government is likely to infuse additional USD 1.8 billion (about Rs 11,500 crore) in public sector banks this fiscal over
and above USD 1.2 billion earmarked in the Budget.
Bank of Maharashtra and MUDRA Bank have signed an agreement to finance new entrepreneurs and small businesses.
To provide credit facilities to small business, the central government aims to facilitate credit up to Rs 1 lakh crore under
MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) scheme in the current year.
United Bank of India has topped the list of public sector lenders with maximum bad loans including restructured assets
as a percentage of total advances. According to the data provided by the RBI to the Finance Ministry, United Bank of
India's 21.5 per cent assets are either bad or have been restructured to save them from turning non-performing assets
(NPAs).
Countrys second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank launched 30-min auto and 15-min 2- wheeler loan
schemes, for which customers have to provide only their biometric details.
Any person willing to avail a loan can walk into an auto dealership or any other touch points of the bank and
provide the Aadhaar card number and fingerprint, it said.
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If eligible, based on the profile, the loan will then be approved with minimal documentation required from
the customer within record time, it added.
The 30-minute auto loan and 15-minute two-wheeler loan is the latest initiative in HDFC Banks digital banking
offering christened Go Digital.
Bahrain-based GFH Financial Group on 28 June 2015 signed an agreement with Indian conglomerate Adani Group for
developing a Mumbai Economic Development Zone (MEDZ).
The Union Government in June 2015 increased the national floor-level minimum wage (NFLMW) to 160 rupees per
day from 137 rupees per day. The new rate will be effective from 1 July 2015. If states revise their minimum wages as
per the new NFLMW, the decision is expected to benefit millions of workers in the scheduled employments in the
respective state jurisdictions.
In its series of digital initiatives and tie-ups, State Bank of India, countrys largest bank, partnered with online travel
company MakeMyTrip.com to capitalise on the business opportunities of the booming ecommerce and m-commerce
ecosystem.
Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel is now the world's third largest mobile operator with 303 million subscribers.
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has selected Nokia Networks for the rollout its 3G services in five telecom circles and
network expansion in three zones. Under the four-year contract, Nokia will provide its equipment and services to Bharti
Airtel's infrastructure.
E-commerce major Flipkart has been ranked second among top book sellers of the world, according to a survey.
Flipkart is the only Indian brand to be ranked among the top five, says the survey report 'Top 40 Global Bookstore Mind
Share' (BMS Index).
Lok Sabha on 6 May 2015 passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014. The bill also called Constitution (122nd
Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce GST regime in India.
The bill will transform India into a common market, harmonising myriads of state and central levies into a national
goods and services tax which is expected to boost manufacturing and reduce corruption.
Main Highlights of the Bill
It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council by inserting Article 279A in the
Constitution. The Council will recommend to the Union and States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods
and services.
It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent, in the course of inter-State trade
will be levied and collected by the Union for a period of two years and apportioned to the States.
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The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from Union Territories, will not
form the part of Consolidated Fund of India.
It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of
GST for a period of five years.
It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State Value Added Tax and Sales
Tax.
It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption for the levy of GST
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries leads the pack of 56 Indian companies in the 2015 Forbes Global 2000 list.
The list gives a snapshot of the worlds largest companies, and shows the dominance of the US and China in the current
global business landscape.
ICICI Bank, India's largest private sector bank has launched its first branch in China. The Shanghai branch was
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative marks a significant milestone for the Bank's international
operations. In March 2003, ICICI Bank had set-up a representative office in Shanghai to develop strong relationships
with Chinese banks and corporates for their India linked banking needs.
HDFC Bank, the countrys second largest private lender, launched medical benefits prepaid card for corporates to
disburse medical benefits to their employees. HDFC Bank has partnered with Apollo Hospitals for this prepaid
product that allows corporates to load the specified allowance onto the card each month, which can be used by
employees for medical expenditure at pan India VISA/ MasterCard outlets, the bank said in a statement.
Federal Bank forayed into credit card segment through the launch of co-branded credit cards in partnership with SBI
Cards, a leading credit card issuer. In the first year, Federal Bank aims to issue as many as 1.5 lakh credit cards to its
customers.
India announced a credit line of $1 billion to Mongolia to expand its economic capacity and infrastructure, as they
decided to upgrade their relationship from Comprehensive to "Strategic Partnership".
Giving the Modi Government 7 out of 10 for its first years performance, industry body Assocham said it still needs
to cover some ground on tax issues and a lot more needs to be done on improving the ease of doing business.
Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy Campaign. The Climate Group on 18 May
2015 announced it. RE100 is a global platform for major companies committed to 100% renewable power.
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Infosys on 18 May 2015 announced to become carbon neutral by 2018. For this it earmarked an amount of 400 crore
rupees. The company announced to achieve carbon-neutrality on commuting and travel by its nearly 1.8 lakh
employees and in doing so deepens its commitment to sustainability.
GMR Infrastructure Ltd on 18 May 2015 signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Guizhou International
Investment Corporation (GIIC) for developing Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in Andhra Pradesh.
Reliance Jio Infocomm, a telecom subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), on 18 May 2015 signed a pact with
Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer firm Huawei for sourcing various 4th Generation (4G) devices.
State Bank of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with e-commerce player Amazon to develop
payment and commerce solutions for customers and small businesses. The SBI, country's largest lender, will also
provide loans to SME customers who supply products to Amazon to help them increase their operations.
State Bank of India (SBI), entered into a strategic partnership with digital payments company, PayPal, to facilitate
cross-border trade and payments. The service will be extended to SBI and PayPal users both in India and abroad and
is targeted at small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SBI currently, has over 900,000 SME customers.
State of Bank of India (SBI) entered into a seller financing scheme with e-com major Snapdeal. Under the scheme,
SBI will provide loans to small and medium enterprises at easier interest rates. Data regarding the sellers will be
provided by Snapdeal.
India's National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which runs the RuPay payment card network, has received
the Reserve Bank of India's approval to tie up with the Chinese government-supported payment card network China
UnionPay International.
Union finance Ministry on 20 May 2015 constituted Shah Committee to look into the issue of Minimum Alternate
Tax (MAT) on Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).
The committee will be headed by Justice A P Shah while the other members are Dr. Girish Ahuja, a chartered
accountant and former Associate Professor of Commerce, Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi and Dr.
Ashok Lahiri, former Chief Economic Adviser and Executive Director, ADB and currently Chairman of High Level
Committee to interact with Trade and Industry on tax laws.
Further, the committee would examine the matter relating to levy of MAT on FIIs for the period prior to 1 April 2015.
It will also examine all the related legal provisions, judicial/quasi judicial pronouncements and such other relevant
aspects as it may consider appropriate. The committee has been requested to give its recommendations on the above
issue expeditiously.
State-run Bank of India (BoI) and MasterCard launched new products in a bid to enhance the payment experience for
customers with BoI Business Debit MasterCard, Platinum Credit MasterCard and International Travel MasterCard.
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The Reserve Bank of India extended the time-frame to spread over the shortfall arising out of sale of bad assets to
securitisation companies/asset reconstruction companies at a price below the net book value, to March 2016.
As an incentive for early sale of NPAs, banks can spread over any shortfall, if the sale value is lower than the net book
value (NBV), over a period of two years. It has been decided to extend this dispensation for assets sold on or after
March 31, 2015 and up to March 31, 2016.
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and ArcelorMittal on 22 May 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) to set up an automotive steel manufacturing facility under a Joint Venture (JV) arrangement in India.
Pharmaceuticals company Lupin will replace Tata Power in the BSE Sensex, the stock exchange said in a statement,
reports fe Bureau in Mumbai.
The Reserve Bank has entered into an MoU with the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) on exchange of information and
mutual assistance in the banking sector supervision.
Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank has partnered with 19 state and regional level
coordinators to reach those small entrepreneurs who are often cut off from the banking system because of a limited
branch presence.
Indias largest online marketplace Snapdeal has acquired Hyderabad-based mobile e-commerce platform MartMobi,
a company that has created mobile-specific platform for small and medium-sized businesses, for an undisclosed sum.
ICICI Bank, Indias largest private sector bank, launched a voice recognition service which authenticates customers
based on their speech patterns and allows them to execute banking transactions through the banks call centre. Thefirst-of-its kind service, it is available to over 33 million customers of its savings account and credit card. With the voice
recognition technology in place, customers are no longer required to enter their card numbers, PIN and answer
security questions to authenticate themselves. Their voice will now act as the password for banking transactions
through the call centre.
Union Ministry of Finance on 26 May 2015 constituted a Committee on Revisiting and Revitalizing the Public Private
Partnership (PPP) Model of Infrastructure Development under the Chairmanship of Vijay Kelkar. Vijay Kelkar is a
former Finance Secretary and Chairman, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), New Delhi. The
decision is in tune with the announcement made on 28 February 2015 by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while
presenting the 2015-16 budget.
RBI has issued draft guidelines on mobility cards that will allow you to travel without cash in metros, buses and taxis
carrying prepaid cards with value up to Rs. 2,000.
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In a bid to boost prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) for commuting, RBI has introduced a new category of prepaid
payment instruments that will be issued by the mass transit operators (such as metro or road transport).
With a minimum validity of six months from the issue date, the PPI- MTS will be reloadable with a balance limit of
Rs. 2,000. No cash-out or refund will be permitted from these PPI, the central bank said. At present, for other PPIs the
RBI has permitted to issue cards with balance of up to Rs. 1 lakh.
Country's largest insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has raised stake in state-owned Canara Bank by about 7.7
per cent through preferential allotment of shares. It has also increased its stake in another public sector lender Bank
of Baroda (BoB) by buying 4.7 crore shares from the open market. With the acquisition, the LIC's stake in BoB
increased by 2.1 per cent to 11.4 per cent.
The Reserve Bank of India on 28 May 2015 released the Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) under
Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards for banks. The Reserve Bank proposed to make NSFR applicable to all
banks in India from 1 January 2018. The objective of NSFR is to ensure that banks maintain a stable funding profile in
relation to their assets and off-balance sheet activities.
Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) is defined as the amount of available stable funding relative to the amount of required
stable funding.
The Finance Ministry has issued a notification to allow an individual to spend $2.5 lakh abroad in a year. This comes
almost three months after the Reserve Bank of India announced raising the same. Earlier, the limit was $1.25 lakh
dollar, but with forex reserves getting stronger at over $353 billion, a higher limit has been notified.
Government-owned lender State Bank of India launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution (OCAS), an online
platform to apply for home loans, car loans, education loans and personal loans.
The application will help the customers gauge their eligibility and get a quote personalised to their requirement. The
customer will instantly get an e-approval on filling the online form. Thereafter, the Bank officials will contact the
customer and complete all the loan formalities.
In the first year under the Narendra Modi-led NDA rule, India has grown 7.3 per cent as against 6.9 per cent last year.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO), which released the quarterly estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the
fourth quarter (January-March) of 2014-15, has revised the growth rate for the previous quarter (Jul-Sep) from 8.2 per
cent to 8.4 per cent.
Indias gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 7.5% during the January-March period, faster than Chinas 7% in the
same period, mainly on account of improvement in services and manufacturing sectors.
Himachal Pradesh has emerged as first the state in the country to start Aadhaar based Payment System (ABPS) and
payments amounting Rs 76.53 crore have been made through this system till date since the scheme was launched on
October 2, 2014.
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Reliance Industries has overtaken state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) to become the nation's most
profitable company, posting a consolidated net profit of Rs 23,566 crore in the 2014-15 fiscal. ONGC, which posted a
consolidated net profit of Rs 18,334 crore in 2014-15, slipped to number three, behind RIL and Tata Consultancy
Services Ltd, India's largest IT firm, according to earning data of listed firms available on the BSE.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 30 May 2015 inaugurated the New Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric
tonne capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. With opening of this, India will become selfreliant in producing Bank Note Paper for big denominations. Earlier, India was considerably dependent on import of
bank note paper for currency of big denominations. He also flagged off the first consignment of one thousand rupees
bank note paper made indigenously to Currency Note Press Nashik.
News Related to India

Amid a controversy over not releasing of caste census data, the government set up an expert group headed by NITI
Ayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to collate caste count even as it blamed the states for not being able to
complete the consolidation of different categories.
In a development set to tremendously boost its age-old traditions, Varanasi has joined the global bandwagon of
UNESCO "Cities of Music" under the Creative Cities Network. It has been chosen in the music category under
UNESCO's "field of excellence" plan. The fields of excellence are classified into categories of literature, film, music, craft
and folk art, design, media arts and gastronomy.
Nine cities Glasgow in the UK, Hanover and Mannheim in Germany, Ghent in Belgium, Hamamatsu in Japan,
Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, Bogota in Columbia, Seville in Spain and Bologna in Italy are a part of UNESCO
"Cities of Music".
A proposal to redevelop about 400 railways stations in metros and major cities besides pilgrim centres and tourist
spots was cleared by the government. The as is where is model would entail a much simpler process for faster
redevelopment, with more focus on vertical expansion. The A-1 and A category stations (about 400) shall be offered
for redevelopment by inviting open bids from interested parties.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 15 July 2015 launched 3 web portals viz. Soil Health Card portal,
Fertiliser Quality Control System (FQCS) portal and Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) India portal.
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In a major fillip to industrial infrastructure in the Palakkad region, the Union governments Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has approved a proposal from the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development
Corporation (Kinfra) to set up the countrys first defence industrial park at Ottappalam.
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) of Churachandpur in Manipur on 15 July 2015 won the 18th National Youth
Parliament Competition for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. It was awarded with the Running Parliamentary Shield and
Trophy by the Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs at the prize distribution ceremony held in New Delhi.
The Union Cabinet on 16 July 2015 approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India
and Canada in the field of Civil Aviation. The MoU will help in enhancing the experience and technical knowledge in
the field of Civil Aviation between India and Canada.
Identity Proof Not Required to Book Tatkal Ticket From Sept 1: Railways
White-Fi technology or TV White Space Technology was in news in the second week of July 2015 as Microsoft
announced plans to introduce this technology in India to providelast mile connectivity and give a boost to the Digital
India initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
INS Astravahini, indigenously built Torpedo launch and recovery vessel (TLRV), was on 16 July 2015 decommissioned
after its 31 years service to the nation. The vessel had immensely contributed in the trials of indigenous torpedoes
developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL).
Global Emergency Response Network to be launched In India. A new decentralized and personalized mobile app
called MUrgency is being set up to create a global emergency response to help people in distress in developing
countries.
Haryana government named Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra as the brand ambassador for the Beti BachaoBeti
Padhao campaign to promote the cause of girl child.
In a move aimed at boosting Indias defence sector, 200 helicopters will be manufactured in the country with Russian
collaboration as part of intensification and diversification of their strategic ties.
The Union Government on 30 May 2015 formed a committee under the Chairpersonship of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to oversee the celebrations of 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, also called Bhim Jayanti which is
annually celebrated on 14 April.
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India and Sweden on 1 June 2015 signed 6 agreements to boost ties and restart the bilateral strategic dialogue. The
agreements were inked in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a state visit to Sweden. Pranab
Mukherjee is the first ever Indian head of state to visit Sweden and was in the country from 31 May to 2 June 2015.
List of agreements/MoUs signed
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development

MoU on cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Agreement on Visa Exemption for diplomatic passports
Letter of Intent on Collaboration in Polar and Ocean Research
Memorandum of Intent (MoI) on cooperation in ageing research and health: It was signed between the Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
(FORTE).
MoI between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), India and the Swedish Medical
Products Agency (MPA)
India has signed a pact with the UK's prestigious Cambridge University to create a new programme of early-career
fellowships in the field of biotechnology.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 July 2015 gave its approval for a new scheme called Pradhan
Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The Yojana was approved with an outlay of 50000 crore rupees over a period
of five years, that is, from 2015-16 to 2019-20 and the allocation for the financial year 2015-16 has been kept at 5300
crore rupees.
Objectives of PMKSY
To provide convergence to existing schemes of water management, thus bringing efficiency to the use of
water
Expand cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko pani)
Improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water
Enhance the adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies (More crop per drop)
Government has allocated Rs. 200 crore for three years to set up an online national agriculture market by integrating
585 wholesale markets across India a move that would help farmers realise better prices.
India test-fires Nag anti-tank missile from helicopter platform. HeliNa is a helicopter-launched version of Nag and has
been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP). The missile was aimed at hitting targets at varied distances of upto 7 km.
Vyapam scam was in news in July 2015 as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 12 July 2015 constituted a special
team of 40 officers, under a Joint Director level officer, to probe the multi-crore Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh.
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Union Government appointed lawyer Rodrigo Oreamuno to arbitrate Vodafone tax case
Union Government on 13 July 2015 decided to cap the subsidy payout on kerosene at 12 rupees per litre. At present,
kerosene is sold through public distribution system at 14.96 rupees per litre against the actual cost of 33.47 rupees.
The difference of 18.51 rupees per litre is termed as under-recovery or revenue loss.
PM Modi launches Skill India Campaign; govt to train 40 crore youngsters by 2022. The new National Policy for Skill
Development policy is the country's first integrated national scheme for developing skills and promoting
entrepreneurship at a large scale and was recently approved by the Union Cabinet. It acknowledges the need for an
effective roadmap for promotion of entrepreneurship as the key to a successful skills strategy.
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu on 14 July 2015 inaugurated the broad-gauge railway-line between Gandhidham
and Tuna-Tekra Port in Gujarat by flagging off a goods train.
Union Ministry of Urban Development on 14 July 2015 launched the National Heritage Development and
Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for 12 cities in the country from Amritsar in Punjab. In the initial phase of HRIDAY, 12
heritage cities have been identified which will be rejuvenated and developed. Union Government will provide 500
crore rupees to these 12 cities. Varanasi allocated 89.31 crore rupees.
Defence Acquisition Council approved defence proposals worth 30000 crore rupees
India and Georgia on 13 July 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of
election management and administration.
The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela began on 14 July 2015. The year-long festival will end 11 August
2016.
MoD and MSDE signed MoU to increase employability of ex-servicemen
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development on 1 July 2015 adopted the Digital Guddi-Gudda Board as a
Best Practice under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme. It was named as the best practice on the occasion of
Digital India Week that is being observed from 1 July to 7 July 2015.
The Haryana Government on 1 July 2015 launched the Mhara Gaon- Jagmag Gaon scheme, aimed at providing 24 hour
uninterrupted power supply to rural domestic consumers in a phased manner with their active participation.
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eMudhra Limited, a leading certifying firm in the country for digital signatures, launched eSign services.
Ratan Tata Joins Hand With Tripura Govt, Pledges Support to Community Development.
Electronic Nose for environmental monitoring jointly developed by CSIR-NEERI & C-DAC
Union Railway Ministry launched Mobile ticketing app for suburban commuters
Indian Army dedicated Prerna Sthal at Hussainiwala to the nation
Climate Change to be the theme of Science Express in 2015. It is a unique science exhibition mounted on a 16-coach
AC train.
Telangana government and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) on 7 July 2015
signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve profitability of farmers.
Operation Smile, a unique initiative of Ghaziabad Police to track missing children, was in news in second week of July
2015. It came in news after Uttarakhand police under the operation was able to trace at least 44 missing children from
various parts of the state within a week.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 10 July 2015 successfully launched five British satellites into space from
the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta. These satellites are three identical DMC3 optical
earth observation satellites and two auxiliary satellites, viz., CBNT- 1 and De-OrbitSail. These all satellites, built by
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and weighing 1440-kg, were launched aboard the 13th flight (PSLV-C28) of
the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on 9 July 2015 launched the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA) in New
Delhi. The abhiyan aims to inculcate a spirit of inquiry, creativity and love for Science and Mathematics in school
children.
The Centre has declared entire Nagaland as a "disturbed area" as it finds that a "dangerous condition" prevails in the
state and armed forces should assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order.
India will begin to supply up to 500 MW additional power to Bangladesh as soon as the work on SAARC grid is
accomplished in the next one year or so.
NDDB launched mobile application Pashu Poshan to boost dairy farmers' income.
Telangana Government on 6 July 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with transportation facilitation
app Uber.
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Hilliard Energy Limited has expressed its intent to set up a multi-phase 650 MW solar and wind energy project in
Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
University Grants Commission (UGC) on 2 July 2015 accorded special Heritage Status on 19 Colleges across the country.
These include St Xaviers College, Mumbai and Fergusson College, Pune among others.
India and Bangladesh launched a joint survey to record the "choice of nationality" of 51,584 people in 162 enclaves in
each other's territories ahead of the July 31 integration of the land with the respective mainland under the historic
Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).
Defence PSU Bharat Electronics made Akash inducted into Indian Air Force. BEL, the nodal agency and supplies major
sub-systems, at a ceremony held at Air Force Station, Gwalior, handed over the missile system.
An Earthquake Warning System (EWS) was successfully installed in Uttarakhand, Dehradun in the first week of July
2015. With this, Uttarakhand became first Indian state to install a system that can detect earthquakes and disseminate
warnings.
India and the USA on 30 June 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation to establish the
PACESetter Fund in New Delhi.
PM Modi appoints IIT-JEE topper Kruti Tiwari as brand ambassador of Digital India
Bangalore has been ranked 12th in the list of top 20 technology-rich cities in the world, according to a survey conducted
by global property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).
As part of the 'Digital India Week', Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) launched four new products including
solar powered Wi-Fi and long distance Wi-Fi.
Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has become the first State transport corporation to have a
vehicle tracking system for inter-city buses, which has led to a reduction in accidents and deaths as drivers are wary of
crossing the speed limits.
The countrywide Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has become a reality. This means mobile subscribers can now keep
their existing mobile phone numbers even while shifting between states and circles. The move lays the first stone for
the government's 'One nation, One number' plan and is sure to benefit millions of people across the country.
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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on 2 July 2015 launched the state Portal ePMS (Electronic Projects
Management System) to fast track infrastructural development. The portal was launched during the Digital India week.
Japanese multinational telecom company, SoftBank has expressed its readiness to establish an ambitious 20 Gigawatt
solar power plant in Andhra Pradesh. As part of Make in India initiative, SoftBank will take up manufacturing of solar
panels in the State.
Delhi has built the highest number of community and public toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission, followed by
Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, while Gujarat topped in the individual household category. Delhi has completed
construction of 5,776 community and public toilet seats since the launch of the mission in October last year, followed
by Chhattisgarh (3,570), Maharashtra (2,520), Chandigarh (2,424) and Karnataka (1,680).
Based on the specific soil health of their small chunks of lands, scientists at the International Crops Research Institute
for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Government of Telangana would send timely messages to the farmers through the
phablet. Phablet is a smart device bigger than a phone but smaller than a tablet. The Hyderabad-headquartered
ICRISAT launched the Green Phablet, priced at $300 (about Rs. 18,600), for farmers in Telangana.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 1 July 2015 launched the Digital India Week in New Delhi. The newly created
week is aimed at encouraging peoples involvement and creating awareness among them about various initiatives
launched under the Digital India Programme launched in August 2014. The Department of Electronics & Information
Technology (DeitY) is the nodal agency for implementing the Digital India Programme in close cooperation with other
departments and ministries.
Kerala Tourism has hit the streets of Shanghai with a first-ever roadshow aimed at attracting high-spending Chinese
tourists from the worlds largest outbound tourism market.
Government approved the setting up of an online national agriculture market that will provide more options to farmers
for selling their produce.
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India on 30 June 2015 released the data on disabled
population by type of disability, type of households and sex 2011. There are 207.8 lakh households having disabled
persons in the country constituting 8.3 percent of the total households. The State/Union Territory with maximum
disabled population is Uttar Pradesh and is followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The State/Union Territory
with minimum disabled population is Lakshadweep and is preceded by Daman and Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
Software major Microsoft in first week of July 2015 agreed to develop Smart MIDC (industrial colony) and support
Digital Village in Maharashtra.
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To provide security to those devotees taking part in the 59-day-long annual Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir,
Indian Army in first week of July 2015 launched Operation Shiva. The Yatra started on 2 July 2015.
Maharashtra Governments programme Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan that was launched with an aim to make Maharashtra
a drought-free state by 2019 was in news in first week of July 2015.
The Guinness Book of World Records has recognised a record created in Madhya Pradesh on 'World Hand washing
Day' on October 15, 2014.
India and Belarus on 3 June 2015 inked six agreements to boost ties and relationship based on friendship and mutual
benefit. The agreements were inked in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, who was on a two-day state visit to
Belarus, viz., from 3 June 4 June 2015.
List of agreements and MoUs
1.
2.
Agreement on roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation

Agreement on Protocol amending the agreement between the India and Belarus for the Avoidance of
Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Property
(Capital) of the 27 September 1997
3. MoU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization and Information Support signed between Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS) and the State Committee for Standardization, Belarus
4. MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting between Prasar Bharati (PB) and the National State Television and
Radio Company, Belarus (Belteleradiocompany)
5. MoU on Bilateral Cooperation between the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry
of Finance, Belarus
6. MoU for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern "Bellegprom) between the Ministry
of Textiles of India and the Belarusian State concern.
Delhi Metro Received Its First Driver-Less Train From South Korea.
India and the Netherlands on 5 June 2015 signed several agreements to deepen bilateral cooperation. The agreements
were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Netherland Mark Rutte in New
Delhi after the two leaders held discussions on various issues related to the region and the world.
List of Agreements signed between India and Netherlands
Agreement on setting up Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism , which will hold its first meeting on 19
June 2015.
Agreement on manufacturing of dredgers at the Cochin Shipyard.
Agreement on manufacturing of Measles, and Rubella Vaccine in India, with transfer of technology from
Netherlands.
Agreement on developing coastal roads and metro lines in India.
Agreement on setting up a Joint Working Group on Skill Development.
Agreement on developing joint pilot projects for an electric vehicle ecosystem in India.
Agreement on setting up centres of excellence in areas like horticulture and animal husbandry in India.
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Uma Bharti Launched 'Jal Kranti' Campaign in Rajasthan. The Jal Kranti Abhiyan will be celebrated across the country
during 2015-16 to consolidate water conservation and management through a holistic and integrated approach. The
scheme also provides for a 'Sujalam Card' which will provide annual status and information about the quality of
drinking water available for a 'Jal Gram'.
Nestle India decided to take Maggi Noodles off the shelves, after six state governments announced ban in the wake
of finding elevated levels of lead and MSG being found in its samples.
The High Level Committee (HLC) on railway restructuring headed by Dr Bibek Debroy on 12 June 2015 submitted its
final report to the Union Ministry of Railways.
For implementing its recommendations the committee has given the following timetable
ImmediateLiberalization, or the allowing of private entry; changes in the composition of the Railway Board.
0-2 yearsDecentralization to zones/divisions; cleaning up finances between Union government and IR.
2 yearsReform of RPF, schools and medical services; transition to commercial accounting, reform of
production and construction units.
3 yearsChanges in the Railways Act and the Railway Board Act, setting up a Regulator; unified entry into the
Railway services; resolution of social costs.
5 yearsBifurcation between Railway Infrastructure Corporation and rest of IR as train operators; end of the
Railway Budget.
7 yearsTransition of the IR that operates trains to a government-owned SPV.
Union Government on 14 June 2015 launched Mobile Blood Bank Locator App. The app was launched on the occasion
of World Blood Donors Day with an aim to ease access of information regarding the nearest blood bank in the country.
Ministry of Railways on 12 June 2015 decided to run Suvidha trains with dynamic fares from July 2015. The decision
to run Suvidha trains was taken to address the rush during peak travel seasons.
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on
15 June 2015 launched an Augmented Reality (AR) application named Sakaar to highlight the achievements of the
Department of Space.
Indian Railways on 15 June 2015 rechristened train No 19031/19032 Ahmedabad-Haridwar Mail Express also known
as 'Haridwar Mail' as Yoga Express. The name was changed with immediate effect.
Indian mobile handset maker Karbonn on 15 June 2015 announced that it is planning to set up its first mobile handset
manufacturing facility in Hyderabad.
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Special Forces of the Indian Army in coordination with the Air Force on 9 June 2015 carried out surgical operations
(cross-border operation) inside Myanmar to target militant groups. In this one of the first-of-its-kind cross-border
operation about 50 militants of groups namely NSCN (kiss) and KYKL were killed. They were hiding along the NagalandMyanmar and Manipur-Myanmar border.
India and Australia will undertake their first joint naval exercise later this year even as the two along with Japan look
at the possibility of a trilateral exercise.
Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana and Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh were included in National Capital Region on
9 June 2015.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on 5 June 2015 inaugurated Indias firstof-its-kind Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre (OSRC) for Mumbai Port Trust (MBT), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT)
and ONGCs facilities at Nhava and Uran.
Tamil Nadu Government and Adani Power Ltd in the second week of June signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
to set up a 200 MW solar power plant in Ramanathapuram district.
India and Bangladesh on 6 June 2015 inked signed, exchanged, adopted and handed 22 bilateral documents in
Dhaka.
India and Bangladesh on 6 June 2015 signed the historical 1974 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) which would settle
the 4096-kilometre-long border (Indias longest border with neighbour country) dispute between the two countries.
According to the agreement, Bangladesh took over 111 enclaves (17160 acres of land) from Indias possession and
India received 51 enclaves (7110 acres of land) from Bangladesh. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that each
country has within the borders of the other nation. The enclaves in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya come
under
the
bills
ambit.
The protocol and instruments of ratification to make the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) operational was signed by
the foreign secretaries of the two nations in presence of Narendra Modi, the visiting Prime Minister and his Bangladeshi
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The documents include

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Exchange of Instruments of Ratification of 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011 Protocol
Exchange of letters on Modalities for implementation of 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011
Protocol
Renewal of Bilateral Trade Agreement
Agreement on Coastal Shipping between Bangladesh and India
Renewal of Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade
Bilateral Cooperation Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Standardization was inked between
BangladeshStandards & Testing Institution (BSTI) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
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7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Agreement on Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati Bus Service and its Protocol

Agreement on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala Bus Service and its Protocol
Memorandum of Understanding between Coast Guards
Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Human Trafficking
Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Smuggling and Circulation Fake Currency Notes
Memorandum of Understanding between Bangladesh and India and for Extending a New Line of Credit (LoC)
of 2 billion US dollars by Government of India to Government of Bangladesh
Memorandum of Understanding on Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the
Indian Ocean
Memorandum of Understanding on Use of Chittagong and Mongla Ports
Memorandum of Understanding for a Project under IECC (India Endowment for Climate Change) of SAARC
Memorandum of Understanding on Indian Economic Zone
Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 2015-17
Statement of Intent on Bangladesh-India Education Cooperation (adoption)
Agreement between Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam
Limited (BSNL) for leasing of international bandwidth for internet at Akhaura
Memorandum of Understanding between University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research, India for Joint Research on Oceanography of the Bay of Bengal
Memorandum of Understanding between University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh and University of Jamia Milia
Islamia, India
Handing over of Consent Letter by Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), Bangladesh to
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), India to start operations in Bangladesh
Indias maiden indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was on 10 June 2015 undocked at the Cochin Shipyard in Kochi,
Kerala. It is Indias largest and first indigenous aircraft carrier.
India, Japan and Australia on 9 June 2015 held their first ever high-level trilateral dialogue in New Delhi.
ISRO has said it will provide navigational support to the countrys Railways through GAGAN (GPS-aided
geoaugmented navigation) system.
Cabinet has approved stepping up cumulative target under National Solar Mission from 20,000 MW to 1 lakh MW by
2022. It has also approved interest subsidy on housing loans for tenure up to 15 years under EWS/ LIG categories.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 16 June 2015 suspended the recognition of National People's Party (NPP)
as a state party in Meghalaya. The NPP is headed by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma.
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17 June 2015 approved the agreement between India and
Spain on abolishing visa requirements for the holders of diplomatic passports.
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India and Tanzania on 19 June 2015 signed six MoUs in the field of tourism, education and hydrography to deepen
bilateral cooperation. The agreement was inked in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of
Tanzania Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete. President of Tanzania is on a five-day tour to India from 17 June to 21 June 2015
List of inked MOU/Project signed/Exchanged with Tanzania
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
MOU on establishing a collaborative program in official statistics: It was inked between the East Africa
Statistical Training Center (EASTC) in Tanzania and the National Statistical System Training Academy (NSSTA)
in India and will include capacity building for Staff of EASTC and other African Countries in Official Statistics.
MOU on cooperation in Agricultural Statistics, Computer Applications and Bio-informatics: It was inked
between EASTC and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Agricultural Statistics Research
Institute (IASRI) for capacity building of Staff
MOU on Cooperation in the field of Tourism: To enhance bilateral cooperation in Tourism and hospitality
sectors.
Loan agreement to operationalise the LoC: The agreement was signed between Exim Bank and Government
of Tanzania on LOC for 268.35 million US dollar for extension of Lake Victoria pipeline project.
Agreement for appointing the former as PMC: The agreement was signed between WAPCOS (PSU under M/o
Water) and Government of Tanzania for preparation of DPR for Lake Victoria pipeline project
MOU for Cooperation in the field of Hydrography & Protocol on exchange of Hydrographic Data: To promote
development and cooperation in the field of Hydrography through conducting surveys, exchange of data,
capacity building and infrastructure strengthening.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on 12 June 2015 set up an Expert Group on Salt, Sugar and
Fat in Indian Food Products. The 11-member Expert Group will be headed by Dr. D Prabhakaran, Director, Centre for
Chronic Conditions and Injuries and Vice-President, Public Health Foundation of India.
Government launched the first modernised Anganwadi centre of India at Hasanpur village of Sonepat in Haryana.
The centre was inaugurated by Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD).
The centre has been set up as part of Nand-Ghar Yojana of Union Government which aims at transforming the
anganwadi centres.
Uttar Pradesh Government on 23 June 2015 renamed the Lucknow Prani Udyan, popularly known as Lucknow zoo, as
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Prani Udyan, Lucknow.
To aid National Mission for Clean Ganga, the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on 23 June 2015 launched
Bhuvan Ganga mobile application and a web portal.
To promote Keralas tourism departments Visit Kerala Scheme, Kerala government on 23 June 2015 appointed tennis
legend Steffi Graf as Ayurveda brand ambassador.
The first One-Stop Crisis Centre for women in distress out of the proposed 660 is set to be inaugurated in Chhattisgarh
later this month under the Nirbhaya Fund.
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India's first air-conditioned diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) train launched in Kochi.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 18 June 2015 launched a weather alert service named NOWCAST.
China opens Nathu La as 2nd route for Kailash pilgrims.
HAL has delivered Orbiter Craft Module Structure of Chandrayaan-2 to ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC). Chandrayaan-2
is a two module configuration spacecraft comprising of the Orbiter Craft and the Lander Craft.
India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh signed a landmark Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the Regulation of
Passenger, Personnel and Cargo Vehicular Traffic among the four South Asian neighbours in Thimpu, Bhutan.
State-run equipment maker BHEL has commissioned a 250 MW unit of NTPC's Bongaigaon thermal power plant in
Kokrajhar district in Assam.
Maharashtra declared Blue Mormon as state butterfly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 June 2015 launched three urban development schemes- AMRUT, Smart Cities
Mission and Housing for All (Urban) in New Delhi.
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): It is aimed at developing infrastructure
in 500 cities and towns that are having a population of one lakh and above with an outlay of 50000 crore
rupees between 2015-16 and 2019-20.
Smart Cities Mission: It is aimed at developing 100 smart cities across the country with an outlay of 48000
crore rupees between 2015-16 and 2019-20.
Housing for All (Urban): The Central Sector Scheme aimed at providing housing facilities to all eligible people
in urban areas by 2022.
The Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for the setting up of six new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the
country, which will start offering courses from the coming academic session. The new IIMs will be located at
Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur
(Odisha) and Amritsar (Punjab).
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The Taygan Lions Park and Skazka zoo in Yalta, Crimea signed an animal exchange agreement with Kerala's
Thiruvananthapuram zoo. This agreement signed in the fourth week of June 2015 will allow them to exchange
different animals with each other.
Two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to the Guru Padmasambhava began on 26 June 2015 in largest
monastery of Ladakh Hemis Gompa (monastery) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Government on 25 June 2015 requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to encourage
supply of free milk in the Mid Day Meal to school children.
India and Thailand on 29 June 2015 signed five Agreements/ Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) during the
7th Meeting of India-Thailand Joint Commission in Bangkok.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Agreed Minutes of the Seventh Meeting of the Thailand-India Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation.
Exchange of Instruments of Ratification of the Treaty on Extradition.
Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Nalanda University.
Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes
on Income.
MoU on the Establishment of the "Academic Chair in Ayurveda.
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 29 June 2015 inaugurated the Integrated Security System (ISS) at four railway
stations in Mumbai comprising Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Dadar, Kurla and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT).
Construction of a memorial for former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao was completed in the fourth week of June
2015 at the Ekta Sthal Samadhi Complex in New Delhi.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 25 June 2015 approved a proposal for setting up a second international airport
at Jewar in the National Capital Region.
India, US signed MoUs to enhance cooperation in areas of Health Sector.
MoU on cancer research, control, prevention and management.

MoU on collaboration in Environmental, occupational Health and Injury Prevention and Control.
Three squadrons of the aging MiG 21 and MiG 27 fighter jets are set to be phased out this year even as Indian Air Force
focuses on cannibalization to keep the serviceability rate of its aircraft high.
The first phase of Chennai Metro Rail service was on 29 June 2015 launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa. The first phase of Metro service covers the 10-km elevated stretch. It connects Alandur in south Chennai
to Koyabedu in the north.
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The Cabinet approved the flagship Namami Gange programme, which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the
River Ganga in a comprehensive manner. The programme has a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years.
Punjab Agriculture Department on 13 May 2015 launched a pan-state programme to monitor the soil health of every
farm in the state by issuing them personalised Soil Health Cards (SHCs). With this, Punjab became the first state in
India to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers.
Anti-Submarine Warfare Ship Kavaratti Launched in Kolkata.

India's Dedicated Astronomy Satellite ASTROSAT Fully Assembled.
Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the new headquarter of Coal India Ltd at Rajarhat in West Bengal.
Mirage 2000 fighter jet of Indian air force (IAF) on 21 May 2015 landed successfully on Yamuna Expressway as part
of developing road runaway for emergency landing.
World Bank will offer a credit of USD 250 million to Bihar government over the next five years as part of a programme
to help improve effectiveness of elementary school teachers in the state by making them more qualified, accountable
and responsive.
Indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra was successfully test fired at the
Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur in Odisha on 20 May 2015. It was test-fired aboard a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter
aircraft.
Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (UP FDA) on 20 May 2015 asked Nestle India to withdraw a
batch of snack Maggi noodles from the market. UP FDA ordered the removal of the batch of popular snack after it
found that the product contained high level of lead in it.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 25 May 2015 announced the complete operationalisation of the
GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). With this, India has become the fourth nation after the US, Europe
and Japan to have inter-operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). Also, GAGAN is the first SBAS system
in the world to serve the equatorial region.
Govt
launched
website
khoyapa.gov.in
to
help
trace
missing
children.
India has decided to buy only 36 Rafale fighter jets scrapping the earlier plan to acquire 126 of the French aircraft
on grounds of huge cost.
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The Tripura government on May 27, 2015 decide to lift Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the state,
where the controversial law was in effect for the last 18 years to curb insurgency. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who
is also the Home Minister of the state said this decision was taken in the meeting of the council of ministers during the
day. This Act was imposed in the state on February 16, 1997 following spurt of violence by the ultras.
Hindusthan Aeronautics Limited has signed an MoU with BAe Systems UK for Hawk Mk132 Upgrade, development
of combat Hawk for Indian and export markets and maintenance solutions for supporting Jaguar and Hawk fleet.
Microsoft on 27 May 2015 announced to open the Indias first Digital Experience Centre in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Microsoft will open the centre in collaboration with the Vadodara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).
Appointments
India
Rakesh Sahni appointed as Chairman of Narmada Valley Development Authority

Prashant Pathrabe appointed as Interim Director of Film and Television Institute of India
Neeraj Kumar appointed chief security advisor for World T20
FlipKart appointed Eric Lange as Vice President of Product Management
Hero Motors Group elevated Pankaj Munjal as CMD
Ashok Kumar Lahiri, former Chief Economic Adviser to the Union Government, was appointed as the
Chairman of Bandhan Bank.
Lt General Man Mohan Singh Rai appointed as Vice-Chief of Indian Army
GIFT appoints Ajay Kumar Pandey as MD
Satish Pillai appointed as new MD & CEO of CIBIL
Sriram Kalyanaraman appointed as MD and CEO of National Housing Bank
SN Sahai appointed as Home Secretary of Delhi
Housing.Com Appoints Rishabh Gupta As Interim CEO.
Chennais NL Beno Zephine on 12 June 2015 became the first 100 percent visually-challenged person to be
inducted into the Indian Foreign Services (IFS).
Former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, K.V. Chowdary, appointed as the new Central
Vigilance Commissioner, while the senior-most Information Commissioner, Vijai Sharma, is the new Chief
Information Commissioner.
T.M. Bhasin, Chairman & Managing Director, Indian Bank, has been appointed Vigilance Commissioner. Mr.
Rajiv is the other Vigilance Commissioner.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Meena Hemchandra as the executive director who would be
in charge of department of banking supervision.
Ex-IB chief Asif Ibrahim appointed as PM's special envoy on counter-terror
Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, a Kargil war veteran, took over as the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force.
ICICI Bank appointed MK Sharma as non-executive Chairman
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Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram has been moved out of the CBI and appointed as Director, National
Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Senior IPS officer R C Tayal has been appointed as the new chief of the elite counter-terror force National
Security Guard (NSG).
Bank of India ED B.P. Sharma given additional charge of MD & CEO
Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo appointed as Chancellor of Nalanda University
Amit Jain appointed as President of Uber Technologies Inc's India Operations
Infrastructure financing firm IDFC appointed Vinod Rai, former Comptroller and Auditor General of India
(CAG), as independent director.
K Sivan on June 1 2015 appointed as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), of Indian
Space Research Organisation in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil has taken over as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) on June 1, 2015.
State Bank of India (SBI) announced the appointment of Anshula Kant as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
SBI Capital Markets, the merchant banking arm of State Bank of India, has appointed Praveen Gupta as the
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
P. Kunhikrishnan appointed as the Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Infosys appoints R. Seshasayee as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board
Ameising Luikham takes over as New Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises
Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar on 9 June 2015 was appointed as the Director of Hyderabad-based CSIR-Institute
of Chemical Technology (IICT).
Senior IAS officer Devendra Chaudhary has been appointed as Secretary in the Department of Administrative
Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
G Gurucharan given additional charge as Director General of Bureau of Indian Standards
Aakar Patel Joins as New Head of Amnesty International India.
Retail broking firm HDFC Securities has appointed Dhiraj Relli as its Managing Director and CEO.
Prof Sanghmitra Bandyopadhayay was on 10 June 2015 appointed as the Director of Indian Statistical
Institute (ISI) by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).
Sanjay Deshmukh appointed Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University
Rupak Kumar Dutta, an IPS Officer of 1981 Batch (Karnataka Cadre), took over as Special Director in the CBI.
Taxi hailing services provider Ola has roped in former Vodafone global CEO Arun Sarin as an Independent
Director.
Jagmohan Yadav appointed as DGP of Uttar Pradesh
C D Balaji took charge as Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency
Bharti Enterprises appoints Rahul Bhatnagar as MD&CFO
Ashok Haldia appointed MD and CEO of PTC India Financial Services
Chandrasekaran Ramakrishnan appointed as CFO of Tata Motors' Group
U P Singh appointed as Interim CMD of Oil India Limited
Ratan Tata joins Jungle Ventures as special advisor
Dr Anup K Pujari joins as Secretary, MSME
World
Tito Mboweni appointed as non-executive director to the board the Brics New Development Bank (NDB)
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani nominates Anisa Rasouli as first female judge to Supreme Court but later in
July she was rejected by the parliament
Mauritius Appointed Ameenah Gurib-Fakim As Its First Woman President
7/22/2015
34
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 15 June 2015 elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft as its
President for its upcoming 70th session in September 2015.
Nikesh Arora appointed SoftBank president
Zaheer Abbas was named as the President of International Cricket Council (ICC) on 24 June 2015 during the
ICC Annual Conference in Barbados. He assumed the role of ICC President with immediate effect for one-year
term.
Former Finance Minster of China Jin Liqun was in news as on 6 July 2015 he was nominated by China to be
the first president of the Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
NRI entrepreneur Lord Karan Bilimoria has been appointed as the President of the UK Council for International
Student Affairs (UKCISA).
News Related to Sports

Bangladesh on 15 July 2015 won the three-match One Day International (ODI) series against South Africa 2-1 played in
Bangladesh. This was Bangladeshs fourth straight ODI series win at home.
India defeated New Zealand in Davis Cup group play-offs.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was named in the BCCIs four-member working group formed to study the
Justice R M Lodha committees order and give recommendations within six weeks. The committee will be chaired by
IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla and will have BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur and Treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary as the
other members. BCCIs legal adviser U N Banerjee will assist the panel.
Amelie Mauresmo, the two-time Grand Slam winner and former number one tennis player of France, was on 18 July
2015 inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals suspended for two years by Justice Lodha panel
Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ajay Ratra retired from all forms of Cricket
Indian captain Mithali Raj becomes second woman to score 5000 ODI runs
Flyod Mayweather stripped of welterweight world title he won in Pacquiao fight.
Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta won the Commonwealth Chess Championship after
settling for a quick draw with Arghyadip Das in the ninth and final round
Kagiso Rabada became second bowler to claim hat-trick on ODI debut.
Indian Women beat New Zealand 3-2 to Win Series, BCCI Awards Rs 21 Lakh
Goa to host the Youth Delphic Games in February 2016
7/22/2015
35
Wimbledon
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer to win Wimbledon Men's Single title.
Serena Williams defeats Garbine Muguruza to win Wimbledon Women's Single title.
Sania Mirza First Indian Woman to Lift Women's Doubles Grand Slam. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
defeated Russian team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7 7-6 (4) 7-5 to win Wimbledone Women's
Double Title.
Indo-Swiss pair of Leander Paes and Martina Hingis on 12 July 2015 won mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.
In the final clash, the duo defeated the fifth seed Austrian-Hungarian team of Alexander Peya and Timea Babos
6-1, 6-1.
The Indo-Vietnamese pair Sumit Nagal-Nam Hoang Ly on 12 July 2015 won the 2015 Wimbledon Boys
Doubles title by defeating Opelka and Akira Santillan in the final match held in London.
Former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman on 1 June 2015 were inducted into the BCCIs
newly-constituted cricket advisory committee.
Inderjeet Singh became first Indian to win a Gold Medal at World University Games in Gwangju
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 8 July 2015 constituted an eight member committee to study status
of Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centers across the country. The committee will be headed by former athlete
Ashwini Nachappa and includes Pullela Gopi Chand as a member among others.
Lord Kamlesh Patel became first British-Asian appointee to ECB Management Board
Chile defeated Argentina to win the Copa America for the first time in the tournament's 99-year history.
USA defeated Japan to win Women's FIFA World Cup for the third time. FIFA Womens World Cup 2015 was held in
Canada. adidas Golden Ball: Carli Lloyd (midfielder of USA).
India on 5 July 2015 won the South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship title. In the final played at the Kanteerava
Stadium in Bengaluru, Karanataka, India defeated Sri Lanka 93-44.
Former IOA Secretary General Lalit Bhanot was elected vice-President of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) in polls
held in Wuhan, China.
Machettira Raju Poovamma and Liksy Joseph won silver each as India added four medals on the second day of the
21st Asian Athletics Championships.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) on 2 June 2015 signed an agreement with French Football Federation (FFF) in
Zurich. The agreement was signed by Praful Patel, President, AIFF in the presence of Kushal Das, General Secretary of
AIFF.
Former captain Rahul Dravid was appointed coach of the India A and Under-19 cricket teams.
Tintu Luka bagged her maiden gold in a major international event by winning the women's 800m finals as India finished
with five medals on the final day of competitions to sign off third in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships.
Striker Sunil Chhetri became first Indian to score 50 international goals.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal on 14 June 2015 won the singles final of the ATPs Stuttgart Open. In the final match in Germany,
Nadal defeated Serbian Viktor Troicki 7-6, 6-3.
7/22/2015
36
Indian off-spin cricketer Harbhajan Singh on 14 July 2015 became the ninth all-time highest Test wicket-takers by
claiming 416 wickets in 102 matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on 9 June 2015 acquired Carribean Premier League (CPL) T20
team Trinidad & Tobago (T&T).
Veteran West Indies fast bowler Sir Wesley Winfield Hall was on 12 June 2015 inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of
Fame. With this, he becomes 80th cricketer to be inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and 18th from West Indies
itself.
Japanese rising star shuttler Kento Momota and Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon won the mens and womens singles
respectively of the Indonesia Open Badminton tournament.
Anantjeet Singh Naruka beat Lari Pesonen of Finland 12-11 in the skeet match for gold in the 7th International junior
shotgun cup that concluded in Orimattila, Finland.
Matt Prior, the English cricketer, on 11 June 2015 retired from all forms of cricket. The 33-year-old, wicketkeeperbatsman helped England to win three Ashes series between 2009 and 2013.
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland on 7 June 2015 won his first French Open title of Tennis. In the final clash played at
Roland Garros in Paris, Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Serena Williams won her 20th Grand Slam title and third French Open crown at Roland Garros on June 6, 2015, clawing
her way back from a break down in the last set to defeat Lucie Safarova 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) on 16 June 2015 constituted a five-member ad-hoc committee to manage
the process of finding a group to organise and run boxing in India.
Serbia crowned world Under-20 champions after beating Brazil in final.
Inderjit Singh and Jinson Johnson of India on 23 June 2015 bagged gold at the first leg of the Asian Athletics Grand
Prix in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Indian Railway Team on 23 June 2015 won the World Railway Championship 2015 in Tennis and Volleyball.
India's junior boys and cadet girls on 18 June 2015 won the team championship titles at the South Asian Junior and
Cadet Table Tennis Championships at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.
Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer won the 2015 Gerry Weber Open tennis title on 21 June 2015 at the Gerry Weber
Stadium in Halle, Germany.
Britains Andy Murray on 21 June 2015 won the mens singles of the Aegon Championships at the Queens Club in
West Kensington, England. In the final clash, Murray defeated South African Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4.
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the Best Test Player of the 21st century in an online poll titled
Top-100 Test players' list since 2000. The result of poll conducted by Cricket Australias website, cricket.com.au was
released in the fourth week of June 2015.
7/22/2015
37
Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian basketball player to be drafted in the National Basketball Association
(NBA) after being picked by Dallas Mavericks. Gursimran Sim Bhullar was the first player of Indian origin to play in
the NBA when he turned out for the Kings in three games in April.
Indias tennis player Leander Paes on 24 June 2015 became the 47th player to play with 100 different partners on ATP
Circuit.
Australia and New Zealand will play the first ever day-night Test in November this year at Adelaide Oval, Australia.
ICC amends ODI rules; suspends USA Cricket Association. ICC said, all no balls and not just over-stepping by the
bowlers will result in a free hit in both ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. The rule changes will come into effect for
series starting on or after July 5. ICC has decided to get rid of catchers in the first ten overs, removed the batting
Powerplay and also allowed five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs of an innings in onedayers.
Vijender Singh Turned Professional Boxer, Ends Amateur Career and Olympic Hopes.
Himachal Pradesh will host the Paragliding World Cup from 23 October to 31 October 2015 at Bir Billing in Kangra
valley. The world cup will be held under the aegis of Para-gliding World Cup Association, France.
Maria Sharapova of Russia won the womens single of Italian Tennis Open for third time.
Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named England cricketers of the year 2014-15.
Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the final clash
played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 41-runs. This was the
second title triumph for Mumbai Indians after their maiden win back in 2013.
Awards Include:
Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma for his match winning score of 50 in 26 balls
Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell
Orange Cap awarded to: David Warner
Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo
Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer
Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell
Novak Djokovic won 4th Rome Masters Tennis title.
Mohun Bagan have won their maiden I-League title, courtesy of their 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC in their final
game of the 2014-15 season at the Kanteerva Stadium, Bangalore
Gurpreet Singh secured India a fifth quota place in shooting for the Rio Olympics by finishing fourth in the Men's 10m
Air Pistol final at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Munich.
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Pakistan spinner Raza Hasan banned for two years on doping charges.
15-year-old Mandeep Kaur wins two gold medals at World Junior Championship.
CEAT Cricket Awards:
International Lifetime Achievement Award - Kapil Dev

International Cricketer of the Year Kumar Sangakkara
Indian Cricketer of the Year Ajinkya Rahane
International Batsman of the Year Hashim Amla
International Bowler of the Year Rangana Herath
World
The EU approved a short-term loan of 7.16 billion euros ($7.8 billion) to Greece allowing it to meet a huge payment
to the ECB and repay the IMF while a new bailout is still being ratified, the EU's top official for the euro said. Greece
must pay the European Central Bank a huge debt payment of 4.2 billion euros as early as Monday, and is in arrears to
the IMF.
A 16-year-old India-born chemistry wizard will represent the United States along with three other students in the
annual International Chemistry Olympiad beginning on Monday in Azerbaijan. Soorajnath Boominathan, a resident of
Oklahoma State, has recently completed his graduation from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics.
NASA Picks Sunita Williams for First Commercial Space Vehicles
Greece on 30 June 2015 became the first developed nation to default on International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt.
It became a defaulter after it missed the deadline for payment of 1.7 billion dollar (1.5 billion euro) to IMF.
G7 Summit 2015 was held at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany from 7 June to 8 June 2015. This was the 41st G7
summit and the theme for the summit was Think Ahead. Act Together.
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka entered Guinness World Records for spending 804 days on ISS
For the first time, the United Nations issued a new joint guidance for countries to address the health risks posed by
heatwaves that have become more frequent and deadlier over the last 50 years, recently killing over 3,000 people in
India and Pakistan.
Cuba has become the first country in the world to eliminate the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to
baby.
Military transport plane of Indonesia, Hercules C-130, crashed in Medan city
Indian-origin scientist Manu Prakash along with his team on 10 June 2015 developed World's first water-based
computer. The results were published in the journal Nature Physics. Manu Prakash is an Assistant Professor of
Bioengineering at Stanford University.
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China on 19 June 2015 launched the worlds first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E that could be used in pilot
training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations.
China and Australia on 17 June 2015 signed the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) at Canberra in
Australia.
Delegates of 50 countries on 29 June 2015 signed the 60-article agreement that will lay the legal framework for the
China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia until January to keep pressure on Moscow over
the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Bangladesh signed an agreement with China for the construction of a 3.5-km tunnel under the Karnaphuli River in
Chittagong at an estimated cost of over USD 1 billion.
US Supreme Court legalized Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide.
Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the Parliament on 26 June 2015. Sirisena signed a gazette
notification dissolving parliament in an effort to consolidate power and push through political reforms.
An unmanned American SpaceX rocket dubbed Falcon-9 broke apart in flames minutes after lifting off from Cape
Canaveral in Florida on 28 June 2015. The accident occurred in only two and half minutes after the launch.
Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will see both countries working closely together to fight terror, officials
have confirmed.
India on 18 May 2015 assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) after 19 years. The session was
presided by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda at Geneva.
Abraj Kudai, worlds biggest hotel, set to open in Mecca in 2017.
Chinese researchers have successfully developed the first automated teller machine (ATM) with facial recognition
technology to reduce the risk of theft.
Presidents of the United States of America and Brazil Barack Obama and Dilma Rousseff respectively on 30 June 2015
issued a joint statement on climate change in Washington, the USA.
The Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars of France were on 5 July 2015 granted with the World Heritage Status by
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Institute for Training and
Research (UNITAR) on 1 July 2015 signed an agreement to protect cultural heritage sites with the latest geospatial
technologies.
Report/List/Indexes
The World Bank on 7 July 2015 released the State of Safety Nets 2015 report. It aggregated spending on social safety
net programs and beneficiaries in 157 countries, economies and territories and presented a comparative analysis of
those programmes. As per the report, only 1/3rd of the world's poor are covered by safety nets program with largest
gaps in Subsaharan Africa and South Asia.
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Report on India
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is the largest in Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) category with 78 million
beneficiaries.
Mid Day Meal programme is the largest in the School feeding category with 105 million beneficiaries.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGs) is the largest in the Public
Works Programme (PWP) category with 182 million beneficiaries.
Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) is the second largest in the Unconditional Cash
Transfers (UCT) category with 21 million beneficiaries.
Spending on public distribution system (PDS) accounts for 0.6 percent of GDP. Total spending on social safety
nets is 0.72 of GDP with 0.09 percent of GDP in Unconditional Cash Transfer schemes, 0.11 percent in school
feeding, 0.29 in public works and 0.23 percent in fee waivers.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 24 June 2015 released the World Investment
Report 2015 (WIR15) titled Reforming International Investment Governance.
Two Indian organisations -- Army and Railways -- are among the world's biggest employers, together employing a
whopping 2.7 million people, said a report. Though it is often said that Indian Railways is the largest employer in the
world, but it seems it is not. The organisation is ranked at the eighth place in the list of world's biggest employers.
Immediately after Indian Railways in the 8th rank with 1.4 million staff is the Indian Armed Forces ranked 9 th with 1.3
million people. According to a research published by the World Economic Forum, the US Department of Defense is the
world's biggest employer which claims over 3.2 million employees on its roster.
Buoyed by growing sales, India will overtake the U.S. to become worlds second largest smartphone market by 2017,
says a report. According to international research firm Strategy Analytics, global smartphone sales are forecast to grow
from 1.5 billion units in 2015 to a record 1.7 billion by 2017.
India is home to the fourth largest number of ultra-high-networth households that have more than 100 million dollars
in private wealth, according to a new report topped by the US.
The Boston Consulting Groups Global Wealth 2015: Winning the Growth Game report said continued economic
expansion of China and India was driving growth in wealth in the Asia Pacific region. The US remains the country
with the largest number of ultra-high-networth (UHNW) households at 5,201, followed by China (1,037), the UK
(1,019), India (928) and Germany (679) in 2014, it said.
Forbes on 10 June 2015 released the list of 2015 World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes. The list has been topped by Floyd
Mayweather and the only Indian to figure in the list is Mahendra Singh Dhoni(23rd).
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India may be considered a sporting minnow but in terms of doping by its athletes, it has been ranked third behind
Russia and Turkey in a World Anti-Doping Agency Report for 2013 with as many as 91 from the country testing positive
for banned substances in that year.
The CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) Research on 18 June 2015 released the Global Prime Office Occupancy Costs survey.
CBRE is an American commercial real estate company based in Seattle. The survey listed out top 50 expensive office
market spaces by surveying 127 markets around the globe. In the survey, while Londons West End continued to be
the worlds highest-priced office market, Connaught Place (CP) Central Business District (CBD) in New Delhi was the
fifth costliest office market in the world.
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in collaboration with IMRB International on 17 June 2015 released
the Social Media in India 2014 report. The report analysed the trends in using social media across the country between
March 2014 and April 2015.
Highlights of Social Media in India 2014 report
There are 143 million social media users in India as on April 2015. For many people accessing the Internet for the first
time, social media was the reason they embraced Internet. Usage of social media in rural India has grown by an
impressive 100 percent to reach 25 million users during April 2014 and March 2015.
India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) in the third week of June 2015 released a report on Intellectual Property Rights
(IPRs) filing in India during 2013-14.
While Maharashtra topped the list of states and Union Territories (UTs), Bengaluru was the top city in IPR filing.
Rajasthan topped the list of states commissioning grid connected solar power projects in the country with an installed
capacity of 1147 megawatt. The list was released by the Union ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 4 June 2015.
Gujarat, which remained the undisputed leader in solar energy generation till 2014, came second with an installed
capacity of 1000MW.
Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) on 16 June 2015 released the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2015. The GPI 2015
measured peace, its causes and its economic value during 2014. Iceland is the most peaceful country, followed by
Denmark and Austria at second and third positions, respectively. The GPI 2015 ranked the nations according to their
level of peacefulness. It measured peace for 162 countries constituting 99.6 of the world population. Among these 162
countries, India was placed at the 143rd position, the same as 2014.
Forbes on 26 May 2015 released the list of Worlds 100 Most Powerful Women of 2015 showing women who impacted
businesses, media, philanthropy, politics and more. The worlds most powerful woman in the list is German Chancellor
Angela Merkel who fetched the first spot.
Four Indians have been named in Forbes list including Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson of State Bank of India
(SBI), who stood at 30th position. Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO of ICICI Bank, was placed at 35th position; Kiran
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Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD of Biocon Limited, was placed at 85th position and Shobhana Bhartia, Editorial Director of
the Hindustan Times Group, was placed at 93rd position.
India remains at 44th rank in the annual global competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based business school
International Institute for Management Development (IMD) which cited problems like high corporate taxes and
existence of a parallel economy for the low ranking.
India has ranked 24th out of 70 countries in the first Environmental Democracy Index that is topped by Lithuania
and evaluates nations' progress in enacting laws to promote transparency, accountability and citizen engagement in
environmental decision making. Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, the US, South Africa, the UK, Hungary, Bulgaria, Panama and
Colombia are the top 10 nations in the list launched by Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) and Access
Initiative.
The British sports business magazine SportsPro on 20 May 2015 released the Worlds 50 Most Marketable 2015
report. According to SportsPro's listing of the top 50 most marketable athletes in the world for 2015, Eugenie
Bouchard, Tennis player from Canada, topped the list. While, FC Barcelona soccer Neymar stood at second place and
was followed by Golfer Jordan Spieth at the third place. Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli was placed at the sixth position
ahead of United States basketball star Stephen Curry. Another Indian, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal was placed at the
44th position.
Awards
World
Indian-Origin Ahmed Kathrada Knighted by French Government

Indian American Sunita Viswanath honoured as Champions of Change by US White House
Kerala Tourism's Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) on 18 July 2015 bagged the 2015 Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) award in the Heritage & Culture category.
The World Food Prize Foundation on 1 July 2015 announced to confer the 2015 World Food Prize on Sir Fazle
Hasan Abed of Bangladesh.
Noted Artist S. H. Raza Conferred Highest French Civilian Honour
Make in India initiative of DIPP won Frost and Sullivans 2015 Economic Development Innovation Award
State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) walked away with top honours at the annual Petrofed Awards, bagging the
Leading Oil & Gas Corporate of the Year award for the fourth time in eight years.
Shreya Ghoshal Receives Sera Sera Bangali Award in Houstan.
Indian-American R Paul Singh Named World Agriculture Prize Laureate.
Darshan Jain, an Indian-American teacher named for US Presidential Award.
'Buddha in a Traffic Jam' bagged best screenplay award at Madrid film festival
India-based firm Comparex wins Microsoft Country Partner of Year Award
Four Indian-Americans, including top US attorney Preet Bharara, are among 38 distinguished personalities
who have been honoured with this year's prestigious "Great Immigrants: The Pride of America" award.
The countrys low-cost Mars mission, which is in rendezvous with the red planet for an extended period, has
been presented with the space pioneer award for 2015 by the U.S. National Space Society.
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Uttarakhands Medical, Health and Family Welfare Minister Surendra Singh Negi on 31 May 2015 was
conferred with the World No Tobacco Day Award 2015 by the World Health Organsiation (WHO).
Suresh Kalmadi has been conferred with the Asian Athletics Association Presidents award for his
contribution towards the development of athletics in the continent.
Prof Achyuta Samanta has been conferred the prestigious USD 1 million 'Isa Award for Service to Humanity'
by Bahrain's King, recognising his efforts to eradicate poverty, hunger and illiteracy in India.
UK Author Ali Smith on 3 June 2015 won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel How to
be Both.
Bangladesh conferred Award of Liberation War Honour on Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Indian-origin US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been presented with the Pride of the Community Award
by the Hindu American Foundation
Historian-author Ramachandra Guha has been selected for Japans prestigious Fukuoka Prize in the Academic
category.
Three Indians on 22 June 2015 won the inaugural Queen's Young Leaders Award in the UK for taking the lead
in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities. These winners are
Ashwini Angadi, Devika Malik and Akshay Jadhao.
The spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the Columbias highest civilian award Orden de
la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by
Columbia.
India
2014 Moortidevi Award for Hindi Author Vishwanath Tripathi

Tata Steels West Bokaro Division conferred with Golden Peacock Environment Management Award 2015
The Film Society of Jodhpur was on 7 July 2015 conferred with the Pritiman Sarkar Award 2014-15
Sanjeev Galande selected for G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2014.
Kerala Government's highest honour for music, Swathi Puraskar, has been awarded this year to Ustad Amjad
Ali Khan for his outstanding contribution to Indian music.
Carnatic singer S Subrahmanyan selected for Sangita Kalanidhi Award
UK-based philanthropist Benni Joseph Mavelil selected for VK Krishna Menon Award 2015
Three scholars have been awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi 'Bhasha Samman' for contribution to
classical and medieval literature in various languages. K Meenakshi Sundaram has been selected for
contributions to Classical and Medieval Literature (Southern) for year 2013 while Acharya Munishwar Jha
has been recognised for Classical and Medieval Literature (Eastern) for the year 2014.
10th Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith was awarded to Hindi writers Babusha Kohli and Upasana on
16 June 2015. They were awarded for poem Prem Gilhari Dil Akhrot and novel Ek Zindagi Ek Ek Script Bhar
respectively.
President Pranab Mukharjee on 26 June 2015 conferred Punyabhushan Award on Prataprao Pawar,
Chairman of Sakal Media Group (SMG) at Balgandharva Auditorium in Pune.
Parkash Singh Badal conferred with 2015 Sant Namdev National Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi on 12 June 2015 announced the names of recipients of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships
(Akademi Ratna) 2014 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) 2014.
The list of names selected for Sangeet Akademi Fellowships:
R. Janakiraman (Musicologist)
S. Sathyu (film-maker)
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Vijay Kichlu (Classical singer)

Tulsidas Borkar (Musician)
Days
The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) was on 15 July 2015 observed globally for the first ever time.
Nelson Mandela International Day observed on 18 July
World Population Day was observed on 11 July 2015 with theme Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies.
World Environment Day (WED) was observed globally on 5 June 2015 with theme Seven Billion Dreams.
One Planet. Consume with Care.
World Blood Donors Day (WBDD) was observed on 14 June 2015. The theme of the 2015 World Blood
Donor Day campaign is "Thank you for saving my life.
World Ocean Day 2015 was celebrated across the world on 8 June 2015 with the theme Healthy oceans,
Healthy planet.
The World Day Against Child Labour was on 12 June 2015 observed globally with the theme NO to child
labour YES to quality education! The day is the United Nations observance to bring awareness against
child labour.
World Refugee Day observed on 20th June with the theme "With courage let us all combine"
First International Yoga Day celebrated on 21st June.
World Music Day and International Fathers Day is celebrated on 21st June.
Kerala declared June 22 as 'Snake Bird Day'.
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was on 26 June 2015 observed globally
with the theme Lets Develop our Lives, our Communities, our identities without Drugs.
9th National Statistics Day observed on 29th June with theme Social Development. The day organised by
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) commemorates the birth anniversary of
late Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
World Press Freedom day observed globally on 3rd May with the theme "Let Journalism Thrive!"
World Asthma Day 2015 observed with theme You Can Control Your Asthma
National Technology Day celebrated in India on May 11, to commemorate the first of the five nuclear
tests that were initiated by the Indian government led by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on 11 May
1998.
Anti-Terrorism Day was observed across India on 21 May 2015. The day is annually observed on the death
anniversary of seventh Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi who was assassinated at an election rally near Chennai by a suicide bomber from the LTTE on 21
May 1991.
The United Nations (UN) observed the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) on 22 May 2015.
The theme for the year 2015 is Biodiversity for Sustainable Development.
The international Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May 2015 with the theme
Together for Peace.
Books & Authors
Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji written by APJ Abdul Kalam
PM Narendra Modi launched book titled Education of Muslims by Professor JS Rajput
Book titled Modi - Incredible emergence of a star in Chinese language written by Tarun Vijay
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Booker Prize awardee Amitav Ghosh on 7 June 2015 released his new novel Flood of fire.
Book titled Recasting India written by Hindol Sengupta released
Book titled Bikhare Khyalat written by Abdul Haq presented to Vice-President
India Central Asia Relations authored by Amiya Chandra
Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years authored by AS Dulat & Aditya Sinha released
Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India written by Jairam Ramesh
Red Tape to Red Carpet... and then some written by Gina Rinehart released
Benazir Bhutto: A Multidimensional Portrait written by Dr Anna Suvorova
Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi's Assassination written by Teesta Setalvad
Modis World: Expanding Indias Sphere of Influence written by C Raja Mohan
Dealing with China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower by Henry M Paulson
A Book titled China Confucius in the Shadows written by Poonam Surie released.
Book titled Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad written by Prof Bhim Singh released.
Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enterprise written by former TRAI Chairman
Pradeep Baijal.
Book titled Ahmedabad: A City in the World by Amrita Shah released.
Book titled Super Economies by Raghav Bahl released.
Book 37 Bridges and Other Stories authored by a noted Pakistani author Aamer Hussein.
Book titled 'Uniki' written by Shri Ch Vidyasagar Rao presented to the prez
BRICS Summit
The seventh BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit was held from 8 to 9 July 2015 in the Russian
city of Ufa in Bashkortostan. It was held under the theme BRICS Partnership a Powerful Factor of Global Development.
The 8th BRICS summit will be held in India.
The 10 steps of the proposed Dus Kadam are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
BRICS Trade Fair (to be held during India's chairmanship in 2016)

BRICS Railway Research Centre
Cooperation among Supreme Audit Institutions
BRICS Digital Initiative
BRICS Agricultural Research Centre
BRICS state/Local Governments Forum
Cooperation among cities in field of Urbanisation
BRICS Sports Council and Annual BRICS Sports Meet
First Major Project of NDB to be in field of Clean Energy
BRICS Film Festival
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Obituaries
Veteran Telugu Playback Singer V. Ramakrishna Died
French F1 Driver Jules Bianchi Died From Injuries Sustained in 2014 Crash
Alex Rocco, the gravelly-voiced actor whose gallery of memorable characters included Moe Greene, the
cocky, bespectacled Las Vegas casino owner in The Godfather, has died. He was 79.
Satoru Iwata, who led Japanese video game company Nintendo Co through years of growth with its Pokemon
and Super Mario franchises, died.
Legendary music composer MS Viswanathan passes away
Irwin Rose, a biochemist who shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in chemistry for discovering a way that cells
destroy unwanted proteins the basis for developing new therapies for diseases such as cervical cancer and
cystic fibrosis has died. He was 88.
Veteran Indian Journalist Ramashish Dies in Nepal
Former Maharashtra wicket-keeper Hemant Kanitkar, who played in two Tests as a batsman in the home
series against Clive Lloyds West Indies in 1974-75, passed away.
Former Russian PM Yevgeny Primakov dies at 85
Prem Nath, a gold medallist at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, has passed away.
Veteran Congress Leader and Former Himachal Pradesh Governor Sheila Kaul Dies Aged 101.
Christopher Lee, the prolific actor known for his villainous portrayals including Scaramanga in James Bond
and evil wizard Saruman in The Lord of the Rings, has died at the age of 93.
Indias Greatest Architect, Charles Correa, Dies
Sister Nirmala Joshi, former head of Missionaries of Charity, passed away
Former Turkey President Suleyman Demirel died
Two-time Oscar-winning composer of Star Trek and Titanic James Horner died
Veteran journalist, columnist and peace activist Praful Bidwai was on 23 June 2015 passed away in
Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was 65.
Former Indian Hockey Captain Shashi Bala Killed in Accident.
K P P Nambiar, founding Chairman of Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keltron) died
on 1 July 2015.
Matti Makkonen, the man responsible for conceiving the idea of short messaging service (SMS) technology,
died on 30 June 2015 following a brief illness.
Former Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal passed away
Renowned Urdu novelist Abdullah Hussain passed away
Renowned Urdu poet Bashar Navaaz passed away
Former TN minister Chendur Pandian passes away
Indian-origin cricketer Sam Bulbulia of South Africa passed away.
Legendary producer Jerome Charles Weintraub died
Nicholas Winton, Britains Schindler dies at 106
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Prime Ministers Visit to China, South Korea and Mongolia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 May 2015 returned to India after completing his tour to three nations namely
China, Mongolia and South Korea.
Highlights of the visit to China
Prime Minister raised the boundary question with China and asked for an early settlement of the issue and
decided to maintain peace and tranquility at the border point for maturity of relations.
India-China signed 24 inter-governmental agreements.
21 business agreements worth 22 billion US dollars signed between Indian and Chinese companies.
PM Modi inaugurated ICICIs first branch in China at Shanghai.
Highlights of the visit to Mongolia
Modi is the first ever Prime Minister of India to visit the country
India announced to provide one billion US dollar Line of Credit to Mongolia.
India-Mongolia signed 13 agreements including enhancement in cooperation in border Defence, air
services, cyber security, renewable energy and others.
Modi addressed to the Mongolian Parliament.
Modi gifted a rare history manuscript to Mongolian President.
Highlights of the visit to South Korea
Narendra Modi announced to set up a special panel to clear and fast-track South Korean investments into
India.
South Korea became the second country after Japan for which a special panel will be constituted.
South Korea announced to invest 10 billion dollar for Indian infrastructure development.
India-South Korea signed seven agreements including revised avoidance of double taxation, cooperation in
audio-visual co-production, Youth Matters as well as co-operation between the National Security Council
of India and South Korea.
Visit to China
CHINA
India and China on 15 May 2015 signed 24 agreements to augment bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The agreements were signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing, China.
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Yuan
President: Xi Jinping
Premier: Li Keqiang
The details of agreements covering the fields of Education, Railways, People-toPeople exchanges, skill development, Security among others were outlined in
the Joint Statement issued by the two leaders after the conclusion of bilateral talks.
Some of the important agreements are
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An additional Consulate General shall be established in each others country. India shall open a new
Consulate General in Chengdu, while China shall open a new Consulate General in Chennai.
The fifth joint counter-terrorism training between the two armies will be held in China in 2015. The two
sides will exchange visits of naval ships and hold PASSEX and SAR exercises.
Both the countries agreed to abide by the three-stage process for the settlement of the boundary question,
and continuously push forward negotiation on the framework for a boundary settlement based on the
outcomes and common understanding achieved so far, in an effort to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually
acceptable solution as early as possible.
Both the countries agreed on an Action Plan outlining the next steps to enhance the partnership in
the Railway Sector. It is in continuation of the ongoing initiatives including the projects on speed raising on
the existing Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysore line, the proposed feasibility studies for the Delhi-Nagpur section
of high speed rail link, the station redevelopment planning for Bhubaneswar & Baiyappanahalli, heavy haul
transportation training and setting up of a railway university.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to institute a dialogue mechanism between the NITI
Aayog of India and the Development Research Centre of the State Council of China.
The International Yoga Day will be organised jointly on 21 June 2015 in collaboration between the Indian
Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Yunnan National University.
Agreements related to establishing provincial partnership between Karnataka and Sichuan and sister-city
relationships between Aurangabad Dunhuang, Chennai Chongqing and Hyderabad Qingdao were
signed.
Action Plan on the establishment of Mahatma Gandhi National Institute for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship at Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad in Gujarat was signed.
It was agreed to initiate cooperation in development of smart cities with identification of GIFT City in India
and Shenzhen in China as pilot smart cities for joint demonstration projects.
The 2015-2020 Space Cooperation Outline was signed between the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) of the Republic of India and China National Space Administration of the Peoples Republic of China
to reinforce the cooperation in the field of Satellite Remote Sensing, Space-Based meteorology, Space
Science, Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, Satellite Navigation, Space Components, Piggy-back Launching
Services, and Education and Training.
China agreed to allow Indian pilgrims to use the Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) route for Kailash Manasarover
Yatra (Gang Renpoche and Mapam Yun Tso Pilgrimage) in 2015.
Visit to South Korea
SOUTH KOREA
India and South Korea on 18 May 2015 signed seven agreements to upgrade relations
to special strategic partnership level.
Capital: Seoul
The agreements were inked during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to South
President: Park Geun-hye
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Currency: South Korean Won
49
Korea. Prime Minister Modi is on a three nation visit to China (14 May to 16 May 2015), Mongolia (17 May 2015)
and South Korea (18 May to 19 May 2015).
List of Agreements/MoUs signed during the visit of Prime Minister to South Korea
Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to
Taxes on Income.
India-Korea Agreement on Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-Production: The Agreement is being signed
under the provisions of India-South Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
MoU for Cooperation between the National Security Council of India and South Korea.
MoU for Cooperation in the field of Electric Power Development and New Energy Industries.
MoU on Cooperation in Youth Matters.
Framework of Cooperation in the Field of Road Transport.
MoU on Cooperation in the Fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics.
During the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with South Korean President Park Geun Hye in Seoul. Later,
the two leaders released a joint statement.
Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Seoul.
Visit to Mongolia
India and Mongolia on 17 May 2015 signed 13 agreements to further enhance bilateral
ties and co-operation between the two countries. India also announced to provide one
billion US dollar credit to Mongolia.
The agreements were inked during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to
Mongolia. Modis visit to Mongolia is the first ever visit of Indian Prime Minister to
the country.
Capital: Ulan Bator

Currency: Mongolian Tugrik
President: Tsakhiagiin
Elbegdorj
The 13 Agreements include
MONGOLIA
Revised Air Services Agreement: This Agreement updates from previous

arrangements of international air services between India and Mongolia, both
being parties to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Animal Health and Dairy.
MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy.
MoU on Establishment of Cyber Security Training Centre in the Ministry of Defence of Mongolia: Under
this, India will establish a Cyber Security Training Centre and will also undertake the training of personnel
in cyber security.
MoU on Establishment of India-Mongolia Joint Friendship School in Mongolia.
7/22/2015
50
Programme on Cooperation in the field of Culture for the Years 2015-2018.

MoU for Cooperation between the National Security Council of India and Mongolia: This MoU was entered
to hold regular consultations alternatively in New Delhi and Ulaanbaatar.
MoU on Cooperation between the Ministry of External Affairs of India and Mongolia.
MoU for cooperation on development of new and renewable energy technologies.
MoU on enhancing cooperation between the border guarding forces: This MoU envisages the setting up
of a Joint Steering Committee between Ministry of Home Affairs of India and General Authority for Border
Protection of Mongolia.
MoU between the Tata Memorial Centre of India and the National Cancer Center of Mongolia for Gifting
Bhabhatron-II Tele-therapy Unit along with a Radiotherapy Simulator.
MoU to enhance their skills and improve the training programme in both the countries.
Apart from this, during this visit of Modi, the two nations issued joint statement on strategic partnership. Modi also
addressed to the Mongolian Parliament and gifted a rare history manuscript to Mongolian president.
Recent visits:
Country
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Turkmenistan
Currencies
Kyrgyzstani som
Tajikistani somoni
Uzbekistani som
Kazakhstani tenge
Turkmenistan manat
Capitals
Bishkek
Dushanbe
Tashkent
Astana
Ashgabat
List of agreements signed between India and Kyrgyzstan

1.
2.
3.
4.
Agreement on Defence Cooperation: To deepen cooperation between India and Kyrgyzstan in matters
relating to defence, security, military education and training, conduct of joint military exercises, exchange
of experience and information, exchange of military instructors and observers etc.
Memorandum of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation in the field of Elections.
MoU between Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on cooperation in
the sphere of Standards.
Agreement on Cooperation in Culture
List of Agreements signed between India and Kazakhstan

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons

Agreement on Defence and Military Technical Cooperation
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on Physical Cultural and Sports
MoU on Technical Cooperation in the field of Railways
Long term contract between Department of Atomic Energy, India and KazAtomProm for sale and purchase
of natural uranium concentrates
List of Agreements signed between India and Uzbekistan

1.
2.
Intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism

Protocol on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uzbekistan, and Ministry of External
Affairs, India was inked.
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51
3.
Agreement on Intergovernmental Programme of Cultural Cooperation for 2015-17
List of Agreements/ MOUs signed between India and Turkmenistan

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
MoU on supply of chemical products between the Indian Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Rashtriya
Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited and the Turkmen State concern Turkmenhimiya
MoU between the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and
the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan
Agreement between the ministry of youth affairs and sports of India and the state committee for sport of
Turkmenistan on cooperation in the field of sports
Programme of cooperation in science and technology between India and Turkmenistan for the period of
2015-2017
MoU between India and Turkmenistan on cooperation in Yoga and Traditional Medicine
MoU on cooperation in the field of tourism
Agreement on cooperation in the field of Defence
Agreements signed between India and Tajikistan

1.
2.
Programme of Cooperation (POC) in the field of Culture for the years 2016-18: It envisages cooperation in
the field of culture through exchange of expertise in protection, preservation and promotion of cultural
heritage in both countries, exchange of information and experts and organization of cultural days in each
others countries for greater cultural understanding between the countries.
Exchange of Note Verbale (NV) on setting up of Computer Labs in 37 Schools in Tajikistan: The Note Verbale
conveys the intention of Indian side to set up computer labs in 37 schools in Tajikistan for supporting
Government of Tajikistans human resource and skill development efforts. The NV also outlines
responsibilities of both sides in implementing the project.
Government released the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 for Rural India
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water
Supply and Sanitation Chaudhary Birendra Singh on 3 July 2015 released the provisional data from the Socio
Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 for Rural India. The survey was completed in all the 640 districts. It provides
very useful data on households regarding various aspects of their socio-economic status housing, land-holding,
educational status, status of women, the differently able, occupation, possession of assets, SC/ST households,
incomes, etc.
Key Findings from Rural India

1.
2.
Total Households in the Country

Urban)
Total Rural Households
3.
Total Excluded Households
7/22/2015
(Rural plus
24.39 Crore
17.91 Crore
7.05 Crore
52
4.
Automatically included Households
16.50 lakh
5.
Households considered for deprivation
10.69 Crore
6.
Households not reporting deprivation
2.00 crore
7.
Households with any one of the 7 deprivation
8.69 Crore
Deprivation Data
D1.
Households with only one room, kuccha walls and kuccha roof
2.37 Crore
D2.
No adult member in household between age 18 and 59
65.15 lakh
D3.
Female headed household with no adult male member between

16 and 59
68.96 Lakh
D4.
Households with differently able member with no other able

bodied adult member
7.16 lakh
D5.
SC/ST Households
3.86 Crore
D6.
Households with no literate adult above age 25 years
4.21 Crore
D7
Landless households deriving a major part of their income from

manual labour
5.37 Crore
Sources of Household income

1.
Total Rural Households
17.91Crore
2.
Cultivation
5.39 Crore
3.
Manual Casual labour
9.16 Crore
4.
Part time or full time domestic

service
44.84 lakh
5.
Rag picking, etc.
4.08 lakh
6.
Non Agricultural
enterprise
7.
Begging/charity/alms
6.68 lakh
8.
Others ( including government

service, private service, PSU
employment, etc.
2.50 Crore
7/22/2015
own
account
SECC 2011 is a unique paperless Census. The

enumeration of the data was done using over 6.4 lakh
electronic handheld device. Household data was taken
from the National Population Register along with the
Temporary Identification Number (TIN).
28.87 lakh
53
Housing for All by 2022

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, gave its approval for launch of
Housing for All by 2022 aimed for urban areas with following components/options to States/Union
Territories and cities:a) Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a
resource;
b) Promotion of affordable housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy;
c) Affordable housing in partnership with Public & Private sectors and
d) Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement.
Central grant of Rs. one lakh per house, on an average, will be available under the slum rehabilitation
programme. A State Government would have flexibility in deploying this slum rehabilitation grant to any
slum rehabilitation project taken for development using land as a resource for providing houses to slum
dwellers.
Under the Credit Linked Interest Subsidy component, interest subsidy of 6.5 percent on housing loans
availed upto a tenure of 15 years will be provided to EWS/LIG categories, wherein the subsidy pay-out
on NPV basis would be about Rs.2.3 lakh per house for both the categories.
LIG - Lower Income Group

EWS - Economically Weaker Section
Central assistance at the rate of Rs.1.5 lakh per house for EWS category will be provided under the
Affordable Housing in Partnership and Beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement.
State Government or their para statals like Housing Boards can take up project of affordable housing to
avail the Central Government grant.
The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme except the credit linked subsidy
component, which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.
The Mission also prescribes certain mandatory reforms for easing up the urban land market for housing,
to make adequate urban land available for affordable housing.
Houses constructed under the mission would be allotted in the name of the female head of the
households or in the joint name of the male head of the household and his wife.
The scheme will cover the entire urban area consisting of 4041 statutory towns with initial focus on 500
Class I cities and it will be implemented in three phases as follows, viz.
a) Phase-I (April 2015 March 2017) to cover 100 Cities to be selected from States/UTs as per
their willingness;
b) Phase II (April 2017 March 2019) to cover additional 200 Cities and
c) Phase-III (April 2019 March 2022) to cover all other remaining Cities.
7/22/2015
54
However, there will be flexibility in covering number of cities in various phases and inclusion of
additional cities may be considered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation in case there
is demand from States and cities and have capacity to include them in earlier phases.
Credit linked subsidy component of the scheme would be implemented across the country in all
statutory towns from the very beginning.
Dimension of the task at present is estimated at 2 crore. Exact number of houses, though, would
depend on demand survey for which all States/Cities will undertake detailed demand assessment for
assessing actual demand by integrating Aadhar number, Jan Dhan Yojana account numbers or any such
identification of intended beneficiaries.
Housing sector contributes 5% to the GDP
According to a senior Housing and Urban Poverty Department Alleviation official, at present, with the
interest rate of 10.50 per cent, current EMI on admissible loan component of Rs 6 lakh, over 15-year
loan duration works out to be Rs 6,632 per month.
With Cabinet deciding on credit-linked subsidy to 6.5 percent, EMI comes down to Rs 4,050 per month,
benefiting the urban poor by Rs 2,582 per month.
On the whole, central assistance in the range of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.30 lakh per beneficiary would be
provided under different components of the National Urban Housing Mission in urban areas to build 2
crore new houses to meet the housing shortage, over the next 7 years.
7/22/2015
55
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 500 Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities was
also launched along with smart city project. For AMRUT as well, states have been asked to recommend
cities which can be included under this scheme.
Five hundred cities will be taken up under AMRUT. The list of cities will be notified at the appropriate
time. The category of cities that will be covered in the AMRUT is given below:
i.
All Cities and Towns with a population of over one lakh with notified Municipalities,
including Cantonment Boards (Civilian areas),
All Capital Cities/Towns of States/ UTs, not covered in above ,
All Cities/ Towns classified as Heritage Cities by MoUD under the HRIDAY Scheme,
Thirteen Cities and Towns on the stem of the main rivers with a population above 75,000
and less than 1 lakh, and
Ten Cities from hill states, islands and tourist destinations (not more than one from each
State).
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
UP again leads the pack, as they can nominate 64 cities under this project. Here is the breakdown for
different states:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Tamil Nadu: 33 cities

Maharashtra: 37
Gujarat: 31
Karnataka: 21
Andhra Pradesh: 31
Rajasthan: 30
West Bengal: 28
Bihar: 27
Odisha: 19
Haryana: 19
Kerala: 18
Punjab: 17
Telangana: 15
Chhattisgarh: 10
Under this scheme, Central Govt. will provide 30% of the overall cost, if the city has a population of
more than 10 lakh; and 50% if under 10 lakh.
The purpose of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is to
7/22/2015
56
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and a
sewerage connection;
increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained
open spaces (e.g. parks); and
reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for nonmotorized transport (e.g. walking and cycling).
All these outcomes are valued by citizens, particularly women, and indicators and standards have been
prescribed by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) in the form of Service Level Benchmarks
(SLBs).
The Mission will focus on the following Thrust Areas:

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Water Supply,
Sewerage facilities and septage management,
Storm Water drains to reduce flooding,
Pedestrian, non-motorized and public transport facilities, parking spaces, and
Enhancing amenity value of cities by creating and upgrading green spaces, parks and
recreation centers, especially for children.
Cities Classifications:
Population classification
Population (2001 Census)
Tier-1
100,000 and above
Tier-2
50,000 to 99,999
Tier-3
20,000 to 49,999
Tier-4
10,000 to 19,999
Tier-5
5,000 to 9,999
Tier-6
less than 5000
7/22/2015
57
UNION BUDGET 2015-16

Allocation & Revenue Government Earning and Expense
The Plan Expenditure for 2014-15 was revised from 5,75,000 crore to 4,67,934 crore due to a
large deficit.
The Plan Expenditure for 2015-16 was set at 4,65,277 crore.
The Non-Plan Expenditure was estimated at 13,12,200 crore, with the total being estimated at
17,77,477 crore.
The government expects 4,65,277 crore as tax receipts, of which 5,23,958 crore will go to
state governments.
Non-tax receipts were estimated at 2,21,733 crore for 2015-16.
The defence budget was increased from 2.29 lakh crore in 2014-15 to 2.46 lakh crore in
2015-16, an increase of 10.95%.
The expenditure on healthcare was set at 33,152 crore for 2015-16, a reduction from 39,238
crore in 2014-15.
Tax-free infrastructure bonds were re-introduced after a gap of one year.
The fiscal deficit for 2014-15 was 4.1% of the GDP. The target set for 2015-16 was that the fiscal
deficit would be brought down to 3.9%.
The revenue deficit target for 2015-16 was set at 2.8% of the GDP, 0.1% lower from 2014-15.
Service Tax Raised from 12.36 to 14%
Service tax is a tax levied by

the government on service
providers on certain service
transactions, but is actually
borne by the customers.
The service tax rate was raised from 12.36% to 14%.

A Swachh Bharat cess was announced, under which 2% will be
added on select services.
The service tax exemption given to mutual fund agents was
withdrawn.
Varishta Bima Yojana for senior citizens was exempt from service tax.
Lottery ticket sellers and chit fund agents were brought under the ambit of service tax.
On Activities & Goods

Pre-cooling, ripening, retail packing and labelling of vegetables and fruits were exempted from
service tax.
Ambulance services were exempted from service tax.
Visits to music concerts, amusement and theme parks were brought under the ambit of service
tax.
Visits to museums, zoos, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves were exempted
service tax.
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58
Income Tax How much do we need to Pay after Earning

There was no change in income tax slabs of individuals.
The wealth tax was abolished.
The surcharge on individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUF),
associations of persons (AOPs), bodies of individuals (BOI)s, artificial
juridical persons, firms, cooperative societies and local authorities
having income earning 1 crore or more, was raised from 10% to 12%.
Up to `250,000
The permitted deduction limit was raised up to 25,000 towards health
`250,001 to
insurance for ordinary citizens, an increase from previous 15,000.
`500,000
For senior citizens, it was raised to 30,000 from previous 20,000.
500,001 to
A deduction up to 80,000 was allowed on the treatment of select very
1,000,000
serious diseases for very senior citizens.
1,000,001
A deduction up to 25,000 was allowed for differently-abled citizens.
An additional 50,000 was permitted on the new pension scheme.
Salaried employees were given the choice between Employees'
Provident Fund and National Pension Scheme as their pension fund.
Investments in Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme and interest payouts were
made eligible for deductions.
Exemptions for transport allowances was raised from 800 to 1,600 per month, it is thus
19,200 per year. This exemption is usually given to individual salaried employees for
commuting from home to workplace.
It was announced that premature withdrawal from pension funds, if service period is less than
5 years, will result in deduction of tax at source. If withdrawal amount is more than 30,000
then 10% tax will be deducted.
Income Tax Slab
Corporate Tax The Big Shots will Pay

It was announced that corporate tax rate will be gradually reduced from 30% to 25% over the
period of 4 years, starting in April 2016.
2% surcharge was introduced on earnings above 10 crores.
It was announced that donations made to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Clean Ganga plan under
corporate social responsibility will get 100% deduction.
The General Anti-Avoidance Rule was delayed by two years.
Yoga trusts were classified as charitable trusts and given tax benefits.
7/22/2015
59
NIL
10%
20%
30%
Above
Economic Reforms
A proposed Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Bill, which would criminalise cash transactions
of 20,000 or above for purchase of immovable properties, was announced.
Permanent Account Number (PAN) was made mandatory for transactions above 1 lakh.
A gold coin with the Ashoka Chakra on the face will be created.
The SARFAESI Act will be expanded to cover non-banking financial institutions (NBFC) which
will make it easier for them to recover non-performing assets (NPA).
The states of Bihar and West Bengal were given special assistance packages from the centre.
A startup incubator programme called Self Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) was
announced. It was allocated 1,000 crore.
Salaried employees were given the choice between Employees' Provident Fund and National
Pension Scheme as their pension fund.
Two new insurance schemes and a pension fund were announced to improve the social security
of the poor citizens.
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana with an annual premium of 12 will provide a coverage
of 2 lakh for full disability or death, and 1 lakh for partial disability.
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana is a life insurance scheme with an annual premium of
330, it will pay 2 lakh is case of death.
Atal Pension Yojana is a pension scheme targeted at the unorganised sector.
Educational Investments & Announcements

A scheme called Nayi Manzil was announced which will help minority youth without schoolleaving certificate to find employment.
Five new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) were announced for Jammu and
Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Assam.
An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will set up in Karnataka and the Indian School of Mines,
Dhanbad will be upgraded to an IIT.
Two new Indian Institute of Management (IIM) announced for Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra
Pradesh.
A new Post Graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education was announced for
Amritsar.
Three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research were announced for
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Two new Institutes of Science and Education Research were announced for Nagaland and
Odisha.
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60
Two new institutes called Apprenticeship Training Institute for Women were announced for
Haryana and Uttarakhand.
A networked system called the Student Financial Aid Authority was announced which would
monitor the allocation of scholarships and educational loans under the Pradhan Mantri Vidya
Lakshmi Karyakram.
The education budget was allocated 69,074 crore for the year 2015-16. This was a reduction
from the revised estimates from 2014-15 which was 70,505 crore.
The school education sector was allocated 42,219.50 crore and higher education sector was
allocated 26,855 crore.
Excise and Customs How things got cheap/costly

The education cess were subsumed from central excise duty. Instead, the central excise duty
rates were rounded off from 12.36% to 12.5%.
The clean energy cess was increased from 100 to 200 per tonne of coal.
It was announced that the Goods and Services Tax is expected to be implemented by 1 April
2016.
The excise duty on cigarettes was increased by 25%.
The excise on cut tobacco was raised from 60 to 70 per kg.
The duty on plastic bags was increased from 12% to 18%.
The duty on soft drinks and packaged water was increased from 12% to 18%.
On cement, it increased from 900 per tonne to 1,000 per tonne.
The duty was removed from compounds used in the manufacture of incense sticks.
Excise duty on leather footwear was reduced from 12% to 6%.
The duty on locally manufactured mobile phones, LED/LCD panels, LED lights and lamps was
reduced.
The duty on ambulance chassis reduced from 24% to 12.5%.
22 components used in electronics sector were exempted from import duty.
Basic custom duty on magnetrons were removed.
Import duty on various refrigerator components were removed.
Import duty on solar water heaters was removed.
Some pacemaker components were exempted.
Duty on imported commercial vehicle was increased from 10% to 40%.
7/22/2015
61
Important News Agencies Around the World

Country
USA
India
United Kingdom
China
Belgium
Vatican City
Iran
Japan
Russia
Pan Africa
Spain
France
Italy
Morocco
Indonesia
Germany
Serbia
Egypt
Palestine
Press Agencies
Associated Press (AP), United Press International, Bloomberg News
Press Trust of India (PTI), United News of India/ Univarta, Samachar Bharti,
Asian News International (ANI)
Reuters, Press Association
Xin Hua
Belga
Agenzia Fides
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Kyodo
Novosti, TASS, Interfax
PanaPress
EFE
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA)
Maghreb Arabe Press
ANTARA
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Tanjug
Middle East News Agency
Wafa
Top three are: Reuters (UK), Associated Press(US) and Agence France-Presse(AFP)
Note: We have seen people updating screenshots in group of these PDFs, hence we created a
different type of Watermark. People can share our PDFs as a whole but not Screenshots.
7/22/2015
62
Important Sports Championships

Cricket
Commonwealth Games
2015 Mens Cricket World Cup Australia

and New Zealand
2019 Mens Cricket World Cup England
and Wales
2023 Mens Cricket World Cup India
2017 Womens Cricket World Ireland
2017 Mens ICC Test Championship
England and Wales
2021 Mens ICC Test Championship India
2016 ICC Mens World Twenty20 India
2020 ICC Mens World Twenty20 Australia
2016 ICC Womens World Twenty20 India
2016 ICC Under19 World Cup
Bangladesh
2018 ICC Under19 World Cup New
Zealand
2020 ICC Under19 World Cup South
Africa
2022 ICC Under19 World Cup West
Indies
Olympics
2016 Summer Olympics & Paralympics Rio

de Janeiro, Brazil
2020 Summer Olympics & Paralympics
Tokyo, Japan
2018 Winter Olympics & Paralympics
Pyeongchang, South Korea
2015 Special Olympics World Summer
Games Los Angeles, USA
2014 Summer Youth Olympics Nanjing,
China
2018 Summer Youth Olympics Buenos
Aires, Argentina
2016 Winter Youth Olympics
Lillehammer, Norway
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Cost,

Queensland, Australia
2022 Commonwealth Games Durban,
South Africa (Yet to be confirmed)
Football
2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
2015 FIFA U20 World Cup New Zealand
2017 FIFA U20 World Cup South Korea
2015 FIFA U17 World Cup Chile
2017 FIFA U17 World Cup India
2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Russia
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Canada
2015 AFC Asian Cup Australia
2019 AFC Asian Cup UAE
2015 Copa America Chile
2019 Copa America Brazil
2023 Copa America Ecuador
2016 Copa America Centenarian (100 years)
USA
UEFA Euro 2016 France
UEFA Euro 2020 Pan Europe
BRICS U17 Football Tournament - India
Hockey
2018 Men's Hockey World Cup

Bhubaneswar, India
2018 Women's Hockey World Cup
London, England
2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy
Argentina
2018 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy
Netherlands
2016 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy
United kingdom
2018 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy
Argentina
Asian Games
2018 Asian Games Jakarta, Indonesia

2017 Asian Winter Games Sapporo, Japan
7/22/2015
63
LIST OF IMPORTANT DAYS
January:
January 1 - Global Family Day, Army

Medical Corps Establishment Day
January 5 - Louis Braille Day
January 6 - World War Orphans Day
January 9 - NRI Day or Pravasi
Bhartiya Diwas
January 10 - World Laughter Day
January 11 - Death anniversary of Lal
Bahadur Shastri
January 12 - National Youth Day or
Birthday of Swami Vivekananda
January 15 - National Army Day
January 23 - Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose's Birth Anniversary
January 24 - National Girl Child Day of
India
January 25 - National Tourism Day,
National Voters Day
January 26 - Republic Day of India,
International Customs duty day
January 27 - International Holocaust
Remembrance Day
January 28 - Data Protection Day,Birth
Anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai
January 30 - National Martyrs Day or
Sarvodaya Day,World Leprosy
Eradication Day
February:
February 2 - World Wetlands Day

February 4 - World Cancer Day,
National Day of Srilanka, Facebook
day
2nd Sunday of February - World
Marriage Day
February 6 - International Day against
Female Genital Mutilation
7/22/2015
February 10 National Deworming

Day
February 11 - World Day of the Sick
February 12 - Darwin Day
February 13 - World Radio Day,
National Womens day or Sarojini
Naidus Birthday
February 14 - Valentines Day
February 20 - World Day of Social
Justice
February 21 - International Mother
Language Day
February 22 - World Scout Day, World
Thinking day
February 23 - World Peace and
Understanding Day
February 24 - Central Excise Day
February 28 - National Science Day
March:
March 3 - National Defence Day

March 4 - National Safety Day, World
Day of the Fight Against Sexual
Exploitation, National Security Day
March 8 - International Womens Day
March 13 - World Rotaract Day
March 14 - World Pie day
2nd Monday of March Commonwealth Day
2nd Thursday of March - World Kidney
Day
March 15 - World Consumer Rights
Day, World Disabled Day, World
Contact Day
March 16 - National Vaccination Day
March 18 - National Ordinance
Factories Day
March 20 - International Day of
Happiness, World sparrow day
March 21 - World Forestry Day,
International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, World Poetry
64
Day, World Down Syndrome day,

World Puppetry day
3rd Friday of March - World Sleep Day
March 22 - World Water Day
March 23 - World Meteorological Day,
Pakistan Day(Youm-e-pakistan)
March 24 - World TB Day,
International Day for Achievers, Rural
post office insurance day
March 25 - International Day of
Remembrance Victims of Slavery
and Transatlantic Slave Trade
March 26 - World Purple day(epilepsy
awareness day)
March 27 - World Drama Day or World
Theater Day
April:
April 23 - World Book and Copyright

Day, World English Language Day
April 24 - World Lab Animals Day ,
Panchayat diwas day
April 25 - World Malaria Day, Italy
Liberation Day
April 26 - World Intellectual Property
Day
April 28 - International Workers
Memorial Day, World day for Safety
and Health at work
April 29 - World Dance Day
April 30 - International Jazz Day
May:
April 1 - Orissa Day, April fool's day
April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day
April 4 - International Day for Mine
Awareness and Assistance in Mine
Action
April 5 - National Maritime Day
April 7 - World Health Day, Special
protection Group foundation day
April 8 - World Romani Day
April 12 - World Aviation &
Cosmonauts Day
April 13 - Jallianwallah Bagh
Massacre Day
April 14 - B.R.Ambedkar
Remembrance Day, world aeronautics
and cosmology day
April 15 - World day of Silence, Day of
Dialogue
April 17 - World Haemophilia Day
April 18 - World Heritage Day
April 21 - World Creativity and
Innovation Day, National Secrataries
day, National Civil Services Day
April 22 - World Earth Day
7/22/2015
May 01 - World Labour Day or May

Day or Workers Day, Maharashtra
Day
May 03 - Press Freedom Day (Intl.),
International Sun Day, World Asthma
Day, International Energy Day
May 04 - Coal Miners Day (Intl.),
International Firefighters Day
1st Sunday of May - World Laughter
Day
May 05 - World Athletics Day, World
Midwives Day
May 06 - World No Diet Day
May 08 - World Red Cross Day or Red
Crescent Day, Remembrance and
Reconciliation for Lost Lives of
Second World War
May 09 - World Thalassemia Day
2nd Sunday of May - World Mother
Day
May 10 - International Migratory Bird
Day
May 11 - National technology day
May 12 - International Nurses Day
65
May 13 - International Criminal Court

Day
May 15 - International Day of the
Families
May 17 - World Tele-communication
and Information Society Day, Wold
AIDS Vaccination day, World
Hypertension Day, International day
against Homophobia and Transphobia
May 18 - World Museum Day
May 20 - World Meteorology Day
May 21 - National Anti Terrorism Day,
National Day for Cultural Development
May 22 - International Day for
Biological Diversity
May 24 - Commonwealth Day
May 25 - World Missing Childrens day
May 29 - International Day of
Peacekeepers
May 31 - World Anti Tobacco Day
June:
June 1 - Global Day of Parents

June 4 - World Day of Innocent
Children Victims of Aggression
June 5 - World Environment Day
June 8 - World Brain Tumor Day,
World Oceans Day
June 12 - World Day Against Child
Labor
June 14 - World Blood Donor Day
June 15 - World elder abuse
awareness day
3rd Sunday of June - World Fathers
Day
June 16 - International Integration Day
June 18 - International Picnic Day,
Fathers day
June 20 - World Refugee Day
June 21 International Yoga Day,
World Music Day
7/22/2015
June 23 - International Olympic Day,

United Nations Public Service Day,
International Widows Day
June 26 - International Day against
Drug abuse and Illicit Trafficking,
International Day in support of Victims
of torture
July:
July 1 - International Joke Day, world

Doctors Day, State bank foundation
day
July 2 - World Sports Journalists Day,
World UFO day
1st Saturday of July - International
Day of Cooperatives
July 04 - America Independence Day
July 06 - World Zoonoses Day
July 07 - World Chocolate Day
July 11 - World Population Day
July 12 - International Malala Day
July 18 - International Nelson Mandela
Day
July 26 - Kargil Vijay Diwas or Kargil
Memorial Day or Kargil Victory Day
July 28 - World Nature Conservation
Day, World Hepatitis Day
July 29 - International Tiger Day
August:
First Sunday in August - International

Friendship Day
August 1- World breast feeding day
August 6 - Hiroshima Day, Anti
Nuclear Day, World peace day
August 8 - World Senior Citizen Day
August 9 - Nagasaki Day, International
Day of the Worlds Indigenous People,
Quit India Day
August 12 - International Youth Day
August 13 - International Left Handers
Day
66
August 14 - Pakistans Independence

Day
August 15 - Indias Independence
Day, International Mourning Day
August 19 - World Humanitarian Day,
World Photography Day
August 20 - National Sadbhavna
Divas or Birthday of Rajiv Gandhi,
World Mosquito Day, Indain Akshay
Urja Diwas or day
August 21 - National Senior Citizen
Day
August 23 - International Day for the
Remembrance of the Slave Trade and
Its Abolition
August 29 - National Sports Day or
Dhyanchand's Birthday
August 30 - International day of the
victims of enforced Disappearances
September:
September 2 - World Coconut Day

September 5 - National Teachers Day
or Dr. Radhakrishanan's Birth Day,
Sanskrit Day
September 7 - World Forgiveness Day
September 8 - World Literacy Day
September 10 - World Anti-Suicide
Day
September 14 - Hindi Diwas or Hindi
Day, World First Aid Day
September 15 - International Day of
Democracy, International Engineers
Day
September 16 - World Ozone Day
September 20 - RPF Foundation day
September 21 - World Peace Day or
International day for Peace and Nonviolence (UN), World Alzheimers Day
September 22 - World Cancer Free
Day or Rose Day
September 23 - International Day of
the Deaf
7/22/2015
September 25 Antyodya Diwas

September 26 - World Contraception
Day, European day of languages
September 27 - World Tourism Day
September 28 - World Rabies Day
September 29 - World Heart Day
October:
1st Monday of October - World Habitat

Day
October 1 - World Vegetarian Day,
International Day of the older/Elderly
October 2 - Gandhi Jayanti,
International Day of Non-Violence,
Birth of lal bahudar shastri.
October 3 - World Nature Day
October 4 - World Animal Day
October 5 - World Teachers Day
October 6 - World Wildlife Day
October 8 - Indian Air Force Day
October 9 - World Postal or Post-office
Day
October 10 - World Mental Health
Day, National Post-office Day
October 11 - International Day of the
Girl Child
2nd Thursday of October - World Sight
Day
October 12 - World Arthritis Day
October 13 - International Day for
Natural Disaster Reduction
October 14 - World Standards Day
October 15 - Global Hand Washing
Day, International Day of Rural
Women, World White Cane Safety
Day
October 16 - World Food Day
October 17 - International Poverty Day
for its Eradication
October 20 - World Osteoporosis
Day,World Statistics Day, National
Solidarity day
67
October 24 - UN Day, World

Development Information Day, World
Polio Day
October 27 - World day for Audio
Visual Heritage
October 28 - International Animation
Day
October 30 World thrift day
October 31 - World Savings Day or
Halloween Day
November 1 - World Vegan Day

November 6 - International Day for
Preventing the Exploitation of the
Environment in War and Armed
Conflict
November 7 - Infant Protection Day,
World Cancer Awareness Day
November 8 - World Radiology Day
November 9 - World Legal Service
Day
November 10 - World Science day for
Peace and Development, Public
Transport Day
November 11 - National Education
Day
November 12 - World Pneumonia
Day, Public Service Broadcasting Day
November 13 - World Kindness Day
November 14 - Childrens Day(India),
World Diabetes Day
Endurance or Tolerance
November 17 - International Students
Day, Gurunanak Dev's Birth
Anniversary, National eplilepsy day
November 19 - World Toilet Day,
International Mens Day, National
Integration Day
November 20 - Universal Childrens
Day
7/22/2015
November:
3rd Sunday of November - World Day

of Remembrance for Road Traffic
Victims
3rd Thursday of November - World
Philosophy Day
November 21 - World Fisheries Day,
World Hello Day, World Television
Day
the Elimination of Violence Against
Women, World Non-Veg day
November 26 - National Law Day or
National constitution Day
November 30 - National Flag Day
December:
December 1 - World AIDS Day

December 2 - World Computer
Literacy Day, International Day for the
Abolition of Slavery
December 3 - International Day of
People with Disability or World
Disability Day
December 4 - Indian Navy Day
December 5 - International Volunteer
Day for Economic and Social
Development
December 7 - International Civil
Aviation Day, Indian Armed Force
Flag Day
December 9 - The International AntiCorruption Day, Girl child day (INDIA)
December 10 - World Human Rights
Day,International Children's Day of
Broadcasting
December 11 - International Mountain
Day, UNICEF Day
December 14 - National Energy
Conservation Day (India)
December 17 - International day
against violence against sex workers
December 16 - Vijay Diwas
68
December 18 - International Migrants

Day, National Minority Rights Day
December 19 - Goas Liberation Day
December 20 - International Human
Solidarity Day
December 23 - National Farmers Day
or Kisan Diwas
December 25 - Christmas Day,
National Good Governance Day
Silent
(edited by Team)
www.facebook.com/exampundit
7/22/2015
69
Assistant 2015 PDF

List of Governors and Lt. GovernorsRBI
2015
State
Governor
Andhra Pradesh
Shri E.S Lakshmi Narasimhan
Arunachal Pradesh
Shri J.P. Rajkhowa
Assam
Shri Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya (Add. Charge)
Bihar
Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi (Add. Charge)
Chhattisgarh
Shri Balramji Dass Tandon
Goa
Smt. Mridula Sinha
Gujarat
Shri Om Prakash Kohli
Haryana
Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki
Himachal Pradesh
Shri Kalyan Singh (Add. Charge)
Jammu and Kashmir
Shri N. N. Vohra
Jharkhand
Shrimati Droupadi Murmu
Karnataka
Shri Vajubhai Vala
Kerala
Shri Justice (Retd.) Palaniswamy Sathasivam
Madhya Pradesh
Shri Ram Naresh Yadav
Maharashtra
Shri Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao
Manipur
Dr. Syed Ahmed
Meghalaya
Shri V. Shanmuganthan
Mizoram
Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma
Nagaland
Shri Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya
Odisha
Dr. S. C. Jamir
Punjab
Shri Kaptan Singh Solanki
Rajasthan
Shri Kalyan Singh
Sikkim
Shri Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil
Tamil Nadu
Dr. K. Rosaiah
Telangana
Shri E.S Lakshmi Narasimhan (Add. Charge)
7/22/2015
70

Tripura
Shri Tathagata Roy
Uttar Pradesh
Shri Ram Naik
Uttarakhand
Dr. Krishan Kant Paul
West Bengal
Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi
Lt. Governors & Administrators

Union Territory
Lt. Governor/Administrator
Andaman and Nicobar Island (UT)
Lt. General A.K. Singh (Retd.)(Lieutenant Governor)
Chandigarh (UT)
Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki (Administrator)
Dadra and Nagar Haveli (UT)
Shri Ashish Kundra(Administrator)
Daman and Diu (UT)
Shri Ashish Kundra, (Administrator)
Delhi (NCT)
Shri Najeeb Jung (Lieutenant Governor)
Lakshadweep (UT)
Shri H. Rajesh Prasad(Administrator)
Puducherry (UT)
Lt. General A.K. Singh (Retd)(Lieutenant Governor)
By SPIDER
7/22/2015
71
Important Stock Exchanges and Their Indexes

Exchanges
New York stock exchange
NASDAQ
London Stock exchange group
Indexes
NYSE
NASDAQ-100
FTSE-100
Tokyo stock exchange

Shanghai Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Euro next
Nikkiei 225
SSE Composite
Hang Sang Indexes
AEX Index
BEL20
PSI20
CAC40
Shenzhen Stock Exchange
SZSE Composite
Index
DAX
Sensex
Nifty
Deutsche Borse
Bombay stock exchange
National Stock Exchange of
India
Six Swiss Exchange
Australian Securities
Exchange
Korea Exchange
OMX Nordic Exchange
JSE limited
BME Spanish Exchanges
Taiwan Stock Exchange
BM&F Bovespa
Toronto Stock Exchange
Economy
United states
United states
United Kingdom
Italy
Japan
China
Hong Kong
Netherland
Belgium
Portugal
France
Headquarters
New York
New York
London
China
Shenzhen
Germany
India
India
Frankfurt
Mumbai
Mumbai
Tokyo
Shanghai
Hong Kong
Amsterdam
Brussels
Lisbon
Paris
SMI(SWISS MARKET Switzerland

INDEX)
S&P/ASX 200
Australia
Zurich
KOSPI
OMX Nordic 40
Seoul
Stockholm
FTSE/JSE
IBEX35
TSEC
Bovespa Index
S&p/TSX
Composite
South Korea
Northern Europe,
Armenia
South Africa
Spain
Taiwan
Brazil
Canada
Sydney
Johannesburg
Madrid
Taipei
Sao Paulo
Toronto
By
Megha
7/22/2015
72
Important Stadiums
Name of Stadiums
Salt Lake Stadium
Buddh International Circuit
Eden Gardens
Bhim Rao Ambedkar International Sports
Stadium
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International
Cricket Stadium
Green Park Stadium(Cricket)
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium
Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium
EMS Stadium
Barabati Stadium
Fatorda Stadium
Wankhede Stadium
Feroz Shah Kotla
Kanchenjunga Stadium
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
JRD Tata Sports Complex
Captain Roop Singh Stadium
Khuman Lampak Main Stadium
Holkar Stadium
Mangalagiri International Cricket Stadium
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
Sree Kanteerava Stadium
Kishore Bharati Krirangan
Thyagaraj Sports Complex
Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium
G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium
Sree Kanteerava Stadium
Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
Hawla Indoor Stadium
Barkatullah Khan Stadium
Guindy Race Course
Mahalaxmi Racecourse
MGR Race Course Stadium
Sector 42 Stadium
Dhyan Chand National Stadium
Dhyan Chand Astroturf Stadium
Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium
Dadaji Kondadev Stadium
Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium
Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium
City, State
Kolkata, West Bengal
Greater Noida, UP
Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh

Kochi, Kerala
Chennai, TN
Raipur, Chhatishgarh
Kanpur, UP
Guwahati, Assam
Pune, Maharashtra
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Kohzikode, Kerala
Cuttack, Orissa
Margao, Goa
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Delhi
Siliguri, West Bengal
Bengaluru, Karnataka
Jamshedpur
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
Imphal, Manipur
Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh
Dharmashala, Himachal Pradesh
Delhi
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Hyderabad, Telengana
Guwahati, Assam
Aizawl, Mizoram
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Chandigarh, Punjab
Delhi
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Thane, Maharashtra
Cuttack, Odisha
Taleigao, Goa
Under Construction
7/22/2015
73
List of Largest Producing Countries in 2015

Product
Tea
Milk
Butter
Beef
Diamond
Silver
Platinum
Petrolium
Steel
Natural Gas
Coconut
Cotton
Jute
Silk
Wool
Saffron
Turmeric
Cardamom
Chili pepper
Pepper
Ginger
Cumin
Walnut
Peanut
Cashew Nut
Almond
Lemon
Mango
Banana
Sugar Cane
Apple
Pulses
Millet
Rice
Wheat
Tobacco
Aluminum
Iron Ore
Paper
Zinc
Gold
Bauxite
Spice
Coal
7/22/2015
Largest Producer
China
India
India
USA
Russia
Mexico
South Africa
USA
China
USA
Indonesia
China
India
China
Australia
Iran
India
Guatemala
India
Vietnam
India
India
China
China
Nigeria
USA
India
India
India
Brazil
China
India
India
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
Australia
India
China
Second Largest Producer

India
USA
USA
Brazil
Botswana
China
Russia
Russia
Japan #See below
Russia
Phillipines ^See below
India
Bangladesh
India
New Zealand
Spain
Pakistan
India
China
India
China
Turkey
India
India
India
Spain
Mexico
China
China
India
USA
Mozambique
Nigeria
India
India
India
Russia
Australia
USA
Peru
Australia
China
Bangladesh
USA*See Below
74
# India on 3rd
* India on 3rd
^ India on 3rd
Largest Bridge - DanyangKunshan Grand Bridge - China

Largest Bauxite Reserves - Guinea
Largest Tiger Headcount - India
Largest Oil Exporter - Saudi Arabia
Largest Shipbuilder - South Korea
Largest Electricity Producer - China - India on 3rd
Largest Wind power Producer - China
Largest Motor Vehicle Producer - China - India on 6th
Largest Rice Consumption - China - India second
Disclaimer: The above Data changes often. If at least 10 items are changed, then we will roll out the
updated version. Otherwise, please check if you have any doubt.
7/22/2015
75
List of Indian States and Capitals

Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad now, Amravathi from 2024
Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar
Assam
Dispur
Bihar
Patna
Chhattisgarh
Raipur
Goa
Panaji
Gujarat
Gandhinagar
Haryana
Chandigarh (shared with Punjab)
Himachal Pradesh
Shimla
Jammu & Kashmir
Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)
Jharkhand
Ranchi
Karnataka
Bangalore
Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal
Maharashtra
Mumbai
Manipur
Imphal
Meghalaya
Shillong
Mizoram
Aizawl
Nagaland
Kohima
Odisha (Orissa)
Bhubaneshwar
Punjab
Chandigarh (shared with Haryana)
Rajasthan
Jaipur
Sikkim
Gangtok
Tamil Nadu
Chennai
Telangana
Hyderabad
Tripura
Agartala
Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow
Uttarakhand
Dehradun
West Bengal
Kolkata
7/22/2015
76
Asian Organisations
Asian Development Bank - Manila,

Philippines
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Beijing, China(Proposed)
New Development Bank (NDB) Shanghai, China(Proposed)
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations(ASEAN) - Jakarta, Indonesia
South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation(SAARC) - Kathmandu,
Nepal
Paris, France
United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD)
European Space Agency
Lyon, France
International Criminal Police

Organization, or INTERPOL
Sevres, France
International Organisations by
Location
International Bureau of Weights and

Measures(BIPM)
Bonn, Germany
Vienna, Austria
Organization of the Petroleum

Exporting Countries (OPEC)
International Atomic Energy Agency
United Nations Industrial Development
Organization
Copenhagen, Denmark
Rome, Italy
International Council for the

Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
International Court of Justice

International Criminal Court
Madrid, Spain
World Customs Organization

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)
World Tourism Organization
Berne, Switzerland
7/22/2015
Food and Agriculture Organization

International Fund for Agricultural
Development
World Food Programme
The Hague, The Netherlands
Brussels, Belgium
United Nations Volunteers
Universal Postal Union
77
Lausanne, Switzerland
New York City, USA
International Olympic Committee

International Boxing Association(AIBA)
International Hockey Federation
Gland, Switzerland
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Basel, Switzerland
Bank for International Settlements
Federation Internationale de Football

Association(FIFA)
Geneva, Switzerland
Inter-Parliamentary Union
International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)
International Labour Organization
International Telecommunication Union
World Health Organization
World Intellectual Property
Organization
World Meteorological Organization
World Trade Organization
United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights
United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees
International Monetary Fund

Multilateral Investment Guarantee
Agency
United Nations Atlas of the Oceans
World Bank Group
International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development
International Centre for Settlement of
Investment Disputes
International Development Association
International Finance Corporation
Nairobi, Kenya
United Nations Environment

Programme
United Nations Human Settlements
Programme
Tokyo, Japan
London, UK
International Rescue Committee

United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of
Women, also known as UN Women
United Nations Security Council
United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF)
United Nations Development
Programme(UNDP)
United Nations International School
Washington DC, USA
Zurich, Switzerland
United Nations University
International Maritime Organization

Commonwealth of Nations
Montreal, Canada
International Civil Aviation Organization
7/22/2015
78
Countries | Capitals | Currency
Country
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
The Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Democratic Republic
Of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
7/22/2015
Capital(s)
Kabul
Tirane
Algiers
Andorra la Vella
Luanda
Saint John's
Buenos Aires
Yerevan
Canberra
Vienna
Baku
Nassau
Manama
Dhaka
Bridgetown
Minsk
Brussels
Belmopan
Porto-Novo
Thimphu
La Paz; Sucre
Sarajevo
Gaborone
Brasilia
Bandar Seri Begawan
Sofia
Ouagadougou
Bujumbura
Phnom Penh
Yaounde
Ottawa
Praia
Bangui
N'Djamena
Santiago
Beijing
Bogota
Moroni
Currency
Afghani
Lek
Algerian Dinar
Euro
Kwanza
East Caribbean Dollar
Argentine Peso
Dram
Australian Dollar
Euro
Manat
Bahamian Dollar
Bahraini Dinar
Taka
Barbadian Dollar
Belarusian Ruble
Euro
Belize Dollar
West African CFA Franc
Ngultrum
Boliviano
Convertible Mark
Pula
Real
Brunei Dollar
Lev
Burundi Franc
Riel
Central African CFA Franc
Canadian Dollar
Cape Verdean Escudo
Chilean Peso
Chinese Yuan
Colombian Peso
Comorian Franc
Primary Language(s)
Dari Persian; Pashto
Albanian
Arabic; Tamazight; French
Catalan
Portuguese
English
Spanish
Armenian
English
German
Azerbaijani
English
Arabic
Bangla
English
Belarusian; Russian
Dutch; French; German
English
French
Dzongkha
Spanish; Quechua; Aymara
Bosnian; Croatian; Serbian
English; Tswana
Portuguese
Malay
Bulgarian
French
Kirundi; French
Khmer
French; English
English; French
Portuguese
Sango; French
French; Arabic
Spanish
Mandarin
Spanish
Comorian; Arabic; French
Kinshasa
Brazzaville
San Jose
Yamoussoukro; Abidjan
Zagreb
Havana
Nicosia
Prague
Copenhagen
Congolese Franc
Colon
Croatian
Cuban Peso
Euro
Czech Koruna
Danish Krone
French
French
Spanish
French
Kuna
Spanish
Greek; Turkish
Czech; Slovak
Danish
79

Country
Djibouti
Capital(s)
Djibouti
Currency
Djiboutian Franc
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Rosesau
Santo Domingo

Dominican Peso
East Timor (Timor-Leste)

Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equitorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
The Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Republic of Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
North Korea
South Korea
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Dilli
Quito
Cairo
San Salvador
Malabo
Asmara
Tallinn
Addis Ababa
Suva
Helsinki
Paris
Libreville
Banjul
Tbilisi
Berlin
Accra
Athens
St. George's
Guatemala City
Conakry
Bissau
Georgetown
Port-au-Prince
Tegucigalpa
Budapest
Reykjavik
New Delhi
Jakarta
Tehran
Baghdad
Dublin
Jerusalem
Rome
Kingston
Tokyo
Amman
Astana
Nairobi
Tarawa Atoll
Pyongyang
Seoul
Pristina
Kuwait City
Bishkek
United States Dollar

Egyptian Pound
Nakfa
Estonian Kroon; Euro
Birr
Fijian Dollar
Euro
Euro; CFP Franc
Dalasi
Lari
Euro
Ghanaian Cedi
Euro
Quetzal
Guinean Franc
Guyanese Dollar
Gourde
Lempira
Forint
Icelandic Krona
Indian Rupee
Rupiah
Rial
Iraqi Dinar
Euro
Shekel
Euro
Jamaican Dollar
Yen
Jordanian Dinar
Tenge
Kenyan Shilling
Kiribati Dollar
North Korean Won
South Korean Won
Euro
Kuwaiti Dinar
Som
7/22/2015
Primary Language(s)
Arabic; French
English; French;
Antillean Creole
Spanish
Tetum; Portuguese;
Iindonesian
Spanish
Arabic
Spanish
Spanish; French; Portuguese
Arabic; Tigrinya; English
Estonian
Amharic
English; Bau Fijian; Hindi
Finnish; Swedish
French
French
English
Georgian
German
English
Greek
English; Patois
Spanish
French
Portuguese
English
Haitian Creole; French
Spanish
Hungarian
Icelandic
Hindi; English
Indonesian
Persian
Arabic; Kurdish
English; Irish
Hebrew; Arabic
Italian
English
Japanese
Arabic
Kazakh; Russian
Swahili; English
English; Gilbertese
Korean
Korean
Albanian; Serbian
Arabic; English
Kyrgyz; Russian
80

Country
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Capital(s)
Vientiane
Riga
Beirut
Maseru
Monrovia
Tripoli
Vaduz
Vilnius
Currency
Kip
Lats
Lebanese Pound
Loti
Liberian Dollar
Libyan Dinar
Swiss Franc
Lithuanian Litas
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Federal States of Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar (Burma)
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Luxembourg
Skopje
Antananarivo
Lilongwe
Kuala Lumpur
Male
Bamako
Valletta
Majuro
Nouakchott
Port Louis
Mexico City
Palikir
Chisinau
Monaco
Ulaanbaatar
Podgorica
Rabat
Maputo
Nypyidaw
Windhoek
Yaren
Kathmandu
Amsterdam
Wellington
Managua
Niamey
Abuja
Oslo
Muscat
Islamabad
Melekeok
Panama City
Euro
Macedonian Denar
Malagasy Ariary
Malawi Kwacha
Ringgit
Maldivian Rufiyaa
Euro
Ouguiya
Mauritian Rupee
Mexican Peso
Moldovan Leu
Euro
Togrog
Euro
Moroccan Dirham
Mozambican Metical
Kyat
Namibian Dollar
Australian Dollar
Nepalese Rupee
Euro
New Zealand Dollar
Cordoba
Naira
Norwegian Krone
Omani Rial
Pakistani Rupee
Balboa
Papa New Guinea

Paraguay
Peru
Phillipines
Poland
Portugal
Port Moresby
Asuncion
Lima
Manila
Warsaw
Lisbon
Papa New Guinean Kina

Guarani
Nuevo Sol
Phillipine Peso
Zoty
Euro
7/22/2015
Primary Language(s)
Lao (Laotian)
Latvian
Arabic; French
Sesotho; English
English
Arabic
German
Lithuanian
German; French;
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy; French; English
English
Malay
Dhivehi
French
Maltese; English
Marshallese; English
Arabic
English
Spanish
English
Moldovan (Romanian)
French; Italian; English
Mongolian
Montenegrin
Arabic
Portuguese
Burmese
English; Afrikaans; German
English; Nauran
Nepali
Dutch
English
Spanish
French
English
Norwegian
Arabic
Urdu; English
English; Palauan
Spanish
English; Tok Pisin;
Hiri Motu
Spanish; Guarani
Spanish
Filipino; English
Polish
Portuguese
81

Country
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Capital(s)
Doha
Bucharest
Moscow
Currency
Qatari Riyal
Romanian Rupee
Ruble
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and
The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Kigali
Basseterre
Castries
Rwandan Franc
Kingstown
Apia
San Marino
Sao Tome
Riyadh
Dakar
Belgrade

Tala
Euro
Dobra
Saudi Riyal
Serbian Dinar
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Victoria
Freetown
Seychoellois Rupee
Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Singapore
Bratislava
Ljubljana
Honiara
Mogadishu
Pretoria; Cape Town;
Bloemfontein
Madrid
Colombo
Khartoum
Paramaribo
Mbabane
Stockholm
Berne
Damascus
Taipei
Dushanbe
Dar es Salaam; Dodoma
Bangkok
Lome
Nuku'alofa
Port-of-Spain
Tunis
Ankara
Ashgabat
Vaiaku
Kampala
Kiev
Abu Dhabi
London
Singapore Dollar
Euro
Euro
Solomon Islands Dollar
Somali Shilling
English
Samoan; English
Italian
Portuguese
Arabic
French
Serbian
Seychellois Creole;
French; English
Krio; English
English; Malay;
Mandarin Chinese
Slovak
Slovene
Solomons Pijin
Somali; Arabic
Rand
Euro
Sri Lankan Rupee
Sudanese Pound
Surinamese Dollar
Lilangeni
Swedish Krona
Swiss Franc
Syrian Pound
New Taiwan Dollar
Somoni
Tanzanian Schilling
Thai Baht
Pa'anga
Trinidad and Tobago Dollar
Tunisian Dinar
Turkish Lira
Turkmen New Manat
Tuvaluan Dollar
Ugandan Shilling
Hryvnia
Dirham
Pound Sterling
Zulu; Xhosa; Afrikaans

Spanish
Sinhala; Tamil
Arabic; English
Dutch
English; SiSwati
Swedish
German; French; Italian
Arabic
Mandarin
Tajik; Russian
Swahili
Thai
French
Tongan; English
English
Tunisian; French
Turkish
Turkmen; Russian
Tuvaluan; English
Swahili; English
Ukranian; Russian
Arabic
English
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
7/22/2015
Primary Language(s)
Arabic
Romanian
Russian
Kinyarwanda; French;
English
English
English; French
82

Country
United States of America
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Capital(s)
Washington D.C.
Montevideo
Tashkent
Port-Vila
Vatican City
Caracas
Hanoi
Sanaa
Lusaka
Harare
Currency
Uruguayan Peso
Uzbekistan Som
Vanuatu Vatu
Euro
Bolivar Fuerte
Dong
Yemeni Rial
Zambian Kwacha
Primary Language(s)
English; Spanish
Spanish
Uzbek; Russian
Bislama; English; French
Latin; Italian
Spanish
Vietnamese
Arabic
English
English
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