GKCA Update

1st to 31st May

Starred Articles
02 Government to liberalise Arms Act Rules with conditions
May India > Arm Act Rules
World

While the government loosens restrictions on obtaining gun licenses, certain new safety rules are likely to be
introduced to keep the gun holders in check. With a view to ensure people handle licensed arms responsibly,
some of the safety measures include carrying a firearm in a holster and ban on firing in the air at marriages,
fairs and public events. Failure to abide by the guidelines will lead to cancellation of weapon license.

05 Bharti and Future group to come together for retail business

May Corporate > Bharti-Future Group Merger

World The Kishore Biyani led Future Group and Sunil Mittal led Bharati Group entered into a joint venture of Rs. 750

crores to start a retail chain of more than 570 stores across India. Both the groups Future and Bharti own
convenience stores Big Bazaar and Easyday respectively. The Bharti group has been looking for a partner since
2013 when their deal with Walmart could not get through. The Future Group will roughly hold a 47% stake in
the partnership, while the Bharti group will hold a 20% stake.

06 GST bill for uniform tax regime approved by Lok Sabha

May India > GST Bill
World

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill was passed in Lok Sabha by 352 votes against 37 after the rejection of
opposition's demand of referring it to Standing Committee. Government has assured that following the
implementation of the bill, the new uniform indirect tax rate will be much less than
27 per cent recommended by an expert panel. GST is proposed to be implemented from April 1 2016 and will
subsume excise, service tax, state VAT, entry tax, octroi and other state levies.

06 India, Iran sign MoU for development of Chabahar port

> MoU
May India
India signed an agreement with Iran for development of Chabahar port which will give India access to sea-land
route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. After extensive talks, an MoU was signed between the two nations.
US had been warning countries to not rush into any trade agreements with Iran until it works out a deal on
nuclear programme. However, India went ahead with the deal as the port is set to reduce transportation costs
of India. Another advantage of a container and cargo terminal at Chabahar is that it would provide landlocked
Afghanistan with access to the sea, reducing its reliance on Pakistan.

07 Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill passed in the Lok Sabha

> Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill
May India
The Lok Sabha passed a bill on the 7th of May, 2015 to amend the Juvenile Justice Bill passed in 2014, which
will allow the judiciary to treat children between the age of 16-18 as adults depending on the heinousness of
the crime committed. The Juvenile Justice Bill, 2014 will now replace the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. The
amended bill also categorises offences as petty, serious and heinous, and defines differentiated processes for
each category.

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11 Jayalalitha set to return as TN CM after acquittal

> Politics
May India
AIADMK chief Jayalalitha was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court on the 11th of May, 2015 in a case of
Disproportionate Assets (DA). Apart from Jayalalitha's verdict the court also acquitted her close aide Sasikala
Natarajan, her relatives J Elavarasi and V N Sudhakaran and Jayalalithaa's disowned foster son. Earlier,
Jayalalitha had to step down as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu as a trial court had convicted her for a term of
four years and imposed a Rs. 100 crore fine. But, the acquittal on Monday will serve her as a breather and she
is likely to become the CM again.

11 Record 3100 youths in Jammu and Kashmir offered jobs

India > Others
May Over 3100 youths in the state of Jammu and Kashmir were offered jobs this year by corporates, the highest
since the inception of the 'Udaan' scheme in the valley. The NDA government opted to change their strategy
and implement 13 recruitment drives in the state after the September 2014 floods. Since the inception of the
scheme in 2013, there were only 940 odd recruitments, but the number this year has exceeded 3100, which
has been viewed as a success.

13 Rs 6,400 crore deposited in 339 accounts by Indians in Swiss bank, SIT tells
May SC
Economy > India
339 Indian accounts in HSBC bank holding a total sum of Rs 6400 crore owe an amount of Rs 4,520 crore to the
income tax department, reported the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT was able to gather information
on black money holders with the help of International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). SIT said it
had conducted investigations on the data provided by the Consortium and a large number of cases of such
offshore entities were not disclosed to the Income Tax department.

13 47 killed in Karachi bus attack, Taliban claims responsibility

> Terrorism
May World
47 people have been reported dead after a passenger bus carrying members of the Shia community was fired
at, in Karachi by gunmen on motorbikes. The attack has been considered as the worst till date on the Shia
community. There were conflicting reports of militant groups claiming responsibility for the attack. A splinter
faction of the militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called Jundullah, or Army of God, had claimed
responsibility for the attack. There were also reports of leaflets found at the scene claiming the attack on
behalf of the Islamic State group. The police have started a search operation for the militants, who fled after
the attack.

15 India signs 24 agreements with China

May India > Sino-India Foreign Relations

World During the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China, India signed 24 agreements with the

Chinese government for cooperation and to help restore bonding between the two countries. Some of the
prominent agreements and MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) are as follows: establishment of
consulates-general, development of entrepreneurship, cooperation in trade negotiations, cooperation in
foreign relations, improving and enhancing the railways of India, education exchange programme, cooperation
in mining and minerals sector, space cooperation and health and safety. MoU was also signed in terms of
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broadcasting, tourism, establishing India-China think-tank, earth sciences, ocean sciences, geo-sciences,
establishing Gandhi studies and Indian culture and establishment of Yoga College.

19 India demands social security cover for Indians working in the US

May Economy > US Social Security
World The Indian government raised the issue of providing social security cover to Indian professionals working in the
US. The issue was raised five years ago, but a consensus could not be reached then. Renewed talks about the
issue signals improved ties between the two countries in recent times. The demand comes in the light of
Indians contributing more than $1 billion annually to the social security fund via federal taxes, but receiving no
benefits in return. The United States has in return sought to check India's social security programmes in order
to start the bilateral scheme.

20 Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Man Booker International Prize

May Awards > Man Booker International Prize

World "Visionary" Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has been announced as the winner of the sixth Man Booker

International Prize. Krasznahorkai was chosen out of 10 contenders from around the world due to
"extraordinary intensity and vocal range" of his work. The prize is given every two years for "an achievement in
fiction on the world stage".

21 India ranks 24th on the first Environmental Democracy Index

May India > Environmental Democracy Index

World India has managed to secure the 24th position out of a total of 70 countries in the world's first Environmental
Democracy Index. The index evaluates nations' progress in enacting laws to promote transparency,
accountability and citizen engagement in environmental decision making. The index, which is topped by
Lithuania, is a powerful lever that will help governments to become more transparent and allow ordinary
citizens to advocate for more rights pertaining to the environment.

24 India emerges as the 2nd biggest shareholder of the Asian Infrastructure

May Investment Bank
World India > Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
India has emerged as the second biggest shareholder of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which
comprises of 57 countries. China is the leading shareholder with 30.85% of the share followed by India with a
10.85% share. The second position will allow India to play an active role in making decisions related to
investment in Asia. India will roughly contribute around $11 billion towards the $100 billion share capital of
the bank.

26 Andhra Pradesh to get Rs. 2500 crore loan from World Bank, Singapore
May companies to transform new capital of Amravathi
World India > Andhra Pradesh
The World Bank has agreed to sanction a loan of Rs. 2,500 crore to Andhra Pradesh for enhancing the power
sector. The funding will boost power supply in rural areas, smart cities and will also strengthen investments
including those for the new capital city of Amravathi, according to the State Energy Conservation.

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Meanwhile, the government of Andhra Pradesh is set to hire companies from Singapore to transform its new
capital of Amravathi. The city will come up on an area of over 270 sq km on the banks of river Krishna, it will
also have a green area of 79 sq km and a water network of 11.5 sq km.

27 Soaring temperatures claim more than 1100 lives across the country
May India > Heat

World Several states in the country faced heat waves with temperatures soaring well above the 45 degree celsius

mark. The worst affected states are that of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where 852 and 266 people have
died respectively. Andhra Pradesh witnessed a maximum temperature of 46.4 degree celsius, while that in
Telangana was 45.6 degree celsius. Apart from these two states, the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan also witnessed temperatures ranging between 42 and 45
degree celsius.

27 Four Indian women make it to Forbes 2015 list

May Corporate > 100 Most Powerful Women
World SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI Banks Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HT
Media chairperson Shobhana Bhartia are among the four Indians to be listed in the Forbes 2015 list of the
worlds 100 most powerful women. The list boasts of women belonging to categories like entrepreneurs,
visionary CEOs, politicians, activists, pioneer philanthropists and pop starsranked by dollars, media presence
and impact.

28 Tripura withdraws AFSPA after 18 years as insurgent activities fall

May India > AFSPA

World Tripura has decided to withdraw the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which gives

unlimited powers to the security forces in conflict-hit areas. The decision was taken after reviewing the
situation of the disturbed areas of the state and concluding a decline in militancy related activities. The AFSPA
was imposed in the state on February 16, 1997 when terrorism was at its peak in the state, bordering
Bangladesh.

Awards
11 Shashi Kapoor receives Dada Saheb Phalke award
May Dada Saheb Phalke award

Shashi Kapoor received the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award from Union Information and Broadcasting
Minster Arun Jaitley in Delhi. The award is given for outstanding contribution to the growth and development
of Indian cinema. After Prithvi Raj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor is the third member of the Kapoor
family to receive the award.

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Banking and Insurance

22 Tourists from China, Japan may get to use ATMs here
May ATMs
World Reserve Bank of India-promoted NPCI has entered into an agreement with China Union Pay and Japan Credit

Bureau in order to enable Chinese and Japanese tourists in India to use local ATM and point of sale terminals.
Apart from the international debit card to be launched next month, the National Payments and Settlement
Corporation of India (NPCI) is also readying to launch credit cards and implement the Bharat Bill Payment
system to facilitate cashless transactions.

31 HDFC bank features among the top 100 brands globally

May HDFC Bank

World India's largest private sector bank HDFC has featured among the top brands of the world along with heavy

weights like Apple, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Facebook. The list compiled by Millward Brown, a global
research agency, ranks HDFC at the 74th position with a valuation of $14 billion. The list is topped by Apple
with a total valuation of $247 billion.

Corporate
12 CCI to analyze Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Jabong and Myntra price
discount
May E-retail
After rejecting allegations of unfair business against e-retail giants Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Jabong and
Myntra, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has started monitoring the price discount arrangements
between manufacturers and distributors associated with these companies. The CCI has come across instances
of resale price mechanism where a manufacturer does not allow distributor or trading platform to sell its
product below a certain price and is under the process of checking whether such practices are in violation of
competition norms.

20 Twitter signs deal with Google to show tweets in search results

May Twitter-Google

World Micro-blogging website Twitter signed a deal with search engine giant Google, which will display tweets in

Google search results. The deal is a renewal of a tie-up that ended in 2011 and wasn't renewed since, which
also led to a sluggish growth of Twitter and decreased its share price. However, the deal will at present only be
implemented on the mobile and application platform and a desktop version will be followed later.

21 PVR set to acquire DLF's DT Cinemas

May PVR Cinemas
World India's largest multiplex operator PVR cinemas is reportedly in the process of acquisition of the wholly-owned

subsidiary of DLF, DT Cinemas. The deal is likely to value DLF at about Rs 500 crore. A debt of about Rs 20,500
crore has compelled DLF to exit from DT Cinemas business. Both the parties are likely to approach the
Competition Commission of India (CCI) for in-principle approval as PVR Cinemas is the market leader. However,
neither of them has commented on the market speculations.
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21 SBI ties up with Snapdeal, PayPal in a single day

May SBI

World Just a day after joining hands with Amazon to develop payment solutions for customers and small businesses,
SBI has signed MoUs with Snapdeal and PayPal. The deal with Paypal will allow SBI debit card holders to use a
digital payment gateway for buying products from foreign websites and also enable micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSME) customers to access a secure payment solution. Its second deal with Snapdeal will allow
SBI to provide finance to the sellers who sell products on the e-commerce platform. Both the deals are
targeted to boost micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) businesses. SBI hopes to fufill the Prime
Minister's dream of `Make in India' and digital India through such deals.

25 Snapdeal acquires MartMobi to strengthen mobility platform for sellers

May Snapdeal

World With a view to strengthen its mobility platform for merchant partners, e-commerce major Snapdeal bought

Hyderabad-based mobile technology startup, MartMobi in yet another buyout. The increase in the percentage
of orders coming from mobile-based devices led snapdeal to make a deal with MartMobi known for creating
mobile sites and apps for e-commerce stores, small and medium-sized businesses. Snapdeal has been on an
acquisition spree, beefing up its presence as it takes on players like Flipkart and Amazon in the Indian ecommerce industry.

28 Vedanta India to acquire up to 5.33% stake, worth over Rs 2,200 crore, in

May Cairn India
World

Vedanta India

Vedanta India is set to acquire up to 100 million shares worth Rs 2,200 of Cairn India from Twin Star Mauritius
Holdings Ltd. After the acquisition of the shares, Vedanta India's stake in Cairn India will grow from 18.73 per
cent to 24.06 per cent. Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta India is a promoter in Cairn India. In the past, Vedanta India
was planning to merge Cairn India and Hindustan Zinc into its firm to create a global natural resources giant.

Economy
04 Permanent Account Number now mandatory for Central Excise Registration
May PAN
The government has made Permanent Account Number (PAN) mandatory for private firms seeking Central
World Excise Registration. According to the new simplified rules formed by the Finance Ministry, the registration will
be granted within two working days after an online application. However, Government entities are exempted
from mentioning their PAN on the application form.

20 Service tax with a rate of 14% to come into effect from 1st of June, 2015
May Service Tax

World The new service tax rate of 14% will come into effect from the 1st of June this year. The hike is set to make

some common services like dining, cinema, utility bills etc. more expensive. The current rate of the tax is
12.36% and will be increased to 14% as per the announcement made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, while he
presented the union budget earlier this year.

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28 RBI introduces guidelines on mobility cards with new category of prepaid

Maypayment instruments
World

Prepaid Payment Instruments

As the country moves towards a cashless economy, RBI has introduced a new category in order to facilitate the
migration from small value cash payments to electronic payments. Draft guidelines have been issued by the
regulator that will allow people to travel without cash in metros, buses and taxis. For such cards, the regulator
has introduced a new category of prepaid payment instruments (PPI) that will be issued by the mass transit
operators (such as metro or road transport).

29 Financially weak Air India to borrow Rs 1,777 crore from government

May Air India

World Severe financial crisis has driven Air India to seek Rs 1,777 crore from the government on an urgent basis.
Various factors can be attributed to the shortage including rupee's depreciation against the dollar.
Government's aid is crucial to AI in order to maintain its financial restructuring (FRP) and turnaround plan
(TAP).

India
04 Kashmiri pandits fight for separate townships
Pandits
May Kashmiri
Displaced Kashmiri pandits staged a protest in a fit of anger over the incapability of state and central
World

government to facilitate their return to the valley. The protesters demanded immediate steps for their
rehabilitation in the valley and a separate township for themselves. They also demanded that the Jammu and
Kashmir Government reopen prosecution cases against all those involved in the killing of Kashmiri Pandits in
the Valley in 1990s.

04 Asaduddin Owaisi objects to conferring Bharat Ratna on Vajpayee, Padma

on Advani
May Vibhushan
Asaduddin Owaisi

World All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi objected to conferring Bharat Ratna on former
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Padma Vibhushan on BJP veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani. Speaking
about L K Advani, Owaisi said state honours cannot be given to a person facing criminal cases for his
involvement in the Babri Masjid demolition. As to Vajpayee, Owaisi alleged that the BJP stalwart had made
some controversial comments on the Ayodhya issue.

05 Demand to raise criteria of 'creamy layer' from Rs. 6 lakhs to Rs. 10.5 lakhs
May Reservation

World The National Commission for Backward Classes has asked the central government to raise the present criteria
of 'creamy layer' OBC (other backward class) candidates from the present Rs. 6 lakhs per annum to Rs. 10.5
lakhs per annum. The 'creamy layer' separates the poor OBC's from the well-off ones, who are ineligible for
government reservation. The commission has also demanded that the evaluation criteria for selection be
toned down to fill the 27% quota, which is well short of the target.
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06 Bollywood star Salman Khan sentenced to 5-yr jail term in hit-and-run case
May Supreme Court
World

Bollywood actor Salman Khan was found guilty of all the charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case by a sessions
court. Following this, the actor has been sentenced to five years in prison as the charges of culpable homicide
not amounting to murder were proved.
On September 22, Salman's car had rammed into a roadside bakery in Bandra West which left four people
sleeping outside injured. One of them died later. Khan has the option to appeal in the Bombay High court
against the sessions courts verdict.

07 Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner

May Civic Affairs

Achal Kumar Jyoti was appointed as one of the Election Commissioners, filling one of the two vacancies of the
Election Commission (EC), which comprises of three members one Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and
two Election Commissioners. The general tenure of an Election Commissioner is six years or till the age the
employee attains 65 years. As Achal Kumar Jyoti is 62 years old, he will serve for a period of 3 years. He has
previously served as the Chief Secretary for Gujarat under the then chief minister of the state Narendra Modi.

12 Central Government appoints new governors in six states

May Governance
On Tuesday, 12th of May, 2015, the central government appointed new governors for the states of Jharkhand,
Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya. Odisha minister Droupadi Murmu will be the
governor of Jharkhand, replacing Syed Ahmed who will now serve as the governor of Manipur. BJP national
executive member V Shanmuganathan has been appointed the governor of Meghalaya. Ex-chief secretary of
Assam J P Rajkhowa will take over as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, replacing Lt Gen (retd) Nirbhay
Sharma who will become the governor of Mizoram while, Tathagata Roy will become the governor of Tripura.

13 7.3 Earthquake hits Nepal again, tremors felt across Northern and Eastern
India
May Earthquake
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Nepal struck again, killing 60 and injuring nearly a 1000,
triggering tremors across Northern and Eastern India. A number of casualties were reported in Bihar, Bengal
and Uttar Pradesh. The quake hit when the country was still recovering from the massive quake that killed
around 8000 people last week. The quake that struck near Mount Everest was followed by at least six
successive aftershocks.

13 SC prohibits politicians photos on government ads

May SC
The Supreme Court recently passed a verdict that restrains political parties from publishing photos of political
leaders in government-funded advertisements. The judgment ensures that the tax payer's money is not spent
on building personality cults of political leaders. According to the apex court, such photos promote a
personality cult by associating an individual with government projects. However, the use of photographs of
the President, Prime Minister and CJI in the advertisements is allowed.

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15 More than 2400 villages in Andhra Pradesh adopted by Indian-Americans

May Adoption
World As part of 'Smart Village-Smart Ward' programme which aims at comprehensive development, Indian-

Americans have decided to adopt more than 2400 villages in Andhra Pradesh. During a visit to the US, Nara
Lokesh, Telugu Desam Party leader and son of Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, met
several Indian-Americans and asked them to invest in villages under the ward.

15 Electronic tourist visas extended to Chinese nations: PM Modi

May Chinese e-visas

World Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced sanction of e-visas to Chinese tourists at an event in Beijing. The
decision to grant e-visas was left to Modi ahead of his China visit and hours before this declaration, Foreign
Secretary S Jaishankar had said "no decision has been taken yet". India this year has announced 'Visit India
Year' in China to attract more tourists in order to boost tourism revenues. The announcement came in spite of
strong oppositions from the Home Ministry and security agencies over security concerns of its misuse.

16 Union Home Ministry decides to implement NERS for women

May Nationwide Emergency Response System
World The Union Home Ministry has invited proposals from IT service providers in order to implement NERS

(Nationwide Emergency Response System) to rescue women in distress. The Police Response Systems in
current existence are restricted to a particular city. The NERS will have at least one Public Safety Answering
Point (PSAP) in each state, from where the location of the caller as well as an evaluation of the emergency
situation will be used to dispatch Police Personnel to the site. NERS was originally the inspiration of the UPA
Govt following the Nirbhaya case in 2012. It is hoped that the NERS will help the issue of women's safety in
India.

16 India to assume presidency of World Health Assembly in Geneva after 19

May years
World Health Assembly

World The top decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, World Health Assembly (WHA), is set to have
an Indian president after a gap of 19 years. Union Health Minister J P Nadda will preside over the WHA session
to be held in Geneva, Switzerland. The Union health minister is expected to hold separate bilateral meetings
with a host of countries including China, the Netherlands, the US, the UK, Russia, South Africa, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Brazil and others.

18 Aruna Shanbaug's death provides a strong case for legalising euthanasia

May Aruna Shanbaug Case

World The recent death of Aruna Shanbaug, who was a nurse at the KEM hospital in Mumbai, has sparked alive the

debate on euthanasia. The nurse was assaulted and sexually harassed by a ward boy on the night of 27th
November, 1973. After the attack she went into a permanent state of coma for a period of 42 years and finally
died on 18th May, 2015. When Shanbaugs case was taken up in the Supreme Court in 2011, it gave a
landmark judgement by legalising passive euthanasia, but did not sanction active euthanasia which remains a
crime. Even after passive euthanasia was allowed, Shanbaug went on to live for four more years due to the
consistent care given to her by KEM nurses. In such a situation, passive euthanasia is clearly not the solution as
the KEM nurses refused to part with her because of the love and care they had for her.
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Passive euthanasia entails the withholding of common treatments, such as antibiotics, necessary for the
continuance of life. Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal substances or forces, such as administering a
lethal injection, to kill. A number of authors consider these terms to be misleading and unhelpful.

18 South Korea-India sign agreements on defence and trade cooperation, India

May to get $10bn for infrastructure development
World

Foreign Relations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited South Korea, the final destination of his 3-nation tour. South Korea
decided to provide $10 billion to India for infrastructure, development of smart cities, railways, power
generation and other diversified areas. PM Modi and the South Korean President also held talks on a wide
range of issues to develop and expedite defence, trade and investment, and regional cooperation. The two
sides signed seven agreements and Memorandum of Understanding including one on Avoidance of Double
Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income. The two countries also agreed
to expand cooperation between the two armed forces and further strengthen regular consultations between
the National Security Council structures of the two countries.

20 Maggi faces ban in UP over high content of mono-sodium glutamate

May Maggi Ban

World Nestle product 'Maggi 2 minute instant noodles', which is immensely popular all over the world, has come

under the scanner. Regulators in the state of Uttar Pradesh have found high concentrations of a harmful
chemical mono-sodium glutamate in the samples collected in the area. The Lucknow Food Safety and Drug
Administration (FSDA) has found that Maggi contains 17 parts per million (ppm) lead, while the permissible
limit is only 0.01 ppm. The regulatory body initiated an inquiry into the matter and has written to the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi to cancel the licence of Maggi.

22 Mohan Kumar appointed as the new defence secretary

May Defence

World 1979 batch IAS officer from Odisha, G Mohan Kumar is all set to become the new defence secretary of India,

after incumbent R K Mathur's retirement. Kumar was the front runner for the post as he was a pivotal member
of the PM's 'Make in India' campaign of which defence was a vital cog. The Appointments Committee of the
Cabinet also appointed Ashok Kumar Gupta, a 1981 batch Tamil Nadu officer, as the new secretary of defence
production, who will eventually succeed Mohan Kumar.

26 Make in India: Adani group may foray into defence manufacturing

May Make in India

World Gujrat-based Adani group is the latest to join the queue of Indian MNCs trying to enter the defence

manufacturing industry hoping to benefit from PM Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative. The group, which
owns the largest port and SEZ in the country at Mundra, is said to be keen on utilising the same to set up a
defence and aerospace manufacturing zone that would be well-connected by sea and land. A clutch of Adani
executives has been meeting representatives of large overseas defence companies to explore tie-ups for
manufacturing a range of defence equipment.

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27 Yash Birla among five Indian nationals with Swiss bank accounts
May Black Money

World The names of five Indian nationals were published in Switzerlands Federal Gazette with regard to details

sought about them by the Indian authorities. Industrialist Yashovardhan Birla, City Limousine chairman Sayed
Mohamed Masood and his wife Chand Kauser Mohamed Masood are among the five Indian nationals whose
names featured in the list. However, Yash Birla Group denies having an individual account in Yash Birla's name
in the Swiss bank. Earlier also, when Birla's name had come out in a leaked HSBC list of Swiss bank accounts, he
had declined to comment.

27 India gets its first transgender college principal and a first college that
May accepts transgender students
World First Transgender College Principal
A decision taken by the College Service Commission has led to India getting its first transgender college
principal. Manabi Bandopadhyay, who is currently associate professor in Bengali at Vivekananda Satobarshiki
Mahavidyalaya, is set to take up the post of principal in Krishnagar Women's College in West Bengal. Following
in the same footsteps is Jorhat College in Assam that will openly accept transgender and atheist students from
the coming academic year. Both the announcements have been welcomed by all quarters.

27 India will sign Information Sharing Agreement pact with the G20 on the 3rd
May of June
World Foreign Relations
India is all set to sign a global agreement on Information Sharing with the G20 countries, which will provide
them access to data of bank accounts from across the world, including tax havens, which refused to cooperate
earlier. However, under the agreement, India will be able to access information only after 2017. India will also
sign Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) with the US, which will be effective from September and is
expected to result in additional data flow. Both the agreements were supposed to be signed last year, but that
could not happen due to legal hindrances.

28 BJP denies all-India beef ban 'to respect people's sentiments'

May Beef Ban

World BJP president Amit Shah said that the government doesn't intend to ban beef across the country and will

consider the sentiments of the people before imposing the ban. While governments of Maharashtra and
Haryana have already banned beef, Shah has requested other states to take a call on it by factoring in the
sentiments of the people. He also downplayed Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's remark that "those who
want to eat beef can go to Pakistan", saying it was his "personal" view.

28 Only 4000 out of 90,000 Indian students get US visa approval

May Education
World Only around 4000 students managed to get US visa out of 90,000 applicants, a number which doubled at the
US embassy and consulates, especially in Mumbai and Hyderabad, over the last 12 months. The students will
join a growing league of their counterparts in the US, which stands at nearly 1, 03,000 at present, making them
the second largest group of foreign students in the country after China.
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28 17 Air India airhostesses suspended for delaying flights

May Aviation

World In a bid to tame the indiscipline, Air India recently suspended 17 airhostesses for allegedly delaying flights. The
airline had started monitoring its crew with an aim to improve on time performance (OTP), following which
272 cabin crew members were sacked for indiscipline. AI witnessed sharp fall in OTP, which caused a lot of
inconvenience for flyers.

Politics and Government

05 Arvind Kejriwal's government to monitor content of news channels
May AAP
Delhi government has decided to keep a close tab on all news channels after accusing media of conspiring

World against AAP. Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) officials have been asked to monitor the content
broadcast by the news channels from 9 AM to 11 AM. Kejriwal recently said that their win at the Delhi
elections has resulted in certain 'defame' AAP campaigns run by a section of the media with an aim to finish off
AAP.

Government takes a U turn on its stand, says Dawood is in Pakistan

06 Dawood Ibrahim
Deviating from its initial stand about the unawareness of Dawood Ibrahim's whereabouts, the government on
MayTuesday said that the underworld don is indeed hiding in Pakistan. The government also said that it is serious
World about extraditing the fugitive gangster to India, where he is the most wanted criminal. The government further
said that, despite of giving information about the location of Dawood, the Pakistani government has been noncooperative to extradite him to India.

06 Protests in Assam over governments decision over land swapping with

Bangladesh
May Land Swapping Deal

World Protests erupted in Assam after the union government included the state along with three others in a bill
called as the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) to initiate land swapping deal with Bangladesh. The All Assam
Students Union (AASU) staged the protests where effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were burnt.
Initially, Assam was kept out of the LBA, but the government had to bow down before the opposition's
demand to include Assam in the bill as well. The LBA was signed in the year 1974 itself but could not be
implemented till date. The LBA includes legislation to pass enclaves from the states of Assam, West Bengal,
Tripura and Meghalaya and to acquire enclaves from Bangladesh.

13 Modi government condemns PoK project ahead of China visit

May India

Just before PM Modi's visit to China, Modi government has expressed its disapproval of the $46 billion deal
signed by Chinese President Xi Jingping to develop a superhighway to Pakistan that passes through PoK . The
displeasure comes after India's earlier oppositions to any international involvement in Pakistan occupied
Kashmir. By flagging the issue India may be intending to confront China at the India-China meet.
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18 Jan Kranti Adhikar Morcha: a third alternative to Bihar people

May Bihar
World In an initiative that would provide a "strong third alternative" to people of Bihar in the next assembly election,
Lok Sabha member from Madhepura Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav formed Jan Kranti Adhikar Morcha
(JKAM). This new found party claims to fight all wrongs in the society, including the anti- people system.
Whether the party would go alone or merge with any or enter into an alliance with any political party is yet to
be decided.

22 Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Tamil Nadu CM for the fifth time

May Jayalalithaa

World The 'caretaker CM' of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam handed over his resignation to Governor K Rosiah, making

way for AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa to take over the position of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Jayalalithaa was
swornin for a fifth time as chief-minister of Tamil Nadu on 23rd May, 2015.
In September last year, Jayalalitha was disqualified as MLA and had to step down as CM after a Bengaluru
special court convicted her and three others in a disproportionate assets case and sentenced them to five
years' imprisonment. Following this, Panneerselvam stepped in and served a brief eight-month term as CM. On
May, 11, 2015, the Karnataka High Court acquitted Jayalaithaa in the case and prompted her return as CM.

28 PM's 'Housing for all by 2022' initiative to be launched in June

May Housing For All By 2022

World The Modi government's most ambitious initiative 'Housing for all by 2022' is set to be launched by the mid of
June. The Urban and Rural Development ministries have finalised their respective components for providing 6
crore houses - 2 crore in urban areas and 4 crore in rural areas. One of the main components of the scheme is
slum rehabilitation, through which the government will acquire land from the slums and allow developers to
build towers where the slum dwellers and other people can be relocated.

28 Centre vs Delhi government battle moves to Supreme Court, High Court

May SC

World The notification that gives the Lieutenant Governor absolute powers in appointing bureaucrats in the national

capital has forced the AAP government to move the Delhi High Court challenging it. The petition filed by Union
Home Ministry has alleged that the High Court passed the judgement and made observations without hearing
its view. The Supreme Court will tomorrow hear Centre's plea challenging Delhi High Court order terming as
"suspect" its notification barring Delhi government's anti-corruption branch (ACB) from acting against its
officers in criminal offences, and holding that the LG cannot act in his discretion.

Sports
17 Barcelona FC wins 5th La Liga title
May Football

World Spanish football club Barcelona FC won the La Liga title defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon
stadium in Madrid. This is Barcelonas fifth La Liga title in seven years and their 23rd overall. Barcelonas
forward Argentine Lionel Messi shone as he scored the only goal to take his team to victory.
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18 Djokovic and Sharapova win mens singles and womens singles titles in
May Italian Open
World Tennis
Novak Djokovic, current world no. 1, clinched his fifth title of the season with a major victory over World no. 2ranked Roger Federer at Rome. This is the fourth time that Djokovic has won the Italian Open. He has managed
to move ahead of Federer with his 24th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown. Not only has he won four of the
five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in 2015, but he is also on a 22-match winning streak.
Meanwhile, Russia's Maria Sharapova secured her third Italian Open crown with a creditable win over Spain's
Carla Suarez. This is Sharapova's second title of the year after her Brisbane win, and she openly admits that she
is slowly returning to her winning form.

21 Saina Nehwal regains top spot in World Badminton rankings

May Badminton

World Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal regained the number one spot in rankings after temporarily slipping

from the position last month. The female ace shuttler had reached the top of the rankings early last month on
the virtue of a grand slam victory, which she subsequently lost due to ranking fluctuations. But, the Olympic
bronze medalist regained the coveted spot to go as the top ranked player into the Australian Open, starting on
the 26th of May, 2015.

25 Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings to win IPL 2015

May IPL 2015

World Mumbai Indians won IPL-8 by defeating Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. While MI scored

202/5, the second-highest score in an IPL final, CSK laboured to 161/8 in their 20 overs, falling short by 41 runs.
MI thus joined Kolkata Knight Riders and CSK to become the third team to win the IPL twice. In a surprisingly
similar scenario, Mumbai Indians had beaten CSK in the final at Eden Gardens to the win the IPL in 2013.

26 Sangakkara named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year; Rahane is

May Indian Cricketer of the Year
World Cricket

India's Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year award while former Sri Lanka captain Kumar
Sangakkara won the International Cricketer of the Year honour at a ceremony organised on May 25. Kapil Dev
was conferred with the International Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th edition of the CEAT awards. The
awards honoured the best of cricketers based on their performances in international cricketing in all formats Test, ODI and T20 - as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2014 2015.

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World
05 Islamic State claims responsibility for Texas cartoon attack
May Texas Attack
World

The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for a recent attack in Texas, where cartoons depicting
Prophet Mohammed were displayed. An audio tape from the terrorist group's Al Bayan radio station claimed
two soldiers of the organisation carried out the attack.

12 Lahore High Court sets free 97 bonded Hindu labourers

May Others

A court in Lahore, Pakistan has set free 97 Hindus, which also included women and children who were
employed as bonded labourers at a brick kiln in Pakistan's Punjab province. One of the bonded labourers
managed to escape the kiln to reach the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which then filed a petition at
the Lahore High Court to release the labourers.

12 Yoga day to be observed on June 21 in US

May Yoga Day

The historic National Mall of the US is set to host the first International Day of Yoga celebration on June 21.
Since the event is being organised by the Indian Embassy in the US, it will feature an exclusive video message
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With an aim to promote yoga across the world, the Indian government is
planning to celebrate the First International Day of Yoga in all countries, including the US.

12 Russia and US to hold bilateral talks in the midst of easing tensions

May Diplomacy

After more than a year of the crisis in Ukraine, US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to hold talks with
Russian president Vladimir Putin. The tension caused over Ukraine between the US and Russia was regarded as
the lowest point in diplomatic relations between the two countries since the cold war. The meeting will
supposedly be held in Sochi, Russia and will be the first official US visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis. The US
Secretary of State would meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov along with president Putin.

13 North Korea executes defence chief on treason charges

May North Korea
Hyon Yong Chol, the defence military head of North Korea was executed on treason charges. He was put in
front of an anti-aircraft gun at a firing range Hyon was said to have disobeyed North Korea's current leader Kim
Jong Un and shown disrespect to him by dozing off at a military event. South Korea's spy agency said that Kim
had ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year as punishment for challenging his authority. Kim Jong
Un took power after his father's death in 2011 and since then North Korean internal politics has remained
volatile.

18 ISIS captures Ramadi in Iraq

May Iraq

World Islamic State's militants drove out Iraqi government forces out of the city of Rabadi, as the city was captured

by the ISIS. According to reports approximately 500 civilians and Iraqi soldiers have died. The militants have
captured key government buildings including the army bases and have complete control of the city of Rabadi.
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18 Britain's most wanted female terrorist 'the white widow' suspected to

May have carried out Kenya university bombings
World Terrorism
Britain's most wanted female terrorist, Samantha Lewthwaite, commonly known as the 'White Widow' is
believed to have killed 400 people and has directed terror raids, suicide attacks and car bombings in Somalia
and Kenya. She is an integral part of the Somalia-based terror group Al Shabaab, and is suspected to have
masterminded last month's attack in the Kenyan University. Lewthwaite is the widow of Germaine Lindsay one of the 2005 London attack suicide bombers. She has also been accused of being one of the masterminds
behind the Westgate mall attack in Nairobi where 67 people died.

25 Sierra Leone marks one year of Ebola

May Ebola

World One of the most affected countries of the deadly Ebola virus Sierra Leone, marked one year of the inception

of the disease on the 24th of May, 2015. Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people since it emerged in
southern Guinea in December 2013, spreading first to Liberia and then to Sierra Leone where it has killed
approximately 4,000 people till date. The virus is highly infectious and spreads through contact of bodily fluids
of infected people. Liberia, which saw the most deaths, gave the world hope when it was able to declare that it
had eradicated Ebola earlier this month

25 In the aftermath of the Nepal quake, India rescues children from traffickers
May Nepal Quake
World Indian authorities rescued more than 20 children who lost their families in the recent earth quake in Nepal

from human traffickers. The rescued children have been sent to government rehabilitation centres. Most of
them belonged to Indian migrant families, who did odd labour jobs in Nepal, and were returning after the
earthquake. The police have arrested 4 traffickers so far and are scanning for more such people who managed
to flee.

25 David Cameron and Vladmir Putin join hands to stop Islamic State
May Islamic State
World Russian President Vladimir Putin and UK Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed to work together in order
to help stop the rise of Islamic State. The two nations have decided to revive the talks which had failed in the
past over Mr. Putin's continued support for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator.UK and Russia had worked
successfully together on the Iranian nuclear issue and now hope to work together on matters of mutual
interest in the years ahead.

26 Malaysian police find 139 migrant bodies buried underground

May Malaysia Migrant Deaths
World The Malaysian police have found 139 migrant bodies buried at 28 camps on the Malaysia-China border. The

sites have provided evidence that the migrants were held captive. The bodies have been sent for post mortem
analysis to determine the cause of death.

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26 Sri Lanka declines India's fishing proposal

May Sri Lanka

World India's proposal to allow its fishermen to catch fish in Lankan waters for 65 days a year has been rejected by Sri
Lanka's Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. The issue is quite sensitive as it involves livelihood and
humanitarian concerns on both sides and has been disputed for long. A long-term solution is awaited. The
fisherman's issue was discussed by Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.

28 Oxford University to get first female vice-chancellor

May Oxford University

World Professor Louise Richardson, who is currently the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St Andrews,

has been nominated to become the next vice-chancellor of the illustrious University of Oxford. The university is
comprised of many individual colleges, many of which were either all-girls colleges or all-boys colleges. By
2008 all colleges have started to admit both men and women. The university at present has 11 women as
heads of houses, but it will be the first time a woman will become the VC of the entire university.

28 Iran nuclear deal faces complications

May Nuclear Deal

World Iran's foreign minister has expressed hopes of striking a mutually, sustainable respectful deal on nuclear

program with world powers before the current deadline of June 30. Presently, Iran's nuclear deal is going
through negotiations with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. However, the French foreign
minister said that the deal would not be taken forward if Iran does not allow inspections of its military sites.
Irans supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, made clear that he would not allow the Iranian negotiating
team to accept inspections of military sites or questioning of the countrys nuclear scientists.

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