Dear Readers,

After the capsule which covered the news from September to December 12 to help you all to score well in General Awareness
Section, we have made the Double Tonic of December 2015, which includes the news from 12th December to 24th December
2015.

Do read it as we have compiled all the important news from the entire topics.
This will surely help you in upcoming exams especially in IBPS CLERK MAINS 2016.

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 BANKING NEWS
In a bid to curtail domestic black money flow, the
finance ministry recently announced mandatory
furnishing of permanent account number (PAN) for
all transactions above Rs 2 lakh through all payment
modes with effect from January 1, 2016. Earlier this
limit was Rs 1 lakh announced by finance ministry in
budget the budget 2015-2016. Mandatory quoting of
PAN cards are following....
1. The monetary limit for sale or purchase of immovable
property has been raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh,
and that for hotel / restaurant bills as well as buying
tickets for foreign travel raised from Rs 25,000 to Rs
50,000. Sale or purchase of shares of an unlisted
company has been raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
2. In line with the government's thrust on financial
inclusion, opening of a no-frills bank account such as Jan
Dhan will not require PAN. The requirement of PAN
applies to opening of all bank accounts including in co-
operative banks.
3. Installation of cellphone and telephone connections will
not require quotation of PAN anymore.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the
deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of
various denominations by another six months to June
30, 2016. From January 1, 2016 such facility for
exchanging pre-2005 currency notes will only be
available at identified bank branches and Issue
Offices of the RBI. Earlier in June 2015, RBI had set the
last date for public to exchange pre-2005 banknotes
notes as December 31, 2015.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 December 2015
created a dedicated helpline (Email) for start-ups in
India in order to offer assistance on Forex matters to
them for undertaking cross-border transactions within
the ambit of the regulatory framework.
The Supreme Court on 16 December 2015 held that the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is liable to disclose
information about the banks and financial institutions
for their action against the loan defaulters including
industrialists under the Right to Information (RTI)
Act, 2005. The Court further ruled that RBI has
statutory duty to uphold public interest and not the
interest of individual banks. It has no legal duty to
maximise the benefit of any public sector or private
sector bank, and thus there is no relationship of trust
between them.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 December 2015
released the final guidelines on computing interest rates
on advances based on the Marginal Cost of Funds
Methodology. The guidelines will come into effect from
1 April 2016. The new methodology is aimed at
bringing uniformity among BRs of banks so that they
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will be more sensitive to any changes in policy rates of
the RBI like Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR), etc. All rupee loans sanctioned
and credit limits renewed with effect from 1 April
2016 will be priced with reference to the Marginal
Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) which will
be the internal benchmark for such purposes. The MCLR
will be a tenor linked internal benchmark. Actual
lending rates will be determined by adding the
components of spread to the MCLR.
INDIAN ECONOMY IN NEWS
The World Bank on 15 December 2015 approved a 1.5
billion US dollar loan for the ambitious Clean India
Campaign (Swachh Bharat Mission). The loan was
granted to support the government in its efforts to
ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to
improved sanitation and end the practice of open
defecation by 2019.
The Lok Sabha on 14 December 2015 passed the
landmark Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The
bill seeks to overcome difficulties encountered in the
setting up of new nuclear projects and enhancement of
nuclear power generation.
The Union Cabinet, presided by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, on 16 December 2015 gave its approval
for the revised Model Text for the Indian Bilateral
Investment Treaty (BIT). The revised Indian model text
for BIT will replace the existing Indian Model BIT. The
revised model BIT will be used for re-negotiation of
existing BITs and negotiation of future BITs and
investment chapters in Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation Agreements (CECAs)/ Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) / Free
Trade Agreements (FTAs).
Train passengers will now find it easier to make online
payments for the food ordered through e-catering with
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
(IRCTC) entering into a tie-up with Paytm, a leading
payment and e-commerce shopping website. Our tie-
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 up with Paytm will provide an additional payment
gateway for food of their choice..
Pension fund regulatory body PFRDA has started
using PAN instead of Aadhaar for validation of new
customers who can now be registered online under the
National Pension System (NPS) scheme. The Aadhaar-
based online NPS account facility was started on a pilot
basis, but following a Supreme Court judgment on usage
of Aadhaar, it had to be discontinued.
The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015: The
Lok Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed The Payment
of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill will allow
doubling of wage ceiling for calculating bonus of factory
workers. The Bill seeks to amend the Payment of Bonus
Act, 1965. It seeks to raise the eligibility limit for
payment of bonus from a salary of 10000 rupees to
21000 rupees a month.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22
December 2015 gave its approval for implementation of
an umbrella scheme for integrated development and
management of fisheries. The scheme will be
implemented at an outlay of 3000 crore rupees, for a
period of five years. It will cover development and
management of inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine
fisheries and all activities undertaken by the National
Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) towards
realizing Blue Revolution. The scheme aims
development and management of fisheries and
aquaculture sector to ensure a sustained annual growth
rate of 6 to 8 percent. It will be implemented in all the
States including North East States and Union
Territories.
BUSINESS NEWS
Idea Cellular on 23 December 2015 became the third
mobile operator in India to launch 4G services in India.
Earlier, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India had launched
4G services in India.
Tech Mahindra and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd,
part of the Mahindra Group, on 14 December 2015
acquired Italian car designer Pininfarina SpA for 165
million US dollars in an all-cash deal. Pininfarina is well-
known for designing cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-
Royce and Cadillac. For the acquisition of Milan-listed
Pininfarina, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra and
Mahindra have formed a 60:40 joint venture.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched
three separate indices on three corporate houses of
India viz. Tata, Aditya Birla and Mahindra Group. The
first of its kind three separate indices based on
corporate houses have been designed to reflect the
performance of companies belonging to the respective
corporate group.
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1. Nifty Tata Group Index: It includes 25 companies
across 12 sectors with a total market capitalisation of
7.51 lakh crore rupees. It represents 7.83 per cent of the
total market capitalisation of companies listed on the
NSE.
2. Nifty Aditya Birla Group Index: It consists of eight
companies across seven sectors with the market
capitalisation of 2.08 lakh crore rupees. It represents
2.17 per cent of the total market capitalisation of
companies listed on the NSE.
3. Nifty Mahindra Group Index: It consists of seven
companies with a market capitalisation of about 1.64
lakh crore rupees. It represents 1.71 per cent of the
total market capitalisation of companies listed on NSE.
The Union Cabinet has approved a policy framework for
development of Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)
in unexplored coal and lignite bearing areas in the
country. Decision in this regard was taken by Union
Cabinet Committee meeting chaired by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
What is Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)? UCG
is a clean coal extraction technology for extracting
energy from the coal seams and lignite resources which
cannot be mined through traditional mining technology.
It is mainly an industrial process which converts coal
into product gases such as methane, hydrogen, CO and
CO2 that are combusted for electricity generation. The
gasification process is carried out in non-mined coal
seams using injection of oxidants which brings the
product gas to surface through production wells drilled
from the surface.
India has joined select club nations to build Liquefied
natural gas (LNG) ships after state owned Cochin
Shipyard has received certification in this regard.
Cochin Shipyard also became first shipyard in India to
get the nod to build LNG-transporting ships for any
client world-wide.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on
22 December 2015 gave its approval for investment of
5000 crore rupees by Oil and Natural Gas Company
Limited (ONGC) into the equity share capital of ONGC
Videsh Limited (OVL) by conversion of existing loan of
equivalent amount into equity
NATIONAL NEWS
President of France Francois Hollande will be the
Chief Guest at the 67th Republic Day parade of
January 26, 2016. It was announced by Union Ministry
External Affairs (MEA) after the French President
accepted the invitation to witness Republic Day
celebration as chief guest.
Project Loon - Union Government has given in
principle approval to work on Loon project of internet
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 search engine giant Google for providing Internet
connectivity by using large balloons. The announcement
was made by Google CEO Sunder Pichai in New Delhi
after meeting Union Communication and IT Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad. The project will be started on a
pilot basis and state run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) will be partner with the project in order to
expand Internet connectivity in the country.
National Commission for Safai Karamcharis
presented its Annual Report 2014-15 to the Union
Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar
Chand Gehlot on 11 December 2015.
Two Indian cities, Varanasi and Jaipur, on 11
December 2015 have made it to the Creative City
Network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the first time
ever. Varanasi and Jaipur made it to the network in the
categories, City of Music and City of Crafts and Folk Art
respectively.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered ban on
registration of new diesel-run vehicles in Delhi to curb
the growing menace of air pollution in the capital city.
The Union Government has inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for establishing three Indian
Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) in the
country. These IIITs are being set up at Ranchi
(Jharkhand), Nagpur and Pune (Maharashtra).
Supreme Court has banned the registration of all diesel
SUVs (Sports Utility Vechiles) and luxury cars in the
entire National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. The ban
will be valid to SUVs, luxury cars with engine capacity of
2000 cc or more till March 31, 2016. The SC ruling aims
at curbing the alarming pollution level in
Delhi. Presently, over 23 percent (around 8.5 million) of
the vehicles on Delhi roads run on diesel and more than
1,400 new cars are added every day. These diesel
vehicles produce much more carcinogenic nitrogen
oxide than petrol cars and are one main source of
Particulate Matters.
Union Government on 14 December 2015 requested the
states and Union Territories (UT) to start Operation
Smile-II from 1 January 2016. The operation will end
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on 31 January 2016. Operation Smile-II is a campaign to
rescue/rehabilitate the missing children. It is a follow
up of the exercise Operation Smile that helped in
rescuing and rehabilitating 9146 missing children.
Indias biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre named as
Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre has been
commissioned at Gorewada near Nagpur, Maharashtra.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Dengvaxia vaccine- Philippines became the first Asian
country to approve the sale of the worlds first ever
dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in the country. The
Dengvaxia vaccine has been manufactured by French
pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur. It has
been designed to protect people in the 9-45 age groups
from all four subtypes of the virus.
Inle Lake: Myanmar recently launched its first UNSECO
Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state. The Inle
Lake was designated as UNESCO Biosphere reserve in
Paris in June 2015. With this, Myanmar fulfilled its
commitment to bio-diversity and eco-system
conservation under the UNESCOs Man and Biosphere
Prorgamme.
Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on
21 December 2015 announced that the country has
planned to adopt the Chinese Yuan as legal tender. It
will be done in return for debt cancellation worth 40
million dollars in the second week of December 2015.
As per the decision, Yuan will be a function of trade
between China and Zimbabwe and acceptability with
customers in Zimbabwe.
Saudi Arabian voters on 12 December 2015 voted to
elect women in at least 18 municipal council seats. This
was a historic local elections in Saudi Arabia in which
women were allowed to vote and run for office for the
first time. This event occurred for the first time in the
history of the country. The results of the election were
declared on 13 December 2015.
Construction work on the TAPI (Turkmenistan-
Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) Gas Pipeline project
started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015. The
work started after the button to begin the welding
process of the project was pressed. The TAPI project is
intended to deliver Caspian Sea natural from the
energy-rich former Soviet republic Turkmenistan to
three South Asian countries. The pipeline will carry the
gas from the Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan to
the Indian town of Fazilka, in the Punjab near the
Pakistan-India border. The pipeline will cross the
Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar as well as Pakistan
cities of Quetta and Multan.
The United Nations Human Development Report 2015
was released on 14 December 2015 with the title Work
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 for Human Development in Ethiopia. As per the
report, 2 billion people lifted out of low human
development in last 25 years. In the 2015 report, India
with a score of 0.609 has been ranked 130 out of
188 countries in terms of Human Development Index
(HDI). In the 2014 report, India was ranked 135 out of
187 countries.
Saudi Arabia has launched Islamic Military Coalition,
a new military alliance of 34 nations mainly Muslim
nations to fight terrorism. It has been established in
pursuance of the objectives and principles of the charter
of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It calls
for all member states to cooperate to combat terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has ended
its 12-year investigation into concerns that Iran might
be developing nuclear weapons. In this regard, IAEA
Board of Governors have passed a resolution ending its
long-running inquiry against Ian but allowing
inspectors to continue to police the countrys nuclear
programme.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has
unanimously adopted a resolution No. 2254 outlining a
peace process in Syria. The resolution endorses an
international roadmap for a Syria peace process to end
Syrias five-year-long civil war.
Miss Iraq beauty pageant was held for the first time
since 1972. It was held on 20 December 2015 at a hotel
in the capital Baghdad and involved eight contestants.
In the final event of the pageant, Shaymaa Qasim
Abdelrahman was crowned Miss Iraq. She is a 20-year-
old from multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk which is situated in
the north of Iraq.
Government of Nepal on 20 December 2015 decided to
amend the Constitution to address two key demands of
agitating Madhesis regarding proportional
representation and constituency delimitation.
STATES IN NEWS
Losar, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Festival began
on 12 December 2015 in Ladakh region of Jammu and
Kashmir. The festival marks the beginning of New Year
for Buddhists. The annual festival is celebrated by
people of the area with traditional and religion fervor.
Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)
on Monday announced the launch of the Phase-2
development, which will be focused on International
Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to be set up in GIFT
SEZ. With the launch of Phase-2 development, GIFT City
has invited proposals from developers to build office
towers in SEZ and non-SEZ areas, an official statement
said here.
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The Maharashtra government on 11 December 2015
constituted a task force for setting up an International
Financial Service Centre (IFSC) in Mumbai. The task
force will be headed by Union Minister of State for
Finance Jayant Sinha.
Out of the total 60 Members of the Legislative Assembly
(MLAs) of the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly, 33
members on 16 December 2015 passed a resolution to
remove the Speaker Nabam Rebia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday recalled
nationalist leader Shyamji Krishna Varma as the first
non-Brahmin to have received a degree of Pandit in
Varanasi. He was speaking after handing over the
certificate of reistatement of Varma to the UK Bar to
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel at an event here.
West Bengal Government has approved proposal for
formation of five new districts in the state. With this the
total number of districts of Bengal will increase to 25.
Following are the new districts:
1. Kalimpong
2. Sundarbans
3. Basirhat
4. Burdwan (Industrial)
5. Jhargram
Bihar government on 23 December 2015 banned 15-
year-old diesel vehicles from plying in the Capital,
Patna. The decision was taken in view of increasing
pollution.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 22 December
2015 approved much anticipated Patna Metro Rail
project's proposal. The state government will now send
the proposal for the union government's clearance.
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on 22 December 2015 approved the Lucknow
Metro Rail Project Phase-1 A. To be developed at an
expenditure of 6928 crore rupees, the project will cover
a length of 22.878 km with 22 stations.
NEW SCHEMES (CENTRAL AND STATES):
Anwesha scheme: The Odisha Government on 21
December 2015 launched Anwesha scheme to provide
free education to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe
students. Under the scheme, 5000 SC and ST children
will annually be enrolled into Standard I in leading
private schools in urban areas of the state. The
government will bear all expenses for education of the
students under the scheme which will be implemented
in 17 districts. The expenses for fees, uniform, books,
hostel accommodation as well transportation will be
sponsored by the government.
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 NEW APPOINTMENT (INDIA)
Pawan Kumar Agarwal- Senior IAS officer Pawan
Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Food Regulator Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He will succeed
Yudhvir Singh Malik who was appointed as Additional
Secretary in National Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) Aayog in September 2015.
Gautam H Bambawale- Gautam H Bambawale was on
23 December 2015 appointed as the High
Commissioner of India to the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan. He is presently serving as the Indian
ambassador to Bhutan. Bambawale will succeed TCA
Raghavan, who will retire at the end of December 2015
Amit Agarwal- Private air carrier Jet Airways has
appointed Amit Agarwal as its new full time Chief
Financial Officer (CFO).
Prakash Kumar Singh: Prakash Kumar Singh
appointed as the new chairman of state-run Steel
Authority of India (SAIL). The post of permanent
chairman in the company has been lying vacant since
incumbent CS Verma was refused an extension by the
government in June.
Ahmad Javed: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 11
December 2015 appointed Mumbai Police
Commissioner Ahmad Javed as the Ambassador to Saudi
Arabia. With this, Javed became the 20th Ambassador to
Saudi Arabia. He is also the fourth IPS officer to be
appointed as an Ambassador, which is generally is a
domain of Indian Forest Service officers.
Arun Kumar Jain: Senior revenue service officer Arun
Kumar Jain appointed Chairman of Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT). His appointment was approved by
the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Reva Khetrapal: Former Delhi High Court judge Reva
Khetrapal on 17 December 2015 took oath as Delhi's
new Lokayukta. The post of the anti-corruption
ombudsman was vacant since November 2013, when
retired Justice Manmohan Sarin renounced the office.
Lalit Modi : After being ousted as president of the
Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for 14 months,
former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was, on
Wednesday, reinstated.
R.K. Mathur: Former Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur
has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner
(CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing
the head from among the serving Information
Commissioners. The post had fallen vacant after Vijai
Sharma completed his tenure on December 1. He will
have tenure of about three years, till he attains the age
of 65 years.
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NEW APPOINTMENT (WORLD)
Pravin Gordhan: Pravin Gordhan an Indian-origin
politician has been appointed as South Africas new
Finance Minister. With this he becomes countrys third
Finance Minister in a week. He replaces David van
Rooyen who was appointed on 10 November 2015.
Sanjay Pradhan: The Open Government Partnership
(OGP) on 16 December 2015 selected Indian-origin
World Bank official Sanjay Pradhan to lead the
organization. Currently vice president for Change,
Leadership and Innovation at the World Bank Group,
Pradhan will assume the new charge by mid-2016.
Jeff Williams: Jeff Williams was on 18 December 2015
appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Apple
Inc. The post of COO of the company had been lying
vacant since Tim Cook's ascension to position of Chief
Executive Officer of Apple Inc in 2011.
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES
The five-day long 10th World Trade Organisation
(WTO) Ministerial Conference concluded on 19
December 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference
concluded with the adoption of the Nairobi Package that
is aimed at benefitting organizations poorest members.
The conference was attended by trade ministers of 162
member countries of the WTO. India was represented
by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Commerce & Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. It is for
the first such meeting hosted by an African nation. The
Nairobi Package contains a series of six Ministerial
Decisions on agriculture, cotton and issues related to
least-developed countries.
India-Laos International conference held in Delhi,
inaugurated by Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.
Conference of the Parties 21 (COP 21) under the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) on 12 December 2015 adopted the
Paris Agreement on Climate Change which was
attended by 192 parties. India was represented by
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 Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate
Change Prakash Javadekar. The agreement facilitates
enforcement of global green house emission reduction
measures in the post-2020 (post Kyoto Protocol)
scenario. It was prepared based on consensus among
the parties incorporating Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDCs) of the respective
parties including that of India. The primary objective
of the protocol is to limit the global average
temperature to well below 2 C above pre-industrial
levels. Efforts will be made to limit the temperature
increase to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels so that it
will be possible to reduce the risks and impacts of
climate change. It was adopted in the light of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development in particular its
goal 13 that advocates for urgent action to combat
climate change.
UBM India recently concluded its 9th International Fire
& Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) India
Expo 2015 in the Capital. It was inaugurated by Deputy
Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia. Sisodia said, We
need better security systems this is somewhat
mandatory in the current scenario.
Combined Commanders Conference(Also known as
Unified Commanders Conference), an annual tri-
services event chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was held on board INS Vikramaditya about 50 kms
off Kochi coast. This is the first time when the
conference was held outside New Delhi. It was attended
by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National
Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, all three services
chiefs and other senior officers of three armed services.
The three-day long 2nd World Internet Conference
was concluded on 18 December 2015 at Wuzen in
China. The conference was held with theme An
Interconnected World Shared and Governed by All
Building a Cyberspace Community of Shared Destiny.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally
inaugurated the All-India conference of Directors
General of Police (AICDGPs) at Dhordo in white Rann of
Kutch region near Bhuj, Gujarat. Three day conference
was inaugurated in the presence of Union Minister for
Home Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Home Kiran
Rijju and Haribhai Patel.
SPORTS NEWS
Brendon McCullum: New Zealand cricket captain
Brendon McCullum on 22 December 2015 announced
retirement from all forms of international cricket. He
will retire after the two home test series against
Australia, which will begin in February 2016.
Deborah Herold: Indian cyclist on 11 December 2015
became the first Indian female cyclist to be ranked
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fourth in the World Elite Women Ranking for the 500m
time trial event. The ranking was issued by cycling
world body International Cycling Union (UCI).
Elizabeth Susan Koshy: Keralas Elizabeth Susan
Koshy on 11 December 2015 won the Women's 50m
Rifle 3 Positions Gold at the 59th National Shooting
Championships held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting
range in New Delhi.
Orgnaising committee of 12th South Asian Games (OC-
SAG) on 13 December 2014 unveiled mascot of the
games and logo at ITA Cultural Center Machkhowa in
Guwahati, Assam. The mascot Tikhor is a one horned
rhino and is the brand ambassador of the games carries
the message of peace, stability, amity and progress in
the South Asian region. On the other hand, the logo has
eight petals representing the countries participating in
the mega event. The mega event will be jointly held
in Guwahati and Shillong from 6 February to 16
February 2016.
Japanese shuttlers Kento Momota and Nozomi
Okuhara on 13 December 2015 won Men's singles and
Womens singles title respectively at the BWF World
Superseries finals held at the Hamdan Sports Complex,
Dubai. Okuhara defeated Chinas Wang Yihan by 22-20,
21-18 to grab the womens singles crown. Not much
later, Momota crushed Denmarks Viktor Axelsen by 21-
15, 21-12 and clinched the Mens singles title.
Vijay Kumar on 13 December 2015 won the centre fire
pistol gold in the 59th National shooting championship
at the Dr Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad in New
Delhi. To win the gold, Vijay Kumar scored 588 points to
pip Gurpreet Singh by two points.
Indias star golfer Anirban Lahiri (28) has won the
coveted Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour for year
2015. In the 2015 season world No. 41, Lahiri has
earned $1,139,084 a way ahead of second-placed Scott
Hend of Australia who has earned $491,631. With this
he became only the fourth Indian golfer to win this
coveted award after Jeev Milkha Singh (2006, 2008),
Arjun Atwal (2003) and Jyoti Randhawa (2002).
Anirban Lahiri has won twice on the Asias premier
Tour to be ranked into the worlds top-50 golfers.
Apurvi Chandela from Rajasthan has won a Gold medal
in the 59th National Shooting Championship in
Delhi. She won the gold medal in 10-metre Air Rifle
event in womens category by shooting 207.8 score in
the finals.
The National selectors decided that M.S. Dhoni will
remain captain of the limited-overs sides till the World
T20 championship in March. Before announcing the
teams for Indias upcoming tour of Australia next
month, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur announced the
decision regarding Dhoni.
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 Bengaluru FC (BFC) midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh
and striker Bala Devi on 20 December 2015 was
named the 2015 All India Football Federation (AIFF)
Player-of-the-Year and woman Footballer-of-the-
Year respectively. The awards were announced at the
AIFF Annual General Body Meeting held in Margao, Goa.
Kane Williamson, 25, on 21 December 2015 became
the first cricketer from New Zealand to top the
International Cricket Councils (ICCs) Test rankings. He
clinched the spot after guiding the Black Caps to a
series-clinching five-wicket win in the second Test
against Sri Lanka in Hamilton.
Indias Abhay Singh on 20 December 2015 won the
Under-19 Singapore Squash Open. In the final of the Old
Chang Kee Singapore Open, he defeated second seed
Alwin Chai of Malaysia.
Chennaiyin FC was crowned as the champions of the
2nd Indian Super League (ISL) Football tournament on
20 December 2015. In the final played at the Jawaharlal
Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, Chennaiyin defeated the
hosts FC Goa, 3-2. Mendoza, who finished as the
tournament's highest scorer with 13 goals, bagged the
'Golden boot' as well as the 'Hero of the League' award.
FC Barcelona on 20 December 2015 won the 2015
FIFA Club World Cup. To win the title, Barcelona
defeated Argentinas River Plate by 3-0. The final match
was held at the International Stadium in Yokohama,
Japan.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23
December 2015 announced the winners for the 2015
ICC Awards in Dubai, the UAE. The awards were based
on performance of individuals and teams, both men and
women, between 18 September 2014 and 13 September
2015. Among the 10 awards announced, the Sir
Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year
and Test Cricketer of the Year were conferred on
Australian captain Steve Smith. With this
announcement, Smith became the fourth Australian and
11th overall to win the prestigious award named after
former West Indies cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers. During
the voting period, the 26-year-old from New South
Wales finished as the leading run-scorer in Tests with
1734 runs in 25 innings of 13 matches at an average of
82.57. This included seven centuries and six half-
centuries.
1. Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year -
Steven Smith (Australia)
2. ICC Test Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith (Australia)
3. ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year - AB de Villiers (South
Africa)
4. ICC Womens ODI Cricketer of the Year - Meg Lanning
(Australia)
5. ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Josh Hazlewood
(Australia)
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6. ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year -
Khurram Khan (UAE)
7. ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year -
Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
8. ICC Womens T20I Cricketer of the Year - Stafanie
Taylor (West Indies)
9. David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year -
Richard Kettleborough
10. ICC Spirit of Cricket Award - Brendon McCullum (New
Zealand)
International Tennis Federation (ITF) on 22
December 2015 announced winners of 2015 World
Champions. The awards were conferred on the basis of
players performance in the 2015 season. They will
receive their awards at the 2016 ITF World Champions
Dinner on 31 May 2015, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
1. Mens World Champion - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2. Womens World Champion - Serena Williams (the USA)
3. Mens Doubles World Champions - Jean-Julien Rojer
(Netherlands) & Horia Tecau (Romania)
4. Womens Doubles World Champions - Martina Hingis
(Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India)
5. ITF Junior World Champions - Dalma Galfi (Hungary) &
Taylor Fritz (the USA)
6. ITF Wheelchair World Champions - Jiske Griffioen
(Netherlands) & Shingo Kunieda (Japan)
Andy Murray of the UK on 20 December 2015 received
the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in
London. The Scottish tennis-player was presented the
award by Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
National Medal of Science Awards of the United
States- Indian American professor Dr. Rakesh K. Jain
has been selected for 2015 National Medal of Science of
the United States. He will be presented this top award
along with 16 other winners by President Barack
Obama at a White House ceremony in January 2016. All
of them were chosen for this award for their individual
achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of
science and technology. Rakesh K. Jain is currently
working as professor at Harvard Medical School and
also is the director of tumour biology laboratory at
Massachusetts General Hospital.
Graham Bell Award: Global software giant Wipro on
11 December 2015 announced that it won the 2015
Aegis Graham Bell Award for developing a solution for
the Internet of Things (IoT).
Mailer Prize for lifetime achievement: India-born
author Salman Rushdie on 10 December 2015 was
awarded the prestigious Mailer Prize for lifetime
achievement. American experimental performance
artist Laurie Anderson presented the award to Rushdie
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 at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York City. The Mailer
Prize is an American literary award established in 2009
by The Norman Mailer Center and The Norman Mailer
Writers Colony.
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar was today presented the
Padma Vibhushan by Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh at the thespians residence in suburban Bandra.
South East Asian Write Award: Indian-origin Tamil
writer Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali on 11 December
2015 was declared as the winner of the prestigious
South East Asian Write Award for Singapore. Sali will
receive the award for literary excellence on 14
December 2015 at a eremony in Bangkok. Born in
Madras in 1939, J M Sali was invited to Singapore at the
age of 25 to be an assistant editor at the Tamil Murasu
newspaper by its founder, the late G Sarangapani. Sali
worked for local broadcasting station, Singapore
Broadcasting Corporation, as a broadcast journalist.
The West Bengal Government on 14 December 2015
honoured music composer Bappi Lahiri and singer
Kumar Sanu with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Besides, Bollywood musician Shantanu Moitra was
awarded with the Sangeet Mahasamman Award. The
Bishesh Sangeet Samman was awarded to Dwijen
Mukhyopadhyay, Ajoy Chakraborty and Sandhya
Mukherjee. Vocalists Nachiketa, Sriradha
Bandyopadhyay, Dileep Kumar Bose and Fakir Alamgir
were honoured with Special Sangeet Samman.
Genesis Prize Laureate: Renowned Israeli-US violinist
Itzhak Perlman on 14 December 2015 was announced
as the 2016 Genesis Prize Laureate for his
accomplishments as a musician, teacher and advocate
for people with disabilities.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-ITC
Awards 2015 for Excellence in Sustainable Business
were conferred on 15 December 2015 in New Delhi.
They were conferred on 26 awardees in 4 main
categories and 9 sub categories.
Garwood Award: The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee received Garwood Award for Outstanding
Global Leader in Open Innovation from UC Berkeley-
Haas School of Business today (December 17, 2015) at
Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prof. Solomon Darwin, Executive
Director Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation
presented the award to the President. The University of
California, Berkeley, one of the most prestigious
educational institutes in the world, has established the
Garwood Award to acknowledge individuals who have
embraced, supported and encouraged open innovation
in a significant and impactful way.
Miss Universe 2015: Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo
Wurtzbach was on 20 December 2015 crowned Miss
Universe 2015 at the final of 64th edition of Miss
Universe held in Las Vegas, the USA. She was crowned
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by Miss Universe 2014 winner Paulina Vega of
Columbia. Urvashi Rautela who represented India in the
contest couldnt make it to top 15 semi-finals round. She
is a Filipino-German actress, model and beauty pageant
titleholder.
Miss World 2015: Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo on
19 December 2015 was crowned Miss World 2015 at
the Beauty of Crown Theater in Sanya, China. Rolene
Strauss of South Africa crowned Mireia Lalaguna as her
successor at the end of the event. It is the first time
Spain has won the title of Miss World. Mireia, a 23-year-
old medical college student and a pianist from
Barcelona, was crowned Miss World Spain 2015 on 24
October 2015 after participating at the 2015 edition of
Miss World Spain held in Malaga, Spain. Miss Russia
Sofia Nikitchuk was the runner-up, while Miss
Indonesia Maria Harfanti stood third in the pageant.
Sahitya Academy Awards- Sahitya Academy has
announced the names of 23 poets and authors who will
be conferred the prestigious 2015 Sahitya Akademi
Award. This award has recognised premier works in 23
Indian languages that includes 6 books of short stories,
6 of poetry, 4 novels, 2 books each of essays, criticism
and plays and 1 memoir. 23 Awardees are:
1. Poetry: Brajendra Kumar Brahma (Bodo), Dhian Singh
(Dogri), Ramdarash Mishra (Hindi), K.V. Tirumalesh
(Kannada), Kshetri Rajan (Manipuri) and Ram Shankar
Awasthi (Sanskrit).
2. Short stories: Kula Saikia (Assamese), Man Mohan Jha
(Maithili), Gupta Pradhan (Nepali), Bibhuti Pattanaik
(Odia), Maya Rahi (Sindhi) and Volga (Telugu).
3. Novels: Cyrus Mistry (English), Jaswinder Singh
(Punjabi), K R Meera (Malayalam) and Madhu Acharya
Ashawadi (Rajasthani).
4. Essays: Rasik Shah (Gujrati) and A. Madhavan (Tamil).
5. Plays: Uday Bhembre (Konkani), Rabilal Tudu (Santali).
6. Books on criticism: Bashir Bhadarwahi (Kashmiri) and
Shamim Tariq (Urdu).
7. Memoirs: Arun Khopkar (Marathi).
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 The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on
21 December 2015 banned FIFA President Sepp Blatter
and Vice-President and member of the Executive
Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA Michel
Platini. They were banned for eight years from all
football-related activities (administrative, sports or any
other) on a national and international level.
TRADE AND AGREEMENTS
The Government of India and the Government of Japan
on recently inked a protocol for amending the existing
convention for the avoidance of double taxation and
for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to
taxes on income. Taking their robust bilateral ties to a
new level, India and Japan recently inked a number of
pacts in key areas of defence and nuclear energy as well
as building of first bullet train network between
Mumbai-Ahmedabad at a cost of about Rs 98,000 crore.
The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval to a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between
India and BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, China and
South Africa) for strengthening energy efficiency
cooperation. The MoU provides for Joint scientific and
technological research and Conferencing and holding of
lectures and seminars. Capacity building and technology
transfer and Technology development, sharing policies
and best practices was also included in the MoU.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Shaheen-IA: Pakistan has successfully tested the
nuclear-capable Shaheen-IA ballistic missile with a
range of 900 km. The test of the missile was aimed at re-
validating several design and technical parameters of
the weapon system.
(PSLV) C29: Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on 16 December 2015 successfully launched 6
satellites of Singapore into Space. The satellites were
launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) C29 from the first launch pad of the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikotta in Andhra
Pradesh.
American aerospace company SpaceX on 21 December
2015 achieved the historic feat of successfully launching
and landing Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket was
successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida
carrying 11 satellites to low-Earth orbit and was also
successfully landed after 10 minutes to the Earth. It is
the first time in the history of rocketry that a rocket has
returned back after delivering a spacecraft to its orbit,
so that it could potentially fly again.
China on 17 December 2015 launched the Dark Matter
Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite to shed light on
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mysterious dark matter. It was the country's first space
telescope and launched on a Long March 2-D rocket
from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
DEFENCE NEWS
INS Godavari- Indias first indigenously designed
warship INS Godavari has been decommissioned after
32 years of service. It was decommissioned at Naval
Dockyard in Mumbai (Maharashtra) after it completed
its full life cycle, meeting all responsibilities and duties
assigned in 3 decades of service.
Union Ministry of Defence has launched a new Make in
India website www.makeinindiadefence.com to make
defence acquisition process simpler and to provide an
interface with industry. The website was launched by
Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi.
It was launched in line with Union Governments
ambitious goal in the process of creating a level playing
field with more transparency in defence sector
procurements.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 18
December 2015 approved the purchase of Russian
advance S-400 Triumf Air Defence Missile Systems from
Russia at an estimated cost of 40000 crore rupees. The
approval was given by Union Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar during DAC meeting in New Delhi. This system
is capable of destroying incoming hostile missiles,
aircraft and even drones within a range of up to 400
km. This air defence system is capable to take on upto
36 targets at range of over 150 kilometres.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence An
Insiders Account: The book titled The Bose Brothers
and Indian Independence An Insiders Account
authored by Madhuri Bose was released on 1 November
2015. Through the book, the author has tried to present
a never-before account into the life of the iconic Bose
Brother, Sarat and Subash Chandra Bose.
COMMITTEES
Justice L Narasimha Reddy: The Union Government on
14 December 2015 appointed Justice L Narasimha
Reddy, retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court, to head
the Judicial Committee which will look into the
implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP)
scheme for the ex-servicemen.
Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah: Union Ministry
ofPetroleum and Natural Gas recently appointed a
single-member committee headed by Justice (retd) Ajit
Prakash Shah to look into the dispute between Oil and
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 Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) and Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL) on Krishna Godavari (KG) gas
fields.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium: Delhi
Government on 21 December 2015 appointed a one-
member commission of inquiry on Delhi and District
Cricket Association (DDCA) scam. The commission will
be headed by former Solicitor General Gopal
Subramanium. It will probe the alleged financial
irregularities by the administrators of the DDCA.
OBITUARIES
Sharad Anantrao Joshi: A renowned agro-economist
and veteran leader of farmers passed away in Pune,
Maharashtra.
Chatla Sriramulu: Noted writer and theatre artiste
Chatla Sriramulu passed away at Secunderabad on
Friday. He was a railway employee who hailed from
Vijayawada city. Mr. Sriramulu was awarded Best
Actor twice by Andhra Nataka Kala Parishad and was
also a recipient of Central Governments Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award in 1982. He was the first artiste from
Andhra Pradesh to receive Emeritus Fellowship from
the Human Resources Department of Government of
India. He was awarded the certificate of Producer and
Teacher by the British Drama League, London in 1970.
Mr. Sriramulu was instrumental in the establishment of
popular literary and cultural organization Rasaranjani
which dedicated to the field of theatre arts.
Peter Dickinson: British Novelist Peter Dickinson
passed away on 16 December 2015 following a brief
illness in Winchester, Hampshire. He was 88. He was a
prolific novelist for adults and children. His last book In
The Palace Of The Khans was published in 2012.
Noorul Huda: veteran leader of Communist Party of
India (M) of eastern India, passed away on 17 December
2015 following a cardiac arrest in Kolkata. He was 86.
Huda is survived by his wife.
Kurt Masur: widely regarded as one of the world's
greatest conductors, passed away on 19 December 2015
in the United States. Known as one of the last old-style
maestros, Masur was best known for serving as the
music director of the New York Philharmonic
(NYP) from 1991-2002. In that capacity, he led the
Philharmonic in a performance of Brahms's Deutsches
Requiem in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks.
IMPORTANT DAYS
16 December: Vijay Diwas was observed across the
country on 16 December 2015. On this day, nation
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remembers martyrs, who laid down their lives during
Indo-Pak War of 1971.
18 December: International Migrants Day was
observed across the world on 18 December 2015. Since
2014, more than 5000 women, men and children lost
their lives in search of protection and a better life while
migrating. The year 2015 will be remembered as a year
of human suffering and migrant tragedies. Tens of
thousands have been exploited and abused by human
traffickers.
22 December: National Mathematics Day observed to
commemorate birth anniversary of Srinivasa
Ramanujan. On this occasion, India and UNESCO agreed
to work jointly in spreading the joy of mathematics and
knowledge to students and learners across the world.
22 December: The United Nations General Assembly
on 22 December 2015 adopted a resolution to observe
5 November every year as World Tsunami
Awareness Day.
24 December: 30th National Consumers Right Day
was observed across India on 24 December 2015. The
day provides an opportunity to highlight the
importance of the consumer movement and the need to
make every consumer more aware of their rights and
responsibilities.
MISCELLANEOUS
The average temperature over Arctic land for the year
ending in September 2015 was the highest on record
indicating that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as
other parts of the Earth.
It was revealed by the annual Arctic Report Card of
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), a federal agency of US for monitoring condition
of the oceans and the atmosphere.
Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with Graphic India, UK-
based ISM Komix and Cornerstone Sport are set to
launch a new environmental superhero team called
'Hyper Tygers. The digital comic will be free to read on
all devices from February 1 through Sharmas Facebook
page and the Graphic POP! Mobile app.
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 The University of South Florida (USF) has announced a
postgraduate fellowship in the name of former
president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam to support accomplished
and talented Indian students looking to study abroad.
Launching the fellowship at the Global Higher Education
summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),
USF provost Ralph Wilcox said "Dr. Kalam left an
indelible mark on the academic community, one that
will now continue over time through this most
prestigious Kalam Fellowship". The fellowship is open
to Indian students who wish to pursue PhD in specified
fields in science and engineering at USF. Fellowship
holders will receive a tuition waiver amounting to
$84,500 in four years, plus a stipend of $18,000 per
year.
Liberia has become the 164th WTO member and the
36th least developed country (LDC) to join the global
trade body after 11 years of negotiations, Xinhua
reported.
World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 17 December
2015 unanimously approved Afghanistans WTO
membership at the WTOs Tenth Ministerial Conference
(MC10) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. With this,
Afghanistan will become the 164th WTO member
and the 36th least-developed country to become a
WTO member since the organization was
established in 1995.Liberia becomes 163rd member
of WTO.
The Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health is to open
its new centre in Mumbai, the first in South Asia, this
Sunday, in a bid to help broaden and coordinate the
Schools nearly 60 years of collaboration to improve
health in India and around the world.
Mumbais iconic boulevard Marine Drive, also popularly
called the Queens Necklace, completed 100 years, and
residents of the citys western waterfront flagged off the
centenary celebrations with a postcard showcasing the
crescent-shaped bay off the Arabian Sea.
Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have a
discovered a new species of eel named Bengal moray
eel (Gymnothorax mishrai) along the coast of Digha in
Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. The Eels are
mainly snake-like fishes with fins and gills and are
mostly found at bottom of rivers and seas.
ALL THE BEST FOR THE IBPS CLERK MAINS 2016
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Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh on 18
December 2015 announced that Union Government had
been taking considerable steps to improve production
of pulses in order to reduce countrys dependence on
imports. These steps are in tune with the 2016
International Year of Pulses launched by the United
Nations. The UN on 10 November 2015 launched the
year at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy. It was launched with
the theme nutritious seeds for a sustainable future.
The purpose of the launch is to raise awareness of the
many benefits of pulses, boost their production and
trade, and encourage new and smarter uses
throughout the food chain.
Biocon Limited on 24 December 2015 launched the
generic version of hepatitis C drug in the Indian
market. The generic version of the drug named Harvoni
will be sold under the brand name CIMIVIR-L.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Bill, 2015: Rajya Sabha on 22 December
2015 passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Bill, 2015. With this passage, the bill awaits
the Presidents nod to be qualified as an act as it was
already passed by the Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015. Most
importantly, the Bill permits juveniles between the ages
of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for heinous offences.
Also, any 16-18 year old, who commits a lesser
(serious) offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is
apprehended after the age of 21 years. The Bill replaces
the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Act, 2000. It addresses children in conflict with law and
children in need of care and protection.
The Union Minister of Human Resource Development
Zubin Irani on 21 December 2015 launched the 6th All
India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) in New Delhi.
The survey covers all the Higher Education (HE)
institutions of the country including Universities,
Colleges and Stand-Alone institutions from 2010-11 to
2014-15.
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