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GK Tornado for IBPS PO Mains Exam -2017

Dear readers,
This GK Tornado is a complete docket of important news and events that occurred in last 4.5 months (1st July14th Nov 2017).
Tornado is important and relevant for all competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC and UPSC Exams.

Banking & Financial Awareness

1. RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6% - On 4th October 2017, RBI in its fourth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement
decided to keep the policy Repo rate unchanged at 6%. Therefore, the reverse repo rate under the LAF remains at 5.75 per
cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.25 per cent. However, RBI cut the Statutory
Liquidity Ratio (SLR) by 0.5 percent to 19.5 percent.
New Policy & Reserve Rates
1. Repo Rate 6% (unchanged)
2. Reverse Repo Rate 5.75% (unchanged)
3. CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) 4.00% (unchanged)
4. SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) 19.50% (changed)
5. MSF (Marginal Standing Facility) 6.25% (unchanged)
6. Bank Rate 6.25% (unchanged)

2. RBI sets up task force on Public Credit Registry
(PCR) - The Reserve Bank of India constituted a 10-
member High Level Task Force on Public Credit
Registry (PCR) for India. The task force will be headed
by YM Deosthalee, ex-CMD of L&T Finance Holdings.
3. Legal Entity Identifier mandatory for all large
corporate borrowers: RBI - The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has made 20-digit Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)
compulsory for companies having aggregate fund-
based and non-fund based exposure over Rs 5 crore.
The move is aimed at improving risk management in
wake of huge stressed assets in banking system. Before
this, RBI had made LEI mandatory for transactions in
interest rate, forex and credit derivative market
Legal Entity Identifier (LEI)
LEI is a 20-digit unique code to identify
parties to financial transactions worldwide.
It is a global reference number that uniquely
identifies every legal entity or structure that is
party to a financial transaction, in any
jurisdiction.
LEI code has been conceived as key measure to
improve quality and accuracy of financial data
systems for better risk management post the
global financial crisis.
The LEI system was developed by G20 in
response to inability of financial institutions to
identify organisations uniquely, so that their
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financial transactions in different national
jurisdictions can be fully tracked. The first LEIs
were issued in December 2012.
Legal Entity Identifier India Limited (LEIL), a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Clearing
Corporation of India (CCI), acts as a local
operating unit (LOU) for issuing globally
compatible legal entity identifiers (LEIs) in
India.
4. Banks to Provide Funds at 7% to Women SHGs
under DAY-NRLM: RBI - The RBI has issued
guidelines to banks will provide funds to women self
help groups, SHGs, in rural areas at 7 per cent under
the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) in the current fiscal
(2017-18).
Note:
National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is a
poverty alleviation project implemented by
Ministry of Rural Development, Government of
India.
NRLM is focused on promoting self-
employment and organization of rural poor.
Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana or DAY is a
Government of India scheme for the helping the
poor by providing skill training.
5. RBI Slaps Rs2-cr Penalty on IDFC Bank - The
Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary
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penalty of Rs 2 crore on IDFC Bank for contravention
of regulatory restrictions pertaining to loans and
advances.
The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of
powers vested in RBI under the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949, taking into account failure of the bank to
adhere to certain directions issued by RBI.
6. RBI opens branch in Dehradun RBI had opened its
new branch in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The branch was
inaugurated by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat. Earlier, the state government had to do
financial transactions through the Kanpur branch of the
RBI.
7. Reserve Bank of India recently acknowledged HDFC
Bank Ltd as a Domestic-Systemically Important Bank
(D-SIB). With this, HDFC Bank joins State Bank of India
and ICICI Bank in the elite D-SIB list.
Note: The higher capital requirements applicable to D-
SIBs will be applicable from April 1, 2016, in a phased
manner and would become fully effective from April 1,
2019.
8. P2P platforms will now act as NBFCs: Govt. -
According to the gazette notification issued by the
government, all Peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platforms
will now considered as Non-Banking Financial
Companies (NBFCs) and will be regulated by Reserve
Bank of India (RBI).
About Peer-To-Peer Lending (P2P) - Peer-to-peer
lending (P2P) is a method of bulk funding that enables
individuals to borrow and lend money - without the use
of any official financial institution or bank as an
intermediary. Peer-to-peer lending removes the
middleman from the process and matches lenders with
borrowers online, but it also involves more time, effort
and risk than the general lending process.
9. RBI issues guidelines for Peer to Peer lending
platform Following are the guidelines -
Unless an NBFC has received the Certificate of
Registration, it cannot start the the business of a
P2P lending platform.
New companies who are looking for registration
with the bank as an NBFC-P2P must have a net
owned funds of not less than 20 million rupees or
such higher amount as the RBI may specify.
The existing NBFC-P2Ps have to apply for
registration as NBFC-P2Ps within 3 months.
Functions of NBFC-P2P Following are the functions of
NBFC-P2P
(i) It is necessary to provide online platform to members
involved in P2P lending.
(ii) Cannot lend on its own.
(iv) Cannot hold its own balance sheet of funds received
from lenders or funds given to borrowers
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(v) NBFC-P2P cant cross-sell products.
Guidelines for lenders and borrowers
(1) A lender cant lend more than Rs 10 lakh to all
borrowers at any point of time across all P2Ps
(2) Borrowers cant borrow more than Rs 10 lakh from
all lenders at any point of time across all P2Ps
(3) Not more than Rs 50,000 can be borrowed from
single lender to the same borrower, across all P2Ps.
(4) The maturity of the loans shall not exceed 36 months.
Fund transfer mechanism Bank account is mandatory
for transfer of funds. The transfer of funds between lenders
& borrowers on the P2P platform will be done through
escrow account mechanisms. Cash transactions are not
allowed in P2P platform.
10. RBI to conduct financial literacy drive in 9 states
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to launch
a financial literacy drive in 80 blocks in 9 states.
The nine states include - Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh,
Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Objective
The main objective of the financial literacy drive
is to educate people on e-transactions, formal
sector borrowings and insurance purchases.
Also, to create awareness among people on - e-
transactions through electronic means such as
NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, Internet Banking, Mobile
Banking and UPI (Unified Payment Interface).
Key points
Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF)
will implement the pilot project in collaboration
with banks and six non-governmental organisations
(NGOs)
Six NGOs include - CRISIL Foundation, Dhan
Foundation, Swadhaar Fin Access, Indian School of
Micro Finance for Women (ISMW), Samarpit and the
PACE Foundation.
The total cost of the project over a period of three
years would be around Rs 18.40 Cr.
11. Masala Bonds to be treated as ECB: RBI - Masala
bonds were treated by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI)
till 3rd October 2017.Now, The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) announced that it is free from FPI and being
treated by External Commercial Borrowings (ECB).
Note: Masala bonds are rupee-denominated overseas
bonds. Currently, the limit for investment by Foreign
Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in corporate bonds is Rs
2,44,323 crore and this includes masala bonds of
Rs.44,001 crore.
12. Two regional rural banks record Over Rs 150-cr
Profit in FY17: According to the Reserve Bank of
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Indias Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in
India - Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank and
Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank recorded net profit
of more than 150 crore during 2016-17.
13. RBI to pay Rs 30,659 cr dividend to Govt. - The
Reserve Bank has to pay Rs 30,659 crore to the
government for the fiscal ended June 2017. It is a less
than half of what it paid in 2016. Previous year in 2016
RBI had paid Rs 65,876 crore dividend to the
government.
14. RBI issues new Rs 200, Rs 50 banknotes - After
demonetization, Rs 200 is the fourth note introduced by
the apex bank.
Features of Rs. 200 bank note The note will carry
the signature of RBI governor Urjit Patel, the year of
printing on the left, and the Swachh Bharat logo with the
slogan.
Colour The colour of the bank note is Bright
Yellow.
Design: It has a motif of Sanchi Stupa on the
reverse, depicting the countrys cultural heritage.
Dimension - The dimension of the bank note will
be 66mm X 146mm.
Latent image with denominational numeral 200.
Windowed security thread with inscriptions
and RBI with colour shift. Colour of the thread
changes from green to blue when the note is tilted.
Denominational numeral with Rupee Symbol,
200 in colour changing ink (green to blue) on
bottom right.
Ashoka Pillar emblem on the right.
Mahatma Gandhi portrait and electrotype (200)
watermarks
Features of 50 Rs bank note The note will carry the
signature of RBI governor Urjit Patel, the year of
printing on the left, and the Swachh Bharat logo with
the slogan and language panel.
Colour: The bank note is fluorescent blue in colour.
Design: The note bears the motif of Hampi with
Chariot on the reverse that depicts Indias cultural
heritage.
Ashoka pillar emblem on the right side.
Mahatma Gandhi portrait and electrotype (50)
watermarks.
Dimension - Dimension of the banknote will be 66
mm x 135 mm.
Windowed demetalised security thread with
inscriptions and RBI,
Note: Till now, India has currency denominations
of Rs. 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 2,000.
15. RBI identified 12 accounts with 25% of bank bad
loans - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had identified
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12 accounts which represents 25% of the gross bad
loans in the banking system. RBI had ordered the banks
to implement the insolvency and bankruptcy code on
these 12 accounts to recover the dues. These accounts
are overdue of above Rs 5,000 crore each.
Name of some accounts include - Lanco Infratech Ltd,
Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel, Electrosteel Steel, Alok
Industries, Jyoti Structures, Monnet Ispat and Jaypee
Associates. Note: IDBI Bank has initiated insolvency
proceeding against Lanco Infratech ltd.
16. RBI initiates PCA against six banks as NPA mounts -
The Reserve Bank of India has initiated prompt
corrective action (PCA) against six banks in view of
the high level of bad loans.
Six banks include Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank
of India, IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Dena Bank and Indian
Overseas Bank. The move will restrict the bank from
announcing the dividend, opening branches, hiring and
giving loans to companies rated below investment
grade.
17. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up Supervisory
Colleges for six Scheduled Commercial Banks which
have sizeable international presence. The banks include
- - State Bank of India, ICICI Bank Ltd., Bank of India,
Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank Ltd. and Punjab National
Bank.
The objectives of the colleges are to enhance
information exchange and cooperation among
supervisors, to improve understanding of the risk
profile of the banking group and thereby facilitate more
effective supervision of internationally active banks.
18. RBI fined Rs. 3 cr penalty on UBI - The RBI has
imposed a penalty of Rs. 3 crore on state-owned Union
Bank of India for non-compliance with the directions
on Know Your Customer (KYC) norms. This action is
based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is
not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any
transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with
its customers.
19. RBI broadens scope of Banking Ombudsman
Scheme With the amendment, from 1 July 2017, the
banking ombudsman scheme will include
i. sale of insurance, mutual funds and other third-party
investment products by banks
ii. mobile and online banking services.
Now, a bank customer also files a complaint to Banking
Ombudsman on following issues
i. Mutual Fund & Insurance policy - wrongly sold
third party products such as mutual fund schemes &
insurance policies.
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ii. mobile and online banking services - delay or
failure of online payments or fund transfers and
unauthorized electronic payments or fund transfers.
Key points -
So far, the banking ombudsman only accepted
complaints about banking products and services.
Third-party products sold by banks, such as
insurance and mutual fund products, were kept
out of its ambit.
RBI has included in its amended scheme that in
case of any grievance, you can lodge a complaint
against the bank for its non-adherence to RBIs
instructions on mobile banking and electronic
banking services in India.
Increase in compensation amount: The RBI has
increased the compensation limit from Rs10 lakh to
Rs20 lakh. The compensation excludes the amount
involved in the dispute. For case, if you have a complaint
about a transaction amount of, say, Rs15 lakh. The
compensation will be over and above this amount.
20. RBI limits Customer liability in Online Banking As
per the RB guidelines on customer liability
The full amount will be credited to the account
- If the customers report to the banks regarding the
loss they suffer through online banking
transactions within 3 days, then the amount
involved will be credited to their accounts within a
time period of 10 days.
Only Rs. 25,000 will be credited to the account
- In case the third-party fraud is reported with a
Indias GDP Growth Rate Projected by Different Org. 2017
1. The Reserve Bank of India - 6.7% in 2017-18.
Note: Also, the projection of real GVA (Gross Value
Added) growth for 2017-18 has been revised down to
6.7 per cent from the August 2017 projection of 7.3
per cent.
RBI Governor Dr. Urjit Patel
RBI headquarter Mumbai, India
2. International Monetary Fund (IMF) - 6.7% in 2017-
18.
IMF projected Indias GDP growth rate at 7.4% in
2018-19.
IMF projected World GDP growth rate at 3.5% in
2017 and 3.6% in 2018.
IMF Chief Christine Lagarde
IMF headquarter Washington, D.C. (US)
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delay of 4 to 7 working days, a customer will face
liability of up to Rs. 25,000.
Only Rs. 10,000 will be credited to the account
- If the fraud is report after 7 days, the customer
liability will be determined as per the banks Board
approved policy. The maximum liability of a
savings bank account customer will be Rs10,000 in
such cases.
21. RBIs notification related to Interest Subvention
Scheme for Short Term Crop Loans during the year
2017-18 A farmer can avail loans up to Rs. 3 lakh at
an interest rate of 7% p.a. during the year 2017-18.
This interest subvention of 2 per cent will be
calculated on the crop loan amount from the date
of its disbursement up to the date of actual
repayment by the farmer or up to the due date of
the loan fixed by the banks, whichever is earlier,
subject to a maximum of one year.
Aadhaar card mandatory - To ensure hassle-free
benefits to farmers under the Interest Subvention
Scheme, the banks are advised to make Aadhaar
linkage mandatory for availing of short-term crop
loans in 2017-18.
Note: The Cabinet has approved the total
expenditure of Rs 20,339 crore for this financial
year (FY) as interest subsidy on short-term crop
loans.
3. World Bank - 7% in 2017-18.
World Bank projected Indias GDP growth rate at
7.5% in 2018-19.
World Bank projected Indias GDP growth rate at
7.5% in 2019-20.
World Bank projected World GDP growth rate at
2.7% in 2017-18.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim
World Bank headquarter Washington, D.C. (US)
Members countries - 189
4. Asian Development Bank (ADB)- 7% in 2017-18.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected Indias
GDP growth rate at 7.5% in 2018-19.
ADB President: Takehiko Nakao
ADB headquarter Mandaluyong, Philippines
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Members countries - 67
5. United Nation (UN) - 7.3% in 2017-18.
UN projected Indias GDP growth rate at 7.9% in
2018-19.
UN projected World GDP growth rate at 2.7% in
2017-18.
UN projected World GDP growth rate at 2.7% in
2018-19.
UN SecretaryGeneral - Antnio Guterres
UN headquarter New York, US
Members countries - 193
6. The credit rating agency Fitch Ratings 6.9% for 2017-
18.
Fitch CEO Paul Taylor
Fitch Ratings headquarter New York, US
7. India Ratings and Research - 6.7% in 2017-18.
India Ratings and Research MD & CEO - Rohit
Sawhney.
India Ratings and Research headquarter Mumbai,
Maharashtra
Digital Banking
1. National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) It is a
payment system which facilitates one-to-one funds
transfer. Under this facility, any customer can
electronically transfer funds from any bank branch to
any individual, firm or corporate having an account
with any other bank branch in the country.
Transaction Limit: There is no minimum &
maximum limit of amount.
Note: For cash-based remittance and remittance to
Nepal - the maximum amount per transaction is
limited to Rs 50,000.
Timing: At present, NEFT operates in hourly
batches - there are twelve settlements from 8 am
to 7 pm on week days (Monday through Friday)
and six settlements from 8 am to 1 pm on
Saturdays.
2. Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) Under this
facility the transfer of funds is done individually on an
order by order basis (without any delay). The RTGS
system is primarily meant for large value transactions.
Transaction Limit: The minimum amount is Rs. 2
lakh. There is no upper ceiling for RTGS
transactions.
Timing: The RTGS service window for customer's
transactions is available to banks from 9.00 hours
to 16.30 hours on week days and from 9.00 hours
to 14:00 hours on Saturdays for settlement at the
RBI end. However, the timings that the banks follow
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8. Domestic rating agency CRISIL - 6.7% in 2017-18.
CRISIL MD & CEO - Ashu Suyash
CRISIL headquarter Mumbai, Maharashtra
9. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) - 7.1% in 2017-18.
CSO Director General Davendra Verma
CSO headquarter New Delhi, India
10. Japanese financial holding company Nomura - 7.1% in
2017-18.
Nomura CEO: Koji Nagai
Nomura headquarter - Minato, Tokyo, Japan
11. HSBC - 7.1% in 2017-18.
HSBC CEO: Stuart Gulliver
HSBC headquarter London, UK
12. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) - 6.7% in 2017-18.
OECD projected Indias GDP growth rate at 7.2% in
2018-19.
OECD Secretary-General: Angel Gurra
OECD headquarter Paris, France
may vary depending on the customer timings of the
bank branches.
3. Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) It is a 11-digit
alpha-numeric code which identifies a bank-branch
participating in the NEFT & RTGS system. IFSC is used
by the NEFT system to identify the originating /
destination banks / branches and also to route the
messages appropriately to the concerned banks /
branches.
Note: IFSC code represent
First 4 alpha characters indicate bank name
Fifth characters is 0
Last 6 characters indicate bank branch.
For ex - SBIN0000125 Here SBIN indicates
State Bank of India. 0124 represent the Lucknow
Main Branch name.
4. About NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) is an umbrella organization for all retail
payments system in India. It was set up with the
guidance and support of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
and Indian Banks Association (IBA).
NPCI Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra
5. About Unified Payments Interface (UPI)- It is an
instant payment system to transfer money between two
parties bank accounts. It is a similar to NEFT or RTGS
transfers in that way. It is developed by the National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
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6. Immediate payment service (IMPS) It is an instant
real-time payment service which help customer to
transfer money anytime and anywhere in India. This
service is similar to NEFT & RTGS and available 24/7
throughout the year including bank holidays. This
service is offered by National Payments Corporation of
India (NPCI).
Transaction limit There is a maximum limit of 2
lakhs.
7. Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS) It is an
instant interbank fund transfer service in which mobile
phones are used as channel through which transaction
happens with the use of Mobile Money
Identifier(MMID). For each account, MMID is generated
by bank and it is linked with registered mobile number.
Now, account details are fetched from MMID and via
registered mobile number transaction occurs.
**Only MMID and Registered Mobile Number of
Payee are needed. Mobile Money Identifier is a 7
digit number, issued by banks.
Transaction Limits - RBI has defined the
maximum limit per day transaction. If transaction
happens in encrypted format (from net banking)
then limit is 50,000 rupees per day whereas if
transaction happens in unencrypted messaging
formats (from mobile instrument via text message)
then limit is 1,000 rupees per day.
8. *99# Service It is a mobile banking facility which is
based on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
(USSD). With the help of this service a bank customer
can perform financial activities by just dialing *99#
from his/her mobile registered with the bank. *99# is a
common number across all Telecom Service Providers
(TSPs). The service works across all GSM service
providers and handsets.
9. About Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
(USSD) USSD allows transmission of information
through a GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communications) network. It is used to send text
message between a mobile phone and application
program in the network. At present, it is one of the best
accessible communications technology to deliver
mobile financial services to low-income customers.
Important news related to digital banking -
1. State Bank of India has launched an Artificial
Intelligence powered chat assistant to help customers in
various banking activities. The chat assistant is known
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10. Aadhar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) It is an
Indian payment system which is based on unique
identification number, the AADHAAR. The system
allows a person holding an Aadhaar number to carry out
financial transaction on a Micro-ATM provided by the
Banking correspondent. It is developed by National
Payments Corporation of India.
11. Aadhaar Payments Bridge System (APBS): It is a
payment gateway platform used for Aadhaar schemes.
Under this facility - Aadhaar number used as a central
key for electronically channelizing the Government
subsidies and benefits in the Aadhaar Enabled Bank
Accounts (AEBA) of the intended beneficiaries. It is
developed by National Payments Corporation of India.
It was used for the first time on 1 January 2013 when
Direct Benefit Transfer was launched by Government of
India.
12. BHIM APP Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is an
instant payment application which allow users to
transfer fund with the help of mobile phone. It is based
on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and developed
by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched BHIM
app for Android and iOS devices on 30th Dec 2016
at the Digi Dhan Mela event in New Delhi.
Features of BHIM App -
Maximum limit- User can transfer maximum
amount upto Rs 20,000 in a day.
You can send upto Rs. 10,000 in a single transaction.
Transaction Charges There is no transaction
charges.
UPI PIN It is a four or six digit number which is set
by the users itself on BHIM after the registration
process. UPI PIN is used for authenticating all
transactions done on UPI platform (BHIM or *99#
or UPI apps).
VPA - Virtual Payment Address (VPA) is a unique
identifier which you can use to send and receive
money on UPI.
Note: You can use two VPAs. First one is the default
VPA (mobile number@upi). The second one, you
can create on My Profile page.
as SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA). This chatbot is made
by an Artificial intelligence banking platform - Payjo.
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SIA is considered as a revolution in the digital banking
field. It can resolve and handle about 10,000 queries per
second.
2. Canara Bank has launched its first digital Banking
branch in Bengaluru. This branch is named as CANDI.
3. Airtel Payments Bank has become the first payment
bank in India to merge the UPI (Unified Payment
Interface) on its digital platform. With this initiative, the
bank customers can now link their bank accounts on
Bhim app and make UPI payments.
Note: Airtel Payments Bank (APB), a joint venture
between Bharti Airtel Ltd and Kotak Mahindra Bank
Ltd.
Important points related to digital banking
1. DCB Bank launches first iris-based ATM in
Telangana - ATM dispense cash without a debit card as
the machine verifies the customer from the Aadhaar
details like the iris and fingerprint.
2. DCB Bank launched first Aadhaar-based ATM in
Bengaluru - The ATM accepts Aadhaar number and
Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) instead of ATM / debit
card and PIN to dispense cash from the bank account.
3. Countrys first banking robot - Lakshmi launched by
City Union Bank in Chennai.
4. RBL Bank becomes the first Indian bank to launch
Aadhaar Payment Bridge System for small ticket micro-
finance loan disbursements.
5. RBL Bank launches Indias first credit card exclusively
for GOLF LOVERS.
6. Indias first cash giving app CASHe launched by Tslc
Pte Ltd.
List of committees on Digital Banking -
Committee for accelerating growth of Digital Payments in India is headed by Ratan P. Watal.
Committee to study financial technology and digital banking issues in India is headed by - Sudarshan Sen
Mobile Apps launched by different banks
1. SBI
Mingle - the social media banking platform for
Facebook and Twitter users.
Buddy - a mobile wallet app in collaboration with
Accenture and MasterCard.
eforex - an internet-based platform that enables
customers to book their foreign exchange
transactions online.
MobiCash A digital wallet in partnership with
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
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4. Paytm Payments Bank join hands with NPCI for
RuPay digital card - Paytm Payments Bank (PPB)
joined with the National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI) for RuPay digital card. With this debit card
customer will get free insurance cover of up to Rs 2 lakh
in the case of death or permanent total disability.
5. Google Tez The new payment app for India by Google.
It is a mobile wallet app which is based on the Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) platform. This works similar
to the BHIM app.
7. First Digital State - Kerala declared first digital state
in India.
8. First Digital District Nagpur declared first digital
district in India.
9. First Digital Village - Akodara village in Sabarkantha
district of Gujarat became Indias first Digital village.
The village was adopted by ICICI Bank under its digital
village project 2015.
10. First cashless island - Karang, a small lake island in
Manipur, has become the countrys first cashless island.
11. First digital tribal colony - The Nedumkayam tribal
colony at Nilambur in Malappuram lacks basic facilities
including toilets. However, the colony has now become
a role model to the country by becoming the first
'digital' tribal colony in India.
SBI Quick With this app customer can get balance
or mini statement of account through mobile phone.
Samadhan A self-service mobile app for everyday
banking needs.
2. ICICI
Mera iMobile - Indias first mobile banking
application for rural customers.
iMobile With the help of this app a customer can
perform banking activities just like transfer of
funds, bill payments, can check account balance, etc.
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Tap n Pay ICICI bank launched this service in
collaboration with Tech Mahindra Limited which is
based on Near Field Communications (NFC)
technology. This service allows any customer to
make over-the-counter payments without using
cash.
M- Pesa ICICI bank launched this service in
collaboration with Vodafone. With this facility, a
customer can transfer money and make payments
via mobile phone.
Pocket - ICICI Bank launches India's first digital
bank app Pockets.
Money2India - It is an online money transfer
tracking service offered to Non-Resident Indians.
Eazypay - Indias first mobile app for merchants to
accept payments on mobile phone through multiple
digital modes.
ICICIBankPay on Twitter - This service in India
enables ICICI Bank customers to transfer money to
anyone in the country who has a Twitter account.
Smart Vault Fully automated lockers which is
based on robotic technology to access the lockers
from the safe vault conveniently at any time of their
preference in total privacy, without any
intervention of the branch staff.
Contactless Credit and Debit Cards - Indias first
Contactless debit and credit cards, enabling its
customers to make electronic payments by just
waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu
of dipping or swiping them.
Software robotics - ICICI bank launched Indias
first 'software robotics' initiative. Over 200
software robots are now performing over 1 million
transactions per day for the bank which comprises
10% of its total transactions.
ICICI Bank launched ATM on Wheels Indias first
Mobile ATM, in Mumbai.
3. HDFC
EVA - HDFC Bank launches chatbot Eva for
customer services. Electronic Virtual Assistant
(Eva) is India's first Artificial Intelligence -based
banking chatbot and can answer millions of
customer queries across multiple channels.
Chillar - It is India's first multi-bank mobile
payment app that links directly to your bank
account. It allows customer to send money instantly
from their HDFC Bank account to anyone in their
phone book or to a beneficiary using their Account
number & IFSC code' or UPI ID.
PayZapp With this you can do online payments
and money transfer.
4. AXIS
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Lime - Indias first Mobile App integrating Wallet,
Shopping, Payments and Banking
First Multi- Currency Contactless Card service
launched by - Axis Bank has launched the first
Contactless Debit, Credit and Multi-Currency Forex
Card in association with VISA payWave in the
country
5. Federal Bank
Scan N Pay - allows customers to instantly
transfer money to any of the Federal Bank accounts
through android phones
Lotza is Unified Payment Interface app of Federal
Bank.
FedMobile Customers can access specified
banking services including information relating to
their Account(s), transaction details and such other
services as may be made available by the Bank from
time to time.
FedBook Selfie - Indias first mobile app for bank
account opening.
6. PNB launches
mBanking - With the help of this app a customer
can perform banking activities just like transfer of
funds, bill payments, can check account balance, etc.
Wave N Pay Contactless credit cards, enabling its
customers to make electronic payments by just
waving the cards near the merchant terminal in lieu
of dipping or swiping them.
7. Kotak Mahindra Bank
811 mobile app - digital banking system on mobile.
Note: 811 offers a zero -balance savings account
with zero charges for all digital transactions,
Note: Kotak is the first bank in India to integrate the newly
introduced Aadhaar-based OTP authentication process for
account opening on mobile. Only Aadhaar and PAN numbers
are required to open and operate 811.
8. Yes Bank
PhonePe - It works over the Unified Payments
Interface(UPI) platform developed by the National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and is
powered by YES Bank. PhonePe is a one stop UPI-
based app which can serve all your payment needs,
in a safe and secure manner.
YES mPower - Yes Bank partnered with Silicon
Valley-based bot platform Gupshup to launch an
artificial intelligence-powered banking chatbot
YES mPower that instantly gives information
about loan products. The YES mPower bot is
available through Facebook Messenger.
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9. Indian Bank
IndPay A mobile application service that enables
its customers to operate bank account from
anywhere, anytime.
10. Bank of Baroda
M-Connect - It offers you the chance to manage all
of your banking operations using your Smartphone
in a convenient, safe and simple manner.
11. Union Bank of India
Banking & Financial terms
1. AEPS Aadhar Enabled Payment System
2. APBS Aadhar Payment Bridge System
3. ATM Automated Teller Machine
4. ALM - Asset Liability Management
5. BBPS Bharat Bill Payment System
6. BHIM - Bharat Interface for Money
7. CBS Core Banking System
8. CIDR - Central Identities Data Repository
9. CTS Cheque Truncation System
10. CDR - Corporate Debt Restructuring
11. CASA Current Account Saving Account
12. CAD Capital Account Deficit
13. CRR Cash Reserve Ratio
14. ECS Electronic Clearing Scheme
15. DNS - Domain Name System
16. DEAF - Depositor Education and Awareness Fund
17. EFTPOS - Electronic funds transfer at point of sale
18. EFT Electronic Fund Transfer.
19. FRBM - Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
20. LGD - Loss Given Default
21. GNFV - Gross Negative Fair Value
22. SFTs: Securities financing transactions
23. HCE - Host Card Emulation
24. PFE - Potential Future Exposure
25. ICAAP - Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process
26. IFSC - Indian Financial System Code
27. IMPS - Immediate Payment Service
28. IMPS - Interbank Mobile Payment Service
29. MMID - Mobile Money Identifier
30. MPIN - Mobile Personal Identification Number
31. NPA Non- Performing Assets
32. NPCI - National Payment Corporation of India
33. NFS National Financial Switch
34. NACH National Automated Clearing House
35. NEFT National Electronic Fund Transfer
36. NFC - Near field communication
37. NDTL Net Demand and Time Liabilities.
38. OTC Over the Counter
39. PIN Personal Identification Number
40. PAC - Personal Access Code
41. PCA - Prompt Corrective Action
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U-Mobile - The mobile banking facility that will
help you do banking transactions using your mobile
phone.
12. Project Ananya by Syndicate Bank Syndicate Bank
had launched the Project Ananya which provide latest
digital banking services to its customer.
13. MobiKwik launched Bubble Pin as a one-step offline
payments mode, which allows users to make payments
without data connection.
42. PSPs - Payment Support Providers
43. RTGS Real Time Gross Settlement
44. USSD - Unstructured Supplementary Services Data
45. UIDAI - Unique Identification Authority of India
46. VPA - Virtual Payment Address.
47. GDR Global Depository Receipt
48. GAAR - General anti avoidance rule
49. PAN Permanent Account Number
50. PLR Prime Lending Rate
51. SLR Statutory Liquidity Ratio
52. SDR Special Drawing Rights
53. DTAA Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement
54. TIEA Tax Information Exchange Agreement
55. EFSF European Financial Stability Facility
56. PPP Purchasing Power Parity
57. PPP Public Private Partnership
58. NPS New Pension Scheme
59. EEFC - Exchange Earner's Foreign Currency
60. FII Foreign Institutional Investor
61. DII Domestic Institutional Investor
62. GST Goods and Services Tax
63. DTC Direct Tax Code
64. FCNRA Foreign Currency Non- Resident account
65. MFI - Micro Finance Institutions
66. MFDC Micro Finance Development Council
67. TRAI - Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
68. MSF Marginal Standing Facility
69. IDF Infrastructure Debt Fund
70. CRIS Comparative Rating Index for Sovereign
71. LIBOR London Inter Bank Operation Rate
72. MIBOR Mumbai Inter Bank Operation Rate
73. MICR Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
74. SARFAESI - Securitization and Reconstruction of
Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest
75. BCBS - Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
76. NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India
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Agreement
Indias agreement with other countries
1. India & Hong Kong - The Union Cabinet Approved
Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of
Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income
between India & Hong Kong.
2. India & Colombia - The Union Cabinet approved
signing of Joint Interpretative Declaration (JID)
between India and Colombia regarding existing
Agreement for Promotion and Protection of
Investments.
Note:
Capital of Colombia Bogot
Currency of Colombia - Peso
President - Juan Manuel Santos.
3. India & Philippines agreement on Agriculture &
related fields - The agreement provides cooperation in
fields of rice production and processing, dryland
farming systems, multi cropping system, bio-organic
farming, solid and water conservation and
management, soil fertility, Agro forestry, sericulture,
livestock improvement etc.
Note:
Capital of Philippines Manila.
Currency of Philippines - Peso
President - Rodrigo Duterte.
4. India and Kyrgyz - The Union Cabinet approved
protocol amending Agreement between India and
Kyrgyz for avoidance of double taxation and
prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on
income.
Note:
Capital of Kyrgyz Bishkek.
Currency of Kyrgyz - Som.
President - Almazbek Atambayev.
PM - Sapar Isakov.
5. India & Armenia The Union Cabinet approved
signing and ratifying agreement between India and
Armenia on cooperation and mutual assistance in
customs matters.
Note:
Indias agreement with Financial Institutions
1. India & World Bank - India and World Bank signed a
financing agreement for loan of USD 119 million for
the Odisha Higher Education Programme for
Excellence & Equity (OHEPEE) Project.
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Capital of Armenia Yerevan.
Currency of Armenia - Dram.
President - Serzh Sargsyan.
PM - Karen Karapetyan.
6. India & Tunisia - India and Tunisia jointly agreed to
enhance cooperation in various sectors including in the
fields of renewable energy, infrastructure, transport
and automobiles, textiles, agriculture, drugs &
pharmaceuticals, healthcare, ICT, SMEs and energy.
Note: Besides this, the Foreign Ministries of the two
nations have decided to hold a year-long Festival of
India in Tunisia and Festival of Tunisia in India in 2018
to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Note:
Capital of Tunisia Tunis.
Currency of Tunisia - Dinar.
President - Beji Caid Essebsi.
Head of Govt. - Youssef Chahed.
7. India & Italy - India and Italy have signed six
agreements to boost cooperation in the fields of
railways safety, energy and to enhance counter-terror
cooperation.
Note:
Capital of Italy Rome
Currency of Italy - Euro.
President - Sergio Mattarella.
PM - Paolo Gentiloni.
8. India & Sri Lanka - India and Sri Lanka signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build 1200
houses in Hambantota, a southern port city of Sri
Lanka.
Note:
Capital of Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenepura
Kotte.
Currency of Sri Lanka - Rupee.
President - Maithripala Sirisena
PM - Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Note: The loan will be provided by the International
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD),
subsidiary of World Bank.
Objective of the OHEPEE Project
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To improve the quality of students equitable
access to selected institutions in Odisha through
Institutional Development Plan (IDP) Grants.
It will enhance governance of the higher
education system by improving governance in
colleges and through improvement of financial
and procurement management in all government
and government-aided colleges.
The project is expected to be completed by 30
November 2022.
2. Andhra Pradesh & Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB) The AIIB has approved USD 2 million
loan (Rs. 13,000 crores) for five projects in Andhra
Pradesh. The five projects include Two roads and
buildings department, one each for rural safe drinking
water department, municipal and urban development
department and Panchayat Raj department.
3. India & World Bank sign agreement for Assam
Rural Transformation Project - India and the World
Bank signed USD 200 million loan agreement for the
Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project.
4. India & ADB sign agreement to promote fiscal
reforms in West Bengal - The Union Government and
Asian Development Bank has signed USD 300 million
loan to promote a series of fiscal reforms in West
Bengal to improve the quality of public service
delivery.
5. Nepal & ADB - The Asian Development Bank
(ADB) will provide a USD 152 million to Nepal for the
implementation and enhancement of its power
transmission and distribution. ADB and Nepals
Ministry of Finance signed the loan agreement in
Kathmandu.
6. The Finance Ministry & World Bank ink pact of $24
million to improve Indias Forest Ecosystem Services.
7. NABARD sanctioned loan of Rs 1,350-cr to
Rajasthan Government for the creation of rural
infrastructure in the state under the Rural
Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
Financial & Economy News
1. Government announces Bank Recapitalisation Plan
to infuse Rs. 2.11 lakh crore capital in PSBs - The
Union Government has announced Bank
Recapitalisation Plan to infuse Rs. 2.11 lakh crore (
$32.4 billion) capital over next two years into public
sector banks (PSBs) and prioritised financing support
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8. World Bank to provide $250-million loan to train India's
job seekers - The World Bank has cleared a USD 250-
million loan for making Indian youth more employable
through reskilling, in a move that is seen to aid the Skill
India Mission. Under the program, adults in 15-59 years
of age, underemployed or unemployed, will get the skill
training.
9. ADB & Himachal Pradesh The Asian Development
Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $80 million (about
Rs 524 crore) for the modernization of Himachal
Pradeshs technical and vocational education and
training (TVET) institutions.
10. Rajasthan & ADB - The government of India and Asian
Development Bank (ADB) has signed a 220 million
dollar loan for improving connectivity as well as
transport efficiency and safety on State Highways of
Rajasthan.
11. Asian Development Bank has pledged USD 10 billion
for development projects in India.
12. India, World Bank sign USD 35 million agreement to
enhance efficiency in tax administration in Assam.
13. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has
approved $150 million equity investment loan to the
India Infrastructure Fund.
14. India & World Bank signed an agreement for
Himachal Pradesh Financial Management Capacity
Building programme. USD 36 million.
15. India signed a USD 39.2 million loan agreement with the
World Bank for the Assam Citizen Centric Service
Delivery project
16. AIIB & Gujarat- China based Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) announced its approval to
a $329 million loan to build access roads across 4,000
villages in Gujarat.
17. World Bank & Assam World Bank has approved a
loan assistance of 44 million dollars for the Assam
State Public Finance Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe)
Project.
for MSMEs in 50 clusters. The capital infusion will be
accompanied by a series of banking sector reforms that
will be revealed in the coming months.
Note:
Under this plan, PSBs will get Rs 1.35 lakh
crore from Recapitalisation Bonds, Rs 18,000
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crore from Budgetary and remaining Rs
58,000 crore will be raised through sale of
share of banks.
2. Govt. constitutes Alternative Mechanism Panel for
PSBs consolidation - The Union Government has
constituted Alternative Mechanism Panel headed by
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to oversee
merger proposals of public sector banks (PSBs). The
other members of the panel include Railway and Coal
Minister Piyush Goyal and Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman.
3. Core sector growth hits 6-month high of 5.2% in
September 2017 - According to index of eight core
industries released by the Union Ministry of Commerce
and Industry, Core sector growth has hit six-month
high in September 2017.
Note: The core industries comprising of coal, crude oil,
natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement,
and electricity was up 5.2% in September 2017
compared with 4.4% in August 2017 and 5.3% in
September 2016. Besides, August 2017 core sector
growth was revised downwards from 4.9%.
4. No Tax on Cash Sales of Agricultural Produce for
Less than 2 Lakh Rupees - The Income Tax
Department has clarified that the cash sales of
agricultural produce by a cultivator to a trader for less
than 2 lakh rupees will not attract tax under the
Income Tax Act.
5. PFRDA increases maximum age of joining under
NPS-Private Sector to 65 years - The Pension Fund
Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)
increased the maximum age of joining under National
Pension System (NPS)-Private Sector (All Citizen and
Corporate Model) from the existing 60 years to 65
years of age.
Note:
With this, any Indian Citizen, resident or non-resident,
between the age of 60- 65 years can now join NPS and
continue up to the age of 70 years in NPS.
6. GIC Re launched Indias 3rd largest IPO - General
Insurance Corp of India (GIC Re) launched its mega Rs
11,370 crore initial public offer (IPO). This is India's
third biggest IPO ever after Coal India's Rs 15,200 crore
and Reliance Power's Rs 11,700 crore issues.
7. Wholesale inflation rose to a four-month high of 3.24
per cent in August as prices of food articles, led by
onions and vegetables, soared. Inflation based on the
Wholesale Price Index was 1.88 per cent in July 2017
and 1.09 per cent in August 2016.
8. First regional centre of New Development Bank
opened in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Note:
The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly
referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a
multilateral development bank established by the
BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa) with an initial authorised capital of the
bank is USD 100 billion.
The headquarter of NDB is in Shanghai, China.
K.V. Kamath is the first President of NDB.
9. BSNL Launches digital wallet bespoke - BSNL went
digital by launching a bespoke mobile wallet (mobile
payment App) that would enable its existing 100 million
customers to make Bill payments. The wallet has been
developed and issued by MobiKwik on behalf of BSNL.
10. Nestle set up a first food safety institute in Manesar,
Gurugram to help develop standards in food safety and
quality. It will provide guidance and training on food
safety. While this is the first such institute in India,
Nestle already runs a similar Institute each in China and
Lausanne, Switzerland.
11. India becomes 1st country to give to UN Tax Fund
with $100000 contribution - India has contributed
$100,000 to a UN fund to help developing countries
actively participate in the discussion of tax
issues, becoming the first country to make the
contribution. The UN Tax Trust Fund aims to support
the work of the Committee of Experts on International
Cooperation in Tax Matters.
12. WTO estimated World Trade to grow at 3.6% in
2017. According to revised estimates circulated by
the World Trade Organisation, the World trade in goods
is estimated to grow at a higher 3.6 percent in 2017.
Earlier growth was projected at 2.4 percent in 2017.
13. US shut down Pakistans Habib Bank - The US
banking regulators has shut down the Pakistans Habib
Bank office in New York for constantly failing to
attention concerns over possible terrorist financing and
money laundering.
Note: Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan is a Karachi
based multinational bank. It is the largest bank by assets
in Pakistan. Sultan Ali Allana is a Chairman and Nauman
Dar is a President & CEO of HBL.
14. Indias Forex reserves cross $400 billion for first
time - According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Indias
foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have crossed $400
billion mark for the first time. The increase was due
sharp rise in foreign currency assets.
Note: India is now at sixth position in forex reserves
ranking behind China (3,053 billion reserves), Japan
($1,188 billion), Switzerland ($743 billion), Saudi
Arabia ($489 billion) and Taiwan ($441 billion).
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15. Air India Ties up with PNB, IndusInd - Air India has
tied up Punjab National Bank and IndusInd Bank to
secure loans to the tune of over Rs 3,000 crore for
meeting working capital requirements.
16. Core sector growth rises to 4.9% in August 2017 -
According to Ministry of Commerce & Industry, eight
core sectors grew by 4.9% in August 2017, the highest
growth rate since April 2017. It was higher than 3.1% in
August 2016 and 2.6% in July 2017
17. IIP rises to 9-month high of 4.3% in August 2017-
According to data released by Central Statistics Office
(CSO), factory output measured in terms of Index of
Industrial Production (IIP) has grown nine-month high
to 4.3% in August 2017.
About Index of Industrial Production (IIP) - The IIP
is composite indicator that measures short-term
changes in volume of production of basket of industrial
products during given period with respect to chosen
base period. It is compiled and published monthly by
Central Statistical Organization (CSO), Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Note:
The CSO had revised base year of IIP from 2004-05
to 2011-12 in May 2017 to capture structural
changes in economy and improve quality and
representativeness of indices.
The revised IIP (2011-12) reflects changes in
industrial sector and also aligns it with base year of
other macroeconomic indicators like Wholesale
Price Index (WPI) and Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
The IIP covers 407 item groups. Sector wise these
items falls into 3 categories viz. Manufacturing
(405 items), Mining (1 items) & Electricity (1 item).
The weights of three sectors are 77.63%, 14.37%,
7.9% respectively.
18. ICEX launches worlds first diamond futures
contracts - The Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) as
launched worlds first diamond futures contracts to
provide exporters with a hedging tool. ICEX has
received approval from market regulator Securities
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to commence trading
with diamond futures contracts.
Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX)
ICEX is deemed recognized Stock exchange
providing a nation-wide on-line trading platform in
commodity derivative.
It is a public-private partnership with Reliance
Capital, MMTC Ltd, Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd,
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Indian Potash Ltd, KRIBHCO and IDFC Bank as
major shareholders.
It was established under the SCRA, 1956 in terms of
Section 131(B) of Finance Act, 2015 pursuant to
central Government notification issued in August
2015.
19. Union Government launches Bharat 22 ETF to sell
stakes in 22 firms - The Union Finance Ministry has
launched second exchange-traded fund (ETF),
named Bharat 22. It will help to speed up
Governments disinvestment programme budgeted to
raise a record Rs 72,500 crore in the FY 2018.
Note:
Bharat 22 comprise of 22 stocks including those of
central public sector enterprises (CPSEs), public
sector banks (PSBs) and its holdings under the
Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India
(SUUTI).
Bharat 22 is a well-diversified ETF spanning six
sectors basic materials, energy, finance,
industrials, FMCG and utilities.
The sector wise weightage in the Bharat 22 Index
is basic materials (4.4%), energy (17.5%), finance
(20.3%), FMCG (15.2%), industrials (22.6%), and
utilities (20%).
About Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are essentially index
funds that are listed and traded on exchanges like
stocks. They are basically basket of stocks with
assigned weights that reflects the composition of an
index. They are similar to mutual funds in a certain
manner but are more liquid as they can be sold
quickly on stock exchanges like shares. The ETFs
trading value is based on the net asset value of the
underlying stocks that it represents
20. MCX gets SEBI approval to launch Indias first gold
options contract Commodity derivatives bourse
Multi Commodity Exchange Ltd (MCX) has received
markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of
Indias (SEBI) approval to launch Indias first gold
options contract.
Note: The MCX is the countrys largest metals and
energy commodity bourse. It is countrys first listed
commodity futures exchange that facilitates online
trading, and clearing and settlement of commodity
futures transactions, thereby providing a platform for
risk management.
21. CCEA approves implementation of Dairy Processing
& Infrastructure Development Fund scheme - The
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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved implementation of Dairy Processing &
Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) scheme with
an outlay of Rs 10881 crore.
Note:
The Dairy Processing & Infrastructure
Development Fund will be set up as a corpus of Rs
8004 crore with National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development (NABARD).
The scheme will be implemented during the period
from 2017-18 to 2028-29.
The project will be implemented by National Dairy
Development Board (NDDB) and National Dairy
Development Corporation (NCDC) directly through
the End Borrowers.
22. New Development Bank (NDB) - has approved USD
470 million loan for Madhya Pradeshs Multi-Village
Rural Drinking Water Supply Scheme Project.
23. Telecom giant Verizon has acquired Yahoos core
business for $4.48bn (3.51m), thus ending Yahoos
two-decade long run as an independent company.
Verizon is the No.1 wireless operator in the US.
24. Union Government restricts import of gold, silver items
from South Korea. India is the world's biggest gold
consumer after China and it imposes a 10 percent
import duty on gold and silver.
25. India to import crude oil from US for first time
India, the worlds third-largest oil importer, for the first
time will import crude oil from the United States. The
purchase comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modis
visit to the US in June 2017 when President Donald
Trump had assured that US looks forward to export
more energy products to India.
26. DIPP to set up Indias first TISC in Punjab
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP)
will establish Indias first Technology and Innovation
Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre of
Punjab. TISC will be established in Punjab under the
World Intellectual Property Organizations (WIPO) TISC
program.
27. NMCE, ICEX to merge to create Indias third biggest
commodity exchange - National Multi Commodity
Exchange (NMCE), Indias first demutualised online
national multi-commodities exchange will merge with
Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX). The merged entity
will create Indias third biggest commodity exchange.
Note:
The largest commodity exchange by volume is the
Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) followed by
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National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange
(NCDEX).
At present, India has six national commodity
exchanges namely, Multi Commodity Exchange
(MCX), National Commodity and Derivatives
Exchange (NCDEX), National Multi-Commodity
Exchange (NMCE) and Indian Commodity
Exchange (ICEX), ACE Derivatives exchange (ACE)
and Universal commodity exchange (UCX) apart
from numerous regional exchanges.
Government had established regulatory body is
Forward Markets Commission (FMC) in 1953. It
was merged with the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) in September 2015.
28. Union Government launches new tax payer service
module Aaykar Setu - Aaykar Setu, a new tax payer
service module - The module was launched in a mobile
responsive android version along with the desktop
version to enhance mobile access experience.
29. Indias Largest Municipal Bond Programme
launched - Union Urban Development Minister
Venkaiah Naidu has launched Indias largest municipal
bond programme. The Pune Municipal Corporation
(PMC) became the first municipal corporation in the
country to tap money through municipal bonds in 14
years. The AA+ rated PMCs municipal bonds raised Rs
200 crore at 7.59 per cent rate at the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE).
Note:
This is the first-ever mobilisation of debt capital by
a municipal corporation on the BSE BOND
platform. This will also be the first issuance since
the publication of Issue and Listing of Debt
Securities by Municipalities Regulations, 2015 by
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was assisted by
the US Department of Treasury to create a debt
policy.
About Municipality Bonds - Municipality bonds can be
issued by the city corporations to fund developmental
projects. Institutional investors, as well as the public, can
buy these bonds. The corporations can use the revenues
earned from the developmental projects like Metro rail
network to repay the interest and principal on these bonds.
These municipal bonds have now been permitted for public
offering by SEBI.
Municipal bonds have been in existence in India from the
year 1997. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Nashik
and Madurai have already issued them. These bonds will
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help the city corporations to directly raise funds without the
help of grants from the state governments or agencies such
as World Bank.
SBI Bank in News
1. SBI Sanctions Rs2,317 crore for Financing Solar
Power Projects - State Bank of India announced
sanction of credit facilities amounting to Rs2,317
crore to corporates for financing Grid Connected
Rooftop Solar projects under an SBI-World Bank
program.
2. SBI launched Indias first bond index in London - SBI
along with FTSE Russell, global index and data provider
launched FTSE SBI Bond Index series at London Stock
Exchange (LSE). It is Indias first bond index series for
overseas investors.
3. SBI launched SME Assist for MSME Clients SBI has
launched a new initiative SME Assist to provide
a short-term working capital demand loan to its MSME
clients. It offers loans to MSME customers on the basis
of their input credit claims under Goods and Services
Tax (GST). The loan processing fee under the scheme is
Rs 2,000.
4. SBI to set up Indias largest Innovation Centre in
Mumbai SBI will set up a 15,000-sqft innovation
centre at its Global IT Centre in Belapur in Navi Mumbai.
Other Bank in News
1. IPPB Bank to become operational in 650 districts
by April 2018 - The Union Government has
announced that India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) will
become operational in all 650 districts of the country
by April 2018 to facilitate financial inclusion.
Note: IPPB has been set up as a Public Limited
Company under Department of Posts with 100%
Government of India (GOI) equity.
2. HDFC Bank Launched SmartUp Zone in Kochi -
HDFC Bank has announced the launch of its SmartUp
Zone in Kochi, an exclusive area inside the branch
dedicated for start-ups.
3. IDFC Bank Partners with MobiKwik - IDFC Bank has
entered into a strategic alliance with mobile wallet
major MobiKwik to launch a co-branded virtual Visa
prepaid card for customers of MobiKwik.
4. Federal Bank Gets RBI Nod to Open Offices in
Kuwait, Singapore - Federal Bank has obtained RBI
approval to open representative offices at Kuwait and
Singapore.
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5. SBI launches first paperless Banking services
sbiINTOUCH in Nepal SBI has launched its fully
automatic digital banking services in the Nepalese
capital Kathmandu.
6. SBI, World Bank finance 400-cr solar projects SBI
and the World Bank had financed 100 MW of rooftop
solar projects worth Rs. 400 crore in India.
7. SBI tops share of Wilful Default to PSBs - SBI,
accounts for over 27 per cent of the total amount owed
to public sector banks by wilful defaulters. As many as
1,762 wilful defaulters owed SBI Rs 25,104 crore.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) is next on the list with
1,120 wilful defaulters having outstanding non-
performing assets (NPAs) of Rs 12,278 crore. Together
these two banks account for Rs 37,382 crore or 40 per
cent of the total outstanding loans.
8. SBI Tops Trust and Popularity Charts - According to
a survey conducted by Brand Finance, a business
valuation and strategic consultancy, SBI is Indias most
trusted and most popular bank.
Note: The bank already has its representative offices
in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and it has tied up with 110+
overseas banks/remittance partners. It has already
received approval from RBI for opening a branch in
DIFC, Dubai and a representative office in Bahrain, the
setting up of which is under process.
5. Yes Bank Unveils Bhim Yes Pay - Yes Bank, unveiled
a superior payment wallet service, BHIM Yes Pay by
fully integrating the application with all the IndiaStack
APIs and NPCI Products.
6. AU Small Finance Gets Scheduled Commercial Bank
Status - AU Small Finance Bank has received Reserved
Bank of India (RBI) approval to operate as Scheduled
Commercial Bank. This bank's name has now been
included in the Second Schedule of Reserve Bank of
India Act, 1934.
Note: Now AU Small Finance Bank will be able to do
borrowing and lending with RBI under Liquidity
Adjustment Facility (LAF) and Marginal Standing
Facility (MSF). It will also enable AU Small Finance
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Bank to issue Certificate of Deposits (CDs) on
competitive interest rates in the market to get
liquidity.
7. AU Small Bank, SIDBI Launch Rs 200 crore Fund for
MSMEs - AU Small Finance Bank tied up with Small
Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to
launch a Rs200 crore fund for providing loans to micro,
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
8. EEPC India Signs Pact with Punjab National Bank -
The Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of
India has signed an MoU with Punjab National Bank to
provide easy access to finance for SMEs and merchant
exporters of the council.
9. ICICI Bank Teams with Apple to Launch Voice-
Based International Remittance Service - ICICI
Bank announced the launch of India's first voice-based
international remittance service to enable non-
resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any bank in
India.
Note: With this new feature in the ICICI Bank's
Money2India app, an NRI customer can instantly
initiate a remittance to his/her existing payees in India
with just a simple voice command to Apple's virtual
voice assistant, Siri, on their iPhone/iPad.
10. IDBI Bank only PSB to get high rating for code
compliance - According to the Code Compliance Rating
of banks done by the Banking Codes and Standards
Board of India (BCSBI) 2017, only one (IDBI Bank) out
of 26 public sector banks and eight out of 17 private
sector banks got high rating for their adherence to
code compliance.
The eight private sector banks that got high rating
are- Axis Bank, DCB Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank,
IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RBL Bank and
YES Bank. The three foreign banks are Citibank, HSBC
and Standard Chartered Bank, that were surveyed got
high ranking.
11. Kotak Bank launched Kotak Remit an Aadhaar-
based integrated outward forex remittance solution for
both customers and non-customers.
12. Fincare Small Finance Bank starts banking
operations - Fincare Small Finance Bank
(previously known as Disha Microfin Limited) kick-
started its banking operations with about 25
operational branches across Gujarat, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The bank was given
final small finance bank (SFB) licence from the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) in May 2017.
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Note: Rajeev Yadav is the CEO of Fincare Small
Finance Bank. Its headquartered is in Bengaluru,
Karnataka.
13. PNB & BSNL ties up for mobile wallet Speedpay -
Punjab National Bank (PNB) & BSNL has joined hands
to roll out open mobile wallet Speedpay across 10 states
in the country. Under the agreement, BSNL will expand
Speedpay services in Punjab, Chandigarh(UT), Haryana,
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.
14. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank receives scheduled
bank status from RBI - Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial
Services Ltd, has been given scheduled bank status by
RBI. Ujjivan SFB commenced its operations as a Small
Finance Bank with effect from February 1, 2017.
Note: Samit Ghosh is the MD & CEO of Ujjivan SFB.
It headquartered is in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
15. Fino Payments Bank has launched its mobile banking
app called BPay.
16. Canara Bank has launched its first Digital Banking
Branch named 'CANDI' in Bengaluru. The most
attractive feature of the digital branch is a humanoid
robot that addresses basic queries of customers on
banking products and services. This is a first-of-its
kind initiative by a public-sector bank in the country.
17. Karur Vysya Bank opens its first Aadhaar
Enrolment Centre in Chennai. KVB is the first private
sector bank to provide this service in India.
18. Corporation Bank has bagged the best performance
awards for Self Help Groups bank linkage program for
Karnataka for 2015-16 and 2016-17 from National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(Nabard).
19. KVGB Bags Best Performer Award - National Bank
for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD) has conferred the best performance award
for 2015-16 and 2016-17 to Karnataka Vikas Grameen
Bank (KVGB) for its work in the field of credit-linking
joint liability groups (JLGs).
20. IDBI Bank has launched Project Nishchay in
partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to
accelerate its turnaround program and improve
financial performance.
21. HDFC Life Insurance Company has launched 'Neo', a
servicing bot for Twitter that uses artificial
intelligence for customer service. This is the second bot
put in operation by HDFC Life, after the launch of SPOK,
which was an email bot to answer customer queries.
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Rank of India in Global Indexes: 2017
1. Global Business Optimism - India ranked at 7th
position among 36 countries. The repost is published
by Grant Thorntons International Business Report
(IBR).
Note: Top three countries Indonesia, Finland &
Netherlands.
2. Doing Business Report 2018 India ranked at
100th position among 190 countries. The repost is
published by World Bank.
Note:
India has jumped over 30 ranks to attain
100th spot from 130th position in 2017 Ease
of Doing Business Index.
Top three countries New Zealand, Singapore
& Denmark.
3. Global Gender Gap Report 2017 - India ranked at
108th position among 144 countries. The repost is
published by World Economic Forum.
Note:
Indias previous rank 87th in 2016.
Top three countries Iceland, Norway &
Finland.
4. Global Passport Power Rank 2017: India ranked
at 75th position among 94 countries. The repost is
published by Canada based global financial advisory
firm Arton Capital.
Note:
Top three countries Singapore, Germany &
Sweden.
5. India tops list of new TB cases in 2016: WHO
Report - According to the Global TB Report 2017
released by World Health Organisation (WHO), India
has topped list of seven countries, accounting for
64% of the over 10 million new tuberculosis (TB)
cases worldwide in year 2016.
Note: India was followed by Indonesia, China,
Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa.
6. Global Financial Centres Index 2017 Indias
financial capital Mumbai was ranked at 60th position
among 92 financial centres. The repost is published by
the Z/Yen and China Development Institute.
London has topped the index followed by New York
& Hong Kong.
The GFCI is released twice a year in March &
September.
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7. Global Hunger Index 2017: India ranked at 100th
positions among 119 countries. The report is published
by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Indias Previous year ranking 97th
Most hunger countries in the list The Central
African Republic (CAR), Chad and Sierra Leone.
IFPRI headquarter Washington D.C., US
Director General - Shenggen Fan
8. Global Retail Development Index 2017 India
ranked at the top position among 30 countries. The
repost is published by - A.T. Kearney's.
Indias Previous year ranking 2nd
The countries ranked on second & third spot
China and Malaysia.
A.T. Kearney Headquarter Chicago, Illinois,
United States
CEO - Johan Aurik
9. World Human Development Index 2017 India
ranked at 131st positions among 188 countries. The
report is published by United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
Indias Previous year ranking 130
Top three countries are - Norway, Australia and
Switzerland.
UNDP Headquarter New York
Director General - Achim Steiner
10. Global Connectivity Index 2017 India ranked at
43rd positions among 50 countries. The report is
compiled and published by Huawei a leading global
information and communications technology.
Indias Previous year ranking - 44
Top three countries are US, Singapore and
Sweden.
Huawei headquarters Shenzhen, China
CEO - Ren Zhengfei (CEO)
11. Word Press Freedom Index 2017 India ranked at
136th positions among 180 countries. The report is
compiled and published by Reporters Without
Borders.
Indias Previous year ranking - 133
Top three countries are Norway, Sweden &
Finland.
Reporters Without Borders Headquarters Paris,
France
Director General - Christophe Deloire
12. Ease of Doing Business 2017 India ranked at 130th
positions among 190 countries. The report is published
by World Bank Group.
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Indias Previous year ranking - 131
Top three countries are New Zealand, Singapore &
Denmark.
World Bank Group Headquarters Washington,
DC, USA
President - Jim Yong Kim
13. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index
2017 India ranked at 8th positions among 25
countries. The report is published by A.T. Kearney.
Indias Previous year ranking 9th
Top three countries are -US, Germany & China.
A.T. Kearney Headquarter Chicago, Illinois, United
States
CEO - Johan Aurik
14. Global Competitiveness Index 2017 India ranked at
40th positions among 137 countries. The report is
published by World Economic Forum (WEF).
Indias Previous year ranking 39th
Top three countries are Switzerland, US &
Singapore.
World Economic Forum Headquarter Cologny,
Switzerland
Founder & CEO - Klaus Schwab
15. Global Human Capital index 2017 India ranked at
103rd positions among 130 countries. The report is
published by the World Economic Forum.
Indias Previous year ranking 105
Top three countries are Norway, Finland &
Switzerland.
World Economic Forum Headquarter Cologny,
Switzerland
Founder & CEO - Klaus Schwab
16. Global Innovation Index 2017 - India ranked at 60th
positions among 130 countries. The report is published
by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Indias Previous year ranking 66
Top three countries are Switzerland, Switzerland
& the Netherlands.
World Intellectual Property Organization
Headquarter Geneva, Switzerland
CEO - Francis Gurry
17. Global Peace Index 2017 - India ranked at 137th
positions among 163 countries. The report is published
by the Institute for Economics & Peace.
Indias Previous year ranking 141
Top three countries are Iceland, New Zealand &
Portugal.
Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) headquarter
Sydney, Australia.
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Chairman - Steve Killelea
18. World Happiness Index 2017 - India ranked at 122nd
positions among 155 countries. The report is published
by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions
Network.
Indias Previous year ranking 118
Top three countries are Norway, Denmark &
Iceland.
UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Headquarter New York, USA
Director - Jeffrey Sachs
19. Global Resilience Index 2017 - India ranked at 60th
positions among 130 countries. The report is published
by FM Global.
Indias Previous year ranking 107
Top three countries are Switzerland, Luxembourg
& United Kingdom.
FM Global Headquarter Johnston, (US)
Chairman & CEO - Shivan S. Subramaniam
20. Economic Freedom Index 2017 India ranked at
143rd positions among 186 countries. The report is
published by The Heritage Foundation.
Indias Previous year ranking 123
Top three countries are Hong Kong, Singapore &
New Zealand.
The Heritage Foundation headquarter
Washington, D.C
President - Edwin Feulner
21. International Intellectual Property Index 2017
India ranked at 43rd positions among 45 countries. The
report is published by US Chamber of Commerces
Global Intellectual Property Centre (GIPC).
Indias Previous year ranking 37
Top three countries are United States, United
Kingdom & Germany.
US Chamber of Commerces Global Intellectual
Property Centre (GIPC) headquarter Washington,
D.C
President & CEO- David Hirschmann
22. Sustainable Development Goal Index 2017 - India
ranked at 116th positions among 157 countries. The
report is published by Sustainable Development
Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann
Stiftung.
Indias Previous year ranking 110
Top three countries are Sweden, Denmark &
Finland.
23. Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2017 India
ranked at 79th positions among 176 countries. The
report is published by Transparency International (TI).
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Indias Previous year ranking 76
Top 3 countries - New Zealand and Denmark in
joint first place followed by Finland and Sweden.
Counties bottom of the index: Somalia was ranked
the most corrupt country. Other countries with
lower rankings were Syria, South Sudan, North
Korea.
Transparency International (TI) Headquarter
Berlin, Germany
Chairman - Jos Ugaz
24. Global Index of Talent Competitiveness 2017 India
ranked at 92th positions among 118 countries. The
report is published by INSEAD in partnership with The
Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership
Institute of Singapore (HCLI).
Govt. Schemes & Policy
1. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana extend till 2019-
20 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
has extended the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
(RKVY) as Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana-
Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied
Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) for three
years i.e. 2017-18 to 2019-20.
Objective of RKVY-RAFTAAR - To make farming
remunerative economic activity by strengthening
farmers effort, risk mitigation and promoting
agri-business entrepreneurship. The financial
allocation of scheme is Rs. 15,722 crore.
Note:
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana is launched in 2007 as
a part of the 11th Five Year Plan by the Government
of India. It is a State Plan Scheme of Additional
Central Assistance launched under the aegis of the
National Development Council, it seeks to achieve
4% annual growth in agriculture through
development of Agriculture and its allied sectors.
2. Kerala govt. launched She Pad Scheme for
School Girls The Kerala
government launched She Pad, a scheme to
distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students from
classes VI to XII in government and aided private
schools affiliated to the state school board. Kerala
became the first state to launch such schemes.
3. Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana - Union Minister of
Communications Manoj Sinha has launched the
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Indias Previous year ranking 89
Top three countries are Switzerland, Singapore,
United Kingdom
21. Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI)
2017 - India ranked at 40th positions among 130
countries. The report is published by the World
Economic Forum.
Indias Previous year ranking 52
Top three countries are Spain, France & Germany.
World Economic Forum Headquarter Cologny,
Switzerland
Founder & CEO - Klaus Schwab
Deen Dayal SPARSH yojana which aims to increase
the reach of Philately.
Here SPARSH means - Scholarship for Promotion of
Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby.
Key points
Under the scheme, it is proposed to award
annual scholarships to children of Standard
VI to IX having good academic record and
also pursuing Philately as a hobby through a
competitive selection process in all postal
circles.
Every Postal Circle will select a maximum of
40 scholarships representing 10 students
each from Standard VI, VII, VIII & IX.
The amount of Scholarship will be Rs.
6000/- per annum @ Rs. 500/- per month.
About Philately
Philately is the hobby of collection and study
of Postage stamps.
It also entails the collection, appreciation
and research activities on stamps and other
related philatelic products.
Philately is called the king of hobbies
because Stamp collection as a hobby has lot
of educational benefits - it teaches a lot
about the socio economic political reality of
the period in which the stamp is issued or
the theme on which it is issued.
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4. 'Grahak Sadak Koyla Vitaran' App - Union
Minister of Railways & Coal Piyush Goyal has
launched the Grahak Sadak Koyla Vitaran App
which aims to benefit customers of Coal India
Limited (CIL) lifting coal through road mode. The
app is launched in Kolkata.
Key points
The main benefits of the App for the
customers include easy accessibility of the
information at the click of the button.
The app will monitor whether the dispatches
are made on the fair principle of First in
First Out basis.
It will keep a track on all the activities from
issuance of Sale Order to physical delivery of
coal by road.
5. Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana
Communications Minister Manoj Sinha has launched
the Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana in New
Delhi.
Key points -
It is an initiative for expansion of client base
of Postal Life Insurance.
To provide affordable life insurance services
to people living in rural areas of the country.
All villages under the Saansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana will be brought under its ambit.
At least one village (having a minimum of
100 households) will be identified in each of
the revenue districts of the country, wherein
endeavour will be made to cover all
households of that identified village with a
minimum of one RPLI (Rural Postal Life
Insurance) policy each.
Note:
Postal Life Insurance (PLI),
introduced in 1884, is one of the
oldest life insurance schemes for
benefit of Government and semi-
Government employees.
Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI),
introduced on March 24, 1995 on
recommendations of Malhotra
Committee, provides insurance cover
to people residing in rural areas,
especially weaker sections and
women living in rural areas.
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Low Premium and High Bonus is the
unique feature of PLI and RPLI
schemes.
As on March 31, 2017, there were
46.8 lakh PLI and 146.8 lakh RPLI
policies across the country.
6. 'Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) launched in
MP The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan launched the 'Bhavantar Bhugtan
Yojna' for the farmers of the state and to provide
financial support in case of losses in crops.
Key points
The scheme is also called the Price Deficit
Financing Scheme.
At first, the scheme will cover 8 crops which
includes oil seeds and some pulses etc.
Soybean, Groundnut, Til, Ramtil. Maize,
Moong, Urad, Tuar Daal.
The farmers are supposed to register
themselves with mandis to leverage the
benefits of Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana.
The aim of the scheme is to encourage the
farmers to cultivate more oil seeds and
pulses products in the state.
7. 'Prerna' project for Women Farmers launched in
Odisha - Mahindra & Mahindra has launched a
Prerna programme to empower women working
in the agriculture sector by promoting efficient and
ergonomic farm tools and equipment.
Key points
The project is launched in the state of Odisha,
with the intention to positively impact the lives
of over 1,500 families across 30-plus villages.
8. Union Ministries of Power & Textiles Jointly
launched 'SAATHI' Initiative - The Union
Ministries of Power and Textiles have jointly
launched an initiative 'SAATHI'.
SAATHI stands for - Sustainable and Accelerated
Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help
small Industries.
Key points
Under this initiative, Energy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL), a public sector entity under the
administrative control of Ministry of Power,
would procure energy efficient Powerlooms,
motors and Rapier kits in bulk and provide
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them to the small and medium Powerloom units
at no upfront cost.
The SAATHI initiative of the Government will be
jointly implemented by EESL and the office of
the Textile Commissioner on a pan-India basis.
To kick start the implementation, cluster wise
demonstration projects and workshops will be
organized in key clusters such as Erode, Surat,
Ichalkaranji, etc.
9. Ministry WCD launches campaign on 'women for
women': #IamThatWoman - In an attempt to end
Gender bias in women against women, the Ministry
of Women and Child Development is undertaking an
online campaign #IamThatWoman.
Schemes under Ministry of Finance
1. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)-
For the senior citizens aged 60 years and above
The Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a.
payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a.
effective) for 10 years.
The scheme will be operated by LIC.
2. Jan Suraksha Yojana-
(i) PRADHAN MANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA-
PMJJBY is a one-year life insurance scheme.
Renewable from year to year, offering coverage for
death due to any reason and is available to people
in the age group of 18 to 50 years
Premium of Rs.330/- per annum per member
life cover of Rs. 2 lakhs
(ii) PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA-
Premium of Rs.12 per year
Age group 18 to 70 years
Under it, risk coverage available will be Rs.2 lakh
for accidental death and permanent total disability
and Rs. 1 lakh for permanent partial disability
(iii) Atal Pension Yojana-
Launched in 2015
Focussed on all citizens in the unorganised sector
Age- min 18 years, Max- 40 years
The Union Govt. would also co-contribute 50% of
the subscribers contribution or Rs. 1000 per
annum, whichever is lower.
Subscribers would receive the fixed pension at the
age of 60 years, depending on their contributions.
3. PRADHAN MANTRI MUDRA YOJANA (PMMY)-
Launched in 2015
In this scheme, Mudra (Micro Units Development
and Refinance Agency) bank has been opened to
fund all MFI (Micro Financial institutions) which
provide loans to the MSMEs.
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Key points
The campaign aims to highlight the various
aspects of women standing 'by' and 'for'
women.
Ministry of WCD has urged people to shun
stereotypes associated with women harming
other women.
Twitter and Facebook users have been
encouraged to tag and share stories of women
helping women with a photograph and post
online with the hashtag #IamThatWoman.
The lending priority will be given to SC/ST
enterprises.
MUDRA Bank has launched three loan instruments:
(i) Shishu- loans up to Rs 50,000 (ii) Kishor- loans
above Rs 50,000 and up to Rs. 5 lakhs
(iii) Tarun- loans above Rs 5 lakh and up to Rs 10
lakh
4. Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana-
To provide social security to the persons who are
above or equal to 60 years.
Implemented through LIC.
It will provide an assured pension based on a rate
of return of 8% per annum for ten years.
Schemes under Ministry of Women and Child
Development
1. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)-
Launched by the PM on January 22, 2015 at
Panipat, Haryana.
Objective- Improve Child Sex Ratio, Protection and
education of girl child.
Current brand ambassador-Olympic Bronze
medallist Sakshi Malik.
2. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana-
Launched by the Prime Minister on January 21,
2015.
Under Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Women
and Child Development.
It is a part of BBBP (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao).
Only for girls whose age are equal or below 10
years.
Tenure- 21 years from the date of opening or girls
marriage
Current interest rate- 8.3 Percent.
Account can be opened via post offices or
commercial banks.
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3. POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses)
e-Box-
Online complaint management system
Action against the offenders under the POCSO Act,
2012.
Any human being up to the age of 18 years is
recognised as a child under the POCSO Act.
4. SHe-box (sexual harassment electronic box) portal-
Launched in July 2017.
Online platform to enable women employees of the
central govt. to file complaints related to sexual
harassment at the workplace.
5. SABLA Scheme-
Launched in 2010, also known as Rajiv Gandhi
Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls.
Development of adolescent girls of 11-18 years by
making them self-reliant.
Focus areas- Nutrition, Skill development and
Health.
6. Tejaswini Project-
Other programs and schemes-
1. Saubhagya (Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) Scheme-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'Power
for all' scheme today to mark the birth anniversary
of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
The scheme will be named Saubhagya and will
provide subsidy on equipment like transformers,
meters and wires.
2. Mission Indradhanush
It was launched by Union Health Minister J. P.
Nadda on 25 December 2014.
It aims to immunize all children under the age of 2
years, as well as all pregnant women, against seven
vaccine preventable diseases.
The diseases being targeted are diphtheria,
whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis,
tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B.
Later Japanese Encephalitis and Haemophilus
influenzae type B, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis,
Injectable Polio Vaccine Bivalent and Rotavirus
also added.
3. Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI)
Prime Minister Modi launched the Intensified
Mission Indradhanush (IMI) at Vadnagar in
Gujarat on October 8, 2017.
Through this programme, Government of India
aims to reach each and every child under two
years of age and all those pregnant women who
have been left uncovered under the routine
immunisation programme.
4. Udaan
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Initially the project has been implemented in 17
districts in Jharkhand.
Tejaswini Socio-Economic Empowerment of
Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW)
Project.
Project is financed by World Bank.
7. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
Launched in October 2, 1975.
Provides food, education, and primary healthcare
to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.
Anyone can visit to the Aanganwadi centre and
enroll these services.
8. Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahayog Yojana-
Provide financial aid of Rs 6,000 to pregnant
women who undergo institutional delivery for
hospital admission.
The scheme provided cash transfer to pregnant
women above the age of 18 years for up to two live
births.
Udaan provides exposure to the youth of J&K to
the best of corporate India and corporate India to
the rich talent pool available in the State.
The scheme not only provides skill enhancement
and job opportunity but also connects these
bright youths from the J&K with the vibrant
corporate sector of India.
5. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik)
is a regional airport development and "Regional
Connectivity Scheme (RCS)"
6. UJALA Scheme-
Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi on
January 5, 2015 had launched the world's largest
and most extensive LED distribution programme,
UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for
All).
Recently UJALA scheme launched in Melaka,
Malaysia.
7. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by
Prime Minister on May 1st, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar
Pradesh.
It is an ambitious social welfare scheme which
aims to provide free LPG connections to BPL
households in the country.
8. Sagarmala project
Sagar Mala project is a strategic and customer-
oriented initiative of the Government of India to
modernize India's Ports so that port-led
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development can be augmented and coastlines can
be developed to contribute in India's growth.
9. Himayat Programme
Obituaries
1. Kirti Nidhi Bista - Former Nepal Prime Minister.
2. Manu Sharma - Noted author and Padma Shri
awardee Manu Sharma died in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh following a prolonged illness.
Note: His famous book was Krishna Ki Atmakatha.
He was nominated as one of the navratna of the
Swachha Bharat Abhiyan by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. He donated his lifetime savings of
Rs 20 lakh for the renovation of a ghat in Varanasi to
carry out a cleanliness campaign.
3. Punathil Kunjabdulla Passes Away - Renowned
Malayalam writer. He is regarded as one of the
major figures of modernism in Malayalam literature.
4. Girija Devi - Eminent classical singer and Padma
Vibhushan awardee Girija Devi passed away in
Kolkata.
Note: She was considered as the "Queen of Thumri"
and fondly called Appa Ji. She was from the "Benaras
Gharana". She received the Padma Shri in 1972, the
Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan
in 2016.
5. I V Sasi - Veteran Malayalam director I V Sasi, best
known for his films Avalude Ravukal and
Devasuram passed away.
6. Shamsher Khan - India's First Olympic Swimmer
passed away. He had represented India in 1956
Melbourne Olympics. He was the first swimmer to
represent India in Olympics.
7. Satish Chandra - Veteran & eminent historian
Satish Chandra passed away the age of 95.
Important Committees
1. YM Deosthalee Committee task force on Public Credit
Registry (PCR). The committee will review the current
availability of information on credit in India.
2. B C Khanduri Committee - parliamentary standing
committee on defense. The committee will examine the
operational preparedness of armed forces and review
accidents involving strategic defence assets and also
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It is a training-cum-placement programme for
unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
10. DIKSHA Portal
For teacher training by HRD Ministry
8. Kundan Shah - Veteran director Kundan Shah, best
known for the dark comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,
passed away.
Note: He made his directorial debut on television in
1986 with the popular series Nukkad.
9. Baddam Narasimha Reddy - Former Lok Sabha
Member and architect passed away in Hyderabad.
10. Chikkamadu - Janata Dal (Secular) member of
Karnataka Legislative Assembly (MLA) Chikkamadu
passed away after a prolonged illness.
11. Mansour bin Moqren - A Saudi prince Mansour bin
Moqren was killed when a helicopter with several
officials on board crashed near the kingdom's
southern border with war-torn Yemen.
12. Arjan Singh Indian Air Force Marshal passed
away recently, who led the Indian Air Force in the
1965 India-Pakistan War
13. Pushpa Bhargava - The veteran molecular biologist
and a vehement critic of genetically modified crops
passed away.
14. Sitaram Panchal - Bollywood actor who made his
Bollywood debut with Bandit Queen passed away.
15. Vijay Nambisan - Veteran poet and writer passed
away.
16. Shirish Pai - The renowned Marathi poet and activist
has passed away.
17. Roy Dotrice - Veteran British Actor.
Note: He was known for his role as Leopold Mozart
in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus and his many
theater and TV roles.
assess the procurement policy relating to defence
equipment.
3. Arun Jaitley Committee - The union govt. has
constituted a ministerial panel headed by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley to oversee merger proposals of
state-owned banks.
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4. Rina Mitra Committee - The Union govt. has set up a
study group under Special secretary in the home
ministry to examine the problems of people along IB,
LOC in J&K.
5. Justice (Retd.) G. Rohini Committee - to examine the
sub-categorization of the Other Backward Classes
(OBCs).
6. Dr Hasmukh Adhia Committee - The Union
government has constituted a GST Committee on Exports
headed by Dr Hasmukh Adhia.
Note: The panel is mandated to recommend to the GST
Council a suitable strategy for helping the export sector
in the post-GST set-up.
New Appointments
National
1. First woman President of NASSCOM in 2018 - Debjani
Ghosh.
Note: She will succeed R Chandrashekhar after his
tenure ends in March 2018. With this appointment she
will become first female president of NASSCOM.
2. New Secretary (security) in Cabinet Secretariat S.K.
Sinha.
3. New Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia. He
succeeds Ashok Lavasa.
4. New Private Secretary to President - Vikram Singh.
Note: Vikram Singh currently posted as a senior
director in the Traffic Commercial directorate in the
Railway Board.
5. New First Woman Police Chief of Karnataka -
Neelmani N. Raju has been appointed as Karnatakas
first woman Director General and Inspector General of
Police. She succeeds Rupak Kumar Dutta.
6. New Director General of National Investigation
Agency (NIA) - Yogesh Chander Modi. He succeeds
Sharad Kumar.
7. New MD & CEO of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) -
Suresh Sethi.
Note: Hew was the former MD of Vodafone M-Pesa Ltd.
He succeeds AP Singh.
8. New Special Director of Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI)- Rakesh Asthana.
9. New CEO & MD of Tata Steel T. V. Narendran.
10. New CEO of Bharti AXA Life Insurance - Vikas Seth.
11. Union Government appoints Dineshwar Sharma as its
Representative in Jammu & Kashmir. The Union
Government appointed Dineshwar Sharma, former
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7. Dr. Rajiv Kumar Committee - With an aim to create
new jobs by enhancing Indias export, the NITI Aayog
constituted an Expert Task Force. The task force will be
chaired by the NITI Aayog Vice Chairman, Dr. Rajiv
Kumar.
8. Dr V. Kamakoti Committee - The Union Government
constituted a task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
for the country's Economic Transformation. The 18-
member panel, headed by Dr V. Kamakoti of IIT
Madras.
9. K Kasturirangan Committee - to prepare National
Education Policy
Director of Intelligence Bureau, as a representative of
the government to initiate and carry forward a
dialogue with the elected representatives, various
organizations and concerned individuals in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir.
12. New AIBA Women's Youth World Championships
Ambassador - MC Mary Kom
Note: The event will be held in Guwahati, Assam from
November 19 to 26.
13. New Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar.
14. New CEO of Association of Mutual Funds in India
(AMFI) N.S. Venkatesh.
15. New as Additional Director General of CISF - Alok
Kumar Pateria.
16. New Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh - Naresh Kumar
Gupta. He is a retired judge of Madhya Pradesh High
Court.
17. New Chief of Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII) - Anupam Kher (Veteran actor). He succeeds
Gajendra Chauhan.
18. New HSBC India CEO - Jayant Rikhye. He succeeds
Stuart Milne. Mr. Rikhye
19. New SBI Chairman - Rajnish Kumar. He succeeds
Arundhati Bhattacharya.
20. New President of US-India Business Council - Nisha
Desai Biswal.
Note: The US-India Business Council is the premier
business advocacy organization that was formed in
1975 at the request of the US and Indian governments.
It is the largest bilateral trade association in the United
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States and has presence in New York, Silicon Valley
and New Delhi.
21. New CMD of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) Ltd - P.
Alli Rani.
22. New CMD of National Hydroelectric Power
Corporation (NHPC) Ltd. - Balraj Joshi.
23. The first Chairman of the five-member Economic
Advisory Council (EAC- PM) --Bibek Debroy.
Note: The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime
Minister (PMEAC) is a non-constitutional, non-
permanent and independent body constituted to give
economic advice to the Government of India,
specifically the Prime Minister.
24. New Chairman & Managing Director of ONGC (Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation) - Shashi Shanker.
25. New CMD of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd. - Mahendra Pratap Mall.
26. New CMD of the United India Insurance Co. Ltd. - M.
Nagaraja Sarma.
27. New Director General (DG) of the Sashastra Seema Bal
(SSB) - Rajni Kant Misra.
28. NPCIs (National Payments Corporation of India)
interim Chairman - B Sambamurthy
29. New interim GSTN Chairman - A.B Panday
30. New Brand Ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in
Uttarakhand -- Akshay Kumar.
Note: In August 2017, he was also appointed as the
brand ambassador for the cleanliness campaign in
Uttar Pradesh
31. Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI) - Viveck Goenka.
32. New Union Minister of Railways - Piyush Goyal.
33. New Election Commissioner of India - Sunil Arora.
34. Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) - Anita Karwal. She succeeds Rajesh Kumar
Chaturvedi.
35. New Home Secretary - Rajiv Gauba.
36. New Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India -
Rajiv Mehrishi
37. New Defence Minister of India - Nirmala Sitharaman.
38. New Director General (DG) Railway Protection Force
(RPF) - Dharmendra Kumar.
39. New Chairman of Railway Board -- Ashwani Lohani.
40. New Executive Director of the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) -- Mamta Suri.
41. New Chairman of the Central Board of Film
Certification(CBFC) - Prasoon Joshi
42. New Vice President of India -- Muppavarapu
Venkaiah Naidu
43. New Chief Justice of India (CJI) -- Justice Dipak Misra.
44. New CMD of Small Industries Development Bank of
India (SIDBI) -- Mohammad Mustafa.
45. New Chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) -
Dhirendra Swarup.
46. New Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog - Dr. Rajiv Kumar.
47. New secretary general of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) - Sanjaya
Baru
48. Re-appointed as Managing Director (MD) & Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Axis Bank - Shikha Sharma
49. New Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar - Sushil Kumar
Modi.
50. New Chief Minister of Nagaland - TR Zeliang.
51. New MD & CEO of Oriental Bank of Commerce -
Mukesh Kumar Jain.
52. New Director General (DG)of Goods and Services Tax
Intelligence (GSTI) - John Joseph
53. New Attorney General of India - K K Venugopal. He
replaces Mukul Rohatgi.
54. New Chief Election Commissioner of India - Achal
Kumar Jyoti. He replaces Nasim Zaidi
55. 14th President of India - Ram Nath Kovind
56. New Managing Director(MD) and CEO of IDFC Ltd -
Sunil Kakar.
57. New MD & CEO of National Stock Exchange(NSE) --
Vikram Limaye.

New Governor Appointed

1. New Governor of Assam - Jagdish Mukhi.
2. New Governor of Arunachal Pradesh - B. D. Mishra
3. New Governor of Bihar - Satya Pal Malik.
4. New Governor of Tamil Nadu - Banwarilal Purohit.
5. New Governor of Meghalaya - Ganga Prasad.
6. New Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands - Devendra Kumar Joshi.

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International Appointment

1. New UNESCO Chief - Audrey Azoulay. She succeeds
Irina Bokova (Bulgaria)
Note: Audrey Azoulay is a France's former culture
minister. Ms Azoulay is the 11th Director-General of
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
2. New Prime Minister of New Zealand - Jacinda
Ardern.
Note: She (37-year-old) is the youngest female PM of
New Zealand in 150 years.
3. New Deputy Director-General of World Health
Organization (WHO) - Soumya Swaminathan.
Note: This position is the second-highest at the UNs
health agency. Soumya Swaminathan is the present
director general of Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR). She is a paediatrician and an internationally-
recognized researcher on TB (Tuberculosis) and HIV.
4. New President of Angola - Joao Lourenco. He
succeeds Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
5. New Chairman of Ethics Commission of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) -- Ban Ki-
moon.
Note: Mr. Moon was the 8th Secretary-General of
the United Nations (Jan 2007 - Dec 2016).
6. First special envoy for the Oceans - Peter Thomson.
Note: Peter Thomson played a leading role at the
first-ever UN conference on oceans in June. The 193
UN member states issued an urgent call for action to
reverse the decline in the health and productivity of
the world's oceans.
7. New President of Singapore - Mdm Halimah Yacob.
8. Re-elected as President of Kenya - Uhuru Kenyatta.
9. New Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea - Peter
ONeill
10. Indias alternate Governor on the Board of
Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) --
Subhash Chandra.
11. New UNICEFs Global Goodwill Ambassador -- Lilly
Singh.
12. New Prime Minister of Mongolia - Ukhnaa
Khurelsukh
13. Newly elected President of Mongolia -
Khaltmaagiin Battulga
14. First female Prime Minister of Serbia -- Ana
Brnabic.
15. First woman Chief Executive of Hong Kong - Carrie
Lam.
Note: The Chief Executive of Hong Kong (CE) is the
highest office of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR).
16. President of the International Economic Association
(IEA) - Kaushik Basu.
17. New Prime Minister of Romania -- Mihai Tudose.
18. New India International Centre (IIC) - N N Vohra
19. New Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia by King Salman --
Mohammed bin Salman

New Ambassador Appointed

1. New Indias Ambassador to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria. He succeeds Gautam Bambawale.
Note: He is currently ambassador to Poland.
2. New Indias Ambassador to Republic of Zambia - N.J.Gangte.
3. New US Ambassador to India - Kenneth Juster. He succeeds Richard Verma.
4. New India's Ambassador to China - Gautam Bambawale. He succeeds Vijay Gokhale.
5. New Ambassador of India to Switzerland - Sibi George. He succeeds Smita Purushottam.
6. New Pakistans Ambassador to India - Sohail Mahmood. He succeeds Abdul Basit.
7. New Russia's Ambassador to India - Nikolay Kudashev.
8. New Ambassador of India to the Republic of Kazakhstan - Prabhat Kumar.

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Books & Authors
1. Book titled The Coalition Years authored by
Pranab Mukherjee (Former President of India)
2. Book titled I Do What I Do authored by Raghuram
Rajan (former RBI Governor)
3. Book titled Immortal India authored by Amish
Tripathi.
4. Book titled A Horse Walks into a Bar authored by -
David Grossman (Winner - Man Booker International
Prize 2017)
5. Book titled How India Sees the World Shyam
Saran.
6. Book titled Hit Refresh Satya Nadella.
7. Book titled Unstoppable: My Life So far authored by
Maria Sharapova.
8. Book titled The Shershah of Kargil authored by -
Deepak Surana (Biography of Kargil war hero Late
Captain Vikram Batra)
9. Book titled Kadve Vachan authored by Tarun Sagar
Maharaj.
10. Book titled I am HIV positive, so what? authored by
Jayanta Kalita (The book is based on the life of an
international bodybuilding champion Khundrakpam
Pradipkumar Singh hailing from Manipur, who was
diagnosed HIV-positive.)
Honors & Awards
National Awards
1. 53rd Jnanpith award 2017- Krishna Sobti (eminent
Hindi writer).
Note:
She was born in 1925 in Gujrat, in Pakistans
Punjab Province.
Some of her popular works include Daar se
Bichhudi, Dil-o-Danish, Badalom ke Ghere,
Yaaron Ke Yaar, Mitron Marjani, and
Zindaginama.
She is most known for her 1966 novel Mitro
Marajani, an unapologetic portrayal of a
married woman's sexuality.
2. UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 - The Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple of Srirangam in Tamil Nadu
won UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for
cultural heritage conservation programme.
Note: It is the first temple from Tamil Nadu to win the
prize from the UN body.
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11. Book titled Cryptocurrency for Beginners authored
by Amit Bhardwaj.
12. Book titled Making of a legend authored by
Bindeshawr Pathak.
13. Book titled Dalhousie Through My Eyes authored by
Kiran Chadha.
14. Book titled Playing With Fire authored by Katie
Price.
15. Book titled Future of Indian Universities:
Comparative and International Perspectives authored
by C. Raj Kumar.
16. Book titled The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
authored by Arundhati Roy.
17. Book titled The Crisis Within authored by Ganesh
Devy.
18. Book titled Indira Gandhi A life in Nature authored
by Jairam Ramesh.
19. Book titled Beren And Luthien authored by J.R.R.
Tolkien.
20. Book titled Yug Purush, Bharat Ratna, Atal Ji
authored by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
21. Book titled Matoshree authored by - Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
3. Best Urban Transport Practices of the Union
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs awards -
i. Best City Bus Services Award 2017 - Surat
Municipal Corporation awarded with the Best City Bus
Services Award by the Union Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs for attracting 87 per cent of the private
vehicle and auto rickshaw users to use city buses.
ii. Best Non-Motorised Transport Award - Mysurus
Public Bicycle Sharing won the Best Non-Motorised
Transport Award.
iii. Best Urban Transport Initiative Award - Kochi
(Kerala) was chosen for the for completing its Metro
Rail Project in a quick time.
iv. Best Intelligent Transport Project - The H-TRIMS
of Hyderabad, the Traffic Integraged Management
initiative was awarded with the award. .
4. Vishnudas Bhave award - Mohan Joshi (Veteran
actor)
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Note: The award is conferred in memory of Vishnudas
Bhave, the founder of Marathi theatre.
5. Tata Literature Lifetime Achievement Award 2017
- Girish Karnad (Veteran actor).
6. 2017 Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award - Javed Akhtar
(Veteran writer-lyricist).
7. General Insurance Company of the Year - Apollo
Munich Health Insurance.
8. Green Platinum Award - The Govardhan Eco Village,
set up by the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (ISKCON) in Palghar district won the
Green Platinum Award by Indian Green Building
Council (IGBC) of Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII).
9. Indira Gandhi National Integration award for
2015-16- T M Krishna (Carnatic music vocalist). He is
being awarded for his services in promoting and
preserving national integration in the country.
10. Cleartrip Named 'Best Mobile App for Travel' at
Mobexx Awards.
11. Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2017 - K Satchidanandan
(Noted Malayalam Poet and literary critic) has been
selected for Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2017. This is
Kerala government's highest literary honour.
12. UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage
Conservation - Mumbais The Royal Opera House.
13. Lifetime Achievement Award - Sharmila Tagore
(Veteran actress)
Note: She was bestowed with the recognition by the
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi
for her contribution in the field of cinema.
14. Golden Peacock Award - N Chandrababu Naidu
(Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) has received the
Golden Peacock Award under the category 'Global
Leadership in Public Service and Economic
International Awards
List of Nobel Prize 2017
1. Nobel Prize in Peace
Winner - International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons (ICAN)
Field - ICAN for its work to draw attention to the
catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use
of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking
efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such
weapons.
ICAN headquarter at Geneva, Switzerland.
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Transformation' at a convention in London at 17th
London Global Convention.
15. Mathrubhumi Literary Award - Eminent critic,
biographer and orator M K Sanu has been chosen for
the Mathrubhumi Literary Award for 2016 in
recognition of his rich contribution to the Malayalam
literature.
16. Asia Game Changers Award- 2017--Dev Patel.
17. First Kesari Media Award - T J S George. (Veteran
journalist)
18. Prem Nazir Award 2017 Sharada (Veteran actress)
19. East Bengal football clubs highest honour 'Bharat
Gaurav' - Dhanraj Pillay
20. 2018 Times Higher Education (THE) World university
ranking, Indian university has been names the top
university in India -- IISc-Bangalore.
21. First lifetime achievement award for his contribution to
Badminton -- Prakash Padukone.
22. Bollywood star has received the Global Diversity
Award at Britains House of Commons - Salman Khan
23. Best film award at 18th IIFA Awards 2017-- Neerja.
24. JD(U) leader has also received the Lifetime
Achievement Award as a Rajya Sabha MP -- Sharad
Yadav.
25. Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has
received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his
contributions as a Lok Sabha member -- LK Advani.
26. Indian city has been declared as a World Heritage City
(WHC) by UNESCO -- Ahmedabad.
27. Indian film Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars
2018 -- Newton.
Note: Newton is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language black
comedy film directed by Amit V Masurkar and Produced
by Drishyam Films.
ICAN Executive Director - Beatrice Fihn
2. Nobel Prize in Literature
Winner - Kazuo Ishiguro.
He is a British author and best known for his novel
The Remains of the Day.
He was born in Nagasaki, Japan.
3. Nobel Prize in Economics
Winner - Richard Thaler
Field for his work in behavioral economics.
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Richard Thaler born in New Jersey, United States.
He is a professor of behavioural sciences and
economics at University of Chicago.
4. Nobel Prize in Medicine
Winner - Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and
Michael W. Young
Field - for their discoveries on how plants, animals
and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that
it is synchronized with the Earth's revolutions.
Jeffrey C. Hall He is from New York, US and
currently Professor at Brandeis University.
Michael Rosbash He is from Missouri, US and
currently Professor at Brandeis University.
Michael W. Young He is from Miami, Florida, US
and Professor at Rockefeller University, University
of Texas at Austin, Stanford University School of
Medicine.
5. Nobel Prize in Physics
Winner - Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S.
Thorne.
Field - Their decisive contributions to the LIGO
(Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave
Observatory) detector and the observation of
gravitational waves.
Other Awards
1. Mother Teresa Award 2017 - United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been named
as the recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award
for Social Justice, 2017.
Note: The Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social
Justice was instituted by Harmony Foundation.
About UNHCR -
2. Jewish Nobel Prize - Natalie Portman (actress) has
been awarded Israels 2018 Genesis Prize in
recognition of her commitment to social causes and
deep connection to her Jewish and Israeli roots.
Note: 2018 Genesis Prize is a $1 million award, known
as the Jewish Nobel Prize.
3. Best Short Film Award - Indian short film The
School Bag won the Best Short Film Award' at the
South Asian Film Festival of Montreal (SAFFM). It tells
a story based in Pakistan.
Note: The movie is directed by Dheeraj Jindal.
4. 2017 Man Booker Prize - George Saunders (US
author).
Note:
He won the award for fiction for his first full-
length novel 'Lincoln in the Bardo.
With this, Saunders became second American
writer to win the award. In 2016, Paul Beatty
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Rainer Weiss born in Berlin, Germany. He is a
Professor at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Barry C. Barish born in Nebraska, U.S. He is a
professor at California Institute of Technology.
Kip S. Thorne born in Utah, U.S. He is a professor
at California Institute of Technology.
6. Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Winner - Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and
Richard Henderson.
Field - They developed cryo-electron microscopy
for the high-resolution structure determination of
biomolecules in solution. Its a method of
simplifying and improving the imaging of
biomolecules.
Jacques Dubochet born in Aigle, Switzerland. He
is a professor at University of Lausanne.
Joachim Frank born in Siegen, Germany. He is a
professor at Columbia University.
Richard Henderson born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He is a professor at Laboratory of Molecular
Biology.
became the first American to win the award for
his novel The Sellout.
Lincoln in the Bardo is an extended national
ghost story. It chronicles the death of Abraham
Lincolns 11-year-old son Willie using the
accounts of hundreds of narrators. The book
describes the night President Lincoln visited
his sons body in a Washington graveyard.
5. US Award For AIDS Research - Professors Salim
Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim received
the award from the Institute for Human Virology (IHV)
in Baltimore, US.
Note: Indian-origin South African researchers were
honored with a prestigious award for their exceptional
contributions in the field of HIV/AIDS.
6. 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist
Challenge - Indian-American Gitanjali Rao won the
2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist
Challenge for inventing a quick, low-cost test to detect
lead-contaminated water.
7. 2017 Blue Planet Prize - Prof Hans Joachim
Schellnhuber from Germany won 2017 Blue Planet
Prize, worlds most prestigious award for pioneers in
environmental science.
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Note: He was awarded for establishing new field of
science Earth System Analysis and introducing most
influential concepts including the notion of tipping
elements in the climate system in Tokyo
8. The world's most liveable city named by Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU) -- Melbourne (Australia).
9. The Worlds best Airline at the SKYTRAX World Airline
Awards 2017 at the Paris Air Show France -- Qatar
Airline.
Summits & Conference 2017
1. World Food India 2017 - New Delhi.
The theme of WFI 2017 is Transforming the Food
Economy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated
World Food India 2017 (WFI) at the India Gate
Lawns in New Delhi.
Germany, Japan and Denmark are partner
countries to World Food India.
This is first time India is hosting such an event for
the Food processing sector.
2. 'India Disaster Response Summit' New Delhi.
Note:
Kiren Rijiju has inaugurated the India Disaster
Response Summit in New Delhi.
The summit was organised jointly by the
National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) and Facebook.
3. India to host UN wildlife summit CMS COP13 in
2020 - United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) announced that India will host the next CMS
Conference of the Parties 13 (CMS COP13) in the year
2020.
Note:
CMS COP is a global wildlife conference.
UN wildlife summit CMS COP13 in 217 held
in Manila, Philippines.
The theme of the Conference was Their
Future is Our Future - Sustainable
Development for Wildlife and People.
CMS COP is held once in three years.
4. World Youth Forum - Egypt.
Note: The Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Youth Affairs and Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore
attend the meeting
5. 38th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing New
Delhi.
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10. The WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in South-
East Asia Region -- Saima Wazed Hossain.
11. The first Israeli author to win the Man Booker
International Prize 2017 for his novel A Horse Walks
Into a Bar-- David Grossman.
12. Indian mountaineer has honored by Govt. of Nepal for
scaling Mt. Everest for a record six times -- Love Raj
Singh Dharmashaktu.
The main theme of the conference is Space
Applications: Touching Human Lives.
6. 21st World Congress of Mental Health - New Delhi.
7. Global Clubfoot Conference New Delhi.
Note:
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated Global
Clubfoot Conference organised by CURE India in
partnership with Union Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare in New Delhi.
About Clubfoot - It is one of the most common
orthopaedic birth defects where one or both feet
are rotated inwards and downwards. It
describes range of foot abnormalities usually
present at birth in which your babys foot is
twisted out of shape or position. In clubfoot,
tissues connecting muscles to the bone
(tendons) are shorter than usual.
8. 11th India-US Trade Policy Forum Meeting -
Washington D.C
Note: The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for
Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu and US Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer.
9. First International Conference on Consumer
Protection - New Delhi
The theme of the conference was
Empowering Consumers in New Markets.
It was inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
10. First BIMSTEC Task Force on Traditional Medicine
meeting - New Delhi.
Note:
The first-ever meeting of BIMSTEC Task Force
on Traditional Medicine (BITFM) was held at
Parvasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi.
It was organized by Union Ministry of AYUSH.
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11. India-UAE Partnership Summit 2017 Dubai.
The theme of the summit was - Investment
Implementation.
The objective of India-UAE Partnership
Summit is to accelerate bilateral trade and
investment between the two countries.
12. 3 International Conference on Yoga 2017 New
rd
Delhi, India.
Theme of the conference is Yoga for Wellness.
Conference was organised by Ministry of Ayush.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the
conference.
13. 5 Global Conference on Cyber Space 2017 New
th
Delhi, India.
Theme of the conference Cyber4All: An Inclusive,
Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure
Cyberspace
The 4th GCCS conference held in The Hague,
Netherlands.
14. India ASEAN Youth Summit 2017 Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh
Theme of the summit - Shared Values, Common
Destiny
15. First ASEAN India Music Festival held in New Delhi,
India.
Note: Theme Shared Values, Common Destiny.
16. 14th India - European Union (EU) 2017 Summit
New Delhi, India.
President of European Union (EU) Donald Tusk.
Member countries 28
European Union (EU) headquarter - Brussels,
Belgium.
The 15th India-EU Summit will be held in Brussels,
Belgium.
The 13th India-EU Summit was held in Brussels,
Belgium.
17. 8 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017 -
th
Hyderabad, India.
Theme of the Summit Women First, Prosperity
for All.
7th Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2016
Silicon Valley, USA.
18. 3rd India International Science Festival (IISF) 2017
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The 2nd IISF held in New Delhi in 2016.
The 1st IISF was held at Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) New Delhi in 2015.
19. India Mobile Congress 2017 - New Delhi.
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Note: This is the first time India is all set to host its
own mobile mega show. The Indian telecom market
is the second-largest in the world after China. India
has a total subscriber base of over 1.18 billion
subscribers.
20. 19th UN Climate Change Summit 2017- Bonn,
Germany.
Note: The United Nations Climate Change
Conferences are yearly conferences held in the
framework of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
18th UN Climate Change Summit 2016 - Marrakech,
Morocco.
21. 9th BRICS Summit 2017 - Xiamen, China.
Theme of the Summit - BRICS: Stronger
Partnership for a Brighter Future.
The Summit was attended by
President of Brazil Michel Temer
President of Russia Vladimir Putin
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
President of China Xi, Jinping
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma
Note: BRICS comprises 5-member countries:
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Venue of 10th BRICS Summit 2018-
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Venue of 8th BRICS Summit 2016- Goa, India.
22. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit
2017 Astana, Kazakhstan.
Note:
SCO General Secretary Rashid Alimov.
SCO Headquarter - Beijing, China.
Official Language Chinese, Russian.
SCO comprises 8-member countries: China,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan became full members of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
on 9 June 2017.
Venue of SCO Summit 2018- China.
Venue of SCO Summit 2016- Tashkent,
Uzbekistan.
About Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is a Central Asian
country, it has eastern border with China and Russia.
Capital Astana
Currency - Tenge
President - Nursultan Nazarbayev
Prime Minister - Bakhytzhan Sagintayev
Legislature - Parliament
Upper house - Senate
Lower house - Mazhilis
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23. ASEAN (30th & 31st) 2017 Summit Manila,
Philippines.
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
organisation comprising 10 South east Asian
countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
Its motto is - One Vision, One Identity, One
Community.
Note: ASEAN Summit held twice a year.
Secretary General Le Luong Minh.
Chairman - Philippines Rodrigo Duterte
ASEAN headquarter Jakarta, Indonesia.
Venue of ASEAN (32nd & 33rd) 2018 Summit -
Singapore.
Venue of 28-29th ASEAN Summit 2016
Vientiane, Laos
24. 29 APEC 2017 Summit Danang, Vietnam
th
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC)organisation comprising 21 members
countries Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,
Chile, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia,
Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The
Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei,
Thailand, United States, Vietnam.
Chairman - Trn i Quang
Executive Director - Alan Bollard
APEC headquarter Singapore
Venue of 30th APEC 2018 Summit - Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea.
Venue of 28th APEC Summit 2016 Peru, Lima
25. 4th BIMSTEC 2017 Summit Kathmandu, Nepal
Note:
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC)organisation comprising 7 members
countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand.
Chairmanship Nepal (since 2014)
BIMSTEC headquarter Dhaka, Bangladesh
Venue of 3rd BIMSTEC Summit 2014 - Nay Pyi
Taw, Myanmar.
26. G-20 Summit 2017 Hamburg, Germany.
Theme of the summit Shaping an Inter-
connected World
The G20 comprises 19 countries plus the
European Union. These countries are Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany,
33 | Page
India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi
Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the
United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of
America (USA).
Meeting of G20 Labour Ministers 2017 Bad
Neuenahr, Germany.
Meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and
Central Bank Governors 2017 Baden,
Germany.
Venue of G-20 2018 Summit - Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Venue of G-20 2016 Summit Hangzhou,
China
27. 43rd G-7 Summit 2017 - Sicily, Italy.
Theme of the summit - Building the foundations of
renewed trust.
The G-7 comprises 7 countries Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United
States.
Venue of 42nd G-7 2018 Summit Shima,
Japan
Venue of 44th G-7 2016 Summit Canada
28. NATO Summit 2017 Brussels, Belgium.
Note:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
comprises 29 countries Albania, Belgium,
Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherland,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United
States.
NATO headquarter - Brussels, Belgium.
NATO Secretary General - Jens Stoltenberg
NATO 2018 Summit Brussels, Belgium.
NATO 2016 Summit -Warsaw, Poland
Note: Turkeys offer to host the 2018 NATO summit
is rejected by Canada and 18 European NATO
members. Hence, 2018 NATO Summit will be held in
Brussels, Belgium.
29. 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBS) 2017
Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Theme of 2017 PBS is Redefined Engagement
With Indian Diaspora.
Note:
Chief Guest at 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017
is - H.E. Dr. Antonio Costa, Prime Minister of the
Republic of Portugal.
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The PBS convention is held on January 9th each year
to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi
from South Africa in 1915. It is celebrated to mark
the contribution of the overseas Indian community
to the development of the country.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBS) 2016 was cancelled.
13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBS) 2015
Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Singapore to Host Regional Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas in 2018.
30. 104th Indian Science Congress 2017 SV University,
Tirupati.
Focal theme - Science & Technology for National
Development.
105th Indian Science Congress 2018 to be hosted
by Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Focal Theme - Reaching the Unreached Through
Science & Technology
National Affairs
1. India re-elected member of UNESCOs executive
board - India was re-elected as member of executive
board of United Nations educational, scientific and
cultural organization (UNESCO).
Note: Executive board is UNESCOs top decision-
making body. The election was held at 39th session of
General Conference of UNESCO in Paris, France.
2. Facebook launches Disaster Maps in India - The
social networking giant Facebook Inc. has rolled out
Disaster Maps for India in a bid to help communities
recover and rebuild faster in aftermath of natural
disasters. It was launched at Facebooks first Disaster
Response Summit in India along with National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) to improve disaster
response and disaster management in India.
Note: Government has claimed that India will be the
first country to partner with Facebook on disaster
response.
3. Indias second Technology & Innovation Support
Centre established at Centre for Intellectual Property
Rights (CIPR), Anna University, Chennai.
Note:
The objective of TISC is to stimulate dynamic,
vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights
(IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and
innovation.
It will thereby help to promote entrepreneurship
and enhancing social, economic and cultural
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31. 25th CHOGM 2018 Summit The next 25th meeting of
the heads of government of the Commonwealth of
Nations will be held in the London, United Kingdom.
Note: In 2017, Vanuatu was selected to host 25th
CHOGM Summit but due to the damage done by
Cyclone Pam, it was decided to be held in United
Kingdom in 2018.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held
after a gap of every two years.
Total member countries 52.
Headquarter London, United Kingdom.
CHOGM 2015 Summit Malta.
32. 3rd World Conference on Environment 2017 New
Delhi, India.
It was organized by the National Green Tribunal
(NGT) and inaugurated by the President Pranab
Mukherjee.
development by establishing network of TISCs in
India.
4. Supreme Court refuses to ban Kambala - The
Supreme Court has refused to pass an interim order to
stay Ordinance allowing kambala, the traditional
buffalo slush track race in Karnataka. People for
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a non-
governmental organisation, had challenged the
Ordinance.
Note: Kambala is traditional slush track buffalo race
that is held annually in coastal districts of Karnataka
to entertain rural people of the area. The sports season
generally starts in November and lasts till March.
5. Govt. to provide financial assistance of Rs 2302.05
crore for Sagarmala projects - The Union Ministry of
Shipping undertook projects worth Rs 2302 crore for
financial assistance under the Coastal Berth Scheme of
the Sagarmala Programme. The Ministry also extended
the period of the scheme for three years up to 31
March 2020 and expanded its scope to cover capital
dredging at Major Ports and preparation of DPR for
coastal berth project.
Key points-
The 47 projects under Coastal Berth Scheme are
distributed over eight states with the highest
number of projects in Maharashtra (12 projects),
Andhra Pradesh & Goa (10 projects), Karnataka (6
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projects), Kerala and Tamil Nadu (3 projects),
Gujarat (2 projects) and West Bengal (1 project).
The most recent beneficiaries of the scheme were
Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and
Karnataka Government respectively for
developing coastal infrastructure at Jawahar Lal
Nehru Port, Karwar Port and Old Manglore Port.
About Coastal Berth Scheme of Sagarmala
Programme
The Coastal Berth Scheme aims to provide
financial support to ports or state governments
for creation of infrastructure for movement of
cargo and passenger by sea or national
waterways.
The total financial assistance from Central
Government is 50 per cent of the total cost of the
project subject.
6. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
approved implementation of Special Banking
Arrangement (SBA) for Rs. 10,000 crore for
payment of outstanding claims on account of fertilizer
subsidy in year 2016-17.
7. Railways launch main arch on world's highest
bridge on Chenab - The Indian Railways has
commenced the main arch of the world's highest
bridge on the River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir's
Reasi district.
8. BRO builds world's highest motorable road in
Ladakh - The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has
constructed the world's highest motorable road in
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, passing
through Umlingla Top at a height of over 19,300 feet.
The feat was achieved under 'Project Himank' of the
organisation.
9. Govt. launched Food Regulatory & Nivesh Bandhu
portal - Union Minister of Food Processing Industries
Harsimrat Kaur Badal announced the launch of the
Food Regulatory Portal and Investor Facilitation
Portal Nivesh Bandhu.
About Nivesh Bandhu Portal
Nivesh Bandhu portal will assist investors to
make informed investment decisions.
It will provide information on Central and State
Governments investor friendly policies, agro-
producing clusters, infrastructure, and potential
areas of investment in the food processing sector.
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10. India sends first wheat shipment to Afghanistan
via Chabahar port - India has flagged off shipment of
wheat for Afghanistan through Irans Chabahar port.
Note: Chabahar port is strategically located in Sistan-
Balochistan province on energy-rich Irans southern
coast in Gulf of Oman near its border with Pakistan
and can be easily accessed from Indias western coast.
11. Govt. launched MSME Samadhaan Portal - The
Union Government has launched MSME (Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprise) delayed payment portal
'MSME Samadhaan'.
Key points
The portal will give information about the
pending payments of MSEs with individual
CPSEs, Central Ministries, State Governments,
etc.
The portal will help in monitoring the delayed
payments in a more effective manner.
It will also empower the MSEs to access the
portal and monitor their cases.
12. Indian Railways to get its first set of solar plants -
Indian Railways first set of solar plants having a total
capacity of 5 megawatt peak (MWp). The plants built
on the roof tops of Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi,
Anand Vihar and Delhi railway stations would be
generating 76.5 lakh units of solar power cumulatively
every year and are expected to meet about 30 per cent
of the energy requirement of these stations.
13. BharatMala Pariyojana: The Union Government has
approved mega highway projects to build 83677 km of
highways over the next five years at a cost of Rs 7 lakh
crore.
Note:
These highway projects include the ambitious
Bharatmala project which is the second-largest
highway project after National Highways
Development Project (NHDP) that saw
development of about 50000 km of roads.
The Bharatmala Pariyojana or Project will
subsume all the existing highway projects,
including the flagship National Highways
Development Project (NHDP).
Bharatmala project is an umbrella programme for
roads under which 34800 km of highways will be
constructed at a cost of Rs 5.35 lakh crore.
Bharatmala Project will include 9000 km of
economic corridors, 6000 km of inter-
corridor and feeder routes, 5000 km of national
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corridors efficiency improvement, 2000 km of
border road connectivity, 800 km of
expressways and 10000 km of balance
NHDP projects.
A study under the Bharatmala project by global
consultancy firm AT Kearney identified 44
economic corridors for development. The
corridors included Mumbai-Cochin-Kanyakumari,
Bengaluru-Mangaluru, Hyderabad-Panaji and
Sambalpur-Ranchi among others.
The government has assigned NHAI, National
Highway and Industrial Development Corporation
(NHIDCL) and state Public Work Departments
(PWDs) for the Bharatmala Project.
14. Indias first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra for
Skilling in Smart Cities Inaugurated - Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh along with Skill Development
Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated India's
first Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) for
Skilling in Smart Cities in New Delhi. The main aim
behind the development is to bring momentum in
skilling through collaborative efforts.
Note: The PMKK Centre for Smart Cities will provide
skill training for unemployed youth through its short-
term training (STT) module and contribute to capacity
building of municipal employees through Recognition of
Prior Learning (RPL) program.
15. PM Modi launches 'Ro-Ro' ferry service in Gujarat -
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Phase 1
of the RO RO (Roll on, Roll off) ferry service between
Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat. This
is the first of its kind project not only in India but also
in South-East Asia,
About RO RO Ferry Service
The term ro-ro is generally taken for large
ocean-going vessels. This is in opposite to the lo-
lo (lift-on and lift-off) vessels, which apply a
crane to load and unload cargo.
This is a first of its kind of services in India. The
RO RO ferry service will be able to bear up to
20. Indias first micro forest being built in Chhattisgarh.
21. The union minister Harsh Vardhan has launched SECURE
Himalaya project in association with UNDP at the Global
Wildlife Programme (GWP) conference in New Delhi.
22. The National Highways Authority of India has launched a
mobile app for smooth functioning of electronic toll
collection --MyFASTag.
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hundred of vehicles (cars, bus, truck etc.) and
250 passengers linking the two ports.
The ro-ro ferry services will take wheeled cargo
on and off the ferry on their own wheels or
using a platform vehicle. The wheeled cargo
includes, cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks,
trailers, and railroad cars.
16. Jaipur & Srinagar Airport ranked first and second
in ACI-ASQ Survey - The Jaipur and Srinagar Airport
were ranked first and second respectively in ACI
(Airports Council International)-ASQ (Airport Service
Quality) Survey in the category of 2-5 million
passengers.
17. Times Higher Education Rankings: IISC & IIT
Bombay among worlds top 200 for engineering -
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore and
Indian Instituted of Technology (IIT) Bombay were
ranked among worlds top 200 institutions for
engineering and computer science in Times Higher
Education subject-wise rankings.
Note: IISc was placed at the 89th spot, while IIT
Bombay was placed in the 126 spot.
18. JP Nadda has launched 15 medical outlets of AMRIT
Deendayal in Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab
through Video Conference from Shimla.
19. PM dedicated first All India Institute of Ayurveda
to nation - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
dedicated first All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in
New Delhi to the nation on the occasion of National
Ayurveda Day.
Note:
The first ever All India Institute of Ayurveda
(AIIA)is an apex institute under Ministry of
AYUSH.
It aims to bring synergy between the traditional
wisdom of Ayurveda and modern diagnostic tools
and technology. It has been set up on lines of
AIIMS
23. Countrys first Videsh Bhavan launched in Bandra Kurla
Complex (BKC), Mumbai by External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj.
24. Indias first Hyperloop project will come up in Andhra
Pradesh.
25. The Kandla Port has been renamed as -- Deendayal Port.
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Note: Kandla Port is the largest sea port of India (by
volume of cargo handled) located in Kutch District of
Gujarat.
States News
1. Telangana Govt: Urdu as Second Official
Language - Telangana Chief Minister K
Chandrashekar Rao declared Urdu as the state's
second official language. Every office in the state will
now have an Urdu speaking officer. First official
language is Telugu.
2. PM lays Foundation Stone for Infrastructure
Projects in Bihar - The Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has laid the foundation stone for four
sewerage projects under the Namami Gange
programme; and four National Highway projects, at
Mokama in Bihar. The total outlay of these projects
is over Rs. 3700 crore.
The projects include - The four sewerage projects
include Sewage Treatment Plant at Beur, Sewerage
System with Sewer Network at Beur, Sewage
Treatment Plant at Karmalichak and STP and Sewer
Network at Saidpur.
3. Aerospace Park to be set up in Tamil Nadu The
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Edapaddi K Palaniswami,
laid the foundation stone for an aerospace park at
Kanchipuram district to be set up by the State
Government in 245 acres and at an estimated cost of
Rs 198 crore.
4. Maharashtra to build 210m Worlds Tallest
statue of Shivaji Maharashtra government has
decided to build the 210-metre-high statue of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the sea off the
Mumbai coast.
Currently, the Spring Temple Buddha statue, which
stands at 208 metres in China, is the worlds tallest
statue.
5. Allahabad to get Indias First Black Buck
Conservation Reserve - Uttar Pradesh cabinet
decided to make India's first conservation reserve
for blackbuck in Allahabad's Meja. The decision
taken for the protection of black deer will also help
in wooing tourists.
6. Haryana became the first State in India to treat
Hepatitis-C Patients with Oral Medicine - Haryana
has emerged as the first state in the country to treat
Hepatitis-C patients through oral medicine. This
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medicine would be provided free of cost to
permanent residents of all categories at district
level.
7. Goa to host Nobel Prize Event in February 2018 -
The state government of Goa signed a trilateral
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the
Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of
Science and Technology and Nobel Media, Sweden to
host the Nobel Prize Series - India event during 1-28
February 2018.
The event will be jointly organized by Department of
Bio-Technology, Union Ministry of Science and
Technology in collaboration with Department of
Science and Technology and Nobel Media AB,
Sweden.
8. Goa tops Gender Vulnerability Index Goa has
topped the Gender Vulnerability Index (GVI). The
index was prepared by Child development NGO Plan
India. Kerala and Mizoram secured second & third
rank respectively.
Bihar ranked at the bottom which is followed by
Uttar Pradesh. Delhi was placed near bottom at the
24th place
9. Lifetime pensions for 'Hindi Satyagrahis':
Haryana Govt. - The state government of Haryana
announced the lifetime monthly pension of Rs
10,000 for 'Hindi Satyagrahis' and those from the
state who were jailed during the Emergency.
10. Vrindavan, Barsana declared as Sacred Sites -
The Uttar Pradesh government issued an order
notifying Vrindavan and Barsana towns in Mathura
district as 'sacred pilgrimage sites' ('pavitra teerth
sthals'). With this, Vrindavan and Barsana became
the first two places to be notified as teerth sthal in
government records. No meat and liquor shops will
be allowed in these towns anymore.
11. Madras HC bans photographs of living persons
on sign-boards and banners - The Madras High
Court banned the use of photographs or pictures of
living persons on banners, flex boards and sign-
boards across the state of Tamil Nadu.
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12. Meghalaya Election department to feature in Limca
Book of Records - The Election department of
Meghalaya state has won an entry in the Limca Book
of Records for forming a human logo with newly-
enrolled young voters of Meghalaya on 1 July 2017.
The information was shared by Limca official
Garima Manon with the office of Meghalaya Chief
Electoral Officer on 24 October 2017.
13. Assam to host Global Investors Summit in 2018 -
Assam would be hosting its first Global Investors
Summit in Guwahati from 3- 4 February 2018.
14. The state government of Chhattisgarh has reduced
the rate of interest on loan given to women and their
self-help groups under Saksham Yojna. The rate of
interest on loans has been cut from 6.5 per cent to 5
per cent to benefit more women and their SHGs
under the Yojna.
15. Indias first-ever Industrial Training Institute for the
Divyangans will come up in the state-- Assam.
Note: The foundation stone for the institute was laid at
Dibrugarh ITI Complex at Borboruah in Assam.
16. Prime Minister Narander Modi laid the foundation
stone of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
at Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
17. Uttar Pradesh state govt. has launched a mass
marriage scheme Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah
Yojana for BPL families.
18. Karnataka. state govt has launched 'Vision-2025'
project across the state.
Note: The project aimed at evolving a draft policy for
development of the state for the year 2025 by
seeking the opinion of the general public.
International Affairs
1. Bank of China Begins Operations in Pakistan - Bank
of China has formally launched its operations in
Pakistan, with its first branch inaugurated in Karachi.
2. Priti Patel resigned from UK Cabinet - Priti
Patel, Britains first Indian-origin Cabinet Minister
resigned as International Development Secretary.
Note: This was the second Cabinet resignation within a
week. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has also
resigned recently over sexual harassment allegations.
3. EU Launches Election Observation Mission for
Nepal Polls - The European Union Election
Observation Mission was officially launched to monitor
the general and provincial polls in Nepal which are
scheduled for November 26 and December 7.
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19. Odisha state Govt. has launched a Sampurna Yojna
scheme for pregnant women.
20. The Union Minister Dr. Harshvardhan has launched 'Pt
Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul
Pariyojana' in Uttarakhand.
21. Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to
launch electric bus service.
22. Jharkhand state government has launched Shaheed
Gram Vikas Yojana to provide houses to freedom
fighters.
23. Tripura became the first Indian state to set up family
welfare district committees to examine the complaints
of women against their husbands and in-laws and find
an amicable solution.
24. Jammu & Kashmir government has inaugurated the
second International Yoga Festival and International
Yoga Sports Championship 2017.
25. Indias first-ever railways disaster management centre
will come up near Bengaluru, Karnataka by 2018.
26. Indias first-ever aviation university Rajiv Gandhi
National Aviation University (RGNAU) will come up in
Fursatganj in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh.
27. The 2017 Aadi Perukku festival is celebrated in Tamil
Nadu.
28. Indias biggest Global Skill Park will be set up in the
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
29. Indias first automatic coastal warning for disasters
will set up in Odisha.
30. Indias first freight village will be developed by the
Inland waterways authority of India (IWAI) in --
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
4. Hong Kong, World's Top City for International
visits - Hong Kong remains the world's most visited
city by international travellers in spite of strained
relations with neighbouring China. The report is
published by Euromonitor International.
Top 3 Countries in the list are - Hong Kong, Bangkok &
London.
5. India to contribute USD 100 million to UN
partnership fund - India has pledged an additional
amount of USD 100 million towards the UN
partnership fund, scaling up its support to sustainable
development projects across the developing world.
6. ICIJ releases Paradise papers - The International
Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has
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released The Paradise Papers, a global investigation
that reveals the offshore activities of some of the
worlds most powerful people and companies.
Note: Among 180 countries represented in the data,
India ranks 19th in terms of number of names. In all
names of 714 Indians have figured in this largest ever
black money data leak.
International Consortium of Investigative
Journalists (ICIJ) - The ICIJ is global network of more
than 200 investigative journalists in 70 countries who
collaborate on in-depth investigative stories. It was
founded in 1997 by respected American journalist
Chuck Lewis. It is headquartered in Washington DC,
US. Earlier in 2016, it had released Panama Papers.
7. Guinea ratifies International Solar Alliance
Framework Agreement - The Republic of Guinea
ratified the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
Framework Agreement. The instrument of ratification
was handed over to External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj by Guineas Foreign Minister Mamady Toure,
who was on his 4 day visit to India from 3-6 November
2017.
Note:
With this, Guinea became the 15th country to
ratify the agreement.
With the ratification of ISA pact by 15
countries, ISA will now be an international
legal body.
About International Solar Alliance Pact
The International Solar Alliance was launched
jointly by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and French President Francois Hollande on the
first day of the COP-21 summit at Paris in 2015.
The ISA headquartered in India.
The alliance was conceived as a coalition of solar
resource rich countries to collaborate on meeting
their energy needs through a common and agreed
approach.
The alliance will become a legal entity once at least
15 countries ratify and deposit the framework
agreement.
8. Saudi Arabia to allow women into sports stadiums
from 2018 - Turki Al-Asheikh, Chairman of the
General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia announced
that Saudi women will now be able to attend sports
events in stadiums starting from 2018. The move is
aimed at empowering and engaging women in the
society as an integral part of the development process.
9. WHO removes Robert Mugabe as Goodwill
Ambassador for NCDs in Africa- The World Health
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Organisation (WHO) cancelled the appointment of
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's appointment as
its Goodwill Ambassador for Non-Communicable
Diseases (NCDs) in Africa.
10. Nicaragua signs Paris Climate Agreement - Central
American country Nicaragua signed the Paris
Agreement on climate change, leaving the United
States and Syria as the only two countries holing out to
sign this global climate pact.
Note: As per Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega,
the Paris Agreement is the only international
mechanism that offers the conditions to face global
warming and its effects.
US withdrawal from Paris agreement -
President Donald Trump on 1 June 2017
withdrew the United States from the landmark
2015 Paris agreement to fight climate change.
Trump stated that the Paris accord will
undermine the US economy, cost US jobs, weaken
American national sovereignty and put the
country at a permanent disadvantage to the other
countries of the world.
11. 14th SAARCLAW Conference held in Colombo, Sri
Lanka - The 14th South Asian Association for Regional
Co-operation in Law (SAARCLAW) Conference was
held in Colombo, capital city of Sri Lanka along with
11th SAARC Chief Justices Conference.
12. China Unveils Asia's Largest Island-Building Vessel
- China unveiled Asia's largest artificial island-building
ship. The 140-metre-long vessel, which has been
dubbed as"magic island maker", is capable of digging
6,000 cubic metres an hour, which is equivalent to
three standard swimming pools. The boat named Tian
Kun Hao is equivalent of three standard swimming
pools.
13. Worlds Third Largest Book Fair Opens in Sharjah -
With more than 1.5 million book titles and 1,650
publishing houses from 60 countries, Sharjah
International Book Fair (SIBF) opened its doors to
public and trade visitors. It is the third largest book fair
in the world.
Note:
The book fair was held under the theme A
World in My Book. The event has been
organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently
announced Sharjahas as the World Book
Capital 2019.
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14. Worlds First Hydrogen Tram Begins Operation in
China - The worlds first hybrid electric tram powered
by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China,
marking a big step in the application of green energy in
public transport.
15. Burundi, first Nation to leave International
Criminal Court - Burundi became the first nation ever
to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), set up
15 years ago to prosecute those behind the worlds
worst atrocities.
Note:
Bujumbura is the capital of Burundi and
Burundian franc is its currency.
International Criminal Court established in
2002. Its head office is located in the Hague,
the Netherlands.
16. Peru approves medicinal use of marijuana - The
Peru government = has approved a bill to authorises
the medicinal and therapeutic use of cannabis
(marijuana) in the country.
Note: With this Peru became sixth country in Latin
America to legalise cannabis. Uruguay was first in
2013, allowing sales of cannabis any purpose. It was
followed by Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.
17. Chile named Best Country to Visit in 2018 - The
travel guide company Lonely Planet has ranked Chile
as the number one country to visit in 2018 in its Best
in Travel 2018 list.
Note:
The guide has published the 13th edition of its
annual list of the top 10 countries every traveller
should have on their bucket list for 2018.
Chile was the only South American country to earn
the top spot on the list.
Top 3 Countries in the list are Chile, South Korea
& Portugal
18. Gina Miller Named UKs Most Influential Black
Person of the Year - Indian origin campaigner Gina
Miller was named UKs most influential black person of
the year. She won a legal challenge seeking
Parliamentary approval for triggering Brexit.
Sports News
1. Pankaj Advani lifts IBSF World Billiards
Championship He defeated Mike Russell (England)
in the IBSF World Billiards Championship at Doha.
2. AIBA Youth Womens World Boxing Championship
2017 - India's first youth world boxing championship
40 | Page
Note: Gina Miller (52-year-old) ranked on top in the
2018 'Powerlist' of 100 people of African and
African Caribbean inheritance published in London
by Powerful Media.
19. Saudi Arabia lift its ban on internet calling
applications, easing restrictions online as the
conservative kingdom faces new criticism over
censorship.
20. The worlds highest sandcastle has built in the
Germany.
Note: According to the Guinness World Records, the
world's highest sandcastle is now standing 16.68
meters tall in the German city of Duisburg.
28. Two-day Indian Ocean Conference 2017 being
organized by India Foundation in Temple Trees in --
Colombo.
Note: The theme of this years conference is Peace,
Progress and Prosperity and will involve participants
from more than 35 countries. This will be second IOC
conference (first edition-Sep16 in Singapore).
28. Kenya imposed the world's toughest law against plastic
bags in the country to reduce plastic pollution.
29. Google has launched the latest version of its mobile
operating system -- Android Oreo.
30. British scientists developed the worlds smallest
surgical robot named -Versius, which could transform
daily operations for tens of thousands of patients.
21. China launched its first cyber court specializing in
handling Internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub
of Hangzhou.
22. Montenegro Officially joined North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) and become the 29th member
country.
23. The worlds longest pedestrian suspension bridge has
opened in Switzerland.
24. Peggy Whitson (an Astronaut) returned to Earth,
wrapping up a record-breaking flight that catapulted
her to first place for U.S. space endurance.
Note: Whitsons 665 days off the planet 288 days on this
mission alone exceeds that of any other American and
any other woman worldwide.
will be held from 19 to 26 November 2017 in
Guwahati, Assam.
The official mascot, named - Guppy, is a
female version of Assam's one-horned rhino.
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The logo infuses two key elements-- the
strength of an Indian woman in the form of a
female boxer and the culture of Assam
through the 'gamosa', a hand-woven piece of
cloth in the state.
The World Championship's official anthem
is 'Make Some Noise'. It is composed by Shaan
and rendered by renowned singer Sunidhi
Chauhan.
Mary Kom named ambassador of the AIBA
Youth Womens World Boxing Championship.
3. FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 For the first time, India
hosted the 17th edition of FIFA U-17 World. Nicolai
Adam is the coach of Indian team. Amarjit Singh Kiyam
(Manipur) is the captain of U-17 FIFA Indian team.
Key Facts
Winner England won the title by defeating
Spain by 5-2 in the final.
Best Player Award - Phil Foden of England has
been adjudged tournaments best player and has
been awarded Golden Ball.
Golden Glove Award - Gabriel Brazao the
goalkeeper of Brazils national football team has
won the Golden Glove.
Brazil has won the Fair Play Award.
Jeakson Singh (Manipur) creates history by
scoring Indias first ever goal in FIFA U-17
World Cup against Colombia.
FIFA U-17 WC in India becomes most attended
in events history for the first time.
USA-Based Namit Deshpande becomes the
First NRI to Play for Indias U17 World Cup
Team.
Esther Staubli (Switzerland) became the first
female football referee to officiate a match.
The official Mascot for the FIFA U-17 World
Cup 2017 was clouded leopard named Kheleo.
The official ball for Under-17 football World Cup
is called Krasava.
The final match of the event was held in Salt
Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
4. Asian Boxing Championship 2017: Indian boxer MC
Mary Kom won Gold in 48 kg category. She defeated
North Koreas Hyang Mi Kim by 5-0. The tournament
held in Vietnam.
5. Badminton Mens National Champion H.S.
Prannoy. He defeated Kidambi Srikanth at 82nd
Senior National Championship, in Nagpur,
Maharashtra.
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6. Badminton Womens National Champion Saina
Nehwal. She defeated P.V. Sindhu at 82nd Senior
National Championship, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Note: World Senior Badminton Championship held in
Kochi.
7. Jasprit Bumrah (bowler) ranked at top spot in ICC
T20 Rankings.
8. Puducherry becomes an Associate Member of BCCI
- The Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP) was
chosen by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) as
an associate member of the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI). Now Puducherry will be
allowed to play the Ranji Trophy in 2018.
9. International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup
2017 (ISSF) Host country India. Heena Sidhu and
Jeetu Rai won the Gold medal at 10m Air Pistol event.
Note:
The ISSF headquarters is located in Munich,
Germany. Olegario Vazquez Rana has been serving
as the President of the organisation since 1980.
10. Heena Sidhu wins Gold at 10m Air Pistol event in
Commonwealth Shooting Championships held in
Brisbane, Australia.
11. Roger Federer wins ATP World Tour 8th Basel Title by
defeating Juan Martin del Potro in the final.
12. Yonex French Open Badminton 2017: The
tournament was held in Paris, France.
List of Winners
Mens Singles - Kidambi Srikanth (India) beat
Kenta Nishimoto (Japan).
Womens Singles - Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei)
beat Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
Note:
Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth became the
first Indian to win the mens singles title at
French Open badminton tournament.
13. Scott Fleming joined National Basketball Association
(NBA) India as Head of Basketball Operations.
14. Amjyot Singh becomes third Indian in National
Basketball Association (NBA) league. Amjyot
Singh became the third Indian after Satnam Singh and
Palpreet Singh Brar to walk into the National
Basketball Association (NBA) league.
15. Gokul Natesan, second Indian-Origin Player to be
Signed by NBA G-League side. He was picked by Canton
Charge, a minor league affiliate team of Cleveland
Cavaliers.
16. Patna Pirates beats Gujarat Fortunegiants to clinched
Third Pro Kabaddi Successive Title.
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17. 2017 Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey: The tournament
was held in Malaysia.
Key points
Australia won the title by defeating Great Britain
in the final.
Indian won the Bronze medal by defeating
Malaysia.
18. Martina Hingis announces retirement from Pro
Tennis.
Key facts
Martina Hingis is from Switzerland.
She is the youngest Grand Slam champion in
history, having won the Wimbledon doubles
title when she was just 15 yrs. old.
Hingis was inducted into the International
Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.
She also won the Womens Doubles and Mixed
doubles of US Open 2017.
19. Aditi Ashok (golfer) won third Ladies European Tour
title in Abu Dhabi.
20. Shiv Kapur (golfer) won the Panasonic Open Title.
21. Womens Asia Cup Hockey 2017 - Indian women's
hockey team defeated China by 5-4 to win the Asia Cup
2017 title. The final was held in Kakamigahara city in
southern Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
Note:
With the victory, Team India has secured a
berth for itself at the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
This is the second time that India has claimed
the top spot in the history of the tournament.
The first time was 13 years ago in the year
2004.
22. Mens Asia Cup Hockey 2017 - India beat Malaysia in
the final to clinch Asia Cup 2017 title. The final was
played in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Note: It last clinched the trophy in 2003 and 2007 in
Kuala Lumpur and Chennai respectively.
23. Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth achieves career-
best World No 2 ranking. He won back-to-back titles
at Indonesia and Australia and then at Denmark and
France.
Note:
Kidambi Srikanth wins Men's Singles Title in
French Open. He defeated Japan's Kenta
Nishimoto in the final.
Kidambi Srikanth wins Men's Singles Title in
Denmark Open. He defeated Hong Kong's
Wong Wing Ki Vincent in the final.
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Kidambi Srikanth wins Men's Singles Title in
Indonesia Open. He defeated Japan's
Kazumasa Sakai in the final.
Kidambi Srikanth wins Men's Singles Title in
Australia Open. He defeated Chinas Chen
Long in the final.
24. Virat Kohli & Mithali Raj top the ICC ODI Rankings -
Indian cricket team captains Virat Kohli and Mithali Raj
became number one at ICC ODI rankings for batsman
and batswomen.
Key points
Indian captain Virat Kohli reclaimed the top
spot of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen with
889 rating points.
Mithali Raj was ranked number with 753
rating points.
25. Virat Kohli becomes fastest batsman to score 9000-
run mark - Indian skipper Virat Kohli became the
sixth Indian and fastest to complete 9000 ODI runs
during Indias third and final one-day international
against New Zealand in Kanpur. Kohli has played his
202nd innings, has become the 19th batsman to break
the 9000-run mark, making him the fastest to get
there.
26. Delhi Olympic Games to be held in December - The
Delhi State Olympic Association has announced to
organise Delhi Olympic Games in the capital city. The
sporting events will be held from 9 December 2017- 18
December 2017. The announcement to conduct a
sporting event of Olympic level came in order to
promote Olympics and also the spirit of sports and
sportsmen in Delhi.
Note: Olympic wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt was
confirmed as the brand ambassador of Delhi Olympic
Games 2017.
27. Cristiano Ronaldo wins the Best FIFA Men's Player
Award - Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo won the
Best FIFA Men's Player Award for the second year in
London.
Note:
Argentinas forward Lionel Messi and Brazils
forward Neymar were runners up for the
award.
Ronaldo got 43.16 per cent of the total votes,
while Lionel Messi and Neymar fetched 19.25
and 6.97 per cent votes respectively.
Best FIFA Men's Coach - Zinedine Zidane
Best FIFA Goalkeeper - Gianluigi Buffon
Best FIFA Women's Player - Lieke Martens
Best Women's Coach - Sarina Wiegman
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FIFA Fan Award - Celtic
28. Kavita Devi becomes first Indian Woman to sign
with World Wrestling Entertainment - Kavita Devi
became the first Indian woman to tie-up with the
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Note:
Shadia Bseiso became the first Arab woman
from the Middle East to sign a WWE
developmental contract.
Kavita Devi hails from Haryana and was an
accomplished kabaddi player in high school.
In 2016, she won gold in the 75kg weightlifting
division at the South Asian Games.
She is the first Indian woman to compete in a
WWE ring.
29. Ashish Nehra retired from all format of Cricket
Ashish Nehra has announced his retirement from all
formats of Cricket during the third T-20 match against
India and New Zealand in Delhi.
Note:
Ashish Nehra made his cricket debut in 1999
under Mohammed Azharuddin in India.
He made his international debut in a Test
match against Sri Lanka in Colombo in
February 1999.
He has taken 44 Test wickets, besides 157 ODI
and 34 T20.
30. FIFA suspends the Pakistan Football Federation -
The Fdration Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA) has decided to suspend the Pakistan Football
Federation (PFF) with immediate effect in accordance
with the verdict of the Bureau of the FIFA Council on
10 October 2017 on account of undue third-party
interference. Following its decision to suspend the PFF,
the Pakistan Football Federation loses all its
membership rights as per FIFA Statutes.
31. Iceland makes history to Qualifies for FIFA 2018
World Cup - Iceland created history by qualifying for
the 2018 World Cup. This is the first time that Iceland
qualified for the World Cup.
Note:
Iceland became the smallest country to clinch a
position at the 21st FIFA World Cup.
The previous smallest country to have reached
the World Cup was Trinidad & Tobago which
had a population of 1.3 million.
The 21st edition of FIFA World Cup 2018 will
be held in Russia.
This is the first time when Iceland and Panama
will be participants.
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32. Gaganjeet Bhullar Clinches Macao Open Golf Title
2017 With this win Gaganjeet Bhullar has lifted
his eighth Asian Tour title at the Macau Open.
33. India to host Junior Asian Wrestling Championship
(JAWC) 2018.
34. India's Pooja Kadian has won the first ever gold medal
at Wushu World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Note: Pooja defeated Evgeniya Stepanova in the final.
35. Maharashtra won the Chief Minister's cup with 45
gold medals at the National kickboxing championship
held in Raipur.
36. India has lost the World Group Play-off tie of Davis
Cup Tennis Tournament to the host Canada 2-3.
37. India finishes 5th in medals tally with one gold and two
silver medals at Moscow Shotgun World
Championships.
Note: Italy topped the tally with nine gold medals for a
total of 17 medals in all and USA (12 medals) -2nd.
38. India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth
(Youth, Junior and Senior) Weightlifting
Championships.
39. Ankur Mittal has won silver in senior mens double
trap at 2017 ISSF World Shotgun Championship in
Moscow.
40. Star India has won the coveted Indian Premier League
(IPL) media rights for 2018-23.
41. Para Athlete & Hockey player have been selected for
this year's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award_-- Sardar
Singh & Devendra.
42. Lakshya Sen (shuttler) clinched the Bulgaria Open
International Series title in Sofia, Bulgaria
43. PV Sindhu won the 2017 BWF Korean Open Super
Series Womens Singles title.
44. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has
nominated Mahendra Singh Dhoni for Padma
Bhushan award for his contribution to the game.
45. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the first
wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings
in One Day Internationals(ODI).
Note: Mr. Dhoni achieved the feat in his 301st ODI in
Colombo (Sri Lanka), when he whipped off the bails to
remove batsman Akila Dananjaya (Sri Lankan) off leg-
spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling.
46. ICC has chosen captain of the ICC Womens World Cup
2017 team -- Mithali Raj.
47. India will host the Men's World Boxing Championship
for the first time in 2021.
48. Rahul Yadav Chittaboina (shuttler) has won the
mens singles Lagos International 2017
49. Boxer Sachin Siwach wins gold at Commonwealth
Youth Games held in Bahamas.
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50. Real Madrid won the 2017 UEFA Champions League
trophy by defeating Manchester United in the final.
51. Los Angeles (USA) will host the 2028 Olympics and
Paris will host 2024 Olympic Games.
52. US Open Title 2017 List of Winners
Mens single Rafal Nadal (Spain) defeated Kevin
Anderson (South African)
Womens single - Sloane Stephens (American)
defatted Madison Keys (American)
53. Lewis Hamilton won the 2017 Italian Formula One
Grand Prix tournament.
54. Lewis Hamilton won the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix of
Formula.
List of Upcoming Sports Venue
1. Asian Games - The Asian Games, also known as Asiad
is a Pancontinental multi-sport event held every four
years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games
were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF).
Note: First Asian games were held in New Delhi, India
in 1951.
Venue of Asian Games 2014 Incheon, South
Korea.
Venue of Asian Games 2018 - Jakarta-Palembang,
Indonesia.
Venue of Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou, China.
Venue of Asian Games 2026 Nagoya, Japan.
2. Commonwealth Games (CWG) - The Commonwealth
Games is an international multi-sport event involving
athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations held every
four years.
Note: The first Commonwealth Games held in 1911 in
London, England.
Venue of CWG Games 2010 New Delhi, India.
Venue of CWG Games 2014 Glasgow, Scotland.
Venue of CWG Games 2018 Gold Coast,
Australia.
Venue of CWG Games 2022 Birmingham,
England.
Note: The 2022 Commonwealth Games will no
longer take place in Durban, South Africa as the
South African government failed to give financial
guarantees for the event.
3. Olympics Games - The Olympic Games are held every
four years, with the Summer and Winter Games
alternating by occurring every four years but two
years apart.
Note:
The first modern Olympics games were held in
Athens, Greece, in 1896.
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55. Australian fast bowler retired from Test Match and
ODIs --John Hastings.
56. Usain Bolt (legendary sprinter) retires from the
Athletics world.
57. FIBA Asia Championship (Asias biggest basketball
tournament) 2017 held in Lebanon.
58. Rafael Nadal won 6th ATP title of 2017 Rafael
Nadal beats Nick Kyrgios of Australia in straight sets of
6-2, 6-1 in the China Open final to win his sixth ATP
title of 2017.
Note: In the womens event, Frances Caroline Garcia
defeated world no.1 Simona Halep (Romania) in
straight sets of 6-4, 7-6 (3) to clinch the China Open.
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
headquarter - Lausanne, Switzerland.
IOC President - Thomas Bach
Summer Olympic -
Venue of Summer Olympic Games 2016 Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil
Venue of Summer Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo,
Japan
Venue of Summer Olympic Games 2024 Paris,
France
Winter Olympic
Venue of Winter Olympic Games 2014 Sochi,
Russia.
Venue of Winter Olympic Games 2018
Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Venue of Winter Olympic Games 2022 Beijing,
China.
4. ICC World Cup Cricket - The ICC Cricket World Cup is
the international championship of One Day
International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by
the International Cricket Council (ICC), every four
years.
Note: The first World Cup was held in England in June
1975. West Indies won the title by defeating Australia
in the final.
Australia has been the most successful team in the
World Cup, with 5 titles and 2 runners up.
India won the first World Cup title in 1983 by
defeating West Indies in the final.
Australia won the World Cup title in 2015 after
defeating New Zealand in the final.
International Cricket Council (ICC) headquarter -
Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
President of ICC Zaheer Abbas.
Chairman of ICC Shashank Manohar.
CEO David Richardson.
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Venue of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 India, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh.
Venue of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Australia &
New Zealand.
Venue of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 England,
Wales.
Venue of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 India.
5. ICC World Cup T20 The ICC World Twenty20 is the
international championship of Twenty20 cricket. It is
organised the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Note:
The first T20 World Cup was held in Johannesburg,
South Africa in 2007.
India won the first T20 world cup title after
defeating Pakistan in the final.
West Indies won the T20 World Cup title two
times.
West Indies wont the title in 2016 after defeating
England in the final.
Venue of World Cup 2014 Bangladesh.
Venue of World Cup T20 2016 India.
Venue of World Cup 2020 Australia.
6. ICC Womens Cricket World Cup The ICC Women's
Cricket World Cup is the oldest and most prestigious
international women's cricket tournament.
Note:
The first Womens World Cup was held in England in
1973, two years before the inaugural men's
tournament. England won the title by defeating
Australia in the final.
Australia has been the most successful team in the
Womens World Cup, with 6 titles and 3 runners up.
England won the Womens World Cup in 2017 by
defeating India in the final.
Venue of ICC Women Cricket World Cup 2013
India.
Venue of ICC Women Cricket World Cup 2017
England.
Venue of ICC Women Cricket World Cup 2021
New Zealand.
7. ICC Womens World Cup T20 - The ICC Womens
World Twenty20 is the international championship for
Womens Twenty20 cricket. It is organised the
International Cricket Council (ICC).
Note:
The first Womens T20 World Cup was held in
England in 2009.
England won the first T20 world cup title after
defeating New Zealand in the final.
Australia has been the most successful team in the
Womens World Cup, with 3 titles and 1 runners
up.
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West Indies won the title in 2016 after defeating
Australia in the final.
Venue of World Cup 2014 Bangladesh.
Venue of World Cup T20 2016 India.
Venue of World Cup 2020 Australia.
8. Hockey Mens World Cup The Hockey World Cup is
an international field hockey competition organised by
the International Hockey Federation (FIH). It is held
every four years, bridging the four years between the
Summer Olympics.
Note: The first Mens Hockey World Cup was held in
1971 Barcelona, Spain. Pakistan won the title after
defeating Spain in the final.
Pakistan has been the most successful team in the
World Cup, with 4 titles from 6 appearances in the
final.
Australia won the title in 2014 after defeating
Netherlands in the final.
Note:
International Hockey Federation (IHF)
headquarter - Lausanne, Switzerland.
President of IHF - Narinder Batra.
Venue of Hockey Mens World Cup 2010 New
Delhi, India.
Venue of Hockey Mens World Cup 2014 The
Hague, Netherlands.
Venue of Hockey Mens World Cup 2018
Bhubaneswar, India.
9. Hockey Womens World Cup - The Womens Hockey
World Cup is an international field hockey competition
organised by the International Hockey Federation
(FIH). It is held every four years, bridging the four
years between the Summer Olympics.
Note: The first Womens Hockey World Cup was held
in 1974 in Mandelieu, France. Netherlands won the
title after defeating Argentina in the final.
Netherlands has been the most successful team in the
World Cup, with 7 titles from 11 appearances in the
final.
Netherlands won the title in 2014 after defeating
Australia in the final.
Venue of Hockey Mens World Cup 2010 Rosario,
Argentina.
Venue of Hockey Mens World Cup 2014 The
Hague, Netherlands.
Venue of Hockey Mens World Cup 2018 London,
England.
10. FIFA (Football) World Cup The FIFA World Cup is
an international association football competition
contested by the senior men's national teams of the
members of Fdration Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA). It is held every four years.
www.gradeup.co
Note: The first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930 in
Uruguay. Uruguay won the title after defeating
Argentina in the final.
Brazil has been the most successful team in the World
Cup, with 5 titles from 7 appearances in the final.
Germany won the title in 2014 after defeating
Argentina in the final.
Note:
Fdration Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA) headquarter - Zrich, Switzerland.
President of FIFA - Gianni Infantino.
Venue of FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil.
Venue of FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia.
Venue of FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar.
11. FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's
World Cup is an international football competition
contested by the senior women's national teams of the
members of Fdration Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA). It is held every four years.
Note: The first FIFA Womens World Cup was held in
1991 in China. United States won the title after
defeating Norway in the final.
Science & Defense
Military Exercise -
1. PRABAL DOSTYK 2017: India & Kazakhstan Joint
Exercise held at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.
2. Indra-2017 India & Russia. First mega tri-services
war game involving their armies, navies and air forces
with an aim to boost their operational coordination
conducted at Vladivostok in Russia.
3. 'Sampriti' 2017 India & Bangladesh Joint Military
Combat Exercise held in Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Defense News
1. Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) successfully conducted flight test of NIRBHAY
Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile at Chandipur, Odisha.
About NIRBHAY Missile
It is Indias first indigenously designed and
developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise
Missile.
It has operational range of 1000 km and can
carry warheads of up to 300 kg including
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USA is the most successful nation in the tournament's
history, with 3 titles and 1 runners up.
USA won the title in 2015 after defeating Japan in the
final.
Venue of FIFA World Cup 2015 Canada.
Venue of FIFA World Cup 2019 France.
12. FIFA (U-17) World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup,
founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later
changed to its current name in 2007, is the world
championship of association football for male players
under the age of 17 organized by Fdration
Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). It is held
every two years.
Note: The first FIFA (U-17) World Cup was held in
1991 in Italy. Ghana won the title after defeating Spain
in the final.
Nigeria is the most successful nation in the
tournament's history, with five titles and three runners
up.
Nigeria won the title in 2015 after defeating Mali in the
final.
Venue of FIFA (U-17) World Cup 2015 Chile.
Venue of FIFA (U-17) World Cup 2017 India.
4. 'MITRA SHAKTI 2017' India & Sri Lanka Joint
Training Exercise conducted at Aundh Military Station,
Pune.
5. Blue Flag-17 India & Israel bi-annual multilateral
exercise held at Uvda Air Force Base in Israel.
6. CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) The bilateral exercise
between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy
conducted at Belawan Indonesia.
nuclear warheads. It can be launched from
various kind of platforms.
2. India Navy to use US aircraft launch system
CATOBAR in ship - Indian Navy is likely to use
advanced catapult-based aircraft launch mechanism
(CATOBAR) from United States for its second
indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-II), which is on
drawing board.
3. Sri Lankan Coast Guard commissions OPV
SURAKSHA Sri Lankan Coast Guard has
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commissioned Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)
SURAKSHA gifted by India at Colombo port. It is first
OPV of Sri Lankan Coast Guard.
Note: Sri Lankan Coast Guard Ship (SLCGS) Suraksha
earlier belonged to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and was
known as Varuna. It was officially handed over to Sri
Lanka Navy at ceremony held at Kochi Port in India in
September 2017.
4. First offshore patrol vessel Vikram handed to
Indian Coast Guard - Larsen and Toubro (L&T)
handed over offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named
Vikram to the Indian Coast Guard. It is countrys first-
ever such defence vessel to be built in a private
shipyard. It will be inducted into service by April 2018
after completion of extensive trials of equipment and
machineries.
5. INS Kiltan commissioned into Indian Navy
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has
commissioned an indigenously-built anti-submarine
warfare stealth corvette INS Kiltan into the Indian
Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
Note: INS Kiltan is the latest indigenous warship after
Shivalik class, Kolkata class and sister ships.
6. India successfully tests its first fully indigenous
Glide bomb in Chandipur in Odisha.
Note:
The bomb - SAAW (Smart Anti Airfield
Weapon) - was dropped from an Indian Air
Force aircraft at the Integrated Test Range
(ITR) in Chandipur.
The bomb has been developed by the Research
Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO), along with
other laboratories of the DRDO and the Indian
Air Force.
7. World's fastest, shortest laser pulse created -
Scientists from Switzerland have succeeded in
generating the world's shortest laser pulse with a
duration of only 43 attoseconds.
8. Bharat Net project: Phase 1 to be completed by
December 2017 - The first phase of the national optic
fibre network, also known as Bharat Net project, is
expected to be completed by December 2017.
Note: The project mainly aims to deploy high-speed
optical fibre cables across rural areas. Hence, its
completion will provide internet access to around
100,000 gram panchayats.
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About Bharat Net Project
BharatNet or National Optical Fibre Network
(NOFN) is Union Governments ambitious rural
internet connectivity programme which is
implemented by Bharat Broadband Network
Limited (BBNL).
It was launched in October 2011 to provide
broadband connectivity to all 2.5 Lakh Gram
Panchayats.
Till now the project has reached 83,000 Gram
Panchayats.
It is worlds largest rural broadband
connectivity programme using Optical fibre.
9. Researchers discover Ichthyosaur fossil in India - A
team of researchers comprising researchers from India
and Germany have discovered a 152 million-year-old fossil
of an ichthyosaur - an extinct marine reptile in the Kutch
region of Gujarat. This is the first time an ichthyosaur fossil
has been discovered in India.
10. SAAB & Adani Group join hands to build Gripen E fighter
jets in India - Swedish defence major SAAB and Adani
Group has join hands to manufacture Gripen E fighter jets in
India under the Defence Ministrys $10 billion single-engine
fighter jet procurement programme.
11. Reliance Defence inks Pact with Serbias Yugoimport to
Manufacture Ammunition in India.
12. India's Space mission to Moon 'Chandrayaan- II' in 2018
- Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (IC) for
Atomic Energy and Space announced that Indias second
space mission to moon, Chandrayaan-II, will take place in
2018, most likely in the first quarter of the year.
About Chandrayaan-I
India's first mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1, was launched
successfully on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space
Centre or Sriharikota High Altitude Range, a rocket launch
centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments built in
India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria.
After the successful completion of all major mission
objectives, the spacecrafts orbit was raised to 200 km in
May 2009.
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