1st May to 15th May

AWARDS & HONOURS

The 11th KISS Humanitarian Award 2018 was presented to Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Laureate
(2006) and Founder, Grameen Bank & Chairman, Yunus Centre, Bangladesh. The award citation recognizes his
unwavering commitment to eradicate global poverty and foster economic and social development.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, was honoured with the 2018 Nikkei Asia Prize in
Japan for his contribution to Asia’s development. Dr. Pathak founded the Sulabh International in 1970. It is an
NGO that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation among other social services.

Veteran British journalist and former BBC India correspondent Sir William Mark Tully was chosen for this year’s
RedInk award for lifetime achievement in journalism. The RedInk awards for excellence in journalism are
instituted by the Mumbai Press Club.

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar was honoured with "Swara Mauli" title by spiritual guru Vidya Narsimha
Bharati Swami.

Nisha Bhalla, a 46-year-old holistic coach and consultant from Mumbai was felicitated at the recently concluded
Annual WEF 2018 Awards. Women Economic Forum is the largest global gathering of women entrepreneurs and
leaders worldwide. This annual event recognises the most successful women across all fields, with guests like
Nobel laureate Ouided Bouchamaoui.

BUSINESS & CORPORATE

Tech giant Google collaborated with Niti Aayog to focus on fostering growth for India's nascent artificial
intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) ecosystem.

NITI Aayog and IBM signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to develop a crop yield prediction model using Artificial
Intelligence (AI) to provide real time advisory to farmers in Aspirational Districts. The partnership aims to work
together towards use of technology to provide insights to farmers to improve crop productivity, soil yield, control
agricultural inputs with the overarching goal of improving farmers’ incomes.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a top state-run Chinese bank launched China's first India-
dedicated publicly offered investment fund, urging the Chinese to invest heavily stating that the Indian economy is
entering the "golden age of economic take-off". The fund, named as the Industrial and Commercial Bank Credit
Suisse India Market Fund, will "invest in exchange-traded funds listed on more than 20 exchanges in Europe and
the US that are based on the Indian market." It is China's first publicly offered fund for investing in India.
 BILLS / ACTS / COMMITTEES / SCHEMES / POLICIES

India and Peru signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy. The pact was signed
in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and the Prime Minister of Peru, Cesar Villanueva
Arevalo.

The Telangana government launched ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme, a first-of-its-kind initiative providing
investment support to farmers, who own land. The Rythu Bandhu scheme is aimed at providing financial
assistance of Rs. 8,000 per acre per annum to the farmers to take up cultivation and the government is
spending Rs. 1200 crore on the financial assistance to the farmers.

A parliamentary panel headed by veteran BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi decided to study the recovery
of black money and performance of public sector banks. As per the memorandum of the committee, the
panel will look into the import of uranium for nuclear plants, mining activities and environment, upgrading
of India Post offices and the drought situation in the country among other matters.

The 6th US-India Aviation Summit was formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Suresh
Prabhu in Mumbai. The biennial Summit is jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation and US Trade and
Development Agency (USTDA).

The 9th India Japan Energy Dialogue was held in New Delhi. Both Japan and India, as the third and the
seventh largest economies respectively, recognized that having access to reliable, clean and economical
energy is critical for their economic growth and in achieving this, both agreed on further strengthening of
bilateral energy cooperation for energy development of both countries, while also contributing to
worldwide energy security, energy access and climate change issues.

The Union Cabinet approved doubling of investment limit from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh under Pradhan
Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY).

The Union Cabinet approved a plan to set up 20 All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS across the
country, six of which have already been established, and to upgrade 73 medical colleges. The decisions
are part of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), which has been extended by two
years till 2020, with a financial outlay of Rs. 14,832 crore.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for renaming and restructuring of
Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) as Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK). CCEA
also approved its continuation during the remaining period of the 14th Finance Commission. The
Programme aims to address development deficits in the identified minority concentration areas.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for the Umbrella Scheme, "Green Revolution
– Krishonnati Yojana" in agriculture sector beyond 12th Five Year Plan for the period from 2017-18 to
2019-20 with the Central Share of Rs. 33,269.976 crore. The Umbrella scheme comprises of 11
Schemes/Missions. These schemes look to develop the agriculture and allied sector in a holistic and
scientific manner to increase the income of farmers by enhancing production, productivity and better
returns on produce. The Schemes will be continued with an expenditure of Rs.33,269.976 crore for three
financial years, i.e., 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Ministry of Women and Child Development approved setting up additional 100 One Stop Centres for
women affected by violence. These OSCs will be set up in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

The Government of India signed a loan deal worth $ 200 million with the World Bank for the National
Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan). The loan would help the Government of India in achieving its goal
of reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022.The POSHAN (PM’s
Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan was launched by the Prime Minister in March
2018 at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

A pact was signed between India and Guatemala (a country in Central America) for strengthening
diplomatic cooperation through Respective Foreign Service Institutes in the educational field.

Ministry of Tourism announced to expand Buddhist tourism circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme to 21
more states to make it India’s first trans-national tourist circuit. Earlier it was envisaged only to seven
major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttarakhand agreed to implement the
ambitious national health protection mission, which aims to provide an annual coverage of Rs 5 lakh per
family. The four states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh inked MoUs with the Union Health Ministry
for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission.
 ECONOMY & FINANCE

In its latest report “Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook”, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
reaffirmed that India will be the fastest-growing major economy in 2018, with a growth rate of 7.4% and
7.8% in 2019.

India was the largest remittance-receiving country in the world, with migrant workers from the country
sending home $69 billion in 2017, according to a report which said remittances to the Asia-Pacific region
amounted to $256 billion last year. The report 'RemitSCOPE - Remittance markets and opportunities - Asia
and the Pacific' said India ($69 billion), China ($64 billion) and the Philippines ($33 billion) are the three
largest remittance-receiving countries in the world in 2017.

According to credit rating agency Fitch, India's economic growth will accelerate to 7.3 per cent in the
current fiscal and 7.5 per cent in the next as money supply has recovered to its pre-demonetisation level
and disruptions related to the rollout of GST have diminished.

After topping the chart for four years, India slipped to the 6th position globally on the Global Optimism
Index in the first quarter of 2018, as per the Grant Thornton’s International Business Report. Austria
topped the index followed by Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the US.

According to the data released by the commerce and industry ministry, the growth of eight core sectors
slowed to 3-month low of 4.1 per cent in March due to weak performance in as many as six sectors
including coal, crude oil and natural gas. The other sectors which showed slower growth rate were refinery
products, steel and electricity.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval to provide financial assistance @ of Rs. 5.50
per quintal of cane crushed in sugar season 2017-18 to sugar mills to offset the cost of cane, in order to
help sugar mills to clear cane dues of farmers.

India was ranked 11th in the FDI Confidence Index 2018 released by global consultancy firm A T Kearney.
The list was topped by US, Canada and Germany (in that order).

The CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) signed its 200th unilateral advance pricing agreement (UAPA),
which is aimed at promoting government's resolve of non-adversarial tax regime. The total number of
APAs entered into by CBDT so far has gone up to 220, which include 20 Bilateral APAs. The Indian APA
program has been appreciated nationally and internationally for being able to address complex transfer
pricing issues in a fair and transparent manner.

India ranked fourth out of 25 nations in the Asia-Pacific region on the Lowy Institute Asia Power Index -
an index that measures their overall power, with the country being pegged as a “giant of the future” but
trails behind in indicators of defence networks and economic relationships.

Reserve Bank initiated prompt corrective action against public sector lender Dena Bank in view of high
non-performing loans, restricting the bank from giving fresh credit and new hiring.

International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) World Employment and Social Outlook Report projected that
increase in surface temperature due to global warming will lead to around 2,59,000 job losses in India by
2030, especially in carbon-and resource-intensive industries.
 PEOPLE IN NEWS
Oscar-winning film editor Anne V. Coates, widely considered one of the greatest in her field whose many credits
include such disparate works as "Lawrence of Arabia," ''The Elephant Man" and "Fifty Shades of Grey," died at the
age of 92. She belonged to England.

The 15th Finance Commission constituted an advisory council to advise and assist the commission. The 6-member
council will be headed by the President of Forum for Strategic Initiatives, Arvind Virmani.

Balakumaran, a veteran Tamil novelist, passed away at age 71. He was a recipient of a number of awards,
including the state government’s ‘Kalaimamani’ honour.

The book ‘Across the Bench – Insight into the Indian Military Judicial System’ authored by Lt Gen Gyan Bhushan,
former Army Commander, was officially released.

Govind Lal Vora, a noted journalist from Chhattisgarh, passed away at age 86.

Mahathir bin Mohamad (92) became the new Prime Minister of Malaysia, after scoring a historic victory at the
14th general election 2018, thus becoming the oldest living Prime Minister of Malaysia and the world’s oldest head
of government.

The Sikkim government nominated Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan as the Green Ambassador of the state, for
promoting Sikkim as a Green Destination, nationally and internationally, on voluntary basis. The state government
had earlier this year roped in AR Rahman as its ambassador to promote tourism in Sikkim.

Nandram Das Bairagi, a noted Hindi film lyricist, poet and politician, passed away at the age of 87. Bairagi was a
Lok Sabha member between 1984 and 1989 and also a former Rajya Sabha MP.

Nirmal Hirawat, a former Madhya Pradesh minister and senior Congress leader, passed away at the age of 74.

In a Cabinet reshuffle, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore took charge as the new Union Minister of Information and
Broadcasting (I&B), replacing Smriti Irani, who will now hold only the portfolio of Minister of Textiles.

Former IAS officer Subhash Chandra Khuntia was appointed as the new chairman of the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). A 1981 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, Mr. Khuntia served
as the Chief Secretary to the State government.

SPORTS
India’s top table tennis player G Sathiyan, who won three medals on his Commonwealth Games debut this year,
signed with German Bundesliga’s top division club ASV Grunwettersbach Tischtennis.

Heena Sidhu clinched the gold medal and P Shri Nivetha settled for bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event at
the International Shooting in Germany.

Mansoor Ahmed, Pakistan’s World Cup-winning hockey goalkeeper, passed away at the age of 49. In addition to
being named the world’s best goalkeeper on four occasions, Ahmed was bestowed with a presidential award in
1988 and the Pride of Performance in 1994.
 MISCELLANEOUS
World

The International Day of Families was observed on May 15, like every year. The theme this year was
“Families and inclusive societies”.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced
artificial trans fats from the global food supply by 2023. Elimination of trans fats is key to protecting
health and saving lives, the WHO said. The global health body estimates that every year, trans fat intake
leads to over 5,00,000 deaths worldwide from cardiovascular diseases.

China’s first domestically developed aircraft carrier “Type-001A” started sea trials to demonstrate the
reliability and capability of the ship’s propulsion systems. Few countries in the world have aircraft carriers.

The first meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation was held in New Delhi.
BIMSTEC Member States include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The World Thalassaemia Day was observed on May 8, like every year, to raise awareness about this
disease - an inherited blood disorder in the blood in which the body produces abnormally low Red Blood
Cells (RBCs). The 2018 theme was ‘Thalassaemia past, present and future: Documenting progress and
patients’ needs worldwide’.

The International Nurses Day was celebrated across the world on May 12, like every year, to mark the
birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The theme this year was –
‘Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right’.

Like every year May 3 was celebrated as World Press Freedom Day all over the World. The theme this
year was ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’.

According to a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India's defence
spending increased by 5.5 per cent over 2016 and touched $63.9 billion- the fifth highest in the world
after US, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. The global military expenditure increased to $1.73 trillion- 2.2
per cent of the global GDP and 1.1 per cent over the expenditure in 2016.

China successfully launched “APSTAR-6C”, a new communication satellite into orbit.

NASA launched first-ever InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat
Transport) lander dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars.

The United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Unofficially known as the "Iran
Deal" or the "Iran Nuclear Deal", the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is an agreement on the nuclear
program of Iran reached in July 2015 between Iran, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany) and the
European Union.

Nepal will host the 2018 Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC) summit. BIMSTEC countries are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka Myanmar and
Thailand.

India

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced to set up a skill development centre at
‘Bharosa,’ an integrated support centre for distressed women and children in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Scientists have discovered the world’s second oldest grain of magnetic zircon from the Singhbhum rock at
the Champua in Kendujhar district of Odisha.

The National Technology Day was celebrated in India on May 11, like every year. On this day in 1998,
India successfully tested its nuclear bombs in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

In a major step towards realising the Centre's smart city mission (SCM), the Madhya Pradesh government
launched the country's first Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) for all seven smart cities of
the state in Bhopal.

According to Global Urban Air Pollution database released by World Health Organisation (WHO), 14 Indian
cities have figured in list of world’s 20 most polluted cities in terms of particulate matter PM2.5 levels in
2016. These 14 cities include Delhi, Varanasi, Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Agra, Muzaffarpur,
Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur.

The Indian and French navies conducted the third and last phase of the 2018 Varuna naval exercise, from
1st to 7th of May, in the vicinity of Reunion Island, a French administrative department in the India
Ocean.

Punjab government along World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-India is conducting the first organized census of
Indus Dolphins, one of the world’s rarest mammals found only in India and Pakistan.

The 15th Asia Media Summit 2018 was hosted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
Government of India, jointly with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), in New Delhi. The
theme for the Summit, was `Telling Our Stories – Asia and More’.

The First Apex Conference for CEOs of Smart Cities was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

Nepal Government granted power generation licence to Indian government-owned subsidiary Satluj Jal
Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) from a 900-megawatt (MW) Arun-3 Hydropower Project located in eastern
Nepal.

India sent to Bangladesh its second relief consignment to help tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya
Muslims who fled Myanmar following a military crackdown, triggering one of the world's worst refugee
crises. Over 600,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar's violence-hit Rakhine state to neighbouring
Bangladesh since August when the military intensified crackdown against alleged terrorist outfits of
Rohingya Muslims.

Indian Army’s month long Vijay Prahar exercise concluded in Suratgarh, Rajasthan. It was conducted by
South Western Command of Indian Army.

United States' prestigious Stanford University agreed to assist Uttar Pradesh Government to combat
chronic disease like Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.

The Indian Army finalised a Rs. 15,000-crore project under which a range of ammunition and tanks will be
produced indigenously. The project aims to enable the forces to fight a 30-day war and cut dependence on
imports.

The Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) run by an all-woman team began its operations Phagwara,
Punjab. It is the 192nd POPSK in the country, but the first one to be operated by an all-woman team.

The fourth meeting of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), an inter-governmental wildlife
law enforcement agency was held in Kolkata, West Bengal. It was the first meeting of SAWEN to be held
in India since its inception in 2011 in Bhutan.