IIFT

A Concise Compilation of Must-Know GK for IIFT

Books and Authors
 Lt. Gen. Gyan Bhushan: Across the Bench - Insight into the Indian Military Judicial System.
 J K Rowling: Lethal White
 C H. Hanumantha Rao: My journey from Marxism-Leninism to Nehruvian socialism
 Ramachandra Guha: Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948)
 PM Narendra Modi: Exam Warriors
 Shashi Tharoor: Why I am Hindu
 Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu: Moving On… Moving Forward: A Year in Office
 Cricketer VVS Laxman: 281 and Beyond
 Brijendra Rehi: Atal Ji Ne Kaha
 Chandan Gowda: The way I see it-a Gauri Lankesh Reader
 Twinkle Khanna: Pyjamas are forgiving
 Preeti Shenoy: The Rule Breakers
 Shane Warne: No Spin

1
Important appointments
 Chief Minister of Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio
 Chief minister of Meghalaya: Conrad Sangma
 Chief Minister of Tripura: Biplab Kumar Deb
 Chief Minister of Karnataka: HD Kumaraswamy
 Governor of Jammu & Kashmir: Satya Pal Malik
 Governor of Bihar: Lalji Tandon
 Governor of Odisha: Professor Ganeshi Lal
 Governor of Mizoram: Kummanam Rajasekharan
 Governor of Uttarakhand: Baby Rani Maurya
 15th Finance Commission Chairman: N. K. Singh
 Economic Affairs Secretary of India: Subhash Chandra Garg
 SEBI Chairman: Ajay Tyagi
 IRDAI Chairman: Subhash Chandra Khuntia
 Bombay Stock Exchange S. Ravi (Chairman), Ashishkumar Chauhan (MD & CEO)
 National Stock Exchange: Ashok Chawla (Chairman), Vikram Limaye (MD & CEO)
 Chief Financial Officer of the Reserve Bank of India Sudha Balakrishnan
 Deputy governor of RBI: Mahesh Kumar Jain
 Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC): S Ramesh
 Chief Executive Officer of Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (ABNHPM):
Indu Bhushan:
 Chairman International Chamber of Commerce: Paul Polman
 The New York Stock Exchange Chief Operating Officer: Stacey Cunningham(first female
president).
 PM of Australia: Scott Morrison
 President of Egypt: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
 President of Pakistan: Arif Alvi
 PM of Pakistan: ImranKhan
 Secretary of State (USA): Mike Pompeo
 Defence Secretary (USA): James Mattis
 President of South Korea: Moon Jae-in
 President of Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro
 International Cricket Council Chairman: Shashank Manohar
 President of Myanmar: Win Myint
 Chief Justice of India: Justice Ranjan Gogoi
 Chairman of Indian Bank’s Association: Sunil Mehta
 Chairman of DRDO: Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy
 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Michelle Bachelet
 IMF Chairperson: Christine Lagarde

2
Mergers & Acquisitions 2018
 Time Magazine acquired by Salesforce founders for 190 million dollars.
 Government announced mergers of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank & Vijaya Bank.
 Infosys acquired Finnish Company ‘Fluido’ for Rs. 545 crore.
 Infosys acquired WongDoody for 75 million dollars.
 Synnex acquired call center operation leader Convergys for 2.8 billion dollars.
 Walmart acquired 77% stake in Flipkart for 16 billion dollars.
 Coca Cola bought Costa Coffee for 5.1 billion US dollars.
 Accenture bought Certus.
 McAfee acquires Skyhigh Networks.
 AT & T bought Time Warner.
 Hindalco's US arm bought Aleris for $2.58 billion.
 Reliance Industry acquired Embibe.
 Vodafone India and Idea merged.
 Infosys acquired Skava.
 Paytm acquired TicketNew.
 PVR set to acquire SPI cinemas in a cash-cum-stock deal valued at over Rs 850 crore.
 Infibeam acquired Unicommerce eSolutions Pvt. Ltd.
 Future Group acquired Vulcan Express.
 JSW Steel buys 74.3% stake in Monnet Ispat.
 MobiKwik acquired Pivotchain Solutions.
 Paytm acquired NightStay Travels.
 The Department of Telecom approved merger of Telenor India with Bharti Airtel.
 HPCL, Mangalore Refinery merger in FY'19.
 Hyderabad-based digital payments and cashback company Zaggle acquiredmobile-based
payments firm Click & Pay.
 Adani Wilmar's acquisition of Ruchi Soya.

3
Brand Ambassadors
 Akshay Kumar: Revital H, Policybazaar.com, paisabazaar.com,Road safety campaign
 Mary Kom: BSNL
 Aamir Khan: Vivo India
 MS Dhoni: Dream 11 Gaming Site, NetMeds, Indigo paints, Mars’ chocolate brand Snickers
 Sonakshi Sinha: Asus Smart Phone and tablet
 AR Rahman: Sikkim Brand Ambassador
 Amitabh Bachchan: The Muthoot Group, One Plus 6
 Ranbir Kapoor: Flipkart
 Smriti Mandhana: Bata’s Brand Power
 Virat Kohli: Uber India, Too Yumm chips, Manyavar, MRF Tyres, PNB, Luminous Power’s new
brand AMAZE
 Deepika Padukone: Go Ibibio
 Shahrukh Khan: Nerolac wall paints, Food Panda, DishTV, BYJU’s, Big Basket, Hyundai
 Ranveer Singh, Aalia Bhatt: Makemytrip
 Aalia Bhatt:Frooti
 Shraddha Kapoor: Veet
 Shoaib Akhtar: Pakistan Cricket Board
 Kartik Aaryan: Emami Fair & Handsome
 Kriti Sanon: BATA, Dabur Skin Brand Fem,
 Hima Das: Assam state

4
Some important W.O. and Their HQs
 World Bank: Washington DC, USA
 International Monetary Fund [IMF]: Washington DC, USA
 World Health Organization [WHO]: Geneva, Switzerland
 World Trade Organization [WTO]: Geneva, Switzerland
 International Labour Organization [ILO]: Geneva, Switzerland
 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): Geneva, Switzerland
 New Development Bank (BRICS Development Bank): Shanghai, China
 Asian Development Bank: Manila, Philippines
 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF): New York, USA
 United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA): New York, USA
 United Nations Education Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO): Paris, France
 International Atomic Agency: Vienna, Austria
 Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): Vienna, Austria
 Amnesty International: London, UK
 International Maritime Organisation: London. UK
 Commonwealth of Nations: London, UK
 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): Kathmandu, Nepal
 Association of South East Nations (ASEAN): Jakarta, Indonesia
 Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO): Rome, Italy
 International Court of Justice: The Hague, the Netherland
 International Solar Alliance: Gurugram, India

5
India’s rank in Different Indices
Human development Index 2018 India’s rank: 130th (Norway topped)

Environmental Performance Index 2018 (Released by World Economic Forum)

India’s rank: 177th (Switzerland topped)

Global manufacturing Index 2018 (Released by World Economic Forum) India’s rank: 30th (Japan
topped)

FDI Confidence Index 2018 India’s rank: 11th (USA topped)

Global Innovation Index 2018 (Released by World Intellectual Property Organisation) India’s rank: 57th
(Switzerland topped)

Ease of Doing Business 2018 (Released by World Bank) India’s rank: 100th (New Zealand topped)

World Happiness report 2018 India’s rank: 133th (Finland topped)

6
Awards & Honours
 World Food Prize: Lawrence Haddad and David Nabarro. They worked to provide availability of
nutritious food for pregnant women and children to reduce malnutrition in developing
countries.
 Pritzker Architecture Prize (Nobel equivalent for the field): Balkrishna Doshi. He became the
1st Pritzker laureate from India.
 Abel Prize: Robert Langlands. He developed a programme connecting representation theory to
number theory.
 Linnean Medal in Botany from Linnean Society of London: Kamaljit Bawa. His pioneering
research on evolution of tropical plants, tropical deforestation and non-timber forest products.
First Indian to win the award ever since it was constituted in 1888.

OSCARS/90th Academy Awards

 Best picture: The Shape of Water

 Best Actor in a Leading Role: Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour
 Best Actress: Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
 Best Director: Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape of Water.
 Best Foreign Language Film: A Fantastic Woman
 Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2017: Vinod Khanna
 Saraswati Samman 2017: Sitanshu Yashaschandra's poetry collection Vakhar. Saraswati
Samman is awarded annually by the K. K. Birla Foundation.
 The Swedish Academy postponed the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature following sex-abuse
allegations and other issues within its ranks that have tarnished the body’s reputation. The 2018
winner will be presented alongside the 2019 winner next year. It is the first time since wartime
1943 that the prestigious award will not be given.
 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service: The New York Times and The New Yorker
 Man Booker International Prize: Flights, a philosophical rumination on modern-day travel by
the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk
 KISS Humanitarian Award 2018: Prof. Muhammad Yunus – Nobel Peace award winner and the
founder of Grameen Bank
 Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize UNESCO: Mahmoud Abu Zeid – Egyptian photo journalist
 'Palme d'Or- 2018 (highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival): Shoplifters – Japanese
family drama
 Mumbai-based eminent neurosurgeon Dr B.K. Misra named for the prestigious Dr B.C. Roy
National Award for year 2018 as Eminent Medical Person of the Year.
 Gopalkrishna Gandhi conferred with the 2018 Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award.
 Two Indians Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk are among six who have been declared
winners of 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as the Asian version of the Nobel
Prize.

7
 Virat Kohli and S Mirabai Chanu got Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards 2018.
 Anushka Sharma receives Smita Patil Award.
 PM Modi got UN’s Highest Environment Honour.

8
Economy of India
1) The country is classified as a newly industrialized country, and one of the G-20 major economies, with
an average growth rate of approximately 7% over the last two decades.

2) Maharashtra is the wealthiest Indian state with an annual nominal GDP of US $ 380 billion followed
by UP and Tamil Nadu.

3) India ranks 139th in per capita GDP (Nominal) with 2134 dollars as of 2018.

4) Gross Domestic Product (GDP):GDP is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services
produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.

India's Nominal GDP ~2.848 trillion dollars. (2018)

India's rank in world economies by size of GDP (nominal): 6th

India's rank in world economies by size of GDP (PPP): 3rd

5) GDP Growth forecast for 2018-19:7.3% by IMF, ADB and World Bank

6) There are 3 sectors in Indian Economy. Contribution of different sectors in Indian GDP:

 Primary sector (Agriculture): around 17%

 Secondary sector (Industry): around 29%
 Tertiary sector (Service): around 54%

7) Ease of doing business rank of India 2018: 100

8) Trade partners in decreasing order:

 India's main export partners: European Union, USA, UAE, Hong Kong and China.
 India's main import partners: China, European Union, USA, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

9) Inflation in India is measured by Consumer Price Index.

10) There are 8 core industries in India: Electricity, steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement,
natural gas and fertilisers.

9
Some International Organizations
1. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): It is the organization of South Asian
countries. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional
intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member states
include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

SAARC HQ: Kathmandu, Total member states: 8.

2. BRICS : Organisation of large economies of NICs (Newly industrialized country) namely Brazil, Russia,
China, India, South Africa.

2018 BRICS Summit: South Africa

3. G4 nations: Informal group of countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the
United Nations Security Council.

It consists of India, Germany, Japan and Brazil.

4. Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC): It is an
international organization involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia. These are:
Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

2018 BIMSTEC Summit: Nepal

5. G7 Countries: The group of seven consists of Canada, France, UK, US, Germany and Italy.

2018 G7 Summit: Canada

Venues of Some Important sports events

1) Summer Olympics

2016: Rio, Brazil

2020: Tokyo, Japan

2024: Paris, France

2028: Los Angeles, USA

10
2) Cricket World Cup

Men's

2015: Australia and New Zealand

2019: England and Wales

2023: India

Women's

2013: India

2017: England

2021: New Zealand

3) FIFA Football World Cup

2014: Brazil

2018: Russia

2022: Qatar

FIFA U-17 Football world cup

2017: India

4) Commonwealth games

2018: Gold Coast, Australia

2022: Birmingham, England

5) Hockey World Cup

2018 Men's Hockey World Cup: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India

2018 Women's Hockey World Cup: London, England

11
Important Geographical facts about India
1. India covers 2.4% of the earth’s surface. Total land area of India is 32,87,263 sq.km.

2. Kanchenjunga is the highest mountain peak of India.

3. Deccan Plateau is the largest plateau of India and the Ladakh plateau is the highest plateau of India.

4. Andaman is the largest island of India and Majuli is the largest river island of the world located in
Assam, India.

5. India has only one desert which is the Thar dessert. It is located in the state of Rajasthan.

6. The longest Indian River is Ganga; its length is 2,640 km.

7. The world’s largest delta, (in West Bengal) Sundarban, is made by Brahmaputra and Ganga.

8. Aravallis is the oldest mountain range of the India.

9. Agriculture in India: More than 50 percent of the area of the country is under cultivation and about
64% of the Indian population is engaged in agriculture.

There are two major crop seasons in India, viz.: (i) Rabi (ii) Kharif

Rabi: It is sown in October or December and harvested in April or May. Major crops are: barely, wheat,
peas, gram and mustard.

Kharif: It is sown in June or July and harvested in September or October. Major crops are: bajra, cotton,
jowar, rice and jute.

10. Forests: India is covered about 24.1% by forest area (as per Forest Survey Report 2015). Madhya
Pradesh has the largest forest cover in India among all other states.

11. Gujarat has the longest coastline among all the states in India.

12. Bangladesh shares maximum boundary with India.

13. India is divided into 29 states, 6 union territories and 1 national capital territory.

14. Rajasthan is the largest state of India followed by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and UP.

15. UP is the most populous state of India followed by Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.

12
Important dams and their locations

 Indira Sagar Dam: Narmada River, Madhya Pradesh

 Mettur Dam: Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu.
 Koyna Dam: Koyna River, Maharashtra.
 Maithon Dam: Barakar River, Jharkhand.
 Rihand Dam: Rihand River, Uttar Pradesh.
 TungaBhadra Dam: Tungabhadra River, Karnataka.
 Krishna Raja Sagar dam: Cauvery River, Karnataka
 Hirakud Dam: Mahanadi River, Odissa

13
World Geography Points
1) Boundary lines

 Durand line: Pakistan and Afghanistan

 Radcliffe line: India and Pakistan
 Macmohan line: China and India
 38th parallel: North and South Korea
 49th parallel: USA and Canada
 Hindenburg line: Germany and Poland
 Maginot line: France and Germany
 Oder–Neisse line: Germany and Poland

2) Atmosphere layers in that order from earth

a. Troposphere

b. Stratosphere: ozone layer in it.

c. Mesosphere or thermosphere

d. Ionosphere

3) Mountains-Locations

 Andes: South America

 Rockies: North America
 Alps: Europe
 Alaska: USA
 Himalaya: Asia

4) Water resources in Oceans: Pacific> Atlantic>Indian>Arctic

5) Top 5 minerals in earth's crust:Oxygen>Silicon> Aluminium>Iron>Calcium

6) Top 4 gases in atmosphere:Nitrogen> Oxygen>Argon> CO2

7) Light year, Astronomical unit and Parsec are the units to measure length.

8) Solar system

 Brightest star after sun: Sirius

 Planet with maximum satellites: Jupiter
 Red planet: Mars

14
  Blue planet: Earth
 Brightest planet: Venus
 Biggest planet: Jupiter

9) Some more information

 Atlantic Ocean between US and UK.

 Largest land locked country: Kazakhstan
 Africa has the most number of countries.
 The Nile is the longest river in the world followed by the Amazon and the Yangtze.
 The South China Sea dispute involves Brunei, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines,
and Vietnam.
 The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia.
 Canada has the largest coastline among all the countries in the World.

15
Banking awareness
 First bank to introduce internet banking: ICICI bank
 First bank to introduce mutual fund: State Bank of India
 First bank to introduce credit card in India: Central Bank of India
 Which cards are known as plastic money– Credit Cards
 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is known as– World Bank
 Minimum money transfer limit through RTGS: 2 Lakhs
 Maximum money transfer limit through RTGS: No Limit
 Minimum & Maximum money transfer limit through NEFT: No Limit
 NABARD was established in: July, 1982
 Largest public sector bank in India: SBI
 Largest private sector bank in India: HDFC Bank
 Largest foreign bank in India in terms of number of branches: Standard Chartered Bank
 First Indian bank to open branch outside India: Bank of India (London in 1946)
 First Bank to introduce ATM in India: HSBC in 1987, Mumbai
 SBI has the maximum number of overseas branches
 First bank established in India: Bank of Hindustan in 1770
 3 banks namely Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras merged in 1921 to form
the Imperial bank of India which was converted to SBI
 First Indian bank to get ISO: Canara Bank
 First Indian bank started solely with Indian capital investment: PNB
 Founder of Punjab National Bank: Lala Lajpat Rai
 RBI’s Too big to fail list banks: SBI, ICICI and HDFC
 1st Payment Bank in India: Airtel Payment Bank
 Payment Banks can’t issues credit cards and can’t give loans
 RBI does the Open Market Operations
 Rs. 1 Rupee Note bears the signature of the Finance Secretary
 Fiscal Policy is the work of the Finance Ministry
 Minimum capital requirement for payment bank: 100 crore Rupees

16
18th Asian Games 2018
 Held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.
 Motto was Energy of Asia
 Mascots of the 2018 Asian Games : Bhin Bhin, Kaka, and Atung
 1st Asian Games were held in New Delhi in 1951.
 19th Asian Games would be held in Hangzhou, China in 2022.
 India won total 69 medals in the 2018 Asian games, finished at the 8th position.
 Top 3 countries are: China, Japan and Republic of Korea.
 India won 15 gold medals, 24 silver medals and 30 bronze medals. This is India’s best ever
overall medal tally.
 Kabaddi:India failed to win gold in a sport they have dominated since it was introduced for the
first time in the tournament in 1990. For the first time, India men’s team did not win the gold
medal in kabaddi at the Asian Games.

Some notable players:-

 Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw)

 Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling)
 PV Sindhu (Badminton)
 Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar(Bridge)
 Rahi Sarnobat (Shooting)
 Swapna Barman(Heptathlon)
 Jinson Johnson(1500m Race, )
 Manjit Singh(800m Race)
 Amit Panghal (Boxing)
 Saurabh chaudhary (Shooting)
 Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Shot Put)
 Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Muhammed Anas(Sprinters)

Flag bearers for India

Opening ceremony: Neeraj Chopra

Closing ceremony: Rani Rampal (Hockey)

17
21th FIFA World Cup 2018
 Host : Russia
 Official Mascot : Zabivaka
 Official Song : Live It Up By Nicky Jam
 Campaign : 'Say No To Racism '
 Teams : 32 Teams
 Matches : 64 Matches Played, 169 Goals
 Final - France 4 - 2 Croatia
 Winner: France (2nd Time, 1st 1998 )

2nd place: Croatia

3rd place: Belgium

4th place: England

 Golden Boot Award : Harry Kane ( England , 6 Goals )

 Golden Ball Award : Luka Modric ( Croatia )
 Golden Glove Award : Thibaut Courtois ( Belgium , 27 Saves )
 FIFA Young Player Award : Kylian Mbappe ( France )
 FIFA Fair Play Award : Spain
 Top 3 Teams Goals
1. Belgium (7 Matches, 16 Goals)
2. France. (7 Matches, 14 Goals)
3. Croatia (7 Matches, 14 Goals)

18
Grand Slams Winner 2018
A. Men’s Singles

TOURNAMENT WINNER RUNNER-UP

U.S. Open Novak Djokovic Juan Martin del Potro
Wimbledon Novak Djokovic Kevin Anderson
French Open Rafael Nadal Dominic Thiem
Australian Open Roger Federer Marin Cilic

Famous products and their companies

 Fiama di wills soap, Vivel soap, Wills Lifestyle, John Player’s clothes, Sunfeast biscuits,
Aashirvaad Atta: ITC Ltd.
 Lux, Lifebuoy soaps: Hindustan unilever
 Cinthol, Kesh Kala: Godrej
 Dettol soaps: Reckitt Benckiser
 Maggi: Nestle
 Madura Fashion and Lifestyle sells in-house brandssuch as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen
Solly, Peter England and People: Aditya Birla Group
 Parle-G, Hide n Seek Biscuits: PARLE
 Tiger, Good Day, Bourbon, 50-50: Britannia

19
Names of G-20 nations, stock exchange and official currency
S.No. Country Stock Exchange Official Currency
1 Argentina Buenos Aires Stock Exchange Peso
(BCBA)
2 Australia Australian Securities Dollar
Exchange (ASX)
3 Brazil BM&F BOVESPA Real
4 Canada Toronto Stock Exchange Dollar
(TSX)
5 China Shanghai Stock Exchange Renminbi (Yuan)
and Shenzhen Stock
Exchange
6 France Euronext Paris Euro
7 Germany Frankfurt Stock Exchange & Euro
DAX
8 India BSE & NSE Rupee
9 Indonesia Indonesia Stock Indonesian Rupiah
Exchange(IDX)
10 Italy Borsa Italiana Euro
11 Japan Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) Yen
12 Mexico Mexican Stock Exchange Mexican Peso
(BVM)
13 Russia Moscow Exchange Rubble
14 Saudi Arabia Saudi Stock Exchange Riyal
(Tadawul)
15 South Africa Johannesburg Stock Rand
Exchange (JSE)
16 South Korea Korea Exchange (KRX) Won
17 Turkey Borsa İstanbul Turkish Lira
18 United Kingdom London Stock Exchange Pound sterling
19 United States NYSE and NASDAQ US Dollar
20 EU Euro

20
Important Days in year
 National Youth Day: 12th January
 National Science Day: 28th February
 International Women’s day: 8th March
 World Health Day: 7th April
 World Environment Day: 5th June
 International Yoga Day: 21st June
 World Population Day: 11th July
 National Sports Day: 29th August
 World Tourism Day: 27th September
 World AIDS Day: 1st December
 Human Rights Day: 10th December

Important Points to keep in mind

 The Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban on entry of women aged between 10 and 50
years in Kerala's Sabarimala Temple, thereby allowing women of all ages to enter the 800-year-
old temple. Kerala government supported the entry while the temple board opposed it.
 Ola Acquires Ticketing App Firm Ridlr:Ride-hailer Ola acquired Mumbai-based Ridlr, an end-to-
end public transport ticketing and commuting app. The acquisition will complement Ola’s efforts
to integrate its mobility platform with public transportation infrastructure.
 India, world’s 6th Largest Economy at $2.6 trillion: IMF: India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
the worth of the economy, clocked in at $2.6 trillion for 2017, according to the database of the
International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook (WEO) for April 2018. India is now the
world’s sixth largest economy, displacing France. The top 5 economies of the world are: The
United States, China, Japan, Germany and, the United Kingdom.
 Government Revises Target to Complete PMGSY from Year 2022 to 2019:The Union
Government stated that the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana or PMGSY is well on its way to
achieving the target by March 2019. The scheme, since its inception in 2000, has been able to
provide connectivity to more than one lakh 50 thousand habitations. Sensing the importance
and urgency of rural roads for national development, the target date for completion of PMGSY-I
has been preponed from 2022 to 2019.
 Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana Launched in Delhi:Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in Delhi and distributed new LPG
connections and cylinders to beneficiaries.
1. PMUY was launched in May 2016.
2. Objective of this scheme is to provide deposit-free LPG connections with monetary
assistance to women from below poverty line (BPL) households.

21
 3. Target under this scheme has been increased from the existing 5 crore connections to 8
crore connections by 2020.
 NYSE names 1st woman chief in the exchange's 226-year history:The New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) promoted Stacey Cunningham to President, making her the first sole woman head of the
226-year-old exchange.
 Venezuela's President Maduro wins re-election:Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro
reelected for a second six-year term in presidential elections, according to the National Electoral
Council (CNE).
 FB appoints product exec Chris Daniels to take over WhatsApp:Facebook announced that the
company's Vice President of Product Chris Daniels will be taking over Whatsapp after co-founder
Jan Koum announced his departure.
 Government appoints Subhash Chandra Khuntia as the new Chairman of IRDAI: IRDA is an
apex statutory body that regulates and develops insurance industry in India.
 Polish author Olga Tokarczuk awarded Man Booker International Prize 2018. It makes her the
first writer from Poland to win this prestigious English- language literary award. She won the
prize with the English translation of her novel Flights, which charts multiple journeys in time,
space and human anatomy. It was first published in the Polish language in 2007 and was
translated into English in 2017 by Jennifer Croft.

22
Indian Premier League 2018
Winners : Chennai Super Kings

Runners up : Sunrisers Hyderabad

Player of the series (Most Valuable Player) : Sunil Naraine (KKR)

Leading run scorer (Orange Cap) : Kane Williamson (SRH)

Leading wicket taker (Purple Cap) : Andrew Tye (KXIP)

Emerging Player of the tournament : Rishabh Pant (DD)

Media rights purchased by : Star Sports

IPL Fairplay Award : Mumbai Indians

Opening and Final match played at : Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Number of times CSK won the trophy : 3 times (2010, 2011 and 2018)

News Events
 AB de Villiers retires from international cricket:Star South African batsman AB de Villiers
announced his decision to retire from international cricket with immediate effect. He holds the
World Record for the fastest ODI 50 (16 balls), 100 (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls).
 Real Madrid lifts Champions Trophy defeating Liverpool: Real Madrid lifted the Champions
Trophy by defeating Liverpool 3-1 in Kiev, Ukraine.
 Indian tea industry records highest ever production, export in FY18:The Indian tea industry
recorded the highest ever production as well as exports in FY18. The total tea production was
1325.05 million kgs, an increase of 74.56 million kgs as compared to 2016 17. In percentage
terms, the increase is around 6%.
 Walmart buys Flipkart in world's largest e-commerce deal:US-based retail giant Walmart
confirmed that it will buy 77% stake in India's largest e-commerce startup Flipkart for $16
billion.  Bharti Airtel completes acquisition of Telenor India:The government approved the
merger of the local unit of Norway’s Telenor with Bharti Airtel, clearing the last hurdle for the
deal to go through. The Department of Telecom (DoT) had transferred all licences and liabilities
of Telenor India to Bharti Airtel.
 Yahoo launched its own new group chat app named Squirrel. Squirrel Group Chat App is still in
testing. It is available on Google Play and the App Store. If you need to start using the app, you
need a friend who already uses the app to invite you into a group. Squirrel focuses on group
chats. It has features that enable you to organise conversations with several people.
 Tata Steel to acquire Bhushan Steel through its step-down subsidiary Bamnipal Steel:Tata
Steel, whose bid for the debt-ridden Bhushan Steel was approved by NCLT, would implement

23
 the resolution plan through its step-down subsidiary Bamnipal Steel Ltd. Bamnipal Steel would
invest in the debt-ridden company and acquire control on the closing date.
 Airtel Payments Bank appoints Anubrata Biswas as MD and CEO:Airtel Payments Bank
appointed Anubrata Biswas as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Biswas fills the
position, which was lying vacant since end-December, after Shashi Arora quit the post. Airtel
Payments Bank was the first payments bank to start operations in India.
 Patanjali launches new messaging app 'Kimbho':Yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali launched a
new swadeshi messaging application called 'Kimbho' to compete with WhatsApp. Kimbho caters
to private and group chats with free phone and video calling. The tagline of Kimbho is "Ab
Bharat Bolega". Patanjali has recently tied up with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to enter the
telecom sector by launching Swadeshi Samriddhi SIM cards.
 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country’s most valued and largest IT outsourcing company
created history by becoming the first Indian company to reach Rs. 7 lakh crore market
capitalisation (m-cap) milestone. M-cap is the value of a company that is traded on the stock
market, calculated by multiplying the total number of shares by the present share price.
 India’s largest commodities exchange platform, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited
(MCX) launched the country’s first copper options contracts. Copper is the third-most-
consumed industrial metal in the world, after iron and aluminium.
 The railway station in Assam which became the first in the country to run on solar power:
Guwahati
 The state in which the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for NTPC's Patratu Super
Thermal Power Project: Jharkhand
 UNEP recognises Cochin International Airport as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered
airport:The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recognised the Cochin
International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in Kerala as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered airport.
CIAL is India’s first airport to be constructed in public-private-partnership (PPP) model in 1999.
 PM Modi laid the foundation stone of India’s longest road tunnel in J&K:Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is on a day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir. During his visit, Prime Minister laid
down the foundation stone of the 'Zojila Tunnel' on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway in Leh.
The 14.2-kilometre long Zojila tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest
bidirectional tunnel.
 ASEAN India Film Festival held in New Delhi from May 25 to 30, 2018:The film festival provided
platform for people from the film industries of respective member countries to explore areas of
cooperation in the domain of cinema and cultural cooperation.
 Colombia joins NATO as global partner:Colombia formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization as a global partner. It makes it the first Latin American country to join NATO. The
announcement came after the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) approved Colombia as a new member.
 Germany to host the first edition of the Global Wind Summit:The first edition of the Global
Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany from September 25 to 28, 2018. It will be the
largest and most important meeting of the wind industry worldwide. The summit will see the

24
 participation of speakers from about 100 countries, including India, China, the US, Spain and
Denmark.
 No Nobel Prize in Literature this year:The Swedish Academy decided to postpone the 2018
Nobel Prize in Literature, with the intention of awarding it in 2019. The decision has been taken
in the wake of a sexual and financial scandal that has engulfed the Swedish Academy, the
cultural institution responsible for awarding the prestigious prize.
 According to the Swedish Foundations Act, the Nobel Foundation is ultimately responsible for
fulfilling the intentions in the will of Alfred Nobel. For the first time since 1949, the secretive jury
will not unveil a winner this autumn.Kazuo Ishiguro was the winner of the Nobel Prize of
Literature in 2017.
 Wimbledon Champions' prize money hiked by £50,000:According to the Wimbledon officials,
the 2018 men's and women's singles champions will receive £2.25 million, an increase of
£50,000 on last year. Wimbledon Open is an annual British tennis tournament created in 1877
and is played in London, UK.
 WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum quits Facebook:WhatsApp Co-founder and CEO Jan Koum announced
his resignation from the parent company Facebook. This comes shortly after a report claimed
Koum would leave due to disagreements over data privacy and weakening encryption. Koum
will also step down from Facebook's Board of Directors, a position he took up when WhatsApp
was bought for $19 billion by Facebook in 2014.
 SpaceX launches the most powerful Falcon 9 rocket: The California-based aerospace company,
SpaceX blasted off its most powerful Falcon 9 rocket, which is certified to carry humans to space
later this year.
 Nepal, 1st country in South-East Asia to eliminate Trachoma: WHO: The World Health
Organization (WHO) declared Nepal as free from Trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause
of blindness. With this, Nepal becomes the first country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to
eliminate Trachoma. Trachoma was the second leading cause of preventable blindness in Nepal
in the 1980s.
 Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, to succeed Sunil Bharti Mittal as the Chairman of the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
 Indian-American Dhivya Suryadevara became the CFO of General Motors:An Indian-American
woman, Dhivya Suryadevara named the Chief Finance Officer of US’ largest automaker, General
Motors. She will report to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mary Barra, who has been the head of
the automaker since 2014.
 Mumbai based Swadhaar FinServe acquired by RBL Bank:RBL Bank raised its stake in Swadhaar
Finserve Pvt. Ltd to 100% from 60.48%. The bank has bought the stake it did not own from US-
based non-profit Accion. Swadhaar FinServe started operations as a non-banking finance
company in 2008.
 Kailash Satyarthi and former ISRO Chief gets 'Santokbaa Humanitarian' Award:President Ram
Nath Kovind presented the 'Santokbaa Humanitarian Award' to child rights activist and Noble
Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and space scientist A. S. Kiran Kumar, former Chairman of the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Surat, Gujarat.

25
 The countries which have won the bid to hold 2026 FIFA World Cup jointly: US, Canada and
Mexico
 Ordinance to set up the country’s 1st national sports university gets President’s
assent:President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to an ordinance to set up the country’s first
national sports university in Manipur.
 Mumbai's Victorian and Art Deco ensembles inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This
was announced at the UNESCO world heritage committee meeting in Bahrain. The Heritage
enclave is situated in South Mumbai’s historic core and comprises an urban ensemble straddling
two heritage precincts of the Fort Precinct and the Marine Drive Precinct.
 The Outcome of Kim-Trump Summit: The historical Trump-Kim summit meeting was the first of
its kind between a sitting American President and a leader of North Korea. US President Donald
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Unsigned a document pledging to work toward
complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in return for the US providing security
guarantees to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
 US pips India as the top Greenfield FDI Investment Destination: The U.S. surpassed India to
become the top destination for greenfield foreign direct investment in 2017, according to the
FDI Report 2018, compiled by FDI Intelligence, a division of The Financial Times Ltd. The number
of greenfield FDI projects in India during the year fell sharply by 21% to 637. India had
maintained the top slot in greenfield FDI investment in 2015 and 2016. However, in 2017, the
U.S. reclaimed the spot from India, recording $87.4 billion of announced FDI. In the Asia and
Pacific region, China was on top in terms of FDI in the total number of new projects and capital
investment, followed by India.
 44th G7 summit held in Canada:The 44th G7 summit held on June 8–9, 2018, in Quebec,
Canada. This was the sixth time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings. The 44th G7
summit was the first summit for Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau hosted this summit. The 45th G7 summit will be held in 2019 in France.
 World's most experienced spacewoman Peggy Whitson retires as astronaut:NASA's record-
breaking astronaut, Peggy Whitson, retired after a 22-year-long career. Whitson, who joined
NASA as a researcher in 1986, has spent more time off earth than any other American, totalling
665 days over three international space station missions. The 58-year-old is the oldest woman
to go into space and also the most experienced female spacewalker, with 10 missions.
 Maharashtra CM meets World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva:Maharashtra Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis met World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva in Washington DC to seek
assistance for a Multimodal Transport Corridor and the Rural Livelihood Project which aims to
provide sustainable livelihood enhancements in 10,000 villages in the state.
 Microsoft acquires education start-up Flipgrid:Microsoft acquired Flipgrid, an education start-
up with an app that lets students record and share videos on specific topics with their
classmates.
 Mongolia broke ground for the construction of the country’s first oil refinery with the help of a
USD 1 billion loan from India. Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the groundbreaking

26
 ceremony for the construction of the refinery at ‘Stantsiin Hooloi’ and described it as an
important milestone in the bilateral ties.

 The world's largest multilateral naval exercise involving 26 countries including India being
conducted in the western Pacific Ocean named: RIMPAC
 Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador elected Mexico's President
 Government approves hike in Minimum Support Price for Kharif crops: The government
decided to sharply increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops, as it responds to
concerns about distress in the country’s farm economy despite two years of strong monsoons.
 The MSP for common variety paddy, the most important Kharif crop, will be raised by Rs. 200
over last year’s Rs. 1,550 per quintal. That works out a 13% increase for the financial year ending
March 2019 compared to a 5.4% increase in FY18.
 Haryana top state in per capita revenue collection under GST: Haryana topped other states in
the per capita revenue collection under GSTand is also the fourth highest generator of e-way
bills in the country. The Finance Minister of Haryana Capt. Abhimanyuclaimed Haryana has
widened the tax base by 82.22% and logged 19% hike in revenue collections.
 The Union Government reduced the minimum yearly deposit required under the popular girl
child savings scheme, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana to Rs. 250 from Rs. 1,000 earlier. This has been
lowered to enable more people to enjoy benefits of this scheme. In this regard, the government
amended the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Rules, 2016. The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was
launched as a small savings scheme under the Beti Bacho Beti Padhao (BBBP) in January 2015.
 RBI licences Bank of China to operate in India: The Reserve Bank of India licensed the Bank of
China to operate in India. This decision comes as part of the commitment made by PM Modi to
the Chinese leadership. Bank of China will now have operating offices in India. This will be the
second Chinese bank to be operating in the country. As on 1 January, 2018 the Industrial &
Commercial Bank of China Ltd was operating in India along with 45 other foreign banks. The
United Kingdom’s Standard Chartered has the highest, 100 branches in India as of now.Bank
of China (BOC)isheadquartered in Beijing. BOC was formally established in February 1912. Chen
Siqing is the Chairman of BOC.
 YES Bank gets SEBI nod to launch mutual fund business: Private lender YES Bank announced
that it has received final regulatory approval from the Securities & Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) to start the mutual fund business.
 Global Innovation Index: Switzerland tops, India ranks 57th: The Global Innovation Index (GII)
ranked India as the 57th most innovative nation in the world. The country has improved its
ranking from 60th position in 2017. India has been improving steadily since it was ranked 81st in
2015.
 Andhra Pradesh tops the Ease Of Doing Business rankings: For the second year in a row,
Andhra Pradesh ranked as the easiest Indian state to do business in, according to a survey. The
Chandrababu Naidu-led state took the pole position in the rankings for Ease of Doing Business
that was released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of

27
 Commerce and Industryin Delhi. Telangana came second followed by Haryana, Jharkhand and
Gujarat. The north-eastern state of Meghalaya was ranked lowest at 36th.
 India becomes 69th shareholder of the European Bank For Reconstruction & Development:
India became the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(EBRD). This move paved the way for more joint investment with Indian companies across the
bank’s regions of operation. The Board of Governors voted unanimously in favour of the
country’s application. The EBRD aims to promote the private and entrepreneurial initiative in
emerging Europe and invests in 38 emerging economies. European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development is a multilateral development bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Suma Chakrabarti is the President of EBRD. It is headquartered in London, UK.
 Amazon, 2nd company to hit $900 billion valuation after Apple: E-commerce giant Amazon
briefly crossed the $900-billion market cap for the first time in its history becoming only the
second company after Apple to achieve this milestone.This comes after Amazon announced it
sold over 100 million products during its Prime Day sale. Apple is currently the world's most
valuable company with a market cap of $935 billion.
 Asia's 1st Patent Arbitration Centre to open in Tokyo:  Asia's first arbitration centre
specialised in intellectual property is slated to open in Tokyo in September 2018 to resolve the
growing number of disputes in the region. The International Arbitration Centre in Tokyo (IACT)
is set to have around a dozen arbitrators from around the world, who would try to resolve
disputes within a period of one year.
 Nigeria replaces India to become the world's largest poor population: Brookings Report: With
the persistent decline in poverty, India is no longer a nation having the largest number of poor
people in the world, according to a study published by the US-based think tank, Brookings.
According to the study, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest
number of extreme poor in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon
take over the number 2 spot.
 10th BRICS Summit 2018 held In Johannesburg: The 10th edition of BRICS Summit began in
Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a 3-day long summit and will be attended by all the BRICS
leaders.
 The theme for this summit is ‘BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for inclusive growth and shared
prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution'. Modi is likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping
on the sidelines of the summit.
 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu: The 4th BIMSTEC Summit was held in Kathmandu,
Nepal. The announcement in this regard was made by Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs
Pradeep Kumar Gyawali. The main focus of the summit will be to increase connectivity between
the BIMSTEC nations including roads, airways and transmission lines.
 Two Plus Two Dialogue between India and the US held in New Delhi: The inaugural ‘two-plus-
two dialogue’ between India and the United States was held in New Delhi in September 2018.
 Myanmar joins the International Solar Alliance: Myanmar joined the India-initiated
International Solar Alliance (ISA), thus, becoming the 68th signatory to the Framework
Agreement of the ISA that aims for optimum utilisation of solar energy.

28
 Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation, Kyaw Tin handed over the ISA Framework
Agreement to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a bilateral meeting on Delhi
Dialogue 2018.
 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 UN members unanimously elected Iceland to take a seat on the world body's 47-member
Human Rights Council. US had left the UNHRC in June, 2018 calling it a cesspool of political bias
for its criticism of Israeli regime's crimes against Palestinians.
 Rahul Dravid, 5th Indian to be inducted Into the ICC Hall of Fame: Former captains Rahul
Dravid of India, Ricky Ponting of Australia and retired England women wicketkeeper-batter
Claire Taylor were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame 2018 during a glittering ceremony
in Dublin, Ireland. Former Team India captain Rahul Dravid became the fifth Indian cricketer
after Anil Kumble, Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi and Kapil Dev to be inducted into the ICC
Hall of Fame.
 Artist Anjolie Ela Menon conferred the Kalidas Award: Noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon received
the National Kalidas Samman in Delhi for visual arts from the Madhya Pradesh government.
With her first solo exhibition being held in Delhi in 1958, Menon is counted among India’s most
accomplished artists and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards
including the Padma Shri.
 Indian recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award 2018: Dr. Bharat Vatwani: Psychiatrist and
founder of Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation in 1989. He works to unite mentally illstreet
people with their families. He has united 2000 people with their families so far.
 Sonam Wangchuk: Ladakhi engineer, innovator and education reformist. Founder of Students
Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). He invented the Ice Stupa technique
that creates artificial glaciers used for storing winter water in the form of conical shaped ice
heap.
 The renowned vocalist who has been chosen for the 2018 Sangita Kalanidhi Award by the Music
Academy, Madras: Aruna Sairam
 The English Patient By Michael Ondaatje Declared 'Best Booker Prize Winner in 50 Years':
Michael Ondaatje’s bestselling novel The English Patient was announced as the winner of the
Golden Man Booker Prize at the Southbank Centre in London. The prize was instituted as a part
of the celebrations to mark the Booker’s having completed 50 years.
 The National Sports Day celebrated on 29th August every year to mark the birthday of the
legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand.
 Chile's Michelle Bachelet to be next UN Human Rights Chief: The United Nations announced
that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres chose former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet
to be the UN’s new human rights chief. Bachelet would be succeeding Jordanian diplomat Zeid
Ra'ad al-Hussein. Bachelet’s name will now go forward for consideration and approval by the
193-member UN General Assembly.

29
 Balesh Sharma appointed Vodafone Idea's 1st CEO: Balesh Sharma took over as Vodafone
Idea's first CEO. He was the Chief Operating Officer of Vodafone India and a member of its
executive committee.
 Treasurer Scott Morrison elected the new Prime Minister of Australia: Treasurer Scott
Morrison elected the new Prime Minister of Australia after winning an internal vote of 45-40
against former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton. Morrison will take over the charge as PM
from Malcolm Turnbull.
 Imran Khan becomes the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran
Khan took oath as Pakistan's new Prime Minister. Khan, the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-
e-Insaf (PTI), secured 176 votes while his only rival and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief
Shahbaz Sharif got 96 votes, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser announced.
 Fortune 500 list of World's Largest Companies released: Seven Indian companies listed in
Fortune’s 500 list 2018 of the world’s biggest corporations. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is the
highest ranked company from India followed by RIL. The US-based retail company, Walmart
topped the list.
 IOC ranked 137th in 2018 with a significant jump from 168th position in 2017. RIL is the top
private sector company in India. It ranked 148th in 2018 up from 203rd in 2017. ONGC ranked
197th in 2018 which not even featured in 2017. SBI got 216th rank 1 place higher than 217th in
2017.
 India's GDP growth to rise to 7.5% this fiscal: Morgan Stanley
 PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi to step down as CEO: PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi will step down in
October after serving for 12 years as the top boss at the global beverage giant, PepsiCo. Indian-
origin Indra Nooyi was the first ever woman to be appointed CEO at PepsiCo, in the year 2006.
 She will be succeeded by company President Ramon Laguarta, who has held the post since
2017. She will remain Chairman till 2019.
 Google Releases 'Android 9 Pie': Google's latest Android operating system update, Android 9
Pie, officially released to customers following a beta testing period that started earlier this year.
Android Pie introduces a new gesture-based system interface that's similar to the interface of
the iPhone X, with iPhone-like swipes for navigating through the operating system.
 SBI changes names, IFSC codes of nearly 1,300 branches across India, post merger with
associates: Names and IFSC codes of a total of 1,295 branches changed across the country as
per the SBI list enlisting the old and new IFSC codes after rationalisation/merger with six
associate banks and Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB). The merger of six associate banks and Bhartiya
Mahila Bank (BMB) with State Bank of India (SBI) came to effect from April 1, 2017 resulting into
increase in size and valuation of the bank. SBI had 22,428 branches across India by the end of
the first quarter of the current fiscal.
 PNB gets top rank in digital transaction: Punjab National Bank (PNB) announced that the
Department of Financial Services report has rated it as the number one state-owned bank in
terms of digital transactions. The bank is also rated as the sixth overall amongst all banks in
India for digital performance. The bank is rated as ‘Good’ by the government with a score of 71
which is the highest category of performance.

30
 Smitha V. Crishna tops list of India’s Wealthiest Women: Smitha V. Crishna, a third-generation
heir of the Godrej family, ranks first in the Kotak Wealth Hurun-Leading Wealthy Women 2018
list with an estimated wealth of Rs. 37,570 crore. Ms. Smitha owns one-fifth of the Godrej
Group.
 Roshni Nadar, CEO and Executive Director at HCL, ranks second in the list with an estimated
wealth of Rs. 30,200 crore. She also heads the Shiv Nadar Foundation. The Chairperson of the
Times Group, Indu Jain, ranks third in the list. Her wealth is estimated at Rs. 26,240 crore.
 Ambani's Reliance Jio tops Fortune's 'Change the World' list: Mukesh Ambani-led telecom
company Reliance Jio secured the top spot in Fortune's global 'Change the World' list released
on August 20. American pharma company Merck ranked second while Bank of America ranked
third on the list. Chinese group Alibaba is ranked 5th on the list.
 3rd Indian Ocean Conference:
 Venue: Hanoi (Vietnam)
 Dates: 27 and 28 August 2018
 Chairperson: Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, PM of Sri Lanka
 Santhali becomes India’s 1st tribal language to get own Wikipedia Edition: Santhali (Santali), a
tribal language primarily spoken in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, received global recognition
when it got a Wikipedia edition in its own script. The language is spoken by over 6.4 million
people in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam.
 Mahabaleshwar beats Cherrapunji to become India's wettest place this year: Maharashtra's
Mahabaleshwar became the wettest place in India this year, leaving behind Meghalaya's
Cherrapunji. India Meteorological Department (IMD) data revealed that the hill station in the
state of Maharashtra received a staggering 5661.6 mm rainfall this season till now, much more
than Cherrapunji's 4735 mm.
 Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport is now the world's second fastest growing
airport
 Japan pips China to become the world's 2nd largest stock market: Japan pipped China as the
world's number two stock market, according to a Bloomberg report. At one of the time, the
Chinese market was worth $6.09 trillion next to Japan's $6.17 trillion. Both markets are ranked
after the US which is the world’s largest at just over $31 trillion. China lost to Japan after
Chinese stocks and currency fell this year amid a trade spat with the US.
 G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting held in Argentina: The theme of the meeting was
'Building consensus for fair and sustainable development'.
 Its three key issues for the agenda were future of work, infrastructure for development, and
sustainable food future.
 The G20 comprises of total 19 countries plus European Union (EU), representing 85% of global
GDP, 80% of international trade and 65% of the world’s population.
 Forbes released list of Highest Paid Female Athletes: Serena Williams topped the list, PV Sindhu
ranked 7th.

31
 M. Karunanidhi passed away: He served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 5 times.
Popularly referred to as Kalaignar meaning ‘artist’ in Tamil, he worked as a screenwriter for
films, his first film being Rajakumaari. His Party Name: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
 Kofi Annan passed away- 7th UN Secretary General from 1997 to 2006
Nationality: Ghana, Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 along with UNO
 Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away: Prime Minister of India from: 16.05.96 to 01.06.96; 19.03.98
to 10.10.99; 10.10.99 to 22.05.2004
o Minister of External Affairs: 26.03.1977 to 28.07.1979
o Birth Place: Gwalior
o AWARDS: Bharat Ratna: 2015; Padma Vibhushan: 1992; Outstanding Parliamentarian
Award: 1994; Bangladesh Liberation War Honour: 2015
o Events during his tenure as the PM of India: 2nd nuclear test named Smiling Buddha
carried out by India at Pokhran in May 1998

 Ajit Wadekar pssed away: First captain of India's ODI cricket team
 Somnath Chatterjee passed away- Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009
 VS Naipaul passed away:
o Born in Trinidad and Tobago
o Nationality: British
o Booker Prize: 1971 for In a Free State
o Nobel Prize: 2001
o Notable works: A House for Mr Biswas; A Flag on the Island; In a Free State; A Bend in
the River; An Area of Darkness; India: A Wounded Civilization,India: A Million Mutinies
Now
 GDP growth soars to 8.2% in 1st quarter of current fiscal: The Indian economy grew by 8.2% in
the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal, the highest in over two years.

Explanation:-

o A financial year starts from 1st April and ends on 31st March.
o There are 4 quarters in a financial year. 1st quarter is April-June.
o GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final
goods and services produced in a period of time.
 Alastair Cook announces retirement: England’s highest test run-scorer Alastair Cook announced
his retirement from international cricket after the final test against India. He has scored 12,254
runs and made 32 centuries in 160 tests all England records.
 Arif Alvi elected Pakistan's new President: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Arif-ur-
Rehman Alvi elected as the 13th President of Pakistan.
 National Teachers Day: 5th September: The birth date of the second President of India, Dr.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, 5 September 1888, has been celebrated as Teacher's Day since 1962.

32
 Indian boxer Mary Kom signed as Brand Ambassador by BSNL:State-run telecom firm Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) roped in Indian boxer MC Mary Kom as its brand ambassador for two
years. BSNL will run television commercials, print advertisements and tariff plan endorsement
with Kom.
 India-US 2+2 Dialogue: India-US Sign COMCASA: India and US signed the Communications
Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that will facilitate India to obtain critical
defence technologies from the US, and access critical communication network to ensure
interoperability among the US and the Indian armed forces.
 After the 2+2 dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defence Secretary James Mattis stated
that the two countries are committed to work towards strengthening Indo-US relationship.
 Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Anymore: SC Abolishes Section 377:The Supreme Court
abolished Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law which criminalised
homosexuality.
 Luka Modric wins 'UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award': Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric
named UEFA Men's Player of the Year for 2017/18. Modric beat off competition from former
Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who joined him on
the three-man shortlist announced on 20 August.
 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan received Meryl Streep Award for Excellence:The ceremony was
established to honour the best female talent in Bollywood and Hollywood.
 Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana launched: About Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or the
Ayushman Bharat scheme
o Indu Bhushan appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
o Beneficiaries will receive Ayushman Bharat Family Health Cards.
o This centrally sponsored flagship scheme aims to provide an annual health cover of up
to Rs. 5 lakh to vulnerable 10 crore families (approximately 50 crore persons – 40% of
country’s population) based on Socio Economic and Caste Census database.
o 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres will be opened across India by 2022 under the
scheme. The centres will provide comprehensive health care for diseases like diabetes,
cancer, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
o Ayushman Bharat consists of two major elements.

1. National Health Protection Scheme.

2. Wellness centres.

National Health Protection Scheme will provide cashless treatment to patients and wellness
centres will provide primary care to the patients.

 Justice Ranjan Gogoi appointed the next Chief Justice Of India:The President of India appointed
Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India. He will assume the office of Chief Justice
on 3rd October, 2018 after the retirement of the current Chief Justice, Dipak Misra.

33
 Justice Harilal J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of Independent India.
 The Global Climate Action Summit 2018 held at San Francisco, California, United States. Over
4000 businesses, cities, states and civil society delegates attended the summit and showed their
commitments to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement.
 G-20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting held in Argentina: Commerce and Industry
Minister Suresh Prabhu participated in the G-20 trade and investment ministerial meeting at
Mar del Plata in Argentina. Issues including increasing protectionism challenges to promote
global commerce and the new industrial revolution were discussed at the meeting.
 Human Development Index 2017: India ranks 130th in HDI 2017 published by United Nations
Development Programme: India climbed one spot to 130 out of 189 countries in the latest
human development rankings released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
India's HDI value for 2017 is 0.640, which put the country in the medium human development
category.
 Time Magazine acquired by Salesforce Founders for $190 million.
 Government announced the mergers of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank.
 Infosys Acquires Finnish Company 'Fluido' For Rs. 545 crore: Infosys acquired Finnish company
Fluido, a top consulting partner of Salesforce, for 65 million euros (about Rs. 545 crore). This is
Infosys’s second acquisition under CEO Salil Parekh. Recently, it had acquired US digital creative
and consumer insight agency WongDoody for $75 million. The Fluido acquisition will make
Infosys the largest Salesforce consulting partner in the Nordics.
 Emmy Awards 2018:Emmy awards are US Television awards.
 Best Comedy: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
 Best Drama: Game of Thrones
 India Ranks 3rd on Family-Owned Business List: CSRI Report: India ranks third globally in terms
of number of family-owned businesses with 111 companies having a total market capitalisation
of $839 billion. India closely follows China with 159 firms and the US with 121 firms,according to
the ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’ study, published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute
(CSRI).
 PM Modi inaugurated Sikkim's first airport in Pakyong:Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated the Pakyong Airport in Sikkim on September 24, nine years after the foundation
stone was laid. The airport is the hilly state's first and only airport. Currently, the nearest airport
for the people of Sikkim is 124 kilometre (km) away in Bagdogra, West Bengal.
 Croatia's Luka Modric won FIFA's Best Player of the Year Award:Luka Modric broke a decade of
award dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after being crownedthe world
footballer of the year by FIFA.
 Nepal became the world's first country to double its tiger population.
 FDI in telecom sector jumped five times in three years: FDI in the telecom sector jumped nearly
five times in the last three years – from USD 1.3 billion in 2015-16 to USD 6.2 billion in 2017-18.
 UN Declared Nelson Mandela Decade Of Peace 2019-2028.
 PM Modi got UN’s highest environmental honour: Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded
with the UN’s highest environmental honour, also given to five other individuals and

34
 organisations, for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single
use plastic by 2022. Cochin International Airport was given the award for its leadership in the
use of sustainable energy.
 Argentina gets biggest loan in IMF's history at $57 billion: Argentina received $57.1 billion from
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the biggest loan package ever from the global body,
aimed at boosting the country's struggling economy.

35