GENERAL AWARENESS

MARCH 2017
Vol. 5, Issue 09

A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &

TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH

Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
BUDGET 2017-18
01-40
NOV 2016 TO JAN 2017
BULLET NEWS
41-57
AUG 2016 TO OCT 2016
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 58-64

IBPS PO PRE MODEL PAPER 65-76

CURRENT GK BYTES 77-100

FIGURES TO REMEMBER UNION BUDGET 2017-18

REPO RATE (04.10.2016) 6.25%  In this year’s budget, India has moved from a discretionary-based
REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75% administration to a policy and system-based administration. We are
MARGINAL STANDING 6.75% moving from informal to formal economy. The government’s agenda for
FACILITY RATE next year is to Transform, Energise and Clean India.
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 20.75%  Budget presentation has been advanced to help begin implementation of
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% schemes before the onset of monsoon. Plan, non-plan classification of
BANK RATE 6.75%
expenditure has been done away with this budget to give a holistic picture.
BASE RATE(s) 9.30 to
(of various banks) 9.65%
The merger of railway budget with the Union budget is a historic milestone
this year.
INDIA’s RANK IN  Besides, a massive war on black money has been launched. Demonetisation
Global Index of Talent Competitiveness 92nd will help in transfer of resources from tax evaders to the government. It
Global Wind Power Index 4th will also lead to higher tax revenue.
ICT Development Index 138th
Gender Gap Index 87th
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL SECTOR
Youth Development Index 133rd
 Total allocation for Rural, Agriculture and Allied sectors is Rs 1, 87, 223
Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 130th crores
Global Hunger Index 97th  The govt is committed to double farm income in next five years.
World Economic Freedom Index 112th  Agricultural credit from banks targeted at Rs 10 lakh crore
World Risk Index 77th  A model law for contract farming to be adopted
Human Capital Index 105th  Mini labs by qualified local entrepreneurs to be set up for soil testing in all
Sustainable Development Goals 110th 648 Krishi Vigyan Kendras in the country.
Networked Readiness Index 91st  Rs 5,000 crore allocated for ‘per drop more crop’ scheme.
Global Retail Development Index 02nd  Coverage of National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) to be expanded from
Ranking in Total Wealth 07th 250 markets to 585 APMCs.
Ranking in Attracting FDI 10th  NABARD to manage computerisation and integration of all 63,000
Global Peace Index 141st functional Primary
Good Country Index 70th
 Agriculture Credit Societies with the Core Banking System of District
Renewable Energy Index 3rd
Central Cooperative Banks
World Press Freedom Index 133rd
Rank in Manufacturing Countries 6th
 In a highest ever allocation, Rs 48,000 crore allocated to MNREGA. Assets
World Happiness Index 118th under MNREGA will be geo-tagged to contribute to transparency.

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 1

 One crore households to be brought out of poverty
and 50,000 Gram Panchayats to be made poverty
free by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi
ji
 100% village electrification by May, 2018
 Rs 23,000 crore for Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana –
Gramin to construct 1 crore houses by 2019
EDUCATION
 2 news AIIMS to be opened in Gujarat and
Jharkhand
 Aadhaar based smart cards having health details for
senior citizens
 Under Maternity Benefit Scheme, Rs 6,000 each will
be transferred directly to the bank accounts of
pregnant women who undergo institutional
delivery and vaccinate their children
RAILWAYS

 Emphasis on science education and curriculum

design
 Innovation fund will be created for secondary
education
 Colleges will be identified on accreditation.
 Capital and development expenditure on railways to
 Swayam platform to be launched where students
be Rs 1, 31, 000 crore.
can access courses by best faculty, take test and
 The Railways Safety Fund to be set up with an
access academic grades.
allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore over 5 years.
 National Testing Agency will be established which
 Railway lines of 3,500 kms will be commissioned in
will conduct national level examination to free CBSE
2017-18.
etc from holding these exams.
 Unmanned crossings will be eliminated by 2020.
 25 stations identified for redevelopment.
EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY  Waste-to-energy plants will be set up at New Delhi
and Jaipur stations
 Allocation for women and children raised to Rs
 500 stations to get lifts, escalators to make them
1,84,632 crore
friendly to the differently-abled
 Five special tourism zones will be set up which will
 Solar power to be used in 2000 stations
be structured as special purpose vehicles.
 By 2019, bio toilets will be available in all trains
 There will be schemes for employment in textile,
 Service charge on e-ticket to be withdrawn
leather and footwear sectors.
 2000 km of coastal roads have been identified for
 Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for
development
Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) programme to be
 Coach Mitra facility to redress grievances related to
launched at a cost of Rs. 4000 crore to provide
rail coaches.
market relevant training to 3.5 crore youth
 Railway public sector undertakings (PSUs)—Indian
 Mahila Shakti Kendra will be set up with an
Railway Catering and Tourism Corp. (IRCTC), Indian
allocation of Rs. 500 crore in 14 lakh ICDS
Railway Construction Co. Ltd (IRCON) and Indian
Anganwadi Centres.
Railway Finance Corp. Ltd (IRFC) to be listed on
 New rules regarding medical devices will be
stock exchange.
formulated

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 2

 INFRASTRUCTURE
 Rs. 3.96 lakh crore, the highest ever allocation made
for infrastructure sector, including Rs. 97,000 crore
for the road sector.
 The Foreign Investment Promotion Board will be
abolished
 Allocation of Rs10,000 crore for Bharat Net project
for providing high-speed broadband
 A DigiGaon initiative will be launched to provide
tele-medicine, education and skills through digital
technology
EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
 No long term capital gains from transfer of
immovable property, if transferred after 2 years.
 Under the scheme for profit-linked income tax
deduction for promotion of affordable housing,
carpet area instead of built up area of 30 and 60
sq.mtr. will be counted.
 Income tax for companies with annual turnover up
to Rs 50 crore reduced to 25%
 Allowable provision for Non-Performing Asset of
Banks increased from 7.5% to 8.5%.
 No transaction above Rs. 3 lakh would be permitted
in cash subject to certain exceptions
 Threshold limit for audit of business entities who
opt for presumptive income scheme increased to Rs
Rs. 2 crore.
BANKING
 Allocation of Rs. 10,000 crore towards
recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks.
 A payment regulatory board to be set up by RBI to
regulate fintech companies like Paytm etc.
 Law soon to attach assets of bank loan absconders
(like Vijay Mallya)
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 PM Mudra Yojana - lending target raised to Rs 2.44
lakh crores, with a focus on Dalits, minorities,
backward and women
 Aadhar-enabled payment system to be launched
soon
 A Computer Emergency Response Team for our
Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) will be established.
DEFENCE
 Expenditure excluding pensions fixed at Rs 2.74
lakh crore
 A Centralised Defence Travel System to be
developed through which travel tickets can be
booked online by our soldiers and officers
TAXATION
 Only 24 lakh people declared an income above Rs.
10 lakh in 2016 - 17. Out of the 4.2 crore salaried
people, only 1.7 crore file tax returns
 Tax for smaller companies with turnover up to Rs.
50 crore will be reduced by 5 percent
 No capital gain if you sell your house after 2 years
 No cash transactions above Rs. 3 lakh.
 Max amount of cash donation a political party can
receive in cash reduced to Rs 2000 from earlier
limit of Rs 20,000 from one source
 Income tax rate on income from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs. 5
lakh reduced to 5 percent, from the earlier 10 per
cent.
 Income up to Rs 3 lakh to be tax free from earlier
2.5 lakh
 10 percent surcharge on income between Rs. 50
lakh to 1 crore
 A single-page income tax return form for taxable
income under Rs 5 lakh.
3
 GOVT HOUSE KEEPING ( %) ECONOMIC SURVEY -2017-18
Rupee Comes From Rupee Goes To
Borrowings 19 Centrally Sponsored 10
Schemes
Corporate Tax 19 Plan Asst. to State / UTs 24
Income Tax 16 Finance Commission & 5
other Transfers
Customs Duties 9 Other-Plan Expenditure 13
Excise Duty 14 Central Sector Schemes 11
Service Tax 10 Interest Payments 18
Non-Tax Revenue 10 Defence 9
Non-Debit Capital 3 Subsidies 10
Receipt s THE HIGHLIGHTS
Total 100 Total 100
The Economic Survey is an important document that
summarises the economic status of the nation in the
KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2017-18 current financial year and presents the expected
economic scenario in the next fiscal year.It is prepared
by chief economic adviser in the finance ministry
(Arvind Subramanian) and is presented in the
Parliament by the Finance Minister, a day before the
presentation of budget. Here are the highlights of the
Economic Survey 2016-17:
 Growth this fiscal to be 6.5 per cent, down from 7.6
per cent recorded in the last financial year.
 Growth in 2017-18 is expected to rebound in the
range of 6.75-7.5 per cent.
 Prescribes cuts in individual I-T rates, real estate
stamp duties
 Income Tax net could be widened gradually by
encompassing all high income earners
 Time table for cutting corporate tax should be
accelerated
 Tax administration could be improved to reduce
discretion and improve accountability
 Growth to return to normal as new currency comes
in circulation
 Demonetisation to affect growth rate by 0.25-0.5
per cent, but to have long-term benefits
 GST, other structural reforms should take the trend
growth rate to 8-10 per cent
 Fiscal windfall likely from Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana, low oil prices
 Farm sector to grow at 4.1 per cent this fiscal, up
from 1.2 per cent last year
 Fiscal gains from GST will take time to realise
 Demonetisation may affect supplies of certain
agricultural products like sugar, milk, potatoes and
onions
*GDP for 2017-18 has been projected at Rs. 168.47 trillion.

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 4

 Growth rate of industrial sector to moderate to 5.2
per cent this fiscal, from 7.4 per cent in the last
fiscal year
 Efforts to collect taxes on disclosed and undisclosed
wealth should not lead to tax harassment
 Universal Basic Income Scheme is an alternative to
plethora of state subsidies for poverty alleviation.
BUDGET GLOSSARY
APPROPRIATION BILL
It is presented to Parliament for its approval, so that the
government can withdraw from the Consolidated Fund
the amounts required for meeting the expenditure
charged on the Consolidated Fund. No amount can be
withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund till the
Appropriation Bill is voted is enacted.
CAPITAL BUDGET
It consists of capital receipts and payments. It also
incorporates transactions in the Public Account. It has
two components: Capital Receipt and Capital
Expenditure.
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
It consists of payments for acquisition of assets like
land, buildings, machinery, equipment, as also
investments in shares etc, and loans and advances
granted by the Central government to state and union
territory governments, government companies,
corporations and other parties.
CAPITAL RECEIPTS
The main items of capital receipts are loans raised by
the government from public which are called market
loans, borrowings by the government from the Reserve
Bank of India and other parties through sale of Treasury
Bills, loans received from foreign governments and
bodies and recoveries of loans granted by the Central
government to state and union territory governments
and other parties. It also includes proceeds from
disinvestment of government equity in public
enterprises.
CENTRAL PLAN
It consists of the government’s budget support to the
Plan and the internal and extra budgetary resources
raised by public enterprises.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
CONSOLIDATED FUND
It is made up of all revenues received by the
government, loans raised by it, and also its receipts from
recoveries of loans granted by it. All expenditure of the
government is incurred from the Consolidated Fund and
no amount can be withdrawn from the Fund without
authorisation from Parliament.
CONTINGENCY FUND
It is an amount Rs 500 crore placed at the disposal of the
President and is used by the government to incur all its
urgent and unforeseen expenditure. Parliamentary
approval for such expenditure and for withdrawal of an
equivalent amount from the Consolidated Fund is
subsequently obtained and the amount spent from the
Contingency Fund is recouped to the Fund.
EXPENDITURE BUDGET
It contains expenditure estimates made for a scheme or
programme under both revenue and capital heads.
These estimates are brought together and shown on a
net basis at one place by major heads.
FINANCE BILL
This contains the government’s proposals for levy of
new taxes, modification of the existing tax structure or
continuance of the existing tax structure beyond the
period approved by Parliament. It is submitted to
Parliament along with the Budget for its approval.
FISCAL CONSOLIDATION
A policy aimed at reducing government deficits and debt
accumulation.
FISCAL DEFICIT
It is the difference between the revenue receipts plus
certain non-debt capital receipts and the total
expenditure including loans (net of repayments). This
indicates the total borrowing requirements of the
government from all sources.
FISCAL POLICY
The policy that decides the terms of government
expenditure and revenue collection (taxation) to ensure
best possible growth of the economy. It is the policy for
deciding the shape of govt budget.
FRBM ACT, 2003
The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act
was enacted by Parliament in 2003 to bring in fiscal
discipline in the govt expenditure. The FRBM Rules
impose limits on fiscal and revenue deficit. In the long
run, the fiscal deficit is required to be reduced to 3% of
the GDP.
5
GOVERNMENT BORROWING
The money government borrows to fund public
spending. It is the total amount of money that the
country's Government has borrowed to fund its
spending on public services and benefits.
NON-PLAN EXPENDITURE
It includes both revenue and capital expenditure on
interest payments, the entire defence expenditure (both
revenue and capital expenditure), subsidies, postal
deficit, police, pensions, and economic services, loans to
public enterprises and loans as well as grants to state
governments, union territory governments and foreign
governments.
NON-TAX REVENUES
Interest from loans to states, public bodies and PSUs is a
key item under this head. So are dividends from PSUs.
The government also earns income from the services it
provides. Though the Railways is a separate ministry, all
its money is routed through the consolidated fund.
PLAN EXPENDITURE
This is largely made up of the budget support to the
central plan. It also comprises the amount the Centre
sets aside for plans of states & Union territories. Like all
budget heads, this is also split into revenue and capital
components.
PRIMARY DEFICIT
If we deduct amount of interest payments from the
amount of fiscal deficit, we get the amount of Primary
Deficit.
PUBLIC DEBT
The government's borrowings are the burden of the
people. The difference between borrowings and
repayments is the net accretion to the public
debt. Public debt can be split into two heads, internal
debt and external debt. The internal debt comprises
Treasury Bills, market stabilisation scheme, ways and
means advances, and securities against small savings.
PUBLIC ACCOUNT
It is an account in which money received through
transactions not relating to the Consolidated Fund is
kept. For example, transactions relating to provident
funds, small savings collections, other deposits etc.
Public Account funds do not belong to the government
and have to be paid back some time or the other to the
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
persons and authorities who deposited them.
Parliamentary authorisation for payments from the
Public Account is not required.
REVENUE BUDGET
It consists of the revenue receipts of the government
(which is tax revenues plus other revenues) and the
expenditure met from these revenues. It has two
components: Revenue Receipt and Revenue
Expenditure.
REVENUE EXPENDITURE
It is meant for the normal running of government
departments and various services, interest charges on
debt incurred by the government and subsidies. Broadly
speaking, expenditure which does not result in creation
of assets is treated as revenue expenditure. All grants
given to state governments and other parties are also
treated as revenue expenditure even though some of the
grants may be for creation of assets.
REVENUE RECEIPTS
It includes proceeds of taxes and other duties levied by
the Centre, interest and dividend on investments made
by the government, fees and other receipts for services
rendered by the government. Excess of revenue
expenditure over revenue receipts is called revenue
deficit.
VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)
It is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of
the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of
the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a
product, material or service, from an accounting point of
view, by this stage of its manufacture or distribution.
The manufacturer remits to the government the
difference between these two amounts, and retains the
rest for themselves to offset the taxes they had
previously paid on the inputs.
6
 PORTUGUESE PM VISIT INDIA
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrived in Goa
for a two-day trip. He was the chief guest for the 14th
Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in Bengaluru. The two countries
signed seven agreements for mutual cooperation in
defence, marine research, besides some others.

NATIONAL NEWS INDIA 6TH MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY

In a list of eight great powers for the year 2017
JANUARY compiled by a leading American foreign policy
magazine, India has been ranked at sixth place. The list
INDIA CELEBRATES 68TH REPUBLIC DAY is topped by USA, followed by China and Japan jointly at
second place and Russia at third.

KYOTO PROTOCOL APPROVED

Union Cabinet has approved ratification of the 2nd
Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol on containing
emission of green house gases, for the period 2013-17.
Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and the 1st
commitment period was from 2008-2012. At Doha in
2012, the amendments to Kyoto Protocol for the 2nd
commitment period (the Doha Amendment) were
successfully adopted for the period 2013- 2020.

14TH PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS

The PBD convention
68th Republic Day of India was celebrated all over India
was held in
with pomp and show. In New Delhi, President of India
Bengaluru from Jan 7
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was given the military salute at
to 9. Prime Minister
the Raj Path. The Chief Guest of the event was the Crown
of Portugal Dr
Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al
Antonio Costa was
Nahyan. Indigenously built Tejas Light Combat Aircraft
the Chief Guest of the
and the Black Cat commandoes made the debut at the
PBD. The theme of 2017 PBS is “Redefined Engagement
parade. Another highlight of the event was the
with Indian Diaspora”. The convention started with the
participation of 149 member contingent from United
Youth PBD, the theme of which was ‘Role of Diaspora
Arab Emigrate (UAE).
Youth in the Transformation of India’. PBD convention is
This is for the first time that an indigenous fighter aircraft
a very important platform for engagement of the Central
has flown on Rajpath since Marut developd by Haindustan
and state governments with the Overseas Indian
Aeronautics Limited was showcased in 1960s.
Community.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed on 9th January every
CHIEF GUEST FOR REPUBLIC DAY year to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi as a
Pravasi from South Africa to India in 1915.

NO VOTES ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS

A seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court
of India has ruled that no politician can seek the vote in
the name of caste, creed, religion, community or
language. Any candidate found violating the order, will
be disqualified. It held that the Constitution forbids the
country from mixing religion with politics.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme INDIA FARES POORLY IN DEVELOPMENT
Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab As per the World Economic Forum’s Inclusive
Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan came Development Index, India has been ranked 60 among 79
to India to be the chief guest for India's 68th Republic developing economies. The index has three pillars --
Day celebrations. The two countries signed 14 growth and development, inclusion and
agreements for mutual cooperation. intergenerational equity, and sustainability.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 7
WAX MUSEUM IN DELHI
Madame Tussauds, the world famous museum of wax
sculptures and one of London’s biggest tourist
attractions, with 22 branches across the world, is set to
open its 23rd branch at the landmark Regal Cinema in
Delhi’s Connaught Place.
INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS HELD AT TIRPUATI
The 104th Indian Science Congress was hosted by the
Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati in Andhra
Pradesh. The theme for the five-day event was ‘Science
and Technology for National Development’.
 The 58th edition of India International Garment Fair
was held in New Delhi.
 The first edition of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union’s
International Television Dance Festival was held in
Hyderabad, Telangana.
 Prime Minister Modi released special commemorative
stamps on Prakash Parv to mark 350th birth
anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna on 5
January.
 Indian Space Research Organisation- ISRO and
French Space agency signed a partnership agreement
in satellite launch technology.
 Japan has decided to be associated with the
development of Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi as
smart cities.
 The International Conference on “Yoga for Diabetes”
was held in New Delhi on January 4.
 More than 111 crore people in India now have an
Aadhaar number, a number that covers more that
99% of the Indian adult population.
DECEMBER
PRESIDENT OF KYRGYZSTAN COMES TO INDIA

ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT

The largest annual household survey in rural India,
Annual Status of Education Report-2016 was released in
New Delhi. It focuses on the status of children's
schooling and basic learning.

INDIA 92ND IN TALENT COMPETITIVENESS

As per the Global Index of Talent Competitiveness
compiled to measure how countries grow, attract and
retain talent, India has been placed at a low 92nd rank. President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Sharshenovich
The rankings are topped by Switzerland. Atambayev arrived in New Delhi on a four day state
visit. The two countries finalised plans for joint military
2016 - WARMEST YEAR SINCE 1901 exercises and reiterated the need for a global
Recent data released by the India Meteorological convention against terrorism.
Department (IMD) shows that 2016 was India's
warmest year ever since the documenting of
meteorological records began in 1901.
 2nd Raisina Dialogue, a flagship geo-political
conference was held in New Delhi attended by more
than 250 participants from 65 countries.
 The N.K. Singh panel, constituted to review the Fiscal
Responsibility and Budget Management Act,
submitted its report to the union finance minister.
 As per the Global Passport Index, Indian passport has
been ranked a lowly 78th place. The index is topped
by Germany.
 President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in New
Delhi on his India visit. The two countries signed
agreements for cooperation in the area of
agriculture.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 8
“100 MILLION FOR 100 MILLION” CAMPAIGN
President of India launched a global campaign “100
Million for 100 Million” for mobilising better-off
children to speak up for their disadvantaged
counterparts. The campaign lead by Nobel laureate
Kailash Satyarthee aims to encourage youth to petition
governments and the international community to
improve the plight of children.
QATARI P M VISITS INDIA
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime
Minister of Qatar visited India. The two sides inked five
pacts for enhancing cooperation in defence and
cybersecurity and agreed on joint action to tackle
money laundering and terrorist financing.
SC SAYS NO TO LIQUOR VENDS ON HIGHWAYS
The Supreme Court has directed all the states and the
Centre to remove all liquor shops located within 500
meters or less from highways, both national and state.
The existing licence-holders could continue their
business till March 31, 2017.
INDIA AND VIETNAM SIGN AGREEMENTS
India and Vietnam signed a civil nuclear cooperation
agreement making it 14th nuclear partner of India. The
two countries also signed three other agreements for
cooperation in field of aviation, energy efficiency and
parliamentary affairs.
‘GANDHI WITH CHARKHA’ IN TOP 100
A 1946 picture of Mahatma Gandhi with his ‘charkha’
(spinning wheel) in the foreground is among the 100
most influential images of all time compiled by the Time
magazine under the head “images that changed the
world”.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
‘PINK’ TO BE SHOWN AT UNO
Amitabh Bachhan starrer film ‘Pink’, directed by
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury has been selected for a
special screening at the UN headquarters, New York.
The film, a modern Indian courtroom drama, highlights
the issue of gender violence.
 President of Indonesia Joko Widodo arrived in India
on a two day visit.
 Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan arrived in
India on a 5 day visit from 14 to 18 December.
 Home Ministry has cancelled Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA) licenses of 20,000 NGOs. As a
result now they cannot receive foreign funds.
 The World Economic Forum has ranked Hindi 10th in
the top 10 most powerful languages in world while
English is number one, followed by Mandarin.
 Disney has launched its ‘Hour of Code’ campaign in
India to teach computer programming to school
children through its free online tutorials.
 The National Green Tribunal has imposed a ban on
sale and use of glass powder coated ‘manja’ and other
dangerous strings for flying kites.
 A recent study released by Pew Research Centre, USA
shows that the Hindus are the best-educated of all
religious groups in North America and Europe.
 The Inter-governmental Committee for the
Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has
inscribed Yoga in UNESCO’s Representative List as
the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
 The 6th Heart of Asia ministerial conference was held
at Amritsar to discuss peace, cooperation and
economic development in Afghanistan.
 12th International Oil and Gas Conference,
PETROTECH-2016, was held in New Delhi
 7th World Ayuerveda Congress was held in Kolkata
from Dec 2-4, supported by the Ministry of AYUSH.
 The India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business
was held in New Delhi.
 The 28th State Information Ministers Conference
(SIMCON) was held in New Delhi on Dec 9-10.
NOVEMBER
INDIA RANKS 87TH IN GENDER EQUALITY
Despite a jump of
21 places from last
year, India is still
ranked low at 87th
place globally in
terms of gender
equality, in a study
covering 144
countries. Iceland has topped the annual Global Gender
Gap Index compiled by Geneva-based World Economic
Forum (WEF).
9
NUCLEAR DEAL SIGNED WITH JAPAN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan for a two
day visit to participate to participate in the annual
bilateral summit in Tokyo. The two countries signed
a landmark nuclear agreement; opening the doors for
India to commission nuclear reactors by global entities
with the commitment that nuclear energy shall be used
for peaceful purposes only.
UK PM MAY ARRIVES IN INDIA
UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in New Delhi
for her India visit. She announced a fast-track visa
service for "high net-worth" Indians and their families
and promised quicker border checks for all business
travelers from India to Britain. The two countries signed
two bilateral pacts, one on intellectual property (IP) and
another for enhancing ease of doing business.
ISRAELI PRESIDENT VISITS INDIA
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arrived in Mumbai on a
six-day visit to India to further strengthen bilateral ties
between the two countries. Later, two countries inked
two agreements in the field of water resources
management and agriculture.
INDIA FARES POORLY IN GLOBAL YOUTH INDEX
In the Global Youth Development Index compiled by
the Commonwealth Secretariat on the countries'
prospects for young people in employment, education,
health, civic and political spheres, India has been placed
pretty low at 133rd place amongst 183 nations.
Neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka
have fared much better at 77th, 69th and 31stranks,
respectively. The Index is topped by Germany, followed
by Denmark and Switzerland.
THE COMMUNAL HARMONY WEEK
Quami Ekta Saptah (Communal
Harmony Week) was observed
across the nation from Nov 19
to 25 to highlight the strength
and resilience of the nation to
withstand any potential threats
to the secular fabric. Nov 25
was also observed as the
Communal Harmony Flag Day.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
47th IFFI HELD IN GOA
The 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began
in Goa on Nov 20. The Republic of Korea is the focus
country of the festival. Renowned South Korean director
Im Kwon-taek will be honoured with the Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Legendary singer SP Bala Subramanyam was honoured
with 'Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of
the year'
The Golden Peacock for the best film was won by the
Iranian film "Daughter" directed by Reza Mirkarimi.
 President Pranab Mukherjee made a three-day state
visit to Nepal from Nov 2 to 4.
 Antonio Costa, the Prime Minister of Portugal shall be
the Chief Guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to
be held in Bengaluru from Jan7 to 9, 2017.
 New Zealand premier John Key arrived in India on a
two-day visit. The two countries may push for the
speedy conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA).
 India and Sri Lanka to set up a hotline between
officials of the two countries to address the fishermen
crisis and to facilitate easy exchange of fishermen.
 Commemorative coin of Rs.500 and a circulation coin
of Rs.10 were issued to mark “500th Anniversary of
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Coming to
Vrindavan”.
 For the first time, the World Robot Olympiad was
held in India at the India Expo Mart, Noida, Uttar
Pradesh.
 First ever International Agro-biodiversity Congress
was held in New Delhi.
 The 7th Session of the Conference of Parties to World
Health Organisation Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control was held in Greater Noida, U P.
NEWS FROM STATES
JANUARY
JALLIKATTU APPROVED BY ORDINANCE
Tamil Nadu witnessed unprecedented massive public
protests against the Supreme Court’s order to ban the
immensely popular bull taming sport of Jallikattu. The
Govt. of Tamil Nadu issued an ordinance to bypass this
ban. The Supreme Court had banned holding of the
traditional event on the plea that it involves cruelty
against bulls.
10
JAIPUR FIRST CITY TO USE NOC
Jaipur has become the first city in the country and South
Asia to monitor and operate smart city infrastructure
using a single digital network, the Network Operation
Centre (NOC). It will integrate all recently developed
digital infrastructure such as intelligence kiosks,
wireless broadband, sensor-based dustbins, smart
streetlight, parking and apps.
DHARAMSALA TO BE 2ND CAPITAL OF HP
Himachal Pradesh govt has declared that Dharamsala
would be the second capital of the State. The city is
important for the lower areas of Himachal Pradesh,
including Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur and Una districts.
POSTAL BALLOT THROUGH E-MAIL
Goa will become the first state in the country to opt for
electronic transmission of postal ballot to service voters
in the upcoming Assembly poll. The ballot will be sent
by e-mail to the voter and he will mail back the filled
form.
AKHIRI AHUTI - A HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVE
Delhi Police and IndiGo airlines have joined hands to
start ‘Akhiri Ahuti’ - a humanitarian initiative under
which the bodies of the North-east residents who die in
Delhi will be carried free of cost to their homes in North
east.
WORLD’S LONGEST HUMAN CHAIN
World’s longest human chain was formed in Bihar,
covering an estimated distance of 11,292 kilometres,
involving over two crore citizens standing against
alcoholism and liquor.
STREET LIGHTING NATIONAL PROGRAMME
The world’s largest street light replacement programme
Street Lighting National Programme was launched by
the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to replace over
two lakh conventional lights with LEDs.
 Arunachal Pradesh launched ‘Dulari Kanya’, a special
scheme to check infant mortality in the state.
 More than 3.5 lakh people in Gujarat’s Rajkot district
set a new world record by singing the national
anthem together at an event organised at Khodal
Dham temple.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 World Bank has sanctioned Rs 1,376 crore for
upgradations and improvement of the Tripura power
system network.
 Jaipur Literature Festival was held in Jaipur, the pink
city. Celebrated writers, thinkers, journalists,
historians, poets, novelists and musicians
participated in it.
 The World Bank has agreed to provide $48 million for
Nagaland Health Project to improve health services
in the state.
 Kerala has launched the country’s first solar-powered
boat 'Aaditya' at Vaikom. It has seating capacity for
75 persons.
 Sikkim has emerged as the India’s first fully organic
state by converting around 75,000 hectares of
agricultural land into sustainable cultivation.
 Haryana plans to set up a pilot corridor for an
innovative concept of India’s first 'Caterpillar Train'
that will fly over city’s traffic, in Gurugram city.
 The second international kite festival was held in
Hyderabad in Telangana.
 4th Assam International Agri-Horti show was held in
Guwahati, Assam.
 The Election Commission announced the dates for the
assembly elections in five states Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.
 Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar islands hosted the
Island Tourism Festival 2017.
DECEMBER
GRAND MEMORIAL FOR SHIVAJI
Foundation stone for the grand memorial of Maratha
warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was laid at an
island in Arabian Sea near Mumbai Coast. The main
attraction of the memorial, slated to cost Rs. 3,600 crore,
will be a 192-metre-tall statue of the iconic Maratha
king riding a horse.
11
CHAR DHAM HIGHWAY PROJECT LAUNCHED
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone
of Char Dham highway development project in
Dehradun. It will allow uninterrupted access for
pilgrims to the four Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath,
Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri which bore the
brunt of devastating floods in 2013.
 Assam has appointed Bollywood actress Priyanka
Chopra as the brand ambassador of state tourism to
promote brand entity of "Awesome Assam".
 Rajasthan launched subsidised meal scheme
‘Annapurna Rasoi' to provide breakfast for Rs 5 and
lunch or dinner for Rs 8 to the poor and the needy.
 Asia’s first and longest cycle highway, running for
207 kms, connecting the Taj City Agra and the Lion
Safari at Etawah, was inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh.
 The first ever International Gita Mahotsav was
hosted by Kurukshetra in Haryana from Dec 6 to 10.
NOVEMBER
SC CANCELS SYL DEAL
In a decision that could have far reaching implications,
the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the
Punjab Government’s 2004 law, terminating the Sutlej-
Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water sharing agreement,
giving a big jolt to Punjab and a boon to Haryana.
Punjab has declared that it will not abide by the SC ruling.
It has returned the land acquired by the govt. for the
construction of SYL canal to the allottees to create
hurdles in the implementation of the SC decision.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
INDIA’s FIRST LNG BUS
India’s first liquefied natural gas-driven bus has been
launched in Kerala. Natural gas could be considered the
most environmentally friendly fossil fuel because it has
the lowest CO2 emissions per unit of energy.
T.GANA/AP TOP IN EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
In a report released by the Commerce and Industry
Ministry on State-wise Ease of Doing Business rankings,
Andhra Pradesh and Telengana topped with 98.78 per
cent each, followed by Gujarat with 98.21 per cent.
AGRA – LUCKNOW EXPRESSWAY
India's longest expressway running for 302 kms,
connecting Agra with capital town Lucknow was opened
in Uttar Pradesh. In a rare feat, Indian Air Force fighter
jets used a section of this expressway for simulated
landing and takeoff.
 For the first time in Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF), a team of women commandos has been
inducted to counter Naxal insurgency in Jharkhand.
 India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival was hosted by
Shillong in Meghalaya to showcase the beauty of the
flowers and the State’s cultural traditions.
 The ADB will give a $500 million loan for
constructing India’s longest river bridge (9.8 kms)
across Ganga in Bihar.
 Kerala has become the third Open Defecation Free
(ODF) state in the country. The first being Sikkim,
followed by Himachal Pradesh.
 Himachal Pradesh has been declared as the India’s
second 'Open Defecation Free' state, first
being Sikkim.
 As per the NITI Aayog’s ‘ease of doing agri-business
index’, Maharashtra is at top, followed by Gujarat and
Rajasthan, in pursuing farmer-friendly policies.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
JANUARY
SWACHH SWASTH SARVATRA LAUNCHED
Union Health Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation has launched Swachh
Swasth Sarvatra initiative, aimed at strengthening
community health centres in 708 open defecation-free
blocks to enable them to achieve higher levels of
cleanliness and hygiene.
12
PM ANNOUNCES NEW FINANCIAL SCHEMES
Prime Minister announced a number of new schemes to
help the poor, farmers, women and small business in his
New Year address to the nation. Following are the main
incentives announced by him:
 Housing: Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
(grameen), home loans up to Rs 9 lakh will now get
4 % rebate in interest and home loans up to 12 lakh
rupees will attract 3% rebate.
 In rural areas, 3 % interest relief will be given on
loan of up to 2 lakh rupees for the construction,
renovation and expansion of home.
 Women: A national scheme was announced for the
would-be mothers to provide them Rs. 6,000 for
their delivery, vaccination, and nutritious meals.
 Senior citizen: Senior citizens have been assured 8
per cent interest on their deposits up to Rs. 7.5 lakh,
for next 10 years.
 Farmers:
i. Govt. to bear 60 days interest on select farm loans.
ii. To issue rupay debit cards to 3 crore farmers in
next three months.
 Small and Medium businesses:
i. Loan guarantee scheme to small business
extended up to Rs. 2 crore.
ii. Banks and NBFCs not to levy high interest rate on
these loans as the govt. is bearing the cost of under
writing them.
iii. Banks to raise credit limit from 20% of turnover
to 25% for small business.
iv. Banks to raise working capital loan to 30% from
20% of sales for enterprises that transact digitally.
POST OFFICE TO ISSUE PASSPORTS
The External Affairs Ministry and the Department of
Posts have agreed to utilise Head Post Offices in various
states as the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra for
delivering passport related services to the people.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
VARISHTHA PENSION BIMA YOJANA 2017
The Union Cabinet approved this scheme to promote
financial inclusion. The scheme, implemented by LIC,
would provide an assured return of 8% per annum for
10 years to persons of age 60 years and above, with an
option to opt for pension on a monthly, quarterly, half-
yearly or annual basis.
BHIM APP GETTING POPULAR
Government’s online payments app Bharat Interface for
Money, BHIM has become the most popular Android app
in the country, topping the charts on Google's Play Store
in India.
DEGREES BY IIMs NOW
The Union Cabinet has approved the Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) Bill, 2017, which aims at permitting
the IIMs to grant degrees rather than diplomas and be
declared as Institutions of National Importance.
SERVICE CHARGES NOT MANDATORY
Consumer Affairs Ministry has clarified that the service
charges, often ranging between 5 to 20 percent in lieu of
tips in restaurants, is not mandatory and consumer has
discretion to pay it or not.
NSSF SCHEME AMENDED
The Union Cabinet has excluded States and Union
Territories except Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala and
Madhya Pradesh from National Small Savings Fund
(NSSF) investments. The decision was taken in view of
the recommendations made by the 14th Finance
Commission and representation by the other states. The
states mentioned that market borrowings were cheaper
than taking a loan from NSSF.
What is NSSF: It is a fund created in the public account of
India w.e.f. 1.4.1999. All small savings are credited in this
account and withdrawals are made out of it. The balance
is invested in central and state govt. securities.
SHAGUN TO MONITOR SSA
A dedicated web portal 'ShaGun', developed jointly by
the World Bank and Ministry of Human Resource
Development has been launched to monitor the
progress of country’s flagship educational programme –
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
13
MINIMUM MONTHLY PENSION INCREASED
The Government of India has increased the minimum
monthly pension for central govt. employees to Rs.
9,000 per person from Rs. 3500 earlier. Further, the ex-
gratia amount for the employees has been increased
from 10-15 lakh to 25-35 lakh rupees. There are about
50-55 lakh pensioners in the country.
 Railways has launched a new passenger mobile
application 'IRCTC Rail Connect' to promote ease of
booking tickets through digital mode.
 Employees' Provide Fund Organisation (EPFO) has
made Aadhaar mandatory for its about 50 lakh
pensioners and around four crore subscribers.
 The government has tied up with the National Yuva
Coop. Society to set up 1,000 Janaushadhi Kendras to
provide quality medicines at an affordable price.
 Govt. has launched mobile app 'Haj Committee of
India', which will provide information and facilitate
e-payments for Haj pilgrimage.
DECEMBER
PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN YOJANA
Government has launched the PMGKY, a tax amnesty
scheme that allows assessees to disclose previously
unaccounted and undeclared income till March 31,
2017. Assessees will have to pay 50 per cent tax on
declared income and 25 per cent of such wealth will
have to be kept into a four-year interest-free deposit.
CASH PRIZES TO PUSH DIGITAL PAYMENTS
The Niti Aayog launched two schemes - Lucky Grahak
Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana to encourage
cashless transactions between 50 and 3,000 rupees
done through Rupay card, UPI (Unified Payment
Interface), USSD (unstructured supplementary service
data) and AEPS (Aadhar enabled payment system) only.
Transactions done through private credit cards and
digital wallets are not allowed.
National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) will
administer its implementation. Both the schemes will
give a number of cash prizes starting December 25.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Lucky Grahak Yojana: every day 15,000 winners of
1,000 rupees each for next 100 days
Every week – 3 prizes – 1 lac, 50,000 and 10,000/-
3 Mega prizes on April 14 – Rs. 1 crore, 50lac and 25 lac
Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana
3 prizes every week – Rs. 50,000/-, 5,000 and 2500/-
3 Mega prizes on April 14 – Rs. 50 lac, 25 lac and 12 lac
SMART OPTIONS FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION
The government has launched a host of online initiatives
including a mobile App 'Smart Consumer' and an 'Online
Consumer Mediation Centre to provide speedy redressal
of consumer grievances. A helpline number 14404 was
also launched for consumer related grievances.
INCENTIVES FOR CASHLESS BUSINESS
Government has announced tax benefits for small scale
businessmen opting e-payments asserting that if a small
trader having turnover below two crore rupees makes
digital payments, his presumptive income will be
assessed at 6 per cent for filing of tax, against 8 percent
for other traders.
Rs. 5 LAC PER DISTRICT FOR DIGITIZATION
To encourage each district in the country to take
the digitization route without fear, the National
Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has
decided to allocate Rs.5 lakh to every district as seed
money to kick start this drive.
REPORTING OF CASH DEALS OF OVER 2 LAC
The Income Tax Department today clarified that
businesses and traders receiving cash exceeding Rs 2
lakh in any single transaction for sale of goods and
services are required to report it to the authorities
under rule 114E of Income Tax Rules, 1962.
INDIAN ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
Union Cabinet has approved formation of a new service
in the name of Indian Enterprise Development Service
(IEDS) in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSME) to boost and achieve the vision of
"Startup India", "Stand-up India" and "Make in India".
The measure will help in achieving growth in MSME
sector through a focussed and dedicated cadre of
technical officers.
14

INDIA’s FIRST INSTITUTE OF SKILLS
Country’s first ever Indian Institute of Skills will be
opened in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The institute will be
set up by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship in partnership with the Institute of
Technical Education, Singapore to push up the skill
development programmes of the government.
PROFESSIONALS TO BOOST SWACHH BHARAT
Government has decided to deploy 600 young
professionals as Zila Swachh Bharat Preraks (ZSBPs)
across the country, one in each district, to boost Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan. They will assist the district authorities
in coordinating various agencies associated with the
mission. The cadre will be funded and recruited by the
Tata Trusts, at no extra cost to the State government or
the Ministry.
OPEN SKIES AGREEMENT
India signed Open Skies agreement with six countries to
allow unlimited number of flights to six metro airports
namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru
and Chennai. The six countries are Jamaica, Guyana,
Czech Republic, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka.
NEW BILL PASSED FOR DISABLED PERSONS
The Lok Sabha passed the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Bill, 2016. The bill identifies 19 conditions
as disabilities against the 7 identified by the existing Act.
It seeks to enhance reservation for Divyangs in
government jobs from 3% to 4%. It will benefit around
2.8 crore disabled population in the country.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 Govt. has launched a new TV channel Digi Shala to
educate people on various modes of electronic
payments, including e-wallets and mobile banking.
 HRD ministry has launched ‘Vittiya Saksharata
Abhiyan’ for making people aware about the use of
various cashless modes of transactions.
 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the
Health Outcomes Index developed by NITI Aayog to
rank states on the basis of their performance on
measurable health indicators.
 Government plans to launch a toll-free number 10588
to provide directly the relevant information and
guidance needed by the pregnant women.
 Power Ministry has launched 'Coal Mitra' web portal
to facilitate flexibility in utilization of domestic coal.
 Government has launched the GARV-II mobile app to
provide village-wise and habitation-wise base line
data on household electrification for all the states.
 Ministry of textiles has launched a mobile app E-
Dhaga to address the concerns of individual weavers
such as availability of raw material, delay in supply.
NOVEMBER
NATIONAL ACADEMIC DEPOSITORY
The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of the
National Academic Depository (NAD) at Tirupati.
School learning certificates, degrees and higher
education academic awards will be digitised by
academic institutions and uploaded on the NAD portal.
It will provide digital or a printed copy of the academic
award to any person authorized by the student.
COMMITTEE ON CASHLESS ECONOMY
Government has formed a committee headed by
Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, to formulate a strategy
to expedite the process of transforming India into a
cashless economy.
APP & PORTAL FOR AIR TRAVELERS
Government has launched an Air Sewa Portal and
Mobile App to offer air travelers a convenient and hassle
free experience. Through this app, passengers can
check their flight status, schedule, register grievances.
SMART INDIA HACKATHON-2017
Government has launched world’s largest digital nation
building initiative which aims at challenging students
across the country to offer innovative solutions to some
of the daunting problems faced by our nation.
15
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 16
Dr. PATHAK TO GUIDE RAILWAYS
Ministry of Railways has appointed Dr. Bindeshwar
Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International, as the
Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission.
Sulabh International is an India-based NGO working for
improvement of public sanitation through vast network
public conveniences maintained by it.
 Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana launched to boost up
development of entrepreneurship for the youth.
 A magazine named ‘Healthy India Initiative’ and an
app named ‘No More Tension’ launched for
promotion of health and health communications
programmes.
 Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
launched to provide free health check-ups to
pregnant women at govt health centres/hospitals on
9th of every month.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
JANUARY
GDP GROWTH MAY SINK TO 7.1% - CSO
As per the recent data released by the Central Statistical
Office, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is
estimated at 7.1 per cent in 2016-17 as compared to 7.6
per cent in 2015-16. Per capita net national income
during 2016-17 is estimated to be 1, 03,007 rupees,
showing a rise of 10.4 per cent as compared to 93,293 in
2015-16.
NITI AYOG PEGS GROWTH RATE AT 8%
NITI Aayog has estimated a growth rate of 8% for 2016-
17 flagging the lack of reforms in land acquisition,
labour and simplification of administrative procedures
as impediments to growth.
WORLD BANK LOWERS GROWTH RATE TO 7%
The World Bank has decelerated India's GDP growth for
2016-17 to 7 per cent from its previous estimate of 7.6
percent saying that immediate withdrawal of a large
volume of currency in circulation in November
contributed to slowing growth.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
IMF TRIMS GROWTH RATE
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has trimmed
India’s growth rate for the 2016-17 to 6.6% from its
previous estimate of 7.6% due to the temporary
negative consumption shock induced by cash shortages
and payment disruptions associated with the recent
currency note withdrawal and exchange initiative of
demonetization.
1% HOLD 58 % 0F INDIA’s WEALTH
A study released by rights group Oxfam, UK, shows that
just 57 billionaires in India now have same wealth
($216 billion) as that of the bottom 70% population of
the country. India’s richest 1% hold as much as 58% of
the country’s total wealth.
CUT IN GOLD IMPORTS
India’s trade deficit came down to $10.37 billion in
December 2016 as exports grew by 5.72 per cent to
reach $ 23.88 billion while imports rose by just 0.46 per
cent to $34.25 billion on account of lesser gold imports.
 Output of the country's eight infrastructure industries
grew 4.9 per cent in November 2016, helped by a
healthy performance of the electricity sector.
 The latest figures show that India’s foreign exchange
reserves soared by 932.4 million dollars to touch
360.7 billion dollars in the week ending January 20
DECEMBER
GDP GROWS BY 7.3 % IN SEPTEMBER QR
According to the data released by the Central Statistics
Office (CSO), the Indian economy grew at 7.3% in the
quarter ending September 30, up from 7.1% in the
previous quarter, mainly on improved performance of
manufacturing, services and trade sectors.
ADB DOWNS GROTH RATE TO 7%
The Asian Development Bank has trimmed its 2016
growth estimate for India to 7.0 per cent from 7.4 per
cent due to weak investment, agricultural slowdown
and the government's recent demonetisation.
FITCH LOWERS GROWTH RATE TO 6.9%
The Fitch Ratings has observed that the cash crunch
caused by demonetisation and its impact on consumers
and farmers could result in the Indian economy’s
growth slowing down to 6.9 per cent this financial year,
down from earlier growth estimate of 7.4 per cent.
NOVEMBER
EXPORTS OF GOODS GREW 9.59%
Exports of goods grew 9.59 per cent to $23.51 billion in
October while imports expanded 8.11 per cent to $33.67
billion, leaving a trade deficit of $10.16 billion.
17

ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
JANUARY
INTERNATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE IN INDIA
India’s first international exchange called India INX has
been opened at the International Financial Service
Centre (IFSC) of GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. GIFT
City stands for Gujarat International Financial Tech. It
will work for 22 hours in a day from sunrise to sunset
i.e. it will start when the Japan exchanges begin and will
close when the US markets end to facilitate international
investors and NRIs to trade from anywhere in the world.
INSURANCE COMPANIES TO BE LISTED
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved listing of five government-owned General
Insurance Companies on stock exchanges. The
companies are National Insurance Company, New India
Assurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company,
United India Insurance Company and General Insurance
Corporation of India.
SUBSCRIBER BASE CROSSED 1.1 BILLION
India’s telecom subscriber base crossed the 1.1 billion
mark in October, registering the highest customer
addition of about 29 million in a month, driven by
Reliance Jio.
FACILITY TO EXCHANGE NOTES FOR NRIs
Ministry of External Affairs has informed that Indian
citizens, who are not residing in the country, will be
allowed to exchange their old 500 and 1,000 rupees
notes at RBI offices till the 30th of June, 2017.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
DECEMBER
INDIA RANKS 4TH IN WIND POWER
India has been ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power
Installed Capacity Index. The cumulative installed wind
power generation capacity of India is 25088 MW. The
list is topped by China, followed by USA and Germany.
INDIA JUMPS AHEAD OF BRITAIN
A report published in Forbes magazine says that India
has now taken over the United Kingdom as the fifth
largest economy in the world, primarily on account of
India's rapid economic growth over the past 25 years
and Britain's recent woes with the Brexit. Report ranks
USA as the largest economy, followed by China, Japan
and Germany.
INDIA HIGH ON GENDER WAGE DISPARITY
According to Global Wage Report by the International
Labour Organisation (ILO), India has one of the worst
levels of gender wage disparity as men are earning as
much as 30 per cent more than women in similar jobs.
5 REINSURES GET IRDA APPROVAL
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
of India (IRDA) has approved the R3 application and
granted certificate of registration to five global
reinsurers to open their offices in India. The five
companies are the US-based Reinsurance Group of
America, Munich Re and Hannover from Germany, Swiss
Re from Switzerland and French reinsurance major
Scor.
BOMBAY DYEING STOPS TEXTILE MFG.
One of the oldest textile mills in India, Bombay Dyeing
Manufacturing Company has officially called quits to
manufacturing of textiles. Intense competition from the
unorganised sector and growing imports from Taiwan,
China and Bangladesh, have hit domestic textile
production adversely.
Established by Nowrosjee Wadia in 1879, the company
was known for producing quality home textile products at
two prime locations in Mumbai.
AMAZON ANNOUNCES ‘LAUNCHPAD’
Ecommerce giant Amazon has launched a new global
program called Amazon Launchpad to help startups in
the country. It will help startups launch, market, and
distribute their products to Amazon customers across
India and around the world via a dedicated store.
18
 Govt has waived import duty on wheat as its retail
prices showed little signs of coming down. Imported
wheat may be up to 20% lower in prices.
BANKING & FINANCE
 Railways has tied-up with SBI to install at least JANUARY
10,000 Point of Sale machines to facilitate use of
debit/credit cards at the Public Reservation System CASH WITHDRAWAL LIMITS GO

NOVEMBER
MSP OF RABI CROPS ANNOUNCED

The RBI has withdrawn the limits on cash withdrawal

In a bid to boost production of pulses, the government from current account / cash credit account / overdraft
has increased its minimum support price (MSP) by up accounts w.e.f. January 30, 2017. The limits on savings
to Rs. 550 per quintal, including the bonus and that of bank account will continue for the present.
wheat by Rs. 100 to Rs. 1,625 per quintal for the Rabi Similarly limits places on cash withdrawals from ATMs
2016-17 season. has also been withdrawn from Feb 1, 2017. However,
Commodity MSP (Rs./Qtl) Hike (Rs./Qtl) the overall withdrawal limit from saving accounts has
Wheat 1625 100 been retained at 24, 000 rupees per week.
Barley 1325 100
Gram 4000 500 PAYMENT BANKS START OPERATIONS
Bharti Airtel started pan India operations of the
Masur (Lentil) 3950 550
country’s first payments bank - Airtel Payments Bank.
Rapeseed/Mustard 3700 350
Another player Paytm Payments Bank will soon start
Safflower 3700 400 operations.
Payments banks can accept demand deposits and
GST RATES ANNOUNCED remittances but are not allowed to lend and accept fixed
The Finance Minister has announced the GST rates as deposits.
finalised by the GST council. The four bands of tax rates
have been fixed at 5 percent, 12 percent, 18 percent and PAN/FORM 60 MADE COMPULSORY
28 percent. Food grains will be zero-rated to insulate
people from inflationary pressures. Ultra luxuries,
demerit and sin goods, will attract a cess for a period of
five years on top of the 28 per cent GST.
These slabs now will have to be passed by the Parliament
before implementation. The main objective of the GST
rates is to maintain revenue and to minimise the
inflationary impact.
Government has amended the Income-tax Rules, 1962
JAPAN TO HELP INDIA FOR HIGH SPEED TRAIN to allow banks to obtain and link PAN or Form No 60
(where PAN is not available) in all existing bank
accounts, other than Basic Saving Account by February
28, 2017.

40% BANK NOTES FOR RURAL AREAS

Mr. Modi and Abe travelled in the Shinkansen (high
speed) bullet train, whose speed ranges from 240 kms
per hour to 320 kms per hour, from Tokyo to Kobe.
Japan has assured help in construction of the high-
speed bullet train corridor between Mumbai and
Ahmadabad.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
RBI has observed that the bank notes being supplied to
rural areas are not sufficient to meet their requirements.
It has directed that 40% of the bank notes be supplied to
rural areas to mitigate their problems.
 Punjab National Bank has launched a contactless
credit card named PNB Wave N Pay to promote
digital payments.
19
 DECEMBER
RBI RELAXES CHARGES ON ONLINE PAYMENTS
RBI has asked all Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI)
issuers and participating banks to not levy any charges
on customers for transactions up to Rs.1000 settled on
the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), USSD
(Unstructured Supplementary Service Data)-based *99#
and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) systems from Jan 1
to March 31, 2017.
Further, merchant discount rate (MDR) on debit card
transactions has been restricted to 0.25 percent up to Rs.
1,000 and 0.5 per cent up to Rs. 2,000 during this period.
REPAYMENT NORMS RELAXED FOR FARMERS
In a relief to farmers hit by demonetisation, the RBI has
given an additional 60 days to repay their crop loans
due in November-December and said that prompt
repayment would be eligible for the extra 3 per cent
interest subsidy.
CHARGES SLASHED ON CARD TRANSACTIONS
To encourage digital transactions, the Finance Ministry
has asked PSU banks that service charges on transfer
transactions of over Rs 1,000 done through IMPS and
UPI should not exceed the charges applicable for NEFT.
Further, RBI has relaxed the norms for Additional Factor
of Authentication for card not present transactions of up
to Rs 2000, subject to consent by the customer.
WITHDRAWAL RESTRICTED FROM PMJDY
The Reserve Bank has placed a limit of 10,000 rupees on
monthly withdrawals from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
bank accounts and those who want to withdraw more
than 10,000 a month will have to furnish appropriate
documents to prove why they need the money.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
RBI MAKES NO CHANGE IN KEY RATES
In the 5th bimonthly policy statement, the RBI, on the
basis of an assessment of the current and evolving
macroeconomic situation in the country, decided to
keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment
facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.25 percent. There was no
change in other key policy rates.
UTTARAKHAND GETS BANKING OMBUDSMAN
RBI has opened a Banking Ombudsman office in
Dehradun, Uttarakhand to cover the entire state and 7
adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh. With this, the total
number of RBI ombudsman offices has increased to 17
in India.
SBI LAUNCHES ‘MOBICASH’
SBI in partnership with BSNL launched its mobile wallet
application ‘State Bank MobiCash’ for feature as well as
smartphones. It will allow users to deposit cash through
BSNL retail outlets and withdraw funds from their
account.
‘EASYPAY’ FROM ICICI BANK
ICICI Bank has launched ‘easypay’, a mobile application
for merchants that allows consolidation of all modes of
payments, including digital wallets, Unified Payments
Interface (UPI), QR code, and credit & debit cards. It
allows multiple users to connect to the same account.
NOVEMBER
500, 1000 NOTES NO MORE LEGAL TENDER
With a view to root out the menace of black money and
corruption, the govt declared that from midnight of Nov
8, 500 and 1,000 rupee notes will cease to be legal
tender. Public has been given time up to Dec. 30 to
surrender these notes in their bank and replace them
with new 500 and 2,000 rupee notes, or with notes of
lower denomination.
After Dec 30, such notes could be surrendered in
authorized RBI offices only, till March 31, 2017.
CVC TO VIEW LOAN FRAUD CASES OF OVER 1Cr
Central Vigilance Commission has now made it
mandatory for the public sector banks to share their
reports relating to all loan frauds involving funds over
Rs one crore.
Till now this report was shared with the RBI only. CVC
will share these details with other banks to prevent such
cases being repeated.
ECB ALLOWED TO STARTUPS
With a view to encourage innovation and boost job
creation, the RBI has permitted startups to raise
external commercial borrowings (ECBs) of up to USD 3
million in a financial year.
 Airtel Payments Bank Ltd (Airtel Bank), a subsidiary
of the country’s largest telecom operator Bharti
Airtel, has started its retail operation from Rajasthan.
20
 A NEW HUMAN ORGAN FOUND
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
JANUARY
NAVY GETS SUBMARINE ‘KHANDERI’
Khanderi, the second Kalvari class Scorpene submarine,
was launched into water - or 'undocked' at the Mazagon
Dock, Mumbai. The submarine will undergo rigorous
tests and trials on the surface and underwater before it
is commissioned into the Indian Navy as "INS Khanderi"
at the end of the year in December. Scientists in Ireland have classified a new organ named
‘Mesentery’ inside human body in the digestive system,
proving the anatomic description laid down over 100
AGNI-IV TESTED SUCCESSFULLY
years of anatomy as incorrect. It is a small part that
connects the intestine to the abdomen

 Japan launched its first military communications

satellite Kirameki-2 to boost the broadband capacity
of its armed forces.
 China has successfully launched Tongxin Jishu Shiyan,
a new-generation telecommunications satellite.
 NASA has approved a mission to explore an iron-rich
asteroid named ‘16 Psyche’ whose contents are said
to be worth over 100-thousand times the value of the
Agni-IV, the nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic entire world economy.
missile with a strike range of 4,000 km was tested
successfully as part of a user trial from a test range off
Odisha coast. DECEMBER
SMART ANTI-AIRFIELD WEAPON
SBI ATMs ON WARSHIP
State Bank of India has installed an ATM on India's
largest warship, INS Vikramaditya to cater to the over
1,500 sailors and 110 officers who serve on board the
aircraft carrier.
 Pakistan successfully tested its long range surface-to-
surface ballistic missile Ababeel, having a strike
range of 2,200 km.
 A new guided version of the Pinaka Rocket was
successfully test-fired from Integrated Test Range at
Chandipur in Odisha.

DRDO has successfully tested the indigenously

developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) bomb at
the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off Odisha coast.
It is capable of engaging ground targets with high
precision covering a range of around 100 kms.

ICBM AGNI V LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY

India test launched successfully its indigenously
developed intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear
capable ballistic missile Agni-5 from the Wheeler Island
off Odisha coast. It has a range of more than 5,000
kilometre.

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 21

NAVY AND ARMY JOIN HANDS
The INS Sahyadri stealth frigate and the Indian Army's
Poona Horse cavalry regiment were affiliated at a
special ceremony held in Vishakhapatnam. It is a symbol
of inter-services camaraderie and co-operation for joint
operations and interdependence in modern warfare.
‘NIRBHAY’ MISSILE TESTED BY DRDO
DRDO conducted the flight test of indigenously-designed
and developed long range subsonic cruise missile
'Nirbhay' from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur
in Odisha. It has a range of over 1,000 kms.
INS BETWA TOPPLES DOWN
In a first of its kind incident in the Indian Navy, INS
Betwa, a 3,850 ton guided missile frigate fell down it’s
sideways during undocking at Mumbai's naval
dockyard. The job of making ship stand again will have
to be executed by foreign experts costing some crores of
rupees as Indian Navy does not have this kind of
expertise.
INDIA TO BUY 145 HOWITZERS
India has inked a Rs 5,000 crore deal with USA for
buying 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers, which will be
mostly deployed near the borders with China. This is the
first deal for artillery guns since the Bofors scandal in
1980s.
 Konkan 16, the annual bilateral maritime exercise
between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of
Britain, commenced in 5 December 2016 off the
Mumbai coast.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 ‘Ekuverin’ (Friends)-A two week military exercise was
held in Maldives between the Indian Army and the
Maldives National Defence Force from Dec 15 to 28.
 Indra Navy-2016, the Indo-Russian naval exercise
held in Bay of Bengal, off the Visakhapatnam coast.
 India signed an agreement with Vietnam for training
her pilots for their Sukhoi-30 fighter jets.
RESOURCESAT-2A LAUNCED SUCCESSFULLY
ISRO successfully launched India’s latest Remote
Sensing satellite, Resourcesat-2A onboard PSLV-C36
from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The satellite is
equipped with high resolution cameras to facilitate
accurate imaging of land and water resources.
NEW HIGHEST HEAT RESISTANT MATERIAL
Scientists in UK have identified materials such as
Hafnium Carbide that can withstand temperatures of
nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius. They can be useful for
improved heat resistant shielding for the faster-than-
ever hypersonic space vehicles.
INDIAN YOUTH GROUP AIMS FOR MOON
Team Indus, a group of young Indian scientists and IT
experts, plans to tie up with ISRO for launching an
unmanned spacecraft on the lunar surface by January,
2018. The Team Indus is aiming to win the $20
million Google Lunar X Prize.
‘DEAD ZONE’ FOUND IN BAY OF BENGAL
Scientists have discovered a vast ‘dead zone’ of an
estimated 60,000 square kilometers in the Bay of
Bengal. This area contains little or no oxygen and
supports microbial processes that remove vast amount
of nitrogen from the ocean.
 China launched satellite TanSat to understand
climate change by monitoring the concentration,
distribution and flow of CO2 in the atmosphere.
 China launched Fengyun-4, the first of its new
generation weather satellites.
NOVEMBER
INDIA TO BUY AIRCRAFT FROM JAPAN
India will purchase 12 amphibious rescue aircraft from
Japanese manufacturer Shin Maywa Industries. It would
be one of Japan's first sales of military equipment since
Japan lifted a 50-year ban on arms exports in April
2014.
WORLD’s HIGHEST RESEARCH LAB
The Extreme Altitude Research Centre (EARC), set up at
Chang La in Ladakh at an altitude of 17,600 ft by the
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO), is set to enter the Guinness Book of Records for
becoming the world’s highest terrestrial research
laboratory.
22
 Jaguar DARIN III, the twin-seat aircraft, an advanced
version Jaguar fighter jet with the Indian Air Force,
has received the Initial Operation Clearance (IOC).
DARIN: Display Attack Ranging Inertial Navigation
 INS Chennai, the third indigenously designed
Kolkata-class guided missile destroyer was
commissioned into the Navy.
 The Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) has successfully tested its unmanned combat
aerial vehicle, Rustom-2.
 10th Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran
was held at Saljhandi, Nepal.
 The 6th joint training exercise ‘Hand in Hand 2016’
held between the Indian Army and the People's
Liberation Army of China in Pune, from Nov 15 to 27.
 “Sampriti-2016” - The joint military training exercise
was conducted between India and Bangladesh near
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
 SIMBEX-16-Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral
Exercise between two navies took place in the Bay of
Bengal, off the Andhra coast.
S KOREA TOPS IN ICT DEVELOPMENT
In a global study of 175 countries by the UN
International Telecommunication Union to study the
impact of Information and communication technology
on the society, South Korea has been ranked as the best
in the ICT development index, followed by Iceland and
Denmark. India was placed at 138th rank.
 NASA launched a highly advanced geostationary
weather satellite Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R).
 China’s Sunway Taihu Light declared as the world’s
fastest supercomputer with an efficiency of 6051.30
MFLOPS (Million Floating Operations per Second)
 China has successfully launched its data satellite
Tianlian I-04 on a Long March-3C carrier rocket.
 The 2016 World Internet Conference was held in
Wuzhen, China, attended by 120 nations.

INTERNATIONAL
JANUARY
TRUMP BANS VISAS FOR SEVEN NATIONALITIES
ZERO-EMISSION PASSENGER TRAIN
French machinery giant Alstom has developed world's
first hydrogen-powered and zero-emission passenger
train named Coradia iLint. It is powered by a hydrogen
fuel tank on its roof which takes oxygen from the air,
and converts it into electric power.

GPS SIGNAL FROM 70,000Kms

NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) now
holds the Guinness World Record for the highest
altitude fix of a GPS signal. The MMS satellites,
operating in a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth,
have set the record at 70,000 kms above the earth’s
surface.
‘SUPERMOON’ SEEN AFTER 68 YEARS
On Nov 14, the moon came closer to Earth than at any
other time since 1948. As this was also the full moon
day, the moon reached its brightest and biggest size,
termed ‘supermoon’. The technical name for supermoon
is the ‘perigee-syzygy’.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
US President Donald Trump’s latest bombshell order
has barred the entry of foreign nationals from seven
Muslim-majority nations: Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya,
Somalia, Yemen and Iraq - for 90 days. The ban aims to
find what information is needed from each country to
ensure that the visas are not issued to individuals
posing a national security threat. It also imposes a
blanket ban on all Syrian refugees until "sufficient
changes" are made to the refugee programme.
23
WORLD’S BIGGEST SOLAR PARK
China has built the world’s biggest solar
park, Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, in Qinghai. The park
spans over 27 square km of area and can produce 850
MW of power which is enough to supply up to 200,000
households.
FINLAND TO PROVIDE ‘FREE’ SALARY
Finland has become the first country in the world to pay
a basic monthly income of Euro 560 to randomly picked
citizens on a national level with a view to minimize
poverty and unemployment.
UK TOP COURT PUTS BREAKS ON BREXIT
The Supreme Court of UK has ruled that Prime Minister
Theresa May must seek Parliament’s consent to take
Britain out of the European Union (EU). This means that
government cannot officially begin Brexit negotiations
with the EU until Britain’s MPs and peers give their
backing.
FREIGHT TRAIN FROM CHINA TO LONDON
China has launched its first freight train to London. The
train will depart from Yiwu in eastern China, cross
through western China to pass through Kazakhstan,
Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France
before arriving in London.
SHANGRI-LA OF THE WORLD
China launched its longest bullet train “Shangri-la of the
World” from Kunming, capital of southwest China’s
Yunnan Province, to Beijing, covering a distance of
2,760-km in about 13 hours.
US ENDS ‘WET FOOT, DRY FOOT’ POLICY
United States has ended a two-decade-old “wet foot, dry
foot” immigration policy that allowed Cuban migrants
who reach the American soil illegally to stay and
become legal residents. As a result, now the Cubans
crossing in to American side will be sent back to Cuba,
just like other migrants.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
“APPLE” MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANY
In a ranking of world’s 50 most innovative firms by the
Boston Consulting Group, technology giant Apple has
emerged as the most innovative company for 2016,
followed by Google and Tesla.
MYANMAR FACES HEAT ON ROHINGYA ISSUE
Myanmar government is facing strong international
criticism for failing to rein-in months-long military
crackdown on Rohingya Muslim community in northern
Rakhine State of the country. Thousands of Rohingyas
have fled as refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh and
India.
GLOBAL ECONOMY SLOWS DOWN
Considering the stagnant global trade, subdued
investment and heightened policy uncertainty, the
World Bank has projected a growth of 2.7% for the
global economy in 2017.
DAVOS SUMMIT
The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting was held
in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland with the theme
‘Responsive and Responsible Leadership’. This meeting
is generally known by the name of Davos summit.
THE BEIPANJIANG BRIDGE – HIGHEST
World’s highest bridge has been thrown open for traffic
in China. The Beipanjiang Bridge soars 565 metres
(1,854 feet) above a river and connects the two
mountainous provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou.
NORWAY BIDS ADIEU TO FM
Norway became the first country in the world to start
shutting down its FM radio network in favour of digital
radio as it offers better sound quality and more channels
at one eighth of the cost of FM (frequency modulation)
transmission.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR-SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The United Nations General Assembly
has recognised the year 2017 as the International Year
of Sustainable Tourism for Development to celebrate
and promote the contribution of the tourism sector to
building a better world.
24
 A study by Oxfam, an international organisation says,
top eight rich men own the same wealth as half the
world's population which threatens to pull societies
apart.
DECEMBER
VENEZUELA BANS 100 BOLIVAR NOTE
Venezuela has banned the circulation of the country's
largest banknote, 100 bolivars, in a bid to fight 'mafias'
who have stashed billions of these currencies in the
adjoining Colombia. However, due to massive public
protest against this, government decided to postpone
the ban.
U N SECURITY COUNCIL CAUTIONS ISRAEL
The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding
Israel to stop building settlements on occupied
Palestinian territory. It is the first resolution the
Security Council has adopted on Israel and the
Palestinians in nearly eight years. USA abstained from
voting.
DICTIONARY.COM SELECTS ‘XENOPHOBIA’
The website Dictionary.com has named the word
'Xenophobia' as the Word of the Year for 2016 due to a
very high surge in its search. It describes fear or hatred
of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.
‘SURREAL’ IS THE WORD OF THE YEAR
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has named ‘surreal’ as
the ‘Word of the Year 2016’ as this word saw the
sharpest spike in look-ups over the previous year.
People used this word to describe astonishing victory of
Donald Trump. Surreal means ‘very strange or
unusual: having the quality of a dream’.
 China passed a new law to levy environment tax on
polluters, especially on heavy industries for fighting
recurring pollution covers enveloping its cities.
 France has become the world’s first country to make
regular use of drone delivery in its national postal
service.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
NOVEMBER
PARIS AGREEMENT COMES IN FORCE
The 12 day Global Climate conference was held in
Marrakech, Morocco to discuss the details of
implementing the Paris deal. The climate agreement
became effective from 4th November 2016, after being
signed by 192 nations. The agreement deals with
greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and
means to finance these initiatives.
INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE
Over 20 countries, including Brazil and France, signed
the framework agreement of the International Solar
Alliance (ISA) at the CoP22 to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change at Marrakech, in
Morocco. The alliance is an initiative of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
ISA is an alliance of 121 solar resource-rich tropical
countries lying fully or partially between two tropics and
who are also UN members.
‘POST- TRUTH’ IS THE WORD OF THE YEAR
With political upheavals like the election of Donald
Trump and Brexit, Oxford Dictionaries has declared
“post-truth” as its international word of the year citing a
2,000 per cent spike in usage.
The word is an adjective, defined as “relating to or
denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less
influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to
emotion and personal belief”
WORLD'S LARGEST MARINE PROTECTED AREA
24 countries and the European Union have unanimously
agreed to create the world's largest Marine Protected
Area (MPA) in the Ross Sea next to Antarctica, covering
around 1.6 million square kilometers. Now there will be
a blanket ban on commercial fishing across about three
quarters of this area for next 35 years.
 The 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit was held in Lima, Peru.
 The International Competition Network has
announced that the 2018 ICN Annual Conference will
be hosted by the Competition Commission of India
(CCI).
 World Meteorological Organisation data shows that
2011 to 2015 were the warmest years and 2016 is
likely to break the record for the warmest year.
25
 SALMAN KHAN: As per Forbes India Celebrity List,
PERSONS IN NEWS Salman Khan has been ranked no one, earning revenue
of Rs 270.33 crore, followed by Shah Rukh Khan at Rs
JANUARY 221.75 crore.

VINOD RAI: Former Comptroller and Auditor General
will head the 4-member panel of administrators for the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
PRIYANKA CHOPRA: Bollywood
star won, for the second year,
USA’s prestigious “People’s
Choice Award for the Best
Dramatic Actress” for her role in
the popular TV series Quantico.
SUSHMITA SEN: Former Miss Universe has been picked
up to be on the judges panel of the upcoming 65th
edition of Miss Universe pageant that will take place on
30 January, 2017 in Philippines.
SUNNY LEONE: The Bollywood actress has been
declared PETA’s Person of the Year by the People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for her
commitment for promoting the rescue of homeless dogs
and cats, as well as her compassion for abused animals.
MITHUN CHAKRABORTY: The 66-year-old actor was
in news as he resigned from the Rajya Sabha citing
health issues. He was nominated by West Bengal's
ruling Trinamool Congress.
DONALD TRUMP: US President-elect was named by
Time magazine as its Person of the Year 2016 for his
stunning upset victory in the US Presidential election.
Incidentally, Mr Modi scored 18 per cent of popular
online votes as against only 7 percent won by Trump.

ANEROOD JUGNAUTH: Indian JOHN KEY: New Zealand's

origin Prime Minister of
Mauritius resigned from his post
in favour of his son, Pravind
Jugnauth, who is the Finance
Minister. The President has
approved appointment of
Pravind as the next Prime
Minister of Mauritius.
IRIS MITTENAERE: The French beauty was declared
the new Miss Universe at a glittering pageant held in
Manila, The Philippines.
popular Prime Minister stunned
the nation by announcing his
resignation, after serving eight
years as leader. He quoted
‘personal reasons’ as the ground
for stepping down.
PARK GEUN-HYE: South Korea's President impeached
by the parliament over a corruption scandal, suspending
her powers. Now the country’s Constitutional Court will
have up to 180 days to determine whether to formally
end Park’s presidency or not.

ANJALI LAMA: The Nepalese model has become the first
transgender to walk at the Lakme Fashion Week.
DONALD TRUMP: 70 year old American business
tycoon and television personality took over as the 45th
President of the United States on January 20.
DECEMBER
NARENDRA MODI: Indian Prime
Minister has been ranked 9th among
the top 10 most powerful people in
the world by Forbes. The list is
topped by Russian President
Vladimir Putin for a fourth straight
year.
NAJEEB JUNG: Lt Governor of Delhi was in news as he
tendered his resignation, after a nearly three-and-half-
year tenure, on the plea that he wanted to “return to
academics”.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
MATTEO RENZI: Italy's Prime Minister announced his
stepping down from the office after he lost a referendum
on constitutional reforms.
NOVEMBER
BHARAT RATNA SIR C V RAMAN
The 128th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Bharat
Ratna Sir CV Raman was celebrated on Nov 7. He
explained the phenomenon what makes the sea and
clear sky look blue. This is known as Raman effect for
which he was awarded Nobel prize in 1930.
India celebrates National Science Day every year on
February 28 to mark the discovery of Raman Effect.
ADITYA PURI: CEO of HDFC Bank has been ranked 36th
in the US magazine Fortune's top 50 business persons in
the world list for 2016. He is the only Indian in the list
that is topped by Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg.
RANVEER SINGH: Switzerland Tourism for the first
time has declared the Bollywood actor as the first Indian
ambassador for promoting tourism.
26
KAMALA HARRIS: She is the first black woman elected
to the upper chamber of Congress in USA, in more than
two decades.
PEGGY WHITSON: The veteran NASA astronaut is the
first woman to have commanded the International
Space Station-ISS and also holds the record for the
longest time spent in space by a woman and that of
oldest space woman.
APPOINTMENTS
JANUARY
NATARAJAN CHANDRASEKARAN: CEO and MD of TCS
has been appointed as the new Chairman of Tata Sons.
PROF. DAVID R SYIEMLIEH: Appointed as the
Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC).
ALOK KUMAR VERMA: New Director of the Central
Bureau of Investigation.
RAJESH GOPINATHAN: Appointed as the new CEO of
the Tata Consultancy Services – TCS.
NATARAJAN CHANDRASEKARAN: CEO and MD of TCS
has been appointed as the new Chairman of Tata Sons
PRAVIND JUGNAUTH: Appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Mauritius.
ADAMA BARROW: New President of The Gambia, a
small country in West Africa.
ANTONIO TAJANI: Elected as the new President of the
European Parliament.
BERNARD CAZENEUVE: Appointed as the new prime
minister of France
DANIEL ORTEGA: Elected as the President of
Nicaragua for a third consecutive term.
JOVENEL MOISE: Elected as the President of Haiti.
SORIN GRINDEANU: Appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Romania.
DECEMBER
JUSTICE JAGDISH SINGH KHEHAR: Appointed as the
next (44th) Chief Justice of India, first to become CJI from
the Sikh community.
ANIL BAIJAL: Former union home secretary has
been appointed Delhi's next Lieutenant Governor
Lt. Gen. BIPIN RAWAT: New Chief of the Indian Army
Staff
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Air Marshal BIRENDER SINGH DHANOA: New Chief of
the Indian Air Force
ANIL DHASMANA: New Chief of India’s foreign
intelligence agency - Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
RAJIV JAIN: New Director General of the Intelligence
Bureau, India’s main domestic intelligence agency.
VIRAL V ACHARYA: Appointed as the fourth Deputy
Governor of RBI in place of Dr. Urjit Patel. Presently he
is a professor of economics at New York University.
V G KANNAN: Appointed Chief Executive Officer of the
Indian Banks’ Association (IBA)
O PANNEERSELVAM: Sworn in as new Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu
V K SHARMA: Appointed as the Chairman of the Life
Insurance Corporation (LIC) for five years.
Lt. Gen QAMAR BAJWA: Appointed as the Chief of
Pakistan Army
SULTAN MUHAMMAD V: Installed as the 15th King of
Malaysia
BILL ENGLISH: New Prime Minister of New Zealand
PAOLO GENTILONI: Named as Italy's new Prime
Minister
NANA AKUFO-ADDO: Elected as the new President of
Ghana.
BERNARD CAZENEUVE: New Prime Minister of France
SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV: Elected as the new President
of Uzbekistan
ALEXANDER VAN DER BELLEN: Elected new President
of Austria
ADAMA BARROW: New President of Gambia (West
Africa)
CROWN PRINCE MAHA VAJIRALONGKORN: 64 years
old Prince of Thailand was proclaimed as the new
monarch of Thailand, after the death of his father,
Thailand’s longest reigning monarch. He is the 10th
monarch of the Chakri dynasty that dates back to 1782.
NOVEMBER
PANKAJ R. PATEL: Elected as the President of the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI). He is CMD of Cadila Healthcare.
DONALD TRUMP: Billionaire-turned-politician of
Republican Party has been elected the 45th President of
the United States of America.
GUY RYDER: Re-elected as the Director-General of the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) for another
five-year term.
27
DANIEL ORTEGA: Elected as the President of Nicaragua H.R.H. Princess Maha Literature
for the third time. 13. Chakri Sirindhorn & Thailand
KIM BYONG-JOON: New Prime Minister of South Korea (Foreigner) Education
Literature
MARIANO RAJOY: Prime Minister of Spain &
Late Shri Cho
Education Tamil
14. Ramaswamy
AWARDS & HONOURS (Posthumous)
–
Journalis
Nadu

m
JANUARY PADMA SHRI
PADMA AWARDS 2017 DECLARED Sr.
Name Field State
President of India approved conferment of Padma No
Awards on 89 persons comprising seven Padma 15. Smt. Basanti Bisht Art-Music Uttarakhand
Vibhushans, seven Padma Bhushans and 75 Padma Shri Shri Chemanchery
16. Art-Dance Kerala
awards, of which 19 awardees are women. Kunhiraman Nair
Smt. Aruna
17. Art-Dance Odisha
PADMA VIBHUSHAN Mohanty
Smt. Bharathi
18. Art-Cinema Karnataka
Sr. Vishnuvardhan
Name Field State 19. Shri Sadhu Meher Art-Cinema Odisha
No
1. Shri K J Yesudas Art-Music Kerala 20. Shri T K Murthy Art-Music Tamil Nadu
Others- Shri Laishram
Sadhguru Jaggi 21. Birendrakumar Art-Music Manipur
2. Spiritualis Tamil Nadu
Vasudev Singh
m
Shri Sharad Public Shri Krishna Ram Uttar
3. Maharashtra 22. Art-Music
Pawar Affairs Chaudhary Pradesh
Shri Murli Public 23. Smt. Baoa Devi Art-Painting Bihar
4. Uttar Pradesh 24. Shri Tilak Gitai Art-Painting Rajasthan
Manohar Joshi Affairs
Prof. Udipi Science & Dr. Prof. Aekka Art-
25. Telangana
5. Ramachandra Engineeri Karnataka Yadagiri Rao Sculpture
Rao ng Shri Jitendra
26. Art-Music Odisha
Late Shri Sunder Haripal
Lal Public Madhy8Prade 27. Shri Kailash Kher Art-Music Maharashtra
6.
Patwa (Posthum Affairs sh Smt. Parassala B
28. Art-Music Kerala
ous) Ponnammal
Late Shri PA Smt. Sukri
Public 29. Art-Music Karnataka
7. Sangma Meghalaya Bommagowda
Affairs
(Posthumous) 30. Shri Mukund Nayak Art-Music Jharkhand
Shri Purushottam
31. Art-Music Gujarat
PADMA BHUSHAN Upadhyay
Smt. Anuradha
Sr. 32. Art-Music Maharashtra
Name Field State Paudwal
No. Shri Wareppa Naba
Shri Vishwa Mohan 33. Art-Theatre Manipur
8. Art-Music Rajasthan Nil
Bhatt Shri Tripuraneni
Literature 34. Hanuman Civil Service Telangana
Prof. (Dr.) Devi Prasad Uttar
9. & Chowdary
Dwivedi Pradesh
Education Shri T.K.
Shri Tehemton Maharasht 35. Civil Service Haryana
10. Medicine Viswanathan
Udwadia ra 36. Shri Kanwal Sibal Civil Service Delhi
Others- Shri Birkha
Shri Ratna Sundar Literature &
11. Spirituali Gujarat 37. Bahadur Limboo Sikkim
Maharaj Education
sm Muringla
Swami Niranjana Others- Literature &
12. Bihar 38. Smt. Eli Ahmed Assam
Nanda Saraswati Yoga Education

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 28

 Literature & Shri Chintakindi Science & Andhra
39. Dr. Narendra Kohli Delhi 65.
Education Mallesham Engineering Pradesh
Prof. G. Literature & Shri Jitendra Nath Science &
40. Karnataka 66. Assam
Venkatasubbiah Education Goswami Engineering
Shri Akkitham Shri Daripalli
Literature & 67. Social Work Telangana
41. Achyuthan Kerala Ramaiah
Education
Namboothiri Shri Girish
68. Social Work Karnataka
Shri Kashi Nath Literature & Jammu & Bhardwaj
42.
Pandita Education Kashmir 69. Shri Karimul Hak Social Work West Bengal
Shri Chamu Krishna Literature & 70. Shri Bipin Ganatra Social Work West Bengal
43. Delhi
Shastry Education Smt. Nivedita
Shri Harihar Literature & Uttar 71. Social work Tamil Nadu
Raghunath Bhide
44.
Kripalu Tripathi Education Pradesh Shri Appasaheb
72. Social Work Maharashtra
Literature & Dharmadhikari
45. Shri Michel Danino Tamil Nadu
Education Baba Balbir Singh
Literature & 73. Social Work Punjab
Seechewal
46. Shri Punam Suri Delhi
Education Sports-
74. Shri Virat Kohli Delhi
Literature & Cricket
47. Shri VG Patel Gujarat
Education Sports-
75. Shri Shekar Naik Karnataka
Smt. V Literature & Andhra Cricket
48.
Koteswaramma Education Pradesh Sports-
Literature & 76. Shri Vikasa Gowda Discus Karnataka
49. Shri Balbir Dutt Education- Jharkhand Throw
Journalism Sports-
77. Smt. Deepa Malik Haryana
Literature & Athletics
Smt. Bhawana
50. Education- Maharashtra Shri Mariyappan Sports-
Somaaya 78. Tamil Nadu
Journalism Thangavelu Athletics
Literature & Sports-
51. Shri Vishnu Pandya Education- Gujarat 79. Smt. Dipa Karmakar Tripura
Gymnastics
Journalism Sports-
52. Dr. Subroto Das Medicine Gujarat 80. Shri P R Shreejesh Kerala
Hockey
Dr. (Smt.) Bhakti Madhya Sports-
53. Medicine 81. Smt. Sakshi Malik Haryana
Yadav Pradesh Wrestling
Dr. Mohammed Shri Mohan Reddy
54. Medicine Telangana Trade &
Abdul Waheed 82. Venkatrama Telangana
Dr. Madan Madhav Uttar Industry
55. Medicine Bodanapu
Godbole Pradesh
Shri Imrat Khan
Dr. Devendra 83. Art-Music USA
56. Medicine Gujarat (NRI/PIO)
Dayabhai Patel
Prof. Harkishan Shri Anant Agarwal Literature &
57. Medicine Chandigarh 84. USA
Singh (NRI/PIO) Education
58. Dr. Mukut Minz Medicine Chandigarh Shri H.R. Shah Literature &
Shri Arun Kumar Others- 85. Education- USA
(NRI/PIO)
59. Chhattisgarh Journalism
Sharma Archaeology
Others- Late (Smt.) Suniti
60. Shri Sanjeev Kapoor Maharashtra 86. Solomon Medicine Tamil Nadu
Culinary
(Posthumous)
Smt. Meenakshi Others-
61. Kerala Shri Asoke Kumar
Amma Martial Art Others-
Shri Genabhai Others- 87. Bhattacharyya West Bengal
62. Gujarat Archaeology
Dargabhai Patel Agriculture (Posthumous)
Shri Chandrakant Science & Dr. Mapuskar
63. Telangana 88. Social Work Maharashtra
Pithawa Engineering (Posthumous)
Prof. Ajoy Kumar Science & Smt. Anuradha
64. West Bengal 89. Social Work Nepal
Ray Engineering
Koirala (Foreigner)

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 29

ASHOK CHAKRA: The highest peace time gallantry
award was conferred upon Havildar Hangpan Dada, who
killed four terrorists before laying down his life in
Kupwara on May 26 last year.
Miss Universe 2017 - Final Results
Iris Mittenaere- France
First Runner-Up: Raquel Pelissier (Miss Universe Haiti)
Second Runner-Up: Andrea Tovar (Miss Universe
Colombia)
The Delhi International Airport Limited won the
Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social
Responsibility in the aviation transport sector for the
year 2016.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD for the Best Dramatic
Actress: Priyanka Chopra won this prestigious US
award for her role in the popular TV series Quantico.
62ND FILMFARE AWARDS HELD AT MUMBAI
Best Film: ‘Dangal’ directed by Nitesh Tiwari
Best Actor: Aamir Khan for Dangal
Best Actress: Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab
Best Director: Nitesh Tiwari for Dangal
Lifetime Acheivment: Shatrugan Sinha
AMITABH BACHCHAN: The megastar was honoured by
the US Embassy in appreciation for his invaluable
contributions to the US-India partnership on
tuberculosis.
THE 74TH GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS for cinema and TV
were held in Beverly Hills, California (USA)
Best Motion Picture: Moonlight directed by Barry
Jenkins
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert for Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea
DECEMBER
JNANPITH AWARD – 2016: Eminent modern Bengali
poet Shankha Ghosh. He is an authority on Nobel
Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Instituted in 1961, the award recognises Indian
litterateurs who write in one of the 22 Indian languages
listed in Schedule Eight of the Indian Constitution.
BEST MSME BANK AWARD: bagged by the
Corporation Bank in public sector and by Karnataka
bank in Private sector. The award is given by
ASSOCHAM.
BEST BANK FOR SME LENDING: bagged by the Vijaya
Bank. The award is given by ASSOCHAM.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
SHILP GURU AWARDS: Presented by the President for
outstanding work by the artisans in promoting
traditional handicrafts. The Award carries a gold coin,
two lakh rupees, a Tamarapatra, an Angavastram and a
certificate.
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN's PEACE PRIZE:
Awarded to Kehkashan Basu, a 16-year-old Indian
environmental activist for her fight for climate justice
and combating environmental degradation.
TURNER PRIZE: Britain’s top award for contemporary
art was awarded to multimedia artist Helen Marten of
London.
Miss Supranational 2016: Srinidhi Shetty of India in
Krynica Zdroj, Poland
Miss International 2016: Kylie Verzosa from
Philippines
Miss Earth 2016: Katherine Espin, Ecuador
MISS WORLD 2016: Stephanie del Valle of Puerto Rico
NOVEMBER
WORLD SANSKRIT AWARD: Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,
Princess of Thailand became the first awardee of this
new award given for exemplary contribution for the
promotion of Sanskrit language.
Dr NAGENDRA SINGH INTERNATIONAL PEACE
AWARD: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his
efforts in ensuring world peace.
THE GOLDEN PEACOCK: award for the best film at IFFI
won by the Iranian film "Daughter" directed by Reza
Mirkarimi.
Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in
Journalism are given annually to honour exceptional
work across 28 categories in journalism.
30
THE NEW SHAPE PRIZE: A Swedish investor and
philanthropist, Lrszlu Szombatfalvy, has offered a $5
million prize for the best idea to develop a decision-
making system capable of tackling global challenges
such as extreme poverty, spread of nuclear weapons
and climate change etc.
Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for
Water: Given once in two years by the Saudi Arabia to
recognize the persons for doing excellent work in
solving problems of water crisis.
MAN BOOKER PRIZE: Paul Beatty became the first
American writer to win this prestigious prize for Pound
50,000 for English literature for his novel ‘The Sellout’.
SAKHAROV PRIZE (for human rights): Awarded by
the European Parliament to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji
Bashar, two Yazidi women who were held as sex slaves
by ISIS militants. They have campaigned for human
rights since escaping from ISIS.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
JANUARY
An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by
Shashi Tharoor
The Spy by Paulo Coelho
Jinnah Often Came to Our House by Kiran Doshi. The
book won The Hindu Prize 2016
'Akhada' - biography of former wrestler and coach
Mahavir Singh Phogat on whose life film ‘Dangal’ has
been made.
The People's President: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam by S M
Khan, President’s press secretary
Brothers by Manju Kapur
Immortal by Krishna Udayasankar
Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt by Sarah
Jaffe
Khullam Khulla - Autobiography of Bollywood veteran
Rishi Kapoor
DECEMBER
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J K
Rowling.
Black Water Lilies by Michel Bussi
Many Everests by Ravindra Kumar, an IAS officer of
2011 batch who scaled Mt Everest.
Conflicts of Interest: My Journey through India's Green
Movement by Sunita Narain. She is a noted
environment activist.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Courts of India – Past to Present, a book edited by a
board of the Supreme Court of India. It is a
comprehensive history of courts and judicial system in
India.
NOVEMBER
Death Under The Deodars by Ruskin Bond
The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad by Twinkle Khanna,
Bollywood celebrity.
India Rising: Fresh Hope New Fears by Ravi Vellor
‘An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India’ by
Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP
OBITUARY
JANUARY
OM PURI: Legendary cinema and
theater actor passed away after a
massive heart attack in Mumbai. He
will always be remembered for his
outstanding performance in films
like Ardhsatya, Aakrosh. He also
acted in several Pakistani, British
and Hollywood films.
SURJIT SINGH BARNALA: Former Punjab Chief
Minister and former Governor of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Uttarakhand, passed away at Chandigarh.
He was 91.
NAQSH LYALLPURI: Renowned
Urdu poet and Bollywood lyricist
Jaswant Rai Sharma, known to the
world by his pen name, died at the
age of 89. Some of his best songs
include, Main to har modh par tujh
kodunga sad; Na Jane kya hua, jo
tune chhu liya and Ulfat me zamane
ki har rasm ko thukrao.
MASAYA NAKAMURA: The “Father of Pac-Man”, who
founded the Japanese video game company behind the
hit creature-gobbling game, is no more. Pac-Man, which
had gone on sale in 1980 has been played over 10 billion
times, a Guinness Book record.
AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANJANI: Two times former
Iranian President died at 82. He was an influential figure
in Iranian politics.
ALEXANDER KADAKIN: Russian Ambassador in India,
considered a great friend of India, passed away in New
Delhi after a brief illness.
31
NAT HENTOFF: Famous author, journalist, jazz critic JOHN GLENN: A trailblazing US astronaut, who became
and civil libertarian of USA passed away at 91. He wrote the first American to orbit the Earth and the first senior
regularly for the Village Voice, The New Yorker, The citizen to venture into space, died aged 95.
Washington Post, Down Beat magazine and authored
dozens of books. NOVEMBER
DILEEP PADGAONKAR: A very eminent multifaceted
TONY ATKINSON: Eminent British economist and a
journalist of India passed away at the age of 72 in
noted scholar at the London School of Economics died in
Pune. He was associated with The Times of India as its
Oxford, UK. His research in the field of income
editor.
distribution influenced studies of poverty and inequality
in India. RAM NARESH YADAV: Former Governor of Madhya
Pradesh and ex Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh passed
JOHN BERGER: The Booker-prize-winning British and a away in Lucknow at the age of 89.
revolutionary art critic passed away. His book, Ways of
Lt Gen S K SINHA: Former Governor of Assam and
Seeing, had a considerable effect on how visual art was
Jammu and Kashmir died at the age of 92.
appreciated.
Prof MGK MENON: An acclaimed physicist who played
a prominent role in the development of science and
DECEMBER technology in the country over the last five decades,
died at the age of 88. A former chairman of ISRO, he was
J. JAYALALITHA: The 68-
honoured with Padma Vibhushan.
year old charismatic
AIADMK Chief, Chief M BALAMURALIKRISHNA: Padma Vibhushan awardee
Minister of Tamil Nadu died veteran Carnatic vocalist and musician aged 86, passed
on Dec 5, after prolonged away in Chennai.
illness in Chennai. She held
the office of Chief Minister of FIDEL CASTRO: The legendary communist
Tamil Nadu for record six revolutionary and former President of Cuba died at age
times. She was immensely popular with people who of 90. He led a coup in 1959 to overthrow the regime of
called her “Puratchi Thalaivi”(revolutionary leader) the US-backed former Cuban president Fulgencio
with love. An iconic heroine, she gave more than 80 Batista, and remained hostile to Washington throughout
silver jubilee hits in Tamil. his life.

SUNDARLAL PATWA: BJP veteran, former Union

minister and two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister PLACES IN NEWS
died in Bhopal. He was 92.
JANUARY
SAUMITRA CHAUDHURI: Eminent economist and a
former member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, DHARAMSALA: Himachal Pradesh govt has declared
passed away in New Delhi. that Dharamsala would be the second capital of the
State. The city is important for the lower areas of
SRINIVASA IYER RAMASWAMY: Popularly known as Himachal Pradesh, including Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur
Cho Ramaswamy, political satirist and founder editor of and Una districts.
Thuglak magazine, passed away at the age of 82 due to
cardiac arrest in a Chennai hospital. KARANG: A small island located in fresh water lake
Loktak in Manipur, has become the country’s first
CARRIE FISHER: Popular US actress, best known as Star cashless island.
Wars‘ Princess Leia Organa, died after suffering a heart
attack. She was 60. BENGALURU: The capital of Karnataka has been ranked
number one in a global study conducted by World
GEORGE MICHAEL: Iconic Economic Forum to identify dynamic cities. It is
British pop singer, prolific followed by Ho chi Minh City, Vietnam with Hyderabad
songwriter and music at 5th place.
producer, rated as one of the
world's biggest-selling artists, MAWLYNNONG: a village in Meghalaya has become a
passed away at the young age role model for other states in maintaining cleanliness.
of 53. He was famous for his Termed as Asia’s cleanest village, Mawlynnong has
band Wham! become tourists' hotspot.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 32
PATNA: Capital of Bihar was in news as lakhs of
devotees from all over the world visited Gandhi Maidan
to participate in the grand ‘Prakash Parv’ organised to
celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh
guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh.
QUEBEC: The city in Canada saw at least six killings in a
shooting incident at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre.
DECEMBER
MAJULI: Assam has decided to convert its island
district into India's first ever carbon neutral district by
2020 to fight against climate change and reduce the
emission of greenhouse gases.
CYCLONE VARDAH: It crossed the Chennai coast and
ripped through the city killing over ten persons and
leaving a trail of destruction in the form of uprooted
trees, damaged roof sheets and more.
HAVELOCK ISLAND: Around 1,400 tourists were
stranded in this island and adjoining Neil Island in
Andamans due to cyclonic disturbances. Six ships of the
Indian Navy and two Indian Coast Guard ships were
deputed to rescue all the tourists safely.
KOLKATA: Capital of West Bengal has been listed in the
top 10 best cities of 2016 in world in recognition of its
inspiring and innovative programme with regard
to solid waste management.
AKODARA: Village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat
has earned the title of becoming first digital village in
India. The village, which sustains a total population of
1191 people, uses various cashless systems for all
payments of goods and services.
NAGROTA: A group of heavily-armed terrorists in police
uniform stormed an army unit in Nagrota, near Jammu
city on Nov 29, triggering an intense gunbattle that
lasted for several hours. Seven army personnel,
including two officers, were killed in the attack that
killed three terrorists.
NADA: Name of the cyclone that caused widespread
heavy rains in coastal Tamil Nadu.
PEARL HARBOR: The USA observed the 75th
anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii that claimed more than 2,400 American lives.
About 20 US vessels were sunk or damaged and over
300 US aircrafts were damaged or destroyed when over
350 Japanese warplanes launched attacks stealthily on
Dec 7, 1941.
PIDIE JAYA: Meureudu, a small town in Pidie Jaya Aceh
province in Indonesia was struck with a powerful earth
quake claiming around 100 lives.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
NOVEMBER
PUKHRAYAN: Place near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh was in
news as over 145 passengers were killed and more than
180 persons were injured there as the 14 bogies of the
Indore-Patna Express derailed in a major train mishap.
SENDAI: A powerful earthquake rocked Sendai in
northern Japan, generating a tsunami that hit the same
region devastated by a massive quake, tsunami and
nuclear disaster in 2011.
SPORTS WORLD
JANUARY
INDIAN
PV Sindhu: The Olympic silver medallist won her
maiden women's singles crown at the Syed Modi Grand
Prix Gold badminton tournament in Lucknow. She
defeated Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska in the summit
clash
Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman in the world to
score 1,000 runs as captain in One-Day Internationals
(ODIs), playing against England at the Eden Gardens,
Kolkata.
Saina Nehwal defeated Pornpawee Chochuwong of
Thailand to win the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold
final in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Sania Mirza alongwith American Bethanie Mattek-
Sands won the Brisbane International women's doubles
title in Australia.
Virat Kohli, the young dynamic batsman has been
selected to lead Indian cricket team in all three formats
– test match, ODI and T-20.
M S DHONI: Iconic cricketer and one of the most
successful Indian captains shocked his fans and admires
by announcing his retirement from the captaincy of ODI
and T20 format.
Cricket icon Kapil Dev was inducted into Legends Club
'Hall of Fame' in Mumbai.
Shreyas Mehta: India Under-13 squash player won the
prestigious Scottish Junior Open title in Edinburg,
Scotland.
33
FORMER CAG VINOD RAI TO STEER BCCI: The
Supreme Court has appointed the former Comptroller
and Auditor General Vinod Rai to head the 4-member
panel of administrators for the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI). The others on the panel include
cricket historian Ramchandra Guha, former Indian
women cricket captain Diana Aduljee and IDFC
Managing Director and CEO Vikram Limaye.
Irani Trophy (cricket): Rest of India clinched recent
Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat in Mumbai.
All India Football Federation launched the first ever
Women’s Professional League, to be played in New
Delhi.
Pro Wrestling League: Punjab Royals won the title by
defeating Haryana Hammers in New Delhi.
Premier Badminton League: Chennai
Smashers defeated Mumbai Rockets at the Siri Fort
Complex, New Delhi, to win the tournament.
Ranji Trophy: Gujarat won this national trophy for the
first time, beating Mumbai in the final at Indore, Madhya
Pradesh.
Khelo India National level Sports Competitions were
held in New Delhi. Around one thousand participants
from over 25 states took part.
INTERNATIONAL
Roger Federer: The Swiss star annexed his 18th Grand
Slam trophy in the Men's Singles of Australian Open in
Melbourne. He defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain to claim
the title. Federer also became the second-oldest winner
of a Grand Slam tournament after the Australian player
Ken Rosewall.
Serena Williams: Sarena Williams Beats Venus
Williams to Win Her 7th Australian Open Title.
Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain won the men’s singles
title of the 2017 Chennai Open Tennis Championship.
Abbu Ammaz, an eight-year old boy from Jammu and
Kashmir's Rajouri won gold medal in National level
Thaiboxing Championship.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Qatar Open tennis
title in Doha, defeating Andy Murray of UK.
International Football body FIFA has decided to expand
the World Cup Tournament to 48 teams from its current
32. The change will be effected from the 2026
tournament.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Cristiano Ronaldo was named the World's Best Player
at the Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich, Switzerland.
SAFF Women’s Football Championship: India
defeated Bangladesh in Siliguri, WB, to win the cup for
the fourth consecutive time.
Li Xiaoxia, China's table tennis Olympic champion has
announced her retirement.
Lionel Messi, iconic Football player from Argentina has
been named as the World’s Best Playmaker for the year
2016 by the International Federation of Football History
& Statistics (IFFHS).
USAIN BOLT LOOSES A GOLD MEDAL: Jamaican men’s
4x100m relay team has been stripped of the gold medal
won in Rio Olympics as their team mate Nesta Carter
failed the dope test. As a result, Usain Bolt, another
member of the team, also lost a gold medal, thereby
spoiling his haul of triple gold in three consecutive
Olympics.
SPECIAL STAMP ON 3 OLYMPIAN SPORTS GIRLS
The Indian postal department released a special stamp
cover titled Golden girls of India – Pride of Nation. The
special cover feature the 2016 Olympic medalists
gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shuttler PV Sindhu and
wrestler Sakshi Malik, all three winner of nation’s
highest sports award Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2016.
DECEMBER
Pankaj Advani, ace Indian cueist won his 11th World
Billiards (150-Up format) Championship title after
defeating world champion Peter Gilchrist of Singapore
in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
He also won the bronze medal at the IBSF World
Snooker Championship in Doha, UAE and the National
title in 6-red Snooker championship held in Mumbai.
Arjun Bhati, a 12 year old school boy from Noida won
the Kids Golf World Championship in Malaysia, beating
golfers from 21 countries.
Anmol Jain, 18 year old boy from Haryana shocked the
senior Olympians by winning the men’s 10m air pistol
event in the National Shooting Championship held in
Pune. Satyendra Singh of Indian Army clinched the gold
medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Yuki Bhambri won the $10000 ITF Hong Kong F4
Futures Tennis Cup in Hong Kong.
Smriti Mandhana has become the first Indian
batswoman to figure in the ICC’s Women’s team of the
year.
34
Iqbal Sayed of Mumbai won the silver medal in the
Classic Bodybuilding category in Olympia Amateur Asia
Contest in Hong Kong.
Mukesh Kumar became the oldest golfer (51 years) to
win an Asian Tour title by winning Panasonic Open Golf
Championship in New Delhi.
Hashim Mansoor, seven-year-old primary school
student from Bandipora, J&K won the gold medal at the
Asian Youth Karate Championship in New Delhi.
Shiva Keshavan of India clinched a gold medal at the
Asian Luge Championships in Nagano, Japan.
L Y Suhas, Uttar Pradesh-based IAS officer won the
Asian Para-Badminton Championships in Beijing.
P V Sindhu won the Badminton World Federation’s
Most Improved Player of the Year award
Virat Kohli became first Indian and fifth batsman in
world to score three double centuries consecutively in
one calendar year. The record was made playing test
match against England in Mumbai.
Ravichandran Ashwin has become the third Indian
player ever to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after
being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and also the
ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have
made it a rare instance of two Indian bowlers topping
the ICC Test rankings.
Karun Nair has become the second Indian player after
Virender Sehwag to hit triple century in test cricket. He
made 303 run, not out, playing against England in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Vijender Singh knocked out
former world champion Francis
Cheka to retain WBO-Asia Pacific
Super Middleweight title in a
challenging fight in New Delhi.
Indian boys defeated Sri Lanka to lift the Asian Cricket
Council’s Under-19 Asia Cup title in Colombo.
India won the five-match test series against England
in a clean sweep of 4-0. The first match ended in draw.
Virat Kohli was declared ‘man of the series’ with a total
of 655 runs.
Atletico De Kolkata Football team won the Indian
Super League football tournament after defeating Kerala
Blasters in Kochi, Kerala.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Junior World Cup Hockey – Indian boys won the cup
after a gap of 15 years by beating Belgium in the finals
played in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Asia Cup Twenty-20 tournament: Indian Women's
team lead by Mithali Raj defeated arch-rivals Pakistan
by 17 runs in the final played at Bangkok.
The Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian
company to sign up as a national supporter for the FIFA
Under-17 World Cup India to be held in October, 2017
AIBA (Amateur International Boxing Association) has
granted full membership to the recently-formed Boxing
Federation of India.
Gujarat Cricket Association plans to make Sardar Patel
Cricket Stadium in Motera, Ahmadabad as the world’s
biggest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity for
1,10,000 spectators.
The 2022 National Games will be hosted by
Meghalaya.
YOGA DELISTED AS SPORTS
Union Sports Ministry has decided that from January 1,
2017, yoga will no longer be a sports discipline. The
Health Ministry’s department of AYUSH will take charge
of yoga and it will be performed purely for recreational
purpose from January 1, 2017.
IAAF ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Men: Sprint king Usain Bolt of Jamaica
Women: Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, 10,000m world
record holder
IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations
INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION
DECLARES WORLD CHAMPIONS 2016
Men: Andy Murray of Britain
Women: Angelique Kerber of Germany
BBC Sports Personality of the Year-2016: Andy
Murray, the first British Tennis player to get this award.
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan won the Hero World
Challenge Golf Championship in Nassau, Bahamas.
Cristiano Ronaldo, (of Portugal)forward player of Real
Madrid Club, Spain, won the prestigious Ballon d'Or
award, 2016 for a fourth time.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the World Chess
Championship for the third consecutive time after
defeating challenger Sergey Karjakin of Russia.
2016 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup won by
Argentina by defeating Netherland in Santiago, Chile.
35
PLANE CRASH KILLS FOOTBALL TEAM
A chartered plane of Lamia airlines, carrying a Brazilian
first division football team crashed near Medellin,
Colombia, killing 71 people. The Chapecoense team from
southern Brazil was going to play a match in Medellin,
Colombia.
NOVEMBER
Aditi Ashok scripted history becoming the first Indian
woman to win a Ladies European Tour title by clinching
the Hero Women's Indian Open at Gurugram, Haryana.
She also won the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open Golf Cup
in Doha.
Sachin Singh became the third Indian boxer ever to bag
gold at the AIBA Youth World Championships.
Pratul Joshi won the men’s singles title of the Bahrain
International Challenge badminton tournament.
Gaganjeet Bhullar won the BANK BRI-JCB Indonesia
Open Golf Championship in Jakarta.
P V Sindhu clinched the Super Series Premier title at
China Open after edging out Sun Yu of China in the final
in Fuzhou, China.
Eight-year-old Tajamul Islam scripted history at the
World Kickboxing Championship in Italy, becoming first
ever Indian to win gold medal in the sub-junior
category.
Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia clinched the $1 million
(Rs. 6.8 crore) Resorts World Manila Masters in the
Philippines, his first ever Asian Tour title outside India.
International Master Padmini Rout won the National
Women Premier Chess Championship for the third time
in a row.
Sania Mirza ended the current season as world's top
doubles Tennis player for the second straight year.
M C Mary Kom, five time world champion and Olympics
bronze winner Indian boxer was honoured with the
'Legends Award' by the International Boxing
Association (AIBA)
Narinder Batra has become the first Indian to be
elected the President of the International Hockey
Federation.
Indian women’s team defeated Sri Lanka to win the
gold at the World carrom championship in Birmingham
(UK). Indian men’s team won silver, beaten to gold by
Sri Lanka.
Indian wushu team won five medals, including four
silver and one bronze, in the 8th Sanda World Cup held
at Xian, China.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Indian Roller Skaters team claimed their first ever
International medal by securing the bronze medal in the
3000m team relay event in Lishui, China.
Men's Asian Champions (Hockey) Trophy: India
lifted the trophy by defeating Pakistan in the finals
played at Kuantan, Malaysia.
Asian Champions Trophy (women): The Indian
hockey team lifted the trophy by a win over China in
Singapore.
The U-17 FIFA World Cup will be held in India next
year, from October 6 to 28 in 2017. India will host a
FIFA-accredited football tournament for the first time.
DHONI RANKS 10TH IN BRAND VALUE
The annual Forbes Fab 40 list, which estimates the
brand value of top sports labels, athletes, teams and
events, reveals that Dhoni’s brand value stood at $11
million this year, placing him at 10th rank in world and
at the top in India. (first rank in the world is held by
Roger Federer, Lawn Tennis)
Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix and also the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico
City, besides winning the Brazilian Grand Prix Formula
1 championship.
Andy Murray of Britain won the ATP World Tour
Finals in London after beating Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
He attained the world number one ranking in Tennis for
the first time, replacing Djokovic.
Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated Angelique
Kerber of Germany to win the WTA Finals played in
Singapore.
Manny Pacquiao of Philippines reclaimed the WBO
welterweight title for the third time in Las Vegas, USA
by beating Jesse Vargas of USA.
WTA Elite Singles Trophy: Czech Republic’s Petra
Kvitova won the trophy by defeating Elina Svitolina of
Ukraine in Zhuhai, China.
Argentina won the Davis Cup (tennis) beating Croatia
in the finals in Zagreb, Croatia.
36

DAYS & DATES
JANUARY
JANUARY 4: WORLD BRAILLE DAY
Observed across the world to commemorate the birth
anniversary of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille
language for the blind persons. The Braille language is
based on the patterns of raised dots on paper.
JANUARY 9: PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS
Observed every year to commemorate the return of
Mahatma Gandhi as a Pravasi from South Africa to India
in 1915. Ministry of External Affairs holds a 3 day PBD
convention every year on this occasion to engage the
Central and state governments with the Overseas Indian
Community.
JANUARY 12: NATIONAL YOUTH DAY
Observed annually to commemorate the birth day of
Swami Vivekananda. The 21st National Youth Festival
was held in Rohtak. The theme of this year’s Festival is
‘Youth for Digital India’.
JANUARY 10: WORLD HINDI DAY
Ministry of External Affairs celebrates this day through
its missions/posts abroad and the Department of
Official Language (Rajbhasha) to conduct special events
to spread the greatness of the Hindi language. Pl note
that National Hindi Day is observed every year on
September 14.
JANUARY 15: INDIAN ARMY DAY
The day marks the taking over of the charge of Indian
Army by the first Indian Commander-in-Chief, Field
Marshal K M Cariappa, in 1948.
JANUARY 24: NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY
Celebrated every year with the objective of raising
consciousness of the society towards the girl child so
that she can be valued and respected.
JANUARY 25: NATIONAL VOTERS’ DAY
Celebrated every year across the country for enhanced
participation of citizens in the electoral process. It is
also the foundation day of the Election Commission,
which came into being on this day in 1950.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
JANUARY 30: ANTI LEPROSY DAY
This day is observed to commemorate Mahatma
Gandhi’s death anniversary, who attained martyrdom
on this day in 1948, to remember his selfless efforts and
care for the people affected with leprosy. Leprosy is a
chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium
leprae, which usually affects the skin and peripheral
nerves.
DECEMBER
DECEMBER 03: National Pollution Control Day
Observed every year to make the people and industries
aware about the need of Pollution Control Acts.
Thousands of human beings lost their lives on this day
in 1984 due to the Bhopal gas tragedy.
DECEMBER 04: Indian Navy Day
Observed every year to celebrate the achievements of
the naval force. On this day in 1971 Indo-Pak war;
Indian Navy played a significant role in the bombing of
the Karachi harbor.
DECEMBER 05: The World Soil Day
Supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation,
this day is observed to promote and preserve the quality
of soil around the world. The theme for this year is
“Soils and pulses, a symbiosis for life”.
DECEMBER 07: Armed Forces Flag Day
Celebrated all over India every year to collect the funds
from people all around the country for the wellbeing of
the staff of the Indian Armed Forces.
DECEMBER 09: International Anti-Corruption Day
Observed every year with UN support to raise
awareness about corruption and means to combat and
prevent it. Theme for this year is “United against
corruption for development, peace and security”.
DECEMBER 10: Human Rights Day
Celebrated every year to commemorate the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of
the United Nations. The slogan of this year is ‘stand up
for someone's rights today’.
37
DECEMBER 16: Vijay Diwas
Celebrated every year to commemorate India’s historic
victory over Pakistan in 1971 war. The swift and
professionally planned operations executed by the
Indian Armed Forces led to one of the greatest military
victories recorded in the annals of world history.
DECEMBER 20: International Human Solidarity Day
Observed every year supported by UNO to celebrate
unity in diversity of human beings with the aim of lifting
people out of poverty, hunger and disease.
DECEMBER 24: National Consumer Day
On this day, the Consumer
Protection Act, 1986 had received
the assent of the President. The
Day is observed to promote the
national consumer movement and
to highlight awareness about the
basic rights of all consumers.
DECEMBER 23: Kisan Diwas
Observed every year to celebrate the birth anniversary
of the country’s fifth prime minister and kisan leader,
Ch. Charan Singh.
DECEMBER 25: Good Governance Day
Observed to mark the birthday of former Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Government has launched Good
Governance campaign for 100 days to popularize
highlights of the government's key initiatives to improve
delivery systems, digital transformation in all sectors.
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 5: World Tsunami Awareness Day
Observed across the world to spread awareness about
the dangers of tsunami and measures to avert and
minimize the damages by tsunami. The theme for the
year is Effective Education and Evacuation Drills.
NOVEMBER 12: Public Service Broadcasting Day
On this day, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi
visited the studio of All India Radio, Delhi to address the
nation for the first and the last time in 1947.
NOVEMBER 12: World Pneumonia Day
Observed across the world to raise awareness about
pneumonia, promote interventions to protect against,
prevent and treat pneumonia. It is world’s leading killer
of children under the age of five. This year’s theme is,
"Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia Now".
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
NOVEMBER 14: World Diabetes Day
Supported by WHO, International Diabetes Federation
observes this day globally to spread the awareness
about fighting the menace of diabetes. This year’s theme
is ‘Eyes on Diabetes’.
NOVEMBER 20: Universal Children’s Day
Supported by the United Nations, it is celebrated every
year to promote international togetherness, awareness
among children worldwide, and improving children's
welfare.
NOVEMBER 26: The Constitution Day
It was on this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly
adopted the Constitution, though it came into force a
year later.
NOVEMBER 26: The National Milk Day
Observed across India to mark 95th birth anniversary of
Dr Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution.
OCTOBER
OCTOBER 3: The World Habitat Day
It is observed to raise awareness about the need for
affordable housing for all in urban areas, towns and
cities. The theme this year is ‘Housing at the Centre’.
OCTOBER 5: World Teachers’ Day
It is observed across the world to support and
popularize teachers’ organizations to ensure their in
educating the children. The theme for this year is
“Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status”.
OCTOBER 8: Air Force Day
Celebrated every year on the occasion of raising day of
Indian Air Force. This year it is their 84th anniversary.
OCTOBER 10 - World day Against the Death Penalty
Observed around the world to fight against the death
penalty and to abolish the capital punishment. This
year’s theme is 'The Death Penalty does not stop drug
crimes'.
OCTOBER 10-World Mental Health Day:
The day is observed to raise awareness about mental
health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in
support of mental health.
The theme for this year is - Psychological First Aid.
OCTOBER 11: International Day of the Girl Child
Observed around the world to promote the rights of
girls and address the unique challenges they face. The
theme for this year is action for increased investment in
collecting and analyzing girl-focused, girl-relevant and
sex-disaggregated data.
38
 OCTOBER 24: United Nations Day
It marks the anniversary of the foundation day of the
UNO. On this day in 1945, the UN Charter came in to
force.
October 28: The National Ayurveda Day
The Ministry of AYUSH launched ‘Mission Madhumeha’
to start National Treatment Protocol for effective
management of Diabetes through Ayurveda.
October 31: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
It is observed to mark of the birth anniversary of Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel. The theme this year is Integration of
India. It is also the death anniversary of Smt Indira
Gandhi.
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED
FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES.

OCTOBER 13 (Second Thursday): World Sight Day

Observed across the world on second Saturday of
October to spread awareness on blindness and vision
impairment. This year’s theme is Stronger Together.

OCTOBER 14: World Standards Day

Observed worldwide to create awareness about
following prescribed international standards for various
products and services in our day to day life. The theme
for this year is “Standards Build Trust".

OCTOBER 15: World Student Day

Observed annually supported by the UNO to
commemorate the birthday of great scientist and
revered teacher, Bharat Ratna Dr. Abdul Kalam to salute
his unparalleled passion and love for students and
teaching.

OCTOBER 16: World Food Day

Observed across the world with the theme this year -
Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too.
It is the founding day of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945.

OCTOBER 17: International Day for the Eradication

of Poverty
Observed each year since 1993, supported by the UNO.
This year's theme is Moving from humiliation and
exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms.

OCTOBER 21: Police Commemoration Day

It is celebrated every year to honour the sacrifices of ten
policemen while defending the borders with China in
1959.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 39
 Shining Stars of Gyanm

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 40

 Bullet News
(AUGUST – OCTOBER 2016)
For details visit – www.gyanm.in
NATIONAL NEWS
OCTOBER
 The two-day BRICS Summit was held in Benaulim,
Goa on Oct 15-16. The group agreed to cooperate in
controlling the trans-border terrorism.
 The BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation) meeting was held in Goa.
 Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Nigeria and
Mali and held wide-ranging discussions with the
leadership of both the countries.
 India's ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing
Business survey improved by just one notch to
130th in 2017 from 131st rank last year,
 The State Counselor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi
arrived in India on a four day visit to attend the
BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit in Goa.
 Vice President Hamid Ansari visited Hungary and
Algeria to discuss bilateral cooperation in trade and
combating terrorism.
 India climbed steep 16 places to the 39th rank on
the Global Competitiveness Index prepared by the
World Economic Forum.
 India slipped to 97th rank amongst 118 countries on
the Global Hunger Index compiled by the
International Food Policy Research Institute.
 Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe
visited India. The two countries agreed to enhance
cooperation in fighting terrorism.
 Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong
arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India.
 The first BRICS Trade Fair and Exhibition was held
in New Delhi to exhibit the advances made in
industrial development by BRICS nations.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 A 10-day 'Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav' was held at
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New
Delhi from Oct 15 to 24.
 The first National Tribal Carnival was held in New
Delhi to promote a sense of inclusiveness amongst
the tribals and to showcase their culture.
 The first ever International Conference on Voter
Education was held in New Delhi, hosted by the
Election Commission of India.
 India donated Rs. 9.3 million to the Nelson Mandela
Foundation to help it in its welfare work for the
people of South Africa.
 The UNO has selected north-eastern region of India
for setting up second global university to facilitate
study on resolution of conflicts and other subjects.
SEPTEMBER
 Prime Minister Modi visited Vietnam on Sep 3 to
deepen ties in key areas of defence, security and
trade, and ramping up India's engagement in oil
exploration.
 Mr Modi visited Hangzhou, China to attend the
annual summit of powerful G-20 group.
 The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has been
ranked best university in India by the Times Higher
Education World University Rankings.
 Supreme Court struck down the acquisition of land
in West Bengal's Singur in 2006 for Tata’s Nano car
project and called it bad in law, intent and
execution.
 Department of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of
Agriculture has declared India free from the avian
influenza (H5N1) or bird flu.
 All India Radio has launched a multimedia website
and a mobile application of its Baluchi services.
 President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi visited
India. The two countries agreed to enhance
41
 cooperation in defence and signed a MoU on
maritime transport.
 Vice President Hamid Ansari attended the 17th NAM
Summit (Non Aligned Movement) held at Margarita
Island, Venezuela.
 Nepal’s newly elected Prime Minister Mr. Pushpa
Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ made his first visit to India
after he assumed office for the 2nd term.
 Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani visited
India. India pledged one billion dollar support for
various development projects in Afghanistan.
 Third BRICS Urbanisation Forum Meet was held in
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, from Sep 14 to 16.
 The first BRICS Wellness Workshop was held
Bengaluru, Karnataka on Sep 11.
 The two day “BRICS Convention on Tourism” was
held at world heritage site Khajuraho in Madhya
Pradesh.
 The 2-day Indo-US Economic Summit was held in
New Delhi on September 13-14.
 The National Security Advisors of Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa (BRICS) held a meet in
New Delhi.
 The UN Charter, the seminal treaty of the UNO has
now been translated into Sanskrit by the Lucknow-
based Akhila Bharatiya Sanskrit Parishad.
 India has signed a MoU with Greece to allow
unlimited number of flights into each other’s
countries.
 The Supreme Court has directed all States and UTs
to upload the FIRs on their websites within 24
hours of registration at police stations.
 The India Post has released a commemorative
stamp to honour the Mother Teresa’s
canonization (grant of sainthood).
 India has decided to ratify the Paris Climate Change
agreement on October 2, 2016.
 India’s premier scientific research body Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research-CSIR celebrated
its platinum jubilee.
 Address of Indian Prime Minister’s official residence
in New Delhi has been renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg
from Race Course Road at present.
 Visaranai, the Tamil film chosen as India’s official
entry for Best Foreign Language film at the
89th Academy Awards (Oscars), 2017.
 A three-day International Sikh Conclave was held in
Patna from September 22-24.
AUGUST
 U Htin Kyaw, President of Myanmar came to India
on a four-day visit to step up overall bilateral
engagements.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 A study by the New World Wealth, India with a total
individuals wealth of $5,600 billion was ranked 7th,
ahead of Canada ($4,700 billion).
 The Alibaba Group of China has launched the
‘Mission Million Books’ to collect textbooks etc from
public for distributing the same to the
underprivileged.
 As per the Global Innovation Index, India has
improved its ranking to 66 this year from 81 in
2015. The index is topped by Switzerland followed
by Sweden.
 Musician Rahman performed at the UN General
Assembly hall, the renditions of Indian Carnatic
legend M S Subbulakshmi’s music.
 The Finance Ministry has accepted the proposal to
merge the Railway Budget with the Union Budget,
from 2017-18 fiscal.
 Government plans to avoid use of pellet guns in J&K
due to their damaging lethal effect and instead use
the “PAVA” munition.
 PAVA or Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide is an organic
compound found in natural chilli pepper
 Govt has allowed the more facilities to Long Term
Visa holders of minority communities of
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
 They can now open bank account, purchase
property for self occupation, can have driving
licence, PAN card and Aadhar number.
 The World Risk Report to assess the risk of natural
disasters in 171 countries has placed India at
77th rank in the World Risk Index.
 Tourism Ministry has decided that it will make
Prime Minister Narendra Modi the face of the
Incredible India campaign.
 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017 will be held in
Bengaluru in Jan, 2017.
42
 First BRICS film festival will be held in New Delhi
from Sept. 2 to 6.
 A two-day meeting of BRICS women
parliamentarian's forum was held in Jaipur.
 India has provided $ 1 million grant to Zimbabwe to
fight the drought disaster in the country.
 The United States Postal Service (USPS) on 23
August 2016 announced to commemorate the
joyous Hindu festival of Diwali with the launch
of Forever stamp.
NEWS FROM STATES
OCTOBER
 Jharkhand becomes first state to implement Direct
Benefit Transfer in Kerosene for crediting subsidy
into beneficiary’s account.
 Telangana, the youngest state of India, has added 21
more districts in its administrative map, hiking the
total number of districts to 31.
SEPTEMBER
 People of Kerala celebrated with vigor their harvest
festival Onam on Sep. 14. It is famous for its ‘Pulikali
(tiger) dance.
 Supreme Court has directed Karnataka to release
6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil
Nadu to save its Samba (paddy) crops.
 Rajasthan became the first state to adopt the
Centre's Street Lighting National Programme
(SLNP) for using LED street lights in all its cities.
 As per the ‘Swachh Survekshan’, Mandi, Himachal
Pradesh (hilly) and Sindhudurg, Maharashtra
(plaines) were declared as the cleanest districts in
India.
 As per the National Sample Survey Office on the
condition of sanitation in rural areas in states,
Sikkim has been adjudged the cleanest state.
 Asia’s biggest digital library dedicated to the
memory of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, was opened in
National Institute of Technology, Silchar, Assam.
 World Bank has agreed to provide nearly 1,000
crore rupees support to Assam for the betterment of
the inland waterways.
AUGUST
 States of Odisha and Chhattisgarh have entered in to
a serious dispute over the issue of sharing of waters
of the river Mahanadi.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 Odisha has complained that Chhattisgarh is drawing
excessive waters from the river, affecting adversely
the interests of farmers in Odisha.
 The Sawai Madhopur railway station in eastern
Rajasthan has won the National Tourism Award for
the ‘Best Tourist-Friendly Railway Station’.
 It is the gateway to the renowned Ranthambore
National Park, famous for tigers.
 The Maharashtra government, for the first time, has
deployed drones to check rampant lane-cutting and
overspeeding on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
 Andhra Pradesh has become first Indian state to
launch the DNA Index System for DNA profiling of
criminals.
 Kolkata Akashvani Kendra has started a special
Bangla service named Moitree Service, for listeners
in Bangladesh.
 The first ever BIO-CNG project in India was
inaugurated in Pune, Maharashtra.
 Odisha government rescued about 1051 missing
children and united them with their parents by
launching the ‘Operation Muskaan’.
 West Bengal state cabinet has adopted a resolution
to rename the state as ‘Bengal’. The change,
however, has to be approved by the Parliament.
 Rajasthan has become the first state in the country
to approve sewage and wastewater policy to ensure
proper treatment of urban waste water for making
it fit for irrigation.
 In one of the worst animal tragedies, over 221 hog
deer and 21 one-horned rhinos lost their lives in
Kaziranga National Park due to floods in Assam.
GOVT INITIATIVES
OCTOBER
 Govt has launched UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam
Naagrik) scheme under which fares will be capped
at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights.
 Union Cabinet has approved opening of the 20th IIM
(Indian Institute of Management) in Jammu.
SEPTEMBER
 Union Cabinet approved the laying down a
dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC)
between Chennai and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
 Govt released the third list of smart cities
comprising of 27 cities from 12 states, bringing total
number of smart cities so far selected to 60.
43
 Each selected city will get a funding of Rs 200 crore
in first year and of Rs. 100 crore each in next three
years.
 Govt to grant Permanent Residency Status for 10
years to foreign investors (except Pakistani) who
bring in at least Rs. 10 crore investments for
business.
 The Cabinet has cleared merger of Railway Budget
with General Budget, ending the 92-year long
journey of separate budget for Railways.
 The Centre has notified the Bharat Stage (BS)-VI
emission standards for two-wheelers and four-
wheelers to be applicable from April 2020.
 The government has launched a new service
through which vehicle owners can access their
driving license and registration certificate digitally.
 Govt has launched a dedicated pan-India helpline
named ‘Urja Mitra’ with dedicated phone number
14401 for getting update on power outages.
 National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing
Innovations (NIDHI) launched for nurturing ideas
and innovation into successful start ups.
 The Railways has launched ‘Yatri Mitra Seva’ to
provide wheelchair-cum-porter services for the
disabled, elderly and ailing passengers.
 Govt has launched ‘Gas4India’ campaign for
promoting the use of gas in the country.
 Toll free number 1924 to register postal complaints.
Efforts would be made to resolve the
complaints within 24 hours.
AUGUST
 Govt has launched Accessible E-Library 'Sugamya
Pustakalaya' for Divyang under the Accessible India
Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan).
 The Union Cabinet cleared the draft Surrogacy Bill
2016, aimed at proper regulation of surrogacy in
the country.
 The Parliament passed the Institutes of Technology
(Amendment) Bill, 2016 to open way for
establishment of six new IITs.
 The new IITs will be opened in Palakkad (Kerala),
Goa, Dharwad (Karnataka), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh),
Jammu, and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh).
 The Medical Council of India launched the Digital
Mission Mode Project to monitor attendance of
faculty in medical colleges through biometric
system.
 Govt has launched ‘POCSO e-box’, an online
platform where a child victim of sexual abuse can
report the case online.
 POCSO: Protection of Children from Sexual Offences
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 The government has allowed online authentication
(e-KYC) for new mobile connections by using
Aadhar number.
 To enhance transparency in power transmission
sector, govt has launched the ‘TARANG’ Mobile App.
 TARANG: ‘Transmission App for Real Time
Monitoring & Growth (of transmission projects)’.
 A web portal named ‘e-Trans’ was launched online
bidding power transmission projects.
 A web portal named DEEP (Discovery of Efficient
Electricity Price) launched for e-bidding of power
tariffs.
 A first-of-its-kind touch and feel garden of various
herbal and aromatic plants in the country has been
opened for the visually impaired people.
 It is in Calicut University, Kerala. The visitors can
listen to complete details about the plant by using a
special audio device installed with every plant.
 For the first time, civilian victims of cross border
firing along the Indo-Pak border will be given a
compensation of Rs. 5 lakh same as terrorism or
Naxal victims.
 Union Cabinet has approved the amendments made
to the Maternity Benefits Act which aims to raise
maternity leave for women from 12 weeks to 26
weeks.
 Government has launched a nation-wide
programme MAA – ‘Mothers’ Absolute Affection’ for
promoting optimal breastfeeding practices.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
OCTOBER
 A World Bank report says that India’s GDP growth
will remain strong at 7.6 per cent in 2016 and 7.7
per cent in 2017, supported by expectations of a
rebound in agriculture and civil service pay reforms
supporting consumption.
44
 SEPTEMBER
 The RBI, in its Annual Report, has projected India's
growth rate at 7.6% in 2016-17, up from 7.2% in
last year.
AUGUST
 Goldman Sachs has projected that Indian economy
is expected to clock 7.9% growth in the current
fiscal driven by better monsoon.
ECONOMY
OCTOBER
 Litopenaeus vannamei, the white-leg prawn is
forming roughly 80% of the country’s
shrimp/prawn exports and 46% of all marine
exports.
 India has decided to destroy the most dangerous of
all greenhouse gases, called HFC-23 to minimize the
effect of global warming.
 Indian Oil Corp to lay the nation's longest LPG
pipeline- running 1987 kms from Kandla in Gujarat
to Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh
 Ashok Leyland has launched India’s first fully
electric bus made in India, named Circuit.
 Russia's Rosneft Oil Company has acquired India’s
2nd biggest private oil and natural gas company
Essar Oil in an all-cash deal valued at about $13
billion.
 Govt allows the Haldia Petrochemicals, West Bengal
for fuel retailing, becoming the 8th player to enter
the petroleum products business.
 World Bank has agreed to provide $ 650-million
loan for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
extending from Ludhiana to Kolkata.
 The Government has allowed British Petroleum,
Europe's third-biggest oil company, to set up 3,500
petrol pumps in India.
 Govt has decided to sell subsidized pulses through
authorized Post Offices. The pulses will be sold in
one kg pre packed packets.
SEPTEMBER
 The GST Council has fixed the annual turnover limit
for exemption from GST at Rs 20 lakh. The limit for
North East states will be Rs 10 lakh
 Cabinet approved the formation of the GST Council,
headed by the Finance Minister. State Finance
Ministers will be its members.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 India secured 35th rank in the World Bank’s
Logistics Performance Index 2016 that measures
countries across six trade handling related
components.
 Railways has launched Flexi Fare System under
which Rajdhani, Shatadbi and Duronto trains will
have to pay between 10 to 50% more
 Uber has joined hands with Maruti Suzuki and
National Skill Development Corporation to provide
livelihood to one million people by 2018.
 Maruti will facilitate training of drivers in tie up
with NSDC and Uber will facilitate funding of

vehicles.
Amazon has tied up with director-producer Karan
Johar’s Dharma Productions to stream both new
and old titles on Amazon Prime Video.
 India is placed at 112th spot among 159 countries
covered by the World Economic Freedom Index
 Reliance Communications and Aircel announced the
merger of their wireless operations to create a new
combined entity.
 Flipkart has become first Indian e-commerce
company in the country to cross the milestone of
100-million registered users.
 The ADB has approved a $ 631 million loan to
develop the proposed Vishakhapatnam- Chennai
industrial corridor, along the coastline.
 The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) completed 60
years of its service to the nation on Sep 1.
AUGUST
 The Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (122nd
Amendment) (GST) Bill to introduce the Goods and
Services Tax. The Lok Sabha passed it on Aug 8.
 CBDT has exempted the govt deptts., embassies and
UN bodies from the 1% tax collection at source
(TCS) applicable on cash purchases of above Rs 2
lakh.
 Govt has decided to set up a committee headed by
the NITI Aayog CEO Mr. Amitabh Kant to look into
all issues related to this sector.
 For the first time, a new train named Tripura
Sundari Express has been launched for Agartala,
capital of Tripura, from New Delhi.
 As per a study by ASSOCHAM, India is home to the
3rd largest number of technology-driven start-ups
in the world, with the USA at the top.
 At number 18, Asian Paints is the highest-ranked
Indian company on Forbes's list of 'The World's 100
Most Innovative Companies'.
 The list is topped by the Tesla Motors of USA that
manufactures energy storage devices.
 Maruti Suzuki has launched its first light
commercial vehicle (LCV) named Super Carry.
45

BANKING
OCTOBER
 The RBI announced a 25 basis points cut in its key
lending rate—the repo rate, to 6.25 percent.
 As a result, the reverse repo rate stands at 5.75 per
cent, the MSF (marginal standing facility) and bank
rate stand at 6.75 per cent.
 The Centre has constituted a four-member
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)
under the Chairmanship of M S Sahoo
 The Board will regulate the functioning of various
bodies dealing with insolvency under the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
 Latest RBI data shows that India’ banking system
reported total deposits of Rs 100 lakh crore for the
first time ever in September this year.
 Union Cabinet has approved a pact between Export-
Import Bank of India and New Development Bank to
strengthen trade and economic ties.
 The State Bank of India became the first Indian bank
to open a branch in Yangon, capital city of Myanmar.
SEPTEMBER
 ICICI Bank has become first bank in India to employ
software robots to perform tasks like generating
customer IDs, updating addresses etc.
 Canada’s British Columbia province has become the
first foreign government to issue rupee-
denominated masala bonds.
AUGUST
 In consultation with RBI, the Govt has notified 4 per
cent inflation target for the next five years to be
followed by the RBI in formulation of monetary
policy.
 RBI has announced guidelines for 'on tap' universal
banking licence regime. It excludes large industrial
houses from the purview.
 “On tap” license refers to license on demand, i.e.
applicants can apply any time for a bank license.
 RBI has launched a web portal named ‘Sachet’ to
curb illegal collection of deposits from public by the
unscrupulous NBFCs.
 The portal will provide information about the
entities authorized by the RBI to collect deposits
from the public.
 The Reserve Bank has decided to transfer its
surplus profit of Rs 65,876 crore to the central
government.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 NPCI has launched the Unified Payments Interface
(UPI) for electronic cash transfer through mobiles
with 21 participating banks.
 RBI retained the ‘too big to fail’ tag for the SBI and
ICICI Bank for the second year in a row. These
banks require higher level of supervision.
 These banks are called domestic systemically
important banks (D-SIBs).
OVES MERGER OF ASSOCIATES
 The State Bank of India Board has approved merger
of its five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila
Bank with itself.
 The 5 subsidiaries are SB of Bikaner & Jaipur, SB of
Mysore, SB of Travancore, SB of Hyderabad and SB
of Patiala.
 Committee headed by Ratan P Watal set up to
suggest steps to promote card payments through
incentives like tax rebates and cash back schemes.
 RBI is encouraging banks to issue masala bonds
(rupee-denominated bonds overseas) for their
capital requirements and for financing of
infrastructure.
 RBI has asked banks to provide loans to women
self-help groups in rural areas at 7 per cent per
annum.
 RBI Governor Raghuram G Rajan announced the
3rd bi-monthly monetary policy statement on
August 9. No change in any policy rate was
announced.
 In one of the largest bancassurance partnerships in
India, LIC has tied up with Axis Bank to sell its
insurance policies through bank branches.
 The RBI has formed a committee headed by Tarun
Ramadorai, Professor in University of Oxford, to
review various facets of household finance in India.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
OCTOBER
 National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research,
Goa, has established Himansh, a high altitude
research station in in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
 Reliance Group and Dassault Aviation have formed
‘Dassault Reliance Aerospace’ for manufacturing of
spare parts of Rafale fighter jets.
 India to buy the S-400 ‘Triumf’ air defence systems
from Russia, worth over $5 billion.
 Russia to collaborate in setting up a joint
production facility for making multipurpose Kamov
226T helicopters.
46
 The 28th India and Indonesia Coordinated Patrol
(CORPAT) and Second Bilateral Maritime Exercise
were held in the Andaman Sea at Belawan,
Indonesia.
 Indian Army's Gorkha Rifles won a gold medal at
one of the most gruelling exercises in the world -
Exercise Cambrian Patrol organized by the British
Army.
 The Indo-Tibetan Border Police celebrated its 55th
raising day on 24 October. It guards Indian borders
from Laddakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
 Fast patrol vessel ICGS Gaidinliu, named after Naga
freedom fighter, was inducted in the Indian Coast
Guard.
 Samsung has scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7
smart phone, less than two months after its launch,
dealing a huge blow to its reputation.
 ISRO's advanced communication satellite GSAT-18
was launched on board an Ariane 5 rocket from
Kourou in French Guiana, South America.
 China sent two astronauts into orbit on board
manned spaceship Shenzhou 11 to spend a month
aboard the space laboratory Tiangong 2.
SEPTEMBER
 USA and India signed the 'Logistics Exchange
Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA) to enable
their militaries to use each other's assets and bases
 An indigenously built stealth warship named INS
Mormugao, equipped with a range of high-tech
missiles was handed over to Indian Navy
 The Defence Ministry has ordered an enquiry into
the purchase of Embraer aircraft from Brazil.
 The Indo-US Joint Military Training Exercise, Yudh
Abhyas - 2016 was held in mountains of Ranikhet,
Uttarakhand.
 The 8th Indo-Russia joint military exercise ‘Indra
2016’ was flagged off in Vladivostok (Russia). Indra
has been a biannual exercise since 2003.
 India will pay about Rs. 58,000 crore to France for
procuring 36 off-the-shelf Dassault Rafale twin-

engine advance fighter jets.
INS Tihayu, a new Water Jet Fast Attack Craft
(WJFAC) has joined the Indian Navy.
 Indian and Kazakhstan Armies conducted a joint
exercise 'Prabal Dostyk – 16' in the Karaganda
region of Kazakhstan.
 The indigenously built offshore patrol vessel, ICGS
Sarathi was inducted into the Indian Coast Guard at
Panaji, Goa.
 ISRO placed INSAT-3DR advanced weather satellite
onboard its GSLV- Mk-II rocket, using for the first
time, indigenously developed cryogenic engine.
 A cryogenic engine uses liquefied Hydrogen and
Oxygen at very low temperature as fuel.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 In a first, ISRO's PSLV C-35 rocket launched a total
of eight satellites, including SCATSAT-1, a satellite
for weather-related studies.
 The fastest and most powerful computer in north-
eastern, eastern and southern regions was launched
in IIT Guwahati.
 Named PARAM-ISHAN, the super computer has a
speed of 250 Teraflops and three hundred tera bites
capacity.
 The world’s first driverless bus (electric) service
has started in Lyon, France with two busses, each
carrying 15 passengers.
 Google has launched ‘Allo’, the highly anticipated
smart instant messaging mobile app for Android
and iOS users.
 China has launched its second space station
the Tiangong 2 into space atop a Long March
7 rocket.
AUGUST
 ISRO scripted history on August 28 when it
successfully test-fired its futuristic Scramjet Rocket
Engine that will help to design air-breathing
engines.
 A para cycling expedition named ‘divyang yodha’
was organised by the BSF under the Prime Minister
Sugam Bharat Mission.
 The two week long Indo - Thailand Military Exercise
‘MAITREE’ concluded on July 29 at Krabi, Thailand.
 Astronomers have discovered an earth like planet
named ‘Proxima b’ that is orbiting star Proxima
Centauri, the sun’s closest star neighbour.
 China successfully launched a new high-resolution
Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite named Gaofen-3
from its Long March 4C rocket.
 China has successfully launched its first mobile
telecommunication satellite named Tiantong on its
Long March-3B carrier rocket.
INTERNATIONAL
OCTOBER
 The U.N. General Assembly elected the former
Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the
ninth U.N. Secretary-General.
 A report by the World Economic Forum on ‘Safety
and Security’ shows that the Finland is the safest
country in the world, followed by Qatar and UAE.
 The UNO appointed the popular cartoon character
‘Wonder Woman’ as an honorary ambassador for
the empowerment of women and girls.
47
 A postal stamp to commemorate Diwali festival was
launched by the US postal service.
 The Maldives has decided to quit the
Commonwealth, a grouping of 53 nations that were
mostly territories of the former British Empire.
 France has become the first country in the world to
legally ban usage of disposable plastic cups and
plates with a view to protect environment.
 The law will come into effect in January 2020.
 A report released by the World Bank says that more
than 767 million people are living in extreme
poverty, on less than a dollar and ninety cents a
day.
SEPTEMBER
 The 193 member countries of the United Nations
have signed a landmark declaration to make the
world free from drug-resistant infections or
superbugs.
 Leaders from the world's top economies took part
in G-20 summit at Hangzhou, China
 France’s constitutional court has ruled against the
ban on Burkini, the full-body swim wear used by
some Muslim women.
 Brazil's Senate voted to oust President Dilma
Rousseff ending the episode of massive corruption
scandal and economic crisis that rocked Brazil.
 World Health Organisation has declared Sri Lanka
‘free’ from Malaria as no case of this deadly disease
has been reported in the country for last three and a
half years due to strict control on mosquitoes.
 The UN Security Council to discuss the ballistic
missile launches by North Korea as it is a violation
of the UN Security Council resolutions.
 The European Union has ordered Apple Inc of USA
to pay a record 13 billion Euros as recovery of tax
amount as the very liberal tax arrangements made
by Ireland in favour of Apple were considered
illegal.
 The 28th ASEAN Summit was held in Vientiane,
Laos. Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a
group of 10 south East Asian nations.
AUGUST
 Colombia signed a peace deal with local gorillas
group FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia) to end almost 50 years of conflict.
 World’s highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge
was opened to visitors in Avatar Mountains in
Zhangjiajie, Hunan province of China.
 The 430 meter long bridge stands 300 meter above
ground and has 99 panes of three-layered
transparent glass.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
 Around 250 people were killed and 400 wounded in
a strong earthquake of 6.1 magnitude that struck
central Italy past midnight of August 24.
 The 7th South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) Interior Ministers' conference
was held in Islamabad, Pakistan.
 Pakistan will host the 19th SAARC Summit in
Islamabad on November 9 and 10 this year.
PERSONS IN NEWS
OCTOBER
CYRUS MISTRY: He was sacked as chairman of Tata
Sons. He was appointed in December, 2012.
ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA: For the first time in
the history of the State Bank of India, its Chairman has
been given a year’s extension.
SEPTEMBER
MUKESH AMBANI: As per Forbes’ list of richest Indians,
he was ranked at top for a ninth year in a row with a net
worth to $22.7 billion.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA: As per the Forbes magazine's
annual list of best-paid television actresses in the world,
she has been ranked at 8th place in world.
J.P. RAJKHOWA: Arunachal Pradesh Governor was
dismissed by the President Pranab Mukherjee, after it
became apparent that he was not going to quit as
desired by the Centre.
MOTHER BECOMES ‘SAINT’ :Mother Teresa, the
founder of Missionaries of Charity, was declared a saint
at the canonization ceremony at St Peter’s Square in
Vatican City by the Pope.
AUGUST
PUSHPA KAMAL DAHAL ‘PRACHANDA’: 61 year old
radical leader of Nepal was elected as Prime Minster by
the Parliament. A former Maoist rebel chief, he led a
decade-long insurgency that toppled the Hindu
monarchy in 2008.
LUKE AIKINS: 42 years old American professional
skydiver became the first man in the world history to
dive from mid-troposphere altitude, around 25,000 feet
(7.6 km) without a parachute and land safely on a
100x100 feet net on land.
J.K. ROWLING: Renowned novelist of the Harry
Potter series has confirmed that the eighth installment
in the series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will be
the last story in the saga. There would be no more new
adventures for Harry Potter in future.
48
 APPOINTMENTS
OCTOBER
AJAY KUMAR BHALLA: Appointed as the Director
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
O P SINGH: Appointed as the new Director General of
CISF. He is 1983 batch IPS officer.
SUSHIL CHANDRA: Senior IRS officer appointed
Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
ANTONIO GUTERRES: New Secretary General of UNO
ABDELILAH BEKIRANE: Reappointed as the Prime
Minister of Morocco.
KERSTI KALJULAID: Elected as the first female
President of Estonia, a small country in North Europe.
SEPTEMBER
ARUN GOYAL: Appointed Additional Secretary in the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council.
SANJIV SINGH: New Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation
Ltd. (IOC).
NAVTEJ SARNA: Appointed as Ambassador to the USA
ALKA SIROHI: Appointed as the Chairperson of the
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by the
President of India.
AISHWARYAA DHANUSH: Appointed as the Advocate
for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in
India by the UN Women.
VIRAT KOHLI: Punjab National Bank has appointed
Indian test skipper as its brand ambassador.
BAKYTZHAN SAGINTAEV: Appointed as the new
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
ALI BONGO: Re-elected as the President of Gabon,
Africa
AUGUST 2016
NEW GOVERNORS APPOINTED
Banwarilal Purohit: Governor of Assam
VP Singh Badnore: Governor of Punjab
Najma A. Heptulla: Governor of Manipur
Jagdish Mukhi: Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and
Nicobar Islands
VIJAY RUPANI: Selected as the new Chief Minister of
Gujarat
Dr. URJIT R PATEL: New Governor of the Reserve Bank
of India
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
BHASKAR KHULBE: Senior IAS officer has been
appointed as Secretary to Prime Minister
RANI SINGH NAIR: Appointed new Chairperson of the
Central Board of Direct Taxes
ANANT MAHESHWARI: Appointed as the President of
India operations of global software giant Microsoft.
TAKEHIKO NAKAO: (of Japan) Re-elected as the
President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a
period of 5 years, from November, 2016.
PUSHPA KAMAL DAHAL ‘PRACHANDA’: Elected as the
new Prime Minister of Nepal.
JIM YONG KIM: Re-appointed as the President of the
World Bank, USA.
YOUSSEF CHAHED: Appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Tunisia
AWARDS & HONOURS
OCTOBER
MOORTIDEVI AWARD - 2015: won by noted Telugu
writer Prof. Kalakaluri Enoch for his novel Ananta
Jeevanam.
MATHRUBHUMI LITERARY AWARD: Won by eminent
Malayalam writer C Radhakrishnan for his invaluable
contributions to literature.
U R RAO: Former ISRO chairman has become first
Indian to be inducted into the IAF Hall of Fame by the
International Aeronautical Federation, Paris.
NOBEL PRIZE 2016
Physiology or Yoshinori Ohsumi of Japan
Medicine
For his pioneering work on autophagy — a process
49
 whereby cells “eat themselves” — which when disrupted
can cause Parkinson’s and diabetes.
US based scientists David Thouless,
Physics Duncan Haldane and Michael
Kosterlitz
For their work that "revealed the secrets of exotic matter"
by using advanced Mathematical methods
Jean-Pierre Sauvage (France), Sir
Chemistry Fraser Stoddart (USA) and Bernard
Feringa (Netherland)
For the development of the world's smallest nano
machines those are a thousand times thinner than a strand
of hair, for medical use.
Bob Dylan, legendary singer-song
Literature
writer from USA,
For his influential songs from the 1960s onwards. He is the
first non literary person to get the Nobel for literature.
Colombian President Juan Manuel
Peace
Santos
For his efforts to help end the 52 year long-running conflict
with FARC gorillas in his country. JACKIE CHAN: 62 years old actor and martial arts
US scientists Oliver Hart and Bengt expert from Hong Kong selected for the Lifetime
Economic Sciences
Holmstrom Achievement Oscar Award, USA.
For their work that covers issues from how best to reward
executives to whether schools and prisons should be
JESSE OWENS OLYMPIC SPIRIT AWARD-2016:
privately owned.
posthumously bestowed upon Olympic champion
FIRST INTERNATIONAL PRIZE IN STATISTICS: Muhammad Ali, who passed away on June 3, 2016.
Awarded to noted British statistician Sir David Cox for
his famous work on proportional hazards.
AUGUST
25th VYAS SAMMAN 2015: Hindi scholar and writer
Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite: (Knight in Sunita Jain for her poetry collection "Kshama". This
the National Order of Merit), one of France’s highest award is given for outstanding work in Hindi literature.
civilian award, conferred upon film-maker and elephant
researcher Prajna Chowta.
Ashok Chakra: The highest peace time gallantry
award was conferred posthumously upon Havildar
SEPTEMBER Hangpan Dada of Assam Regiment, who killed four
intruding terrorists before laying down his life at the
LEMELSON–MIT PRIZE: Ramesh Raskar, an Indian- height of 13,000 feet in the harsh and icy Himalayan
origin scientist, for his groundbreaking work in radical range of North Kashmir on May 26, 2016.
imaging solutions.
'Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL SADBHAVANA
d'Honneur’: (Knight of the National Order of the French AWARD: Shubha Mudgal, Hindustani classical vocalist
Legion of Honour), awarded to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, for her outstanding contribution towards the promotion
CMD of Biocon for her outstanding contribution to of communal harmony, peace and goodwill.
research in Biosciences.
KAMAL HAASAN selected by the Govt of France for the
GOLDEN LION: Award for the Best Film at the Venice
Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight in the
Film Festival won by a film from Philippine, Ang
National Order Arts and letters) for his contribution in
Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left).
promotion of art and culture.
Kannada film Thithi won the best film award at the
BRICS Film Festival held in New Delhi. Madhya Pradesh won the National Tourism Award for
best comprehensive development of tourism.

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 50


OBITUARY
OCTOBER
HEISNAM KANHAILAL: Manipur-based theatre legend
passed away at 75 in Imphal. He was decorated with
Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
MEHAR MITTAL: Veteran Punjabi actor, who acquired
legendary status with his comic roles in over 100 films,
passed away at the age of 81.
PARMESHWAR GODREJ: Philanthropist and style icon,
wife of Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej, passed away
in Mumbai at 70.
KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ: A revered figure of
Thailand who helped unify the nation in his 70-year
reign, died at 88. He was world's longest-reigning
monarch.
ANDRZEJ WAJDA: A legend in the world of cinema,
Polish film director died aged 90.
SHIMON PERES: Israeli ex-President and Prime
Minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, died at 93.
SEPTEMBER
REOTI SARAN SHARMA: The renowned Hindi and
Urdu writer, playwright and TV personality, died in New
Delhi. He was 92 years. He penned memorable TV
serials like Phir Wahi Talaash and The Great Maratha.
MOHAMMAD SHAFI QURESHI: Veteran Congress
leader and former Governor of Madhya Pradesh passed
away at the age of 87.
ARNOLD PALMER: One of the greatest golfers ever,
died at 87 in Pittsburgh, USA. From 1958 to 1964, he
was the charismatic face of professional golf.
EDWARD ALBEE: One of the best known playwrights
of America, three time winner of Pulitzer Prize, famous
for works like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "A
Delicate Balance," died at the age of 88.
AUGUST
AKHLAQ Ur RAHMAN (AR) KIDWAI: Former
Governor of States including Bihar, West Bengal and
Haryana, passed away at the age of 96. He was
decorated with Padma Vibhushan.
GURDIAL SINGH: Prominent Punjabi writer and short
story writer, Jnanpith awardee, passed away at 83. His
famous works include ‘Anne Ghore Da Daan’ and ‘Marhi
Da Deeva’
PRAMUKH SWAMI MAHARAJ: Head of Boachasanvasi
Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS), founder of
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Akshardham Temples world over, passed away at
Sarangpur in Gujarat at the age of 95.
KALIKHO PUL: 47 year old former Chief Minister of
Arunachal Pradesh and rebel Congress leader, who quit
as the Chief Minister in mid July, 2016 as per Supreme
Court ruling, committed suicide at his residence.
MACHHLI: The longest known surviving tigress in the
wild, star tigress of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve,
Rajasthan, died at the old age of 19 years. Famous as the
Queen of Ranthambore, she is believed to be the most
photographed tigress in the wild.
HANIF MUHAMMAD: Pakistan’s legendary former
captain and batsman, who held the record for the
longest innings in Test cricket, passed away after a
prolonged battle with lung cancer.
PLACES IN NEWS
OCTOBER
RANI KI VAV: Gujarat’s 900-year-old World Heritage
Site has won the award for the “Cleanest Iconic Place” in
the Indian Sanitation Conference (INDOSAN) 2016, New
Delhi.
THE TERMINAL 3 of Indira Gandhi International
Airport (IGIA), Delhi has become first green terminal
building to achieve Platinum rating from Indian Green
Building Council (IGBC).
TYPHOON HAIMA: The strongest storm to hit
the Philippines in past three years, killed at least 12
people and inundated vast tracts of rice and corn fields.
TYPHOON SARIKA: Parts of Philippines and Vietnam
were devastated by a strong tropical typhoon named
Sarika, causing extensive loss of life and assets.
HURRICANE MATTHEW: A very strong storm slammed
into the coast of Haiti, a small island country in
Carribean Sea, claiming over 900 lives.
SEPTEMBER
URI: In one of the worst attacks, the army base camp in
Uri near the Line of Control (LoC) in district Baramulla,
J&K was attacked by militants, killing 18 soldiers.
MYSURU: The city was declared the cleanest among
those having 10 lakh plus population in a unique
`Swachh Sarvekshan’, which looked at the level of
cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene. Nearly 99% of
households in Mysuru have toilets.
51
MAJULI ISLAND: The tiny island in the River
Brahmaputra in Assam was declared as the largest river
island in the world.
SUPER TYPHOON MERANTI: Rated as one of the
strongest typhoons of the year, it devastated parts of
Taiwan with wind speeds of up to 370 kph.
TYPHOON MEGI: Taiwan bore the brunt of Megi forcing
thousands of evacuations, closure of schools and offices
and flight disruptions.
AUGUST
MAHAD: Over 50 people went missing after two state-
run buses and a number of private vehicles were swept
away in flooded Savitri river when a British-era bridge
collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa Highway.
QUETTA: In one of the deadliest militant attacks, a
suicide bomber killed at least 70 people and wounded
more than 100 in an attack on crowd of mourners
gathered at the civil hospital in Quetta in south western
Pakistan.
Typhoon Nida: Squalls, heavy rain and rough seas
battered Hong Kong as the Typhoon Nida landed on the
Dapeng Peninsula, some 42 kms away from Hong Kong.
SPORTS WORLD
OCTOBER
SAINA NEHWAL: In a rare honour for an Indian
sportsperson, star shuttler has been appointed as a
member of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC)
Athletes’ Commission.
Kieren Dsouza of Bengaluru has become the first
Indian to complete the Spartathlon, widely described as
the "world's toughest race", in Greece.
Neeraj Goyat retained his WBC welterweight Asia title
in boxing by beating Australia’s Ben Kite in New Delhi.
Jitu Rai clinched a silver medal in the 50 metre pistol
event of the ISSF World Cup Final in Bologna, Italy
Gaganjeet Bhullar won the Korea Open 2016 Golf Cup
(Shinhan Donghae Open) in Incheon, South Korea.
Sourabh Verma clinched the men's singles title in the
Chinese Taipei Open badminton, defeating Malaysia's
Daren Liew.
Mukesh Singh Gehlot and Gaurav Sharma won gold
medal in their respective categories at the World
Powerlifting Championship held in England.
Viraat Kohli scored his career-best 211 runs playing
against New Zealand in Indore (MP), becoming the first
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Indian captain to get to the landmark of a double
century for the second time in his career.
Virat Kohli was presented with the ICC Test
Championship mace for leading his team to the top of
the Test Team Rankings.
Ruthvika Shivani Gadde won the women’s title in
the Russian Open Grand Prix in Valadivostok.
Arjun Vajpai, a 23-year-old professional mountaineer
from Noida, UP became the youngest in the world to
scale the Mount Cho Oyu on Nepal China border, the
sixth highest mountain peak in the world at 8,188
metres above sea level.
India bagged a silver and a bronze in the 56kg
category at the IWF Youth World Weightlifting
Championships at Penang, Malaysia.
56th Atheletics Open Nationals: Services emerged as
the overall champions in the games held in Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh.
India won the Kabddi World Cup in Ahmadabad by
defeating Iran
Indian women's beach kabaddi team won the gold in
the 5th Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam.
Subroto Cup Junior Boys (U-17): Brazil's Club Atletico
Paraneanse lifted the trophy after beating Army Boys,
Bengaluru in the final in New Delhi.
1st BRICS U-17 Football Tournament: Brazil lifted the
trophy defeating the South Africa in Goa
4th Men's Under-18 Asia Hockey Cup: India lifted the
trophy by defeating Bangladesh in the final in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
The Indian football team on 20 October achieved its
best FIFA ranking in over six years, at 137th place in
world rankings.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi has been
declared as the first venue for hosting the 2017 FIFA U-
17 World Cup.
Indian Railways have won the World Railway Shooting
Championship Cup held at Saint Mandrier, France.
Indian wrestlers won four medals, including one gold,
at the TAFISA World Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
TAFISA - The Association for International Sport for All
The Indian women’s handball team won the
International Handball Federation Trophy after beating
Bangladesh in Dhaka.
52
Indian Cricket team became the first team in world to
play its 900th ODI. The match was played against New
Zealand in Dharamshala on 16th Oct 2016.
INTERNATIONAL
Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Japan Grand Prix
at Suzuka Circuit.
Andy Murray of Britain won the men’s title in the final
of the China Open in Beijing while women’s title was
won by Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the United States Grand
Prix in Austin, Texas.
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia won the Malaysian Grand
Prix F1 championship in Sepang, Malaysia.
FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: North Korea won the
cup after defeating Japan in finals played in Amman,
Jordan.
Shanghai Masters Tennis tournament: Britain's Andy
Murray won men’s singles title.
Zabivaka the wolf has been named as the official
mascot of the 2018 FIFA Football World Cup to be
hosted by Russia.
SEPTEMBER
Devendra Jhajharia broke his own world record to win
gold in the men’s javelin throw in the Rio Paralympics
achieving a throw of 63.97 mts. He is ranked third in
world.
Deepa Malik created history by winning silver medal in
Women's shotput at Rio Paralympics, becoming first
Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympics games.
Mariyappan Thangavelu, para athlete from India
created history by bagging the gold in high jump event
at Rio paraolympics. Another Indian Varun Bhati won
the bronze medal in the same event.
Subhankar Pramanick, young Indian shooter clinched
the gold medal in 50-metre rifle prone event at the ISSF
Junior World Cup at Gabala in Azerbaijan.
Anjum Chopra became the first Indian woman cricketer
to get the prestigious life membership of Melbourne
Cricket Club, London, UK.
Star raider Anup Kumar from Haryana will lead India
in next month’s Kabaddi World Cup to be held in
Ahmedabad.
Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra clinched the
mixed doubles title in the Brazil Open Grand Prix
Badminton championship.
Olympic silver medalist P V Sindhu has been
appointed as the brand ambassador of the Central
Reserve Police Force – CRPF and has been given the
honorary rank of Commandant in CRPF.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Velavan Senthilkumar: Indian squash player defeated
Jordanian Mohammad Al-Sarraj to win the U-19 Asian
Junior Individual squash championship title in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Indian off-spinner became the
fastest Indian and second overall to take 200 wickets,
reaching the milestone in his 37th Test at the Green
Park in Kanpur.
Abhinav Bindra, India's lone individual Olympic gold
medallist, has officially announced his retirement from
shooting.
TENZING NORGAY ADVENTURE AWARD
Harbhajan Singh Mountaineering-
Ritu Kishor Kedia and B. water and air
Rajkumar adventure
Tashi Malik, Nungshi Malik land adventure
and Debasish Biswas
INDIA BEAT NZ IN HISTORIC 500TH TEST
India scored a mammoth 197-run win against New
Zealand in their historic 500th cricket Test in Kanpur.
Duleep Trophy Cricket tournament: India Blue team
defeated India Red to win the trophy in finals played
Greater Noida, U.P.
The Track Asia Cup cycling competition was held at
the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex velodrome in New
Delhi. Hong Kong topped the medal tally while India
stood second.
Durand Cup (football): Army Green won the Asia's
oldest football tournament in New Delhi by beating
Neroca FC.
India is now placed at the148th spot in the world
FIFA rankings where Argentina continues to rule at top,
followed by Belgium and Germany.
THE 15TH RIO 2016 PARALYMPIC GAMES 2016 (7-
18 September) concluded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
China topped the medal tally with 239 medal, including
107 gold, followed by Britain with 147 medals. India
secured only 4 medals – 2 gold and one each in silver
and bronze.
US OPEN TENNIS GRAND SLAM, NEW YORK
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland defeated the world
number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic of
Serbia.
Women’s title was lifted by Angelique Kerber of
Germany by beating Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic
Serena Williams, world number one in Tennis, has
created history by setting a record of most number of
Grand Slam matches wins – 307, by a woman in the
Open era.
Germany’s Nico Rosberg won the Italian Grand Prix F1
race at Monza, Italy and also the Belgian Grand Prix.
53
England cricket team created a record by scoring the 5. Shri S. Pradeep Kumar Swimming (Lifetime)
highest-ever 444 runs (for three) in ODI, playing against 6. Shri Mahabir Singh Wrestling (Lifetime)
Pakistan at Nottingham, UK. (IV) DHYAN CHAND AWARD 2015, Lifetime
Australia made a new world record of highest runs in a Achievement award in sports, carries a plaque and cash
T-20 international, scoring 263 against Sri Lanka in award of Rs. 5 lacs.
Pallekele, Sri Lanka. S. No. Name of the awardee Discipline
1 Ms. Satti Geetha Athletics
Japan’s Aichi prefecture and its capital city Nagoya 2 Shri Sylvanus Dung Dung Hockey
have been confirmed as co-hosts of the 2026 Asian 3 Shri Rajendra Pralhad Shelke Rowing
Games.
Sania Mirza, India’s ace tennis player has once again
South Korea will be hosting the Winter Olympics at topped the ATP Women’s Doubles Tennis rankings.
Pyeonchang in 2018 and Beijing will host 2022 event.
Dipika Pallikal, India's top squash player won the
Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics Australian Open Squash women’s singles title in
Melbourne.
Pro Kabaddi League championship was won by the
AUGUST Patna Pirates defeating Jaipur Pink Panthers at
Hyderabad, Telangana.
NATIONAL SPROTS AWARDS DECLARED
(I) RAJIV GANDHI KHEL RANTA 2016, highest The 2016 World Kabbdi Cup will be held in
national award in sports, carries a medallion and cash Ahmedabad, Gujarat from Oct 7 to 22, 2016.
award Rs. 7.5 lacs
M S DHONI SET A WORLD RECORD for captaining
S. No. Name of the awardee Discipline India for the record 325th game, most by a player in
1. Ms. P.V. Sindhu Badminton history, across all three formats.
2. Ms. Dipa Karmakar Gymnastics
N. Ramachandran, President, Indian Olympic
3. Shri Jitu Rai Shooting
Association (IOA) has been awarded the prestigious
4. Ms. Sakshi Malik Wrestling
‘Olympic Order’ for his outstanding efforts in promoting
(II) ARJUNA AWARDS 2016, carries a bronze statue the Olympic movement.
of Arjuna and cash award Rs. 5 lacs.
Narsingh Yadav, India’s big hope in wrestling was lost
S. No. Name of the awardee Discipline
when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), situated
1. Shri Rajat Chauhan Archery in Lausanne, Switzerland, banned the wrestler for four
2. Ms. Lalita Babar Athletics years following an appeal by World Anti-Doping Agency.
3. Shri Sourav Kothari Billiards & Snooker
4. Shri Shiva Thapa Boxing RIO OLYMPICS – 2016 - HIGHLIGHTS
5. Shri Ajinkya Rahane Cricket The 16 days of sports extravaganza, 31st Summer
6. Shri Subrata Paul Football Olympics, hosted by Brazilian City, Rio de Janeiro came
7. Ms. Rani Hockey
to an end on August 21in the Maracana Stadium by
8. Shri Raghunath V.R. Hockey
ceremonial handing over of the Olympics flag to the
9. Shri Gurpreet Singh Shooting
officials of 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
10. Ms. Apurvi Chandela Shooting
11. Shri Soumyajit Ghosh Table Tennis
 The games had nearly 11,000 participants from 205
12. Ms. Vinesh Wrestling
countries, including a first-ever refugee team,
13. Shri Amit Kumar Wrestling
14. Shri Sandeep Singh Mann Para-Athletics
featuring in 306 events of 42 sporting disciplines.
15. Shri Virender Singh Wrestling (Deaf)  In all 65 Olympic and 19 World Records were
broken during the course of games.
(II) DRONACHARYA AWARDS 2016, highest national
 USA topped the medal tally with 121 medals
award for coaches, carries a bronze statue of
Dronacharya and cash award of Rs. 5 lacs comprising of 46 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze.
 Great Britain followed with 67 medals (27+23+17)
S. No. Name of the awardee Discipline
and China took third place with 70 medals
1 Shri Nagapuri Ramesh Athletics
2 Shri Sagar Mal Dhayal Boxing (26+18+26).
3. Shri Raj Kumar Sharma Cricket  India could get only 2 medals, securing 67th rank.
4. Shri Bishweshwar Nandi Gymnastics

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 54

 As many as 121 countries had to return empty-  Ashton Eaton of the USA became the first man to
handed as they failed to win even a single medal. win back-to-back Olympic golds in decathlon.
INDIAN SCENE  Jamaica's Elaine Thompson became the first
woman to complete the sprint double in 28 years.
 Ace shuttler P V Sindhu from Telangana became
 South Korea completed a clean sweep of four gold
the first ever Indian woman to win a silver medal in
the Olympics. She lost the gold to the world number medals in archery to continue their dominance. Of
one Carolina Marin of Spain. the 36 archery golds in nine Olympics, South Korea
 Sakshi Malik, star wrestler from Haryana won has won 23.
India’s first medal in Rio Olympics. She defeated  Three nations won their first ever Olympic medal -
Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan to win the Fiji, Jordan and Kosovo.
bronze in 58 kg freestyle wrestling, becoming the
first ever Indian woman grappler to win an Olympic Lewis Hamilton of UK won the German Grand Prix
at Hockenheimring, Germany.
medal.
 Dipa Karmakar, star gymnast impressed with her Novak Djokovic has won the ATP Toronto Masters
4th-place finish in the vault finals. defeating Kei Nishikori of Japan
 Steeplechaser Lalita Babar also made the country
Cristiano Ronaldo, iconic star player of Real Madrid
proud by becoming the first Indian athlete in 32
Football Club has won the UEFA Best Player in Europe
years to enter the finals of an individual event in Award.
Olympics in track category.
INTERNATIONAL SCENE The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed
The United States won its 1,000th Olympic gold medal to add five new games in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The
new games are Baseball-Softball, Karate, Skateboard,
when the American women's 4x100 meter medley relay
Climbing Sports and Surfing.
team won the gold at the Rio Games.
 Michael Phelps, the most amazing swimmer from
USA, rewrote the history when he secured his
23rd gold by winning the 400-meter medley relay in
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Rio Olympics. Phelps finished a career that spanned
The Ministry of Utmost Arundhati Roy
five Olympics with 28 medals, 23 of them gold.
Happiness: Title of the
 No other athlete in any sport has more than nine
forthcoming novel
gold medals. He became the first swimmer ever to
Harry Potter and the Cursed J. K. Rowling
win four consecutive Olympic golds in the same
Child
event - 200m individual medley in swimming.
This Love That Feels Right Ravinder Singh
 Usain Bolt, Jamaica's speedster retained his
Selection Day Aravind Adiga
coveted title "Fastest man alive on the planet" by
winning the 100m Final of Rio Olympics, securing The Sellout Paul Beatty
the third successive Olympic Gold medal in the Magic Danielle Steel
event, an unprecedented feat. He also achieved the Sunshine Lanes Prasoon Joshi, famous
record third successive gold in 200 meters and 400 Bolywood lyricist.
X4 meter relay race, claiming 9 golds in 3 successive Being the Other: The Muslim Saeed Naqvi, noted
Olympics. in India media personality.
 Katie Ledecky, American swimmer, won four gold Citizen and Society Hamid Ansari (Vice
and silver at Rio, setting new world records in the President of India)
400m and 800m freestyle events. Selection Day Aravind Adiga.
 Simone Biles, artistic gymnast from USA won five Six Machine An autobiography of
medals - four gold and one bronze - from her first Chris Gayle, explosive
Olympic Games. batsman from West
 Briton Mo Farah became first runner after 1976 to Indies
retain his gold in 5000m and 10,000m in two Perilous Interventions: The Hardeep Singh Puri,
successive Olympics. Security Council and the India’s former

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 55

 Politics of Chaos ambassador to UNO. The Spy Paulo Coelho
My Olympic Journey Digvijay Singh Deo and The Unseen Indira Gandhi Dr. K P Mathur
Amit Bose. Muslims Against Partition Shamsul Islam.
The Assassination of Rajiv Neena Gopal The Invention of Nature Andrea Wulf
Gandhi Vanishing Shangri La K N Raghavan.
Me, The Jokerman Khushwant Singh The Drowned Detective Neil Jordan,
(late), a compilation of Blood on my Hands: Kishalay Bhattacharjee
his essays. Confessions of Staged
Grassroots Innovation Prof. Anil K. Gupta of Encounters
IIM Ahmedabad The Outside Lands Hannah Kohler
Jihadi Jane Tabish Khair A Man Called Ove Fredrik Backman
Ace Against Odds Sania Mirza, an Me Before You Jojo Moyes
autobiography by star An Economist in the Real Kaushik Basu, Chief
tennis champion World Economist at World
Who Moved My Interest Former Reserve Bank Bank
Rates of India Governor, D Swimmer Among the Stars Kanishk Tharoor
Subbarao Mercedes-Benz - Winning Adil Jal Darukhanawala
The Phoenix Moment Praful Bidwai.
Myth Breaker Seema Singh, a book
about the life of Kiran
Mazumdar Shaw, bio-
tech queen of India,
CMD of Biocon.
The Scout Shirish Thorat, Sachin
Waze
The Gene Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Carefree Days: Many Roles, Pran Nevile
Many Lives
Half-Lion: How PV Vinay Sitapati
Narasimha Rao Transformed
India
The Great Derangement: Amitav Ghosh
Climate Change and the
Unthinkable
Courage & Commitment: An Margaret Alva, senior
Autobiography Congress leader,
former Governor of
Uttarakhand, Rajasthan
The Wars of Reconstruction Doughlas R.Egerton
Zindaginama Krishna Sobti
Favourite Ghost Stories Ruskin Bond.
From Around The World
Old History New Geography: Jairam Ramesh
Bifurcating Andhra Pradesh
A Life in Diplomacy M K Rasgotra
The Age of Genius: The AC Grayling
Seventeenth Century and the
Birth of the Modern Mind by

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 56

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 Latest M CQs
ON CURRENT AFFAIRS
JANUARY GK - 01 E. Maradonna
8. The acronym FEMA is related to
A. Financial management of companies
1. The 2017 annual meeting of World Economic
B. Fiscal consolidation policies
Forum (WEF) was held in
C. Distribution of finances between the centre
A. India B. Malaysia
and the states
C. Switzerland D. South Africa
D. Foreign exchange norms
E. Washington
E. The rules regarding inflation targeting fixed by
2. The 2017 Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors
the RBI
Summit took place in
9. India’s first amphibious bus project has been
A. Ahmedabad B. Rajkot
launched by which state government?
C. Surat D. Gandhinagar
A. Haryana B. Andhra Pradesh
E. Saputara
C. Punjab D. Uttar Pradesh
3. Antonio Guterres, the new Secretary General
E. Kerala
of the United Nations, is the former Prime
10. The 2017 National Conference for e-
Minister of
Governance was organized in
A. Portugal B. Singapore
A. Visakhapatnam B. Nagpur
C. Malaysia D. New Zealand
C. New Delhi D. Pune
E. Greece
E. New Delhi
4. Hawala is a term related to
11. Which of the following is an INCORRECT
A. Banking operations
combination?
B. Black money in India
A. Sariska: Tiger reserve
C. Forward markets
B. Dachigam: One-horned deer sanctuary
D. Illegal transactions in foreign exchange
C. Bharatpur: Asiatic lion sanctuary
E. Stock markets
D. Manas: Rhinoceros sanctuary
5. The book “Bose: The Indian Samurai – Netaji E. Periyar: Elephant sanctuary
and the INA Military Assessment” has been 12. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who passed away
authored by recently, was the former President of which
A. Sanjaya Baru B. Sanjeev Sanyal country?
C. G D Bakshi D. Ashok Tandon A. Israel B. Iran
E. Anuj Dhar C. Italy D. Iraq E. None of these
6. India’s first international stock exchange 13. Currently, the child sex ratio in India stands at
“India International Exchange” was launched A. 924 B. 927
in C. 956 D. 918
A. Gandhinagar B. Mumbai E. 1036
C. Pune D. New Delhi 14. All major economic indicators like those on
E. Bengaluru inflation, income and industrial output in
7. Which footballer has won the 2016 FIFA India are released by the
Ballon D’or Award? A. Central Statistical Office
A. Neymar B. Cristiano Ronaldo B. Finance Ministry
C. Lionel Messi D. Antoine Griezmann C. NITI Aayog D. Reserve Bank of India

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 58

 E. National Sample Survey Organization 24. Who has been sworn in as the new Chief
15. The movie titles Ardhsatya and Tamas remind Justice of India (CJI)?
you of veteran actor ________who passed away A. J S Khehar B. Madan Lokur
recently. C. Kamlesh Khehar D.T S Patil
A. Om Puri B. Syed Jaffery E. TS Thakur
C. Om Shivpuri D. Shammi Kapoor 25. Which of the following is NOT true of a
E. Sulbha Deshpande Reverse Mortgage Loan?
16. The 2017 Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) was A. The borrower can dispose of the mortgaged
hosted by property.
A. New Delhi B. Gurugram B. The bank pays the borrower regular EMIs of a
C. Chennai D. Bengaluru E. Jalandhar pre-determined amount as part of the loan deal.
17. The first C in the acronym ICICI implies C. The mortgaged asset in such a loan has to be a
A. Collateral B. Cash residential unit.
C. Copy D. Credit D. The borrower can occupy, use and maintain
E. Clearing the mortgaged property as per his will.
18. Arrange the following debt instruments in the E. All of these are true.
DECREASING sequence of their maturity 26. Debt-to-equity ratio implies the ratio of
periods. A. Paid up capital to authorized capital
1. Treasury bills 2. G-Secs B. Loan of share capital to capital
3. LAF borrowings C. Loan amount to share capital
A. 2, 1, 3 B. 1, 2, 3 D. Rate of interest to dividend rate
C. 3, 2, 1 D. 1, 3, 2 E. Share capital to loan amount
E. All of these have the same maturity period 27. Which country has become the first one pay a
19. How much 5- year Consumer Price Inflation basic income to randomly picked citizens at a
(CPI) target has been set by the Union national level?
Government under the new monetary policy A. Indonesia B. Finland
framework? C. France D. Sri Lanka
A.5% B.4% E. Switzerland
C. 6% D. 7% 28. The 104th Indian Science Congress (ISC) was
E. 7% held in
20. A “Good Samaritan Policy” has been launched A. Kerala B. Assam
by which state / union territory? C. Andhra Pradesh D. Manipur E. Punjab
A. Odisha B. Karnataka 29. The “BHIM” mobile app was launched by the
C. Delhi D. Kerala government to facilitate digital payments.
E. Madhya Pradesh What does “BHIM” stands for?
21. Pick the odd one out: A. Build Interface for Money
A. PIN B. EMV B. Built-up Interface for Money
C. OTP D. NFC C. Bi-aural Interface for Money
E. Artificial Intelligence D. Bharat Interface for Money
22. Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, who passed away E. Bharat Internet Money
recently, was a famous proponent of the 30. The topmost authority for hearing a bank
A. Flute B. Tabla customer’s complaint is the
C. Sarangi D. Sitar A. CEO B. Chairman
E. Santoor C. Internal Ombudsman D. RBI Ombudsman
23. Pick the odd man out. E. Managing Director
A. GST: Direct Taxes B. FRBM: Fiscal deficit 31. Technically speaking, the Parliament in India
C. GAAP: Accounting norms A. Can change/ modify/ delete any fundamental
D. FATCA: Taxation compliance right
E. GAAR: Corporate tax evasion B. Is empowered to amend any part of the
Constitution except its basic features
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 59
 C. Cannot amend any part of the Constitution E. Demat
D. Remove the President after a successful 39. The Good Governance Day (GGD) in India is
impeachment motion E. Can meet anywhere in observed on
India A. December 23 B. December 24
32. George Michael, who passed away recently, C. December 26 D. December 25
was a famous singer from E. December 10
A. England B. Germany 40. The agreement to “buy or sell a debt
C. United States D. France instrument at a specified future date at a pre-
E. None of these determined price” is called
33. A fiduciary note issue is made A. Interest Rate Future B. Hedge
A. By keeping equivalent gold reserves C. Option
B. by the finance ministry and not by the RBI D. Interest Rate Derivative
C. Without keeping equivalent gold reserves E. F& O
D. to create extra money supply to plug the fiscal 41. The name given to the banking arm of India
deficit Post is
E. None of these A. Post Bank of India
34. Amnesty International is an organization B. India Post Payment Bank
working for C. Ind Post Bank
A. securing human rights D. Post India E. India Post Bank
B. refugees 42. The Ashok Chakra is awarded for
C. providing healthcare to villagers A. Exceptional bravery shown on the country’s
D. pro-democracy movements borders
E. drug de-addiction B. Exceptional bravery while fighting the
35. Who has been selected for the prestigious terrorists
2016 Jnanpith Award? C. Exceptional work in maintaining communal
A. Kedarnath Singh harmony
B. Ravuri Bharadhwaja D. Exceptional bravery and courage in war
C. Chandrashekhara Kambara E. Exceptional bravery and courage in peacetime
D. Shankha Ghosh situations
E. Nida Fazli 43. Consider the following statements:
36. Which of the following is/are true of Savings 1. Virat Kohli has been declared the ICC
Bank Accounts and Current Accounts in India? Cricketer of the Year 2016.
1. The use of cheque book is allowed in both the 2. Ravichandran Ashwin has been named the
types of accounts ICC Test cricketer of the Year 2016.
2. Both the accounts can be run as long as the Which of the following statements is/are
customer wants to
true?
3. The KYC requirement can be relaxed for
certain categories of savings accounts. A. Only 1 B. Only 2
A.1 only B.1 and 3 C. Both 1 & 2 D. Neither 1 nor 2
C. 2, 3 D. 2 only E. None of the above
E.1, 2 and 3 44. If a cheque is returned due to “insufficient
37. Which one is NOT a popular stock market funds”, its issuer can be prosecuted under the
index? A. Payment and Settlement Systems Act
A. Kospi B. NASDAQ B. Banking Regulation Act
C. NYMEX D.CAC 40 C. Payment Instruments Act
E. Mid Dax D. Reserve Bank of India Act
38. Which word/expression denotes freezing of E. Negotiable Instruments Act
the application money by the bank in case of 45. Anupam Mishra, who passed away recently,
an IPO? was a noted personality from which field?
A. CDSL B. ASBA A. Water conservation B. Environment
C.T + 2 D. Trading ring C. Journalism D. Spirituality
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 60
 E. Literature JANUARY GK - 02
46. Find the ODD one out.
A. Online banking B. Net banking
1. Which of the following is/are TRUE of the
C. Branchless banking
Population Census 2011 conducted in India?
D. Mortar and Brick banking
1. The total population has registered a lower
E. Mouse and Click banking
decadel percentage growth as compared to
47. The loan/s to which of the following is/are
that in the previous decade.
NOT priority sector loan/s in India?
2. The decade saw a relative fall in the percent
1. Farmers 2. Minorities
growth rate of Hindu population as compared
3. Exporters 4. Big industries
to the earlier Census.
A.1, 2 B.1, 3
3. The decade saw a relative fall in the percent
C. 4 D.1, 4
growth rate of Muslim population as
E. All of these
compared to the previous Census.
48. Which state government has launched the
A. 2, 3 B. 1
“Annapurna Rasoi” scheme for
C. 2 D. 3
underprivileged people?
E. 1, 2, 3
A. Assam B. Punjab
2. Which one is considered to be the world’s
C. Rajasthan D. Karnataka
harshest and the most difficult battlefield?
E. Tamil Nadu
A. Tora Bora B. Kargil
49. The RBI headquarters was originally located
C. Baltal D. Siachen
in
E. Aksai Chin
A. Delhi B. Mumbai
3. Cycle, the election symbol of a prominent
C. Lucknow D. Kanpur
political party, has been in news of late. It
E. Calcutta
belongs to the
50. Which Bollywood personality has been
A. AIADMK B. Congress
appointed UNICEF’s newest Global Goodwill
C. Samajwadi Party
Ambassador?
D. Bahujan Samaj Party
A. Priyanka Chopra
E. Bhartiya Janata Party
B. Deepika Padukone
4. Which one is/are related to small industries
C. Ranveer Singh
in India?
D. Amitabh Bachchan
A. Priority sector B. MUDRA
E. Nana Patekar
C. MSME D. SIDBI
E. All of these are related to small industries
5. The acronym TAM is used in the context of
A. Corporate profitability
B. Print media readership
C. Internet readership
D. Television audiences
E. Rate of return on capital employed by the
banks
6. What is the approximate contribution of real
estate to India’s GDP?
A.7% B. 9%
C.11% D. 15% E. 19%
7. The second S in the acronym SARFAESI stands
for
A. Sustainable B. Secure
C. Securitization D. Statutory
E. Security

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 61

8. Which of the following best exemplifies a A. Prices which allow the seller a certain
sunrise industry? minimum profit margin
A. Nanotechnology B. Coal B. Free market pricing
C. Cement D. Oil refinery C. Pricing which is not based on any economic
E. Steel logic
9. Match the following pairs. D. Differential pricing for different categories of
1. Templeton Prize P. Sports coaching buyers
2. Abel Prize Q. Mathematics E. Price controls by the government
3. Dronacharya Award R. Journalism 15. India’s Current Account Deficit has shown a
4. BD Goekna Prize S. Spirituality falling trend in the past few months because
5. Magasasay Award T. Public service A. Both its imports and exports are falling
A. 1 -S, 2-Q, 3-P, 4-R, 5-T B. Both its imports and exports are rising
B. 1 -S, 2-Q, 3-P, 4-R, 5-T C. Its imports are rising but its exports are falling
C. 1 -P, 2-S, 3-P, 4-R, 5-T D. Its imports are falling but its exports are rising
D. 1 -S, 2-P, 3-Q, 4-R, 5-T E. None of these
E. 1 -S, 2-T, 3-P, 4-R, 5-Q 16. The Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act,
10. Among the following types of money supply, passed by Parliament recently, does NOT
the broadest measure of money is contain provisions on which of the following?
A. M2 B. M1 A. Transparency in providing information on
C. M4 D. M0 pricing to customers
E. M3 B. 3 years in jail for delayed project execution by
11. Which of these acronyms is NOT associated builders
with banking in India? C. Compulsory registration for all property agents
A. FATCA B. LoP D. Opening a special account for depositing the
C. CASA D. LAF customers’ money
E. BCSBI E. Compulsory registration of all residential
12. Examine the following statements labeled A projects measuring 500 sq. mt. and above
and B. 17. The MCLR regime of the Reserve Bank of India
Assertion (A): Rainforests contain the is related to
maximum biological diversity available A. Interest rates on bank loans
anywhere on the earth. B. Liquidity norms followed by the banks
Reasoning (R): Abundant rainfall, humidity, C. Capital adequacy
sunlight and appropriate temperature D. Cash reserve ratio to be maintained by the
facilitate the continued existence of a variety banks
of animals and plants. E. Interest rates on bank deposits
A. Both A and R are correct and R correctly 18. Pyramid-type, get-rich-quick schemes are
explains A. banned by the Reserve Bank as per the
B. Both A and R are correct but R does not A. Money Circulation Schemes Act
correctly explain A. B. Negotiable Instruments Act
C. A is correct but R is wrong. C. RBI Act
D. R is correct but A is wrong. D. Chit Fund Companies Act
E. Both A and R are wrong E. Banking Regulation Act
13. The atmospheric layer responsible for most 19. The Turbulent Years is an autobiography
weather phenomena is the authored by
A. Exosphere B. Troposphere A. AB Vajpayee B. Pranab Mukherjee
C. Mesosphere D. Stratosphere C. LK Advani D. Sonia Gandhi
E. Ionosphere E. Amit Shah
14. Administered pricing regime refers to a 20. Pick the odd man out of the following.
system of A. Polio B. Ebola
C. TB D. Dengue E. Zika
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 62
21. Which of these is NOT an apex industry A. Patna B. Bhopal
lobbying group in India? C. Mumbai D. Amritsar
A. NASSCOM B. ASSOCHAM E. Anandpur Sahib
C. PHDCCI D. CII 30. Who has been inducted into the International
E. CCI Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame?
22. For small banks, the ratio of priority sector A. Wasim Akram B. Shane Warne
loans to total loans has been fixed at C. Arthur Morris D. Steve Waugh
A. 50% B. 100% E. Kapil Dev
C. 60% D. 75% 31. China recently launched its longest train to
E. 40% cover over a distance of 2,760 km from
23. In India, __________ rarely attract/s any duty. Kunming, capital of Yunaan province, to
A. Industrial production Beijing. The train is called
B. Withdrawals from bank accounts A. Shangri-la of the World
C. Imports D. MSMEs B. Shenzhen Night View
E. Exports C. Shanghai Maglev Train
24. Which of the following is NOT a banking- D. Kunming-Beijing HSR
related term? E. Flying Dragon
A. Cold Calling 32. Where is mesentery, the newly discovered
B. Outstanding Amount organ, located in the human body?
C. Collateral damage A. Brain B. Digestive system
D. LAF C. Respiratory system D. Vertebral column
E. One Time Password (OTP) E. Kidneys
25. Which one/s among the following is/ are free 33. The year 2017 has been declared by the
trade blocs around the world? United Nations as the International Year of
1. European Union 2. OPEC A. Tourism for Sustainable Development
3. BRICS 4. NAFTA B. Pulses C. Refugees
A. 1 B. 1, 3, 4 D. The Family
C. 1, 2, 3 D. 1, 4 E. The Displaced People
E. All of them 34. The National Voters’ Day is celebrated on
26. The General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) are __________ to mark the coming into being of the
scheduled to come into effect from Election Commission.
A. March 2019 B. April 2017 A. January 25 B. January 31
C. February 2018 D. March 2017 C. January 23 D. January 26
E. None of these E. January 12
27. Name the movie that won in each category for 35. The CEPI was launched at the 2017 World
which it was nominated at the 74th Golden Economic Forum (WEF) to create new
Globes Awards. vaccines for emerging infectious diseases.
A. La La Land B. Midnight Express The acronym CEPI stands for
C. A Star is Born D. The Godfather A Coalition for Epidemic Preacher Innovations
E. Moonlight B. Coalition for Epidemic Preparative Innovations
28. The BCCI President, who has been removed by C. Coalition for Epidemic Practicable Innovations
the Supreme Court for violating its orders on D. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
implementing the Lodha Committe Innovations E. None of these
recommendations, is 36. Which state has become the first one to
A. Chetan Chouhan B. Anurag Thakur launch the “Aanandam programme” to help
C. Dilip Vengsarkar D. Niranjan Shah the needy?
E. N Srinivasn A. Odisha B. Assam
29. Where was the 350th Prakash Utsav organized C. Sikkim
to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind D. Madhya Pradesh E. Haryana
Singh?
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 63
37. Which among the following authors has won A. 60% B. 75%
the prestigious “The Hindu Prize 2016”? C. 50% D. 30%
A. Manjula Padmanabhan E. 40%
46. Gilt-edged securities refer to
B. Kunal Basu
A. Overdraft extended by the Reserve Bank of
C. Kiran Doshi D. Anil Menon India to States/Centre
E. P. Upendran B. Loans raised by the Reserve Bank of India
38. Who has been appointed the new chairman of C. Loans granted by the RBI to Commercial Banks
Tata Sons? D. Government Securities issued by the Reserve
A. Natarajan Chandrasekaran Bank of India E. None of these
B. Noel Tata 47. Michael Phelps, the world record holder
American athlete,
C. Indra Krishnamurthy D. Nowroji Saklatwala
A. Runs B. Dribbles
E. Ratan Tata C. Punches D. Swims
39. The book “An Unsuitable Boy” is the E. Shoots
autobiography of 48. Which of these organizations is NOT related to
A. Twinkle Khanna B. Rishi Kapoor banking in India?
C. Rahul Bose D. Karan Johar A. NGT B. IDRBT
E. Om Puri C. CGTMSME D. BCSBI
E. REDF
40. The Nobel Prize Series India 2017 was 49. Which of these is NOT a government scheme?
recently started in A. Housing for All B. PMLA
A. Maharashtra B. Assam C. NHM D. SSA E. PMGSY
C. Gujarat D. Punjab 50. After massive public protests against an order
E. Delhi of the Supreme Court, the government
41. The Red Data Book of the World Wildlife Fund recently issued an ordinance to provide for
holding Jallikattu, a traditional sport in
contains
A. West Bengal B. Tamil Nadu
A. The locations of ecologically sensitive zones in C. Karnataka D. Andhra Pradesh
the world E. Kerala
B. The names of extinct species
C. The names of endangered species JANUARY GK TEST KEY - 01
D. The names of newly-discovered species
1. C 2. D 3. A 4. D 5. C
E. None of these
6. A 7. B 8.D 9. C 10.C
42. The investments made in all these avenues
11. C 12. B 13. D 14. A 15.A
qualify for tax rebate under Indian tax laws 16. D 17. D 18. A 19. B 20.C
EXCEPT 21. E 22. D 23. C 24. A 25.A
A. Repayment of principal component on an 26. C 27. B 28. C 29. D 30. D
education loan 31. B 32. A 33. C 34. A 35. D
B. Repayment towards a home loan 36. E 37. C 38. B 39. D 40. A
C. New Pension Scheme 41. B 42. E 43. B 44. E 45. B
D. Equity Linked Savings Scheme 46. D 47. C 48. C 49. E 50. A
E. Medical insurance policies
JANUARY GK TEST KEY - 02
43. The maximum number of years for which a
Fixed Deposit can be made in India, is
1. E 2. D 3. C 4. E 5. D
A. 7 B. 5
6. C 7. E 8. A 9. A 10. C
C. 10 D. 15
E. 20 11. B 12. A 13. B 14. E 15. A
44. Pick the odd one out. 16. B 17. A 18. A 19. B 20. C
A. Free Look Period B. Bill of Exchange 21. E 22. D 23. E 24. C 25. D
C. EMV D. LTV 26. B 27. A 28. B 29. A 30. C
E. Foreclosure 31. A 32. B 33. A 34. A 35. D
45. The Small Banks have to allocate at least 36. D 37. C 38. A 39. D 40. C
________ of their total loans for Priority Sector 41. C 42. A 43. C 44. A 45. B
Lending. 46. D 47. D 48. A 49. B 50. B

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 64

IBPS PO - PRE EXAM
(MODEL TEST PAPER)
REASONING ABILITY opposite to the centre) what is the position
of A with respect to E?
(Note: Facing the same direction means, if one
Directions - These questions consists of a question
is facing the centre then the other also faces the
and two statements numbered I and II given below
centre and vice versa. Facing the opposite
it. You have to decide whether the data given in the
directions means if one is facing the centre then
statements are sufficient to answer the questions.
the other faces outside and vice versa)
Read both the statements and choose the most
I. C stands second to the right of E. E faces
appropriate option.
outside. C is an immediate neighbour of
both D and B. F stands second to the left of
1) How many people are standing between L
D. D faces the same direction as E.
and K in the line of 19 people (Note: All the
II. Only two people stand between B and E.
standing in a straight line facing north)?
Both B and E face outside. E is an immediate
I. Y stands to the extreme left end of the line.
neighbour of both D and F. B is an
Only five people stand between Y and K.
immediate neighbour of both C and A. A is
Only six people stand between K and R. Only
not an immediate neighbour of D.
four people stand between R and L.
a) The data in both statements I and II together
II. J stands exactly in the centre of the line.
are necessary to answer the question
Only two people stand between I and J. Only
b) The data in statement II alone are sufficient
five people stand between I and L. I stands
to answer the question, while the data in
to the left of L. K stands third to the left of J.
statement I alone are not sufficient to answer
a) The data even in both statements I and II
the question
together are not sufficient to answer the
c) The data even in both statements I and II
question
together are not sufficient to answer the
b) The data in both statements I and II together
question
are necessary to answer the question
d) The data either in statement I alone or
c) The data in statement II alone are sufficient
statement II alone are sufficient to answer the
to answer the question, while the data in
question
statement I alone are not sufficient to answer
e) The data in statement I alone are sufficient
the question
to answer the question, while the data in
d) The data either in statement I alone or
statement II alone are not sufficient to answer
statement II alone are sufficient to answer the
the question
question
3) How is X related N?
e) The data in statement I alone are sufficient
I. X is the mother of J. T is married to Z. N is
to answer the question while the data in
the daughter of T. Z is the brother of J.
statement II alone are not sufficient to answer
II. X is married to Y. Y is the father of J. J is
the question
married to M and Z is the uncle of N.
2) Among six people – A, B, C, D, E and F
a) The data even in both statements I and II
standing around a circle some facing the
together are not sufficient to answer the
centre while some facing outside (i.e.
question
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 65
 b) The data in statement I alone are sufficient
to answer the question while the data in
statement II alone are not sufficient to answer
the question
c) The data either in statement I alone or
statement II alone are sufficient to answer the
question
d) The data in both statements I and II together
are necessary to answer the question
e) The data in statement II alone are sufficient
to answer the question, while the data in
statement I alone are not sufficient to answer
the question
4) Among mobiles R, S, T, U, V and W which is
costlier?
I. T is costlier than only two mobiles. S is
costlier than R but not the costliest. V is costlier
than only W.
II. R is cheaper than only two mobiles. V is
costlier than W but cheaper than T. T is cheaper
than R. S is cheaper than U.
a) The data in statement II alone are sufficient
to answer the question, while the data in
statement I alone are not sufficient to answer
the question
b) The data even in both statements I and II
together are not sufficient to answer the
question
c) The data either in statement I alone or
statement II alone are sufficient to answer the
question
d) The data in statement I alone are sufficient
to answer the question while the data in
statement II alone are not sufficient to answer
the question
e) The data in both statements I and II together
are necessary to answer the question
5) In a six storey building (consisting of floors
numbered 1 to 6, wherein the topmost floor
is numbered 6 and the ground floor is
numbered 1) each of the six friends namely
M, N, O, P, Q and R lives on a different floor
(Not necessarily in the same order). Who
amongst them lives on the lower most floor?
I. M live on floor numbered five. Only two
people live between M and N. Q lives
immediately above P.
II. P lives on floor numbered three. Only two
people live between P and O. N lives
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
immediately above R. N lives on even
numbered floor.
a) The data even in both statements I and II
together are not sufficient to answer the
question
b) The data in statement II alone are sufficient
to answer the question, while the data in
statement I alone are not sufficient to answer
the question
c) The data in statement I alone are sufficient
to answer the question while the data in
statement II alone are not sufficient to answer
the question
d) The data either in statement I alone or
statement II alone are sufficient to answer the
question
e) The data in both statements I and II together
are necessary to answer the question
Directions – In these questions there are given four
statements followed by five conclusions, one of
which definitely does not logically follow (or is not a
possibility or occurrence) from the given
statements. That conclusion is your answer.
(Note: You have to take the four given statements to be
true even if they seem to be at variance from the given
statements disregarding commonly known facts.)
6) Statements:
No toy is a doll.
All guns are toys.
All houses are dolls.
All dolls are baskets.
Conclusions:
a) All baskets are toys
b) No gun is a house
c) All guns being baskets is a possibility
d) All houses are baskets
e) No doll is a gun
7) Statements:
Some logics are reasons.
All reasons are arguments.
All arguments are fights.
No fight is a discussion.
Conclusions:
a) All discussions being logics is a possibility
b) No discussion is an argument
c) All logics being discussion is a possibility
d) All reason are fights
e) No reason is a discussion
66
8) Statements: one who likes Up does not have a presentation on
All references are mails. chemistry. O likes Lion King. R does not have a
All mentions are references. presentation on History and does not like Up. P does not
All comments are mentions. like Up.
No mail is a declaration.
Conclusions: 11) On which of the following subjects P has a
a) No reference is a declaration presentation?
b) All comments are mails. a) Chemistry b) English
c) No mention is a declaration c) Biology
d) All declarations being comments is a d) Other than those given as options
possibility e) Geography
e) Atleast some mails are mentions 12) Four of the following five form a group as
9) Statements: per the given arrangement. Which of the
Some moments are flashes. following does not belong to that group?
All moments are seconds. a) R – Cars b) Q – Shrek
All flashes are instances. c) N – Up d) M – Frozen
No instance is an hour. e) P – Rio
Conclusions: 13) Which of the following combinations is
a) All hours being second is a possibility definitely correct?
b) No second is a flash a) N – Chemistry b) R – History
c) No hour is a flash c) L – English
d) Atleast some moments are instances d) All the give combinations are definitely
e) Atleast some seconds are instances correct
10) Statements: e) P – Geography
All circles are spheres. 14) Which of the following combinations of
All spheres are rectangles. movie and subject is definitely correct with
No rectangle is a pyramid. respect to N?
No pyramid is a triangle. a) Up – Chemistry
Conclusions: b) Other than those given as options
a) Atleast some circles are pyramids c) Shrek – Geography d) Up – Geography
b) All triangles being circles is a possibility e) Finding Nemo – History
c) All rectangles being triangles is a possibility 15) Four of the following five form a group as
d) Atleast some rectangles are circles per the given arrangement. Which of the
e) No pyramid is a sphere following does not belong to that group?
a) Biology – cars
Directions – Study the following information and b) Chemistry – Lion King
answer the question. c) Civics - Shrek d) English – Frozen
Seven friends namely L, M, N, O, P, Q and R like e) Geography – Up
the different animated movies namely, Finding Nemo, 16) Which of the following movies does Q like?
Rio, Frozen, Up, Lion King, Shrek and Cars but not a) Shrek
necessarily in the same order. Each friend is also has a b) Other than those given as options
presentation on topics of different subjects namely c) Finding Nemo d) Lion King
Civics, History, English, Geography, Chemistry, Physics e) Cars
and Biology but not necessarily in the same order.
Q has a presentation on Civics and likes neither Directions – In the given question assuming the
Frozen nor Up. The one who likes Finding Nemo has a given statements to be true, find which of the given
presentation on History. L likes Rio and has a four conclusion I, II, III and IV is true and give your
presentation neither on Geography nor on Chemistry. answer accordingly.
The one who likes Cars has a presentation on Biology. M
has a presentation on Physics and does not like up. The

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 67

17) Statements: 22) Statements:
S>M≥D>H≤R≤T<W P≥Q≤C≤B=M>D
Conclusions: Conclusions:
I. S > H II. W > H I. M > Q II. D ≤ P
III. R < W IV. M > T III. M = Q IV. C > D
a) Only I, II and III are true a) None is true
b) Only II is true b) Only IV is true
c) Only I and II are true c) Only either I or II are true
d) Only I and either II or IV are true d) Only II and II are true
e) All I, II, III and IV are true e) Only either I or III is true
18) Statements:
M > U > L ≤ N; L ≥ Y > A Directions – Study the following information
Conclusions: carefully and answer the given question.
I. Y < N II. M > N A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting around a
III. N = Y IV. M > A square table in such a way that four of them sit at four
a) Only either II or III is true corners of the square while four sit in the middle of
b) Only IV and either I or II are true each of the four sides. The ones who sit at the four
c) Only IV is true corners face the centre of the table while those who sit
d) Only II is true in the middle of the sides face outside. Each one of them
e) Only III is true likes a different subject viz. Mathematics, Hindi, English,
19) Statements: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History and Geography.
J ≥ A > D = E; L < A < M (None of the information given is necessarily in the
Conclusions: same order).
I. M < J II. J > L C sits third to the left of the one who likes
III. D > L IV. E < M Geography. The one who likes Geography faces outside.
a) Only II is true Only two people sit between C and H. The one who likes
b) Only I and II are true Mathematics sits to immediate right of H.
c) None is true The one who likes Chemistry sits second to
d) Only II and IV are true right of G. G is neither an immediate neighbour of H nor
e) Only I and II are true C. G does not like the Geography.
20) Statements: Only one person sit between A and the one who
Y > F ≤ O ≤ P; F ≥ U < T likes Chemistry.
Conclusions: D sits to immediate left of the one who likes
I. Y > P II. T < F Physics. G does not like Physics.
III. O > T IV. P < U E likes History. E is not an immediate
a) Only I is true b) Only II is true neighbour of A.
c) Only III is true d) None is true The one who likes Hindi is an immediate
e) Only I and IV are true neighbour of E.
21) Statements: The one who likes Biology is an immediate
M≥N≤Y≤R<U=Z≥E neighbour of F.
Conclusions:
I. M > R II. Z ≤ R 23) Who among the following sits diagonally
III. R > E IV. Z > Y opposite the one who likes Mathematics?
a) Only I and II are true a) The one who likes Hindi
b) Only IV is true b) D
c) None is true c) A
d) Only II and IV are true d) The one who likes English
e) Only II and III are true e) The one who likes Biology

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 68

24) Who amongst the following represent the c) 15 m d) 5 m
immediate neighbours of the one who likes e) 9 m
Chemistry?
a) B, F b) C, E Directions – Study the following information to
c) B, E d) D, F answer the given question.
e) F, H A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting in a straight
25) Who amongst the following sits exactly line equidistant from each other (but not necessarily in
between H and B? the same order). Some of them are facing south while
a) C some are facing north.
b) The one who likes Hindi (Note: Facing the same direction means. If one
c) The one who likes English is facing north then the other also faces north and vice
d) G e) A versa. Facing the opposite directions means. If one is
26) Which of the following is true regarding B? facing North then the other faces south and vice versa).
a) B is one of the immediate neighbours of D H faces north. C sits at one of the extreme ends
b) The one who Geography is an immediate of the line. A sits third to the left of C. D is not an
neighbour of B immediate neighbour of C. G sits third to the right of A.
c) B sits second to left of H B sits to the immediate right of G. B does not sit at any
d) B likes History of the extreme ends of the line. Only one person sits
e) B is an immediate neighbour of the one who between F and D. G sits second to the left of F. E sits
likes Mathematics second to the right of B. Both the immediate neighbours
27) What is the position of the one who likes of G face the same direction. Both the immediate
Physics with respect to G? neighbours of A face the opposite directions. E faces the
a) Second to the left b) Third to the right same direction as B.
c) Fourth to the left d) Second to the right 32) Who amongst the following sits second to
e) Third to the left the right of F?
28) Which of the following subjects does D like? a) H b) D
a) Biology b) Mathematics c) C d) G
c) Hindi d) Chemistry e) A
e) English 33) Which of the following is true with respect
29) Who amongst the following likes to the given information?
Geography? a) G sits at one of the extreme ends of line
a) B b) F b) B sits exactly between A and F
c) H d) A c) B sits third to the right of E
e) D d) A faces north
e) A sits second to the left of B
Directions – Read the given information carefully 34) How many persons in the given
and answer the given question. arrangement facing North?
Point N is 8 m to the west of Point O. Point P is a) Four b) One
4 m to the south of Point O. Point Q is 4 m to the east of c) Three d) Two
point P. Point R is 6 m to the north of Point Q. Point S is e) More than four
8 m to the west of Point R. Point T is 2 m to the south of 35) Four of the following five are alike in a
Point S. certain way and so form a group. Which of
30) How far and in which direction is Point T the following does not belong to the group?
from Point N? a) B, A b) D, C
a) 4 m to the east b) 8 m to the west c) E, B d) A, E
c) 4 m to the west d) 6 m to the east e) G, F
e) 6 m to the south
31) If Point T is 4 m to the north of Point E, then
what is the distance between E and Q?
a) 11 m b) 8 m

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 69

 QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE 40) Total number of foreign tourists who visited
all the three places on Tuesday together is
what per cent of the total number of foreign
Directions (Q. 36-40): Study the following graph
tourists who visited Wagha Border on
carefully to answer the questions –
Monday and Wednesday together?
Number of foreign tourists who visited three
a) 168 b) 124
different places in five different days
c) 112 d) 224
e) 212
41) The present ages of Vishal and Shekhar are
in the ratio of 14 : 17 respectively. Six years
from now, their ages will be in the ratio of
17 : 20 respectively. What is Shekhar’s
present age?
a) 17 years b) 51 years
c) 34 years d) 28 years
e) None of these

Directions (Q. 42 – 46): Study the following table

carefully to answer the questions that follow-
Number of Units Manufactured (in thousands) by
Six different Companies over the Years
36) What is the average number of foreign
tourists who visited Wagha Border on all
the days together?
a) 184 b) 172
c) 186 d) 174
e) None of these
37) On which day was the difference between
the number of foreign tourists who visited
Taj Mahal and Golden Temple, second
42) What is the respective ratio of total number
highest?
of units manufactured by company A and B
a) Monday b) Tuesday
together in the year 2009 to those
c) Wednesday d) Thursday
manufactured by companies C and D
e) Friday
together in the same year?
38) What is the respective ratio between the
a) 312 : 329 b) 317 : 311
number of foreign tourists who visited Taj
c) 329 : 312 d) 311 : 317
Mahal on Thursday and the number of
e) None of these
foreign tourists who visited Golden Temple
43) The number of units manufactured by
on Friday?
company E in the year 2005 is
a) 14 : 9 b) 8 : 13
approximately what per cent of the total
c) 13 : 8 d) 13 : 7
number of units manufactured by it in all
e) None of these
the years together?
39) On which day was the total number of
a) 31 b) 27
foreign tourists who visited all the three
c) 7 d) 15
places together second lowest?
e) 23
a) Monday b) Tuesday
c) Wednesday d) Thursday
44) What is the average number of units
e) Friday
manufactured by company D in the years
2004 and 2007 together?

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 70

 a) 14650 b) 15750 Directions (Q. 51–55): What should come in place of
c) 13750 d) 16470 the question mark (?) in the following questions?
e) None of these
45) What is the total number of units 51) {(52)2 + (45)2} ÷ ? = 8
manufactured by Company C over all the a) 611.345 b) 487.225
years together? c) 591.125 d) 372.425
a) 783 b) 7830 e) None of these
c) 783000 d) 78.3 52) 14.2% of 5500 + 15.6% of ? = 1795
e) None of these a) 6500 b) 6200
46) What is the per cent increase in the number c) 5600 d) 5800
of units manufactured by company F in the e) None of these
year 2008 from the previous year? 53) (5696 ÷ 4 - ?) x 5 = 1020
(rounded off to two digits after decimal) a) 1180 b) 1200
a) 3.73 b) 3.62 c) 1240 d) 1220
c) 4.35 d) 4.16 e) None of these
e) None of these 54) 118963 – 107958 – 9589 = ?
47) Population of a village increases every year a) 1420 b) 1404
by 15%. If its population in January 2015 c) 1416 d) 1412
was 2,60,000, what will be its population in e) None of these
January 2016? 12.5  2.4  5.5  0.8
a) 2,99,000 b) 2,86,000 55) 8
?
c) 3,43,850 d) 3,38,000
a) 3.4 b) 4.8
e) None of these
c) 3.8 d) 4.3
48) Shelly could get equal number of Rs. 25 per
e) None of these
piece, Rs. 40 piece and Rs. 65 per piece
bangles. She spends a total of Rs. 1,560 for
Direction (Q. 56- 60): In each of the following a
all the bangles. How many of each type did
number series is given. Below it a number is given
she buy?
followed by (a) (b) (c) (d) & (e). You have to
a) 12 b) 14
complete the series starting with the number given
c) 16
according to the sequence for the given series?
d) Cannot be determined
56)
e) None of these
5 12 60 340
49) What is the approximate total surface area
7 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
of a right circular cone of height 14 cm and
Which of the following number will come in
base radius 7 cm?
place of (d)?
a) 510 b) 511
a) 172 b) 5044
c) 490 d) 505
c) 1012 d) 20164
e) 499
e) 28
50) Two stations A and B are 110 km apart on a
57)
straight line. One train starts from A at 7 am
11 15 38 126
and travels towards B at 20 kmph. Another
train starts from B at 8 am and travels 7 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
towards A at a speed of 25 kmkph. At what Which of the following number will come in
time will they meet? place of (c)?
a) 9 am b) 11 am a) 102 b) 30
c) 11:30 am d) 10 am c) 2140 d) 80
e) 12:30 pm e) 424
58)
2 3 8 27
5 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 71

 Which of the following number will come in 64) I. x2 – (16)2 = (23)2 – 56
place of (e)? II. y1/3- 55 + 376 = (18)2
a) 184 b) 6 a) x > y b) x  y
c) 925 d) 45 c) x < y
e) 14 d) relationship between x and y cannot be
59) determined
12 28 64 140 e) x  y
37 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) 12 8
Which of the following number will come in 65) I.   ( x)
( x) ( x)
place of (e)?
a) 1412 b) 164 (18) 5 / 2
c) 696 d) 78 II. y 2  0
y
e) 340
60) a) x > y b) x  y
2 3 9 40.5 c) x < y
4 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) d) relationship between x and y cannot be
Which of the following number will come in determined
place of (b)? e) x  y
a) 486 b) 81 66) I. (36) x  (64)  0
c) 3645 d) 18
e) 6 II. (81) y  (4) 2  0
61) The difference between a two-digit number a) x > y
and the number obtained by interchanging b) x  y
the digits is 36. What is the difference c) x < y
between the sum and the difference of the d) relationship between x and y cannot be
digits of the number if the ratio between the determined
digits of the number is 1 : 2? e) x  y
a) 10 b) 9 25 9
c) 11 d) 8 67) I.   17 ( x)
( x) ( x)
e) 7
62) In a lottery, there are 15 boys and 10 girls. ( y) 5 ( y ) 3
Three students are selected at random. II.  
3 6 ( y)
What is the probability that 1 girl and 2
boys are selected? a) x > y b) x  y
31 21 c) x < y
a) b) d) relationship between x and y cannot be
47 46
determined
22 31 e) x  y
c) d)
47 46 68) Three taps A, B and C can fill a tank in 12, 15
21 and 20 hours respectively. If A is open all
e)
47 the time and B and C are open for one hour
63) I. x2 – 10x + 21 = 0 each alternately, in what time will the tank
II. y2 – 16y + 63 = 0 be full?
a) x > y b) x  y a) 9 hours b) 7 hours
c) x < y c) 8 hours d) 10 hours
d) relationship between x and y cannot be e) 11 hours
69) A and B started a business in partnership
determined
investing Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 15,000
e) x  y
respectively. After six months, C joined them
with Rs. 20,000. What will be B’s share in
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 72
 total profit of Rs. 25,000 earned at the end This illustrates what is wrong with the World
of 2 years from the starting of the business? Bank. The World Bank has often forgotten the most
a) Rs. 8,000 b) Rs. 8,500 basic lessons of development, preferring to lecture the
c) Rs. 9,000 d) Rs. 7,500 poor and force them to privatise basic infrastructure,
e) Rs. 9,500 which is untenable, rather than to help the poor to
70) A boatman goes 2 km against the current of invest in infrastructure and other crucial sector. The
the stream in 1 hour and goes 1 km along Bank’s failure began in the early 1980s when under the
the current in 10 minutes. How long will it
ideological sway of then American President and British
take to go 5 km in stationary water?
a) 80 minutes b) 75 minutes Prime Minister it tried to get Africa and other poor
c) 70 minutes d) 72 minutes regions to cut back or close down government
e) 84 minutes investments and services. For 25 years, the bank tried
to get governments out of agriculture, leaving
impoverished peasants to fend for themselves. The
ENGLISH LANGUAGE result has been a disaster in Africa, with farm
productivity stagnant for decades. The bank also
Directions (71-80): Read the following passage
pushed for privatization of national health systems,
carefully and the questions given below it. Certain
water utilities, and road and power networks, and has
words/phrases are given in bold to help you locate
grossly underfinanced these critical sectors. This
them while answering some of the questions.
extreme free-market ideology, also called “structural
China’s rising power is based on its remarkable
adjustment”, went against the practical lessons of
economic success. Shanghai’s overall economy is
development successes in China and the rest or Asia.
currently growing at around 13% per year, thus
Practical development strategy recognises that public
doubling in size every five or six years. Everywhere
investments – in agriculture, health education, and
there are start-ups, innovations, and young
infrastructure – are necessary complements to private
entrepreneurs hungry for profits. In a series of high-
investments. The World Bank has instead wrongly seen
level meetings between Chinese and African officials,
such vital public investments as an enemy of private
the advice that the African leaders received from the
sector development. Whenever the bank’s ideology
Chinese was sound, and more practical than they
failed, it has blamed the poor for corruption,
typically get from the World Bank. Chinese officials
mismanagement, or lack of initiative. Instead of focusing
stress the crucial role of public investments, especially
its attention on helping the poorest countries to
in agriculture and infrastructure, to lay the basis for
improve their infrastructure, there has been a crusade
private sector-led growth. In a hungry and poor rural
against corruption. The good news is that African
economy, as China was in the 1970s and as most of
governments are getting the message on how to spur
Africa is today, a key starting point is to raise farm
economic growth and are getting crucial help from
productivity. Farms need the benefits of fertilizer,
China and other partners that are less wedded to
irrigation and high-yield seeds, all of which were a core
extreme free-market ideology than the World Bank.
part of China’s economical take off. Two other equally
They have declared their intention to invest in
critical investments are also needed: roads and
infrastructure, agriculture modernization, public health,
electricity, without which there cannot be a modern
and education. It is clear the Bank can regain its
economy. Farmers might be able to increase their
relevance only if it becomes practical once again, by
output, but it wont be able to reach the cities, and the
returning its focus to financing public investments in
cities won’t be able to provide the country-side with
priority sectors. If that happens, the Bank can still do
inputs. The government has taken pains to ensure that
justice to the bold vision of a world of shared prosperity
the electricity grids and transportation networks reach
that prompted its creation after World War II.
every village in China. China is prepared to help Africa
in substantial ways in agriculture, roads, power, health
71) The author’s main objective in writing the
and education. And that is not an empty boast. Chinese
passage is to
leaders are prepared to share new high-yield rice
a) make a case for the closure of the World
varieties, with their African counterparts and, all over
Bank since it promotes US interests over those
Africa, China is financing and, constructing basic
of other countries.
infrastructure.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 73
 b) illustrate how China can play a more
concrete role in Africa.
c) criticize the World Bank for playing a crucial
role in China’s development but neglecting
Africa.
d) recommend that China adopt the guidelines
of the World Bank to sustain growth.
e) use China’s success as an example of the
changes required in World Bank ideology.
72) What advice have African leaders received
from their Chinese counterparts?
a) Focus primarily on innovation, start-ups and
urban development.
b) To ensure all citizens benefit from economic
development, investment, not the private
sector.
c) Improve agricultural output through
government investment to stimulate economic
growth.
a) None b) Only (C)
c) Only (B) d) Both (A) & (B)
e) None of these
73) What effect has the World Bank policy had
on African nations?
a) The African government has restricted
private sector investment in agriculture.
b) Africa has focused more on health and
education rather than on agriculture.
c) The agriculture sector in these countries is
not as productive as it could be.
d) US and Britain have volunteered substantial
aid to Africa as Africa has complied with World
Bank ideology.
e) None of these
74) What is the difference in the Chinese and
World Bank approach to development?
a) Unlike the World Bank, China favours the
public sector and restricts private sector
participation in crucial sectors.
b) Contrary to China’s strategy of dependence
on the private sector, the World Bank
pressurises governments to take the lead in
investing in agriculture.
c) While the World Bank has focused on
agriculture, China’s priority has been rooting
out corruption so that investment in
infrastructure is utilised appropriately.
d) The Chinese government has retained
control over essential services like transport
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
while the World Bank favours private sector
involvement.
e) None of these
75) What is China’s view on the development of
the transportation and power networks?
a) Development in these sectors is not as
important as investing in agriculture.
b) Resources need to be diverted from the rural
to the urban areas to meet the needs of the
growing population in cities.
c) The government should be solely responsible
for developing these services so all citizens
have access to them.
d) It is more important to develop and maintain
transportation networks and power grids in
rural areas.
e) None of these
76) Which of the following cannot be said about
structural adjustment?
a) It is the World Bank’s free market ideology
adapted by Asian countries.
b) Under this strategy public sector investment
in priority sectors is discouraged.
c) As a development strategy it has failed in
Africa.
d) With this strategy there has been a lack of
adequate investment in critical sectors.
e) It is an ideology advocated by the World
Bank which needs to be modified to facilitate
economic growth.
77) Which of the following is NOT true in the
context of the passage?
a) China’s involvement in Africa so far has been
restricted to advising its leaders.
b) The World Bank was created by the US and
Britain for the sole purpose of furthering their
interest.
c) China’s economy was once in the same state
as many African countries are today.
a) None b) Only (B)
c) Only (A) d) Both (A) & (B)
e) None of these
78) What has/have been the outcome/s of
Shanghai’s economy prospering?
a) The World Bank has changed its
development strategy.
b) China’s importance globally has been
enhanced.
c) Rural areas are being neglected to promote
development of cities.
74
 a) Only (B) b) Both (A) & (B) 84) untenable
c) Both (B) & (C) d) All (A), (B), & (C) a) viable b) unsound
e) None of these c) consistent d) superior
79) Why is the author optimistic about Africa’s e) attractive
future? 85) empty
a) The World Bank has committed itself to a) full b) objective
invest huge sums in Africa’s development. c) meaningful d) occupied
b) Africa has decided to adopt a structural e) intelligent
adjustment ideology which has benefited many
nations. Directions (86-89): Read each sentence to find out
c) Africa has committed itself to adopting whether there is any error in it. The error, if any,
China’s strategy for economic growth. will be in one part off the sentence. The number of
d) China has urged the World Bank to waive the that part is the answer. If there is no error, the
interest on its loans to Africa. answer is (e). (Ignore errors of punctuation, if any).
e) None of these
80) What advice has the author given the World 86) It is not worthy(a)/the company’s
Bank? reputation(b/to compromise on quality(c)/ for
a) Support China’s involvement in developing the sake of profit. (d) No error (e)
Africa
b) Reduce the influence of the US and Britain in 87) The company which has (a) /won the
its functioning government contract (b)/ also plans to invest
c) Adopt a more practical ideology of structural (c)/ with the power sector. (d)/ No error (e)
adjustment
d) Change its ideology to one encouraging both 88) Implementing these measures (a) / will help
public and private sector investment in basic the government (b)/ to save more of (c)/ 400
infrastructure crores each year. (d)/No error (e)
e) Focus on fighting corruption rather than
interfering in the governance of developing 89) You have failed to produce (a)/ no evidence to
countries support (b)/ the charge that he (c)/ is
responsible for the error. (d) /No error (e)
Directions (81-83): Choose the word which is most
nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in Directions (90-93): Which of the phrases (a), (b), (c)
bold as used in the passage. and (d) given below should replace the phrase given
in bold in the following sentences to make the
81) sway sentence grammatically correct? If the sentence is
a) fluctuate b) influence correct as it is and there is no correction required,
c) govern d) dependence mark (e), i.e. ‘No correction required’ as the answer.
e) unsteady
82) core 90) The minimum eligibility age shall be less to
a) centre b) heart sixty years to allow more senior citizens to
c) adequate d) intermediate avail of the benefits of the scheme,
e) essential a) should be lowered b) should be lower
83) stress c) being lesser d) must be lessen
a) highlight b) strain e) No correction required
c) taxing d) tension 91) The latest study by Nasscom indicates possibly
e) emphasis short of five lakh qualified engineers in the IT
industry.
Directions (84-85): Choose the word which is most a) the possible shortage off
OPPOSITE in meaning of the word printed in bold as b) possibly short by
used in the passage. c) possibility of shortage

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 75

 d) a possible shortage of (F) In recent years, however, economic changes have
e) No correction required brought business sense and professionalism to the
92) China has to be prepared to meet many age- sector.
related social and financial challenges in the 96) Which of the following should be the FIFTH
coming years. sentence in the paragraph?
a) is been preparing b) was prepared a) A b) B
c) have been prepared d) has preparations c) C d) D
e) No correction required e) E
93) It is necessary to ascertain that we can do to 97) Which of the following should be the SIXTH
attract investment to the manufacturing sector. (LAST) sentence in the paragraph?
a) how we can do b) what we can do a) B b) C
c) more can be done d) that has been done c) D d) E
e) No correction required e) F
98) Which of the following should be the
Directions (94-95): In each of the following SECOND sentence in the paragraph?
sentences there are two blank spaces. Below each a) B b) C
five pairs of words have been denoted by numbers c) D d) E e) F
(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e). Find out which pair of words 99) Which of the following should be the FIRST
can be filled up in the blanks in this sentence in the sentence in the paragraph?
same sequence to make the sentence meaningfully a) A b) B
complete. c) C d) D e) E
100) Which of the following should be the THIRD
94) The Chairman in his speech stated the _____ sentence in the paragraph?
in company profits was _____ to team a) A b) B
building. c) C d) D e) E
a) incline, owing b) rise, liable
c) slump, accountable d) surge, due ANSWER KEY
e) plunge, response
95) The main _____ of Healthcare reforms is _____ Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A. Q. A.
medical care to every citizen. 1 B 2 E 3 B 4 C 5 B
a) purpose, available b) cause, providing 6 A 7 C 8 D 9 B 10 A
c) challenge, accessing 11 D 12 E 13 C 14 D 15 D
d) assurance, qualified 16 A 17 A 18 C 19 D 20 D
e) focus, extending 21 C 22 E 23 A 24 C 25 E
26 E 27 E 28 A 29 B 30 A
Directions (96-100): Rearrange the following six 31 B 32 B 33 E 34 A 35 B
sentences (A), (B), (C), (D), (E) and (F) in the proper 36 B 37 E 38 D 39 A 40 E
sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then 41 C 42 C 43 D 44 B 45 E
answer the questions given below them.
46 A 47 A 48 A 49 E 50 D
(A) In fact, today, social entrepreneurship is no different
51 C 52 A 53 D 54 C 55 D
from starting a profit-motivated company.
56 B 57 A 58 C 59 A 60 D
(B) The major challenge they face is employee selection
61 D 62 B 63 E 64 E 65 A
and retention.
(C) For decades social development in India meant 66 A 67 C 68 B 69 D 70 B
charity. 71 E 72 E 73 C 74 E 75 E
(D) However, the challenges social organizations 76 A 77 D 78 E 79 C 80 D
experience are tougher. 81 B 82 E 83 A 84 A 85 C
(E) This is because while volunteering for social work is 86 A 87 D 88 C 89 B 90 A
not new, attracting talented people and tapping their 91 D 92 E 83 B 94 D 95 E
potential at lower costs is difficult. 96 B 97 2 98 2 99 C 100 A

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 76

 Latest G.K. Bytes
JANUARY – 2017
1) About which restaurants charges the Consumer
Affairs Ministry has notified that they are not
mandatory: Service Charges
2) The 104th Indian Science Congress was hosted
by the __________University in Tirupati in Andhra
Pradesh: Sri Venkateswara
3) __________ has been appointed as the Chairman of
the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC):
Prof. David r syiemlieh
4) Govt. has launched a new online payment
named BHIM. What is its full form: Bharat
Interface for Money
5) DRDO recently tested which ICBM having a
strike range of 4000 km: Agni-IV
6) China has launched its first long route freight
train to which European city: London
7) “Khullam Khulla” is an autobiography of which
Bollywood star: Rishi Kapoor
8) Name the author of the book “Necessary
Trouble: Americans in Revolt”: Sarah Jaffe
9) What is the main objective of the initiative,
‘Swachh Swasth Sarvatra’: Strengthening of
community health centres
10) The Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative is
proposed to be implemented in which type of
blocks: Blocks free from open defecation
11) Which Union Ministry has launched Mission
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra: Health Ministry in
collaboration with the Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation
12) Which state plans to set up a pilot corridor for
an innovative concept of India’s first 'Caterpillar
Train': Haryana, in Gurugram
13) The Beipanjiang Bridge, the highest in the
world, has been opened up in which country:
China
14) Sorin Grindeanu has been appointed as the new
_________ of Romania: Prime Minister
15) ___________ has emerged as the India’s first fully
organic agriculture state: Sikkim
16) The Supreme Court of India has ruled that no
politician can seek the vote in the name of ___,
____, _____ community or language: Caste, Creed,
Religion
17) ________ has been named as the World’s Best
Playmaker for the year 2016: Lionel Messi
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
18) Iconic football player Lionel Messi hails from
which country: Argentina
19) _________has become the first country in the
world to pay a basic monthly income to its
deserving citizens: Finland
20) Li Xiaoxia, China's _________Olympic champion
has announced her retirement: Table Tennis
21) John Berger, the Booker-prize-winning and a
revolutionary art critic passed away recently.
He was from which country: Britain
22) Name the legendry cinema and theater actor
who acted in several Pakistani, British and
Hollywood films, who passed away recently:
Om Puri
23) Iconic cricketer MS Dhoni announced his
retirement from the captaincy of which format
of cricket: ODI and T20
24) Which country is facing strong international
criticism for failing to rein-in months-long
military crackdown on Rohingya Muslim
community: Myanmar
25) China has successfully launched Tongxin Jishu
Shiyan, a new-generation __________ Satellite:
Telecommunications
26) Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar islands hosted
the _________Festival 2017: Island Tourism
27) India defeated which country to win the SAFF
Women’s Football Championship: Bangladesh
28) The SAFF Women’s Football Championship was
held at which place: Siliguri, West Bengal
29) The grand ‘Prakash Parv’ to celebrate the 350th
birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh guru, Sri
Guru Gobind Singh was hosted by which city:
Patna
30) Scientists in Ireland have classified a new organ
named ‘Mesentery’ inside human body in the
_______ system: Digestive
31) The Election Commission announced the dates
for the assembly elections in how many states:
Five
32) The United Nations General Assembly
has recognised the year 2017 as the
International Year of ________for Development:
Sustainable Tourism
33) Jovenel Moise has been elected as the _______ of
Haiti: President
34) Tony Atkinson, eminent British economist and a
noted scholar at the London School of
77
 Economics was in news for what reasons: He
passed away
35) World Braille Day is observed on which date:
January 4
36) Why January 4 is observed as World Braille
Day: It is the birth anniversary of Louis
Braille, the inventor of the Braille language
for the blind
37) Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, home
loans upto Rs. _____ lakh will now get 4 % rebate
in interest: 9
38) Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, home
loans upto Rs. _____ lakh will now get 3 % rebate
in interest:12
39) In a new scheme, senior citizens have been
assured _____ per cent interest on their deposits
up to Rs. _____ lakh, for next 10 years: 8, 7.5
40) NRIs have been permitted to exchange their old
500 and 1000 rupees notes at RBI offices till
what date: 30th June, 2017
41) 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was held at which
place: Bengaluru
42) Who was the chief guest of the 14th Pravasi
Bhartiya Divas: Dr. Antonio Costa
43) Dr. Antonio Costa is the prime minister of which
country: Portugal
44) Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is observed on which
date: January 9
45) Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is observed every year
to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi
as a Pravasi from ________to India in 1915: South
Africa
46) As per the recent data released by the CSO,
India’s GDP growth is estimated at ________per
cent in 2016-17: 7.1
47) Who has been selected to lead Indian cricket
team in all three formats – test match, ODI and
T-20: Virat Kohli
48) Which country has launched world’s longest
bullet train running for 2760 kms: China
49) 4th Assam International Agri-Horti show was
held in______: Guwahati
50) Which city hosted the International Conference
on “Yoga for Diabetes”: New Delhi
51) The People's President: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is
a book written by S M Khan. Who is he: Former
Press Secretary of Sh. Kalam
52) ___________ was named the World's Best Player at
the Best Fifa Football Awards: Cristiano
Ronaldo
53) Shreyas Mehta, India’s Under-13 _______player
won the prestigious Scottish Junior Open title in
Edinburg, Scotland: Squash
54) _________ became the first country in the world to
start shutting down its FM radio network in
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
favour of digital radio: Norway
55) _______ has become the first city in the country to
use the Network Operations Centre for smart
city: Jaipur
56) Nat Hentoff, famous author, journalist, jazz
critic and civil libertarian, who passed away
recently, was from which country: USA
57) The Golden Globe Awards are given for
excellence in which field: Cinema
58) The Golden Globe Awards are given in which
country: USA
59) Which film won the Golden Globe for best
motion picture: Moonlight
60) Damien Chazelle won the Golden Globe for Best
Director for which film: La La Land
61) What is the name of the Kalvari class Scorpene
submarine recently acquired by the Indian
Navy: INS Khanderi
62) Which national day is observed on January 12:
National Youth Day
63) Why National Youth Day is observed on January
12: It is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda
64) _________elected as the President of Nicaragua
for a third consecutive term: Daniel Ortega
65) International Football body FIFA has decided to
expand the World Cup Tournament to
_____teams from its current 32 w.e.f 2026: 48
66) Which country has offered its help for
development of Chennai, Ahmedabad and
Varanasi as smart cities: Japan
67) Sania Mirza alongwith American Bethanie
Mattek-Sands won which women's doubles title
in Australia: Brisbane International
68) Qatar Open tennis title in Doha was won by
which player: Novak Djokovic
69) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died recently,
was two times former President of which
country: Iran
70) The World Hindi Day is observed on which date
in January: 10th
71) Which Union Ministry sponsors the World
Hindi Day celebrations around the world:
Ministry of External Affairs
72) Which Bollywood star was honoured by the US
Embassy in appreciation for his invaluable
contributions to the US-India partnership on
tuberculosis: Amitabh Bachchan
73) Abbu Ammaz, an eight-year old boy from
Jammu and Kashmir won gold medal in
National level _______Championship:
Thaiboxing
74) President of__________, Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in
New Delhi on his India visit: Kenya
75) What is the name of the biography of former
wrestler and coach Mahavir Singh Phogat:
78
 Akhada
76) ISRO has signed a partnership agreement in
satellite launch technology with which other
space agency: French Space agency
77) Railways has launched a new passenger mobile
application 'IRCTC Rail Connect' for what
purpose: To promote ease of booking tickets
through digital mode.
78) India’s first international exchange called India
INX has been opened in which city:
Gandhinagar, Gujarat
79) The world’s largest street light replacement
programme has been launched in which Indian
city: New Delhi
80) Linking of Pan card has been made mandatory
in all listing bank accounts except _________
account: Basic Savings Account
81) The 2017 Chennai Open Tennis Championship
was won by which place: Roberto Bautista
Agut, Spain
82) DRDO recently tested a new guided version of
the Pinaka. What it is: Rocket
83) __________ has been appointed as the new
Chairman of Tata Sons: Natarajan
Chandrasekaran
84) Name the first payments bank of India that
started operations in January: Airtel Payments
Bank
85) Payment Banks are not allowed to accept which
type of deposits: Time Deposits (FD and RD)
86) Madame Tussauds, the world famous museum
of wax sculptures is opening its first branch in
India which city: New Delhi
87) The World Bank has projected a growth of
________ per cent for the global economy in 2017:
2.7%
88) Which country has ended a two-decade-old
“wet foot, dry foot” immigration policy: USA
89) USA’s “wet foot, dry foot” immigration policy
was aimed at nationals of which country: Cuba
90) Govt. has increased the minimum monthly
pension to Rs.______ per person for Central Govt.
employees: 9,000
91) The ex-gratia amount for the employees has
been increased from 10 -15 lakh to ______ lakh
rupees: 25-35
92) ___________ has been appointed as the new CEO of
the Tata Consultancy Services: Rajesh
Gopinathan
93) Delhi Police and ___________airlines have joined
hands to start humanitarian initiative ‘Akhiri
Ahuti’: IndiGo
94) Which state has launched the country’s first
solar-powered boat 'Aaditya': Kerala
95) Which team won the Ranji Trophy for the first
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
time in 2017: Gujarat
96) Khelo India National level Sports Competitions
were held in which city: New Delhi
97) ________ has been appointed as the new prime
minister of France: Bernard Cazeneuve
98) Indian Army Day is observed on which date:
January 15
99) For what reasons Indian Army Day is observed
on January 15: On this date in 1948 first
Indian took over as the chief of army
100) Name the former Punjab Chief Minister and
former Governor of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Uttarakhand, who passed away
recently: Surjit Singh Barnala
101) Filmfare award for best film was won by which
picture: Dangal
102) __________ won the Filmfare award for the best
director: Nitesh Tiwari
103) Who is the author of the book “Jinnah Often
Came to Our House”: Kiran Doshi
104) The World Bank has agreed to provide $48
million for health project of which state:
Nagaland
105) “An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in
India” is a book written by which author:
Shashi Tharoor
106) “The Spy” is a novel written by which famous
novelist: Paulo Coelho
107) As per a global study, India’s richest 1% hold as
much as _____% of the country’s total wealth: 58
108) As per India Meteorological Department’s data,
______ was India’s warmest year since 1901:
2016
109) The first edition of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting
Union’s International Television Dance Festival
was held in which city: Hyderabad
110) As per the Inclusive Development Index, India
has been played __________ rank among 79
developing economies: 60th
111) Mawlynnong, a village in __________ state has
become a role model for maintaining
cleanliness: Meghalaya
112) NASA has approved a mission to explore
asteroid named ‘16 Psyche’ for what purpose:
To harness its extremely rich iron content
113) ________ has been elected as the new President of
the European Parliament: Antonio Tajani
114) The 58th edition of India International Garment
Fair was held in which place: New Delhi
115) Which state witnessed unprecedented massive
public protests against the ban on bull taming
sport of Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu
116) Which Indian city has been ranked number one
in a global study to identify dynamic cities:
Bengaluru
79
 117) Asia’s largest literature festival was hosted by
which city in India: Jaipur
118) Name the cricket icon who was inducted into
Legends Club 'Hall of Fame' in Mumbai: Kapil
Dev
119) As per the Global Passport Index, passport of
which country has been ranked as the best:
Germany
120) Govt. has approved listing of how many public
sector insurance companies: Five
121) Which web portal has been launched to monitor
the progress of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: ShaGun
122) Premier Badminton League 2017 was won by
which team: Chennai Smashers
123) In which country Priyanka Chopra won the
People’s Choice Award for best actress: USA
124) Who has been named new Director of the
Central Bureau of Investigation: Alok Kumar
Verma
125) Himachal Pradesh has declared that ______
would be the second capital of the State:
Dharamsala
126) Which team won the Pro Wrestling League in
January, 2017: Punjab Royals
127) Adama Barrow has been elected as the new
President of The Gambia. It is in which part of
the world: Western Africa
128) National Girl Child Day is observed on which
date: January 24
129) Which Indian Navy warship has become the
first ship to have an ATM on board: INS
Vikramaditya
130) Name the renowned Urdu poet and Bollywood
lyricist who passed away in January 2017:
Naqsh Lyallpuri
131) What was the actual name of the famous Urdu
poet Naqsh Lyallpuri: Jaswant Rai Sharma
132) Which is the first state in the country to opt for
electronic transmission of postal ballot: Goa
133) Saina Nehwal defeated Pornpawee
Chochuwong of Thailand to win which
international title: Malaysia Masters Grand
Prix Gold
134) Who was the head of the panel constituted to
review the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Act: N. K. Singh
135) Raisina Dialogue, a flagship geo-political
conference was held in which Indian city: New
Delhi
136) The government has tied up with the National
Yuva Cooperative Society to set up 1,000
Janaushadhi Kendras for what purpose: To
provide quality medicines at an affordable
price
137) World Bank has sanctioned Rs. 1,376 crore for
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
upgradations and improvement of the power
system network in which state: Tripura
138) Donald Trump took over as the _______ President
of United States: 45th
139) In which state more than 3.5 lakh people set a
new world record for singing the national
anthem together: Gujarat
140) Which Indian state, world’s longest human
chain was formed, covering around 11,292 kms:
Bihar
141) What was the mission behind forming the
world’s longest human chain: To support ban
on alcoholism and liquor
142) In a ranking of world’s 50 most innovative
firms, ___________ has been placed at No. 1: Apple
143) Which public sector bank has launched its
contactless credit card in January: Punjab
National Bank
144) Annual meeting of the World Economic Form
was held in ________ in Switzerland: Davos
145) In which country, Indian origin Prime Minister
resigned from his post: Mauritius
146) Which insurance company has been given the
charge for implementing the
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017: LIC
147) Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 will
provide an assured return of ____% per annum
for _____ years: 8, 10
148) The threshold age limit for the
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 is_____
years: 60
149) Which airport won the Golden Peacock Award
for Corporate Social Responsibility in the
aviation transport sector for the year 2016:
Delhi International Airport
150) Name the Indian beauty queen who has been
picked up to be on the judges panel of the
upcoming 65th edition of Miss Universe
pageant: Sushmita Sen
151) Annual Status of Education Report-2016 relates
to which subject: Children’s schooling in rural
India
152) Recently Union Cabinet has approved which
change for IIMs: They have been allowed to
issue degrees rather than diplomas
153) Crown Prince of which country was the chief
guest for this year’s Republic Day Parade
function: Abu Dhabi (UAE)
154) National Voters Day is celebrated on which
date: 25th January
155) For what reason National Voters Day is
observed on 25th January: On this date in 1950,
Election Commission came into being.
156) The External Affairs Ministry has joined hands
with which organization to expand outlets for
issuance of passports: Department of Posts
80
 157) The Supreme Court of UK has issued what
orders in context of Britain’s exit from
European Union: They have asked the govt. to
obtain consent from the Parliament
158) Which country successfully tested its long range
surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ababeel:
Pakistan
159) The Indian postal department released a special
stamp cover titled Golden girls of India – Pride
of Nation. Name these girls: Dipa Karmakar,
PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik
160) Who became the fastest batsman in the world
to score 1,000 runs as captain in ODIs: Virat
Kohli
161) ________ has been appointed as the new Prime
Minister of Mauritius: Pravind Jugnauth
162) The Union Cabinet has approved ratification of
the Second Commitment Period of the Kyoto
Protocol. This protocol relates to which issue:
Containing the emission of green house
gases
163) Name two active politicians who have been
conferred Padma Vibhushan in 2017: Mr.
Sharad Pawar and Sh. Murli Manohar Joshi
164) Padma Vibhushan has been conferred on which
politicians posthumously: Sh. Sunder Lal
Patwa and Sh. P A Sangma
165) Prof. U R Rao has been decorated with which
national award: Padma Vibhushan
166) Which country has built the world’s biggest
solar park spanning and area or 27 sq. kms:
China
167) Japan launched its first military
communications satellite ________to boost the
broadband capacity of its armed forces:
Kirameki-2
168) _________ defeated Gujarat to clinch the Irani
Trophy (Cricket): Rest of India
169) Name the gallant soldier who was conferred
with the highest peace time gallantry award
Ashok Chakra on this Republic Day: Havildar
Hangpan Dada (posthumously)
170) In a list of eight great powers for the year 2017
compiled by a leading American foreign policy
magazine, India has been ranked at ______place:
Sixth
171) Which country tops this list: USA
172) _______________ the Russian Ambassador to India
who was considered India’s great friend passed
away in New Delhi: Alexander Kadakin
173) The Supreme Court has appointed ___________ to
head the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI). Vinod Rai (former Comptroller and
Auditor General)
174) ____________ was declared the new Miss Universe
at a glittering pageant held in Manila (The
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Philippines): Iris Mittenaere
175) Iris Mittenaere, the new Miss Universe, belongs
to which country? France
176) The “Father of Pac-Man”, who founded the
Japanese video game company, died recently.
Can you name him? Masaya Nakamura
177) As per reports, more than _________ of the Indian
adult population now has an Aadhaar number.
99%
178) The Anti Leprosy Day is observed in the
memory of: Mahatma Gandhi
179) Quebec, a city in news recently due to an attack
on a mosque, is located in which country?
Canada
180) _________ defeated __________ to claim the Men's
Singles of Australian Open in Melbourne. Roger
Federer, Rafael Nadal
181) The first-ever transgender model to walk at the
Lakme Fashion Week was: Anjali Lama
(Nepal)
182) Which latest order issued by US President
Donald Trump has created a flutter around the
world? The order bars the entry of foreign
nationals from seven Muslim-majority
nations
183) Name the seven countries, whose nationals
have been banned by the US government from
entering America: Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya,
Somalia, Yemen and Iraq
184) What is the reason behind the latest ban on
Muslim-dominant nations imposed by the US?
It wants to ensure that the visas are not
issued to individuals posing a national
security threat.
185) Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused
by _____________, which usually affects the skin
and peripheral nerves. Mycobacterium leprae
DECEMBER – 2016
186) Hashim Mansoor, seven-year-old school student
from Bandipora, J&K won the gold medal in
which Asian event: Karate
187) The Reserve Bank has placed a limit of
____________rupees on monthly withdrawals from
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan bank accounts:
10,000
188) Which country lost its first division football
team in a plane crash: Brazil
189) __________ has been appointed as the Chief of
Pakistan Army: Lt. Gen Qamar Bajwa
190) L Y Suhas, UP-based IAS officer won the Asian
________Championships: Para-Badminton
191) Akodara village in Sabarkantha district of
Gujarat was in news recently for what reasons:
81
 For becoming first cashless village in India
192) “Conflicts of Interest: My Journey through
India's Green Movement” is a book written by
Sunita Narain. Who is she: Noted environment
activist
193) The website Dictionary.com has named the
word ________as the Word of the Year for 2016:
Xenophobia
194) Xenophobia describes which type of fear or
apprehension: Fear or hatred of foreigners,
people from different cultures, or strangers
195) Which Indian film was selected for a special
screening at the UN headquarters, New York:
Pink
196) What is the major issue in the film Pink:
Gender based violence or violence against
women
197) Asia’s first and longest cycle highway, running
for 207 kms has been opened in which state:
Uttar Pradesh
198) India has inked a Rs 5,000 crore deal with USA
for buying 145 M777 ultra-light __________.:
Howitzers
199) Magnus Carlsen of ________ won the World Chess
Championship: Norway
200) Which Indian player won the bronze medal at
the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha,
UAE: Pankaj Advani
201) Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was
proclaimed as the new monarch of which
country: Thailand
202) Monarchy in Thailand belongs to which
dynasty: Chakri
203) Which international day is devoted to raise
awareness to the Aids pandemic caused by the
spread of the HIV infection: World Aids Day
204) What is the theme for this year’s World Aids
Day: Hands Up for HIV Prevention
205) HRD ministry has launched ‘Vittiya Saksharata
Abhiyan’ (Financial Education Mission) for
what purpose: To spread awareness about
digital cashless modes of transactions
206) Name the Indian girl who has won the
International Children's Peace Prize:
Kehkashan Basu
207) Kehkashan Basu won the peace prize for which
achievement: For her fight for climate justice
and combating environmental degradation
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
208) Why the National Pollution Control Day is
observed on December 3: Thousands lost
their lives on this day in 1984 due to the
Bhopal gas tragedy
209) _______ has been won the IAAF Athlete of The
Year Award for men: Sprint king Usain Bolt of
Jamaica
210) _______ has been won the IAAF Athlete of The
Year Award for women: Almaz Ayana of
Ethiopia, 10,000m record holder
211) What is the full form of IAAF: International
Association of Athletics Federations
212) Name the New Zealand's popular Prime
Minister who stunned the nation by announcing
his resignation: John Key
213) Who has been elected as the new Prime
Minister of New Zealand: Bill English
214) Which European Prime Minister announced his
stepping down from the office after he lost a
referendum on constitutional reforms: Matteo
Renzi of Italy
215) Asia Cup Twenty-20 tournament for women
was hosted by which country: Thailand
216) _________ won the Asia Cup Twenty-20
tournament for women: India
217) Srinidhi Shetty of India won which
international beauty queen title: Miss
Supranational 2016
218) Name the Philippines beauty queen who has
been crowned Miss International 2016: Kylie
Verzosa
219) Indian navy celebrates which day as the Indian
Navy Day: December 4
220) Why Indian Navy day is celebrated on
December 4: To commemorate their
achievements in 1971 Indo –Pak war.
221) J. Jayalalitha, the charismatic Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu, passed away on Dec 5. Popularly
she was known as _____: Puratchi Thalaivi
(revolutionary leader), Amma
222) The world soil day celebrated on Dec 05 is
supported by which UN organization: FAO-
Food and Agriculture Organization
223) _________ has been elected as the new President
of Uzbekistan: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
224) Justice___________has been appointed as the next
(44th) Chief Justice of India: Jagdish Singh
Khehar
82
 225) ISRO successfully launched India’s latest
satellite Resourcesat-2A for what purposes:
Remote Sensing and imaging
226) Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, political satirist and
founder editor of Thuglak magazine, passed
away recently. What was his popular name: Cho
Ramaswamy
227) What is the main purpose of celebrating Armed
Forces Flag Day: To collect the funds for the
wellbeing of the staff of the Indian Armed
Forces
228) Pidie Jaya, a small town in Pidie Jaya Aceh
province in Indonesia was in news for what
reason: It was devastated by a major
earthquake
229) Bernard Cazeneuve has been elected as the new
Prime Minister of which European country:
France
230) Who is the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: O
Panneerselvam
231) NITI Aayog has decided to allocate Rs.____ lakh
to every district as seed money to kick start
digitization drive: Five
232) The first ever International Gita Mahotsav was
hosted by which city: Kurukshetra
233) Konkan 16, the annual bilateral maritime
exercise was held between the Indian Navy and
which other navy: Royal Navy of Britain
234) Joint naval exercise Konkan 16 was held at
which place: Off the Mumbai coast
235) Turner Prize, a top award for contemporary art
is given in which country: Britain
236) In a first of its kind incident in the Indian Navy,
a missile frigate fell down it’s sideways. Name
this ship: INS Betwa
237) ___________ has been named by Time magazine as
its Person of the Year 2016: Donald Trump
238) Name the international statesman who scored
highest 18 per cent of popular online votes for
the Time Person of the year 2016: Narendra
Modi
239) Which country observed the 75th anniversary
of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: USA
240) Team Indus, a group of young Indian scientists
and IT experts was in news for what reasons:
They have tied up with ISRO for launching
an unmanned spacecraft on Moon by
January, 2018
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
241) Nada cyclone caused widespread heavy rains in
which coastal part of India: Tamil Nadu
242) Who became the oldest golfer (51 years) to win
an Asian Tour title by winning Panasonic Open
Golf Championship: Mukesh Kumar
243) Name the South Korea's President who was
impeached by the parliament over a corruption
scandal: Park Geun-Hye
244) International Anti-Corruption Day is celebrated
on which date: December 09
245) Name the trailblazing US astronaut, who
became the first American to orbit the Earth
and the first senior citizen to venture into
space, died aged 95: John Glenn
246) Which Indian language has been included at
10th place in the top 10 most powerful
languages in the world: Hindi
247) Which great Indian leader’s birth anniversary
now shall be celebrated as “Water Day”: Dr. B.
R. Ambedkar
248) Which public sector bank won the Best MSME
Bank Award given by ASSOCHAM: Corporation
Bank
249) Which public sector bank won the Best Bank for
SME Lending Award given by ASSOCHAM:
Vijaya Bank
250) India signed an agreement with ________for
training her pilots for their Sukhoi-30 fighter
jets: Vietnam
251) Naval exercise Indra Navy 2016 was conducted
between which two navies: India and Russia
252) Indra Navy-2016 was conducted at which place:
In Bay of Bengal, off the Visakhapatnam
coast
253) The RBI has relaxed the norms for AFA for
online card transactions. What is AFA:
Additional Factor of Authentication
254) RBI has relaxed AFA norms for card
transactions of up to what amount: Rs. 2000
255) Which day is celebrated on Dec 10 to
commemorate the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights by the General Assembly of the
United Nations: Human Rights Day
256) Name the new TV channel launched to educate
people on various modes of electronic
payments: Digi Shala
257) Which country has become 14th partner of India
for civil nuclear cooperation: Vietnam
83
 258) Joko Widodo, President of _______ arrived in
India on a two day visit: Indonesia
259) The 28th State Information Ministers (of India)
Conference (SIMCON) was hosted by which city:
New Delhi
260) Iqbal Sayed of Mumbai won the silver medal in
Olympia Amateur Asia Contest in Hong Kong in
which category: Classic bodybuilding
261) Where in India world’s biggest cricket stadium
in terms of seating capacity is proposed to be
built up: Motera, Ahmadabad
262) Name the ace Indian cueist who won his 11th
World Billiards (150-Up format) Championship
in Bengaluru: Pankaj Advani
263) Cristiano Ronaldo won the prestigious Ballon
d'Or award, 2016 for a fourth time. He is from
which football club: Real Madrid, Spain
264) China launched Fengyun-4 satellite for what
purpose: Weather Study
265) “100 Million for 100 Million” campaign has
been launched for what purpose: For
mobilising better-off children to speak up
for their disadvantaged counterparts
266) Name the Nobel laureate who is the guiding
force behind the campaign “100 Million for 100
Million”: Kailash Satyarthee
267) Which Bollywood star has been once again
named UNICEF’s (United Nations Children’s
Fund) Global Goodwill Ambassador: Priyanka
Chopra
268) the Hero World Challenge Golf Championship in
Nassau, Bahamas was won by which player:
Hideki Matsuyama
269) The government has waived the import
duty on which food grain: Wheat
270) 7th World Ayuerveda Congress was held in
which city: Kolkata
271) 7th World Ayuerveda Congress was supported
by which union ministry: Ministry of AYUSH
272) 2016 Women's Hockey Junior World Cup won
by _______ by defeating Netherland: Argentina
273) Who became first Indian and fifth batsman in
world to score three double centuries
consecutively in one calendar year: Virat Kohli
274) Who is the only Indian statesman to figure in
the Forbes top 10 most powerful persons in
world: Narendra Modi
275) The Supreme Court has directed all the states
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
and the Centre to remove which shops from the
highways: Liquor
276) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a
book written by which author: J K Rowling
277) Name the book written by Ravindra Kumar, an
IAS officer of 2011 batch who scaled Mt
Everest: Many Everests
278) A recent study shows that the ____are the best-
educated of all religious groups in North
America and Europe: Hindus
279) International Tennis Federation has declared
_________as World Champion (men) 2016: Andy
Murray, Britain
280) Name the women tennis player who won the
World Champion (women) 2016: Angelique
Kerber, Germany
281) Who won the Badminton World Federation’s
Most Improved Player of the Year award: P V
Sindhu
282) Sultan Muhammad V has been installed as the
15th King of which country: Malaysia
283) The Indian Railways has tied-up with which
bank to install at least 10,000 Point of Sale
(PoS) machines: State Bank of India
284) Which day is celebrated every year on
December 16 to commemorate India’s historic
victory over Pakistan in 1971 war: Vijaya
Diwas
285) The Niti Aayog launched which two schemes to
encourage cashless transactions between 50
and 3,000 rupees: Lucky Grahak Yojana and
Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana
286) Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar
Yojana shall be implemented by which
organization: National Payment Corporation
of India
287) V K Sharma has been appointed as
the Chairman of which public sector insurance
company: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)
288) “Courts of India – Past to Present” book has
been compiled by which national institution:
Supreme Court of India
289) Which judicial authority has imposed a ban on
sale and use of glass powder coated ‘manja’ and
other dangerous strings for flying kites:
National Green Tribunal
290) V G Kannan has been appointed Chief Executive
Officer of which organization: Indian Banks’
84
 Association
291) Majuli, India's first ever proposed carbon
neutral district by 2020, is in which state:
Assam
292) Name the joint military exercise undertaken by
armies of India and Maldives: Ekuverin
293) __________ has become the first Indian
batswoman to figure in the ICC’s Women’s team
of the year: Smriti Mandhana
294) What is the name of the recent tax amnesty
scheme launched by the government: Pradhan
Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana
295) Assessees will have to pay ______ per cent tax on
amount declared under Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Yojana: 50
296) Which corporate has taken the responsibility of
recruiting and funding 600 Zila Swachh Bharat
Preraks: Tata Trusts
297) We hear a lot about UPI payment system these
days. What is UPI: Unified Payment Interface
298) Digital payments can also be made through
USSD-based *99#. What is USSD: Unstructured
Supplementary Service Data
299) In the context of digital payments, what is IMPS:
Immediate Payment Service or Interbank
Mobile Payment Service
300) While making transaction through card swipe
machines, banks usually charge MDR. What is
MDR: Merchant Discount Rate
301) The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill,
2016 identifies how many conditions as
disabilities: 19
302) As per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Bill, 2016, reservation for Divyangs in
government jobs has been raised to ________ per
cent: 4%
303) Junior World Cup Hockey for boys was won by
which country: India
304) Who has been named as the New Chief of the
Indian Army Staff: Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat
305) Who has been named as the new Chief of the
Indian Air Force: Air Marshal Birender Singh
Dhanoa
306) Anil Dhasmana has been appointed new Chief
of RAW. Write its full form: Research and
Analysis Wing
307) What is the function of RAW: To collect
foreign intelligence inputs
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
308) Who has been appointed as the new Director
General of the Intelligence Bureau: Rajiv Jain
309) What is the function of Intelligence Bureau: To
collect domestic intelligence inputs
310) Who has won the BBC Sports Personality of the
Year-2016: Andy Murray
311) Country’s first ever Indian Institute of Skills will
be opened in which city: Kanpur
312) The Indian Institute of Skills will be opened in
collaboration with which country: Singapore
313) Stephanie del Valle of Puerto Rico recently
which international beauty crown: Miss World
2016
314) SBI has launched its mobile wallet application
‘State Bank MobiCash’ in partnership with
which organisation: BSNL
315) Saumitra Chaudhuri, a former member of the
erstwhile Planning Commission, died recently.
He was from which field: Eminent Economist
316) Which state launched a subsidised meal scheme
‘Annapurna Rasoi' to provide breakfast for Rs 5
and lunch or dinner for Rs. 8 to the poor and the
needy: Rajasthan
317) Name the former World Champion in Super
Middleweight Boxing who was knocked out by
Vijender Singh: Francis Cheka
318) Animation giant Disney has launched its ‘Hour
of Code’ campaign in India for what purpose:
To teach computer programming to school
children through its free online tutorials
319) After Virender Sehwag, who is the only other
Indian batsman to hit triple century: Karun
Nair
320) Ministry of textiles has launched a mobile app
E-Dhaga to address the concerns of which
artisan community: Weavers
321) Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has named
_______ as the ‘Word of the Year 2016’: Surreal
322) What is the meaning of word Surreal: Very
strange or unusual : having the quality of a
dream’
323) Assam government has appointed which
Bollywood actress as the brand ambassador of
state tourism: Priyanka Chopra
324) India won the five-match test series against
which country in a clean sweep of 4-0: England
325) International Human Solidarity Day is observed
on which date: December 20
85
 326) India has been ranked _______ in the Global Wind
Power Installed Capacity Index: 4th
327) Which country has been placed at the top as per
the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity
Index: China
328) Which country launched TanSat - a global
carbon dioxide monitoring satellite to
understand climate change: China
329) AIBA has granted full membership to the
recently-formed Boxing Federation of India.
What is the full form of AIBA: Amateur
International Boxing Association
330) In a rare instance, which two Indian bowlers
are topping the ICC Test rankings:
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
331) DRDO conducted the flight test of indigenously-
designed and developed 'Nirbhay'. What it is:
Long range subsonic cruise missile
332) India signed Open Skies agreement with six
countries for what purpose: To allow
unlimited number of flights to six metro
airports
333) Scientists have discovered a vast ‘dead zone’ of
an estimated 60,000 square kilometers in the
Bay of Bengal. What is its main feature: This
area contains little or no oxygen
334) Which Indian cricketer has been named ‘ICC
Cricketer of the Year’: Ravichandran Ashwin
335) Which trophy is given to the ICC Cricketer of the
Year: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
336) Name the Lt. Governor of Delhi who was in
news as he tendered his resignation: Najeeb
Jung
337) Name the 12 year old school boy from Noida
who won the Kids Golf World Championship:
Arjun Bhati
338) Union Cabinet has approved formation of which
new service in the Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME): Indian
Enterprise Development Service
339) Indian Enterprise Development Service has
been started for what purpose: To boost and
achieve the vision of "Startup India", "Stand-
up India" and "Make in India"
340) As per a report by Forbes magazine, India has
replaced which country to become the fifth
largest economy in the world: Britain
341) The Bank of Baroda has become the first Indian
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
company to sign up as a national supporter for
which international sports event: FIFA Under
17 World Cup
342) GARV-II mobile app will provide village-wise
and habitation-wise base line data on which
issue: Household electrification
343) Which bank has launched ‘easypay’, a mobile
application for merchants that allows
consolidation of all modes of digital payments:
ICICI Bank
344) Where in India is located the proposed grand
memorial of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj: An Island of the Mumbai
Coast
345) Why National Consumer Day is observed on
December 24: On this day, the Consumer
Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent
of the President
346) RBI has opened its 17th banking ombudsman
office recently in which city: Dehradun,
Uttarakhand
347) The UN Security Council, for the first time,
passed a resolution asking Israel to refrain from
what action: From building settlements on
occupied Palestinian territory
348) Shiva Keshavan of India clinched a gold medal
at the Asian _________Championships in Nagano,
Japan: Luge
349) Who won the National title in 6-red Snooker
championship held in Mumbai: Pankaj Advani
350) Shankha Ghosh, eminent modern poet, winner
of the 2016 Jnanpith award, writes in which
language: Bengali
351) Which physical exercise discipline has been
delisted as sports: Yoga
352) After being delisted as sports, Yoga will now be
looked after by which ministry: Health
Ministry, Department of AYUSH
353) As per Forbes India Celebrity List, ________ has
been ranked number one, earning revenue of Rs
270.33 crore: Salman Khan
354) Which Bollywood actress has been declared
PETA’s Person of the Year by the People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): Sunny
Leone
355) Name the India’s indigenously developed
intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear
capable ballistic missile that was successfully
86
 tested in December: Agni - V 60
356) What is the approximate range of the ICBM Agni 371) Name the 18 year old boy who is the new
– V: Over 5000 km national champion in the men’s 10m air pistol
357) Which country won the Asian Cricket Council’s event: Anmol Jain
Under-19 Asia Cup: India 372) The Insurance Regulatory and Development
358) The INS Sahyadri stealth frigate and the Indian Authority of India (IRDA) has granted
Army's Poona Horse cavalry regiment were in certificate of registration to which type of five
news recently for what reasons: They entered new insurance companies: Re-insurance
in a joint affiliation to promote inter- 373) Name the material that has been identified to
services camaraderie withstand temperatures up to 4000 degrees
359) The union government plans to launch a toll- Celsius: Hafnium Carbide
free number 10588 to provide relevant NOVEMBER – 2016
information and guidance directly to whom:
374) In the recent Global Gender Gap index, India
Pregnant women
jumped 21 places to reach which rank: 87th
360) Which Ministry has launched 'Coal Mitra' web
375) __________has topped the annual Global Gender
portal to facilitate flexibility in utilization of
Gap index 2016: Iceland
domestic coal: Union Power Ministry
376) The Ministry of AYUSH has launched which
361) December 23 is observed as Kisan Diwas to
campaign to fight Diabetes: Mission
celebrate the birth anniversary of which great
Madhumeha
leader: Chaudhary Charan Singh
377) What is the full form of Ayush: Ayurveda, Yoga,
362) ________ has become the world’s first country to
Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy
make regular use of drone delivery in its
378) World's largest Marine Protected Area (MPA)
national postal service: France
has been created in the Ross Sea at which
363) According to Global Wage Report by the
location: Antarctica
International Labour Organisation, in India men
379) What is the salient feature of the Marine
earned ______ per cent more than women for
Protected Area: A blanket ban on commercial
similar job: 30
fishing in this area
364) DRDO has successfully tested the indigenously
380) RBI has permitted startups to raise ECBs of up
developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon. What
to USD 3 million per annum. What is ECB:
type of weapon it is: Bomb
External Commercial Borrowings
365) A helpline number 14404 has been launched for
381) Govt has approved setting up of the National
what purpose: For consumer related
Academic Depository for what purpose: For
grievances
keeping digital record of various
366) Which Indian player won the $10000 ITF Hong
educational degrees
Kong F4 Futures Tennis Cup in Hong Kong:
382) Who can authorize to take out a print or digital
Yuki Bhambri
copy of educational degrees from the National
367) NITI Aayog has developed which index to rank
Academic Depository: concerned student
states on the basis of their performance on
himself
measurable health indicators: Health
383) Sakharov Prize is given in which field: For
Outcomes Index
excellent work in the field of human rights
368) Health Outcomes Index will be implemented by
384) Which organization awards the Sakharov Prize:
which union ministry: Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare European Parliament
385) Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, two Yazidi
369) Birth anniversary which great leader is
women who were held as sex slaves by ISIS
observed as Good Governance Day on
militants, have recently been honoured with
December 25: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
which international prize: Sakharov Prize
370) RBI has given an additional _____days to repay
386) Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on which
their crop loans due in November-December:
date: October 31

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 87

 387) Why Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed on
October 31: It is the birth anniversary of
Sardar Patel
388) We also observe death anniversary of a
prominent national leader on October 31. Name
the leader: Indira Gandhi
389) What is SIMBEX-16: Singapore-India
Maritime Bilateral Exercise
390) Which wing of Indian defence force took part in
SIMBEX-16: Navy
391) SIMBEX-16 was held in which area: off the
Andhra coast, Bay of Bengal
392) In terms of 'Ease of Doing Business' rankings,
which two states are the joint first in the
country: Andhra and Telengana
393) ________ won the Men's Asian Champions
(Hockey) Trophy: India
394) All loan frauds involving funds over Rs _______
crore and above are now to be reported to
Central Vigilance Commission: One
395) Which player has retained world's top doubles
Tennis player (women) rank for the second
straight year: Sania Mirza
396) As per the NITI Aayog’s ‘ease of doing agri-
business index’, which state is at top in
pursuing farmer-friendly policies:
Maharashtra
397) Man Booker Prize is given in which field:
English literature
398) Name the English author who is first American
to win Man Booker Prize (money awarded
£50,000) : Paul Beatty
399) Paul Beatty won the Man Booker Prize for
which novel: The Sellout
400) Indian Roller Skaters team was recently in
news for what reasons: They won their first
ever international medal
401) Which state has become the second “open
defecation free” state in India: Himachal
Pradesh
402) Which state has become the third “open
defecation free” state in India: Kerala
403) Which state has become the first “open
defecation free” state in India: Sikkim
404) In the Global Youth Development Index – 2016,
India has been placed at which rank: 133rd
405) Which country has topped the Global Youth
Development Index – 2016: Germany
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
406) Kim Byong-Joon has been appointed new Prime
Minister of which country: South Korea
407) Joint military exercise Surya Kiran was held
with which country: Nepal
408) Surya Kiran exercise was held at which place:
Saljhandi, Nepal
409) Which country is the “country of focus” in the
47th International Film Festival of India: South
Korea
410) The 47th International Film Festival of India
(IFFI) was held at which place: Goa
411) The annual Forbes Fab 40 list of sports
celebrities has placed which Indian sports
person at top in India: MS Dhoni
412) Ministry of Railways has appointed Dr.
Bindeshwar Pathak as the Brand Ambassador
for Swachh Rail Mission. Who is he: The
founder of Sulabh International
413) Pratul Joshi won the men’s singles title of the
Bahrain International Challenge in which
sports: Badminton
414) Govt. has announced how many slabs for the
proposed GST tax rates: Four
415) What are the four tax rate slabs proposed for
GST: 5, 12, 18 and 28%
416) The proposed GST slabs have now to be
approved by which constitutional body:
Parliament
417) Which major daily consumption item has been
exempted from GST: Food grains
418) Which Indian organization has setup world’s
highest research lab: DRDO
419) Where in India DRDO has setup world’s highest
research lab: Chang La, Ladakh
420) “Sampriti-2016” - The joint military training
exercise was conducted between which two
countries: India and Bangladesh
421) “Sampriti-2016” held at which place: Near
Dhaka
422) Ramnath Goenka Awards are given for
excellence in which field: Journalism
423) Sh. Ramnath Goenka was associated with which
major national daily of India: Indian Express
424) The Paris Agreement which became effective
from 4th November 2016 worldwide, deals with
which issue: Climate Control
425) Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize
for Water is given by which country: Saudi
88
 Arabia Record for which achievement: For the highest
426) World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed on altitude fix of a GPS signal at 70,000 kms
which date: November 5 445) 'Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan'
427) Name the UK’s Prime Minister who arrived in has been launched to provide which facility to
New Delhi for her India visit: Theresa May pregnant lady: Free health check-ups on
428) India plans to purchase 12 amphibious rescue every 9th day of the month
aircraft from Shin Maywa Industries of which 446) Which country recently tested zero-emission
country: Japan hydrogen engine passenger train named
429) The 12 day Global Climate conference was held Coradia iLint: Germany
in Marrakech. It is in which country: Morocco 447) Donald Trump is the _________ president of the
430) Name the Nobel laureate Bharat Ratna whose USA: 45th
128th birth anniversary is being celebrated 448) Which central government ministry has
across the country: Sir C V Raman launched a new app named ‘No More Tension’:
431) Sir C V Raman is famous for which invention: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Raman Effect 449) Guy Ryder has been re-elected as the Director-
432) __________of Britain has attained the world General of which UN organization:
number one ranking in Tennis for the first time: International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Andy Murray 450) Recently Supreme Court declared
433) Andy Murray replaced which top tennis star unconstitutional the Punjab Government’s 2004
from the number one ranking: Novak Djokovic law relating to sharing of waters of which river:
434) Which city hosted the Commonwealth Sutlej
Wrestling Championship: Singapore 451) Which are the two states involved in the
435) Asian Champions Hockey Trophy (women) was dispute on Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal:
won by which country: India Haryana and Punjab
436) Daniel Ortega has been elected as the President 452) Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana has been launched
of which country: Nicaragua for what purpose: To boost up development
437) of entrepreneurship for the youth
438) The govt declared that from midnight of Nov 8, 453) During his recent visit to Japan, Mr. Modi
500 and 1,000 rupee notes will cease to be travelled in which bullet train: Shinkansen
________: Legal tender 454) Where in India is the first high speed bullet
439) New data released by which world organisation train corridor proposed: Mumbai to
shows that the five years from 2011 to 2015 Ahmadabad
were the warmest on record: World 455) What is the historical reason for observing
Meteorological Organization Public Service Broadcasting Day on November
440) Which Bollywood personality has been named 12: Mahatma Gandhi addressed the nation
as brand ambassador by Switzerland tourism: for the first and the last time on radio on
Ranveer Singh this date
441) First ever International Agro-biodiversity 456) World Diabetes Day is observed on which date
Congress was held in which city: New Delhi in November: 14
442) The 7th Session of the Conference of Parties to 457) What is the theme of this year’s World Diabetes
World Health Organisation Framework Day: ‘Eyes on Diabetes’
Convention on Tobacco Control was held in 458) Aditi Ashok became the first Indian woman to
which place: Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh win a Ladies European Tour title in which
443) Name the MP who has authored the book ‘An sports: Golf
Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India’: 459) Lewis Hamilton who won the Brazilian Grand
Dr. Shashi Tharoor Prix Formula 1 championship is from which
444) NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale country: Britain
Mission (MMS) now holds the Guinness World 460) Name the Israeli President who visited India

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 89

 recently: Reuven Rivlin
461) November 12 is observed around the world to
raise as a day devoted to raising awareness
about which disease: Pneumonia
462) The World carrom championship (women) in
Birmingham (UK) was won by which country:
India
463) ___________ won the World carrom championship
(men): Sri Lanka
464) What event is ‘Hand in Hand 2016’: A joint
military exercise
465) With the army of which country India hosted
the ‘Hand in Hand 2016’: China
466) Narinder Batra has become the first Indian
President of which international sports body:
International Hockey Federation
467) Padmini Rout won the National Women
Premier Championship in which sports: Chess
468) Why the moon on November 14 was termed as
Supermoon: Because it was brightest and
biggest in size on that day
469) _______ is the technical name for supermoon:
perigee-syzygy’
470) Which Rabi crop enjoys highest per quintal
price of Rs. 4000: Gram
471) Which is the main Rabi crop: Wheat
472) Govt. has recently announced MSP for various
Rabi crops. What is MSP: Minimum Support
Price
473) What is the MSP announced for wheat crop for
the 2016-17 Rabi season: Rs. 1625 per quintal
474) International Solar Alliance is a group of 121
countries as per which common factor: All
these countries lie fully or partially between
two tropics and are member of UNO
475) CoP22 to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change was held at which place:
Marrakech, Morocco
476) The 2016 World Internet Conference was held
in__________, China: Wuzhen
477) India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival was held in
which state: Meghalaya
478) Meghalaya celebrates Cherry Blossom Festival
for what purpose: To showcase the beauty of
the flowers and the State’s cultural
traditions
479) The ADB has sanctioned a $500 million loan for
constructing India’s longest river bridge on
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
which river and where: Ganga in Bihar
480) Oxford Dictionaries has declared __________as its
international word of the year: “post-truth”
481) Which Indian organization successfully tested
its unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Rustom-2:
DRDO
482) Govt has announced which new date for
presentation of union budget for 2017-18: Feb
1, 2017
483) Peggy Whitson, the veteran NASA astronaut
was in news for what reasons: She has become
oldest women at 57, still active in space as
she left for joining the International Space
Station
484) The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad is a book written
by which Bollywood celebrity: Twinkle
Khanna
485) Which paramilitary force has inducted, for the
first time, a team of women commandos to fight
Naxalites: CRPF
486) What is the full form of CRPF: Central Reserve
Police Force
487) Name the indigenously designed Kolkata-class
guided missile destroyer that was
commissioned into the Indian navy recently:
INS Chennai
488) Aditya Puri is the sole Indian, ranked 36th in the
US magazine Fortune's top 50 business persons
in the world. Who is he: CEO of HDFC Bank
489) Fortune's top 50 business persons in the world
list for 2016 has ranked _______ as No. 1: Mark
Zuckerburg
490) Sunway Taihu Light has been declared as the
world’s fastest supercomputer. It belongs to
which country: China
491) Name the wonder girl who became first Indian
to win gold at the World Kickboxing
Championship in Italy: Tajamul Islam
492) UNO celebrates which day on November 20 to
promote children’s welfare worldwide:
Universal Children’s Day
493) India's longest expressway running for 302 kms
has been inaugurated at which place: Lucknow
(to Uttar Pradesh)
494) For what reasons the Agra Lucknow
expressway was in news: Indian Air Force
fighter jets used a section of this expressway
for simulated landing and takeoff
90
 495) A recent news headline was ‘47th IFFI begins in White Revolution
Goa’. What is IFFI: International Film Festival 512) What is the title of the recent book written by
of India Ruskin Bond: Death Under The Deodars
496) Name the legendary singer honoured with
OCTOBER – 2016
'Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of
the year' at the IFFI: SP Bala Subramanyam 513) As per the Global Competitiveness Index
prepared by the World Economic Forum
497) Name the spiritual leader honoured with the Dr.
(WEF), India stands at which rank: 39th
Nagendra Singh International Peace Award: Sri
514) As per the Global Competitiveness Index,
Sri Ravi Shankar
which is the most competitive country in the
498) Which space agency launched the highly
world: Switzerland
advanced geostationary weather satellite
515) Name the Israeli Nobel Peace Prize winner
Geostationary Operational Environmental
who passed away in October, 2016: Shimon
Satellite-R (GOES-R): NASA
Peres
499) Which telecom operator of India launched its
516) In a recent study by ADB, India is expected to
Payments Bank from Rajasthan: Bharti Airtel
grow by ________ per cent in the year 2016-17:
500) Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has been honoured
7.4
with the first World Sanskrit Award. Who is
517) ____________ has been appointed as the new
she: Princess of Thailand
Director General of CISF: O P Singh
501) As per the ICT development index, ________ has
518) Moortidevi Award is given in which field: For
been ranked as no. 1 country: South Korea
a literary work on heritage and culture of
502) What is the rank of India in the ICT
India
development index 2016: 138th
519) Who has been awarded Moortidevi Award
503) The 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
2015: Prof. Kalakaluri Enoch
(APEC) summit was held in which place: Lima,
520) Prof. Kalakaluri Enoch is a noted novelist of
Peru
which language: Telugu
504) _________ has been elected as the President of the
521) Which country won the 4th men's Under-18
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
Asia Cup hockey trophy: India
and Industry (FICCI): Pankaj R. Patel
522) Which country hosted the 4th men's Under-
505) Name the legendary communist revolutionary
18 Asia Hockey Cup: Bangladesh
and former President of Cuba who died at age
of 90: Fidel Castro 523) Sunshine Lanes is a book written by Prasoon
Joshi. Who is he: Famous Bollywood lyricist
506) India observes the Constitution Day on which
date: November 26 524) Being the Other: The Muslim in India is a
book written by a noted media personality of
507) Name the Indian boxer who was honoured with
India. Can you name him: Saeed Naqvi
the 'Legends Award' by the International
Boxing Association (AIBA): M C Mary Kom 525) Lee Hsien Loong arrived in New Delhi on a
five-day visit to India. Who is he: Prime
508) Lrszlu Szombatfalvy, who announced the 'New
Minister of Singapore
Shape Prize' is a investor and philanthropist
from which country: Sweden 526) As per a World Bank report, persons
spending less than $_______ per day are
509) Who is the head of the committee formed to
considered as persons living in extreme
expedite the process of transforming India into
poverty: 1.90
a cashless economy: Amitabh Kant
527) Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson of State
510) __________ became the third Indian boxer ever to
Bank of India was in news due to which
bag gold at the AIBA Youth World
reason related to her career: She is the first
Championships: Sachin Singh
Chairman of SBI to be granted one year
511) For what reason November 26 is observed as
extension
the National Milk Day: It is Birth anniversary
528) Why SBI Chairman has been granted one year
of Dr. Verghese Kurien, the Father of the
extension: To ensure smooth merger of

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 91

 associate banks 548) What is the new revised Bank Rate and the
529) Daniel Ricciardo won which Grand Prix F1 MSF rate: 6.75%
championship in Sepang, Malaysia: 549) The Nobel Prize for Chemistry for 2016 has
Malaysian been given for which innovation: for the
530) Where in India we can see the iconic heritage development of the world's smallest nano
site “Rani Ki Vav”: In Gujarat machines those are a thousand times
531) Why in Rani Ki Vav was in news recently: It thinner than a strand of hair, for medical
won award for the “Cleanest Iconic Place” use
in the Indian Sanitation Conference 550) __________has become the first country in the
532) The World Habitat Day is observed on which world to legally ban usage of disposable
date: October 3 plastic cups and plates: France
533) What is the theme of this year’s World 551) World Teachers’ Day is observed on which
Habitat Day: Housing at the Centre date: October 5
534) Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed 552) Recently which very heavy satellite was
bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been invited by launched by ISRO: GSAT-18
India for what purpose: To be the Chief 553) GSAT-18 was launched onboard which
Guest at the Republic Day Parade 2017 rocket: Ariane 5
535) 56th Atheletics Open Nationals were held at 554) GSAT-18 was launched from which place:
which place: Lucknow Kourou in French Guiana
536) ________ emerged as the overall champions in 555) GSAT-18 will be used for what purpose:
the 56th Atheletics Open Nationals: Services Communication
537) With which French company Reliance Group 556) Who is Prajna Chowta, who has been
has formed a joint venture for manufacturing conferred Chevalier de l'Ordre National du
aircrafts spare parts: Dassault Aviation Mérite by France: Film-maker and elephant
538) The Dassault Reliance Aerospace shall be researcher
manufacturing spare parts for which 557) Who clinched a silver medal in the 50 metre
aircrafts: Rafale Fighter Jets pistol event of the ISSF World Cup Final in
539) What is the other popular name for the Nobel Italy: Jitu Rai
Medicine Prize: Nobel Physiology Prize 558) Which foreign country has issued a postal
540) Yoshinori Ohsumi, winner of Nobel Medicine stamp to commemorate Diwali festival: USA
Prize, is from which country: Japan 559) Selection Day is a book written by which
541) Mr. Ohsumi won the Nobel Medicine Prize for author: Aravind Adiga
his work on a process whereby cells “eat 560) As per RBI guidelines products to be offered
themselves”. What is its name: Autophagy by payment banks must be approved by
542) Gaganjeet Bhullar won the Korea Open 2016 which organization: RBI
cup in which sports: Golf 561) Arjun Vajpai, a budding young professional
543) Which bank became the first Indian bank to adventure sports person is from which field:
open a branch in Yangon, capital city of Mountaineering
Myanmar: State Bank of India 562) Viraat Kohli scored his career-best 211 runs
544) ____________has become India’s first state to playing against New Zealand at which place:
implement Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Indore, MP
Kerosene: Jharkhand 563) Which international health related day is
545) Nobel Prize in Physics for 2016 has been observed on October 10: World Mental
shared by how many scientists: Three Health Day
546) RBI recently declared a ________ basis points 564) Who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
cut in which of its key earning rate: 25, Repo for 2016: Juan Manuel Santos
Rate (6.25%) 565) Who is Juan Manuel Santos: President of
547) What is the new Reverse Repo Rate: 5.75% Colombia

GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017 92

 566) Mr. Santos has been awarded Nobel Peace
Prize for which achievement: For his efforts
to help end the 52 year long-running
conflict with FARC gorillas in his country
567) Indian Air Force day is celebrated on which
date: October 8
568) Why Indian Air Force celebrates Air Force
Day on October 8: It is their raising day
569) Ruthvika Shivani Gadde is a noted national
player in which field: Chess
570) Which day is observed around the world to
fight against the death penalty: World day
Against the Death Penalty
571) British-born Oliver Hart and Finland’s Bengt
Holmstrom have been awarded Nobel Prize in
which field: Economics
572) International Day of the Girl Child is observed
on which date: October 11
573) Martin Ennals Award is given for excellence
in which field: Human Rights
574) Which Indian oil company plans to lay the
nation's longest LPG pipeline- running 1987
kms: Indian Oil Corporation
575) The 1987 kms long LPG pipeline will be laid
from _______ on Gujarat to _______ in Uttar
Pradesh: Kandla, Gorakhpur
576) In the Global Hunger Index, how many
countries are better than India: 96
577) Which country has been ranked as the best in
hunger management as per the global hunger
index: Argentina
578) Which Indian state recently added 21 more
districts in its administrative setups:
Telangana
579) A high altitude research station named _____
has been opened in Spiti: Himansh
580) Spiti is located in which state: Himachal
Pradesh
581) Who has been elected as the Secretary
General of the UNO: Antonio Guterres
582) Mr. Guterres is the _________ Secretary General
of the UNO: 9th
583) What is the profile of Mr. Guterres: he is a
former Prime Minister of Portugal
584) From which date Mr. Guterres will take
charge of the Secretary General of UNO:
January 1, 2017
585) What is the tenure of the Secretary General of
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
the UNO: Five Years
586) Which body elects the Secretary General of
the UNO: UN General Assembly
587) Which country has decided to quit the
Commonwealth Group of Nations: Maldives
588) What is the unique feature of this year’s
Nobel Prize for Literature: For the first time
it has been given to a non-literary person
589) Name the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize for
Literature: Bob Dylan
590) Who is Bob Dylan: Legendary singer-song
writer from USA
591) Union Cabinet has approved opening of the
20th IIM (Indian Institute of Management) in
which place: Jammu
592) The United Nations has decided to appoint
the which popular cartoon character as an
honorary ambassador for the empowerment
of women and girls: Wonder Woman
593) The 28th India and Indonesia Coordinated
Patrol (CORPAT) was held at which place: In
the Andaman Sea at Belawan, Indonesia
594) Which Indian Bank has tied up with ‘New
Development Bank’ to strengthen trade and
economic ties: Export-Import Bank of India
595) As per the Global Tuberculosis Report 2016
released by the WHO, India is house to
roughly _____ per cent of world TB cases: 25
596) What is the title of the forthcoming novel
by famous author Arundhati Roy: The
Ministry of Utmost Happiness
597) The recent summit BRICS summit held in
Goa was _____ in series: 8th
598) Which was the other multination meet held in
Goa just before the BRICS summit: BIMSTEC
599) What is the full form of BIMSTEC: The Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation
600) India has decided to buy ________ air defence
systems from Russia: S-400 Triumf
601) World Standards Day is observed on _________
October every year: 14th
602) India has agreed to stop the emission of
which highly dangerous green house gas:
HFC-23
603) Which is the common use of HFC-23:
Refrigerant gas for ACs and fridges
604) What is the full form of HFC: Hydro
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 fluorocarbon
605) Who is Aung San Suu Kyi who arrived in India
on a four day visit from Myanmar: State
Counselor of Myanmar
606) The Government has decided to use postal
network for distribution of which food item:
Pulses
607) The UNO has selected __________region of India
for setting up its second global university to
facilitate study on resolution of conflicts and
other subjects: Northeastern
608) Which cricket team became the first team in
world to play its 900th ODI: Indian
609) Against which country India played its 900th
ODI: New Zealand
610) India played recently 900th ODI at which
place: Dharamshala
611) World’s Student Day is observed on October
15 in the honour of which noted personality:
Dr. Abdul Kalam
612) Why World Food Day is observed on October
16: It is the founding day of Food and
Agriculture Organization
613) Eminent Malayalam writer C Radhakrishnan
was recently honoured with which award:
Mathrubhumi Literary Award
614) Which company has launched first 100 per
cent electric bus made in India: Ashok
Leyland
615) What is the name of India’s first fully electric
bus: Circuit
616) International Day for the Eradication of
Poverty is observed on which date: October
17
617) Which Russian company has acquired India’s
second biggest private oil and natural gas
company Essar Oil: Rosneft Oil Company
618) Govt. has formed IBBI to regulate the
functioning of various bodies dealing with
insolvency. Full form of IBBI is: Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Board of India
619) Vannamei has helped in promoting the blue
revolution in India. What is it: White-leg
prawn
620) Which national organization hosted the
international conference on voter education:
Election Commission of India
621) Which global oil company has been allowed
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
to setup 3500 petrol pumps in India: British
Petroleum
622) To promote the regional connectivity by air,
govt has launched UDAN scheme. Acronym
stands for: Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik
623) In the UDAN scheme for local air travel, the
airfare has been capped at which level: Rs.
2500 for one hour
624) World Bank has agreed to provide $ 650-
million loan for the EDFC. EDFC stands for:
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
625) Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor stands
from________ in Punjab to ______ in West
Bengal: Ludhiana, Kolkata
626) In October 2016, the statutory liquidity ratio
– SLR was lowered to ______ % by the RBI:
20.75%
627) The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was
hosted by _______, Jordan: Amman
628) What is the name of the official mascot of the
2018 FIFA Football World Cup: Zabivaka
629) Zabivaka, mascot of the 2018 FIFA World Cup
represents which animal: Wolf
630) _________ will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup:
Russia
631) Why United Nations Day is observed on
October 24: The UN charter came into force
on this day in 1945
632) Name the chairman of the Tata Sons who
became the first chairman in the history of
Tata’s to be removed from the office: Cyrus
Mistry
633) Which Indian Army team won a gold medal at
the Exercise Cambrian Patrol of British Army:
Gorkha Rifles
634) Which paramilitary force celebrated its 55th
raising day on October 24: Indo-Tibetan
Border Police
635) In the recent World Bank report on Ease of
Doing Business, India has been placed at
which rank: 130th
636) Which are the best 3 countries in the world in
terms of ease of doing business: New
Zealand, Singapore and Denmark
SEPTEMBER – 2016
637) India and the USA have signed the crucial
LEMOA that will enable their militaries to use
each other's assets and bases for repair and
94
 replenishment of supplies. What is the full
form of LEMOA: Logistics Exchange
Memorandum of Agreement
638) The European Union has ordered _______of
USA to pay a record 13 billion Euros as
recovery of tax amount: Apple Inc
639) Who has been appointed as the advocate for
gender equality and women empowerment in
India by UN Women: Aishwaryaa Dhanush
640) Name the first women President of Brazil
who has been removed by Brazil’s senate on
charges of massive corruption: Dilma
Rousseff
641) ________ has been sworn in as the new
President of Brazil: Michel Temer
642) Supreme Court struck down the acquisition of
nearly 1,000 acres of land in 2006 by the
West Bengal government. Which project was
stated to come up there: Tata Motors Nano
Car Project
643) France’s constitutional court has ruled
against the ban on Burkini. What is Burkini:
The full-body swim wear used by some
Muslim women
644) Summer Paralympics games were held in
Sept. at which place: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
645) Which status will be granted to foreign
investors who bring in atleast Rupees 10
crore investment to facilitate business
operations in the country: Permanent
Residency Status
646) Which other condition apart from investment
is stipulated for foreign investors to be
eligible for Permanent Residency Status : The
investment should also result in
generating employment to at least 20
resident Indians every financial year.
647) The Permanent Residency Status once given
will be applicable for a period of ______ years:
10
648) All foreign investors are eligible for
Permanent Residency Status, except :
Persons from Pakistan
649) The G-20 summit of head of the governments
took place at: Hangzhou (China)
650) The currency of Vietnam is: Vietnamese
Dong
651) What is India’s rank in World Bank’s Logistics
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Performance Index 2016: 35th
652) How many components World Bank’s
Logistics Performance Index: 6
653) Who has been selected for life time
achievement Oscar by Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences, USA: Jackie Chan
654) 28th ASEAN Summit was held at __________,
capital of ________: Vientiane, Laos
655) How many countries are member of ASEAN:
10
656) ASEAN summit is followed by East Asia
Summit. How many countries are member of
East Asia: 18
657) Dhahan Prize for promotion for Punjabi
language has been awarded to ________ for his
work _________: Jarnail Singh, Kaale Varke
658) Who is the author of the book
“Perilous Interventions: The Security Council
and the Politics of Chaos”: Hardeep Singh
Puri
659) Which Indian sports person who has the
distinction of winning the gold medal and has
announced his retirement: Abhinav Bindra
(Shooting)
660) With regard to FIRs (First Information
Report) Supreme Court has directed all states
and UTs to upload them within _______ hours
of registration: 24
661) Indian film _________ won the best film award
at the BRICS Film Festival held in New Delhi:
Thithi
662) Which neighbouring country of India has
been declared by World Health Organization
(WHO) as free of malaria: Sri Lanka
663) No case of malaria has been reported in Sri
Lanka for the last: Three and a half years
664) Who is the Director General of WHO: Dr.
Margret Chan
665) The headquarters of WHO is located at which
place: Geneva (Switzerland)
666) Asia’s biggest digital library dedicated to the
memory of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, was opened
at National Institute of Technology: Silchar,
Assam
667) What is the dedicated phone number for Urja
Mitra: 14401
668) How many trains will be covered under flexi
fare system: 3 (Rajdhani, Shatabdi and
95
 Duronto)
669) What is flexi fare system: Passengers will
have to pay between 10-50 per cent more
under a dynamic surge pricing system
670) International Literacy Day is observed on
which date: September 8
671) At which place was Mother Teresa declared a
saint at the canonisation ceremony: Saint
Peters Square in Vatican
672) Which order was setup by Mother Teresa in
India: Missionaries of Charity
673) Which campaign has been launched by the
government of India for promoting use of gas:
Gas4India
674) The “Prabal Dostyk-2016” exercise was
conducted between the armies of India and
________: Kazakhstan
675) Name the advance weather satellite placed in
Geosynchronous orbit by ISRO: INSAT-3DR
676) INSAT-3DR was launched using ______ rocket:
GSLV-Mk-II
677) The launch of INSAT-3DR weather satellite
has been designated as__________: Mission
‘F05’
678) What is special about Mission F05: The event
marks the first time indigenous cryogenic
engine was used on an operational GSLV
flight
679) Which state has been adjust the cleanest state
in India: Sikkim
680) The first bank to employ software robots to
perform various jobs is: ICICI Bank
681) Name the player who won the US Men’s open
lawn tennis tournament: Stanislas
Wawrinka, Switzerland
682) Stanislas Wawrinka defeated __________ to
claim the US open titles: Novak Djokovic
683) Who lifted US women’s open title: Angelique
Kerber, Germany
684) Who has surged past Serena Williams to
become the number one ranked player in
Women’s Lawn Tennis: Angelique Kerber
685) "Six Machine" is an autobiography of which
cricket legend: Chris Gayle (West Indies)
686) Which districts has been chosen for carrying
out experiments on the ambitious LIGO
(Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory) project that proved existence of
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
gravitational waves, a major breakthrough in
science: Hingoli, Maharashtra
687) __________ won the Asia’s oldest football
tournament known as Durand Cup: Army
Green
688) As per 2016 Swachh Survekshan’ (Cleanliness
Index) for rural India to select the cleanest
district, ______, Himachal Pradesh (hilly)
and________, Maharashtra (plaines) were
declared as the cleanest districts in India:
Mandi, Sindhudurg
689) ________became the first Indian woman
cricketer to get the prestigious life
membership of Melbourne Cricket Club,
London, UK: Anjum Chopra
690) The GST council will be headed by: Finance
Minister of India
691) The government has launched toll free
number _________to register postal complaints:
1924
692) Golden Lion award for best film is awarded at
_________ film festival: Venice
693) Which film got Golden Lion award 2016: Ang
Babeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left)
694) Hindi Rajbhasha Diwas is held every year on:
September 14
695) September 14 is celebrated as Rajbhasha
Diwas as: Constituent Assembly of the
country adopted Hindi as the official
language of India in 1949 on this day
696) The President of Afghanistan visited India on
a two day visit. What is the name of the
President: Ashraf Ghani
697) What amount has been pledged by India for
development projects in Afghanistan: one
billion dollar
698) Which is the main festival of the state of
Kerala: Onam
699) Which Indian lady figures at no. 2 rank in the
50 most powerful women in the world
compiled by US magazine Fortune:
Arundhati Bhattacharya (SBI Chairman)
700) The newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal
recently made his first bilateral visit after
assuming office for the 2nd time to India. What
is his name: Mr. Pushp Kamal Dahal
701) Mr. Pushp Kamal Dahal is popularly known
as: Prachanda
96
 702) The summit of the Non Aligned countries was
held at ____________: Margarita Islands,
Venezuela
703) India was represented at the NAM summit by:
Mr. Hamid Ansari-Vice President of India
704) Name the country which occupies first place
in FIFA ranking: Argentina
705) Which two telecom companies have
announced merger of their wireless
operations to create an entity worth 65000
crore: Reliance Communication and Aircel
706) __________, an Indian-origin scientist has won
this prestigious prize Lemelson–MIT Prize
worth $500,000: Ramesh Raskar
707) Which Indian actress has been ranked at 8th
place in the world by the Forbes magazine:
Priyanka Chopra
708) World Bank has agreed to provide _____ crore
support to Assam for betterment of in land
waterways: 1000
709) A novel Selection Day written by Arvind
Adiga was released recently. His first novel
got Man Booker Award. Name that novel: The
White Tiger (in 2008)
710) Cabinet has approved the merger of railway
budget with the general budget. This will end
the practice of presenting separate budget for
railways. It was presented separately for the
first time in the year: 1924
711) Which other change has been approved by
the cabinet with the regard to the date of
presentation of budget: Date has been
advanced from last day of February to 1st
of the month
712) The government has removed the distinction
between ______ and _____ expenditure from the
next year budget: Plan and Non-plan
713) With the removal of distinction between plan
and non-plan distinction the expenses will be
classified as: Revenue and Capital
expenditure
714) What is the rationale of advancing the budget
presentation by one month: It means that
budget exercise will be over by March 31st
and tax proposals can be effected right
from April 1, i.e. beginning of the financial
year
715) With the inclusion of 27 cities to the list to be
developed as smart cities, the total number of
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
cities selected so far is: 60
716) How much funding will be provided for the
development of each city selected to the
developed as a smart city: Rs. 200 crore in
the first year and Rs. 100 crore for the
next three years
717) Among the 159 countries India’s rank in
World Economic Freedom Index is: 112th
718) Which country tops the list of world
Economic Freedom Index: Hong Kong
719) International Day of Peace is celebrated on
September 21st every year and is dedicated
to: Absence of war and violence in the
world
720) The theme for International Day of Peace this
year is: Building blocks for peace
721) Name the fastest and the most powerful
computer launched in the north eastern,
eastern and southern regions: PARAM-
ISHAN at IIT Guwahati
722) Which country topped the medal tally in the
15th Paralympics games at Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil: China
723) How many medals were secured by India at
the Paralympics games 2016: 4 (2 gold, 2
silver)
724) Which service has been launched by railways
to provide wheelchair cum porter service for
differently abled, elderly and ailing
passengers at major railway stations: Yatri
Mitra Seva
725) A loan of ________ US$ has been approved by
ADB for Vishakhapatnam – Chennai industrial
corridor: 631 million
726) According to the Time Higher Education
World University rankings 2016 which
institute is ranked at the top: University of
Oxford, UK
727) Which Indian university is within the striking
distance of making it to the top 200: Indian
Institute of Science, Bengaluru
728) Which Indian company has the highest brand
value: HDFC Bank
729) Navtej Sarna has been appointed as
Ambassador to which country: USA
730) The first annual assessment of UNO’s
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on
health performance has ranked India _____
97
 among 188 countries, citing various
challenges, including mortality rates, malaria
hygiene and air pollution: 143rd
731) 500th test match by the Indian cricket team
was played at__________: Kanpur against New
Zealand
732) Who is the richest Indian according to the
Forbes list: Mukesh Ambani
733) Who is the second richest Indian: Dilip
Shangvi of Sun Pharma
734) The name of Race Course Road, which houses
Prime Minister’s official residents has been
changed to______: Lok Kalyan Marg
735) 2026 Asian Games will be held at: Nagoya,
Aichi
736) Nagoya is capital of Japan’s: Aichi Prefecture
(Prefecture stands for province)
AUGUST – 2016
737) Lachhu Maharaj who passed away recently
was a prominent personality in which field:
Tabla Player
738) A new train named 'Tripura Sundari Express'
was started recently between which two
centres: Agartala and New Delhi
739) District Infrastructure Scheme Advisory
Committees (DISHA) have been formed for
what purpose: For monitoring 28 main
Centrally Sponsored Schemes
740) Who will head the DISHA at the district level:
Local Lok Sabha Member
741) What is the name of two week long Indo -
Thailand Military Exercise concluded on July
29: Maitree
742) Jihadi Jane is novel written by: Tabish Khair
743) What is the title of the Autobiography of
Sania Mirza: Ace Against Odds
744) Which railway station has won the National
Tourism Award 2014-15: Sawai Madhopur
745) Sawai Madhopur railway station is located in
which state: Rajasthan
746) Sawai Madhopur railway station is the
gateway to which famous tourist destination:
Ranthambore National Park
747) Ranthambore National Park is famous for
which animal: Tiger
748) Kaziranga National Park is located in which
state: Assam
749) The GST bill after being passed by the
GENERAL AWARENESS – MARCH 2017
Parliament, need to be ratified by at least _____
per cent of the states Assemblies to become a
law: 50% (15 states)
750) Name two taxes that will be replaced by the
GST: Central Excise, VAT, Service Tax
751) The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
has agreed to add five new games in the 2020
Tokyo Olympics. Name any two of them:
Baseball, Karate
752) ___________won the National Tourism Award
for best comprehensive development of
tourism: Madhya Pradesh
753) What is the title of the book which is the
compilation of essays by late Khushwant
Singh: Me, The Jokerman
754) RBI has launched a web portal named ‘Sachet’
for what purpose: To curb illegal collection
of deposits from public
755) Vijay Rupani has been selected as the new
Chief Minister of which state: Gujarat
756) In consultation with RBI, the Government has
notified ____ per cent inflation target: Four
757) The four per cent inflation target has been
fixed for next _________ years: Five
758) In terms of the growth in the industry and
service sectors in Indian states in past 10
years, _________has emerged as the top state:
Uttarakhand
759) Government has launched a nation-wide
programme MAA for promoting optimal
breastfeeding practices. What is the full form
of MAA: Mothers’ Absolute Affection
760) Who has formed a committee headed by
Tarun Ramadorai to review various facets of
household finance in India: RBI
761) Name the former Chief Minister of Arunachal
Pradesh who recently committed suicide:
Kalikho Pul
762) Union Cabinet has approved the extension of
maternity leave for women from 12 weeks to
_____________ weeks: 26
763) Government has formed a committee headed
by Mr. Amitabh Kant to review the regulation
of which sector: E-commerce
764) Who is Mr. Amitabh Kant: CEO of Niti Aayog
765) Takehiko Nakao has been re-elected as the
President of which global financial giant:
Asian Development Bank
98
 766) Which important international day is
observed on August 12: International Youth
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767) A first-of-its-kind touch and feel garden of (Online Mode)
various herbal and aromatic plants has been
opened for the visually impaired people in
SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD: ONLY 12 MONTHS
which state: Kerala FROM (MONTH) …………………..TO……………. (MONTH)
768) Name the swimmer who won for the first
time ever, four consecutive Olympic golds in AMOUNT:
Rs. 400/-
the same event - 200m individual medley in
swimming: Michael Phelps, USA
769) Which Indian organization transferred its Name: Mr./Ms……………………………………………….………
surplus profit of Rs. 65,876 crore to the
central government: RBI
770) Name the highest peace time gallantry award Address:…………………………………………………………….
in India: Ashok Chakra ……………………………………………………………………
771) Name the war hero decorated with Ashok City:……………………………District:…………………….
Chakra in August 2016: Havildar Hangpan
Dada State: ………………..…………………..PIN:
772) The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi is a book
written by which author: Neena Gopal Email: …………………………………………………………………..
773) Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth won
three gold medals successively in 3 Olympics,
9 in all, in which 3 events: 100m, 200m and Ph./Mob…………………………………………………..…………
400x4 m relay
774) Usain Bolt represents which country:
Jamaica The subscription amount can be
775) Which country crossed the 1000 Olympic
gold medal mark at Rio: USA
remitted to our following account:
776) Michael Phelps, the sports person with
highest ever number of Olympic gold medals, GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD
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