Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In its thirty eighth flight (PSLV-C36), ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully
launched the 1,235 kg RESOURCESAT-2A Satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
SHAR, Sriharikota.
State-run power equipment maker BHEL has commissioned a 93 MW steam turbine-based
captive power plant (CPP) at Hazira in Gujarat for Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).
The Palampur Assembly Constituency of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh became the first e-
assembly constituency of the country.
Hundreds of Garo tribals gathered in Meghalaya recently to celebrate the harvest festival of
Wangala with much fervour here.
The Chancellor of Nalanda University, George Yeo, resigned citing that earlier he was assured
of the University’s autonomy but now things had changed.
Goa is likely to become the first state in India to go cashless from December 31, as people will
be able to buy perishables such as fish, meat, vegetables or anything else at the press of a button
on their mobile.
Indian Railways and IRCTC have included "transgender as third gender" in the option alongside
male and female in ticket reservation and cancellation forms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flag off the Humsafar train from Kushinagar that will ply
between Gorakhpur and Delhi's Anand Vihar terminus.
Uttar Pradesh now has Asia's first cycle highway. A first-of-its-kind project, the 207-km-long
cycle highway runs between Etawah and Agra and was declared open recently.
10 day long festival named Losar festival has begun in Ladakh region of J&K to mark the
beginning of New Year in this Himalayan region.
Ministry of Culture has organised 10 days long diversified cultural carnival ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti
Mahotsav - 2016’ at the premises of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA),
Janpath, New Delhi.
PM Narendra Modi unveiled the war memorial ‘Shaurya Smarak’ in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Hinduja Group flagship Ashok Leyland today launched - Circuit - the first “Made in India”
electric bus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) with a
generating capacity of 1,752 MW in Himachal Pradesh.
For the welfare of SC/ST entrepreneurs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched national
SC/ST (Schedule Castes/Schedule Tribes) hub in Ludhiana. He also launched the Zero Defect,
Zero Effect (ZED) scheme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
As the Kashmir Stag popularly known as Hangul is on the verge of extinction, the International
Union for Conservation of Nature is all set to declare it a ‘critically endangered’ species to
protect this beautiful animal from disappearing from the earth.
The Election Commission of India hosted the first ever International Conference on Voter
Education in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to set up nation’s first railway University at
Vadodara.
INS Viraat, the world's oldest aircraft carrier, was accorded a grand send-off from the port in
Kochi, after over five decades of its service to the Navy.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced on 6 October 2016 that the Terminal 3
of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) achieved Platinum rating from Indian Green
Building Council (IGBC).
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated India’s first centre for international arbitration
in Mumbai.
The Telangana government organised the traditional state festival of 'Bathukamma' on at the
Lal Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad. The Telangana government has declared 'Bathukamma' as
a state festival.
Telangana on 11 October 2016, had redrawn its map by creating 21 new districts. With these,
the total number of districts of the youngest state of India went up to 31.
The Arena by Trans Stadia in Ahmedabad, venue of the Kabaddi World Cup, is India's first
convertible stadium.
The Delhi International Airport Limited announced that the Indira Gandhi International Airport
(IGIA) has become the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve carbon neutral status.
Jharkhand on 1 October 2016 became India’s first state to implement Direct Benefit Transfer
(DBT) in Kerosene.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared Nagpur as the first digital district of
India.
Prasar Bharti CEO Jawhar Sircar resigned. His term was to end in February next year.
India's latest communication satellite GSAT-18 was successfully launched by a heavy duty
rocket of Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.
Haryana Government has decided to observe 2017 as the “Garib Kalyan Varsh”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first National Tribal Carnival in New Delhi to
promote a sense of inclusiveness among the tribals.
L Narasimha Reddy committee on One Rank One Pension submitted its report to the Defence
Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar.
The State of Himachal Pradesh was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), making it the second
State in the country (after Sikkim) to achieve the feat.
Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has launched ‘Kahin Bhi-Kabhi Bhi’ medical
facilities for its beneficiaries of Delhi.
Thiruvananthapuram has been termed as the country's breast cancer capital, with cases at a
record high of 40 per lakh of population.
The government has announced that it will present the Union Budget for 2017-18 on February
1 and the budget session may begin in January.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched a key programme to provide free electricity
connection to about 50 lakh households above the poverty line.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), launched a revamped version of its Toll-free
helpline number: 1947, to help residents get quick access to information about Aadhaar.
Aligarh leads 500 cities in undertaking Swachh awareness generation activities under the
fortnightly thematic activities as required under the Swachh Survekshan-2017, launched by the
Ministry of Urban Development.
Chhattisgarh has become the first state to adopt a resolution welcoming the demonetization of
high-value currency notes.
INS Chennai, a P 15A Guided Missile Destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy by
the Hon’ble Defense Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar at an impressive ceremony held at the
Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
With an aim to promote Manipur as a potential tourist destination, the annual Manipur Sangai
Festival this year will be themed ‘Destination Manipur’.
The Indian army has successfully completed its task of laying an irrigation pipeline in the
Demchok region of Eastern Ladakh.
For the 1st time in the Country, an LNG fuelled bus has been launched in Kerala.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, visited Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh. He inaugurated
and briefly visited the Jungle Safari in the city.
Maharashtra is the first state in the country to have a cyber police station in each district
simultaneously.
In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of nurturing entrepreneurship, Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) has launched a unique platform called ‘Startup Mentorship Circle’ to
help in connecting start-ups with the global marketplace.
A first-of-its-kind exhibition on childhood cancer awareness held in the premises of the Taj
Mahal, authorities said.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has inaugurated 4- days Pandit Deen Dayal
Upadhyay Krishi Unnati Mela – 2016 in Mathura.
India declared itself free from the highly contagious avian influenza (H5N1) or bird flu. The
declaration was made by the Department of Animal Husbandry under the Agriculture Ministry.
Ahmedabad, India will host the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB)
Group in May next year.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced a district status for Dadri, the biggest
sub-division in the state, increasing the district count of Haryana to 22 from 21.
To make the Swachh Bharat Mission successful and encourage people to use clean toilets, the
Ludhiana district administration has started a ‘Selfie with my Shauchalya’ campaign.
India's most famous address will no longer be 7, Race Course Road. The street in Delhi on
which Prime Minister Narendra Modi lives has been renamed 'Lok Kalyan Marg'.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has grabbed the top most position in the Forbes'
'100 Richest Indians' list with a net worth of $22.7 billion.
Adani Green Energy (Tamil Nadu) Ltd, part of the Adani Group, has dedicated to the nation the
world’s largest solar power plant of 648 megawatts (MW), set up at Kamuthi in
Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched advanced weather satellite,
INSAT-3DR on 8 September 2016.
Majuli in Assam, the 400 sq km island on the Brahmaputra has become the first river island
district of India.
The Minister, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural Development and Panchayati
Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, released the ‘Swachh Survekshan’ for rural India, revealing
Mandi, in “Hills” category (Himachal Pradesh) and Sindhudurg, in the “Plains” category
(Maharashtra) as the cleanest districts in India.
Sikkim is the cleanest state in India and Jharkhand is the worst in terms of rural sanitation, as
per the results of a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the offshore patrolling (OPV) vessel,
Sarathi, at Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), the defence shipyard in south Goa.
A national fair was organized on comprehensive Indian Medicine system (AROGYA) in
Bengaluru, to project the strength of Indian System of Medicines and Homeopathy alongside
BRICS Wellness Workshop.
The government launched toll free number 1924 to register postal complaints, over a month
after introducing Twitter Sewa for redressal of telecom and postal grievances.
Acting on the aid and advice of the Centre, President Pranab Mukherjee signed an order
removing Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa from the post of Arunachal Pradesh Governor.
Jharkhand is the first state in the country to have implemented Public Fund Management System
(PFMS).
Storyteller to generations of Indians, Amar Chitra Katha will now publish and distribute a
special edition of a comic book focusing on Swachh Bharat Mission.
Under the Government’s initiative of affordable LEDs for all (UJALA) scheme, Gujarat has
become the 1st state to distribute 2 crore LED bulbs.
Majuli Island on the Brahmaputra in Assam was declared the largest river island in the world.
On the occasion of the 55th Teachers’ Day, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal
inaugurated Asia’s biggest digital library dedicated to the memory of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam,
former President of India, in NIT Silchar.
DigiLocker - the country's first secured cloud-based platform for the storage, issuance and
verification of documents and certificates in a digital manner - was launched in New Delhi.
The 55,000-tonne per annum (TPA) ferro-chrome plant set up by Tata Steel at a cost of Rs 542
crore in its Gopalpur Industrial Park in Ganjam district was opened by Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik.
Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat stressed on the need to adopt a 'cashless' system
in the state and to begin with he directed the Raj Bhawan staff to ensure that all transactions are
made online.
The government approved inclusion of 15 new castes and modification in 13 other castes in the
Central list of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
A Rs 2,000-crore development package for displaced people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir
(PoK) living in the country was approved by the government.
NITI Aayog has launched a series of incentives for encouraging digital payments for day to day
financial transactions like buying or selling goods/services, transferring money etc., at the
district, taluk and panchayat level. This will include providing a fund of Rs 5 lakh per district
administration.
Lauding the contribution of Dr. B R Ambedkar in water resources management of the country
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti
has announced that his birth day 14th April will be celebrated as “Water Day”.
The Reserve Bank has authorised the Receivables Exchange of India (RXIL) to launch the
country's first trade receivables exchange platform for MSMEs, buyers and financiers.
The Reserve Bank of India recently announced an incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100
per cent for banks for the fortnight beginning November 26, 2016 in order to tackle the surge
in deposits following demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.
Utkarsh Micro Finance has received final license from The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start
operations as Small Finance Bank (SFB).
According to the data released by the RBI ,India’ banking system reported total deposits of Rs
100 lakh crore for the first time ever in September month of this year.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow foreign investment up to 100 per cent under
the automatic route in ‘other financial services’.
Construction major Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) became India’s first firm to get
debt recast under RBI’s new Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A).
Registration certificates of five non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) have been cancelled
by The Reserve Bank while two surrendered their certificate to the central bank.
With cellphones becoming a crucial part of banking, the RBI has made it mandatory for banks
to allow customers to register their mobile numbers through any ATM.
RBI has downgrade India’s growth forecast to 7.1% from earlier 7.6%.
In order to mop up extra liquidity from the system in view of demonetisation, government and
the Reserve Bank sharply raised the Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) ceiling to Rs. 6 lakh
crore from Rs. 30,000 crore.
4th Bi-monthly Policy
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the short-term lending rate, or repo rate, by 25 basis points
to 6.25 per cent from 6.50 per cent earlier.
This was the first exercise by the monetary policy committee (MPC), chaired by Governor Urjit
Patel.
The central bank has maintained status quo on cash reserve ratio (CRR), which stands at 4 per
cent while statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) remained unchanged at 20.75 per cent.
The marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate, meanwhile, has been adjusted to 6.75 per cent from
7 per cent earlier.
Stockholders at two Abu Dhabi banks approved a plan to merge the firms into the biggest bank
of all Gulf Arab countries with assets of USD 178 billion. Shareholders at the National Bank of
Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank approved the tie-up.
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said 100 banks have joined the National
Financial Switch (NFS) network as direct members.
The Women and Child Development Ministry has tied up with India Post and State Bank of
India to offer more payment options to buyers and simplify shipping of products bought from
"Mahila E-haat", an online marketing platform for women entrepreneurs.
The Corporation Bank has bagged the Best MSME Bank Award 2016 instituted by the
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
Vijaya Bank has bagged ‘Best Bank for SME Lending’ award from Assocham. The Bank has
bagged the said award under ‘Best SME Lending’ category for public sector banks.
Karnataka Bank bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank Award (Private sector) 2016’, instituted by the
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), New Delhi.
State Bank of India will divest 3.9 per cent of its stake in SBI Life Insurance Company to global
investment firms KKR and Temasek for Rs. 1,794 crore .
Canara Bank launched a prepaid card as part of efforts to attract more and more people towards
cashless transactions.
YES Bank, the fifth largest private sector bank, has announced a partnership with Gujarat State
Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) to digitise payment of bus tickets for its customers.
South Indian Bank has launched a contactless debit card, which will make use of the Near Field
Communication (NFC) technology.
After petrol pumps, cash can now be withdrawn by swiping debit cards at select Ola cabs as
India’s largest ride-hailing service partners with lenders like State Bank of India (SBI) and
Andhra Bank for Hyderabad and Punjab National Bank In Kolkata, to ease cash crunch.
ICICI Bank announced that it will transform 100 villages into ‘Digital Villages’ in as many
days as part of its continuing effort to provide digital ecosystem across the country, including
rural India.
RBL Bank, one of the country’s fastest growing scheduled commercial banks, and Bajaj
Finance, one of the most diversified NBFCs, announced a partnership to launch a series of co-
branded credit cards for Indian customers.
Canara Bank, a public sector bank, and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, a private general
insurance company, have signed a corporate agency agreement for the distribution of Bajaj
Allianz’s general insurance products.
The State Bank of India (SBI) has declared Silchar as its 5th zone in North East after Guwahati,
Shillong, Dibrugarh and Jorhat.
Foreign lender Standard Chartered Bank has announced a tie-up with Uber under which its
credit cardholders, across six countries, will get a cash-back of up to 25 per cent for hailing cabs
from the app.
ICICI Bank has become the first Indian lender to complete a banking transaction using
Blockchain technology.
State-run Bank of Maharashtra has renewed its corporate agency tie-up with United India
Insurance Company.
Kotak Mahindra Bank, the country’s fourth largest private sector lender, has acquired BSS
Microfinance in an all-cash deal for Rs 139.2 crore.
State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, expanded its overseas footprint by
entering Myanmar, opening a branch Yangon after 53 years, the former capital and the largest
city of that country.
The Telangana government along with IDFC Bank took the initiative to enable cashless
transactions to ease the “change” problem.
Corporation Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army on
the defence salary package.
City Union Bank (CUB) has launched a robot named ‘CUB-Lakshmi’ in Kumbakonam,
Chennai, becoming the first bank in the country to do so.
Federal Bank, India's major commercial bank in the private sector has received Reserve Bank
of India (RBI)'s permission to open its branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre. It
will be the first international branch of the bank.
ICICI Bank has launched a credit facility against home loans for salaried customers. The
Home Overdraft facility will enable a salaried customer to seek loans up to Rs. 1 crore for
personal needs against his/her property.
Private sector lender Yes Bank has launched “Yes Mobile 2.0” its new mobile banking app with
multiple new features and extensive support for banking transactions on Apple and Android
based Smart Watches.
Andhra Bank has entered into corporate agency agreements with Cigna TTK Company Ltd, and
Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd for providing health and general insurance
respectively, to its customers.
In an unprecedented move, the Centre sacked Sushil Muhnot, chairman and managing
director of Pune-based Bank of Maharashtra, four days short of his scheduled retirement.
Private sector Axis Bank has tied up with Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to offer specialised
banking courses.
Federal Bank has launched its second FederalSkill Academy at Coimbatore, as part of its
CSR initiatives.
The country's leading private sector lender ICICI Bank has forayed into 'software robotics' - a
first by any Indian bank.
SBI, PNB, Paytm to issue e-toll tags for vehicles
DCB Bank has launched ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution that will make payments at
retail outlets much easier.
Private sector lender Yes Bank launched SIMsePAY, that allows any account holder to do
money transfers, pay utility bills and other mobile banking services, without the need for smart
phones or internet.
Private sector RBL Bank said it has launched 'Aadhaar Payment Bridge System' (APBS) for
small ticket micro-finance loan disbursements.
Federal Bank partners with Spice Digital for cash management services through the Bank’s E
– collection facility.
Airtel Payments Bank, part of telcom giant Bharti Airtel, has offered customers opening a
savings account one minute of talk time on their Airtel mobile for every rupee deposited.
Edible oil firm Ruchi Soya Industries in association with State Bank of India (SBI) has launched
an initiative to provide banking assistance to farmers.
Public sector company MMTC will tie-up with the State Bank of India (SBI) to sell government-
minted "Indian Gold Coin".
Paytm has launched a toll-free number 180018001234 through which non-smart phone users
can make transactions through their Paytm wallets.
Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corp have
signed a pact to build India's biggest oil refinery at a cost of $30 billion on the west coast.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is going to support banks
for deployment of two PoS (Point of Sales) devices per village in one lakh villages having a
population of upto 10,000 in an effort to facilitate more cashless transactions in rural India.
In another step to push digital transactions, the ministry of electronics and information
technology (MeitY) launched a TV channel named 'DigiShala'.
Airtel Payments Bank, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, rolled out a pilot of its banking services in
Rajasthan.
Government has allowed NABARD to disburse Rs21,000 crore to cash-starved farmers, helping
them sow winter crops like wheat ahead of the sowing season, Economic Affairs Secretary
Shaktikanta said.
American Morgan Stanley has lowered its growth forecast for FY’17 to 7.3% from 7.7% earlier
on account of currency replacement programme.
Delhi who secured 30th ranking position beat Mumbai to become India’s Economic capital.
Home-grown food brand Amul will now sell its products in the US through online retailer
Amazon's global selling programme.
Online travel company MakeMyTrip has announced to acquire rival portal ibibo group.
The Government has formally granted a license to British Petroleum ‘Petroleum industry
company’, Europe's third-biggest oil company, to set up 3,500 petrol pumps in India.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned loan
worth Rs. 19,702 crore to National Water Development Agency (NWDA).
The World Bank has pledged 2 billion US dollars aid to Bangladesh to tackle climate change.
Indian pharmaceutical companies have ranked low at 19th position with an overall score of 59
out of 100 among in the Biopharmaceutical Competitiveness & Investment (BCI) Survey.
The Union Government has decided to invest 15,000 crore rupees to increase the capacity of
Panipat refinery in Haryana to 25 Million Tonnes from existing 15 Million Tonnes.
Google will set up its first India data centre in Mumbai by 2017.
The Government has decided to raise the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) investment in
Exchange Traded Funds from present 5 per cent to 10 per cent.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised projections for India’s economic growth by 0.2
percentage points to 7.6 per cent for 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Microsoft has launched its first cybersecurity engagement center in India in the heart of Delhi,
which will help the government and the private sector organisations to deal with cyber attacks.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on 15 November 2016
signed a 500 million US dollar loan to build a 9.8 km long road bridge across the Ganges River.
In order to counter the current cash crunch post-demonetisation, Mumbai Metro said it will
issue single and return journey token in real-time cashless transactions.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a trade route linking the south-western
Gwadar port to Kashgar city in China as part of $46 billion project to jumpstart economic
growth in the South Asian country.
Malaysia’s Axiata and India’s Bharti Airtel announced that the legal merger of their
Bangladeshi mobile subsidiaries Robi Axiata and Airtel Bangladesh has been completed, and
the new company will now operate under the Robi name.
Google Capital, the search giant's venture arm that invests in growth-stage companies, has
changed its name to 'CapitalG'.
The govt of Assam and Asian Development Bank has signed a deal in which ADB will provide
48 Million Dollar loan to Assam to improve power distribution.
Maharashtra government has signed an agreement with Canada to implement a joint action plan
on urban infrastructure development in the state.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a three-year $12 billion loan program for
Egypt, the largest such package to a Middle East nation.
TAFE, the world’s third largest tractor maker, in collaboration with the Rajasthan government,
is setting up a Centre of Excellence — ‘JFarm Rajasthan’ — and a Custom Hiring Centre in six
zones in Rajasthan at a total outlay of Rs.970 crore.
Vigilance Commission has now made it mandatory for the public sector banks to report to it all
such matters involving funds over Rs one crore.
India and Palestine signed a MoU for setting up a Palestine-India Techno Park in Ramallah,
Palestine.
In a bid to boost ties with India, the Australian government on 02nd November 2016 has
announced 19 grants worth $6.3Million dollars for several projects in the field of education,
science, sports, arts and culture.
A 4-tier GST tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent, with lower rates for essential items and
the highest for luxury and de-merits goods that would also attract an additional cess, was
decided by the all- powerful GST Council.
Leading global professional network LinkedIn has signed an agreement with the human
resource development ministry to create more job opportunities for Indian students.
Mobile wallet company MobiKwik announced that it has partnered Indian Railway Catering
and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to power e-cash payments for tatkal bookings.
Government has slapped a nearly 10,000 crore rupee fine on Reliance Industries Limited
(RIL) and its partners BP and Niko for pumping out gas that flowed to the Krishna Godavari-
D6 Block from an adjoining field owned by ONGC.
World Bank will invest nearly 1,000 crore rupees in Assam for the betterment of the inland
waterways.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications agreed to merge its wireless telecom business with
smaller rival Aircel to create the country's 4th-biggest mobile phone operator with asset base of
more than Rs 65,000 crore.
Transportation app Uber has launched a new initiative in partnership with Maruti and National
Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), for creating livelihood opportunities for one million
people by 2018.
Andhra Pradesh has emerged on the top among all other states in attracting industrial
investments in 2015-16, pushing the previous year's topper Maharashtra to the third spot.
Backed by broadening of domestic consumption base, S&P Global Ratings projected India to
clock a "steroid-free" growth of 8 per cent over the next few years.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $631-million loan for construction of
industrial corridor between Visakhapatnam and Chennai, part of India's first coastal industrial
corridor running from West Bengal to Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.
Bombay Stock Exchange has partnered with Twitter to provide live updates of S&P BSE Sensex
levels.
The Board BCCI of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tied up with financial services firm
Janalakshmi Financial Services (Jana) as an associate sponsor.
Homegrown e-tailer Flipkart has crossed the 100-million registered users mark, becoming the
first e-commerce company in the country to hit the milestone.
India and France have reached an agreement on acquiring 36 Rafale jets from the latter, after
repeated delays over price negotiations threatened to derail the deal.
India's largest digital payment company in India, MobiKwik has announced coalition with 12
state electricity boards.
The Goa government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Google India to promote
digital literacy and drive the digital transformation in the state.
Canada's Province of British Columbia has become the first foreign government entity to issue
a masala bond by floating Rs 500 crore rupee denominated overseas bonds on the London Stock
Exchange.
Rajasthan’s education department has partnered with US-based technology firm Cisco to
promote digital learning across the state using virtual digital room solutions.
Breaking the Bofors jinx, India and the US inked a nearly Rs 5,000 crore deal for 145 M777
ultra-light howitzers, which will be mostly deployed near the borders with China.
A new United Nations report on the economic growth prospects for India in this current year,
stating that they expect GDP growth to be 7.6%.
India Ratings has lowered its GDP forecast for 2016-17 for India to 6.8 per cent from 7.8 per
cent earlier.
Global e-commerce giant has announced it is bringing its global startup program Launchpad
to India.
Union HRD Minister appealed to the faculty and especially young students to come forward
and join ‘Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan’ to encourage, create awareness and motivate all people
around them to use a digitally enabled cashless economic system for transfer of fund.
Narendra Modi government recently launched the new ‘Indian Police at Your Call’ app that
helps citizens to locate the nearest police station along with the details when in an emergency.
Delhi Police launched a mobile application ‘Delhi Police Senior Citizen’ for senior citizens to
enable them to reach out to the police quickly in emergencies.
J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare released the “Healthy India
Initiative/Swastha Bharat-ekpehal” magazine and launched the “No More Tension” Mobile
Application.
Digital wallet firm MobiKwik has launched a data-light version of its mobile application named
‘Lite’
Private sector lender Yes Bank has launched “Yes Mobile 2.0” its new mobile banking app with
multiple new features and extensive support for banking transactions on Apple and Android
based SmartWatches.
Google has launched its latest mobile chat application “Allo” along with Google Assistant.
Vijaya Bank has launched three innovative information technology (IT) products, coinciding
with Hindi Diwas celebrations. They are: VPAYQWIK, Vijaya *99# and V-eConnect+.
DCB Bank has launched ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution that will make payments at
retail outlets much easier.
MobiKwik has launched a one-step offline payments mode, called Bubble Pin.
DCB Bank launches its own mobile wallet Cippy
Andhra Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launches ‘AP Purse’
Maharashtra to roll out its own ‘Mahawallet’
Brand Ambassadors
International Appointments
Ambassadors/Envoys
Luo Zhaohui, ambassador of China to India
Renu Pall Ambassador of India to Austria
Amrit Lugun Ambassador of India to the State of Eritrea
R Ravindra Ambassador of India to Guinea
Deep Kumar Upadhyay re-appointed as Nepal's envoy to India
Sanjiv Arora Ambassador of India to Lebanon
Banking Appointments
BEML Ltd, under the Union Ministry of Defence, has been bestowed with the prestigious ‘CII
National Quality 2016 Award’ jointly instituted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) &
Export Import Bank (EXIM).
Helen Marten has won the Turner Prize 2016, and has said she intends to share the £25,000
award with her fellow nominees.
Time Magazine named US President-elect Donald Trump its person of the year 2016.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand was awarded 'World Sanskrit Award'for the year
2015
George Cardona, Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania, USA, was George Cardona
was awarded 'World Sanskrit Award' for the year 2016.
Journalist Malini Subramaniam honoured with press freedom award
Tata Steel awarded for sustainable development in mining
Mary Kom awarded ‘Legends Award’ from International Boxing Association
Manoj Bajpayee won best actor award Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Ruskin Bond conferred Lifetime Achievement Award at Times Lit Fest
Award Person/Film
Golden Peacock award Iranian film ‘Daughter’
Best Actor (male) award Farhad Aslani for Iranian film ‘Daughter’
Best Actor (female) award Elina Vasca for Latvian film ‘Mellow Mud’
Best director award Soner Caner and Baris Kaya for the Turkish
film ‘Rauf’
Special jury award South Korean director Lee Joon-ik for the film
‘The Throne’
ICFT–Unesco Gandhi medal Turkish film ‘Cold of Kalandar’
Centenary Award for best debut Spanish film ‘Rara’
feature film
Multiple-time champion Peter Gilchrist added another feather to his cap as he pulled off a one-
sided 1500-617 win against Indian national champion Sourav Kothari in the Long-Up Format
final of IBSF World Billiards Championship in Bengaluru.
Steven Gerrard, England football captain, announces retirement
Indian Golfer Aditi Ashok wins inaugural Qatar Ladies Open
Azamgarh DM Suhas LY wins gold in Asian Para Badminton Championship
Nico Rosberg wins F1 title
Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi GP
Argentina fought back to beat Croatia 3-2 and win the Davis Cup for the first time in a dramatic
final in Zagreb. Argentina is the 15th winner of Davis Cup in 116 years.
Pankaj Advani claims bronze medal at IBSF World Snooker Championship
Brazil lifted Inaugural BRICS U–17 Football Tournament Championship in Goa
India becomes first cricket team to play 900 ODIs
India beat Iran 38-29 to win 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad
North Korea won 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup
Sprinter Srabani Nanda wins Ekalabya Award
Andy Murray wins 2016 China Open Men's Singles
Agnieszka Radwanska wins 2016 China Open Women's Singles
Virat Kohli presented with ICC Test Championship mace
Indian shooter Jitu Rai named 'Champion of Champions' by ISSF
Nico Rosberg won the Japanese Grand Prix
The Formula-F1 driver from Australia Mark Webber announces retirement from racing
India beat Bangladesh to lift U-18 Asia Cup hockey in Dhaka
Daniel Ricciardo wins F1 Malaysian Grand Prix
Kieren Dsouza becomes the first Indian to complete World's toughest race, Spartathlon in
Greece
Indian Golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar wins Korea Open
Chess Master Padmini Rout wins National Women Premier Championship for third time
Haryana Sprinter Dharambir Singh banned for eight-year
PV Sindhu wins China open Super Series
Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win ATP World Tour Finals
Gaganjeet Bhullar win Indonesia Open
Petra Kvitova wins 2016 WTA Elite Singles Trophy
India will host second Twenty20 Blind World Cup
Mumbai’s Western Railways beat Haryana 4-2 to win Surjit trophy
Former South Africa spinner Robin Peterson announces retirement from cricket
Golfer Aditi Ashok lifts Indian Open title
Lewis Hamilton clinched Brazilian GP
India beat Pakistan in final to win Asian Champions Trophy Hockey
Lewis Hamilton wins Mexican GP
Indian shuttler Pratul wins men’s singles title at Bahrain International Challenge
Dhoni most valued athlete among Indians, Federer globally: Forbes Fab 40
Hockey: India beat China 2-1 to win Women's Asian Champions Trophy
Karandeep Kochhar youngest and first Indian amateur to win on PGTI Golf
R Ashwin becomes fastest Indian to take 200 Test wickets
Indian women’s kabaddi team wins gold in Asian Beach Games
East Bengal wins Calcutta Football League 2016
India becomes fourth team to play 500 Test matches
Ritu Rani retires from international hockey
Army Green beat Neroca FC to win Durand Cup
India Blue wins 2016-2017 Duleep Trophy tournament
India’s 100-year-old athlete, Man Kaur has won Gold medal at the American Masters Games
in the 100-meter dash.
Abhinav Bindra announces retirement from shooting
Serena Williams makes Grand Slam history with 308th win
Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the World Chess Championship for the third consecutive
time after defeating challenger Sergey Karjakin of Russia.
2016 world champion Nico Rosberg has sensationally retired from Formula 1 with immediate
effect.
Indian women maintained their supremacy in the Asia Cup by beating arch-rivals Pakistan for
their sixth title in as many editions.
Olympic champion Usain Bolt has won the IAAF male Athlete of the Year award for a record
sixth time.
India's Mukesh Kumar became the oldest golfer to win an Asian Tour title when he lifted the
Panasonic Open after it was curtailed to 54 holes due to fog.
Argentina won the women’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 as they defeated Netherlands.
The 2016 Summer Paralympic Games began on 7 September 2016 at Maracana Stadium in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil.
US Open 2016
Category Winner
Men’s Singles Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)
Women’s Singles Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Men’s doubles Jamie Murray (Great Britain) and Bruno Soares (Brazil)
Women's doubles Mattek-Sands (United States) and Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)
Mixed doubles Mate Pavic (Croatia) and Laura Siegemund (Germany)
John Glenn, who was celebrated as a national hero after becoming the first US astronaut to orbit
Earth and went on to serve 24 years in the Senate and seek the presidency, has died. He was 95.
Freedom fighter Ramesh Kulkarni passed away
Manipur theatre legend Kanhailal passed away
Former boxing champion Aaron Pryor dies at 60
Thailand king Bhumibol Adulyadej passes away
Italian playwright and Nobel Literature Prize winner Dario Fo passes away
Tamil director K Subaash passes away
Noted journalist Dileep Padgaonkar passes away
Fidel Castro, Cuba's leader of revolution, dies
Marathi litterateur Anand Yadav passes away
Renowned writer and litterateur Dayanand Anant passed away at 88
Noted artist Yusuf Arakkal passes away
Rwanda's last king, Kigeli V, dies aged 80
South African struggle icon Mewa Ramgobin passes away
Qatar: Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani passes away
UK’s First Indian-Origin Sikh Judge Mota Singh Dies
Former J&K Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha passes away
Veteran Congress leader Ram Naresh Yadav passes away
Renowned Hindi & Bhojpuri writer Dr. Viveki Rai passes away
Carlos Alberto, Brazil's 1970 World Cup hero, passes away aged 72
Former Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle passes away
Legendary Kashmiri singer Raj Begum dies
Goa’s first woman CM Shashikala Kakodkar passes away
Veteran Carnatic singer M Balamuralikrishna passes away
Renowned scientist Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon passed away. He was 88.
Noted Hindi writer Hridyesh Mehrotra passes away
Former JK Deputy CM Pandit Mangat Ram passes away
Sri Lankan music legend Pandit Amaradeva passes away
Renowned Pakistani singer A Nayyar passes away
Playwright Reoti Saran Sharma passes away
US golf legend Arnold Palmer dies at 87
Israel's former President Shimon Peres passes away
Former Australian cricketer Max Walker has passed away in Melbourne. He was 68.
Former Italian PM Carlo Azeglio Ciampi dies
Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov dies at 78
Australia's oldest surviving Test cricketer, Len Maddocks, has passed away aged 90.
Former union minister Arif Beg (81-year) passed away in Bhopal.
World’s oldest cricketer, South Africa‘s Lindsay Tuckett passed away in Bloemfontein at the
age of 97.
Kenneth Higgs, the former England cricketer, passed away on September 7, aged 79.
Poet, former MP Bekal Utsahi passes away
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa passes away
Former international hockey umpire Sujlana passes away
Cho Ramaswamy, Actor, political commentator, theatre personality and editor of Thuglak, a
Tamil magazine, died on 7th December 2016.
Vice President Releases Shashi Tharoor’s book ‘An Era of Darkness: British Empire in India’
President of India Receives the Book ‘Charaiveti, Charaiveti’ Written by Shri Ram Naik
The book, named "Driven: The Virat Kohli Story" has been written by senior journalist Vijay
Lokapally and published by Bloomsbury India.
Twinkle Khanna launches her second book 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad'
'Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance': Autobiography of Simone Biles
Chris Gayle launches his autobiography 'Six Machine' in India
Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul released a book titled 'Shanti ki Talaash mein Zindagi' written
in Hindi by Radhika Nagrath.
The Consul General of Malaysia in India Eldeen Husaini Muhammad Hashim has released the
translated version of 'Sai Charitra Granth', a book on the life of Sai Baba.
President Pranab Mukherjee released the book ‘Citizen and Society’ written by Vice- President
Mohd Hamid Ansari.
One Indian Girl: A book by Chetan Bhagat
Playing it My way: An Autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar written by Boria Majumdar
India-US Relations in the Age of Uncertainty: A book by B.M. Jain
India and China, under the provisions of Border Defense Cooperation Agreement, 2013, the
Indian and Chinese armies held Second Joint Exercise “Sino India Cooperation 2016” in
Ladakh.
India and Indonesia has kicked off their bilateral Maritime exercise at Belawan, Indonesia. It
aims for Cooperation in the field of Maritime security.
The US and Vietnamese navies held the 7th annual Naval Engagement Activity NEA,
Vietnam 2016 at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang.
The fourth edition of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise ‘MITRA SHAKTI 2016’
was conducted at Ambepussa, Sri Lanka from 24 October to 06 November 2016.
The India-China Joint Training Exercise "Hand in Hand 2016" was held in Pune from
November 15-27.
Indo-Nepal Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran-X concluded at Army Battle School,
Saljhandi, Nepal. It wass the tenth in the series of such exercise between the two nations and
held from 31 October to 13 November 16.
As part of the ongoing India Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military training
exercise SAMPRITI 2016 was conducted at Tangail, Dhaka, Bangladesh from 05 to 18
November 2016.
The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ was held in the
Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia.
As part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise, ‘Yudh
Abhyas 2016’ conducted in Uttarakhand from September 14 to 27.
As a part of India’s continued efforts to strengthen Indo-Kazakhstan relations, troops of
Indian & Kazakhstan Army were recently engaged in a joint exercise ‘PRABAL DOSTYK –
16.
KONKAN 16, the 2016 edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian
Navy and the Royal Navy, would be held from 05 -16 Dec 16 at Mumbai and Goa.