February 1, 2015
first rocket engine takes it to a height
1) India on 31 January 2015
successfully tested the first-ever
canister based version of Agni-V,
which is country‟s longest range
ballistic missile. The missile was
launched from a canister from
Wheeler Island (Odisha). What is the
range of this missile? – 5,000 KM
Explanation: With a range of 5000
km, the nuclear-capable missile
Agni-V can carry a warhead in the
east as far as all of China and in the
west all over Europe. The missile
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travels faster than a bullet and can
carry 1000 kilogram of nuclear
weapon. It can be launched only on
direct orders from the Prime Minister.
The three-stage missile is about 17
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metres long and weighs 50 tons. The
of about 40 kilometres. The second
stage pushes it to about 150
kilometres. The third stage takes it to
about 300 kilometres above the
Earth. And the missile finally reaches
a height of about 800 kilometres.
India carried out two successful tests
of the basic version of Agni-V in
2012 and 2013 but this was the first-
ever successful test for the canister-
version which gives it higher road
mobility. The missile sealed in a
canister and mounted on a TATRA
track was launched in its final
deliverable configuration.
2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 30 January 2015 constituted a 7-
member committee on urban
cooperative banks (UCBs). The
committee will primarily re-examine
and recommend appropriate set of
businesses, size, conversion and
licensing terms for the UCBs. Who is
heading this committee? – R.
Gandhi (Deputy Governor, RBI)
Explanation: The committee will
examine whether it is time to give
 permits to new UCBs as per the for the re-excavation? – Ter
recommendations of the expert (Osmanabad district)
committee on licensing of new UCBs
Explanation: Ter was an important
set up under the chairmanship of
place on the trade route of the
Y.H. Malegam. The committee will
Satvahana dynasty with the then
determine the modalities of
Roman Empire. Though the site first
implementing a suggestion made by
discovered by British researchers in
the Malegam committee regarding
early 1900, an illiterate villager called
50% in value of deposits should be
Ramlingappa Lamture played a
held by voting members to assure
crucial role in preserving a number of
that confidence regarding proper
terracotta figurines, pendants and
management is generated among
several artefacts. Today, the village
investors. Other important members
hosts a museum exclusively of
of the committee are M.V. Tanksale
objects collected by late Lamture,
from Indian Banks‟ Association (IBA),
which is looked after by the next
Suma Varma, principal chief general
generation of his family. Prominent
manager, department of cooperative
researchers like Dr. S.B. Deo worked
banking regulation, RBI and Joseph
in Ter till 1975 in excavating several
Raj, joint legal advisor from the legal
important artefacts from the
department at RBI.
surrounding area. The directorate
expects to complete its work before
3) Maharashtra‟s Directorate of monsoon. Along with the researchers
Archaeology and Museums has and officials, students from various
announced plan for re-excavation of universities in Maharashtra will also
a site associated with the mighty participate in the excavation work.
Satvahana dynasty, which ruled the
large part of Central India in second
4) During January 2015 the Union
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century B.C. This re-excavation is

Government proposed major
being done in a bid to establish the
changes to the 1953 Tea Act to give
missing cultural sequences during
more teeth to the regulator of the tea
and after the Satvahana dynasty.
sector. These amendments primarily
Which place in the state is the site
aim at plugging loopholes in relevant
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sections of the Tea Act to enable

 takeover of the management or
control of tea gardens, which have
been closed for over 90 days. The
regulator of country‟s tea sector,
which is being given additional
powers with these proposals, is –
Tea Board of India
Explanation: The Tea Board of India
had earlier sought powers to monitor
the working of tea gardens, making
its approach more direct and
proactive than the present reactive
attitude. It has been suggested that
the Board shall constantly monitor
the gardens and try to pre-empt
closures. The amendments also
propose new additions in the Act, like
including in its ambit terms like small
tea growers while defining tea
estates. Special attention is also to
be paid to protection of IPR of teas
and monitoring of tea gardens. The
Government feels that there is need
to delete certain archaic provisions of
the Indian Tea Act as they have
become irrelevant.
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5) Who took as the new Chairman of
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on
31 January 2015? – T. Suvarna
Raju
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Explanation: T. Suvarna Raju
became the 17th Chairman of HAL as
he took the charge on 31 January.
He replaced R.K. Tyagi who
superannuated on the same day.
Raju was HAL‟s Director (Design and
Development) till now. Under his
leadership, the company initiated
several R&D programmes covering
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA),
Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), Light
Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light
Combat Helicopter (LCH), HTT-40
trainer, Jaguar Darin-III and Mirage
upgrade. Raju, who has the
distinction of being granted the first
patent in the company in 2002, has
applied for a whopping 1,000 patents
during the last two years.
6) Serena Williams won the women‟s
singles title of Australian Open 2015
on 31 January 2015 by defeating
Maria Sharapova. With this title win
she overtook the Grand Slam title
wins by tennis greats Martina
Navratilova and Chris Evert. This
was her ………. Grand Slam singles
title? – 19th
Explanation: Top seeded Serena
Williams (US) defeated Russia‟s
Maria Sharapova by 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in
the finals. This was her sixth
 Australian Open singles title and
19th singles Grand Slam title. With
this she overtook 18-time Grand
Slam winners Martina Navratilova
and Chris Evert. She is now just
three titles away from Steffi Graf‟s
record of 22 Grand Slam titles. Her
earlier Australian Open title wins
were in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and
2010. Her other Grand Slam titles
include 5 Wimbledon title, 2 French
Open titles and 6 U.S. Open titles.
February 2, 2015
1) India‟s Leander Paes and Swiss
Martina Hingis won the mixed-
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doubles title of 2015 Australian
Open on 1 February 2015. They
defeated third seeds Daniel Nestor
and Kristina Mladenovic by 6-4, 6-3
in the final. With this win, both Paes
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and Hingis have now won similar
7) Who took over as the new Director
General of the Indo-Tibetan Border
Police (ITBP) on 31 January 2015? –
Krishna Chaudhary
Explanation: Krishna Chaudhary is
a1979-batch Bihar cadre IPS officer
and was the Director General of the
Railway Protection Force (RPF) till
now. He succeeded Subhas
Goswami who retired on 31
December 2014.
number of Grand Slam titles
respectively. What is this identical
number of Grand Slam title wins for
both? – Fifteen
Explanation: Leander Paes has
won seven mixed doubles titles and
eight doubles Grand Slam titles in
his illustrious career. On the other
hand Martina Hingis, who came out
of retirement for the second time a
couple of years back, has now won
her tenth doubles Grand Slam apart
from her five singles titles. Hingis
was a top singles player during her
 prime and had won three singles
Australian Open titles.
2) World No.1 Novak Djokovic
(Serbia) the 2015 Australian Open
singles title. He defeated Britain‟s
Andy Murray by 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-
3, 6-0 in the final on 1 February
2015. With this title win Djokovic
has now won how many Australian
Open titles? – Five
Explanation: Djokovic had earlier
won the Australian Open titles in
2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This
was his 8th career Grand Slam title.
Murray has now been runner-up
four times here, losing twice
previously to Djokovic in 2011 and
2013 and to Roger Federer in 2010.
3) A government-appointed
committee on anti-Sikh riots of 1984
recently submitted its report to
Home Minister Rajnath Singh. What
is the main recommendation of this
committee, which was headed by
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former Supreme Court Judge
Justice (retd.) G.P. Mathur? –
Fresh probe into these riots
through a Special Investigation
Team (SIT)
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Explanation: The Justice Mathur
committee was constituted by the
government on 23 December 2014
to examine the possibility of
reinvestigation of anti-Sikh riots
cases through an SIT. The
committee has recommended
constitution of an SIT for
reinvestigation the riots. The anti-
Sikh riots were triggered after
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
was assassinated by on 31 October
1984. Of the 3,325 victims, 2,733
were killed in Delhi alone while the
rest were from Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and other States. On
10 December 2014, the
government had approved a
proposal to give an additional
compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each to
the kin of victims of these riots.
4) The 29th edition of the famed
Surajkund International Crafts Mela
started from 1 February 2015 at
Surajkund (Faridabad) in Haryana.
Which state has been chosen as
the theme state for this year‟s
mela? – Chhattisgarh
Explanation: While Chhattisgarh is
the theme state, Lebanon is
 participating as the Partner Nation
in the Mela. 17 other countries are
also participating in the event.
Surajkund International Crafts Mela
is held every year from 1 to 15
February and has been held
continuously since 1987.
5) India on 1 February 2015
launched its flagship diplomacy
magazine in Chinese language to
give “interesting” information about
the country‟s rich culture and
tradition. This Chinese version
(„Yindu Shijiao‟) was launched on
the occasion of External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj‟s maiden
visit to China. What is the name of
this diplomacy magazine published
by India? – „India Perspectives‟
Explanation: „India Perspectives‟ is
printed in 15 languages and is
circulated in as many as 170
countries. It is published by the
External Affairs Ministry to
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propagate information about India‟s
rich culture and tradition.
6) Australia won the one-day
international tri-series on 1
February 2015 by defeating
England by 112 runs in the final
played at Perth. This title win
boosted Australia‟s preparation for
the Cricket World Cup which
commences from 14 February in
Australia-New Zealand. Who was
awarded the man of the match
award for an incredible all-round
performance? – Glenn Maxwell
Explanation: Glenn Maxwell
scored 95 and took 4-46 in the final
to spur Australia to this emphatic
win. He led Australia to 278-8 as it
batted first after losing the toss,
then had the opportunity of a hat-
trick as it bowled out England for
166. Current ODI World Cup
holders India was the third team of
this tri-series but it could not win a
single match in the series.
 February 3, 2015
1) The RBI deadline for applying for
the payments banks ended on 2
February 2015. Which
companies/groups are the
prominent bidders for the payments
banks which will offer services such
as remittances and deposits? –
Reliance Industries Limited
(RIL), Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.,
Future Group, UAE Exchange
India, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone,
IIFL, PayTM and Oxigen
Explanation: Payments banks are
proposed to put basic banking
within the reach of hundreds of
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millions. In a country like India
where nearly half the population
does not have access to formal
banking payments banks are
expected to play the role of the
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„last-mile bank‟. Payments banks
will be allowed to not only accept
cash, but also pay it out, boosting
their appeal for low-income savers.
They will, however, not be allowed
to provide loans. Their precursors,
Pre-paid Payment Instrument (PPI)
providers, were not allowed to pay
out cash. Payments banks could
cut the use of cash in an economy
where nine out of 10 transactions
are still paid in notes and coins and
kick-start the use of low-cost
payment forms like mobile money
that have been used by only one in
every 300 Indians.
2) Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)
has applied for a payments bank
licence, the application deadline for
which ended on 2 February 2015. It
tied up with which bank for seeking
this licence? – State Bank of India
(SBI)
Explanation: RIL has entered into
a partnership venture with SBI for
seeking payments bank licence.
Under this, RIL will be the promoter
of the payments bank entity while
 SBI will be joint venture partner with
equity investment of up to 30%. The
partnership is in accordance with
the guidelines for payments bank
issued by RBI. The proposed
payments bank by RIL-SBI combine
will leverage SBI‟s nationwide
distribution network and risk
management capabilities along with
the substantial investments made
by RIL in its retail and telecom
businesses.
3) Union Govt. has decided to
rename the second phase of
JNNURM, the scheme to
rejuvenate India‟s 500 cities and
towns, after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
What will be the new name of this
scheme? – Atal Mission for
Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT)
Explanation: Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM) was a massive city-
modernisation scheme launched by
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the Government of India under
Ministry of Urban Development. It
was launched on 3 December 2005
to improve the quality of life and
infrastructure in the cities. It had
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seven-year time frame and its first
phase ended in March 2012.
Though UPA-II had done
preparatory work to approve
second phase of JNNURM, it could
not clear the scheme. Now the Modi
government has decided to rename
the second phase after the first BJP
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
AMRUT will be a 10-year
programme with total investment of
about Rs 2 lakh crore.
4) Indian Railway Catering and
Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
recently announced plans to offer
cash-on-delivery (CoD) option for
railway tickets bought online. The
scheme is aimed at targeting
customers who are reluctant to use
their bank credit card or those who
don‟t have net-banking enabled
bank account or cards. Which entity
has been authorized for providing
these CoD-based train tickets? –
Anduril Technologies
Explanation: Anduril Technologies
will use its website and its app
called BookMyTrain.com for
providing this scheme. The scheme
has been launched on pilot basis
and the service will be available in
more than 200 cities initially. Under
 it train travelers can book a ticket
five days prior to commencement of
journey. The delivery charges will
be similar to IRCTC I-tickets: Rs 40
will be charged for delivery of each
sleeper class ticket and Rs 60 for
an AC class ticket. The move is an
attempt to move people away from
the ticket counters and decongest
the booking windows.
5) India‟s first germplasm bank in
the private sector started its
operations from 1 February 2015.
This bank capable of protecting the
seeds up to 40 years has been set
up at Medchal near Hyderabad.
Which company has established
this germplasm bank? –Gubba
Group
Explanation: Gubba Group has a
network of 12 cold storage facilities.
This germplasm bank has the
facilities for maintaining a nearby hospital but could not be
temperature of -20 degrees Celsius
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which makes it capable of
protecting the seeds up to 40 years.
The bank has been established with
an investment of Rs. 4 crore and it
can withstand earthquakes, power
outages and fire accidents.
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Germplasm is a collection
of genetic resources for an
organism. For plants, the
germplasm is generally stored as
seeds and such advanced storage
is called germplasm bank or simply
seed bank.
6) What is the name of the teenage
netball player of Maharashtra who
died of cardiac arrest on 2 February
2015 after participating in a match
at the ongoing 35th National Games
of India at Thiruvananthapuram? –
Mayuresh Pawar
Explanation: 19-year old Mayuresh
Pawar took part in Maharashtra‟s
match against Chandigarh at the
Agriculture College Indoor Stadium
earlier on the same day. He
complained of chest pain after the
game and was given first aid.
However, the condition worsened
and Mayuresh was soon taken to a
revived.
7) What is the name of the
17th edition of the international
theatre festival by the National
School of Drama (NSD) that started
on 1 February 2015 in New Delhi
 and which is believed to be the
largest such festival in the whole of
Asia? – “Bharat Rang Mahotsav”
Explanation: 17th Bharat Rang
Mahotsav is being held from 1 to 18
February 2015. The first play of this
year‟s event was the war play
„Ghazab Teri Adaa‟, the latest
creation by NSD. 12 countries
including UK, Germany, China,
USA, Poland, Switzerland, Sri
Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh are
taking part in the 18-day long
festival. 82 productions in 23
February 4, 2015
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1) The Reserve Bank of India on 3
February 2015 constituted a
committee to evaluate applications
received for the proposed small
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finance banks. Who is heading this
languages and performances by
125 groups will be the highlight of
the theatre extravaganza. For the
first time, the festival will travel to
other Indian cities like Agartala,
Jabalpur, Aurangabad and Panaji.
Lalit Kala Akademi, Sahitya
Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi
and other government cultural
bodies have associated with the
festival for the first time. The first
edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav
was held in 1999 and since then it
has been held annually.
committee? – Usha Thorat, former
Deputy Governor of RBI
Explanation: The purpose of the
small banks will be to provide a
whole suite of basic banking
products such as deposits and
supply of credit, but in a limited
area of operation. The objective for
these Small Banks is to increase
financial inclusion by provision of
savings vehicles to under-served
and unserved sections of the
 population, supply of credit to small
farmers, micro and small industries,
and other unorganised sector
entities through high technology-low
cost operations. RBI had received
72 applications for small finance
banks till 2 February 2015.
However, the number could change
as this excludes applications that
might have been received at other
venues. Those who applied to the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for
small bank licences included Nirmal
Jain-led IIFL Holdings Ltd, UAE
Exchange, Kerala-based ESAF
Microfinance, Punjab-based Capital
Area Local Bank and Andhra
Pradesh-based Coastal local Area
Bank.
2) The Reserve Bank of India on 3
February 2015 constituted a
committee to evaluate applications
received for payments banks. Who
is heading this committee? – Dr.
Nachiket Mor, Director, Central
12 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Board, RBI
Explanation: Objective of
payments banks is to increase
financial inclusion by providing
small savings accounts,
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payment/remittance services to
migrant labour, low income
households, small businesses,
other unorganised sector entities
and other users by enabling high
volume-low value transactions in
deposits and payments/remittance
services in a secured technology-
driven environment. Those who can
promote a payments bank can be a
non-bank PPIs, NBFCs,
corporate‟s, mobile telephone
companies, super market chains,
real sector cooperatives companies
and public sector entities. Even
banks can take equity in Payments
Banks. RBI received 41
applications for payments banks till
2 February 2015 which was the
deadline for the same. Prominent
applicants for payments bank
include Reliance Industries Limited
(RIL), Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., Future
Group, UAE Exchange India, Bharti
Airtel, Vodafone, IIFL, PayTM and
Oxigen.
3) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 3 February 2014 released its
6th Bi-monthly Monetary Review. It
decided to keep the most important
Repo Rate unchanged at 7.75%.
Which is the only prominent rate
 that was changed in this review? –
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)
Explanation: The RBI reduced the
statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of
scheduled commercial banks by 50
basis points from 22.0% to 21.5%
of their net demand and time
liabilities (NDTL) with effect from
the fortnight beginning 7 February
2015. The reduction in SLR is
expected to release more funds in
the economy.
Following are the main highlights
of RBI‟s 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary
Policy Review
- Repo rate unchanged at 7.75%
- Consequentially, Reverse Repo
Rate remain unchanged at 6.75%
- Marginal standing facility (MSF)
rate remain unchanged at 8.75%
- Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
unchanged at 4%
- Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)
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reduced from 22.0% to 21.5%
- Targetted inflation by January
2016 at 6%
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- GDP growth estimated at 5.5% for
2014-15 and 6.5% for 2015-16
(under old base year)
- Foreign exchange remittance limit
raised to $2,50,000 per person
annually
4) The RBI on 3 February 2015
increased the amount Indians can
remit in foreign exchange without
end-use restrictions to $ 2,50,000
per year per person. What was this
limit at present? – $ 1,25,000 per
year per person
Explanation: The RBI had reduced
the eligibility limit for foreign
exchange remittances under the
Liberalised Remittance Scheme
(LRS) to USD 75,000 in 2013 as
the rupee came under strong
pressure. With stability in the
foreign exchange market, this limit
was enhanced to USD 125,000 in
June 2014 without end-use
restrictions, except for prohibited
foreign exchange transactions such
as margin trading, lotteries and the
like.
5) Union Government is set to
launch its own brand to sell low cost
 generic medicines from 1 July
2015. The Bureau of Pharma Public
Sector Undertakings of India
(BPPI), the nodal agency under the
department of pharmaceuticals
(DoP), has already floated the
tender seeking application for
supply of medicines for the
programme. What is the brand
name given to these low cost
generic medicines? – „Jan
Ausadhi‟
Explanation: The Centre will
procure medicines in bulk from
public as well as private drug
manufacturing firms and rebrand
them under „Jan Aushadhi‟. These
will be sold in the retail market at a
competitive price, allowing
consumers to buy a cheaper yet
quality product from the
government. To start with, the
government has identified 504
essential medicines, which include
antibiotics, painkillers, vitamins and
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medicines used in treatment of
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cardiovascular, respiratory,
diabetes and gastroenterology
diseases.
6) How many Indians were in the
Hurun Global Rich List of
billionaires that was released on 3
February 2015? – 97
Explanation: The United States led
this list with as many as 537
billionaires during 2014. It was
followed by China with 430
billionaires. India was third in the list
with 97 billionaires. Microsoft Corp
founder Bill Gates topped the list
with $85 billion, beating Mexican
telecom tycoon Carlos Slim. E-
commerce group Alibaba‟s Jack Ma
is no longer China‟s richest man,
with the top spot snatched by Li
Hejun, a solar energy entrepreneur.
Jack Ma slipped to third place in
China with second spot occupied by
Dalian Wanda Commercial
Properties Co Ltd‟s Wang Jianlin
and his family.
 February 5, 2015
1) Union Government on 4
February 2015 sacked Union Home
Secretary Anil Goswami from his
post. What is the reason for his
removal? – His alleged attempts
to stall the arrest of former
minister Matang Sinh in Saradha
scam
Explanation: Anil Goswami had
admitted to calling the Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
officials dealing with the Saradha
case after former minister Matang
Sinh was named in the multi-crore
Saradha chit fund case of West
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Bengal. Sinh was arrested by the
CBI team on 1 February 2015.
Goswami was summoned by the
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh
on 4 February and he was removed
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from his post by late evening.
Goswami is the third top-ranking
bureaucrat to have been shunted
out since the Modi government took
charge. Earlier, in January the
tenures of Foreign Secretary
Sujatha Singh and DRDO chief
Avinash Chander were cut short.
2) Who was appointed as the new
Home Secretary after Anil Goswami
was sacked from this post on 4
February 2015? – L.C. Goyal
Explanation: L.C. Goyal is a 1979-
batch IAS officer of the Kerala
cadre. Till now he was the Rural
Development Secretary. He had
earlier served as joint secretary
(internal security) in the home
ministry from 2002 to 2007. He will
have a fixed tenure of two years as
Home Secretary.
3) Which country is on its way to
become the first in the world to
allow the creation of babies from
three people after this country‟s
parliament passed a bill associated
 with this controversial subject on 3
February 2015? – United Kingdom
Explanation: British Parliament‟s
lower house, the House of
Commons, passed the bill by 382
MPs in favour and 128 against it on
3 February. Now the bill goes to the
House of Lords for its approval.
This bill allows the ground-breaking
Mitochondrial Replacement
Therapy (MRT) technique that uses
a modified version of IVF to
combine the DNA of the two
parents with the healthy
mitochondria of a donor woman.
Thus three persons are required to
give birth to such baby. This
technique can prove a big boon for
women having some mitochondrial
problems which do not allow such
women to bore a live or healthy
baby. While advocates of this
technique are pressing for its
approval its critics feel that it raises
too many ethical and safety
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concerns.
4) The RBI on 2 February 2015
directed banks to prominently
display the name of unclaimed bank
account holders on the websites
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and provide them with a “Find”
option to locate the information
easily. What are the present
provisions for such unclaimed and
inoperative bank accounts? –
Banks are required to pay back
the amounts laying in inoperative
accounts for ten years or more,
along with interest
Explanation: The banks can later
lodge a claim for refund from the
Depositor Education and
Awareness Fund for an equivalent
amount paid to the
customer/depositor. This was done
in a bid to help people who have
unclaimed deposits lying with
banks. The banks were asked to
complete the action by 31 March
2015. In its directions to the banks,
the RBI cautioned against
disclosing the account numbers of
such holders. It said that they
should give information about
process of claiming the unclaimed
deposits or activating the
inoperative account. As per
government estimates, banks had
Rs 5,124 crore in unclaimed
deposits lying with them as on 31
December 2013.
 5) Which country became the to fourth quarter of 2014 suggest
world‟s top FDI destination during that Micromax‟s share stood at 22%
2014 and thus replaced the United to Samsung‟s 20% in the
States from top place as disclosed smartphone segment. What is the
by a latest report by United Nations significance of this data? – This is
Conference of Trade and the first time that an Indian
Development (UNCTAD)? – China company has taken the top spot
in the highly competitive
Explanation: This UNCTAD report
smartphone segment
released on 29 January 2015
disclosed that during 2014 total Explanation: The Canalys report
foreign direct investments (FDI) or released on 3 February 2015
investment by foreign firms in China disclosed that 21.6 million
stood at $128 billion while the same smartphones were sold in India in
for the U.S. stood at $86 billion. the October-December quarter,
Hong Kong stood second in this list which is an astonishing 90%
with FDI worth $111 billion. The increase since last year.
U.S. was occupying the top position Micromax‟s market stood at 22%
since 2003. Other countries among while the leader till now Samsung
top 10 in this list include Singapore stood at 20%. Micromax and
($81 billion), Brazil ($62 billion), UK Samsung were followed by two
($61 billion), Canada ($53 billion), other Indian budget smartphone
Australia ($49 billion), the brands, Karbonn and Lava.
Netherlands ($42 billion) and However, Samsung rejected this
Luxembourg ($36 billion). report and claimed that it still
occupies the No.1 spot in
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6) According to the latest data smartphone segment in the country.

disclosed by market research firm India, which has the world‟s
Canalys, Budget smartphone maker second-highest number of mobile
Micromax overtook Korean phone accounts after China, is the
behemoth Samsung to become the third-biggest market by number of
largest smartphone seller in the smartphones sold. Low-priced
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Indian market. The data pertaining smartphones are the top sellers as
 many buyers are upgrading from
feature phones.
February 6, 2015
1) Chinese e-commerce giant
Alibaba‟s online financial service
company Ant Financial Services
Group (Ant Financial) acquired 25%
stake in which Indian mobile
commerce firm on 5 February
2015? – Paytm
Explanation: Ant Financial
acquired 25% stake in One97
Communications, which is the
parent company of Paytm, to enter
18 CURRENT AFFAIRS
the Indian mCommerce space.
Paytm is the largest mobile wallet
service in India with around 23
million users. It started its services
in 2010 and is valued around $2
Page
billion recently. Paytm The deal
represents Ant Financial‟s first ever
investment in an Indian company,
and with this investment, Ant
Financial, which also runs Alipay
Wallet, will provide Paytm with
strategic and technical support for
its business. Alipay Wallet is the
largest mobile payment service
provider in China with over 190
million users. Paytm will use the
funds to grow its mobile payment
ecosystem and further boost its
commerce user base.
2) The largest share sale by a
private sector entity and the second
largest fund-raising by selling
shares in the secondary market in
India took place on 5 February
2015 when a leading private bank
raised Rs. 9,880 crore. Which bank
is this? – HDFC Bank
Explanation: HDFC Bank sold its
shares worth Rs. 9,880 crore in the
 secondary market on 5 February
through a mix of qualified
institutional placement (QIPs) and
American Depository Shares
(ADRs) to domestic and overseas
investors. This was the largest
share sale by a private sector entity
and the second largest fund-raising
by selling shares in the secondary
market in India after the
bumper Rs. 22,500-crore issue of
Coal India Limited (CIL) on 30
January 2015. HDFC Bank is the
largest bank in India by market
capitalization.
3) The International Court of Justice
(ICJ) on 3 February 2015 rejected
the claims of genocide by Serbia
and Croatia against each other
during the Croatian war of
secession from Yugoslavia. This
genocide of 1991 was mainly
associated with which Croatian
town? – Vukovar
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Explanation: The Croatian
government had alleged that Serbia
committed genocide in the town of
Vukovar and elsewhere in 1991.
The Croatian town of Vukovar was
devastated when it was occupied
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by Serbs for three months in 1991.
Tens of thousands of ethnic Croats
were displaced, and about 260
Croat men were detained and
killed. Serbia later filed a counter-
claim over the expulsion of more
than 200,000 Serbs from Croatia.
The ICJ in its judgment dismissed
both the Croatian claim and the
Serbian counter-claim. The court
felt that neither side had provided
sufficient evidence to demonstrate
the specific intent required for acts
of genocide.
4) Which city on 5 February 2015
took the first step to become the
first WiFi enabled metro city of
India? – Kolkata
Explanation: West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee on 5
February inaugurated the WiFi
service in Park Street area of
Kolkata. High speed 4G WiFi
services were made available in
places around Park Street as part
of state govt.‟s initiative to make
Kolkata as India‟s first metro city
with high speed WiFi facility. The
deadline of April 2015 has been set
to cover all municipal wards of
Kolkata and its adjoining areas.
Reliance Jio, the
 telecommunication arm of Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL), is has
been roped in to provide the 4G
WiFi services.
5) Which NASA spacecraft sent
new pictures of dwarf planet Pluto
that were released by the agency
on 4 February 2015? – New
Horizons
Explanation: The new images,
taken with New Horizons‟ telescopic
Long-Range Reconnaissance
Imager (LORRI), are the first
acquired during the spacecraft‟s
2015 approach to the Pluto system
which culminates with a close flyby
of Pluto and its moons on 14 July
2015. Over the next few months,
LORRI will take hundreds of
pictures of Pluto, against a starry
backdrop, to refine the team‟s
estimates of New Horizons‟
distance to Pluto. New Horizons
took these photos more than 203
20 CURRENT AFFAIRS
million km away from Pluto. These
photos are the first new photos of
dwarf planet since images of it were
taken by NASA‟s Hubble telescope
Page
several years ago. In these photos
Pluto appears just as a dot along
with its largest moon, Charon. The
images come on the 109th birthday
of Clyde Tombaugh who discovered
the distant icy world in 1930. New
Horizons was launched on January
19 2006 from Cape Canaveral
(Florida) to study Pluto, its moons
and one or two other Kuiper belt
objects.
6) Dr. Gaur Hari Singhania, who
passed away on 4 February 2015,
was associated with which leading
industrial house of the country? –
JK Group
Explanation: Dr. Gaur Hari
Singhania was the President of JK
Group and was a Promoter Director
of JK Cement Ltd since its inception
in 1994. He held chairmanship in
other group companies also
including, Jaykay Enterprises Ltd,
JK Cotton Ltd and JK Traders Ltd.
He was also the founder chairman
of the UP Stock Exchange (UPSE)
at Kanpur.
 February 7, 2015
1) Who was selected for Jnanpith
Award for 2014, which is the most
prestigious literary honour in India?
– Bhalchandra Vanaji
Nemade (Marathi litterateur)
Explanation: The Jnanpith
Selection Board announced the
winner of Jnanpith Award for 2014
on 6 February 2015. 76-year old
Bhalchandra Nemade is known for
changing the dimensions of the
Marathi novel with his 1963 novel
„Kosala‟ (Cocoon). Many believe
that the world of Marathi fiction was
transformed with advent of this
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novel. His other important literary
works include
„Hool‟, „Bidar‟ (1967), „Zarila‟ (1977),
„Zhool‟ (1979) and „Teeka
Swayamvara‟ (volume on literary
criticism). Nemade becomes
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4th Marathi writer to get Jnanpith
Award after V.S. Khandekar (1974),
V.V. Shirwadkar alias „Kusumagraj‟
(1988), and Govind Karandikar
alias Vinda Karandikar (2003).
2014‟s Jnanpith Award will also be
the 50th edition of this prestigious
award. However, Nemade will be
the 55th person to get the award as
more than one person has been
awarded during some years. The
Jnanpith Selection Board, which
announced this award, is led by
noted scholar, writer, and critic Prof.
Namwar Singh.
2) What important event associated
with the newly constituted “NITI
Aayog” took place on 6 February
2015? – The first meeting of NITI
Aayog was held on this day
Explanation: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi presided over the
first meeting of the “NITI Aayog”
held on 6 February in New Delhi.
This new body was formed in
January 2015 to replace the
erstwhile Planning Commission.
 NITI Aayog will recommend a delivery of shares and payment
national agenda, including strategic of consideration amount are
and technical advice on elements of mandatory
policy and economic matters. It will
Explanation: „T‟ group is also
also develop mechanisms for
known as the trade-for-trade group.
village-level plans and aggregate
Apart from BSE, the NSE also
these progressively at higher levels
announced shifting of 8 stocks in
of government. The first meeting of
this group. The decision is part of a
the body was attended by its first
surveillance review to ensure
vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya,
market safety and safeguard the
fulltime member Bibek Debroy and
interest of investors. But both the
CEO Dr. V.K. Saraswat. Numerous
exchanges made it clear that
eminent economists were part of
transfer of scrips for trading and
this meeting and included Vijay
settlement on a trade-to-trade basis
Kelkar, Nitin Desai, Bimal Jalan,
is purely on account of market
Rajiv Lall, R. Vaidyanathan, Subir
surveillance measure and it should
Gokarn, Parthasarathi Shome, G.N.
not be construed as an adverse
Bajpai, P. Balakrishnan, Rajeev
action against the company. Stocks
Kumar, Ashok Gulati and Mukesh
that would be transferred on both
Butani.
the bourses include Era Infra
Engineering, FCS Software
3) On 6 February 2015 BSE Solutions, Intrasoft Technologies
announced its decision to shift and Shri Lakshmi Cotsyn. It is worth
stocks of 53 companies to the mentioning that 206 BSE stocks are
restricted trading segment („T‟ now in this group while NSE has
group) from 10 February 2015. This
22 CURRENT AFFAIRS

kept 80 stocks in the group.

was done to ensure safety in capital
markets and safeguard the interest
4) Union Govt. on 6 February 2015
of investors. What are the main
announced that four SAARC
trading norms for „T‟ group shares?
countries are in the process of
– No speculative trading is
signing a path-breaking Motor
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allowed for „T‟ group shares and

Vehicles Agreement (MVA) to
 provide seamless transit of
passenger, personal and cargo
vehicles among these countries.
Which are these 4 countries? –
India, Bangladesh, Nepal and
Bhutan
Explanation: The consent for
signing MVA agreement was given
when senior officials from these 4
SAARC countries recently met at
Raichak near Kolkata. The
agreement will allow passenger,
personal and cargo vehicles to
travel along designated key routes
in the four SAARC countries without
the need for trans-shipment of
goods and passengers at the
border crossings. Once
implemented, the agreement will
reduce the costly and time-
consuming unloading and loading
of people and goods at border
crossing points, making cross-
border trade more efficient.
23 CURRENT AFFAIRS
5) The Central Government will
notify adoption of the proposed
Indian Accounting Standards (Ind
AS) in March 2015. Ind AS is the
converged Indian version of
International Financial Reporting
Page
Standards (IFRS) and will come
into effect for the first time in 2016-
17. What is the proposed criterion
for companies which are to follow
the Ind AS in the first year? –
Companies with net worth of
over Rs. 500 crore
Explanation: By pushing Ind AS
into Indian corporate balance
sheets, India will join the growing
band of nations in terms aligning
accounting standards for cross-
border acceptability and facilitation
of two-way capital flow. Adoption of
Ind AS was proposed by the
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his
Budget speech in July 2014.
According to the roll-out roadmap,
stock exchange listed companies
with net worth of over Rs. 500 crore
are obligated to follow Ind AS in the
first year. In the second year, the
Ind AS will be applicable to all listed
companies and unlisted companies
having net worth of over Rs. 500
crore. The third year will see
unlisted companies having net
worth of over Rs. 250 crore will
have to follow the new accounting
standards.
6) The Tunisian parliament on 5
February 2015 approved a unity
 government in the country which
will be led by the ruling Nidaa
Tounes party and will include its
Islamist rivals. What is the
significance of this development? –
It is an important development in
country‟s transition to full
democracy following a 2011
uprising
Explanation: Tunisians had
overthrown their dictator and
longtime President Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali in January 2011. This event
became famous as the „Jasmine
Revolution‟ and led to many similar
February 8, 2015
24 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1) Indian Railways concluded its
first-ever bilateral power
procurement agreement on 5
Page
February 2015 under which it will
people‟s uprisings in neighbouring
countries of Egypt, Libya, Syria and
Yemen. However, the ensuing four
years have been stormy as far as
transition to democracy is
concerned. Now the new coalition
will be led by Prime Minister Habib
Essid and will include members of
his secularist Nidaa Tounes party,
the moderate Islamist Ennahda
party and the Free Patriotic party.
166 members of the 217-seat
Tunisian Parliament gave approval
for this coalition government.
be able to purchase power directly
from supplier so as to reduce
procurement costs. This agreement
was signed between which two
entities? – Damodar Valley
Corporation (DVC) and North
Central Railway (NCR)
Explanation: Under the
agreement, Railways will buy 50
MW of power from DVC at Auraiya
Grid Sub-station in UP. For this
 Railways Energy Management
Company Limited (REMCL), a joint
venture of Indian Railways and
RITES, has been established. This
is the beginning of the series of
energy cost reduction measures
being taken up by Railways.
Railways is the biggest consumer of
the electricity, consuming about 18
billion units per year with peak
requirement of about 4000 MW. It is
working to go for more such
contracts at key load centers in the
coming days which will enable it to
generate significant savings in its
traction electricity bills.
2) 15th Delhi Sustainable
Development Summit (DSDS)
concluded on 7 February 2015 at
Delhi. This annual event has
gradually emerged as one of the
most important events on issues
related to global sustainability.
Which entity organizes this summit
every year? – The Energy and
25 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Resources Institute (TERI)
Explanation: TERI has been
organizing DSDS every year since
2001. 15th edition of the event was
held from 5 to 7 February 2015 and
Page
the theme for this year was
“Sustainable Development Goals
and Dealing with Climate Change”.
DSDS is basically an international
platform to facilitate the exchange
of knowledge on all aspects of
sustainable development. The
event brings together various
Heads of State and Government,
thought leaders, policy-makers and
the top industry leaders to
deliberate on varied issues
pertaining to environmental issues
and global sustainability. Kevin
Rudd, former Prime Minister of
Australia, Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom, former President of
Maldives, Nobel Laureate Dr José
Ramos-Horta and Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Founding
Chairman Regions of Climate
Action (R20) were important
participants this year.
3) In a big relief to Pakistani camp
just before World Cup, its star off-
spinner Saeed Ajmal‟s bowling
action was cleared by the
International Cricket Council (ICC)
on 7 February 2015 and he can
now resume his international cricket
career. This clearance was given
after Ajmal went through a bowling
 action test at an ICC-accredited bio-
mechanical analysis facility in India
during January 2015. What is the
name of this facility, which is the
only such facility in the Indian sub-
continent? – Sri Ramachandra
University Sports Medicine
Centre (Chennai)
Explanation: Sri Ramachandra
University Sports Medicine Centre
is situated in the Sri Ramachandra
University Complex in Chennai. It is
the only ICC-accredited bio-
mechanical laboratory in the whole
of Indian sub-continent. Saeed
Ajmal was suspended from bowling
in international cricket during
September 2014 for illegal bowling
action. He failed the first test
conducted in Brisbane (Australia)
last year and then underwent a
retest at the Sri Ramachandra
University facility on 24 January
2015. It was found that his bowling
actions for all of his deliveries were
26 CURRENT AFFAIRS
within the 15-degree level of
tolerance permitted under the ICC
rules and he was given the
clearance accordingly.
4) The 10th edition of India-Mongolia
Page
Joint Military Training Exercise
concluded on 6 February 2015. The
15-day long exercise saw the
participation of Indian and
Mongolian armies. This exercise
was held at which place? – Gwalior
Explanation: Gwalior Military
Cantonment was the site for
10th India-Mongolia Joint Military
Training Exercise. The joint
exercise mainly featured mutual
interoperability for counter terrorism
and insurgency assignments under
the United Nations (UN) mandate.
The exercise started on 23 January
and concluded on 6 February 2015.
5) Who was selected as the
youngest President of the Greek
Parliament on 6 February 2015? –
Zoe Konstantopoulou
Explanation: Zoe Konstantopoulou
is a member of the ruling Syriza
party which recently came to power
after a dramatic win in
parliamentary elections. She
received record 235 votes from a
total of 300 parliamentary deputies,
which is the highest number of
votes any Parliamentary President
has received after the restoration of
democracy in Greece in 1974.
 Konstantopoulou will be the second
woman to preside over the Greek
House after Anna Psarouda-Benaki
in 2004.
6) Who took over as the new
Director-General of the Council of
Scientific & Industrial Research
(CSIR) on 5 February 2015? – Dr.
M.O. Garg
Explanation: Dr. M.O. Garg is a
chemical engineer and he was the
Director of the Dehradun-based
CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum
February 9, 2015
27 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1) The first meeting of the
Governing Council of NITI (National
Institution for Transforming India)
Aayog was held in New Delhi on 8
Page
February 2015. The meeting was
(CISR-IIP). He replaced Dr. P.S.
Ahuja, who held this post since May
2014. Established in 1942, CSIR
has over 4,500 scientists working
across 38 laboratories and employs
over 9000 scientific and technical
personnel. The research bodies
under CSIR cover science and
technology focus areas ranging
from aeronautics, instrumentation,
mining, environmental engineering
and to oceanography, geophysics,
chemicals, drugs, genomics and
biotechnology.
presided by NITI Aayog‟s Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. He used to
the term “Team India” in this
meeting for describing a
combination of three vital teams in
the structure of NITI Aayog. This
term „Team India” stands for which
three constituents? – a) The Prime
Minister and Chief Ministers b)
The Union Council of Ministers
and c) The bureaucracy at the
Centre and in States
 Explanation: The term “Team
India” thus stands for the Centre
and the States. In this first meeting
of NITI Aayog‟s Governing Council,
the Prime Minister reiterated that
States and the Centre, or “Team
India”, must work to forge a model
of cooperative federalism for
resolving differences and charting a
common course to progress and
prosperity. He said “Team India”
must work to forge a model of
cooperative federalism.
2) The Finance Ministry on 7
February 2015 announced that it
will soon provide capital infusion
worth Rs. 6,990 crore to nine public
sector banks. This infusion will be
made from the Rs. 11,200-crore
provided for in this year‟s budget for
capitalisation of banks. Which bank
would get highest capital infusion?
– State Bank of India (SBI)
Explanation: SBI would get capital
28 CURRENT AFFAIRS
infusion amounting to Rs. 2,970
crore, followed by Bank of Baroda
(Rs. 1,260 crore) and Punjab
National Bank (Rs. 870 crore). For
this year‟s allocation, a new
criterion has been adopted by the
Page
Government. Only banks that are
more efficient would be rewarded
with extra capital for their equity so
that they can further strengthen
their position. The methodology for
arriving at the amount to be infused
into these banks has been based
on efficiency parameters. First, the
weighted average of return on
assets (ROA) for all public sector
banks, for the last three years put
together, was arrived at and all
those who were above the average
were considered. The second
parameter that has been used is
return on equity (ROE) for these
banks for the last financial year.
Break-up of Capital Infusion
Name of Bank - Amount (in Rs.
Crore)
SBI - 2,970
Bank of Baroda - 1,260
Punjab National Bank - 870
Canara Bank - 570
Syndicate Bank - 460
Allahabad Bank - 320
Indian Bank - 280
Dena Bank - 140
 Andhra Bank - 120
3) Union Government on 8 establish a worldwide liability
February 2015 gave clarification on
the nuclear deal signed with the
United States and spelled out the
maximum compensation that
nuclear suppliers will have to pay in
case of a mishap. What is this
maximum compensation in Indian
currency? – Rs. 2,160 crore
Explanation: The Civil Liability for
Nuclear Damage Act of 2010
(CLND) presently prescribes that
the maximum amount of liability in
respect of each nuclear incident
shall be the rupee equivalent of 300
million Special Drawing Rights
(SDRs). As the current value of 1
SDR is about Rs. 87, three hundred
million SDRs are equivalent to
about Rs. 2,610 crore. On the
other hand the operator‟s maximum
liability shall be Rs. 1,500 crore. In
case the total liability exceeds Rs.
29 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1,500 crore, this gap of Rs. 1,110
crore will be bridged by the Central
Government. Beyond Rs. 2,610
crore, India will be able to access
international funds under the
Convention on Supplementary
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Compensation for Nuclear Damage
(CSC) once it is a party to that
Convention. The CSC was set up to
regime and to increase the amount
of compensation available to
victims of nuclear accidents.
4) „Fire Volcano‟, which started
erupting on 8 February 2015, is
situated in which Latin American
country? – Guatemala
Explanation: The volcano is near
the Pacific Ocean coast about 60
miles from the capital, Guatemala
City. „Fire Volcano‟ is the so-called
name of the volcano and it is known
locally as Fuego Volcan. It started
erupting on 7 February and spewed
ashes to an altitude reaching 5,500
meters (18,000 feet) above sea
level. The smoke and ash forced
Guatemala‟s La Aurora
International Airport to stop all air
traffic around the area. It is one of
Central America‟s most active
volcanoes and has an elevation of
12,343 feet. The last eruption of this
volcano took place on 13
September 2012.
 5) Three Indian cities recently made
into the 67 cities chosen worldwide
for the 100 Resilient Cities project,
run by the New York-based non-
profit organisation Rockefeller
Foundation. Which are these 3
cities? – Bengaluru, Chennai and
Surat
Explanation: “The 100 Resilient
Cities Project” is aimed at helping
February 10, 2015
30 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1) Union Govt. on 9 February 2015
came up with a new forecast of
annual economic growth that
makes India the fastest growing
major economy in the world. This
Page
cities organise themselves around
their key challenges and helping
them access resources or best
practices efficiently to meet those
challenges. It will give guidance on
decision-making and funds to
recruit the chief resilience officer
(CRO). Other than that, support
would be in the form of tools,
people and the network.
became possible as the system of
measuring economic activities was
changed recently. What is the new
growth forecast for year ending
2014-15 according to this? –7.4%
Explanation: The new estimate is
sharply higher than the Reserve
Bank of India‟s (RBI) growth
projection of around 5.5% under the
old method as well as a revised
6.9% growth a year earlier. Under
the new method, the economy grew
7.5% in the quarter ending in
December 2014, outpacing China‟s
7.3% growth in the latest quarter
and making India the fastest
growing major economy in the
 world. The apparent recovery is,
however, in large measure due to
changes both in the way authorities
calculate gross domestic product
(GDP) and the base year. India now
measures GDP by market prices
instead of factor cost, to take into
account gross value addition in
goods and services as well as
indirect taxes. The base year has
been shifted to 2011-12 from 2004-
05. The reading, however, is at
odds with other indicators such as
industrial production and trade data,
which suggest the economy is still
suffering from slack.
2) English daily “The Indian
Express” on 9 February 2015
revealed the names of some more
account holders who allegedly have
black money at HSBC Bank in
Geneva. Later Union Government
also accepted the fact and said that
it too have this additional
information. According to this
31 CURRENT AFFAIRS
information how many Indians have
such accounts in this bank? –1,195
Explanation: So far, there were
about 600 Indians who were
believed to have accounts at
Page
HSBC. Their names were shared in
2011 with India by France after an
HSBC employee leaked the data.
But the list has now doubled to
1,195 Indians with a collective
holding of over 25,000 crores,
according to new information
accessed “The Indian Express”.
The original list of 600 Indians was
based on information for the period
1999-2000. The new list is compiled
with far more recent data from
2006-2007. The government‟s
operation to recover black money,
ordered by the Supreme Court in
2009, is being monitored by a team
of experts who form a Special
Investigation Team (SIT).
3) In an ambitious project, China on
9 February 2015 launched its first
cruise-liner that will sail via the
transcontinental initiative Maritime
Silk Road (MSR). MSR project is an
initiative by China to resurrect the
ancient maritime Silk Road. The
said cruise-liner will pass through
which three Southeast Asian
countries? – Vietnam, Thailand
and Malaysia
Explanation: The MSR project is
an initiative of President Xi Jinping
to string together partnerships with
 countries in the Asia-Pacific and the university, a teacher‟s university, a
Indian Ocean, including India. The sports university and IIIT, to be
maritime route entails building or known as a “special education-cum-
expanding ports and industrial sports zone“. What is the name of
parks in Asia, the Mideast, Africa this village? – Chokari
and Europe. The cruise liner set off
Explanation: Chokari village is
from the Beihai port in southwest
situated in Padra taluka of
China‟s Guangxi Zhuang
Vadodara district. The village has a
Autonomous Region, and has
population of around 14,000
scheduled stops in Vietnam, the
including farmers. They depend on
Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia. Xi
cotton and vegetable farming. The
first proposed the rejuvenation of
setting up of a SPV authority aims
the MSR and revival of ancient Silk
at development of civic and other
Road connecting China and Europe
amenities in the village. A number
via central Asia in 2013. Since then
of factories producing chemicals
the „One Belt‟ and „One Road‟
including pharmaceutical majors
projects which included
such as Sterling Biotech, Sun
Bangladesh, China, India and
Pharma and Alembic Pharma are
Myanmar (BCIM), and Pakistan-
located in and around Chokari. The
China Economic Corridor through
education hub at Chokari trains
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)
local populace to land technical
have become a buzz word in
jobs in these entities.
China‟s diplomacy.

5) What are the names of the two

4) The Gujarat government is
Indians who won the prestigious
planning to set up a Special
32 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Grammy Awards, the 57th edition of

Purpose Vehicle (SPV) at the
which was announced on 8
state‟s largest education hub
February 2015? – Neela Vasvani
spread over 1,000 acres of land at
and Ricky Kej
a village in Vadodara district.
According to the plan, this village‟s Explanation: Neela Vasvani won
the trophy in the Best Children‟s
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backyard will host a central

 Album category for “I Am Malala:
How One Girl Stood Up For
Education And Changed The World
(Malala Yousafzai)”. She had
narrated the audio version of the
book. On the other hand Ricky Kej‟s
collaboration in the album “Winds
Of Samsara” won the Best New
Age Album trophy. He had teamed
up with South African musician
Wouter Kellerman for the album,
which symbolises peace and
harmony. However, sitarist and
daughter of the late sitar maestro
Ravi Shankar, Anoushka, who was
February 11, 2015
33 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1) Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) swept to power in Delhi
on 10 February 2015 by winning 67
Page
nominated for her album „Traces of
You‟ in the Best World Music Album
category lost out to Angelique
Kidjo‟s album Eve. 57th Grammy
Awards were announced at a
glittering function held at Staples
Centre in Los Angeles (California)
on 8 February. Beck Hansen‟s
album “Morning Phase” won the
Best Album of the Year Award while
the song “Stay With Me” featuring
James Napier, William Phillips &
Sam Smith won Best Song of the
Year Award and Best Record of the
Year Award.
of the 70 Assembly seats that went
to polls on 7 February. Its main
opponent BJP was reduced to just
3 seats while Congress was
decimated to zero. The
unprecedented result of this
election is the second biggest
sweep in Assembly elections in
India. Which state has seen a
bigger sweep than this sweep by
AAP? – Sikkim
 Explanation: The small state of
Sikkim saw India‟s two most
comprehensive electoral wins ever.
The Nar Bahadur Bhandari-led
Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP),
and the incumbent five-time Chief
Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling‟s
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)
have both won all 32 seats in one
election each. In terms of vote
share, however, the AAP is a bit
further along the honour scroll,
coming in at 13th in the all-time list,
with Sikkim parties on the top of the
list again. However, AAP‟s win was
the biggest in Delhi‟s history.
2) What was the total vote share of
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in this
historic and mammoth Assembly
win? – 54.3%
Explanation: The AAP won 54.3%
of the popular votes while BJP got
32.2% and the Congress 9.7%.
AAP thus more than doubled the
34 CURRENT AFFAIRS
number of votes it polled just a
year-and-a -half ago, going from 23
lakh votes to nearly 49 lakh votes.
This means that it added nearly as
many votes – 25 lakh votes – as the
BJP‟s entire vote in the last
Page
election. On the other hand BJP
lost only a fraction of a percentage
point of its vote share, and in fact
added 2.87 lakh new votes. But in
the face of a wave the size of the
AAP‟s, this was only enough to
push it past the line in three
constituencies. Congress‟s vote
share of 9.7% was its worst
performance in Delhi which it ruled
from 1998 to 2013. What was more
shocking for Congress was that its
candidates came second in just four
seats and 62 of the 70 lost their
deposits.
3) AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal
won from the New Delhi
constituency with a margin of over
31 thousand votes in Delhi
Assembly elections. However his
main opponent Kiran Bedi of BJP
and Congress‟ stalwart Ajay Maken
received shock defeats. Bedi and
Maken lost from which seats
respectively? – Krishna Nagar and
Sadar Bazar
Explanation: Arvind Kejriwal won
from New Delhi constituency with a
margin of 31,583 votes. He
defeated BJP‟s new entrant Nupur
Sharma. Kiran Bedi was defeated
by AAP‟s SK Bagga (Advocate)
 from BJP‟s strongest and traditional
seat of Krishna Nagar by 2,277
votes. Congress‟s Ajay Maken was
decimated to third place in Sadar
Bazar constituency with AAP‟s Som
Dutt winning the seat by over 34
thousand votes.
4) Delhi„s opposition in the
Assembly was reduced to just three
members as AAP won 67 of the 70
seats. Who are the three BJP
leaders who made it to the
Assembly despite the huge AAP
wave across the city? – Vijender
Gupta, Jagdish Pradhan and Om
Prakash Sharma
Explanation: Senior BJP leader
Vijender Gupta won from Rohini,
Jagdish Pradhan from Mustafabad
and Om Prakash Sharma from
Vishwas Nagar. Any party needs at
least 10% of the house strength to
qualify for Leader of Opposition.
The BJP has not even won seven
35 CURRENT AFFAIRS
seats, which means, there will be
no opposition party in the assembly
and no Leader of Opposition. AAP
leader Kumar Vishwas, however,
said the party would give the BJP
Leader of Opposition status even if
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it won less than seven seats.
5) Nepal constituted two
commissions on 10 February 2015
to look into allegations of human
rights abuses and disappearances
during the country‟s decade-long
civil war. This civil war between
state forces and the Maoist rebels
ended in which year with a peace
agreement? – 2006
Explanation: The allegations of
human rights abuses and war
crimes have been a long-simmering
one in Nepal. Both Maoists as well
as the state forces have been
accused of grave war-time abuses,
including unlawful killings, arbitrary
arrests, disappearances, rape and
torture, during the decade-long
conflict which ended under a 2006
peace agreement. Both sides
pledged to look into the crimes
within six months after signing the
peace deal. But subsequent
governments failed to investigate
the accusations, fearing doing so
would derail a tenuous peace
between politicians and former
rebels, leaving alleged perpetrators
to rise through the military and
political ranks.
 Following are the two commissions
constituted on 10 February 10,
2015
Truth and Reconciliation
Commission: This Commission
has been modelled after the one set
up in South Africa after the end of
apartheid and would investigate
abuses committed during the
conflict between state forces and
the Maoists.
The Commission on Enforced
Disappearances: This Commission
would investigate the
disappearances of more than 1,300
people still missing eight years after
the end of the conflict.
6) Social networking giant
Facebook recently forged
partnership with which Indian
telecom company to provide free
Internet access in the country as
announced on 10 February 2015? –
Reliance Communications
36 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Explanation: Under this
partnership Facebook will launch
the Internet.org app in India with
association with RCom. Internet.org
is the Facebook-led global initiative
to bring Internet within reach of
people all over the world. India, the
world‟s second-biggest mobile
market, will become the first country
in Asia to get the new Internet.org
app, which targets mobile phone
users. The app, aimed at low
income and rural users, will offer
access to more than 30 web
services, including job listings,
healthcare and education sites, as
well as Facebook‟s own social
network and messaging services. It
will be provided via the Android
operating system. RCom will offer
free data access to over 30 popular
websites for all its customers under
the umbrella of Internet.org. The
service comes to India after having
launched in Zambia, Tanzania,
Kenya, Ghana and Colombia.

Limited (RCom)
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 February 12-13, 2015
1) The crucial summit to secure a
deal in the ongoing Ukraine conflict
was held on 11 February 2015 in
which Russian President Vladimir
Putin and the Ukrainian President
Petro Poroshenko met face to face.
An important agreement was struck
to start the ceasefire in eastern
Ukraine from 15 February 2015.
Which country hosted this initiative,
which was led by German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and
French President Francois
Hollande? – Belarus
Explanation: The summit was held
37 CURRENT AFFAIRS
at Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
Belarus President Alexander
Lukashenko hosted these talks
which were held in the background
of new attacks in eastern Ukraine‟s
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Donetsk and Luhansk regions on
11 February. Thousands of people
have been killed in the fighting in
the east of Ukraine. Russia has
been accused of arming and
reinforcing pro-Russian rebels in
east Ukraine, a claim it denies. The
main agenda in the summit was on
securing a ceasefire, withdrawal of
heavy weapons and creating a
demilitarised zone. While the
Ukrainian government sought a
demarcation line based on the
failed ceasefire agreed on 5
September in Belarus last year, the
pro-Russian rebels wanted a new
truce to reflect the gains they have
made in recent weeks. At the end of
the talks, both Russia and Ukraine
agreed to bring into effect a
ceasefire in the warring zone of
eastern Ukraine from 15 February.
More than 5,400 people have died
since the conflict began, and there
has been a dramatic rise in
casualties in recent days, with 263
civilians killed in populated areas
between 31 January and 5
February.
 2) Finance Ministry released latest
data for the Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) on 11
February 2015. According to it, a
little more than 127 million new
bank accounts have been opened
since launch of the scheme on 28
August 2014. What is an important
achievement associated with this
figure? – The number of people
added to the country‟s banking
system in the past five months is
higher than that in the period
from 2001 to 2011
Explanation: With opening of
around 127 million bank accounts in
last five months, the total number of
bank accounts in the country stand
at 210.5 million (21 crore).
According to census data, only 36%
of Indian households had access to
banking services in 2001. This
increased to 59% in 2011. If the
latest figures for the PMJDY are
anything to go by, all but 23,000
38 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Indian households have already
been made part of the banking
system. However, even as the
government continues to add
accounts, the speed of linking the
accounts with Aadhar numbers has
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not been as fast. Until 4 February
2015, seeding of Aadhar numbers,
to ease the process of direct
transfer of cash subsidies in
beneficiaries‟ bank accounts, had
been done for 35% of all new bank
accounts.
3) The opening ceremony of the
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was
held on 12 February 2015 in which
cities of New Zealand and
Australia? – Christchurch and
Melbourne
Explanation: Opening ceremonies
of ICC World Cup 2015 took place
in both countries – first
in Christchurch and then in
Melbourne. Christchurch‟s Hagley
Park was the venue of the opening
ceremony of the ICC World Cup
2015 in New Zealand while
Melbourne‟s Myer Music Bowl was
the venue for the same in Australia.
This World Cup is jointly hosted by
Australia and New Zealand as the
event returned to the region after 23
years. The World Cup is the largest
event Christchurch has hosted
since an earthquake in February
2011 devastated the city‟s centre.
 4) In a major development
Myanmar President Thein Sein on
10 February 2015 gave his
approval to hold a referendum this
year, which is being seen as a
political game-changer in country‟s
path to democracy. What will be the
main issue of this proposed
referendum? – To bring
amendments to country‟s
military-drafted constitution
Explanation: It is unclear,
however, what possible changes to
the constitution would be addressed
in the referendum. The referendum
is expected to be held ahead of a
general election due late this year.
It is being seen as an important
step as it could see a shakeup of a
political system over which the
military effectively holds veto
power. Myanmar has been ruled in
a brutal manner by country‟s
military establishment from 1962 to
2011. Nobel laureate Aung San
39 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Suu Kyi‟s National League for
Democracy (NLD) party has been
pushing to change a constitution
that it says grants too much political
power to the military.
Page
5) Which private bank on 10
February 2015 launched first-of-its-
kind digital banking service called
“Pockets”, which enables users to
instantly send money to any e-mail
id, mobile number, friends on
Facebook and bank account? –
ICICI Bank
Explanation: Under the “Pockets”
service, anyone including those
who are not customers of ICICI
Bank, can easily download the e-
wallet from Google Playstore, fund
it from any bank account in the
country and start transacting
immediately. This wallet uses a
virtual VISA card which enables the
users to transact on any website or
mobile application in India. The
universal wallet and the savings
account are the first two products to
be launched as part of ICICI‟s
„Pockets‟ digital bank initiative.
6) The Union Ministry of Youth
Affairs & Sports on 11 February
2015 announced the revision of the
Scheme of Rashtriya Khel
Protsahan Puruskar, which was
introduced by the Union Govt. in
2009. What is the main objective of
this award scheme? – Encourage
 the involvement of corporates first global company to achieve a
and sports promotion boards in market capitalization of $700 billion.
the development of sports in the The landmark comes two weeks
country after Apple created history by
posting a quarterly profit of $18
Explanation: As per the revised
billion, the biggest ever by a public
scheme, the award will be given in
company, worldwide. Apple‟s
four categories such as, (a)
valuation is now way over the next-
identification and nurturing of
biggest American company Exxon
budding/young talent, (b)
Mobil. At its current market cap of
encouragement of sports through
$710 billion, Apple is more than
Corporate Social Responsibility c)
double the size of its rival Microsoft,
employment of sportspersons and
which is valued at $347 billion. In
sports welfare measures and (d)
fact, Apple is bigger than the
sports for development. The govt.
combined market cap of Google
further notified that, as training to
($359 billion), Samsung Electronics
promote rural sports, nationally
($226 billion) and Hewlett-Packard
recognized sports, paralympic
($69 billion). In term of Indian
sports and Olympic sports‟ have
rupee, this market capitalization is
been included in the Schedule VII
around 42 lakh crore, which is
of the Companies Act 2013,
nearly one third the size of India‟s
companies spending on promotion
economy.
and development of sports from
their CSR funds will be considered
for the award. 8) Who was appointed as the new
heir of the Mysuru royal family on
12 February 2015? – Yaduveer
40 CURRENT AFFAIRS

7) Apple Inc. on 10 February 2015

Gopal Raj Urs
achieved which record in market
capitalization? –$700 billion Explanation: Yaduveer Gopal Raj
Urs is the grandson of Princess
Explanation: Apple Inc., the maker
Gayatri Devi and son of
of the iconic iPhone, created history
Tripurasundari Devi and Swaraup
Page

on 10 February as it became the

Gopal Raj Us. His adoption as the
 heir was announced on 12
February at Mysuru. After his
adoption ceremony on 23 February,
he will be renamed as Yaduveer
Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.
His announcement as heir was
done primarily to continue the
Dasara traditions of the Wadiyar
dynasty and carry forward the
protracted legal battle over the
acquisition of palace with the State
Government.
9) Which New Zealand cricketer
was named country‟s Sportsman of
the Year for 2014 on 11 February
2015 and thus became the first
cricketer to win New Zealand‟s
coveted sports award since former
captain Martin Crowe in 1991? –
Brendon McCullum
Explanation: New Zealand captain
Brendon McCullum was given this
award for scoring over 1,000 Test
runs in 2014 and for becoming the
41 CURRENT AFFAIRS
first New Zealander to score a Test
triple century. However, he could
not win the supreme prize, the
Halberg Award, and was beaten by
Olympic and world rowing
champions Hamish Bond and Eric
Page
Murray, who had also won the
Sports Team of the Year award.
McCullum thus became the first
cricketer to win New Zealand‟s
Sportsman of the Year award since
former captain Martin Crowe in
1991. The 302 he scored against
India at the Basin Reserve last
February was also voted by the
public as New Zealand‟s Sports
Moment of the Year.
10) What is the name of the Indian-
American assistant professor who
was awarded the $500,000 National
Science Foundation Career award
for his breakthrough research on 11
February 2015? – Gurpreet Singh
Explanation: Gurpreet Singh is an
assistant professor of mechanical
and nuclear engineering at Kansas
State University. He was given the
National Science Foundation
Career award for his research on
nanosheets. He will use the award
to develop ultrathin metal sheets
that can help produce better
rechargeable batteries,
supercapacitors and catalysts for
photoelectrochemical hydrogen
production. The award will also help
him organize educational activities
 for high school students and teachers.

February 14, 2015

1) India‟s trade deficit during
January 2015 stood at $8.32 billion,
which is the lowest since February
2014. During December 2014 the
trade deficit stood at $9.43 billion.
What is the primary reason for
narrowing of trade deficit in recent
months? – Decrease in
international crude prices
Explanation: Global crude prices
have plunged more than half since
last June, promising windfall gains
for India as oil accounts for nearly a
42 CURRENT AFFAIRS
deficit by 0.1%. But in a worrying
sign, weak global demand led to a
second straight annual fall in
merchandise exports. Merchandise
exports were down 11.19% year-
on-year at $23.88 billion. Exports
account for nearly a fifth of India‟s
economy.
2) State Bank of India (SBI)‟s net
profit for the October to December
quarter for 2014-15 stood at
Rs. 2,910 crore as announced by
the bank on 13 February 2015.
These results were cheered by the
stock and financial markets of the
country. Why? – SBI‟s bad loans
rose only slightly and its asset
quality made an improvement

Explanation: SBI‟s net profit rose

third of India‟s total imports. Year-
by around 30% as compared to
on-year oil imports fell by nearly
corresponding quarter of 2013-14.
38%. Analysts reckon every $10 fall
However, the markets were happier
in the price of a barrel of oil narrows
because the bank was able to
India‟s current account gap by 0.5%
improve on its non-performing
Page

of GDP and reduces the fiscal

 assets (NPAs) during the quarter.
Gross non-performing assets (NPA)
as a percentage of total advances
improved to 4.90% during the
quarter from 5.73% in the year-ago
period. Net NPA was 2.80% during
the quarter, down from 3.24% in
corresponding quarter of last fiscal.
SBI is country‟s largest bank and it
controls nearly 25% of India‟s
banking business. Thus better
results from SBI were cheered after
poor results by many PSU banks
earlier.
3) Union Home Ministry on 12
February 2015 constituted a
Special Investigation Team (SIT) to
re-investigate the 1984 Sikh riots of
Delhi. This was done as proposed
by the G.P. Mathur Committee
recently. Who is heading this newly
constituted 3-member SIT? –
Pramod Asthana (IPS)
Explanation: Pramod Asthana is a
43 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1986-batch senior IPS officer. Other
two members in the SIT are Rakesh
Kapoor, a retired judge and Kumar
Gyanesh, Additional Deputy
Commissioner of Police (ADCP) in
Delhi. It is worth mentioning that
Page
G.P. Mathur committee that was
constituted to look into the
possibility of re-investigation of the
1984 riots of Delhi, had
recommended that the riots should
be re-investigated by a SIT. The
anti-Sikh riots were triggered after
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
was assassinated by on 31 October
1984. Of the 3,325 victims, 2,733
were killed in Delhi alone while the
rest were from Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and other States.
4) Union Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways during February
2015 decided to close down 125 toll
plazas in the country. It has also
initiated the process of putting
together a list of such plazas.
Which category of toll plazas are to
be closed as announced by the
govt.? – Toll plazas where either
the cost has been recovered or
where collection isn‟t feasible
any more
Explanation: Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways has
identified 74 such plazas and out of
that, 61 have already been shut
down. It is worth mentioning that
the road ministry had been
 considering doing away with toll for at around 7:30 am when a boulder
passenger and non-commercial rolled on the railway track causing
vehicles. A study had revealed that its derailment. This Ernakulam
the removal of toll plazas and (Kerala) bound train had left the
provision of e-toll on national Bengaluru City station at 6:15 am.
highways would not only reduce
waiting periods, but also help save 6) Who was confirmed as the new
time and fuel. This, consequently, US Defence Secretary by the US
may allow the government to save Senate on 12 February 2015? –
about Rs. 88,000 crore. The Ashton Carter
government is contemplating
Explanation: Ashton Carter was
increasing the road cess on petrol
named as the Defence Secretary
and diesel in order to compensate
earlier by the US President Barack
for the revenue lost by the forfeiture
Obama. The Senate on 12
of tolling. Other than this, the
February confirmed this
ministry has also recommended
appointment. The vote in the
levying a 2% surcharge on the
Republican-controlled Senate was
purchase of new vehicles.
93-5. Carter will replace Chuck
Hagel, the former Republican
5) 9 persons were killed are more
senator who had a rough
than 40 persons were injured when
relationship with Obama‟s close
coaches of an intercity express
group of national security advisers.
derailed near Anekal town on the
Carter will be Obama‟s fourth
outskirts of Bengaluru in the
defence secretary in six years,
morning of 13 February 2015.
joining a line of succession that
Which train was involved in this
44 CURRENT AFFAIRS

began with Robert Gates and

accident? – Bengaluru City-
included Leon Panetta and Hagel.
Ernakulam Intercity Express
He had served as the Deputy
(Train no. 12677)
Defence Secretary from 2011 to
Explanation: The accident took 2013.
place at Belagondapalli near Anekal
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town on the outskirts of Bengaluru

 7) FMCG major ITC has purchased
which two famous brands of
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) as
announced on 12 February 2015? –
„Savlon‟ and „Shower To
Shower‟
Explanation: ITC has entered into
asset purchase agreements with
Johnson & Johnson Ltd, India, and
Johnson & Johnson Pte Ltd,
February 15, 2015
1) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief
Arvind Kejriwal took over as the
45 CURRENT AFFAIRS
new Chief Minister of Delhi on 14
February 2015 at a huge oath
taking ceremony held at Ramlila
Maidan. He was administered the
oath of office by Lt. Governor Najib
Page
Jung. With this the Presidential rule
Singapore for the purchase of the
„Savlon‟ and „Shower To Shower‟
trademarks and other intellectual
property, primarily for use in India.
The company, however, did not
provide any financial details about
the deal, though analysts tracking
FMCG sector estimate that could
be in the range of Rs 300-450
crore.
clamped in Delhi also ended. Delhi
remained under President‟s rule for
what duration? –Exact one year
Explanation: President‟s rule was
imposed in Delhi on 14 February
2014 and it ended on 14 February
2015 with oath ceremony of Arvind
Kejriwal. He became Delhi‟s Chief
Minister for the second time after
his 49-day tenure in 2014. Overall
he is the 8th Chief Minister of Delhi
and the second youngest after
Chaudhry Brahm Prakash, who
became Delhi‟s first Chief Minister
in 1952 at the age of 34 years. 6
ministers who took oath along with
 him are Manish Sisodia, Asim
Ahmed Khan, Sandeep Kumar,
Satyendar Jain, Gopal Rai and
Jitender Singh Tomar.
2) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal made what distinction as
far as allocation of portfolios is
concerned? – He did not took any
ministerial portfolio in Delhi
Cabinet
Explanation: Arvind Kejriwal made
a record of sorts when he decided
not to keep any portfolio with him.
He will thus look after overall
functioning of the Delhi
government. His close associate
Manish Sisodia was made Deputy
Chief Minister and was given key
portfolios of Finance and Planning,
Revenue, Services, Power,
Education, Higher Education,
Information Technology, Technical
Education, Administrative Reforms.
Employment, Development, Labour,
46 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Transport and General
Administration Department were
given to Gopal Rai. Satyendar Jain,
who was Minister in the previous
AAP government, was given
portfolios of Power, Health,
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Industries, Gurudwara
Management, Irrigation and Flood
Control, Public Works Department.
Jitender Singh Tomar will look after
departments of Home, Law and
Justice, Tourism, Art and Culture
while Asim Ahmed Khan has been
allocated the departments of Food
and Supply, Environment and
Forest and Election. The
departments of Women and Child
Welfare, Social Welfare, Language
and SC and ST have been
allocated to Sandeep Kumar.
3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi‟s
“Make in India” campaign got a
major boost on 14 February 2015
when US multinational company
General Electric (GE) opened its
first manufacturing plant in India.
This facility comprising of multi-
modal facility primarily for exports
has been established at which
place? – Chakan (Pune)
Explanation: GE‟s Chakan-based
multi-modal facility will support GE‟s
global operations as well as cater to
the growing demand from the
Indian market. Spread over 68
acres, this facility will generate
employment for 1500 people and
many local suppliers. Fifty per cent
 of the products manufactured from
this unit will be exported to other
GE global sites. In the first phase of
the operation, the facility is focused
on products and solutions for the
power generation, oil & gas and
transportation industries. In the
phase II, the site will include
manufacturing capability for new
generation aviation engine
components and sub assembly for
the latest rail locomotives and
diesel engines.
4) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 13 February announced it would
soon put in circulation currency
notes with the denomination of Re
1. When printing of Re. 1 notes was
discontinued by the govt. due to
higher printing costs? – November
1994
Explanation: RBI announced that
Re.1 currency notes are legal
tender as provided in The Coinage
47 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Act, 2011 and the existing currency
notes in this denomination in
circulation will also continue to be
legal tender. The RBI has been
gradually withdrawing lower
denomination notes as the
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perceived benefit is lesser than the
cost of printing such notes.
However, the move to re-start
printing of Re.1 note is being seen
as a symbolic gesture as Re 1
coins are expected to be more in
circulation. While the RBI has the
authority to issue bank notes of
denominational values of Rs. 2, Rs.
5, Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100,
Rs. 500, Rs. 1,000, Rs. 5,000 and
Rs. 10,000, the one rupee note is
printed and issued by the central
government.
5) India successfully test fired the
supersonic BrahMos cruise missile
from a state-of-the-art naval
warship on 14 February 2015. This
test carried out in the Arabian Sea
involved which warship? – INS
Kolkata
Explanation: INS Kolkata is the
most powerful and newest warship
of the Indian Navy. It was
commissioned on 16 August 2014.
On the other hand the BrahMos has
a range of 290 km and can carry a
conventional warhead of up to 300
kg. It has a top speed of Mach 2.8,
which is about three times faster
than the US subsonic Tomahawk
cruise missile. This makes BrahMos
 one of the fastest cruise missiles in
the world. It can be launched from 7) The matches of the ICC World
submarines, ships, aircraft and Cup 2015 started from 14 February
land. 2015 with both hosts New Zealand
and Australia recording convincing
victory over Sri Lanka and England
6) The first National Tribal Festival
respectively. Who, however,
of India started from 13 February
became the first English bowler to
2015 at Delhi. What is the name
take a World Cup hat-trick despite
given to this festival which features
the team losing to Australia by 111-
900 tribal participants from all over
run? – Steven Finn
the country? – “Vanaj 2015”
Explanation: Finn removed Brad
Explanation: The 6-day long
Haddin, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell
“Vanaj 2015” festival has been
Johnson off the final three balls of
organised to conserve and promote
Australia‟s innings to deny Australia
the distinctive cultures of India by
a record total of 344 as they closed
providing them a national platform.
on 342-9. This was the seventh
The festival, which will run till 18
World Cup hat-trick and 37th in the
February 2015, will showcase the
ODIs overall. Before him Chetan
rich diversity in tribal art and
Sharma (1987), Saqlain Mushtaq
culture. Various music and dance
(1999), Chaminda Vaas (2003),
forms besides tribal cuisine will be
Brett Lee (2003), Lasith Malinga
the special attraction of the festival.
(2007 and 2011) and Kemar Roach
Besides the cultural programmes,
(2011) have taken hat-tricks in the
tribal products, medicines,
World Cup.
paintings, art and handicrafts will be
48 CURRENT AFFAIRS

put on sale at an exhibition.

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 February 16, 2015
1) India defeated Pakistan by 76
runs in its ICC World Cup 2015
opener at Adelaide on 15 February
2015 to record its sixth consecutive
win over the arch-rivals in the
history of cricket World Cup. Virat
Kohli proved his batting credentials
once again with a blistering knock
of 107 runs. With this century Kohli
made numerous records. What is
the prominent among these? – He
became the first Indian to score a
century against Pakistan in a
49 CURRENT AFFAIRS
World Cup match
Explanation: He also broke the
record of Sachin Tendulkar for
scoring highest runs against
Pakistan in a World Cup innings.
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Tendulkar, who scored 98 off 75
balls against Pakistan in the 2003
World Cup at Centurion on 1 March
2003, held this record. Apart from
this Kohli also became the first
Indian to score a World Cup century
in Australia. Mohammed
Azharuddin‟s 93 versus Australia in
Brisbane on 1 March 1992 was the
previous best. India scored 300 for
7 batting first and bowled out
Pakistan for 224 to win this opening
tie on 15 February. Kohli was
adjudged Player of the Match.
2) India‟s first Renewable Energy
Global Investors‟ Meet and Expo
was inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 15 February
2015. What is the name of this
summit? – Re-Invest India 2015
Explanation: Re-Invest India is
Government of India‟s initiative
primarily to showcase the
renewable energy potential of the
country to the world and for
attracting investments. With this
event the govt. sought to establish
India as the manufacturing hub for
 renewable energy and for research
and innovation. This has been
associated with the “Make in India”
campaign that has become the core
of the new government‟s initiative to
create jobs in India. Re-Invest India
2015 is also a platform to engage
bankers to come up with innovative
financing models for renewable
energy. At present, renewable
energy contributes over 6% of the
total power generated in India and
the govt. wants to increase it up to
12% by 2019-20.
3) The State Bank of India (SBI)
made how much commitment for
clean energy generation (renewable
energy) as announced by it at Re-
Invest India 2015 on 15 February
2015? – Rs. 75,000 crore
Explanation: SBI
committed Rs. 75,000 crore for
generation of 15,000 MW of
renewable energy in the next 5
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years. SBI has a loan exposure
of Rs. 1.78 lakh crore in the power
sector including conventional
energy and discoms. Of this the
bank‟s outstanding loan towards
clean energy is to the tune
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of Rs. 7,500 crore.
4) The 35th National Games of India
concluded on 14 February 2015 at
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).
Which three teams occupied the top
three spots in the final medals tally?
– Services, Kerala and Haryana
Explanation: Services once again
dominated the Nationals Games
with gold medal tally of 91 and
overall tally of 159 medals. It was
followed by hosts Kerala with 54
golds and Haryana with 40 golds.
The top three were respectively
followed by Maharashtra, Punjab,
Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat and Assam in the top
10. The 35th National Games were
held in cities and sporting facilities
spread across Kerala. Now the
36th edition of National Games
would be held at Goa in 2017.
5) National Lok Adalat was held on
14 February 2015 with over 56,000
cases disposed of across the
country. This was which edition of
National Lok Adalat, which is held
under the patronage of the Chief
Justice of India? – 3rd
 Explanation: National Lok Adalat is February 2015, which are said to be
the national-level initiative to settle inspired by an attack on French
legal disputes through compromise satirical weekly „Charlie Hebdo‟ last
and settlements. It‟s main aim to month? – Denmark
lessen the burden of Indian
Explanation: The twin attacks were
judiciary which is piled up with huge
carried out in Danish capital
number of pending cases. The first
Copenhagen on 14 and 15
edition of National Lok Adalat was
February 2015. The first attack was
held in 2013 and it saw disposal of
made at a cultural centre in
around 71.50 lakh cases on a
Copenhagen on 14 February
single day. In its second edition in
organized to honor victims of the
2014 a record of sorts was made
attack in January 2015 against the
with the disposal of around 1.25
French satirical weekly „Charlie
crore cases on a single day. Under
Hebdo‟. The lone gunman killed
third National Lok Adalat cases
one civilian and wounded three
were taken up in the Supreme
police officers in this attack. The
Court, High Courts, district-level
second attack was carried out next
courts and taluka-level courts
day near the Copenhagen‟s Great
across the country (except Assam
Synagogue in Krystalgade, in which
and Uttar Pradesh). Disbursal of
a gunman killed a Jewish
around Rs. 265 crore as claims
community member and wounded
towards final settlement in bank
two officers. Later the gunman was
recovery and cheques bounce
killed by security forces. Denmark
cases was made apart from
became a target of violent Islamists
resolving of around 56,000 cases.
10 years ago after the publication of
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cartoons lampooning the Prophet

6) Which Scandinavian country Mohammad.
came under attacks on 14 and 15
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 February 17, 2015
1) India sealed a nuclear deal with
Sri Lanka on 16 February 2015
under which India will help Sri
Lanka build its nuclear energy
infrastructure. What is the major
significance of this nuclear deal? –
With this deal India was able to
push back a little the Chinese
influence in Sri Lanka
Explanation: The deal came as Sri
Lankan President Maithripala
Sirisena began a visit to India, his
first trip abroad since he swept to
52 CURRENT AFFAIRS
power in January 2015. India‟s
nuclear deal with Sri Lanka is first
major breakthrough for the
Narendra Modi-led government in
bringing one of its neighbour
countries on the nuclear platform.
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Under the deal, India will help Sri
Lanka build its nuclear energy
infrastructure, including training of
personnel. Later, India could also
sell light small-scale nuclear
reactors to Sri Lanka which wants
to establish 600 MW of nuclear
capacity by 2030. India had grown
increasingly wary of former
president Mahinda Rajapaksa‟s
pursuit of closer ties with China,
which became a key supporter of
the island‟s economy after its 26-
year-civil war ended in 2009. China
has built a seaport in the south of
the country and signed a deal to
develop a $1.5 billion port next to
the commercial port in Colombo,
raising fears that China is seeking
influence in Sri Lanka with which
India has had historical ties. Ties
worsened further after the
Rajapaksa government allowed
Chinese submarines to dock last
year.
2) Rajinder Puri, who passed away
on 16 February 2015, was a noted
 personality associated with which quarter increase of 0.6%, follows
field? – Cartooning two straight quarters of contraction.
Private consumption, which makes
Explanation: He was known for his
up about 60% of the economy, rose
witty political cartoons and was kept
0.3% in the final quarter, less than a
in the same league as R.K.
median market forecast for a 0.7%
Laxman, Shankar, Abu and Vijayan.
increase. Japan‟s economy slid into
He was associated with „The
recession in July-September last
Hindustan Times‟, „The Statesman‟
year, prompting Prime Minister
and later with „Outlook‟ magazine.
Shinzo Abe to delay a second sales
He also tried his hands in politics
tax hike initially scheduled in
and was one of the founding
October 2015.
members of the Janata Party and
later with some splintered groups of
the Party. 4) Indian Air Force‟s (IAF) dare-
devil aerobatic squadron, which
was grounded for last 4 years, is all
3) The growth data for Japanese
set to take to the skies once again.
economy‟s last quarter of 2014
The squadron is expected to come
(Oct-Dec 2014) was released on 16
back in action within 6 to 8 months.
February 2015. What was a major
What is the name of this world-
landmark achieved by Japan with
famous dare-devil aerobatic
an annualized growth figure of
squadron? – Surya Kiran
2.2%? – It was finally able to
come out of the recession Explanation: The Surya Kiran
squadron was originally formed in
Explanation: Japan‟s coming out
1996 to serve as ambassadors of
of recession was much-expected.
53 CURRENT AFFAIRS

the IAF who would showcase the

However, its growth was weaker
prowess of the force‟s fighter pilots
than expected as household and
in precision aerobatic flying. The
corporate spending continued to
Surya Kirans last performed in
disappoint. The preliminary reading
Bangalore in February 2011 and
for gross domestic product (GDP),
were grounded because the IAF
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which translates into a quarter-on-

faced a severe shortage of training
 aircraft. The situation is less bleak
now with the induction of the British
Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT),
being assembled in India by the
state-run Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL) which is based in
Bangalore.
5) In the 8th auction of Indian
Premier League (IPL) held on 16
February 2015, Yuvaraj Singh
emerged as the costliest player of
the auction. Which IPL franchisee
purchased him for a record price of
Rs. 16 crore? – Delhi Daredevils
Explanation: In a four-way bidding
war, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI
Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and Royal
Challengers tried to outbid each
other to bag Yuvraj Singh, who has
not have made it to the World Cup
squad. Royal Challengers
Bangalore (RCB) bought Tamil
Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman
Dinesh Karthik for Rs. 10.5 crore,
54 CURRENT AFFAIRS
the second-highest bid for a player
Page
in this auction. Last year, RCB
bought Yuvraj for Rs. 14 crore, the
highest-ever bid then in the IPL
auctions.
6) Which India-born executive was
appointed as the CEO of
accounting giant Deloitte‟s global
operations on 15 February 2015? –
Punit Renjen
Explanation: Punit Renjen belongs
to Rohtak in Haryana. He will take
over as Deloitte‟s global operations
CEO from 1 June 2015 and will
replace Varry Salzberg. Deloitte is
one of world‟s largest accounting
firms with presence in around 150
countries including India. It is
among the four largest audit firms,
popularly known as “Big-Four”.
Other three firms of this “Big-Four”
group are PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC), KPMG and Ernst & Young
(EY). With his appointment, Renjen,
thus becomes the first Indian to
lead a „Big-Four” audit firm.
 February 18-19, 2015
phone book entry and making a call
on mobile phone. Anyone who has
an account should be able to send
and receive money from their
mobile phone with just an identifier
without having any other
bank/account details. It is designed
to enable all account holders to
send and receive money from their
smartphones with a single identifier
– Aadhaar number, mobile number,
virtual payments address – without
entering any bank account
1) National Payments Corporation
information. UPI will make
of India (NPCI), the umbrella
payments possible only by
organisation for retail payment
providing an address with others
system in India, on 18 February
without having ever provided
2015 launched a unified platform for
account details or credentials on
providing a single payment
3rd party applications or websites.
interface across all systems. What
is the name of this interface that will
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
enable all account holders to send
inaugurated Aero India 2015 on 18
and receive money from their
55 CURRENT AFFAIRS

February 2015. This exhibition

smartphones with a single
depicting aviation technology and
identifier? –Unified Payment
products from all over the world is
Interface (UPI)
held biennially in which city? –
Explanation: The UPI will make Bengaluru
possible paying and receiving
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payments as easy as swiping a

 Explanation: Aero India is a
biennial event held at the Air Force
Station Yelahanka (Bengaluru)
during February. It comprises of
aircrafts, aviation products, aero
technology and air shows. The
organizer of Aero India is Defence
Exhibition Organisation (DEO), an
arm of the Ministry of Defence and
Defence Research and
Development Organisation
(DRDO). The first edition of Aero
India was held in 1996. Since then,
the event has gradually earned
international recognition, and has
seen increased participation from
exhibitors. Aero India 2015 will be
the 10th edition of this event and its
main theme is „Make in India‟, the
new Indian refrain that invites
defence and civil aerospace
manufacturers to think of
manufacturing in the country.
3) Which private bank on 16
February 2015 announced plans to
56 CURRENT AFFAIRS
launch India‟s first Green
Infrastructure Bond worth Rs. 500
crore, proceeds from which will be
deployed to fund renewable energy
and energy efficiency projects? –
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Yes Bank
Explanation: This proposed Green
Infrastructure Bond is claimed to be
the first such issue in the country
and the money will be used to fund
solar power, wind power, biomass,
and small hydel projects. The bond
will have a tenor of ten years. Yes
Bank also claimed that globally, a
sum of US$ 35 billion was raised by
issuing such green bonds in 2014,
while the market in the country is
either non-existent or nascent. Yes
Bank at present is the 4th largest
private bank in the country.
4) India‟s Space Commission was
re-constituted during February 2015
with the appointment of new ISRO
Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar as its
head. Which official was included
for the first time in the Space
Commission as its member? –
Foreign Secretary
Explanation: Reconstituted on 9
February 2015 after A.S. Kiran
Kumar took over as the new ISRO
chairman following the retirement of
K.Radhakrishnan, the commission
made just one change in its
composition. Radhakrishnan has
gone out while Foreign Secretary S
Jaishankar has been inducted. This
 is the first time that the Foreign Thailand and Vietnam. China‟s
Secretary has been inducted into transport ministry has predicted that
the Space Commission. The the travel rush for Lunar New Year
Principal Secretary to the Prime will see 295 million railway trips as
Minister, Cabinet Secretary, families make great efforts to be
National Security Advisor and the together for this occasion.
Expenditure Secretary have been
regular members of this 10-member
Commission. The Space
Commission is the highest policy-
making body for matters related to
space exploration in India and is
headed by the chairman of ISRO.

5) Lunar New Year of numerous 6) Legendary film producer

Asian countries including China
started on 19 February 2015. This
year is being observed as year of
which animal according to the
traditional Chinese zodiac system?
– Year of the Sheep
Explanation: The Year of the
Sheep started from 19 February
2015 as per the lunar calendar of
China. This year will last till 7
57 CURRENT AFFAIRS
D.Ramanaidu passed away on 18
February 2015 in Hyderabad at the
age of 79. He was conferred with
the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for
lifetime achievement in 2009. What
unique record he held in film
producing? – He held the world
record for producing highest
number of films
Explanation: He produced over

February 2016. Apart from China, it 150 films in many languages like
is a public holiday in many places
Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Kannada
with ethnic Chinese populations
with Telugu topping the list. He
such as Taiwan, Singapore and started Ramanaidu Studios in
Malaysia. Other countries where
Hyderabad in 1989 and offered the
this the Year of the Sheep is being
film-makers the facility of walking in
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observed include Korea, Myanmar,

 with a script and leaving with the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in his
final copy. Considered as an icon of office, a move expected to increase
film industry, he introduced several bitterness between Union Govt. and
film personalities through his the Delhi Govt.? – Sanjiv
Suresh Productions. Some of his Chaturvedi
well-known films include “Prem
Explanation: Sanjiv Chaturvedi an
Nagar”, “Mundadugu”, “Soggadu”,
Indian Forest Service officer who is
“Jeevana Tarangalu”, “Devatha”,
currently posted in the All India
“Sangharshana”, “Prathidwani”,
Institute of Medical Sciences
“Aha Na Pellanta”, “Prema”,
(AIIMS). He is known to be a
“Indrudu Chandrudu” and the latest
combative officer who had earlier
being “Gopala Gopala” starring
accused the Centre of illegally
Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan.
obstructing his inter-cadre
Some of his runaway hits in Hindi
exchange in the Central
include “Tohfa”, “Insaf Ki Awaz” and
Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
“Prem Qaidi” in which he introduced
Chaturvedi was also removed by
Karishma Kapoor to the silver
the Union Govt. as the vigilance
screen. Telugu superstar
chief of AIIMS, a move that was
Venkatesh is his son.
criticized by many quarters. In a
letter to Environment Minister
7) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Prakash Javdekar, Kejriwal has
Kejriwal has recently asked for urged him to depute Sanjiv
which officer of the Central Govt. as Chaturvedi as an OSD in his office.
58 CURRENT AFFAIRS
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 February 20, 2015
1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched the centrally sponsored
nation-wide „Soil Health Card‟
(SHC) scheme on 19 February
2015. The Soil Health Card under
the scheme will carry crop-wise
recommendations of
nutrients\fertilizers required for
farms of different soil types, will
make it possible for farmers to
improve productivity through
judicious use of inputs. This
scheme was launched at which
59 CURRENT AFFAIRS
place? – Suratgarh (Rajasthan)
Explanation: The first-of-its-kind
“Soil Health Card” scheme was
launched at Suratgarh in Sri
Ganganagar district of Rajasthan.
The cards under this scheme will be
Page
issued to all 14 crore holdings
across the country in three years.
The move will help the farmers in
identifying “health of the soil” which
will go a long way in improving
productivity through judicious and
selective use of fertilizers and
water. A computerized system is
being developed to allow local
agriculture science centers across
the country to keep details of „soil
test‟ results. Soil samples will be
collected even from small tract of
farm land in remote village. The
system will, eventually, allow the
farmers to download the „Soil
Health Card‟ using „unique number‟
allotted to each soil sample. In that
case, the change of ownership of
the particular farm land will not
create any problem in getting such
cards or getting it updated.
2) The Corporate Affairs Ministry
during February 2015 removed
curbs on acquisition of shares and
other securities that was imposed
on banking, insurance and housing
finance companies. This exemption
 was earlier available to these
entities. The said curb was imposed
under which act? – The new
company law (Companies Act,
2013)
Bank and Bharatiya Mahila Bank
(BMB) – that are registered as
companies under the new company
law.

Explanation: The new company

law had placed restrictions on
banking, insurance and housing
finance companies as far as
acquisition of securities and shares
3) The State Bank of India has
was concerned. Prior to this these
recently launched a massive
entities were required to follow
initiative to empower its customers
compliance requirements including
through technology and awareness.
shareholders‟ approval in some
Under this initiative special SBI
cases whenever they acquired
centers across the length and
shares or any other securities. Now
breadth of the country have started
the Corporate Affairs Ministry has
holding interactive learning
placed banking companies, private
sessions and demos of the bank‟s
insurers and housing finance
tech-channels. What is the name of
companies in the same footing as
these special centers? – Tech
was the situation under the
Learning Centres (TLCs)
erstwhile Companies Act 1956.
The latest corporate affairs ministry Explanation: This initiative has
move is being counted as step been on since December 2014.
towards ease of doing business in Under this 385 State Bank TLCs
60 CURRENT AFFAIRS

India. However, the latest relief will
not cover most public sector banks
as they are governed under a
separate law and restrictions on
investments under the company law
did not apply to them. Currently,
Page
across the length and breadth of
the country have started holding
interactive learning sessions and
demos of the bank‟s tech-channels
for over ten thousand customers
every month. A large number of

there are only two banks – IDBI customers are having an initial fear
 and hesitation to use technology for
their banking needs. But through
this initiative SBI seeks to remove
such hesitation among them. After
launching in December, 2014, more
than 30,000 customers were trained
in these TLCs. TLCs will spread
awareness of the Bank‟s various
tech channels including Cash
Deposit Machines, Mobile Banking
apps, Net Banking and Green
Remit Cards, in addition to
providing guidance on how to use
these channels safely and in a
secure manner.
4) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 18 February 2015 allowed banks
to lend against gold and thus lifted
61 CURRENT AFFAIRS
the ban on the same. When was
this ban imposed? – June 2013
Explanation: Apart from listing the
ban on lending against gold, the
RBI also allowed banks to import
gold on a “consignment basis”,
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under which they act as
intermediaries and don‟t pay for the
stock until a buyer has been found,
which is usually quickly. On the
other hand trading houses will be
allowed to bring in gold with no
conditions attached. Gold flows into
the country have slowed despite the
removal in November 2014 of the
so-called 80-20 rule that required
importing agencies to re-export a
fifth of total imports, as importers
and customs officials waited for
more clarity. Imports had dropped
despite the reversal of the rule as
the industry was taken aback by the
sudden change in the central
bank‟s position and banks remained
wary, fearing customs officials
would hold up incoming shipments.
5) The “Halwa Ceremony”, which
was held on 19 February 2015, is
associated with which keenly
awaited event of the Union Govt.? –
“Union Budget”
Explanation: The process of
printing documents for the Budget
starts with the ritual called “Halwa
Ceremony”. It has been a tradition
which has continued for long. As
part of the ritual, halwa is prepared
 in a big-kadhai (cauldron vessel)
and served to the staff of the
Ministry. The significance of the
sweet dish (Halwa) is that after it is
served, a large number of officials
and support staff, who are directly
associated with budget making and
printing process, are required to
stay in the Ministry and remain cut
off from their families till the
presentation of the budget by the
Minister. They are not even allowed
to contact their near and dear ones
through phone or any other form of
communication, like email. Only
very senior officials in the Finance
Ministry are permitted to go home.
The “Halwa Ceremony” was held in
North Block and was attended by
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
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continuously for over 1,000 weeks
at Mumbai‟s Maratha Mandir
cinema hall with its final show held
on 19 February 2015. From when
this film continuously ran at this
iconic theatre? – October 1995
Explanation: DDLJ which went on
to win a National and several
Filmfare Awards, was first screened
at Maratha Mandir in October 1995.
Till December 2014, the film ran
daily at its usual playing time slot of
11:30 am. However, after
completing 1,000 historic weeks, its
time slot was changed to 9:15 am
owing to business and logistical
reasons. However, the change in
timing created logistical issues for
the theater as its staff were having
to work inordinately long hours to
accommodate an additional early
morning show. It was then mutually
decided (between theatre
management and DDLJ producer
Yash Raj Films) to end the films

historic & record breaking run. Its

last show was held on 19 February
6) Shahrukh Khan-Kajol starrer
with a crowd of 210 viewers.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
(DDLJ) finally ended its
unprecedented streak for running
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 February 21, 2015
1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
20 February 2015 flagged-off the
first air-conditioned express train
service between Delhi and
Arunachal Pradesh. This train was
flagged off from which station which
is the only important station of
Arunachal Pradesh? – Naharlagun
Explanation: Naharlagun is
situated 10 km from Itanagar, the
capital of Arunachal Pradesh.
Though Arunachal Pradesh found a
place on the railway map about 20
years ago when a metre gauge line
63 CURRENT AFFAIRS
had reached Bhalukpong, exactly
1.26 km inside the state, state
capital Itanagar was connected
through Naharlagun only last year
when the railway station at
Naharlagun was opened on 7 April
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2014. Direct connection of
Arunachal Pradesh to national
capital Delhi was indeed a
momentous day for Arunachal as it
coincided with the state‟s
29 „statehood day‟ celebrations.
th
Moreover, the tracks, which will be
extended to Tawang bordering
China, will give India a strategic
advantage to counter advances by
the neigbouring country which is
breathing down its neck. This
weekly train (Train No. 22411
Naharlagun-New Delhi AC Express)
will cover the 2142 km in about 38
hours.
2) The Union Govt. on 18 February
2015 launched a single window
government-to-business (G2B)
portal (www.ebiz.gov.in). How many
central govt. services have been
brought under the ambit of this
portal which will primarily facilitate
ease of doing in India? – Eleven
Explanation: This G2B portal
would provide four services
pertaining to Ministry of Corporate
 Affairs (MCA), two services each of
the Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) and the RBI and one
service each of the Directorate
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT),
the Employees Provident Fund
Organization (EPFO) and the
Petroleum and Explosives Safety
Organization (PESO). The portal
provides facility for online
submission and processing of forms
associated with the services of
these entities. The online payment
facility has also been incorporated
in the portal so as to bring
transparency and efficiency in
transactions.
3) The Supreme Court on 20
February 2015 ruled that national
broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) can
show Team India‟s World Cup 2015
cricket matches free of cost. What
was the main subject of conflict
between Star Sports and Prasar
Bharati in this case due to which
64 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Prasar Bharati took Star Sports to
the Supreme Court? – Sharing of
feed of matches by DD to cable
operators
Explanation: Prasar Bharati came
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to Supreme Court after Delhi High
Court ruled that DD can‟t share the
feed freely with cable operators.
The SC had stayed the high court
order so that viewers could watch
the India-Pakistan match that was
held on 15 February 2015. Star
Sports, the official broadcasters of
ICC World Cup 2015 in India, had
argued that it had invested crores of
money and it is objecting to DD
sharing its feed with cable
operators and Star Sports is
incurring huge loss. The semifinals
and the final will also be shown on
DD due to this SC order.
4) The Election Commission of
India (ECI) on 19 February 2015
presented the first copy of its
publication that attempts to
encapsulate the most critical and
outstanding features of Indian
elections for a fact-filled and inside
eye view. What is the name of this
publication that gives data and
insights on the Lok Sabha elections
of 2014? – “India Votes”
Explanation: “India Votes” is a
publication of the ECI in which
special emphasis was laid on the
historic general elections of 2014,
which has gone down in record
 books as the largest-ever
democratic exercise. It traces the
details of the process of elections
right from the training of the
electoral teams at the EC
headquarters here and at the
grassroots levels to the planning
that goes behind staging the
exercise.
5) A new PSU fertilizer company
was incorporated at the existing site
of Ramagundam Fertilizer plant in
Telangana as a joint venture of
National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL),
Engineers India Ltd. and Fertilizer
Corporation of India Ltd. on 17
February 2015. What is the name of
this newly founded entity? –
Ramagundam Fertilizers and
Chemicals Limited
Explanation: Ramagundam
Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd
(RFCL) will have new ammonia and
urea plants of 2,200 tonnes per day
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and 3,850 tonnes per day
respectively. It is situated in
Karimanagar district of Telangana.
The estimated cost of the project to
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be implemented by the company is
Rs.5,000 crore. The project,
targeted for completion in 2018, is
part of the revival plan of Fertilizer
Corporation of India Ltd. by the
Union Govt.
6) Hikaru Nakamura of United
States won the Zurich Chess
Classic tournament that concluded
on 20 February 2015. What was the
position of India‟s Vishwanathan
Anand in the tournament? –
Second
Explanation: Vishwanathan Anand
was leading this tournament but
finished second after he lost to
Hikaru Nakamura in the final game.
A sudden change in rules during
the final stages of rapid competition
paved the way for a final game
even though it was not stipulated in
the initial regulations. It is also
worth mentioning that Anand had
defeated Nakamura in classical
game of the tournament earlier. For
Nakamura, it was the second big
win in the year after he had won the
just-concluded Gibraltar Masters.
 February 22-23, 2015
1) Which former Indian cricketer
was inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall
of Fame during India‟s World Cup
match against South Africa at
Melbourne on 22 February 2015? –
Anil Kumble
Explanation: Anil Kumble, who is
now the Chairman of the ICC
Cricket Committee, is the fourth
India cricketer to be inducted into
the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame after
fellow former captains Bishen Bedi,
Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar were
inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of
Fame in 2009. He became overall
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the 77th member in the ICC Hall of
Fame. With 619 Test wickets, he is
the third highest wicket-taker in
Test cricket after Muttiah
Muralidaran (800) and Shane
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Warne (708), while his 337 wickets
in ODIs ranks him in ninth position
on the all-time list of most
successful bowlers in that format.
Kumble captained India in 14 Tests
between 2007 and 2008, winning
three and losing five. In the 138-
year history of Test cricket during
which 2,156 Tests have been
played to date, Kumble is one of
only two bowlers after England‟s
Jim Laker to have taken all 10
wickets in an innings. He achieved
this feat against traditional rival
Pakistan in New Delhi in February
1999. During his career, Kumble
played 132 Tests and 271 One-Day
Internationals. Apart from his 619
Test and 337 ODI wickets, Kumble
also scored 2,506 runs in Tests and
938 runs in ODIs. Joining Kumble
as the 78th inductee was the late
Betty Wilson, one of the greatest
women‟s cricketers of all-time.
2) Which team won the 3rd edition of
Hockey India League (HIL) that
concluded on 22 February 2015? –
Ranchi Rays
 Explanation: Ranchi Rays
defeated Punjab Warriors 3-2 in a
penalty shootout in the final at the
Major Dhyan Chand National
Stadium in Delhi on 22 February.
The regulation time score read 2-2
which resulted in the shootout.
Though the Rays are a new team,
the squad is more or less the same
as that of the now non-existent
Ranchi Rhinos which won the
inaugural HIL in 2013.
3) Janata Dal United leader Nitish
Kumar took oath as Chief Minister
of Bihar on 22 February 2015. He
took over as Chief Minister after a
dramatic exit by his predecessor
Jitan Ram Manjhi who stepped
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down on 20 February after a
lengthy battle to hang on to the
post. This is Nitish Kumar‟s
…………..term as Chief Minister of
Bihar –Fourth
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Explanation: Nitish Kumar became
Bihar Chief Minister for the first time
on 3 March 2000. This first term,
however, was for just 8 days. His
second and third terms were in
2005 and 2010 respectively. He
had resigned in May 2014 owing to
his party‟s poor performance in
2014 Lok Sabha elections. He was
replaced with Jitan Ram Manjhi,
who was considered his close
loyalist. Nitish Kumar‟s bid to come
back as a Chief Minister was made
in view of the coming elections later
on 2015. But Manjhi refused to step
down and insisted on a floor test
instead. However, hours before his
test of strength in the assembly,
Manjhi handed his resignation to
Governor KN Tripathi on 20
February 2015 when it became
clear that even with the BJP‟s
support, he would not be able to
muster enough legislators to cross
the halfway mark.
4) What is the name of the Indian
Christian priest who was freed by
Afghani abductors on 22 February
2015 eight months after he was
captured? – Father Alexis Prem
Kumar
 Explanation: Father Alexis Prem
Kumar was abducted from Herat in
Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen
on 2 June 2014. A native of Tamil
Nadu, Rev. Kumar was working
with the Jesuit Refugee Service
(JRS), an educational charity, as its
Afghanistan Director and had been
in the country for over three years.
He had accompanied teachers on a
visit to a JRS-supported school for
returnee refugees in Sohadat
village, 25-km from the city of
Herat. He was kidnapped from the
school as he was about to return to
Herat. Indian Government played
an important role in securing his
release.
5) The Union Govt. on 20 February
2015 notified rules to implement the
decision to increase foreign direct
investment limit in the insurance
sector to 49%. What is the name of
the bill associated with this subject
that will be presented in the Budget
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session of Parliament? – The
Indian Insurance Companies
(Foreign Investment) Rules 2015
Explanation: The Indian Insurance
Companies (Foreign Investment)
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Rules Bill allows up to 26% foreign
investment through the automatic
route, while foreign partners can
increase their stake beyond that
limit up to 49% with the approval of
the Foreign Investment Promotion
Board (FIPB). The rules will also
apply to insurance brokers, third
party administrators, surveyors and
loss assessors, and other insurance
intermediaries appointed under the
provisions of the IRDA Act, 1999.
Any increase of foreign investment
of an Indian insurance company will
have to be in accordance with the
pricing guidelines specified by the
RBI under the FEMA rules. With
this bill, Union Govt. seeks to
replace The Insurance Laws
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2014, that
was promulgated by the President
of India, in December 2014.
6) What is the period of loan
extension that was given to Greek
government by the finance
ministers of euro zone on 20
February 2015 to avert a potential
crash crunch in March 2015? – 4
months
Explanation: The agreement,
clinched after the third ministerial
meeting of euro zone finance
 ministers held at Brussels offers a
breathing space for the new Greek
government to try to negotiate
longer-term debt relief with its
official creditors. This loan
extension ends weeks of
uncertainty since the election of a
leftist-led government in Greece
which pledged to reverse austerity
measures that were imposed on
Greek as conditions of the bail-out
package given to it in 2010.
7) Cyclone Marcia and Lam struck
which country on 20 February 2015
that left a trail of destruction in the
country? – Australia
Explanation: Tropical Cyclone
Lam slammed into the Northern
Territory of Australia on 20
February 2015, causing extensive
damage to remote Aboriginal
communities near Elcho Island,
some 500 km east of the territory‟s
capital Darwin. On the other hand
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tropical Cyclone Marcia barrelled
through the northeastern state of
Queensland on the same day at the
highest-rated category five, ripping
apart houses, uprooting trees and
bringing down power lines.
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However, no one was killed due to
these cyclones.
8) What is the name of the e-portal
that was launched by the Govt. of
India on 21 February 2015 to
address consular complaints
pertaining to the Ministry of External
Affairs? – “Madad”
Explanation: The portal „Madad‟
(Help) was launched at the
headquarters of the Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) by the
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj. The portal seeks to
significantly reform the linear
process adopted to post grievances
from the originator of the grievance
to the concerned Embassy or
Consulate of India abroad and cut
down the time required for
grievances to be sent from Delhi to
Indian Missions abroad and to get
them to take necessary action.
Among the chief characteristics of
„Madad‟ are to speed up forwarding
and handling of complaints,
improve tracking and redressal and
escalate unresolved cases. All the
stakeholders, in this consular
grievance monitoring, are tightly
linked to the portal, including
 Missions and Posts abroad and
MEA‟s Branch Secretariats in
Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and
Kolkata.
9) Anti-toll tax campaigner Govind
Pansare, who died of on 20
February 2015 five days after he
was shot at in Kolhapur, was
associated with political party? –
Communist Party of India (CPI)
Explanation: 82-year old Govind
Pansare was a senior leader of the
CPI and was known for his
advocacy for rights of people from
the lower most strata of society.
Despite being a part of the CPI,
Pansare had spoken against some
of the practices the party followed,
often complaining that the
communist moment could not
succeed in becoming mainstream in
the society. Pansare and his wife
were shot at on 16 February 2015
while they were returning from a
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morning walk in Kolhapur. The
attack was eerily similar to the
shooting of rationalist Narendra
Dabholkar in 2014, who was also
killed in the attack.
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10) What is the name of the woman
pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF)
who recently became the first
woman pilot to become part of the
famous helicopter-formation team
“Sarang”? – Squadron Leader
Deepika Misra
Explanation: Squadron Leader
Deepika Misra was commissioned
in the helicopter stream of IAF and
was posted to a Chetak-Cheetah
unit. Women short-service
commission pilots were earlier
permitted to fly such single-engine
helicopters. However, in a major
policy shift in 2010, the IAF allowed
women pilots to fly twin-engine
medium to heavy-lift helicopters.
When the IAF sought women pilots
to volunteer for the “Sarang” team,
she jumped at the chance and was
among the first to be inducted into
the indigenous Advanced Light
Helicopter squad. She was part of
the famous helicopter-formation
 team that is performed at the Aero India 2015 being held at Bengaluru.

February 24, 2015

bank employees have got second
and fourth Saturday off, they will
have to work full day on the first
and third Saturdays. The wage
revision negotiations had been
going on for more than two years.
The agreement on the wage
revision would be implemented with
1) An important agreement
effect from 1 November 2012. With
pertaining to wage revision of bank
the settlement, the Indian Banks‟
employees was signed on 23
Association (IBA) was successful in
February 2015 between the Indian
averting the proposed 4-day strike
Banks‟ Association (IBA) and bank
proposed by the United Forum of
trade unions at Mumbai which
Banking Unions (UFBU) from 25
resulted in the aversion of the
February. The last round of
proposed 4-day bank strike from 25
negotiations between the unions
February. What are the main points
and the IBA, held on 3 February
under this agreement? – 15% hike
2015 had failed after the IBA
in wages and off on second and
offered a 13% hike compared to
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fourth Saturdays of the month

12.5% offered earlier.
Explanation: The wage hike will be
applicable to nearly 10 lakh
employees in public sector banks,
old generation private sector banks
and some foreign banks. Though
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2) Which film won the Best Picture
award at the 87th Academy Awards
ceremony held on 22 February
2015? – “Birdman”
Explanation: “Birdman” won 4
Academy Awards, also popularly
known as Oscar awards. The other
Oscars won by it included Best
Director, Best Cinematography and
Best Original
Screenplay.“The Grand Budapest
Hotel” also won 4 Oscars but the
awards won by this film were given
mainly for film‟s artistic presentation
such as for Costume Designing,
Makeup and Hairstyling, Production
Design and Best Original Score.
Another movie that made its mark
at these Academy Awards
was “Whiplash” which won 3 $7.6 million (6.7 million euros) in
72 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Oscars. Eddie Redmayne(“The
Theory of Everything”)
and Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”)
respectively won the award for Best
Actor and Best Actress.
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3) Pawel Pawlikowski‟s film “Ida”
won the Best Foreign Language
Film award at the 87thAcademy
Awards on 22 February 2015. This
film is from which country? –
Poland
Explanation: Polish film “Ida”
which depicts the moving story of a
nun of 1960s won the Best Foreign
Language Film award.
4) British newspaper “The
Guardian” in its report of 22
February 2015 claimed that the
CEO of British banking giant HSBC
kept millions of dollars in a Swiss
account. What is the name of this
CEO? – Stuart Gulliver
Explanation: Stuart Gulliver is the
current Group Chief Executive of
HSBC, a position he has held since
1 January 2011. “The Guardian”, in
its report published on 22 February
claimed that Gulliver held about
2007 in a Swiss account in the
name of Worcester Equities Inc, a
Panama-registered company. He
was listed as the owner and one of
the beneficiaries of the account.
This latest report assumes
 significance as HSBC is presently
hit by a scandal pertaining to black
money stacked in bank‟s Geneva
(Switzerland) branch that has
prompted investigations of the bank
by Britain‟s financial watchdog and
Swiss authorities.
5) In an important development
former Maldives President and
current opposition leader Mohamed
Nasheed was arrested by country‟s
police on 22 February 2015. What
is the main charge against him? –
Illegal arrest of a senior judge in
2012
Explanation: Nasheed was
arrested to stand trial for his 2012
order as President to arrest
Criminal Court Judge Abdulla
Mohamed. In a surprising move he
was charged under anti-terrorism
laws for unspecified reasons. It is
worth mentioning that Nasheed had
resigned as country‟s President in
73 CURRENT AFFAIRS
February 2012 following weeks of
public protests against his order to
arrest this judge. Later he lost to
Yameen Abdul Gayyoom in the
Presidential Elections of 2013.
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6) In a surprising move Japan‟s
Honda Motor Co. on 23 February
2015 announced replacing its
President and CEO Takanobu Ito.
The company is presently going
through the effects of mass recalls
involving production glitches in new
models and problems with air bags
in older vehicles. Who will take over
as new head of the company in
place of Ito? – Takahiro Hachigo
Explanation: Takahiro Hachigo is
presently Honda‟s Managing
Director. He will replace Takanobu
Ito from June 2015. Ito, who will
become an adviser to the company
and will remain on the board, has
been chief executive since 2009.
Honda is the auto maker most
affected by the recall of millions of
vehicles equipped with potentially
faulty air bags from Takata Corp.,
which have been linked to at least
six deaths.
7) Who was elected as the Speaker
of the Delhi Legislative Assembly
on 23 February 2015? – Ram
Niwas Goel
Explanation: Ram Niwas Goel is
an MLA of the ruling Aam Aadmi
 Party (AAP) from Shahdara Bandana Kumari of AAP was
constituency. He was elected elected as the Deputy Speaker.
unanimously by the Assembly.

February 25, 2015

share of 42% of the Union‟s tax
receipts to the States. Compared to
2014-15, this will be a significant
enhancement of 10% over the 32%
during the award period of the
13th Finance Commission. As
against a total devolution
of Rs. 3.48 lakh crore
approximately in 2014-15, the total
1) The report of the 14th Finance devolution to the States in 2015-16
Commission was tabled in the will be Rs. 5.26 lakh crore
Parliament by Finance Minister approximately, a year-on-year
Arun Jaitley on 24 February 2015. increase of Rs. 1.78 lakh crore
How much raise in share of states approximately. The higher tax
in central taxes has been devolution will allow States greater
suggested in this report that has autonomy in financing and
been accepted by the Union Govt.? designing schemes as per their
– 10%
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needs and requirements. The

Explanation: According to an
Action Taken Report on the
recommendations given by the
Commission, the Centre has
decided to devolve a much higher
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Commission, headed by former RBI
Governor Y.V. Reddy, gave its
report to the President on 15
December 2014. The
recommendations of the Finance
 Commission are binding upon the
Government as it is constituted by
the President under a constitutional
provision. These recommendations
will be valid from April 1, 2015, for a
period of five years.
2) In a unique experiment State
Bank of India (SBI) has recently
initiated a new loan collection
model that allows borrowers to pay
back on a daily instalment basis.
This initiative has been started
primarily to keep bad loans in
check. This first-of-its-kind loan
product offering has been made to
which entity? – Olacabs
Explanation: Olacabs is a
renowned cab-hailing service
company. Under the tie-up, cab
owners associated with Olacabs
can avail themselves of car loans
from SBI on a preferential basis,
with faster loan turnaround time.
Since repayments will be on a daily
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basis, the loans could come a tad
cheaper. Each time the driver
makes a payment to Olacabs, a
part of it will automatically go to SBI
towards loan servicing, through
Olacabs‟ pre-paid wallet. This is a
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departure from the existing loan
servicing model where borrowers
repay by way of equated monthly
instalments. Any break in the daily
collection cycle will serve as an
early warning signal and the bank
can quickly intervene and resolve
the matter, ensuring that the loan
does not become non-performing.
These loans will be covered under
the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for
Micro and Small Enterprises. Under
the cover, if a borrower fails to
discharge his liabilities to the
lender, the Trust makes good the
loss incurred by the lender for up to
85% of the credit facility.
3) Which state would become the
first in India to present a „paperless‟
budget as announced on 23
February 2015? – Himachal
Pradesh
Explanation: Himachal Pradesh
Govt. will present its paperless
budget on 11 March 2015 and
would thus become the first to do
so in India. Under this initiative, all
documents related to budget
estimates would be made available
online and only around 10 budget
copies would be printed for record.
It is worth mentioning that Himachal
 Pradesh also has India‟s first
“Green” Assembly.
4) Chris Gayle of West Indies made
history on 24 February 2015 after
he became the first-ever cricketer to
score a double century in an ICC
World Cup match. He achieved this
feat by scoring 215 runs against
Zimbabwe in a Pool B match played
at Canberra. He broke whose
record of highest individual score in
World Cup? – Gary Kirsten (South
Africa)
Explanation: Till now Gary
Kirsten‟s 188 not out against UAE
(in 1996) was the highest score as
far as World Cup is concerned.
Chris Gayle broke this record by a
significant margin as he went on to
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score 215, which was the first-ever
double century in ICC World Cup.
He hit 16 sixes and 10 fours in his
147-ball innings and was out on the
last ball of West Indies‟ innings.
Gayle was involved in the world
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record partnership for any wicket in
ODIs with Marlon Samuels as the
two shared 372-run stand for the
second wicket to power West Indies
to 372/2 in 50 overs. They thus
surpassed the 331 shared by
India‟s Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar
against New Zealand at Hyderabad
in 1999.
5) Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, who is
facing allegations of sexual
harassment, on 24 February 2015
stepped down as the Chairperson
of which UN panel associated with
environment? – Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Explanation: Pachauri is
suspected to be involved in a
sexual harassment case with a
woman employee of The Energy
and Resources Institute (TERI), the
environmental-think tank that he
heads as its Director General. Apart
from proceeding on leave from
 TERI, he announced his resignation
as Chairperson of IPCC. Pachauri
was elected to the first of two terms
as Chair of the IPCC in April 2002
and had been scheduled to
February 26, 2015
1) The Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) on 25
February 2015 announced an
amendment to the
Telecommunication Mobile Number
Portability Regulation, 2009, that
will facilitate full Mobile Number
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Portability (MNP) in the country.
Full MNP will be available across
the country from which date? – 3
May 2015
Explanation: Mobile Number
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Portability (MNP) currently allows
complete his second term in
October 2015. The IPCC, in
accordance with its procedures,
designated Vice-Chair Ismail El
Gizouli as Acting IPCC Chair.
consumers to change their service
provider while retaining the same
number only within a telecom circle,
which in most cases, is limited to a
State. Under the full MNP
programme, a subscriber will be
able to retain the same mobile
number across the length and
breadth of the country while
selecting a service provider. The
Department of Telecom (DoT) had
issued amendments to the MNP
licence agreement on 3 November
2014 stating that MNP is to be
implemented across the country
within six months from the date of
amendment of the licences.
2) What important recommendation
pertaining to domestic financial
institutions (DFIs) was given by the
14th Finance Commission that was
 tabled in the Parliament on 24
February 2015? – A dedicated
panel should be constituted for
DFIs
Explanation: The 14th Finance
Commission stated that domestic
financial institutions (DFIs), such as
public sector banks have a
dominant role in the financial
framework of the economy. Hence
it recommended that a Financial
Sector Public Enterprises
Committee (FSPEC) be appointed
to examine and recommend
parameters for appropriate future
fiscal support to financial sector
public enterprises. This suggestion
has come at a time when these
banks need around Rs. 2.84 lakh
crore additional capital to meet the
BASEL-III requirement. These
requirements are critical to make
banks healthy with growing
business. At present, there are 27
public sector banks. These are
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divided into – nationalised banks
(21) and State Bank of India group
(6).
3) The concept of three-parent
babies finally became a reality with
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United Kingdom becoming the first
country to legalise creation of such
babies. This became possible as
the House of Lords on 24 February
2015 gave its approval to the Bill
that amends the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Act
(HFEA), 1990. What is the name of
the scientific procedure that makes
the three-parent concept a reality?
– Mitochondrial Replacement
Therapy (MRT)
Explanation: MRT is a ground-
breaking technique that uses
genetic material from three different
people to prevent certain inherited
and untreatable, genetic diseases
from passing from the mother to her
offspring. The technique involves
an IVF procedure in which the egg‟s
defective mitochondrial DNA is
replaced with healthy DNA from a
female donor. This technique was
developed at the University of
Newcastle by a team led by
Professor Doug Turnbull. The said
parliamentary bill was earlier
passed by British Parliament‟s
lower house – the House of
Commons on 3 February 2015.
With legal approval to MRT UK has
become the first one in the world to
give approval to such procedure. It
 is expected that the first babies
through MRT could be born as early
as 2016.
4) The U.S. Govt. on 24 February
2015 gave what major relaxation for
its H-1B visa holders? – It allowed
spouses of such visa holders to
work in the US if they are
working in the hi-tech sector
Explanation: This applies to
husbands and wives of foreigners
holding H-4 visas and will benefit
more than 179,000 people in the
next year, and 55,000 in
subsequent years. This will be
allowed from 26 May 2015. H-1B is
a non-immigrant US visa that allows
U.S. employers to temporarily
employ foreign workers in specialty
occupations. On the other hand H-4
visa is issued to immediate family
members (spouse and children
under 21 years of age) of the H-1B
visa holders. Till now the U.S.
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Federal law mandated that spouses
had to apply for green cards, which
can take 5-7 years, and were not
authorised to work in the interim.
This change has been pushed by
tech companies in the Silicon
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Valley, led by Facebook founder
Mark Zuckerberg. Employees
working in the tech sector, science,
engineering and medical industries
have been pushing for this as they
feel that it hurts their ability to
attract and retain talent. It is
believed that a huge number of
South Asians enter the US through
the H-1B visa programme and
figures from the State Department
show that approximately 76% of
those who received H-4 status in
2013 were from South Asian
countries.
5) Which European country on 25
February 2015 passed a
controversial bill that imposes ban
on foreign funding for mosques and
imams? – Austria
Explanation: The bill is partly
aimed at tackling Islamist radicalism
and has provisions that provide
more legal security to Muslims. It
thus amends the 1912 law that
made Islam an official religion in
Austria. The new measures under
the law, first proposed three years
ago, include the protection of
religious holidays and training for
imams. But the bill was protested
by Muslims groups in Austria and
 around the world who said that the
ban on foreign funding is unfair as
international support is still
permitted for the Christian and
Jewish faiths. Roughly half a million
Muslims live in Austria today,
around 6% of the population. Many
of them have Turkish or Bosnian
roots.
6) The joint military exercise Surya
Kiran-VIII, that started from 23
February 27, 2015
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10 highlights of Rail Budget
2015-16
1. New Trains
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February 2015, involves India and
which country? – Nepal
Explanation: This exercise is the
8th edition of India-Nepal Battalion
level Combined Military Training
Exercise. It is being held at
Saljhandi in Nepal. The main
objective of the exercise is to
promote cooperation in counter
insurgency and counter terrorist
operations and cooperation in
humanitarian operations. The
exercise will end on 8 March 2015.
Announcement of no new trains
(This will be done after doing a
comprehensive analysis and
feasibility studies)
2. Passenger Fare
No increase in Passenger fares
3. Freight
Freight increase up to 10% on
select items: 10% for urea, 2.7% for
 cement and 6.3% for coal, 0.8% for
iron and steel
4. Railway Operations
Railway‟s Operating Ratio to
improve to 88.5% in 2015-16
compared with targetted 91.8% in
2014-15
5. Railway Finances
a) Five-year outlay at Rs 8.5 lakh
crore
b) Plan expenditure in Railways to
he hiked 52% to Rs 1.11 lakh crore
for 2015-16
c) 77 projects totalling Rs 96,182
crore on cards to expand capacity
6. Railway Safety
a) Rs 6,581 cr earmarked on level
crossing safety
b) Train protection warning system
to prevent fires
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c) Collision avoiding system
d) 917 safety work projects to
eliminate over 3,000 unmanned
crossings in all states
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e) Audio visual warning and radio
based signals design for unmanned
level crossing with technical
assistance from IIT-Kanpur on
cards to enhance safety
f) Five years safety plan will be
ready by June 2015
g) Surveillance camera on cards for
women‟s safety, financing from
Nirbhaya fund
7. Railway Efficiency
a) Speed of 9 rail corridors to be
improved to 160-200 kmph from
current 110-130 kmph
b) Speed on empty freight trains be
increased to 100 km, and 75km for
loaded trains
c) Bullet-like trains on the cards that
can run on existing tracks
8. Railway Modernisation
a) 6,000 km of route km to be
electrified in 2015-16, up from 462
route km in 2014-15
b) 800 km of gauge conversion on
cards
9. Railway Convenience
 a) Proposes to move towards c) New toilets in 650 railway
paperless ticketing stations

b) Now, book your tickets 120 days
in advance
c) Rs 120 crore provided for lifts
and escalators at Railway stations
d) Phone charging facilities will be
provided in all trains including
general compartments
d) Railways will set up waste
management plants to dispose off
waste
e) Will work on Swacch Rail in lines
with Swacch Bharat
Daily Questions

e) Online booking of wheelchairs for 1) Narendra Modi-led NDA

seniors, physically challenged government presented its first full
passengers Union Rail Budget on 26 February
2015. The Rail Budget for 2015-16
f) Food can be ordered through was presented by Union Railway
IRCTC website while booking Minister Suresh Prabhu, which was
tickets his first budget also. Passenger fare
g) Wifi availability at 400 railway was not increased but
stations across the country announcement of freight increase
including B class stations too for 4 items was announced. Which
4 items are these? – Urea (10%
h) To introduce “Operation 5
increase), Cement (2.7%
minutes” to allow unreserved
increase), Coal (6.3% increase)
passengers to book tickets in 5
and iron and steel 0.8% increase)
minutes
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2) The operating ratio of 88.5% was

10. Railway Cleanliness
a) 17,000 toilets to be replaced and
modernized
b) Vacuum-based toilets on cards
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announced in the Rail Budget for
2015-16, which is the best
operating ratio in last 9 years. What
was the estimated operating ratio
for 2014-15? – 91.8%
 Explanation: Operating ratio is
perceived as the key measure of
Railway‟s operational efficiency. It
was at 91.8% in 2014-15 after
touching a high of 93.6% in the
previous financial year. The lower
the operating ratio, the better is the
profitability of an entity. The
operating ratio of 88.5% means that
88.5% of railways‟ revenue would
be exhausted in operating it.
Globally, a figure of 75-80% or
lower is what is seen as a healthy
benchmark, but India ranks among
the worst networks on this count.
3) What is the name of the new
public sector undertaking that was
announced in the Rail Budget 2015-
16 for providing end to end logistics
solutions? – Transport Logistic
Corporation of India (TLCI or
TRANSLOC)
4) What is the name of the scheme
announced in the Rail Budget 2015-
83 CURRENT AFFAIRS
16 which allows passengers
traveling unreserved to buy a ticket
“within five minutes of entering the
station? – “Operation 5-minutes”
Page
5) The Rail Minister announced
intention to set up an innovation
council for the purpose of business
re-engineering and introducing a
spirit of innovation in Railways in
the Rail Budget of 2015-16. What is
the name given to this council? –
“Kayakalp”
6) What is the newly announced
Toll Free number that was
announced in the Rail Budget 2015-
16 for security complaints and
women safety? – 182
7) What is the new advance
booking limit that was announced in
the Rail Budget 2015-16? – 120
days (earlier it was 60 days)
8) Which institutes has been
chosen to design the passenger
linen and bedding as announced in
the Rail Budget 2015-16? –
9) Which institute was chosen to
design user-friendly ladders for
climbing upper berths to help senior
citizens as announced in Rail
Budget 2015-16? – National
Institute of Design (NID)

10) Satellite railway terminals will
be set in how many major cities as
announced in the Rail Budget 2015-
16? – 10 (These satellite railway
terminals will try to decongest traffic
in railway terminals which are
situated in congested central places
of cities)
11) Establishment of the Malaviya
Chair for research in railway
technology was announced in the
Rail Budget 2015-16. This chair
would be established in which
central university? – Banaras
Hindu University (BHU, Varanasi)
12) The People‟s Democratic Party
(PDP) and the BJP are in the
process of forming a govt. in
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by
making an alliance. The alliance
between the two entities is,
however, a perilous one, with
inherent differences between the
84 CURRENT AFFAIRS
two parties. Their coalition
document also has not been named
a “common minimum programme”
as is the practice in Indian political
Page
sphere for quite some time. What is
the name of this document? –
“Agenda for the Alliance”
Explanation: It is worth mentioning
that the PDP and the BJP have
made it clear that what they are
forging is not a “political alliance”
but a “governance alliance”. While
the BJP‟s insistence on a debate on
Article 370 has been set aside for
now, the PDP‟s demand for a time-
bound revocation of the Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act, too, is
a core demand.
13) Which influential leader of the
Trinamool Congress (TMC) was
expelled by the party on 26
February 2015 for his controversial
remarks on Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee? – Humayun Kabir
Explanation: Humayun Kabir is an
influential leader from the State‟s
Murshidabad district. He had
alleged on 25 February that the
Chief Minister is paying more
attention on projecting her nephew
Abhishek Banerjee.
 February 28, 2015
separately develop a working BMS.
The MoD will reimburse 80% of the
development cost. The BMS
consists of a wireless network that
links digital devices carried by
combat soldiers, interlinking them,
their commanders and a range of
battlefield sensors. This provides a
1) In an important development, two
common battle picture to each
consortia comprising of Indian
individual. The MoD has moved
companies have been given the
unusually fast in the BMS contract,
project to develop a “Battlefield
which industry sees as evidence of
Management System” (BMS). This
Defence Minister Manohar
project, believed to be worth Rs.
Parrikar‟s seriousness in pushing
40,000-50,000 crore, is believed to
indigenisation. The MoD issued a
be Indian Army‟s biggest project
tender – or expression of interest –
ever. Which two companies are
in November 2013, to which four
leading these consortia? – Tata
consortia responded in April 2014.
Power and Bharat Electronics
Since then, it has taken only 10
(BEL)
months to select the winners. This
Explanation: The Ministry of initiative is also being seen as a
Defence (MoD) on 25 February strong intention of the NDA
2015 instructed the consortia – one
85 CURRENT AFFAIRS

government to provide a defence

consisting of BEL and Rolta India, boost to „Make in India‟.
and the other comprising of Tata
Power SED and Larsen & Toubro
(L&T) – to register “special purpose 2) Union Finance Minister Arun
companies” for this project. Each of Jaitley presented the Economic
Page

these development agencies, will Survey for 2015-16 in the

 Parliament on 27 February 2015.
What the growth forecast is for
fiscal year 2015-16 as disclosed in
the Survey? – 8.1 to 8.5%
Explanation: With expected growth
for 2015-16 to be over 8%, India is
on its way to become the fastest
growing major economy in the
World. The Survey also disclosed
that the growth of Indian economy
could be launched on a double digit
trajectory in the medium term. And
that there is a scope for Big Bang
reforms now.
Click Here for Full Economic
Survey 2015-16
3) Which state-owned bank of
Britain has decided to close its
banking operations in India as
disclosed recently? – Royal Bank
of Scotland (RBS)
Explanation: RBS has decided to
close its banking operations in India
86 CURRENT AFFAIRS
but will be retaining the back office.
The balance sheet exposure of
RBS‟s India business has also
almost halved in calendar year
2014. At the end of December
Page
2014, the net balance sheet
exposure of the bank‟s operations
in India fell by £1.7 billion to £2.0
billion. Bank‟s Indian banking
operations mainly include
investment and wholesale banking.
The bank also has a wealth
management business and retail
presence as well. According to
reports, RBS‟ Indian banking
business employs about 1,200-
1,500 people.
4) French President Francois
Hollande on 27 February 2015 took
forth his message about the need
for funds for the proposed landmark
climate deal conference at a central
Philippine town that was devastated
by a killer typhoon in 2013. What is
the name of this town? – Guian
Explanation: French President
made an international appeal,
named “Call of Manila”, from the
town of Guian in the Philippines to
conclude a universal, equitable and
ambitious climate deal in Paris. The
United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP 21) will be held in
Paris from 30 November to 11
December 2015. The conference
faces a major dilemma on how to
 raise $100 billion in yearly climate
aid by 2020 to help poorer
economies transition to clean
energy. The proposed Paris
agreement isn‟t expected to stop
climate change, but organisers
hope to secure for the first time the
commitment of most countries to do
something about it.
5) What is the name of the Russian
opposition leader and former
Deputy Prime Minister who was
shot dead on 27 February 2015 in
Moscow? – Boris Nemtsov
Explanation: He was killed by an
unidentified attacker in his car as he
crossed a bridge near Kremlin in
Moscow. Hours before his death he
had appealed for support for a
march to be held on 1 March 2015
in Moscow against the war in
Ukraine. Nemstov had served as
first Deputy Prime Minister under
87 CURRENT AFFAIRS
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Page
President Boris Yeltsin in the
1990s. He was governor of Nizhny
Novgorod, one of the largest cities
of Russia and had earned a
reputation as an economic
reformer. But he fell out of favour
with Yeltsin‟s successor Vladimir
Putin and became an outspoken
opposition leader.
6) Who took over as the new
Chairman and Managing Director of
Small Industries Development Bank
of India (SIDBI) on 27 February
2015? – Kshatrapati Shivaji
Explanation: Kshatrapati Shivaji is
a 1986 batch IAS officer and was
currently Principal Secretary
(Expenditure), Finance Department
in Maharashtra government. He has
been appointed on deputation basis
for a period of three years from the
date of his taking over the charge.