January 1-5, 2015
evolve a coherent policy over the
1) National Institution for
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog
replaced Planning Commission
The Government of India has
scrapped its 65-year-old Planning
Commission, replacing it with the
National Institution for Transforming
India (NITI) Aayog. The new National
Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) will act more like a think tank
or forum, say its supporters, in
contrast with the Commission which
imposed five-year-plans and
allocated resources to hit set
economic targets.
One significant change of note is that
2 CURRENT AFFAIRS
one of the functions of the body will
be to address the needs of national
security in economic strategy.
Nowhere is this more relevant than in
the area of energy security where
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India, unlike China, has failed to
years. Similarly, networking with
other national and international think-
tanks and with experts and
practitioners, as has been
envisaged, will add heft to the advice
that the NITI Aayog will provide.
NITI will have a governing council,
which will include leaders of India‟s
29 states and seven union territories
comprising all chief ministers and
lieutenant governors – the PM will
chair it – and will work towards
fostering co-operative federalism for
providing a national agenda to the
Centre and states of India.
The institution will create a
knowledge, innovation and
entrepreneurial support system
through a collaborative community of
national and international experts,
practitioners and other partners.
It will also offer a platform for
resolution of inter-sectoral and inter-
departmental issues to accelerate
the implementation of the country‟s
development agenda.
 The new body will also focus on
technology upgradation and capacity
building for implementation of
programmes and initiatives. The
Aayog follows Modi‟s announcement
in his Independence Day speech that
there was a need for replacing the
Planning Commission with a new
body in the changed economic
scenario. The government has set up
the Aayog through a Cabinet
resolution. The Planning
Commission was also set up through
a government resolution, in 1950.
Objectives of NITI Aayog:
Key objective for establishing Niti
Aayog was to separate as well as
energize the distinct „process‟ of
governance from the „strategy‟ of
governance.
Second objective is to provide
governments at the central and state
levels with relevant strategic and
technical advice across the spectrum
of key elements of policy. This
includes matters of national and
3 CURRENT AFFAIRS
international import on the economic
front, dissemination of best practices
from within the country as well as
from other nations, the infusion of
new policy ideas and specific issue-
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based support. The institution has to
be able to respond to the changing
and more integrated world that India
is part of.
Third objective is to change from the
past is replacing a centre-to-state
one-way flow of policy by a
continuing partnership with the
states. The institution to have the
necessary resources, knowledge,
skills and, ability to act with speed to
provide the strategic policy vision for
the government as well as deal with
contingent issues.
Lastly the institution must adhere to
the tenet that while incorporating
positive influences from the world, it
will find our own strategy for growth.
The new institution has to zero in on
what will work in and for India. It
should be a Bharatiya approach to
development.
2) A step towards Universal Health
Coverage
The Union government took a bold
step by releasing the draft National
Health Policy 2015. The policy is a
first step in achieving universal
health coverage by
advocating health as a fundamental
right. The key objective is to work
 towards universal access of
affordable health-care services. The
current government spending on
health care is a dismal 1.04 per cent
of gross domestic product (GDP),
one of the lowest in the world; this
translates to Rs.957 per capita in
absolute terms.
The draft policy has addressed this
critical issue by championing an
increase in government spending to
2.5 per cent of GDP (Rs.3,800 per
capita) in the next five years. But
even this increase in allocation falls
short of the requirement to set right
the dysfunctional health-care
services in the country. Insufficient
funding over the years combined
with other faulty practices have led to
a dysfunctional health-care system in
the country. The failure of the public
health-care system to provide
affordable services has been the
main reason that has led to
increased out-of-pocket expenditure
on health care. As a result, nearly 63
million people are driven into poverty
4 CURRENT AFFAIRS
every year. The Ebola crisis in
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone,
which underlined the repercussions
of a weak public health-care system,
should serve as a grim reminder of
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this.
Draft on National Health Policy
2015
The national programmes at present
provide universal coverage only with
respect to certain interventions such
as maternal ailments that account for
less than 10 per cent of all
mortalities. Over 75 per cent of the
communicable diseases are outside
their purview and only a limited
number of non-communicable
diseases are covered. It is, therefore,
crucial for the Union government to
undertake proactive measures to
upgrade the health-care services of
poorly performing States such as
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. As it
stands, health will be recognised as
a fundamental right through a
National Health Rights Act only when
three or more States “request” it.
Since health is at present State
subject, adoption by the respective
States will be voluntary. Though a
different approach has been taken to
improve adoption and
implementation by States, the very
objective of universal health
coverage that hinges on portability
will be defeated in the absence of
uniform adoption across India.
 3) A roadmap for reforming ailing and governance, as well as asset
state banks quality.State banks account for more
than 70 percent of total outstanding
India‟s top bankers have gathered in
loans in the sector.Public sector
Pune in a one-of-a-kind “Retreat for
lenders are estimated to need as
Banks and Financial
much as $60 billion in capital over
Institutions” called “ज्ञान संगम” “Gy
the next four years to meet upcoming
anSangam”to discuss long-pending
global regulations and to build a
reforms vital to improving the health
buffer against rising bad loans.
of ailing public sector banks in Asia‟s
third-largest economy.The country‟s The programme includes a separate
more than two dozen inefficient session devoted to sharing of the
state-run banks have been best Practices followed by different
constrained by a pile of bad loans Banks. „Learning from each other‟.
and corporate governance issues. The following best practices would
They also lag their private sector be shared:
rivals in profitability.
 Axis Bank – the Mobile Youth
For years, political interference and account Retail banking Product
union opposition have thwarted design based on life insights.
major reforms. If reformed, however,
the country‟s mega state lenders  IDBI Bank – The Electronically
offer investors the best exposure to secured bank and treasury receipts
any sustained upswing in India‟s and Payments.
economy.Besides the heads of all
 State bank of India – A Specialized
public sector banks, the two-day
cadre of IT function. This has
meeting ending on Saturday will also
created a viable track for specialist
be attended by Prime Minister
talent in public sector banking.
5 CURRENT AFFAIRS

NarendraModi, Finance Minister

ArunJaitley and Reserve Bank of
India Governor RaghuramRajan.
 Andhra Bank – The Objective Key
The issues to be discussed include
Result Areas (KRA) and Key
industry consolidation, restructuring
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Performance Indicators (KPI) for a

of state banks for better efficiency
 transparent and IT enabled Resources.
evaluation system of Human

January 6, 2015
1) On 5 January 2015 who was
named as the first Vice-Chairman of
the newly announced NITI Aayog
(Policy Commission), which
replaced Planning Commission? –
Arvind Panagariya
Explanation: Arvind Panagariya is
an eminent free market economist
and has been an Economics
professor at Columbia University in
6 CURRENT AFFAIRS
of defence research and
development V.K. Saraswat were
named as the other full-time
members of the commission. NITI
Aayog (the new commission) was
set up to modernise economic
strategy after decades of Soviet-
style central planning. Panagariya‟s
market-friendly, pro-growth
economics has helped shape
Modi‟s outlook and is seen by many
as an attack on overbearing labour
regulations and state-run
companies.
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
5 January 2015 launched a scheme
for distribution of LED bulbs in
which city under which consumers
will be able to request for LED

New York. He, as vice chairman, bulbs as replacement for ordinary

would have a pivotal role in bulbs and CFL bulbs? – Delhi
coordinating economic strategy and
Explanation: Under the scheme,
hold cabinet rank. Economist Bibek
consumers in Delhi will be able to
Debroy along with former secretary
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request for LED bulbs under the

 Domestic Efficient Lighting
Programme (DELP) through a new
website launched by Prime Minister
on the same day. Consumers can
register for this scheme either
through the website or by sending
an SMS to a designated number.
Under the programme, consumers
will pay Rs. 130 per LED bulb as
compared to market prices, which
range from Rs. 350 to Rs. 600. LED
bulbs, which have longer lives, are
considered to be highly energy
efficient, and environmentally
friendly. In general, LED bulbs are
expected to have a life 50 times
longer than ordinary bulbs and 8-10
times longer than CFLs. It was
estimated that 7,000 units of
electricity could be saved by
replacing ordinary bulbs in South
Block, the central govt. office in
Delhi.
3) What major restrictions on willful
defaulters were imposed by Indian
7 CURRENT AFFAIRS
capital market regulator Securities
and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) on 5 January 2015?
- Companies in which a
promoter, director or subsidiary
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is declared a wilful defaulter will
not be allowed to issue equity,
debt securities, or non-
convertible redeemable
preference shares
- Wilful defaulters will not be
allowed to make an offer to take
over a listed company in India,
but will be allowed to make a
counter-offer in case they are the
target of a hostile takeover
Explanation: Under law wilful
defaulters are classified as
companies or individuals who
deliberately thwart repayment of
dues to lenders. The SEBI
proposals come as part of a
concerted effort by Indian
policymakers to tackle the bad
loans that are hurting profitability at
state-run banks, where stressed
loans account for 12.9% of loans
compared with 4.4% at private
sector lenders, according to the
data issued by the RBI. The RBI
last year also passed tougher rules
on wilful defaulters, including
making companies that guarantee
loan obligations of their units
responsible if the subsidiary is
declared a wilful defaulter.
 4) The Union Cabinet on 5 January
2015 approved the largest ever
telecom spectrum auction under
which under which the government
will sell 380.75 megahertz of
second generation (2G) spectrum in
three bands. What is the total value
that govt. expects to fetch from this
auction? – Rs. 64,840 crore
Explanation: The Cabinet, headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
approved a reserve price of Rs.
3646 crore pan-India per MHz in
800 MHz, Rs. 3980 crore for 900
MHz band pan India excluding
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and J&K;
Rs. 2191 crore pan India in 1800
MHz band. 2100 MHz may also be
put on auction simultaneously after
Defence Ministry vacates it.
Proceeds from this year‟s auction
will help government reach its fiscal
deficit target of 4.1% of GDP.
Government had garnered about
Rs. 62,162 crore from the last
auction in February 2014.
8 CURRENT AFFAIRS
5) Who was appointed as the new
Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir
High Court on 5 January 2015 by
the President? – Justice
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Mohammad Yaqoob Mir
Explanation: Justice Mohammad
Yaqoob Mir was the senior-most
judge of the Jammu & Kashmir
High Court. He took place of Justice
Mahesh Mittal Kumar who
superannuated. This appointment
was done by the President in
exercise of the powers conferred by
Section 100 of the Constitution of
Jammu & Kashmir.
6) Andhra Bank, which of-late was
facing threat of merger in view of
high non-performing assets (NPAs)
from big corporate clients,
especially from the infrastructure
sector, almost got a new lease of
life recently and there is no merger
threat for the bank for now. Why
this threat has evaporated? –
Presently no bank is in a
position to support another bank
in view of the prevailing
economic conditions
Explanation: The issue of mergers
came up for discussion in the two-
day bankers meet (“Gyan Sangam”)
held in Pune between 2 and 3
January 2015. It emerged that
going by the prevailing situations no
bank is in a position to support
other by acquiring stake or by some
 other similar manner. This, in effect,
gives a new lease of life for Andhra
Bank, the only public sector bank
from Andhra Pradesh. The
Government is set to grant a capital
of about Rs. 200- 300 crore. Andhra
Bank with a 5.99% non-performing
assets (NPAs) in September 2014,
will continue to focus on retail and
small and medium enterprises.
Once the loan-waiver completes in
Andhra Pradesh, it hopes to have
agriculture portfolio back in the
prime.
7) Pakistan cancelled this year‟s
first anti-polio campaign which was
to start from 5 January 2015. What
was the reason for this? – Security
reasons and threat perceptions
9 CURRENT AFFAIRS
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Explanation: The anti-polio drive
was to begin on 5 January in some
areas of the Rawalpindi district, the
entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP),
the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) and parts of Punjab,
Sindh and Balochistan. However
the drive was rescheduled to 19
January 2015 due to threat
perceptions. Meanwhile a polio
worker was attacked in the restive
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on 5
January. The year 2014 has been
the toughest year for Pakistan‟s
anti-polio programme as the
number of confirmed cases reached
297, the highest in the country
since 1999. During the past six
months, Pakistan recorded the
highest number of polio cases
followed by Afghanistan and
Nigeria.
 January 7, 2015
first integrated steel plant (Tata
Steel‟s Jamshedpur plant-1907),
hydroelectric power plants that
service Mumbai‟s needs till today
(Tata Power‟s Khopoli plant-1910)
and the Indian Institute of Science
(1909). The $100 billion Tata Group
now comprises over 100 operating
companies, with operations in more
than 100 countries across six
1) Who became the first Indian
continents, exporting products and
industrialist to be felicitated by a
services to over 150 countries.
commemorative coin after a
commemorative coin on this
2) Trade unions of which sector
industrialist was released by Prime
went on a five-day strike on 6
Minister Narendra Modi on 6
January 2015 that was termed as
January 2015? – Jamsetji
the biggest industrial action for any
Nusserwanji Tata (The founder of
sector since 1977? – Coal sector
Tata Group)
Explanation: The unions went on
Explanation: Prime Minister
strike to protest against
Narendra Modi released a
„disinvestment and restructuring of
commemorative coin to mark the
state-run Coal India‟ and to press
10 CURRENT AFFAIRS

175th birth anniversary of Tata group

for their other demands including
founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.
the roll-back of what they call as
Jamsetji Tata founded the Tata
“process of denationalising of coal
group in 1868. J.N. Tata is
sector”. All India Coal Workers
considered father of modern
Federation (AICWF) claimed that
industry in India. The translation of
almost 7 lakh workers went on this
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his vision led to creation of India‟s

 strike. The strike can affect coal
production of up to 1.5 million
tonnes a day and may also hit
supplies to power plants which are
already grappling with fuel
shortages. On its part the Union
Govt. called a meeting with
representatives of major trade
unions – BMS, INTUC, AITUC,
CITU and HMS – to sort out the
issue.
3) The BSE Sensex crashed 905
points in intraday trade on 6
January 2015, which was its
biggest single-day fall in over 5
years. What were the major
reasons for this dramatic fall? –
Continued fall in crude oil prices
and worries stemming out of the
Greek economy
Explanation: The crash recorded
in the BSE Sensex 6 January 2014
was the eighth biggest single-day
fall in Indian stock markets. Crude
11 CURRENT AFFAIRS
oil prices continued to fall with Brent
hitting a low of $51.23 a barrel on 6
January. While cheap oil is good for
India as the country imports nearly
80% of its energy needs, but the
over 50% plunge in oil prices since
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June has also raised deflationary
fears in many countries. The
second major reason that
contributed in this crash was the
talk of Greece crashing out of the
Euro zone. Euro zone is a major
trade partner for the US, Eastern
Europe and Asia and hence worries
pertaining to it cast its spell on all
these markets including India.
4) Whose name was cleared as the
first CEO of NITI Aayog by the
Union Govt. on 6 January 2015? –
Sindhushree Khullar
Explanation: Sindhushree Khullar
was the Secretary of the erstwhile
Planning Commission, which has
now been replaced by the NITI
Aayog (Policy Commission).
Khullar, a 1975 batch UT cadre IAS
officer, had taken over as Secretary
Planning Commission in April 2012.
Her appointment could be made at
any time according to media
reports. Noted economist Arvind
Panagariya has been appointed as
the first Vice Chairman of the
newly-created NITI Aayog.
5) Who was sworn in as the
19th Governor of Meghalaya on 6
 January 2015? – Keshari Nath
Tripathi
Explanation: Keshari Nath Tripathi
is the Governor of West Bengal and
he would continue to hold the office
of Governor of the state until further
orders. Meghalaya High Court Chief
Justice Uma Nath Singh
administered the oath of office and
secrecy to him.
6) Which Indian auto major
achieved the milestone of
producing 50 lakh vehicles as
announced by the company on 6
January 2015? – Mahindra &
Mahindra (M&M)
Explanation: M&M achieved this
milestone by rolling out its 5
millionth vehicle from Kandivali
plant in Mumbai. The company‟s
4×4 offroader, Mahindra Thar, was
rolled out as the 5 millionth vehicle
from this plant. The company had
achieved the 40 lakh mark in 2012
12 CURRENT AFFAIRS
and reached the 50 lakh vehicle
mark in just two years. This
milestone is the result of combined
vehicle production from the
company‟s six automotive plants,
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namely Chakan, Nasik, Haridwar,
Zaheerabad, Kandivali and engine
plant in Igatpuri. Mahindra &
Mahindra is part of the Mahindra
Group and is one of the largest
vehicle manufacturers by
production in India and the largest
seller of tractors across the world. It
was set up as a steel trading
company in 1945 in Ludhiana as
Mahindra & Mohammed by brothers
K.C. Mahindra and J.C. Mahindra
and Malik Ghulam Mohammed.
After India gained independence
and Pakistan was formed,
Mohammed emigrated to Pakistan.
The company changed its name to
Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948.
Starting as a licensee of Willys
Jeep in India the company later
became a leader in SUV, LCV and
agricultural auto products.
7) Which states won the men‟s and
women‟s title of 65th Senior National
Basketball Championship 2014-15,
that concluded on 5 January 2015
at Bhilwara (Rajasthan)? –
Uttarakhand (men‟s) and
Chhattisgarh (women‟s)
Explanation: In the title clash for
men‟s title, Uttarakhand defeated
Tamil Nadu by 72-63 to reclaim the
 title. Uttarakhand had last won the
Senior Nationals two years ago at
the 63rd Senior Nationals in
Ludhiana, Punjab. In the women‟s
January 8, 2015
1) What is the name of the French
satirical newspaper that came
under attack by two masked
gunmen on 7 January 2015
resulting in the death of paper‟s
editor and 11 other people? –
„Charlie Hebdo‟
13 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Explanation: The attack on
„Charlie Hebdo‟ was France‟s
deadliest terror attack in at least
two decades. It resulted in the
death of newspaper‟s Chief Editor
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title clash, defending champions
Chhattisgarh women scored a
convincing 84-75 win over Delhi.
Charb (real name Stephane
Charbonnier) and 3 cartoonists
along with 9 others. The dead
included newspaper‟s journalists
and 2 security personnel. The two
gunmen, suspected to be Islamist
fundamentalists, were however
successful in escaping the
site.Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly)
is renowned for courting
controversy with satirical attacks on
political and religious leaders and
has published numerous cartoons
lampooning the Prophet
Mohammad. The last tweet on its
account mocked Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi, the leader of the militant
Islamic State, which has taken
control of large swathes of Iraq and
Syria. It has been repeatedly
threatened for publishing
caricatures of the Prophet
 Muhammad, among other
controversial sketches, and its
offices were firebombed in 2011.
2) The 13th edition of Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (PBD) started on 7
January 2015 with the inaugural
session of the Youth Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas. This years‟ PBD is
being held in which city? –
Gandhinagar (Gujarat)
Explanation: Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) is world‟s largest
annual gathering of people of Indian
origin and is aimed at enhancing
networking and reinforcing
commercial linkages. The three-day
diaspora conclave is being held at
Gandhinagar from January 7-9 to
mark the centenary of foremost
Indian diaspora member, Mahatma
Gandhi‟s return from South Africa to
India.
3) In an important development the
14 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Finance Ministry during January
2015 gave what assurance to public
sector banks (PSU banks) and
financial institutions? – Full
freedom in matters related to
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commercial decisions, transfers
and postings
Explanation: The Finance Ministry
wrote letter to all public sector
banks and financial institutions on 5
January 2015 to take all
commercial decisions in the best
interest of the organisation without
any fear or favour. This assurance
followed a two-day brainstorming
meeting on 3-4 January 2015 in
Pune where Prime Minister
Narendra Modi discussed ideas to
improve the health of state lenders,
who are facing mounting bad loans
and corporate governance issues. It
is worth mentioning that f or years,
political interference and union
opposition have thwarted major
reforms at the lenders that account
for more than 70% of total
outstanding loans in the sector.
PSU banks recorded the highest
level of stressed loans at 12.9% of
their total advances in September
last year, while the same ratio for
private sector banks was at 4.4%,
according to the latest RBI data.
4) President Pranab Mukherjee on
6 January 2015 promulgated an
ordinance associated with
 citizenship which provides for the
amendments to the Indian Citizen
Act, 1955. What is the name of this
ordinance? – Citizenship
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2015
Explanation: Following are the
amendments proposed by the
Citizenship (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2015 to the Indian
Citizen Act, 1955
– The mandatory clause for one
year continuous stay in India for
Indian Citizenship has been relaxed
(for special circumstances)
– Enabling of registration as
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by
a minor, whose parents are Indian
Citizens.
– Enabling of registration as
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by
a child or a grand-child or a great
grandchild of such a citizen.
– In respect of existing PIO card
holders central government may, by
15 CURRENT AFFAIRS
notification in Official Gazette,
specify a particular date from which
all existing PIO card holders will be
deemed to be OCI card holders.
– Enabling of registration as
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Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by
such spouse of a citizen of India or
spouse of an OCI registered under
Section 7A and whose marriage
has been registered and subsisted
for a continuous period of not less
than two years immediately
preceding the presentation of the
application under this section.
5) What was the percentage
increase in the revenue earnings of
Indian Railways for the first nine
months of year 2014-15 (1 April
2014 to 31 December 2014) as
disclosed by the Rail Ministry on 6
January 2015? – 12.57%
Explanation: The total earnings of
Indian Railways during 1st April to
31st December 2014 was Rs.
114656.13 crore as compared to
Rs. 101856.45 crore during the
same period last year, thus
registering an increase of 12.57%.
Of this earnings from goods
(freight) stood at Rs. 77161.55
crore (12.19% increase), earnings
from passenger fare stood at Rs.
31955.07 crore (15.59% increase)
and income from other sources
stood at Rs. 2862.19 crore (5.58%
increase). However, a decline of
1.64% in booked passengers
 (6256.16 million compared to
6360.15 million) was registered
during these 9 months.
6) In an important development for
the field of country‟s high-end
scientific research, the Union Govt.
during December 2015 gave its
approval to the highly ambitious
Neutrino Project. Under this project
experiments in high-energy physics
would be conducted using an
underground Neutrino Detector. For
this project the Indian Neutrino
Observatory (INO) would be
established at which place? – Bodi
West hills at Pottipuram (Theni
district in Tamil Nadu)
Explanation: The INO project will
be funded jointly by the Department
of Science and Technology and
Atomic Energy, while the
infrastructure will be created with
the help of the Tamil Nadu
government. The underground
16 CURRENT AFFAIRS
project will comprise a complex of
caverns – the main cavern, which
will house the current detector, will
be 130 metres long, 26 metres wide
and 30 metres high. There will be
two smaller caverns that will be
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used for setting up experiments for
neutrino double detector and dark
matters. The complex will be
approached by a 2-km-long tunnel.
The Inter Institutional Centre for
High Energy Physics will come up
in Madurai, about 110 km from the
Observatory. India will also seek
international participation in the
project, so that it turns out to be an
international hub for high-end
research such as CERN in Geneva.
7) What was the average annual
growth in India‟s rural wages
registered during November 2014
that was the lowest since July
2005? – 3.8%
Explanation: According to the data
released by the Labour Bureau, the
rural wages in the country
registered 3.8% year-on-year
increase during November 2014.
This is a significant drop relative to
the two-digit growth rates prevailing
until June, and the peak 20%-plus
levels of 2011. This nominal growth
is lower than the annual consumer
price inflation of 4.09% for rural
India in November 2014. It further
strengthened the case for the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to
 initiate policy interest rate cuts
January 9, 2015
1) Which bank launched India‟s first
contactless debit and credit card on
7 January 2015 that enables one to
make payments by just waving the
card near merchant terminals
instead of swiping the same? –
ICICI Bank
Explanation: This type of card
uses the near-field communication
17 CURRENT AFFAIRS
technology to provide customers
improved convenience of speed
and security over traditional cards
as these cards can complete a
transaction faster and be more
secured as they remain with
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sooner than later.
customer. ICICI Bank has
introduced these two cards in
Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon
to begin with and it has installed
over 1,200 PoS machines capable
of accepting contactless payments
in these cities. The bank launched
two cards with the new technology
– the Coral Contactless Credit
Cards and the Expressions Wave
Debit Cards – and both can also be
used as regular cards at all
merchant terminals (in other cities)
2) The shareholders of Kotak
Mahindra Bank and ING Vysya
Bank approved the proposal to
merge ING Vysya Bank with Kotak
Mahindra Bank. The management
of the banks expects the new entity
to be operational by 1 April 2015. In
terms of total business, this new
entity would be India‟s ……………..
largest private bank? – Fourth
 Explanation: The deal will make
Kotak Mahindra the fourth-largest
private bank in India, in terms of
total business after ICICI Bank,
HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. The
combined banking entity will have
1,214 branches in India. However,
the merger needs regulatory
approvals, including from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
the Competition Commission of
India. ING Vysya Bank‟s
shareholders had approved the
merger proposal on 7 January while
shareholders of Kotak Mahindra
gave their approval to the same on
8 January 2015. The top
management of both banks had
made the merger announcement on
20 November 2014.
3) The Security and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) on 8 January
2015 proposed e-IPO norms where
investors can bid for shares through
Internet and eventually on mobiles.
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This was done so as to boost fund
raising from markets. What is the
proposed timeline for listing of
shares under e-IPO? – 2 to 3 days
Explanation: Under the new
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norms, SEBI has proposed to
drastically cut the timeline for listing
of shares within 2-3 days of the
IPO, as against 12 days currently.
For already listed companies as
well, SEBI has proposed a fast-
track route for raising of funds
through FPOs (Follow-on Public
Offers) or Rights Offers (where
funds can be raised from existing
shareholders). The fast-track route
of raising capital has been
proposed for companies having
public shareholding market
valuation of as low as Rs. 250
crore, as against Rs. 3,000 crore
currently. SEBI has invited public
comments till January 30, after
which it would put in place final
norms for e-IPO as also for fast-
track issuances.
4) Which airline was named as the
world‟s safest airline in a report
published by AirlineRatings.com
that was released on 7 January
2015? – Qantas (The national
airline of Australia)
Explanation: The remainder of the
top 10 spots in this list in terms of
the world‟s safest airlines were Air
New Zealand, British Airways,
Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad
 Airways, EVA Air, Finnair,
Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
Qantas, which is in its 95th year of
operation, was hailed for “an
extraordinary record of firsts” in
terms of its safety history and
ranked the best of 449 airlines,
including low-cost carriers,
assessed by the website.
AirlineRatings.com praised Qantas
for the way it monitors the engines
of its aircraft using satellite
communications, saying “doing so
allows the airline to detect problems
before they become a major safety
issue”. Qantas was founded in 1920
and it began its international
services in 1935.
5) Virat Kohli became the highest
scorer in a Test series in Australia
as he passed 619 runs in the series
on 8 January 2015 while batting in
the first innings in the fourth and
final test of the Test series against
Australia at the Sydney Cricket
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Ground (SCG). Whose record of
619 runs he broke? – Rahul Dravid
Explanation: Till now Rahul Dravid
was the highest scorer in a Test
series in Australia for the 619 runs
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he scored against it in the 2003-04
Test series. On 8 January Virat
Kohli overtook Rahul Dravid as he
surpassed 619 runs in the series. It
is worth mentioning that Dravid took
8 innings to score 619 runs in 2003-
04 while Kohli took 7 to reach
surpass this. Kohli scored his fourth
century of the test series and was
dismissed for 147 on 9 January
2015.
6) Which Indian diplomat was
appointed as Under-Secretary-
General in a department of the
United Nations (UN) as announced
by United Nations Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon on 7 January
2015? – Atul Khare
Explanation: Atul Khare is a former
Indian Foreign Service officer and
AIIMS graduate and he was
appointed Under-Secretary-
General, Department of Field
Support (DFS). He succeeded
Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh.
Khare has a long senior career with
the U.N., most recently as Assistant
Secretary-General leading the
Change Management Team (2011-
2012) and Assistant Secretary-
General for Peacekeeping
Operations and Deputy Head of the
 Department of Peacekeeping
Operations in New York (2010-
2011). He was previously Special
Representative of the Secretary-
General for Timor-Leste and Head
of the United Nations Integrated
January 10, 2015
1) Who took over as the new
President of Sri Lanka on 9 January
2015 after President Mahinda
Rajapaksa was defeated in the
Presidential elections held on 8
20 CURRENT AFFAIRS
January? – Maithripala Sirisena
Explanation: Maithripala Sirisena,
representing New Democratic Front
(NDF) was the main opponent of
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was the
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candidate of the ruling United
Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) at
the level of Under-Secretary-
General (2006-2009).
People‟s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).
Sirsena was declared the winner
after receiving 51.28% of all votes
cast compared to Rajapaksa‟s
47.58%. These elections were
considered watershed elections in
Sri Lanka‟s democratic history and
Rajapaksa vacated “Temple Trees”,
his official residence in Colombo,
on 9 January. Later in the evening
Maithripala Sirisena took over as
island nation‟s 6th President at
Independence Square in Colombo.
UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe
was sworn in as the new Prime
Minister. It is worth mentioning that
Sirisena was once an associate of
Mahinda Rajapaksa. While sections
in Sri Lanka hoped for this election
outcome, his defeat was least
expected even two months ago.
 Rajapaksa had called for snap polls
in November, two years ahead of
schedule, targeting a record third
term in office. Hailed for his efforts
in crushing the rebel Tigers and
brining Sri Lanka‟s brutal war to an
end, Rajapaksa was widely
perceived as an invincible leader for
most part of his two successive
terms, until sections began getting
disenchanted over his family‟s
alleged dominance, allegations of
corruption and growing
authoritarianism.
2) French security forces ended a
three-day terror spree around Paris
on 9 January 2015 killing the two al-
Qaida-linked brothers who staged a
murderous rampage at „Charlie
Hebdo‟, a satirical newspaper.
What were the names of these two
brothers? –Said and Cherif
Kouachi
Explanation: Said and Cherif
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Kouachi methodically killed 12
people on 7 January 2015 at the
offices of the weekly newspaper
„Charlie Hebdo‟ before escaping by
car. The next day, a gunman police
identified as Amedy Couliably shot
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a policewoman to death south of
Paris. The two brothers were killed
near a printing plant in the town of
Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of
Paris, where they were holed up
with a lone hostage. Couliably was
killed at a Paris supermarket where
he was holding shoppers at
gunpoint and threatened to kill them
unless police let the Koachis go. All
the three were suspected to have
links with the Yemen unit of al-
Qaida. The worst terrorist attacks
France has seen in decades killed
at least 20 people, including the
three terrorists.
3) Which anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi‟s return to India from South
Africa was observed on 9 January
2015? – 100th
Explanation: 9 January 2015
marked the centenary of Mahatma
Gandhi‟s return to India from his
highly enriching trip of South Africa.
He spent 21 years (1893-1915) in
South Africa, where he developed
his political views, ethics and
political leadership skills. Mahatma
Gandhi first employed nonviolent
civil disobedience as an expatriate
lawyer in South Africa, in the
resident Indian community‟s
 struggle for civil rights. His South
African stay shaped his social
activism and awakened him to
social injustice. When he returned
to India permanently on 9 January
1915 he was a completely
transformed man from an
apparently shy young barrister to an
Indian nationalist, theorist and
organizer. In 2002 Indian Govt.
decided to celebrate 9 January as
“Pravasi Bharatiya Divas”(PBD) to
mark the contribution of the
overseas Indian community to the
development of India.
4) Vistara, the airline joint-venture
between Tata Group and Singapore
Airlines (SIA) started its operations
from 9 January 2015. This first flight
of the airline was between which
two cities? – Delhi to Mumbai
Explanation: Vistara thus became
the third full-service carrier in the
country, after state-run Air India and
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private carrier Jet Airways. The
launch of the new full-service airline
marks the re-entry of Tata group in
the airline business after over six
decades. The Tata Group had
announced in September last year
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the formation of a 51:49 joint
venture with Singapore Airlines to
launch a full-service carrier in the
country. The group also holds 30%
stake in the domestic arm of the
Malaysian budget airline AirAsia
India. However, Indian aviation
space has been going through
turbulent weathers in the recent
past. While Kingfisher had to be
grounded after making a big splash
with its positioning as a „luxury‟
carrier, budget airline SpiceJet is
currently going through tough times.
5) What is the name of the first new
antibiotic discovered in 30 years
that has been hailed as a major
discovery in medicine world as it
could pave the way for a new
generation of antibiotics? –
Teixobactin
Explanation: The discovery of
Teixobactin was announced in
science journal „Nature‟ during
January 2015. It is the first new
antibiotic to be discovered in nearly
30 years and has been hailed as a
„paradigm shift‟ in the fight against
the growing resistance to drugs.
Teixobactin has been found to treat
many common bacterial infections
such as tuberculosis, septicaemia
 and C. diff, and could be available Explanation: Syrians, for the first
within five years. But more time, became the largest refugee
importantly it could pave the way for population under UNHCR‟s
a new generation of antibiotics mandate, overtaking Afghans, who
because of the way it was had held that position for more than
discovered. This discovery was three decades. As of June 2014,
made by a team from Northeastern the three million Syrian refugees
University in Boston, now account for 23% of all refugees
Massachusetts (US) who being helped by UNHCR worldwide.
discovered a new way of using an Despite dropping to second place,
electronic chip to grow the microbes the 2.7-million Afghan refugees
in the soil and then isolate their remain the largest protracted
antibiotic chemical compounds. The refugee population under UNHCR
first antibiotic Penicillin, was care. Following that, the leading
discovered by Alexander Fleming in countries of origin of refugees were
1928 and more than 100 Somalia (1.1 million), Sudan
compounds have been found since, (670,000), South Sudan (509,000),
but no new class has been found the Democratic Republic of the
since 1987. The lack of new drugs Congo (493,000), Myanmar
coupled with over-prescribing has (480,000) and Iraq (426,000).
led to bacteria becoming Pakistan, which hosts 1.6 million
increasingly resistant to modern Afghan refugees, remains the
medicines. biggest host country in absolute
terms. According to the report India
6) Which country overtook was home to over 2,00,000
Afghanistan to become the country refugees in the first six months of
23 CURRENT AFFAIRS

with the largest refugee population 2014. India was home to 1,98,665
under UNHCR‟s mandate as stated refugees as of June 2014 and had
by the U.N. Refugee Agency 4,718 pending cases of asylum
(UNHCR) in its new Mid-Year seekers, bringing the total
Trends 2014 report released on 8 population of concern to 2,03,383.
Page

January 2015? – Syria

 January 11, 2015
1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
11 January 2015 inaugurated the
Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 (VGS
15), a flagship programme of the
Gujarat government, in
Gandhinagar, which was also
attended by UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon and US Secretary of
State John Kerry. This is which
edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit?
– 7th
Explanation: Three-day Vibrant
Gujarat Summit of 2015 is touted to
be the biggest ever, with a host of
24 CURRENT AFFAIRS
high-profile business as well as
political leaders attending it. Apart
from Ban Ki-Moon and John Kerry,
several ministers from Europe,
Japan, Australia and Canada and
over 50 CEOs of top Indian as well
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as international companies are
paricipating in the summit that will
conclude on 13 January. Eight
countries -Canada, Japan, China,
Australia, the Netherlands,
Singapore, South Africa and the
U.S. – are partnering with the state
government of Gujarat in this
summit. Vibrant Gujarat Summit is
the name given to a biennial
investors‟ summit held by the
government of Gujarat. The event is
aimed at bringing together business
leaders, investors, corporations,
thought leaders, policy and opinion
makers; the summit is advertised as
a platform to understand and
explore business opportunities in
the State of Gujarat. VGS was first
held in 2003.
2) Bihar Government and the Bihar
State Tourism Development
Corporation (BSTDC) on 10
January 2015 organised the first of
its kind walk through a 13-km forest
trail which Lord Gautama Buddha
had taken to reach Rajgir from
Bodh Gaya around 2,543 years
 ago. What was the name given to
this highly successful initiative in
which people from 11 countries
took part? – “Buddha Heritage
Walk”
Explanation: The first-ever Buddha
Heritage Walk introduced by the
BSTDC started from Jethian in
Rajgir district, around 100 km
southeast of Patna. Buddha took
this route when he decided to move
to Rajgir after attaining
enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. He
was welcomed at Jethian by
Bimbisar, the king of Magadh
Empire, whose Capital was Rajgir.
Bimibsara took Buddha to Venu
Van, around 13 km from there, and
offered the place to him as a gift.
Buddha had stayed there during his
visit. The route is well-documented
and is believed by scholars to be
the only authentic one among
several such routes taken by
Buddha during his 45 years of
25 CURRENT AFFAIRS
preaching in various parts of India.
Over 500 pilgrims from 11 countries
converged on Jethian and took part
in this walk. Buddhists monks and
followers from Japan, China, South
Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
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Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Brazil participated in
this historic event.
3) Who was selected for the
prestigious Vikram Sarabhai
Memorial Award for 2015 presented
by the Indian Science Congress
Association (ISCA)? – M.Y.S.
Prasad, Director of Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota Range
(SHAR)
Explanation: Prasad was selected
for his outstanding contribution to
R&D in the field of space science in
his long and chequered career at
the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO). Prior to Dr.
Prasad, those who received this
award were former ISRO chairmen
Dr. Satish Dhawan, Dr. K. Kasturi
Rangan, Dr. G. Madhavan Nair and
Dr. K. Radhakrishnan. The ISCA,
which is a premier scientific
organization of the country
established in 1914 in Kolkata, has
been giving this award in alternate
years.
4) What is the name of the Indian-
origin executive who was named as
President of U.S. database
 behemoth Oracle during January
2015? – Thomas Kurian
Explanation: Thomas Kurian thus
became perhaps the single most
senior executive in the company
after co-CEOs Safra Catz and Mark
Hurd. He had joined the $38 billion
Oracle in 1996, was executive VP
(product development). He is
originally from Kerala an alumnus of
Bengaluru‟s St Joseph‟s Boys High
School. He holds a BA in electrical
engineering from Princeton
University, where he graduated
summa cum laude (highest
distinction). He has an MBA from
Stanford University where he was
an Arjay Miller scholar. Indians are
now at top levels in many IT firms –
the notable being Satya Nadella,
CEO of Microsoft, and Sundar
Pichai, head of most major Google
products. A recent entrant is
Bhaskar Ghosh, management
committee member and group chief
26 CURRENT AFFAIRS
executive of technology delivery at
Accenture.
5) Which Middle-east based bank
during January 2015 launched
region‟s first online-only consumer
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banking business will offer personal
finance products and credit cards?
–Gulf International Bank (GIB)
Explanation: Gulf International
Bank (GIB) is a Bahrain-based
entity but is 97%-owned by the
Saudi government. The online-only
retail banking business launched by
it has been launched for Saudi
Arabia and has been named as
“Meem”. It aims to have around a
3% share of the Saudi consumer
banking market by 2020. Saudi
Arabia is Middle-East‟s largest
economy and around two-third of
the country‟s population is under
30. Until now, GIB was solely a
wholesale bank and provided
services to big companies and
financial institutions. It needed a
bailout from the Saudi government
after suffering $757 million of losses
in 2007 from investing in complex
debt instruments linked to the U.S.
subprime housing crisis.
6) Tennis ace Roger Federer
achieved which milestone by
winning the Brisbane International
Open title on 11 January 2015? –
He claimed his 1,000th career
victory by winning this final
 Explanation: Switzerland‟s Roger
Federer defeated third-seeded
Milos Raonic of Canada by 6-4, 6-7
(2), 6-4 in the Brisbane International
final to claim his 1,000th career
victory. This was his 83rd title. Only
retired greats Jimmy Connors
(1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) have
won more than 1,000 matches on
the men‟s tour.
7) Which country created history on
10 January 2015 by winning its
maiden Hopman Cup by defeating
much stronger U.S. in the finals? –
Poland
Explanation: Poland defeated
much fancied United States led by
women‟s number one player
Serena Williams by 2-1 to win their
maiden Hopman Cup title. Poland‟s
Agnieszka Radwanska shocked 18-
time major champion Williams by 6-
4, 6-7 (7-3), 6-1 to give Poland 1-0
lead. However John Isner equalized
27 CURRENT AFFAIRS
the tie by defeating Jerzy Janowicz.
In the final matchJanowicz and
Radwanska combined to defeat the
US in the mixed doubles to give a
historic title win. The Hopman
Cup is an annual international team
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indoor featuring world‟s top 8
mixed-gender teams and is played
at Perth (Australia). This was the
27th edition of Hopman Cup which
was founded in 1989.
8) West Indies created a world
record in chasing target in T20
when it successfully chased 232
run target set by hosts South Africa
at The Wanderers in Johannesburg
on 11 January 2015. Whose record
of highest T20 chasing it broke? –
India
Explanation: West Indies
successfully chased target of 232
run set by South Africa to beat
India‟s record of chasing 211
against Sri Lanka in 2009. A total of
467 runs were made in this South
Africa-West Indies match which is
also a new world record. Chris
Gayle (90 runs of 40 balls) and
Marlon Samuels (60 runs of 39
balls) steered West Indies to this
record chase as they won the T20
series too. Earlier South Africa‟s Faf
du Plessis blasted the second
fastest century (47 balls) in T20
internationals and he went on to
score 119 runs.
 January 13, 2015
1) India‟s first hi-speed Rural
Broadband Network (HSRBN) was
commissioned in which district of
Kerala and was declared the first
district in the country linked to the
National Optic Fibre Network
(NOFN) on 12 January 2015? –
Idukki District
Explanation: The hi-speed Rural
Broadband Network was
commissioned at Kerala‟s Idukki
district under the Digital India
Programme and the National
28 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)
project of the Union Government.
Minister for Communications & IT
Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated
this network. NOFN is the largest
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rural connectivity project of its kind
in the world. It seeks to link each of
the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats of
India through broadband optical
fibre network. On its completion,
NOFN is expected to facilitate
broadband connectivity to over 600
million rural citizens of the country.
2) The Supreme Court of India on
12 January 2015 gave what
important direction regarding e-
voting by non-resident Indians
(NRIs)? – It directed the central
government to enable e-voting
by NRIs within eight weeks
Explanation: With this Supreme
Court order NRIs will soon be able
to cast their vote from abroad,
without having to fly back to their
hometown during elections. SC
accepted an Election Commission
report recommending e-ballot
voting for Indian passport holders
abroad and it would have the
process in place after amending
laws. In e-voting, a blank postal
ballot paper is mailed to the voter,
who has to fill it and mail it by post
 to their constituency. The system
has almost no risk of manipulation,
rigging or violation of secrecy, the
commission has said in its report.
3) As per the latest Finance Ministry
data released on 11 January 2015,
private sector banks are way
behind their PSU peers when it
comes to opening financial
inclusion accounts under the
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY). What was the share of
private banks in this flagship
financial inclusion programme of
the government? –Around 3%
Explanation: As per the latest
Finance Ministry data, 13 private
sector banks have opened 30.47
lakh Jan Dhan bank accounts as
against 8.62 crore by state-owned
banks as on 7 January 2015.
Private banks have a market share
of about 20% in Indian banking
scenario, but their contribution in
29 CURRENT AFFAIRS
this flagship financial inclusion
programme of the government is
only about 3%. The number of such
accounts opened by even regional
rural banks (RRBs) stood at 1.92
crore. Prime Minister Narendra
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Modi launched the financial
inclusion scheme on 28 August
2014. The initial target was to open
7.5 crore such accounts, but the
later it was revised upwards to 10
crore to be completed by 26
January 2015. However, this target
has already been achieved.
4) The Assembly elections for 70
Assembly seats of National Capital
Territory (NCT) of Delhi would be
held on which date as announced
by the Election Commission of India
(ECI) on 12 January 2015? – 7
February 2015
Explanation: Keenly-awaited and
highly prestigious assembly
elections for NCT of Delhi (70
seats) would be held on 7 February
and results for the same would be
declared on 10 February 2015. ECI
stated that it hopes that the whole
process of elections in Delhi gets
completed by 12 February 2015.
The last Legislative Assembly of
NCT of Delhi was dissolved by the
President of India on
4th November, 2014 as no party
was found able to form a
government here. The forthcoming
elections are expected to be a
 three-cornered fight between the
BJP, AAP and Congress.
5) The Insurance Regulatory
Authority of India (IRDA) has got an
actuary after a gap of over three
years. What is the name of the
person assigned the post of
member (actuary) in IRDA? –
Pournima Gupte
Explanation: The post of member
(actuary) had been lying vacant
after R. Kannan retired from IRDA
in 2011. The post was kept vacant
for almost 3 years resulting in a
major bottleneck for insurance
companies in launching new
schemes. Gupte, who was originally
with Life Insurance Corporation
(LIC), had worked as actuary at
Reliance Life Insurance and IDBI
Federal. This is also for the first
time that a woman has been
appointed on the board of IRDA.
An actuary is a business
30 CURRENT AFFAIRS
professional who deals with the
financial impact of risk and
uncertainty. Actuaries provide
assessments of financial security
systems, with a focus on their
complexity, their mathematics, and
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their mechanisms.
6) Which club claimed its maiden
Federation Cup title after it won the
title clash held at Margao on 11
January 2015? – Bengaluru FC
Explanation: Bengaluru FC
defeated home side Dempo FC by
2-1 to win its maiden Federation
Cup title. This was the second
major title for Bengaluru FC in their
two years of existence. They have
won the I-League last season. For
Dempo FC, who won the title in
2004, they finished runners-up for
the fifth time. Federation Cup is
considered the second most
prestigious club football title in India
after I-League. It was first held in
1977.
7) Top seed Stanislas Wawrinka
retained the singles title of the
Chennai Open with a comfortable
6-3, 6-4 win over Slovenian qualifier
Aljaz Bedene in the final held on 11
January 2015. This was
Wawarinka‟s ……………Chennai
Open singles title? – Third
Explanation: World No. 4 Stanislas
Wawrinka has been the men‟s
singles winner at Chennai Open in
 2011 and 2014. In 2014, he went
on to win his first Grand Slam, the
Australian Open, just after winning
the Chennai Open.
8) Which German newspaper came
to news for being target of an arson
attack on 11 January 2015 after it
printed cartoons of French satire
magazine „Charlie Hebdo‟ following
the deadly attack on it? –
„Hamburger Morgenpost‟
January 14, 2015
31 CURRENT AFFAIRS
1) In an important development for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi‟s
“Make In India” pitch, for the first
time US aviation regulator the
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Federal Aviation Administration
Explanation: „Hamburger
Morgenpost‟, like many other
German newspapers, had printed
cartoons of French satire magazine
„Charlie Hebdo‟ after the deadly
attack on it on 7 January 2015 in
Paris. An incendiary device was
thrown at the newspaper building in
the night and documents were
burned inside. Two suspects were
arrested near the crime scene.
(FAA) gave its approval to two
aircraft parts manufactured by
Indian manufacturers. With these
FAA approvals the manufacturers
will be able to supply the parts to
aircraft manufacturing units in the
US and the world over. What are
the names of these two Indian
manufacturers? – The India arm of
UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS)
and HBL Power Systems
Explanation: A four-person life raft
developed by the India arm of UTC
 Aerospace Systems (UTAS) and
nickel-cadmium batteries developed
by Hyderabad-based HBL Power
Systems were approved by the
FAA. The approval from the FAA
implies that these two products are
now internationally certified. This is
the first instance of any aircraft
parts manufactured by Indian
entities being approved by the FAA.
To promote the development of the
aerospace industry under the PM‟s
ambitious „Make in India‟ scheme,
most state governments are coming
up with their aerospace and
defence manufacturing policies
providing significant incentives and
policy support to potential investors.
2) The Union Government during
January 2015 asked states to
deploy an open source Linux-based
operating system meant to run
official computers under an initiative
titled BOSS. The acronym BOSS
stands for what? – Bharat
32 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Operating System Solutions
Explanation: The BOSS initiative is
being proposed as a „homegrown‟
alternative to the Microsoft
Windows operating system, which
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is the predominant operating
system in use across Central and
state government computer
systems, alongside other Linux
variants such as Redhat and
Ubuntu, as well as Android and
Unix systems. The Government has
entrusted a Chennai-based state-
owned IT firm with the support and
promotion of BOSS.
3) The Union Govt. constituted a
Commission on Denotified and
Nomadic Tribes on 9 January 2015
for preparation of a State-wise list
of castes belonging to denotified
and nomadic tribes and suggest
appropriate measures in respect of
them. Who was appointed as the
Chairman of this Commission? –
Bhiku Ramji Idate
Explanation: Bhiku Ramji Idate is a
Mahar BJP leader from
Maharashtra, which is a Dalit sub-
caste. The terms of reference of the
Commission include preparation of
a State-wise list of castes belonging
to Denotified and Nomadic Tribes
and suggest appropriate measures
in respect of these tribes to be
undertaken by the Central
Government or the State
Government. Bhiku Ramji Idate
 took over as the Chairman of the
Commission while Shravan Singh
Rathore took over as its Member
Secretary.
4) The insurance regulator
Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority (IRDA)
expressed concern over the
skewed penetration of health
insurance in India with four states
accounting for 62% of premium.
Which four states are these? –
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Union Territory of
Delhi
Explanation: This concern was
expressed in the Annual Report for
2014-14 that was published during
January 2015. While these four
states contributed 62% of total
health insurance premium, the rest
32 States/UTs contributed only 38%
of total premium. In fact, the health
insurance premium from 8 sister
33 CURRENT AFFAIRS
States of North Eastern India was
only118 crore (0.6%) for 2013-14.
One of the reasons for the skew in
premium is that 46% of health
insurance premium comes from
group policies sold to corporates.
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As a result the coverage is highest
in states with high level of
industrialization.
5) Who took over as the Director
General Air Operations (DGAO) in
the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 13
January 2015? – Air Marshal Anil
Khosla
Explanation: Air Marshal Anil
Khosla has over 4000 hours of
flying experience having flown the
Jaguar and MiG 21. He has vast
instructional experience and has
been directing staff at prestigious
institutions like Tactics and Combat
Development Establishment
(TACDE) and Flying Instructor
School (FIS). He has commanded a
Jaguar squadron with maritime role
and two frontline bases of the IAF
at Jaisalmer & Ambala.
6) London-based financial journal
“Central Banking” named who as
the winner of the “Governor of the
Year” award on 13 January 2015? –
Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
Explanation: This is the second
major prize for RBI Governor since
he held the helm of RBI a little over
a year ago. He was named in
 recognition of the part the RBI and
its staff have been playing in
bringing macroeconomic stability to
the Indian economy, in creating
more competition and new growth
opportunities in the banking and
financial markets, as well as in
expanding financial inclusion. He
had earlier won the “Best Central
Bank Governor” award for 2014 by
Euromoney magazine. Rajan has
been credited with stabilising the
rupee and controlling stubbornly-
high inflation that rocked India‟s
economy for the last three years.
7) Who became the first Hindu to
be appointed as the Chief Justice of
Bangladesh on 12 January 2015? –
Justice S K Sinha
Explanation: Justice S K Sinha is
the first non-Muslim to become the
country‟s top judge. He will take
over on 17 January 2015 with the
present Chief Justice Muzammel
34 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Hossain retiring on 16 January on
reaching 67, the retirement age for
Supreme Court judges in
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Bangladesh. Sinha is known for a
number of landmark judgements
including those on the killing of
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and the 5th and
13th amendments to the
Constitution.
8) Which footballer was awarded
the FIFA Ballon d‟Or award for the
second year running and the third
overall on 12 January 2015? –
Cristiano Ronaldo
Explanation: Portuguese footballer
Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for
Spanish club Real Madrid, polled
more than double the number of
votes that were received by his
bitter rival Lionel Messi of
Argentina. Messi finished second
while Bayern Munich‟s German
goalkeeper Manuel Neuer took the
third spot. Joachim Loew won the
Coach of the Year of the award
after leading Germany to the World
Cup title in Brazil. Nadine Kessler
(Germany) won the women‟s Player
of the Year award.
 January 15, 2015
1) Who was named as the new
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
of India on 14 January 2015? –
Harishankar Brahma (H.S.
Brahma)
Explanation: H.S. Brahma will be
19th CEC and will take over from
V.S. Sampath who retires on 15
January 2015 after almost two and
half years as CEC. Brahma was
one of the two Election
Commissioners (ECs) in the
Election Commission of India (ECI)
till now. 60-year old Brahma, who
35 CURRENT AFFAIRS
hails from Assam, is a 1975 IAS
officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.
After J M Lyndogh, Brahma will
become the second officer from the
northeast to be appointed to this
post. The Chief Election
Page
Commissioner and Election
Commissioners are appointed by
the President for a tenure of six
years or up to the age of 65. The
Chief Election Commissioner can
be removed from office only
through impeachment by
Parliament.
2) What was the name of the
Director General of Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), who was
sacked from his post on 13 January
2015 by the Union Govt.? –
Avinash Chander
Explanation: Avinash Chander
was Secretary-cum-Director
General, DRDO and Scientific
Adviser to the Defence Minister. He
had retired on 30 November 2014
on attaining 64 years and was given
a contract for 18 months till 31 May
next year (2016). Thus his removal
after being given a contract raised
many doubts about government‟s
decision. Opposition parties
criticized this decision. It is worth
 mentioning that Avinash Chander
was one of the chief architects of
the Agni series of the ballistic
missile systems.
3) Which Indian drug company
engaged in production of generic
drugs was recently barred by the
Delhi High Court from making or
selling a cheaper copy of Novartis
AG‟s respiratory drug Onbrez
domestically? – Cipla Limited
Explanation: Cipla Limited, India‟s
fourth-largest generic drugmaker by
revenue, had launched its copy of
Onbrez in New Delhi during
October 2014 at a fifth of the
original drug‟s price, citing urgent
unmet need in India. But in
December 2014 Novartis
challenged the Cipla move in the
Delhi High Court. Onbrez,
chemically called indacaterol, is
used to treat chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease in adults, and
36 CURRENT AFFAIRS
patents covering the drug expire
only in 2020. The Delhi court, in its
order passed on 9 January 2015
observed Cipla did not provide any
figures about the inadequacy or
shortfall in the supply of the drug,
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while Novartis claimed it had
enough stocks to meet demand and
could supply more if needed.
4) Union Minister of State for
Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi was sentenced to one year
imprisonment along with 19 others
by a Rampur court on 14 January
2015. What is the charge on him? –
Breaching prohibitory orders
during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls
Explanation: Naqvi along with 19
other people were booked in Patwai
police station in Rampur for
allegedly breaching prohibitory
orders and barging in a police
station in Patwai area while
campaigning during 2009 Lok
Sabha polls. They were charged for
unlawful assembly and not adhering
to the Model Code of Conduct
under sections of the IPC and
Criminal Law Amendment Act. He,
however, got bail from a higher
court and was released.
5) What is the name of the
Samsung Electronics Co.‟s own
smartphone operating system, first
smartphone based on which was
 launched by the company in India
on 14 January 2015? – Tizen
Explanation: Samsung Electronics
Co. Ltd launched the first
smartphone (Z1) powered by its
Tizen operating system in India on
14 January. The development of
this operating system is being seen
a major development in Samsung‟s
aim to build a software ecosystem
to rival Google‟s Android. The
launch is a key step in the
company‟s strategy to break free
from the Android platform, which
powers Samsung‟s flagship Galaxy
devices and most other
smartphones on the market. The Z1
smartphone based on this new
operating system has been made
available in India only, targeting
first-time smartphone buyers.
6) What is the name of the Italian
President who handed in his
resignation as head of state on 14
37 CURRENT AFFAIRS
January 2015? – Giorgio
Napolitano
Explanation: 89-year old Giorgio
Napolitano resigned before the end
of his second term in office because
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of his advanced age. He was widely
respected outside Italy as a
guarantor of stability during the
euro zone crisis. His resignation left
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi with
the politically delicate task of finding
a successor. Italy is struggling to
emerge from years of recession
and the government faces a series
of hurdles to its economic and
constitutional reform agenda.
7) Pope Francis gave Sri Lanka its
first saint on 14 January 2015 at a
huge Mass held in capital Colombo.
What is the name of this Indian-
born missionary who thus became
the first Saint from the country? –
Joseph Vaz
Explanation: Vaz was born in 1651
in India‟s Goa, then a Portuguese
colony. He travelled south at the
age of 36 to Sri Lanka, a country
then divided into kingdoms after
hearing about the persecution of
Catholics by the Dutch, and worked
for years under the protection of a
Buddhist king, King
Vimaladharmasuriya II. The
canonisation of Joseph Vaz was
seen as an example of Pope
Francis‟s no-nonsense approach to
creating saints to meet the
 demands of the flock for new holy
figures, particular in parts of the
January 16, 2015
1) What is the name of the world‟s
newest jetliner that took to the skies
on 15 January 2015 carrying its first
paying passengers from Qatar? –
Airbus A350
Explanation: The first A350 Airbus
departed from the Qatari capital
Doha to Frankfurt, Germany on 15
January to mark the debut flight of
this relatively lightweight, twin-aisle,
long-range plane, which promises
38 CURRENT AFFAIRS
to connect smaller cities with major
aviation hubs nonstop at a cheaper
cost for airlines. The A350 is the
third and final major new aircraft in
a decade. First there was the
double-decker Airbus A380, which
Page
debuted in October 2007. It‟s the
world where the Church is still
growing.
world‟s largest passenger jet,
designed to carry up to 525
passengers between some of the
largest cities on the planet. Then
came the lightweight Boeing 787,
which carried its first passengers in
October 2011. It led to new nonstop
flights between cities that previously
didn‟t have enough passengers to
merit such service. The A350‟s
lightweight design allows it to burn
significantly less fuel than other jets
of similar size.
2) In a surprising move the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) on 15 January
2015 cut its repo interest rate by 25
basis points making its first
reduction in a year. What is the new
repo rate after this cut? – 7.75%
Explanation: Repo rate is the level
at which RBI lends to commercial
banks. RBI cited lower-than-
expected inflation, weak crude
 prices and weak demand as the
reasons for its move, as well as the
government‟s commitment to
sticking to a fiscal deficit target. The
RBI had been under pressure from
government and business leaders
to reduce repo rate to increase
lending and help kickstart the
economy, but RBI governor
Raghuram Rajan insisted that his
priority was bringing inflation under
control. India‟s wholesale price
index (WPI) for December 2014
rose just 0.11% year-on-year, after
staying flat in November 2014.
3) Who took over as the new
Chairman of Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) on
14 January 2015? – Alur Seelin
Kiran Kumar (A.S. Kiran Kumar)
Explanation: 62-year old A.S.
Kiran Kumar became the
8th Chairman of ISRO. He also took
over as Secretary Department of
39 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Space and Chairman of the Space
Commission. Credited with the
development of important imaging
payloads and the country‟s Earth
observation spacecraft, Kiran
Kumar inherited a 54-year-old
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organisation that is struggling to
surmount old twin issues – those of
self-reliance in satellite transponder
capacity and launch capability that
enables its GSLV rockets to lift our
communication satellites. It is worth
mentioning that his predecessor K.
Radhakrishnan had retired as the
ISRO Chairman on 31 December
2014. Shailesh Nayak (Secretary,
Union Earth Sciences Ministry) had
taken the interim charge of ISRO
for around a fortnight.
4) In an important development for
India‟s insurance industry, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15
January 2015 gave what three
major permissions to country‟s bank
with regard to their participation in
insurance business?
The banks have been allowed to
act as brokers for insurers
wherein they may undertake
insurance agency or broking
business departmentally and/or
through subsidiary
The banks have also been
allowed to set up subsidiaries
and joint venture companies for
undertaking insurance business
with risk participation
 The Banks have also been
allowed to act as corporate
agents without seeking prior
approval from the RBI
Explanation: Under existing
“Bancassurance” guidelines, a bank
can act as a corporate agent and
sell policy of only one life insurer
and one non-life insurance
company. The new guidelines allow
banks to act as brokers permitting
them to sell insurance policies of
different insurance companies.
However, banks would have to
comply with IRDA guidelines
wherever applicable. This RBI
announcement is expected to
increase insurance penetration in
the country.
5) Which Northeastern state of
India on 15 January 2015 officially
lifted prohibition ending almost two
decades of prohibition in the state?
– Mizoram
40 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Explanation: Prohibition in
Mizoram was lifted after the
Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and
Control) Act 2014 was enforced in
the state on 15 January. It replaced
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the Mizoram Liquor Total
Prohibition Act of 1995, through
which prohibition was imposed in
the state in 1995. Prohibition has
been revoked as the state
government is of the view that total
prohibition did more harm than
good to the people of the state as
many people died due to
consumption of spurious liquor.
However, the new law still provides
for strict punishment for drunken
driving, drinking without permit and
causing public nuisance.
6) Microsoft suspended the support
for its highly popular Windows 7
operating system on 14 January
2015, which according to some
industry estimates runs almost half
of the personal computers globally.
When Windows 7 was launched? –
October 2009
Explanation: The general
availability of Windows 7 was made
on 22 October 2009. It was
intended to address criticisms faced
by its predecessor, Windows Vista.
The company suspended
“mainstream support” of Windows 7
on 14 January, meaning neither
new features nor free help will be
given to Windows 7 users. The
 company will continue to patch
security vulnerabilities until 2020.
7) Kalanithi Maran, the promoter of
the beleaguered airline SpiceJet,
would transfer his entire stake in
the carrier to one of the original
founders of airline, who had
founded this airline in 2005. This
announcement was made by the
airline on 15 January 2015. What is
the name of this promoter? – Ajay
Singh
Explanation: As part of plan to
revive the airline, proposal of the
January 17, 2015
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1) India‟s first CNG (Compressed
Natural Gas) based train was
flagged-off by the Union Railway
Page
Minister Suresh Prabhu on 15
principal shareholder and promoter,
Kalanithi Maran and KAL Airways
Pvt Ltd, to transfer the ownership,
management and control of the no-
frills airline to Ajay Singh was
approved by the SpiceJet board at
its meeting on 15 January. Maran
and KAL Airways hold 53.48%
stake in the BSE-listed SpiceJet.
Retail investors hold 45.69% of the
company that has a total market
value of Rs. 1,000 crore. SpiceJet,
which has been going through a
turbulent patch, has been looking to
infuse fresh capital as part of efforts
to revive its sagging fortunes.
January 2015 from which station? –
Rewari (Haryana)
Explanation: Country‟s first CNG-
based train was launched on
Rewari-Rohtak and Rewari to
Bikaner section by the Railway
Minister. These trains based on the
dual fuel system, diesel and CNG,
and will reduce greenhouse gas
emission and consumption of
diesel. The Indian railway plans to
 start more such trains on other
routes in due course to reduce
diesel consumption.
2) Central Board of Film
Certification (CBFC) chairperson
Leela Samson on 15 January 2015
tendered her resignation amidst
controversy of a film featuring Dera
Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram
Rahim Singh in the lead role being
cleared by the Film Certification
Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). What is
the name of this controversial film
that was earlier rejected clearance
for public screening by the CBFC?
– “MSG – The Messenger of
God”
Explanation: The CBFC had
refused to clear the film for public
screening following which it was
referred to the appellate tribunal
(FCAT). Later some media reports
suggested that FCAT had cleared
this film. Samson‟s three year term
42 CURRENT AFFAIRS
had ended in April 2014 but had
been continuing with the charge in
the absence of a fresh appointment
by the Modi Government. She cited
“interference, coercion and
corruption of panel members and
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officers” appointed in the CBFC by
the Union Information &
Broadcasting Ministry as the
reasons for her resignation. Later
on 16 January another CBFC
member Ira Bhaskar also put in her
papers. Leela Samson is a
renowned Bharatnatyam dancer.
3) What is the name of the seed
trust that was set up by the Union
Government during January 2015
to promote more exploration of non-
coal minerals and meet the growing
needs of the domestic steel,
aluminium, copper and other
utilities? – National Mineral
Exploration Trust (NMET)
Explanation: The National Mineral
Exploration Trust (NMET) was set
up with a corpus of Rs. 500 crore to
begin with. The establishment of
NMET was announced through the
Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2015 that was
promulgated by the government
during January 2015. As per the
ordinance, holders of mining
leases or prospecting-cum-mining
leases would pay to the NMET a
sum equivalent to 2% of the royalty
they pay to the government. The
 trust would utilise the money for
fresh exploration. In effect, it would
function similarly to the state-run
Geological Survey of India (GSI) or
its junior counterpart Mineral
Exploration Corporation Limited
(MECL).
4) Which IT company during
January 2015 announced setting up
of the „Innovate in India Fund‟ worth
US $250 million that will be used for
investments in promising new
Indian companies? – Infosys
Explanation: Vishal Sikka, Chief
Executive Officer and Managing
Director of Infosys, announced
establishment of „Innovate in India
Fund‟ during his meeting with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 14
January 2015. The Fund will be
used to invest in young companies
innovating in next-generation
solutions and technologies such as
artificial intelligence (AI),
43 CURRENT AFFAIRS
automation, pervasive
connectedness as well as
collaboration and design
technologies.
Page
5) What is the name of a
controversial book on Congress
President Sonia Gandhi‟s life by
Spanish author Javier Moro that
was unofficially banned in India for
almost last 7 years and has been
released recently? – “The Red
Saree”
Explanation: The book, first
released in Spain seven years ago,
was not available in India as no
publisher invested in its English
translation, apparently reluctant to
take on the Congress, which was in
power for 10 years till May 2014.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu
Singhvi had threatened a lawsuit
against the author Moro.
6) What is the name of the former
director of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) who resigned
from the post of member of the
Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) during January 2015? –
Amar Pratap Singh (A.P. Singh)
Explanation: A.P. Singh was the
Director of CBI from 2010 to 2012
and he was appointed as a member
of the UPSC in 2013. He resigned
four years before the completion of
 his term and his resignation was
accepted by the President on 14
January 2015. No clear reason for
his resignation was known but
some sources close to him felt that
he resigned in response to a CBI
court‟s recent verdict on the fake
encounter case against BJP
president Amit Shah.
7) Indian open water swimmer
Bhakti Sharma came to news
during January 2015 for what
reason? – She set a world record
by swimming 1.4 miles in 52
minutes in one degree
temperature at Antarctic Ocean
Explanation: Bhakti Sharma
bettered the earlier record of British
open water swimmer Lewis Pugh
and American swimmer Lynne Cox.
She is now the youngest in the
world and the first Asian girl to have
achieved this feat. She has been
pursuing open water swimming for
44 CURRENT AFFAIRS
the last 10 years. She has now
conquered all the five oceans of the
world.
8) During January 2015 which
bullion company was slapped Rs.
Page
100 crore fine by the Directorate
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)
for violation of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) norms? – Riddhi Siddhi
Bullion Limited (RSBL)
Explanation: Mumbai-based RSBL
RSBL had imported 550 kg of gold
during 2014. According to a RBI
circular, this entire quantity should
have been re-exported. However, it
had shipped back only 350 kg and
the remaining 200 kg were supplied
to the domestic market, violating
NAC norms and the RBI circular.
DGFT also cancelled its nominated
agency certificate (NAC) for this
violation. NAC is the mandatory
document for direct import of
precious metals.
9) What is the name of the new
book written by Congress leader
and former Union Minister Shashi
Tharoor that was released on 15
January 2015? – „India Shastra:
Reflections on the Nation in Our
Time„
Explanation: According to the
author (Tharoor), the book is a
portrait of under-transformation
contemporary India. It contains 99
 essays on various contemporary
subjects. Tharoor had been a best-
selling author who had switched
over to politics after he joined
Congress in 2009 from being a top
diplomat in the United Nations
(UN).
10) Tourism in Switzerland
suddenly became expensive from
16 January 2015. What was the
reason for this? – Swiss central
bank decided to scrap a cap on
the Swiss franc that pushed the
currency up nearly 30%
Explanation: Swiss National Bank
(SNB), the central bank of
January 18, 2015
45 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page
Switzerland on 16 January 2015
took the decision to allow the franc
to surge. This resulted in around
30% appreciation in its value. This
appreciation thus made all utilities
and services in the country
expensive and it included tourism.
Tourism contributes 3% of Swiss
GDP and hotels and restaurants
employ 5% of the labour force. The
price of a six-day ski pass in
Verbier, a Swiss resort popular with
the Europeans, rose to 347 euros
on 16 January , from 296 before the
franc‟s surge. There were reports of
some cancellations in Switzerland
as visitors rushed to rearrange their
plans for the busy winter season.
1) In an important development for
Indian defence and aerospace
sector, Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL) handed over the first
indigenously manufactured Tejas
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
and Air chief Marshal Anup Raha at
Bengaluru on 17 January 2015. The
 LCA project was approved by the
Government of India in which year?
– 1983
Explanation: The ambitious LCA
project was approved by the Union
Government in August 1983 to
replace the aging MiG-21 aircrafts.
The initial cost of this project was
Rs. 560 crore. However, it took
almost 18 years for the first
prototype of LCA to be tested in
January 2001. It was named „Tejas‟
by the then Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee. The development
of the production series of LCA took
more time and the first aircraft
Tejas Series Production-1 (LCA-
SP1) was flown on 1 October 2014
by Commodore (retd) K A
Muthanna. The aircraft that has
been handed over has got Initial
Operational Clearance-II, which
signifies that Tejas is airworthy in
different conditions. The Final
Operational Clearance (FOC) is
46 CURRENT AFFAIRS
expected by the year end. The first
operational squadron of Tejas is
expected to be established by year
2017-18. One such aircraft is
expected to cost between Rs. 220
crore to Rs. 250 crore. The entire
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project by the DRDO and Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited is estimated to
cost over Rs. 30,000 crore.
2) Union Government on 16
January 2015 approved raising the
quarterly buffer stock and strategic
reserve limits of Food Corporation
of India (FCI) for both wheat and
rice. A change in FCI‟s buffer stock
is being done for the first time since
which year? – 2005
Explanation: In the revised norms,
FCI has to maintain a stock of
41.12 metric tonnes (mt) in the
second quarter as on 1 July,
instead of the earlier limit of 31.9
mt. And, 30.77 mt should be kept in
the third quarter as on 1 October,
against previous norm of 21.2 mt. A
marginally lower 21.04 mt is to be
maintained in the first quarter as on
April 1, as against 21.2 mt now.
Similarly, 21.41 mt to be kept in the
financial year‟s last quarter as on 1
January, as against 25 mt. The
buffer stocks and strategic reserve
norms stipulate the amount to be
held at the start of each quarter in a
financial year, to efficiently run
social welfare programmes like the
Public Distribution System (PDS).
However, due to bumper foodgrain
 harvest and an open-ended
purchase system, it usually stores
much more than stipulated by the
buffer norms. The revision is also
aimed at meeting World Trade
Organization (WTO) obligations that
governments must not store
foodgrain much in excess of
requirement. The annual foodgrain
requirement under the new food
security law is estimated to rise to
61.4 mt, as against the current 54-
56 mt. The previous government
had also tried raising the buffer
norm but could not get cabinet
approval because it was already
holding much more than needed for
the PDS.
3) Two US agencies NASA and
NOAA on 16 January 2015
disclosed that year 2014 was
Earth‟s hottest on record. They also
gave evidences to substantiate that
people are disrupting the climate by
burning fossil fuels that release
47 CURRENT AFFAIRS
greenhouse gases into the air.
Which was the hottest year till
2014? – Year 2010
Explanation: U.S. space agency
NASA and the National Oceanic
Page
and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), also came out with
evidences to suggest that climate
change was happening now and
that action was needed to cut rising
world greenhouse gas emissions.
The 10 warmest years since
records began in the 19th century
have all been since 1997, the data
showed. Last year was the
warmest, ahead of 2010,
undermining claims by some
skeptics that global warming has
stopped in recent years. Record
temperatures in 2014 were spread
around the globe, including most of
Europe stretching into northern
Africa, the western United States,
far eastern Russia into western
Alaska, parts of interior South
America, parts of eastern and
western coastal Australia and
elsewhere.
4) Biopic movie „The Theory of
Everything‟, which was released in
India on 16 January 2015, is based
on the life of which renowned
international physicist? – Stephen
Hawking
Explanation: „The Theory of
Everything‟ was released in Indian
theatres by Universal Pictures India
 on 16 January. This film is based
on the life of Stephen Hawking, the
iconic physicist, and is based on a
book on him written by his ex-wife
Jane Hawking. It features
Hawking‟s romance with Jane and
his struggle to live with motor
neuron disease. The film is one of
the front-runners for the Oscar
nominations.
5) The first of its kind 3-day Tribal
Food Festival-2015 was
inaugurated on 16 January 2015.
This festival is being organised in
which city? – Delhi
Explanation: This unique festival is
organised by the Tribal Cooperative
Marketing Development Federation
of India Limited (TRIFED) on behalf
of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
Govt. of India at Rajiv Gandhi
Handicrafts Bhawan, New Delhi.
The main objective of organizing
this unique event is to introduce
and create awareness on the
varieties of ethnic Tribal Foods to
the food lovers of Delhi with a view
to providing additional source of
income to the tribals. Tribal master
cooks are participating in the food
festival with their ethnic traditional
delectable cuisines from all over the
country.

January 19, 2015

1) Which bank was ranked at
highest place among Indian banks
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in the list of the Top 50 Most Valued

Global Banks (in terms of market
capitalization) that was released by
Bloomberg on 17 January 2015? –
HDFC Bank
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 Explanation: HDFC Bank, which is
India‟s second-largest private bank
(in terms of asset size), was ranked
at 45th place in Bloomberg‟s List of
Top 50 Most Valued Global Banks
of 2015. The bank was assigned
45th rank in the list with total market
capitalization of $39 billion. State-
run State Bank of India (SBI), with
market capitalization of $38 billion,
followed HDFC Bank with 46th place
in this elite list. ICICI Bank, ranked
53rd, was the only other Indian entity
to figure in the list of the 100 Most
Valued Global Banks. Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)
topped the list with a market
capitalization of $285 billion, over
seven times that of HDFC Bank.
Chinese banks dominate the list of
the top 10 global banks, with Bank
of China ($212 billion), China
Construction Bank ($208.1 billion)
and Agricultural Bank of China
($202 billion) also figuring in the list.
Wells Fargo ($263 billion) and JP
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the total number of its shares
outstanding by its stock price.
2) Union Government on 16
January 2015 launched a new Rs.
200 crore venture capital fund
(VCF) for the Scheduled Caste
(SC) community with the objective
of promoting entrepreneurship in
the community. Which financial
entity will act as sponsor, settler
and Asset Management Company
(AMC) for this fund? – IFCI
Explanation: IFCI will act as
sponsor, settler and asset
management company to operate
the scheme, and would contribute
Rs. 50 crore that would comprise
Rs. 5 crore as sponsor and Rs. 45
crore as investor. The main
objective of the fund is to provide
support and concessional finance to
entrepreneurs belonging to the SC
community. Under the scheme,
financial assistance up to Rs. 15

crore for a period up to six years

Morgan Chase ($205 billion) are
would be provided to SC
other major global banks, ranked
entrepreneurs. SCs constitute
second and fifth, respectively. The
around 16.6% of the country‟s total
market capitalization, or value, of
population.
an entity is calculated by multiplying
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 3) South African captain AB de
Villiers scored the fastest ever one-
day international (ODI) century on
18 January 2015 as he scored his
century of off just 31 balls against
the West Indies in the ongoing ODI
series. Whose world record he
broke? – Corey Anderson (New
Zealand)
Explanation: Last year New
Zealand‟s Corey Anderson had
scored his century off 36 balls
against West Indies to broke
Pakistan Shahid Afridi‟s record
made off 37 balls against Sri Lanka
in 1996. AB de Villiers broke
Andersen‟s record by scoring his
historic century in 5 less balls at
Johannesburg. He scored 16 huge
sixes in his innings to equal India‟s
Rohit Sharma‟s record of equal
number of sixes. AB de Villiers went
on to make 149 in the innings to
steer his side to a mammoth total of
439. This was South Africa‟s
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highest ever ODI score, beating the
438-9 in a win against Australia in
March 2006. South Africa defeated
West Indies by 148 runs in this
match to lead the ODI series 1-0.
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4) 24 children were selected for the
National Bravery Awards 2015 as
announced by the Union
Government on 17 January 2015.
Who were the winners of the
prestigious Sanjay Chopra and
Geeta Chopra Awards given under
National Bravery Awards? –Master
Devesh Kumar (Sanjay Chopra
Award) and Gunjan
Sharma (Geeta Chopra)
Explanation: 16½ year old Devesh
Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was
chosen for Sanjay Chopra Award
for displaying outstanding courage
while confronting two chain-
snatchers. 13½ year old Gunjan
Sharma of Assam displayed
exemplary valour in saving her
friends from the clutches of the
abductor. RumohMeto (13½ years)
of Arunachal Pradesh, Late Riya
Chaudhary (15 years) of Uttar
Pradesh and Late Monika (16
years) of Uttarakhand have been
given the Bapu Gaidhani Awards.
Other winners are Zeal Jitendra
Marathe, Hiral Jitubhai Halpati and
Late Gaurav Kumar Bharti (all from
Gujarat), Sahanesh R (Karnataka),
Ashwini Bandu Ughade
(Maharashtra), L. Brainson Singh
 and G. Tooldev Sharma (both from Soumyajit Ghosh(Men‟s title)
Manipur), Ripa Das (Tripura), and Mouma Das (Women‟s title)
Balram Dansena (Chhattisgarh),
Explanation: Soumyajit Ghosh
Rajdeep Das (Jharkhand), Anjith.P,
defeated G. Sathiyan in the men‟s
Aqil Mohammad NK and Midhun
singles final by 11-7, 9-11, 11-3, 13-
PP (all from Kerala), Stevenson
11, 13-15, 11-9 and thus regained
Lawriniang (Meghalaya), Late
the title he had won in Raipur in
Mesak K. Remnalalnghaka
2013. Mouma Das defeated veteran
(Mizoram), Mhonbeni Equng
Poulomi Ghatak in the women‟s
(Nagaland), Labhanshu
singles final by 7-11, 7-11, 11-3, 14-
(Uttarakhand) and Late Gaurav
12, 11-7, 11-6. Mouma‟s last
Kumar Bharti (Uttar Pradesh).
National title came way back in
Sanjay Chopra and Geeta Chopra
2007 (Ajmer) while Poulomi had
Bravery Awards were instituted in
won in 2012 (Lucknow).
1978 the Indian Council for Child
Welfare institute for children under
6) Pankaj Advani won his seventh
the age of 16 and are conferred
Senior National Billiards
every year along with the National
Championship title by winning the
Bravery Awards. Bapu Gaidhani
Nationals held at Kolkata on 17
Awards were instituted in 1988-89.
January 2015. Whom he defeated
National Bravery Awards for
in the final? – Dhruv Sitwala
children were first rewarded in
1957. Explanation: Pankaj Advani, the
winner of 12 different world titles (in
5) Who won the men‟s and different cue categories) easily
women‟s singles title in the senior defeated Dhruv Sitwala by 5-0 to
51 CURRENT AFFAIRS

National Table Tennis win his seventh national senior title.

Championships that concluded at
Puducherry on 18 January 2015? –
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 January 20, 2015
International Foundation for
Development Alternatives and
People‟s Union for Civil Liberties
(PUCL). Kothari has been counted
as one of the great political thinkers
of the 20th century.

2) Who was appointed as the new

1) Renowned political scientist and
Chairman of the Central Board of
theorist Rajni Kothari passed away
Film Certification (CBFC) on 19
on 19 January 2015 in Delhi. He
January 2015 to replace Leela
was the founder of which
Samson who quit recently? –
prestigious institution engaged in
Pahlaj Nihalani (Noted Hindi film
research in the field of political and
producer)
human sciences? –Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies Explanation: Nihalani, who has
(CSDS) produced films such
as „Aankhen‟ and „Shola aur
Explanation: CSDS is a Delhi
Shabnam‟, has been appointed in
based institution that was founded
honorary capacity and his
by Rajni Kothari in 1963. Kothari
appointment became effective from
also started Lokayan (Dialogue of
19 January 2015 for a period of
the People) in 1980 as a forum for
three years. The nine persons who
52 CURRENT AFFAIRS

interaction between activists and

were appointed as CBFC members
intellectuals. In 1985, Lokayan was
include writer-director Chandra
awarded the Right Livelihood
Prakash Dwivedi, best known for
Award, also known as “Alternative
the television serial Chanakya,
Nobel”. He was also associated
scriptwriter Mihir Bhuta, Bengali
with Indian Council of Social
film actorGeorge Baker, Tamil and
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Science Research (ICSSR),

 Telugu actor Jeevitha, actor Vani
Tripathi Tikoo (national secretary
of BJP), Tamil playwright and film
actor S Ve Sekar, Syed Abdul
Bari, Ramesh Patange and
filmmaker Ashoke Pandit. All these
members were also appointed for a
period of 3 years.
3) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 19 January 2015 came up with
its additional guidelines on „Interest
Rates on Advances‟. What
important guidelines on base rates
were issues?
Banks have been allowed to
review their base rate
methodology three years after it
has been finalised, down from
the current five years (This is to
provide banks greater operational
flexibility to them)
From now, the spread (or the
mark up over the base rate)
charged to an existing borrower
53 CURRENT AFFAIRS
by banks could not be increased
except on account of
deterioration in the credit risk
profile of the customer or change
in the tenor premium (This means
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that if the credit rating of an existing
borrowing unit deteriorates then at
the time of the annual renewal of
loan limit, the spread charged over
the base rate will be increased.
Otherwise the interest rate remains
unchanged)
Explanation: Base rate is the
minimum interest rate below which
a bank will not lend. The Base Rate
system was introduced with effect
from 1 July 2010 to enhance
transparency in lending rates of
banks and enable better
assessment of transmission of
monetary policy.
4) Union Ministry for Water
Resources would celebrate year
2015-16 as which year to spread
the message the message of water
conservation as announced on 17
January 2015? – „Jal Kranti Varsh‟
(Water Revolution Year)
Explanation: Under „Jal Kranti
Varsh‟ programmes will be
organised in each district of the
country to highlight the need of
conservation and saving of water.
This was announced by Uma
Bharati, the Union Minister for
Water Resources, River
 Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation.
5) What is the name of the Indian-
American entrepreneur and
philanthropist who was presented
with the prestigious Martin Luther
King Jr Award on 18 January 2015
in Washington? – Frank Islam
Explanation: Frank Islam was born
in Azamgarh, a district in Uttar
Pradesh and went to the United
States at the age of 15. He is now a
successful entrepreneur,
philanthropist, civic leader and
thought leader with a special
commitment to civic, educational
and artistic causes. He was given
this prize in recognition of his
contribution to the legacy of the
great leader, through his efforts in
international service and civil
engagement.

January 21, 2015

estimated the tiger population in the
country at around 2,226, a rise of
over 30% since the last count in
2010. Tiger population had dipped
to 1,411 in 2006 but has improved
since then. Which state has the
largest number of tigers according
to this report? – Karnataka
54 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: According to this

report Karnataka had the largest
1) The Country Wide Tiger number of 406 tigers followed by
Assessment Report (CWTAR) for Uttarakhand (340), Tamil Nadu
2014 was released on 20 January (229), Madhya Pradesh (208),
2015 by Environment Minister Maharashtra (190) and West
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Prakash Javadekar. The report Bengal (76). The report revealed

 that India is now home to 70% of
the world‟s tigers. The total number
of tigers was estimated to be
around 1,706 in 2010 which had
earlier dipped to an alarming 1,411
in 2006. The report said that the
total estimated population of tigers
was somewhere around 1,945-2491
(2,226) as per 2014 census while
as per the 2010 census, it was
between 1,520 and1909. The
country had an estimated 100,000
tigers at the beginning of the
20th century.
2) Which company overtook
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to
become the country‟s most
profitable private company for the
quarter ended December 2014? –
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Explanation: The Tata Group
owned TCS‟ net profits for the
quarter ending December 2014
stood at Rs. 5,327.60 crore,
55 CURRENT AFFAIRS
compared with RIL‟s Rs. 5,256
crore. RIL‟s consolidated net profit
declined for the first time in more
than two years as the company had
to suffer huge inventory losses
because of the crash in global
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crude oil prices. By overtaking RIL
in net profits, TCS clinched a feat
no other company has managed in
the last 23 years. RIL has been
topping the profitability charts since
1992-93, when it went past Tata
Steel in the rankings. However, RIL
remains India‟s biggest company by
sales though. Its consolidated sales
in the December quarter stood at
Rs. 93,500 crore, more than four
times TCS‟ quarterly sales of Rs
21,300 crore. RIL operates the
world‟s largest refinery in Gujarat.
TCS is a global player and gets
most of its business from the US
and Europe.
3) The European Union (EU) on 20
January 2015 decided to lift a ban
on the import of mangoes from
India after India made
improvements in plant health
controls and certification systems.
This effectively cleared the return of
Indian mangoes to the 28-member
EU for 2015. When EU had
imposed this ban? – On 1 May
2014
Explanation: The EU had imposed
a temporary ban on Indian
mangoes that came into effect from
1 May 2014. The ban was to remain
 effective until December 2015 and
was imposed after the authorities
had found consignments infested
with fruit flies that they feared could
damage European salad crops. On
20 January 2015 a European
Commission committee voted to lift
the ban. The legislation now needs
to be formally adopted and
published by the European
Commission. The EU accounts for
more than 50% of total exports of
fruits and vegetables from India.
The UK is the main destination,
followed by the Netherlands,
Germany and Belgium.
4) Which scheme of the Union
Govt. was conferred with the
Guinness record on 20 January
2015? – Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
Yojana (PMJDY)
Explanation: The PMJDY scheme
created a Guinness World Record
for opening the maximum number
56 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Guinness authorities officially
handed a certificate to Union
finance minister Arun Jaitley in
Delhi on 20 January 2015.
5) Micro-blogging site Twitter
acquired which Indian mobile phone
marketing start-up as announced by
it on 20 January 2015? – ZipDial
Explanation: ZipDial is a
Bengaluru-based company that
gives clients phone numbers for
use in marketing campaigns.
Consumers call the numbers and
hang up before connecting and
incurring charges, and then receive
promotion-related text messages.
The service capitalises on a local
tradition of communicating through
so-called missed calls. The
acquisition is the latest in India by
global tech giants who have
snapped up companies in a
fledgling startup scene,
concentrated in the tech hub of

of bank accounts in the shortest Bengaluru.

possible time. Altogether, 11.5
crore accounts have been opened 6) China‟s economy grew by 7.4%
under the scheme in less than five in 2014 according to the official
months. The scheme was launched data revealed by the Chinese
on 28 August 2014 with a target of Government on 20 January 2015.
Page

7.5 crore till 26 January 2015. The

 This was China‟s slowest growth when credit collapsed, bad loans
rate in how many years? – 24 spiked and key activity indicators
years fell to multi-year lows. A series of
modest support measures from the
Explanation: The 7.4% growth rate
government over the year helped
recorded in China during 2014 was
stave off worries of a more dramatic
the slowest growth rate recorded
slowdown. Chinese economy is
since 1990. The growth rate during
expected to lose more momentum
2013 was 7.7%. However, few had
this year, keeping pressure on
expected China to meet its 7.5%
policymakers to head off a sharper
full-year target, but the performance
downturn.
was better than feared at one point

January 22, 2015

announced by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi during 2014 and is
being launched on 22 January
2015? –9.1% p.a.

Explanation: SSA will attract

interest rate of 9.1% per annum for
the current fiscal year (2014-15).
SSA scheme prescribes opening of
57 CURRENT AFFAIRS

a deposit account with post offices

in the name of a girl child by her
1) What will be the interest rate
biological parents or legal guardian.
(notified on 20 January 2015) for
A girl is allowed only one account,
investments in Sukanya Samriddhi
while a parent can open such an
Account (SSA), the special deposit
account for a maximum of two girl
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scheme for girl child that was

children. The account can be
 opened in the name of a girl child
from birth till she attains the age of
10. A girl child who attains the age
of 10 years a year prior to the
commencement of new scheme will
also be allowed to open an account.
One can deposit maximum of Rs.
1.5 lakh in one financial year. This
is the same amount on which tax
benefit is available under Section
80C of Income Tax. The scheme is
being launched on 22 January
2015.
2) State-run Steel Authority of India
Limited (SAIL) and South Korean
steel major Posco recently agreed
to jointly set up a 3-million-tonne
integrated plant in India. This plant,
to be established with an estimated
investment of Rs. 18,000 crore
would be set up in which state? –
Jharkhand
Explanation: This greenfield
project would be set up adjacent to
58 CURRENT AFFAIRS
SAIL‟s existing plant in Bokaro
(Jharkhand). SAIL and Posco have
resolved their earlier differences on
ownership of the proposed project.
It has been decided that SAIL and
Posco would hold 49% stake each
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and the remaining 2% would be
held by a financial institution. Since
the PSU has adequate surplus land
at its Bokaro unit, the proposed
project would not need to acquire
any additional land. This
development is being seen as a
huge fillip to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi‟s „Make in India‟
initiative.
3) Union Government on 21
January 2015 launched a new plan
that seeks to preserve and
rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage
of the country. What is the name of
this plan? –National Heritage
Development and Augmentation
Yojana (HRIDAY)
Explanation: HRIDAY was
launched by Union Urban
Development Minister M.Venkaiah
Naidu on 21 January. It seeks to
promote an integrated, inclusive
and sustainable development of
heritage sites, focusing not just on
maintenance of monuments but on
advancement of the entire
ecosystem including its citizens,
tourists and local businesses.
Under HRIDAY Rs.500 crore would
be provided to the 12 cities selected
in the first phase and the Central
 Government will meet the entire
expenditure under the scheme.
These 12 cities include Varanasi,
Amritsar, Warangal, Ajmer, Gaya,
Mathura, Kanchipuram, Vellankini,
Amaravati, Badami, Dwarka and
Puri.
4) Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF),
believed to be Asia‟ biggest literary
event, was kicked-off from 21
January 2015 at Jaipur. The 5-day
event is which edition of the festival
which draws authors, poets and
celebrities from all over the world?
– 8th
Explanation: JLF is an annual
literary festival that is held at
Rajasthan‟s capital Jaipur since
2006. The main venue of this
festival is the Diggi Palace Hotel
while some events are also held at
Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort and
Narain Niwas. China-born British
author Jung Chang, former
59 CURRENT AFFAIRS
President A P J Abdul Kalam, actor
Naseeruddin Shah, playwright
Girish Karnad, Nobel laureate V S
Naipaul, renowned contemporary
travel writer Paul Theroux, Pulitzer
Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri,
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Oscar-nominated screenwriter and
novelist Hanif Kureishi are few of
the participants for this 8th edition of
JLF.
5) What is the name of the 13-year
old Indian-American student who
recently became the youngest
entrepreneur in Silicon Valley (US)
as he launched a company to
develop low-cost machines to print
Braille? – Shubham Banerjee
Explanation: Shubham Banerjee is
an 8th Grade student of California.
He founded his own start-up
company called Braigo Labs to
develop low-cost machines to print
Braille. Tech giant Intel Corp.
recently invested in his company.
He ventured into this business as
he was shocked to learn that Braille
printers, also called embossers,
cost at least $2,000, too expensive
for most blind readers, especially in
developing countries. His newly
started company seeks to develop
a desktop Braille printer that costs
around $350 and weighs just a few
kilograms, compared with current
models that can weigh more than
nine kilograms. His main product
has been named “Braigo”, a name
that combines Braille and Lego, and
 has won numerous awards and
enthusiastic support from the blind
community.
6) A new milestone in neonatal care
was achieved during January 2015
after a six-day-old baby girl‟s
kidneys and liver cells were given to
two separate recipients after her
heart stopped beating. This
complex procedure was performed
in which country? –United
Kingdom
Explanation: The six-day old girl
baby was born with some serious
ailments. She had been starved of
oxygen before birth and despite
resuscitation had profound brain
damage. Doctors at UK‟s Imperial
College (London) transplanted her
kidneys to a patient with renal
failure while in a separate operation
her liver cells were transfused to
someone with a failing liver. The
surgery was incredibly difficult and
60 CURRENT AFFAIRS
intricate as kidneys at this stage of
life are just around 5 cm long. Thus
the first transplant of organs from a
newborn became a success.
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7) Which company retained its
position as number one in global
vehicle sales in 2014? –Toyota
Motor Company
Explanation: Japanese company
Toyota Motor sold 10.23 million
vehicles globally during 2014 to
stay on top. Volkswagen AG of
Germany occupied second spot
with 10.14 million vehicles followed
by General Motors of the US which
sold 9.92 million vehicles during the
year. GM had been the top-selling
automaker for more than seven
decades until being surpassed by
Toyota in 2008.
8) Three Russian Olympic
medalists – Sergey Kirdyapkin,
Valery Borchin and Olga Kaniskina
were tested positive for abuse of
performance improving drugs and
were subsequently banned by the
Russian Anti-Doping Agency
(RUSADA) on 20 January 2015. All
three of these athletes are
associated with which discipline? –
Walking
Explanation: Sergey Kirdyapkin
was the gold medallist in men‟s 50
km walk at London Olympics 2012
 while Kaniskina won a silver medal
at the same games. Both were
banned for three years and two
months. Borchin, who won the gold
medal in men‟s 20 km walk at the
Beijing Olympic Games in 2008
received a ban for eight years from
15 October 2012 and hence would
not be able to compete at the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Now the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) would
decide whether to rescind medals
of these banned athletes.

January 23, 2015

- The govt. should reduce
coverage under the National
Food Security Act (NFSA) to 40%
of the population from the
existing 67%.

- FCI procurement should focus

1) The 8-member committee led by
BJP MP Shanta Kumar to
recommend a complete overhaul of
the functioning of the Food
61 CURRENT AFFAIRS
on eastern belt, where farmers
do not get minimum support
price (MSP)
- FCI should hand over the task
of bulk procurement of foodgrain
to state agencies of states like
Punjab, Haryana, Andhra

Corporation of India (FCI), Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and

submitted its report to the Union Odisha for wheat and rice
Government on 21 January 2015.
- Food grain under NFSA for
What are the main
those under below poverty line
recommendations of this
should be raised to 7kg per
committee?
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 person from the present norm of
5kg per person
- Grain storage should be
outsourced to private and
government agencies like state-
owned Central Warehousing
Corporation (CWC) and state
warehousing corporations
- Uniform tax of minimum 3% and
maximum 4% and the same to be
included in the MSP, in view of
some states imposing
higher Mandi (market) taxes on
wheat and rice
- “End-to-end computerisation”
and setting up of a vigilance
committee to strengthen
distribution of foodgrains and
check leakage in PDS
- Implementation of cash transfer
in 52 cities having 1 million or
more population in two years and
the option of either supplying
grain or cash transfer should be
62 CURRENT AFFAIRS
given to deficit states
Explanation: This committee was
set up in August 2014 under the
chairmanship of Shanta Kumar
(BJP MP) to give suggestions for a
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complete overhaul of the
functioning of FCI, which is the
Union government‟s nodal agency
for procurement and distribution of
foodgrains. Other members of the
committee are FCI Chairman-cum-
Managing Director C Viswanath,
Electronic and IT Secretary Ram
Sewak Sharma, G Raghuram (IIM,
Ahmedabad), G. Nancharaiah
(Hyderabad University), chief
secretaries of Punjab and
Chhattisgarh. Initially, the
committee was asked to submit the
recommendation in three months,
but it sought two-month extension.
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
unveiled the “Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao” campaign on 22 January
2015. This campaign was launched
from which district of Haryana
which has amongst the lowest child
sex ratios in the country? – Panipat
Explanation: “Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao” (Save the Daughter,
Teach the Daughter) campaign was
launched with the objective
improving India‟s child sex ratio.
The scheme was launched at
Painpat in Haryana, a state with
one of the poorest sex ratio in the
country. The Prime Minister
 administered a pledge to the
gathering that they will work to end
female foeticide and discrimination
against girls. “Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao” will focus on 100 gender
critical districts where the child sex
ratio is particularly low by enforcing
existing laws that criminalize pre-
birth gender selection, and by
improving girls‟ school attendance,
among other measures. India‟s
child sex ratio dropped from 964 in
1971 to a low of 918 in 2011,
according to U.N. data. Between
2001 and 2011, the decline was
seen in more than two-thirds of the
districts in the nation. On this
occasion Sukanya Samridhi
Account (SSA) scheme (girl child
prosperity scheme) was also
launched, under which girl children
below 10 years will have bank
accounts with more interest and
income tax benefits.
3) Union Government has planned
63 CURRENT AFFAIRS
to sell how much of its stake in oil
marketing major, Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC), for which the
Finance Ministry has invited
proposals from merchant bankers
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and brokers? – 10%
Explanation: Union Government
currently owns 68.57% stake in
IOC. It expects to get
around Rs. 8,000 crore through this
sell-off and the effort on is to close
the transaction by 31 March 2015.
Completing the divestment in IOC
this fiscal is crucial as the mop-up
via this route is well below target.
Until now, the Centre has managed
raising a little over Rs. 1,700 crore
against the planned Rs. 43,125
crore.
4) The Delhi Development Authority
(DDA) and the National Buildings
Construction Corporation (NBCC)
have tied up to construct Delhi‟s
first 100-storey building in
Karkardooma, East Delhi. This
iconic tower is part of which
proposed project to develop East
Delhi region on lines of „Smart
City‟? – “East Delhi Hub” project
Explanation: A total of 75 acre
land has been earmarked for the
“East Delhi Hub” project and it will
be based on the Transit Oriented
Development (TOD) norms and
“smart city” principles. There is a
proposal to construct one iconic
tower having more than 100
 storeys, among other buildings
under this project. Still at the
drawing board stage, the proposal
will have to go through a series of
clearances, especially on account
of the iconic tower.
5) The BSE Sensex crossed which
milestone level for the first time on
22 January 2015? – 29,000 points
Explanation: The BSE Sensex
scaled the historical 29,000 peak
for the first time on 22 January. On
this day it ended over this milestone
mark. On the other hand the Nifty
edged above 8,750 as stock
markets opened at record highs for
the third consecutive session.
Hopes that a low interest rate
regime will kick-start the domestic
investment cycle and buying of
shares by foreign investors were
the two big reasons for this record
high in stock markets.
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6) What is the name of the Yemeni
President who resigned from his
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post on 22 January 2015 due to
pressure from Houthi rebels, with
whom he had tried to enter into an
agreement? – Abed Rabbo
Mansour Hadi
Explanation: President Mansour
Hadi was held captive by Houthi
rebels on 21 January 2015 a day
after they seized the presidential
palace in capital Sana‟a. Later he
tried to reach an agreement with
rebels to seek their withdrawal from
areas overlooking the presidential
palace. But the agreement talks
reached a deadlock as rebels
asked for further concessions. He
tendered his resignation to Yemeni
Parliament raising doubts that
country could again split apart. The
Houthis, an ally of Iran, swept into
the capital four months ago and
have emerged as the dominant
force in the country. President
Mansour Hadi was a close ally of
US in the fight against Al-Qaida in
the region.
 January 24, 2015
1) Which historic move pertaining to
Scotland was started by the British
government on 22 January 2015? –
It began the process of transfer
of power to Scotland from this
day
Explanation: The process of
transfer of power to Scotland was
initiated by paving the way for a
draft bill for the same. This was
done keeping in mind the pledge
the British government had given to
persuade Scots to reject
independence from Britain in the
milestone referendum held in
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September 2014. The draft bill, to
be enacted after a general election
on 7 May 2015, will further
dismantle Britain‟s highly
centralized system of government.
This transfer of power could trigger
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the beginning of the end of the
United Kingdom. Under the law,
Scotland, which voted to reject full
independence in the September
referendum, will be able to set
income tax rates, influence welfare
spending, and have authority to
decide how the Scottish parliament
and other structures are elected
and run.
2) Who was appointed the new
King of Saudi Arabia on 23 January
2015 after the death of King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud? –
Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud
Explanation: Salman bin Abdul-
Aziz al-Saud is Abdullah‟s brother
and was crown prince when
Abdullah ruled the country. Salman
is best known for overseeing the
development of the Saudi capital,
Riyadh, during his nearly 50 years
as its governor. He became the
country‟s defense minister in 2011
as a series of uprisings were
shaking Arab leaders who had long
been Saudi allies. 90 year old King
 Abdullah earlier passed away in the
early hours of 23 January 2015. He
had played very important role in
carrying out reforms in Saudi
Arabia. He ascended to the throne
on 1 August 2005 upon the death of
his half-brother, King Fahd. During
his reign he maintained close
relations with United States and
Britain and bought billions of dollars
worth of defense equipment from
both states. He also gave women
the right to vote and to compete in
the Olympics.
3) The European Central Bank
(ECB) on 22 January 2015
announced what major step to
revive the sagging European
economy? – It announced the
plan to launch a €1 trillion govt.
bond buying programme that will
infuse huge amount of money
into economy
Explanation: ECB would purchase
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sovereign debt starting from March
2015 until the end of September
2016 in an effort to release €60
billion euros ($68 billion) a month
into the European economy. This
announcement is the ultimate policy
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decision by the ECB for reviving
economic growth and warding off
deflation in the euro zone economy.
However, it was felt that this
measure could also have negative
impact as it could allow spendthrift
countries to slacken economic
reforms. ECB is the central bank for
the euro and administers monetary
policy of the euro zone, which
consists of 19 EU member states
and is one of the largest currency
areas in the world.
4) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 22 January 2015 came out with
which guideline on loan cost for
country‟s commercial banks? – It
directed all banks to display all
costs associated with loans on
their website
Explanation: The RBI made it
compulsory for banks to set out
every possible cost in respect of the
loan in a fact sheet at the
processing stage. Banks will also
have to publish the „annual
percentage rate‟ representing the
total cost of credit to an individual
borrower. Besides, they will have to
display on their website the interest
rate range for various contracted
loans for the past quarter for
 different categories of advances.
The significance of RBI direction is
that it will make it possible for
borrowers to compare loans from
two lenders. Also, by making the
charges a part of the contract, the
RBI has reduced leeway for lenders
to vary pre-payment charges
subsequently.
5) India‟s foreign exchange
reserves touched an all-time high of
$322.135 billion in the week ended
16 January 2015 on account of a
surge in foreign currency assets.
When was the previous best in
country‟s foreign exchange
reserves observed? – 2 September
2011
Explanation: India‟s foreign
exchange reserves as on 2
September 2011 stood at $320.79
billion and it was the previous best
than the levels observed on 16
January 2015. The foreign currency
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assets (FCAs), a major constituent
of overall reserves, jumped $2.685
billion to $297.53 billion in the
reporting week. FCAs, expressed in
dollar terms, include the effect of
appreciation and depreciation of
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non-US currencies such as the
euro, pound and yen, held in
reserves.
6) An Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) of the country claimed to have
developed a 10-inch netbook, which
it claims could be the world‟s
cheapest, at around Rs 6,000.
Which IIT has developed this
netbook? – IIT Bombay
Explanation: The netbook,
conceived during the institute‟s
work with the low-cost Akash tablet,
will be unveiled in the second week
of February 2015. In a bid to
address the needs of students and
to drive information creation, the
team at IIT Bombay thought it was
important to have a fully functional
keyboard as opposed to a virtual
keyboard, more battery time, a
larger screen size (10 inches as
compared to a 7-inch screen on a
tablet), greater memory, more
storage, a normal USB slot (not a
micro USB), while not letting go of
the price focus. The netbook also
needed to be light-weight for
students to carry comfortably.
 7) Who was named as the new
South Korean Prime Minister by
country‟s President Park Geun-hye
on 23 January 2015 to replace
Chung Hong-won? – Lee Wan Koo
Explanation: It is worth mentioning
that Chung Hong-won had offered
to resign over a ferry disaster that
killed more than 300 people in April
last year. But his resignation was
kept in abeyance then. The
government led by President Park
Geun-hye is going through heavy
public criticism about her allegedly
poor communications with the
public and lack of transparency in
personnel decisions. South Korea‟s
executive power is concentrated in
the president but the prime minister
leads the country if the president
January 25-26, 2015
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becomes incapacitated. Lee Wan
Koo is country‟s top
parliamentarian.
8) The 17-time Grand Slam
champion Roger Federer was
ousted out of the Australian Open in
the third round on 23 January 2015.
Which unseeded player defeated
him in this match? – Andreas
Seppi (Italy)
Explanation: Unseeded Andreas
Seppi defeated Federer by 6-4, 7-6
(5), 4-6, 7-6 (5) to oust him from the
tournament. He hasn‟t been beaten
this early at the Australian Open
since 2000. It was also the
unseeded Seppi‟s first win against
Federer in 11 matches.
1) U.S. President Barack Obama
arrived on 25 January 2015 on his
historic 3-day visit to India. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi broke with
protocol to meet the President as
he landed in New Delhi. What is a
 historic fact associated with this
India visit of Barack Obama? – He
became the first sitting U.S.
president to visit India twice
Explanation: Obama has already
made a state visit of India during
November 2010. With this visit he
became the first sitting U.S.
president to visit India twice. Dwight
Eisenhower was the first U.S.
President to visit India (in 1959).
Other U.S. Presidents to visit India
are Richard Nixon (1969), Jimmy
Carter (1978), Bill Clinton (2000)
and George W. Bush (2006).
Obama is also the first American
President to become Chief Guest at
India‟s Republic Day Celebrations.
2) Which major agreements were
reached between India and the
United States on the occasion of
the second summit between Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
U.S. President Barack Obama held
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in Delhi on 25 January 2015? –
- The civil nuclear agreement that
would allow nuclear contracts to
be signed between U.S. firms and
India
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- A renewed Defence Strategic
Framework, which covers all
aspects of defence cooperation,
including the Defence Trade
Technological Initiative under
which the two countries could
co-produce four “pathfinder
projects” and study cooperation
on aircraft carriers and jet-engine
technology
- Establishment of secure
hotlines between the Indian
Prime Minister and the U.S.
President and National Security
Advisors (NSAs) of the two
countries
- 3 MOUs for Indian
government‟s smart city initiative
in which the U.S. would assist
India
Explanation: The civil nuclear
agreement signed between the two
countries on 25 January 2015
would allow commercialisation of
the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal
that was signed in 2005. The deal
also signalled a significant
diplomatic victory for India‟s stand
that it would not dilute its liability
law, although it would almost
definitely mean a higher cost to any
 nuclear deal concluded with U.S. United States Trade and
companies than was earlier Development Agency and the
anticipated. For the last few years, respective Chief Secretaries of
talks on the civilian nuclear deal‟s State Governments of Uttar
administrative arrangements had Pradesh (for Allahabad), Rajasthan
been stalled after the U.S. raised (for Ajmer) and Andhra Pradesh (for
objections to India‟s Compensation Vishakhapatnam). As per the pacts,
for Nuclear Liability and Damages the U.S. will assist the cities in
law of 2010. The law included two project planning, infrastructure
sections, 17(b) and 46, which the development, feasibility studies and
U.S. felt would indemnify capacity building. The State
companies supplying nuclear Governments for their part will
reactors and parts to India beyond provide resources like technical
what was required by international information and data related to
law or Convention on smart cities planning; staff, logistical
Supplementary Compensation and travel support and budgetary
(CSC). resources.

3) India and the United States 4) Union Government announced

signed three Memoranda of
Understandings (MoUs) on 25
January 2015 as part of Indian
Government‟s ambitious “Smart
Cities” scheme. Under these
MOUs, the U.S. would assist India
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104 Padma awards consisting of
the Padma Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Shri on the
eve of country‟s 66th Republic Day
on 25 January 2015. How many
personalities were named for

in developing three smart cities to Padma Vibhushan, which is

be developed in which cities? – country‟s second highest civilian
Allahabad, Ajmer, and award after Bharat Ratna? – Nine
Visakhapatnam (9)

Explanation: Three MoUs were Explanation: These nine Padma

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signed by the representatives of Vibhushan awardees include BJP

 patriarch Lal Krishna Advani,
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal, senior advocate K.K.
Venugopal, nuclear scientist M.R.
Srinivasan, philanthropist
Veerendra Heggade, Sanskrit
scholar Swami Rambhadracharya,
actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip
Kumar and Karim Al Hussiani Aga
Khan (the spiritual leader of the
world‟s Ismaili Muslims). 20 Padma
Bhushan and 74 Padma Shri
awards were also announced.
Among the 20 names to be
awarded the Padma Bhushan are
senior advocate Harish Salve,
journalists Swapan Dasgupta, Rajat
Sharma, former Chief Election
Commissioner N. Gopalaswami,
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his
wife Melinda Gates, constitutional
expert Subhash Kashyap and
Carnatic vocalist Sudha
Raghunathan.
Click Here for Complete List of
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Padma Awards winners 2015
5) Who became the first ever
woman officer to lead the
ceremonial Guard of Honour by
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leading the Guard of Honour
contingent that was inspected by
the U.S. President Barack Obama
at Rashtrapathi Bhavan on 25
January 2015? – Wing
Commander Pooja Thakur
Explanation: Wing Commander
Pooja Thakur belongs to the
administrative branch of the Indian
Air Force (IAF) and is currently
posted at „Disha‟, the publicity cell
under the Directorate of Personnel
Officers at the Air Force
Headquarters.
6) Top seed Saina Nehwal defeated
the reigning World Badminton
singles champion in the women‟s
singles final of the Syed Modi
International Grand Prix Badminton
Championships in Lucknow to win
the title on 25 January 2015. What
is the name of this world champion
whom Sania defeated in the finals?
– Carolina Marin (Spain)
Explanation: Saina outplayed
Carolina Marin to win the one-hour
and 19-minute marathon final 19-
21, 25-23, 21-16 and clinch the
Grand Prix Gold crown at the Babu
Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium,
Lucknow.
 Explanation: Third seed P.
7) Who won the men‟s singles title Kashyap defeated top seed and
of the $120,000 Syed Modi compatriot Kidambi Srikanth by 23-
International Grand Prix Badminton 21, 23-21 to win the men‟s singles
Championship on 25 January 2015 title.
that was held at Lucknow? – P.
Kashyap (India)

January 27, 2015

security protocol by remaining in
the open for more than two hours

Explanation: The security

guidelines of the U.S. Secret
Service, the exclusive agency
responsible for an American
1) The nation celebrated its
President‟s security, mandate that
th
66 Republic Day on 26 January
he does not spend more than 45
2015 with the main programme
minutes at any open-air venue. He
being held in the form of the
however, broke this sacred security
Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in
protocol by remaining in the open
capital New Delhi. U.S. President
for more than two hours when he
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Barack Obama made his place in

graced the Republic Day
the history books by becoming the
celebrations at Rajpath as the Chief
first American President to be Chief
Guest of the event. He also
Guest at this event. Which another
departed from the tradition of
distinction was made by Obama by
accompanying the President of
participating in this event? – He
India (Pranab Mukherjee) and
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broke the U.S. Secret Service‟s

 preferred to be driven to the venue
in his own multi-layered bulletproof
car „The Beast‟.
2) Apart from US President Barack
Obama being the first ever US
President to become the Chief
Guest of the Republic Day Parade,
this event also became historic due
to which reason? – This was the
first time that all-women‟s
contingent of the Indian Army,
Navy and Air Force took part in
this parade
Explanation: The Republic Day
Parade of 2015 became historic for
the women of the country whose
empowerment remained the central
theme of this event. From the
women contingent of the three
armed forces who marched in the
parade for the first time to state
tableaux depicting women at the
forefront, the event left the women
members in the crowd emotional
73 CURRENT AFFAIRS
and proud. Captain Haobam Bella
Devi, a second generation army
officer from Manipur, unfurled the
tricolour at this marquee event, thus
becoming the first woman to do so.
The women contingent of the Indian
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Army was led by Captain Divya
Ajith. Ajith earlier had created
history by becoming the first women
in the history of the Indian Army to
have won the coveted „Sword of
Honour‟, awarded to the best cadet,
in 2010 at the passing-out-parade
ceremony at the OfficersTraining
Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
3) What are the names of the two
army personnel who were
posthumously conferred with the
Ashok Chakra, India‟s highest
peacetime military honour, on 26
January 2015 on the occasion of
country‟s 66th Republic Day? –
Late Major Mukund
Varadarajan andlate Naik Neeraj
Kumar
Explanation: Late Major Mukund
Varadarajan and late Naik Neeraj
Kumar had laid down their lives
while battling groups of militants in
separate operations in Shopian and
Kupwara districts of Kashmir
respectively. The wives of the two
martyrs were given the Ashok
Chakras by the President Pranab
Mukherjee just before the
th
commencement of the 66 Republic
Day Parade.

4) Who took over as the new Prime
Minister of Greece on 26 January
2015 after his party scored a
historic win in the landmark
elections held in the country? –
Alexis Tsipras
Explanation: 40-year old Alexis
Tsipras took oath as Greece‟s
youngest Prime Minister on 26
January, a day after his leftwing
Syriza party swept to a sensational
victory in the snap election held in
the country on 25 January. He was
administered oath by President
Karolos Papoulias in a brief
ceremony held at capital Athens.
The election was held earlier than
scheduled due to the failure of the
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Greek parliament to elect a new
leader by 29 December 2014.
Tsipras‟ Syriza party secured 149
out of 300 seats in these elections.
After this Syriza party had formed a
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coalition with right-wing
independent parties. His win sent
shockwaves throughout Europe as
this could put the country on a
possible collision course with the
EU over its massive bailout started
in 2010. A majority of voters in
Greece have essentially rejected a
core policy for dealing with the
eurozone crisis as devised by the
European Union (EU) and the
European Central Bank (ECB).
Tsipras thus formed an anti-bailout
govt. determined to face down
international lenders and end nearly
5 hours of tough economic
measures.
5) R.K. Laxman, believed to be the
greatest cartoonist India has
produced, passed away on 26
January 2015 in a hospital in
Mumbai at the age of 93. He was
best known for his daily cartoon
strip “You said it” that featured the
common man, his legendary
 creation. This iconic carton strip Explanation: 22-year old Paulina
was published in which newspaper? Vega triumphed over first runner-
– „The Times of India‟ up, Miss USA Nia Sanchez in the
final round to win the coveted title.
Explanation: R.K. Laxman‟s daily
Contestants from the Netherlands,
cartoon strip “You said it” was first
Jamaica and Ukraine rounded out
published in „The Times of India‟ in
the five finalists at this event.
1951. His “common man” character,
Noyonita Lodh, India‟s contender
featured in his pocket cartoons, was
for the Miss Universe title, failed to
portrayed as a witness to the
reach the Top 10 in the contest.
making of democracy. Laxman was
This was the 63rd edition of Miss
the younger brother of late R.K.
Universe pageant. Vega is the
Narayan, the legendary English
fourth woman from South America
writer and novelist.
to win the pageant in the past
seven years, with contestants from
6) Who won the Miss Universe for
Venezuela taking the title last year
2015 that concluded on 25 January
as well as in 2007 and 2008.
2015 at Miami in (United States)? –
Paulina Vega of Colombia

January 28, 2015

1) 70th anniversary of the liberation
75 CURRENT AFFAIRS

of the infamousAuschwitz
concentration camp run by the
German Nazi forces was observed
on 27 January 2015. This camp is
situated in which country, where
around 1.1 million people, with vast
Page
 majority of Jews, were killed
between 1940 and 1945? – Poland
Explanation: Auschwitz
concentration camp consisted of a
series of German Nazi
concentration camps and
extermination camps built and
operated by the Nazi forces in
Polish areas annexed by Nazi
Germany during World War II. It
comprised of three major camps –
Auschwitz I (the original camp),
Auschwitz–Birkenau and
Auschwitz-Monowitz, apart from
some 45 smaller satellite camps.
Auschwitz–Birkenau went on to
become a major site of the Nazi
atrocities. From early 1942 until late
1944, transport trains delivered
Jews to the camp‟s gas chambers
from all over German-occupied
Europe, where they were killed with
the pesticide Zyklon B. At least 1.1
million prisoners died at Auschwitz,
around 90% of them Jewish.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated
by the Red Army of the Soviet
Union on 27 January 1945. It was
opened as a museum in 1947.
German President Joachim Gauck
and French President Francois
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Hollande were among the world
leaders who took part in the
70th anniversary observance on 27
January at Auschwitz (Poland).
2) In 2014 which airport claimed the
title of theworld‟s busiest
international airport from
London‟s Heathrow airport, which
had held this coveted title for
decades? – Dubai International
Airport
Explanation: Dubai International
Airport handled 70.5 million
international passengers during
2014 to emerge as the world‟
busiest international airport. In the
process it overtook London‟s
Heathrow Airport, which handled
68.09 million international
passengers in the same year.
Dubai has used its location at a
geographical crossroads between
Europe, Asia, Africa and the
Middle-east to establish itself as a
 base for inter-continental transfer
flights, with Emirates already the
world‟s No. 1 carrier by international
traffic. However, measured by total
customers, the two hubs continue
to lag behind Atlanta Hartsfield-
Jackson (U.S.), home base to Delta
Airlines, which handled 96.2 million
passengers during 2014. China‟s
Beijing airport handled 86.1 million
in 2014. These two airports got
most passengers from domestic
flights.
3) What is the name of the asteroid
that flew past the Earth on 26
January 2015? –2004 BL86
Explanation: 2004 BL86, that flew
past about 745,000 miles (1.2
million kilometers) from Earth on 26
January 2015, is measuring about a
third of a mile (half a kilometer) in
diameter. This asteroid orbits the
sun every 1.84 years and was
discovered 11 years ago by the
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Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid
Research, or LINEAR, telescope in
New Mexico. It is the largest
asteroid to pass this close to Earth
until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies by in
2027. The flyby of 2004 BL86 also
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was the closest approach the
asteroid will make to Earth for at
least the next two centuries. U.S.
space agency NASA currently
tracks more than 11,000 asteroids
in orbits that pass relatively close to
Earth. NASA has found more than
95% of the largest asteroids, those
with diameters 0.65 miles or larger,
with orbits that take them relatively
close to Earth.
4) What name was given to
the winter snow storm that hit the
northeastern states of the United
Stateson 26 and 27 January 2015
that resulted in huge amount of
snowfall and shutting down of
public transport and cancellations of
thousands of flights? –„Juno‟
Explanation: Due to winter storm
„Juno‟, parts of Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New York and Rhode Island saw
more than a foot of snow. The snow
 storm (blizzard) was initially billed
as possibly one of the worst-ever in
New York but it left only moderate
snow in the city. However, New
England bore the brunt of „Juno‟
with many areas buried in snow.
„Juno‟ was expected to hit a large
area of the U.S. East Coast from
Philadelphia to New York City to
Maine. The National Weather
Service (NWS) had placed states
from New Jersey to Indiana under
winter storm watches and
advisories.
5) At least nine people, including 5
foreigners, were killed when a
group of gunmen stormed a
Tripoli hotel (in Libya) on 27
78 CURRENT AFFAIRS
January 2015 and blew themselves
up. What is the name of this luxury
hotel, popular with western tourists,
that was involved in this attack? –
Corinthia Hotel
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Explanation: The Corinthia Hotel is
used by foreign diplomats and
government officials while a number
of foreign companies have
makeshift offices in the hotel. Three
militants rushed inside the hotel
after setting off a car bomb outside
the luxury hotel. After heavy firing
inside the hotel, they made it to the
24th floor which is a major hub of
diplomatic activity. Then they blew
them up by detonating the
explosive belts they were wearing.
It was claimed that the dead
included an American, two Filipinas,
a French citizen and a South
Korean. Tripoli branch of Islamic
State (IS) jihadist group later
claimed the responsibility of this
attack through a statement on
Twitter. It claimed that the attack
was carried out in revenge for the
death of Abu Anas al-Liby, a Libyan
jihadist who was suspected of
involvement in the bombings of two
US embassies in East Africa in
1998. Liby died on 2 January 2015
days before he was due to stand
trial.
6) What is the name of the first
female bishop in the Church of
 England who was ordained as a
bishop on 26 January 2015? –
Libby Lane
Explanation: 48-year old Libby
Lane became the first ever female
bishop in the last 500 years of the
male dominated Church of England.
She was consecrated in a
ceremony held at York Minster
cathedral in north England. The
English Church had formally
adopted legislation during
November 2014 to allow women
bishops, following decades of
argument over women‟s ordination.
However, in an indication that some
Anglicans still oppose women‟s
ordination, the service was briefly
January 29, 2015
79 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page
delayed by an opponent of the
change.
7) 14-time Grand Slam singles
champion Rafael Nadal was
ousted from the Australian
Open on 27 January 2015 by which
player? – Tomas Berdych (Czech
Republic)
Explanation: Spanish tennis ace
Rafael Nadal was defeated in the
quarterfinals by seventh-seeded
Tomas Berdych by 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5).
Nadal was seeded third in this
grand slam event but he was facing
numerous fitness related problems
and had himself claimed that he
was unlikely to win more than a few
rounds at the event this year.
1) Who was appointed as the new
Foreign Secretary after the Union
Govt., in a surprising move, sacked
Sujatha Singh about seven months
before her tenure on 28 January
2015? – Dr. S. Jaishankar
 Explanation: Dr. S. Jaishankar is
at present India‟s Ambassador to
the United States. He was chosen
for this post apparently for his role
in rebuilding India-U.S. ties after the
Devyani Khobragade incident,
capped by the visit of U.S.
President Barack Obama to New
2) According to announcement
Delhi. He was due to retire on 31 made by international financial
January 2015, which pushed the
transactions agency – Society for
timing of the decision. Prior to his
Worldwide Interbank Financial
assignment in Washington, Telecommunication
Jaishankar had served as
(SWIFT), which currency has
Ambassador to China, and was
recently become one of the top
credited by former PM Dr. five most-used currencies in the
Manmohan Singh for his deft
world, overtaking the Canadian
handling of tensions between New
dollar and the Australian dollar? –
Delhi and Beijing over the LAC in Chinese Yuan
2013. On the other hand, with her
sacking, Sujatha Singh became the Explanation: SWIFT disclosed
first Foreign Secretary to be that Chinese Yuan accounted for a
removed unceremoniously after record 2.17% of global payments in
Rajiv Gandhi removed A.P. December 2014, up from 1.59% in
Venkateswaran 28 years ago in October 2014. It thus overtook
1987. Sujatha‟s father T.V. Canadian dollar and the Australian
Rajeshwar was a former IB chief dollar to become fifth largest used
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and an old Congress loyalist. currency globally. It was preceded

by the Japanese Yen with 2.69%,
while the U.S. Dollar topped the
chart with 44.6%, followed by the
Euro and the British Pound with
28.3% and 7.92%, respectively.
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 During December 2014, global
payments in Yuan increased by
20.3% while growth for payments
across all currencies was 14.9%
during the same period. The
Chinese government has been
trying to boost the use of the Yuan
globally by appointing more clearing
banks overseas, and also allowing
investors to devote offshore
holdings of the currency in domestic
capital markets.
3) Which company reported
quarterly profits of $18 billion on 27
January 2015 which isthe largest
profit in global corporate
history? – Apple Inc.
Explanation: Profit of $18.02 billion
reported by Apple Inc. was the
biggest-ever reported by a public
company, worldwide. This was
mainly due to record sales of
iPhones by the company. Apple
sold 74.5 million iPhones in its fiscal
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first quarter ended December 2014,
while many analysts had expected
fewer than 70 million. With this,
company‟s revenues rose to $74.6
billion from $57.6 billion a year
earlier. Apple‟s cash pile is now
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$178 billion, enough to buy IBM or
the equivalent to $556 for every
American. The company also
confirmed that it did not sell more
iPhones in China than the United
States, despite some earlier
predictions by research analysts.
However, iPhone‟s sales in China
rose by over 70% during the year.
4) U.S. space agency NASA on 27
January 2015 announced
the discovery a star that is 11.2
billion years old and has at least
five Earth-size planets. What is the
name given to this star, whose
discovery could point to the
existence of alien life? – Kepler-
444
Explanation: Kepler-444 was
discovered by NASA‟s Kepler
satellite. It hosts five planets
smaller than Earth that vary in size
between those of Mercury and
Venus. These planets are so close
to their star that they complete their
orbits in fewer than 10 days.
 Kepler-444 is 25% smaller than our
Sun and is 117 light years from
Earth. The discovery of this sun is
significant because it proves that
such planets had formed
throughout the 13.8-billion-year
history of the universe and could
also provide scope for the existence
of ancient life in the galaxy.
5) During January
2015, excavations at which two
Harappan sites in India was
started as announced by the
Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI)? – Rakhigarhi (Haryana)
and Binjor (Rajasthan)
Explanations: Rakhigarhi is
situated some 25 km from Jind in
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Haryana while Binjor is situated in
Anupgarh tehsil of Sri Ganganganar
district close to the India-Pakistan
border in Rajasthan. The
excavations at Rakhigarhi site are
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being conducted by the Haryana
Department of Archaeology and the
Deccan College Post-Graduate &
Research Institute, Pune. On the
other hand the excavations at Binjor
are conducted by the
Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI). With the discovery of two
more mounds last year at
Rakhigarhi, the site had staked
claim to be the largest Harappan
site. One of the two newly
discovered mounds would be dug
this season. There are about 2,000
Harappan sites in India, Pakistan
and Afghanistan, with 500 in India
and 1,500 in Pakistan. At its glory,
the Harappan civilisation flourished
over two million square km, from
Sutkajendor on the Makran coast of
Balochistan to Alamgirpur in Uttar
Pradesh, and from Manda in
Jammu to Daimabad in
Ahmednagar district of
Maharashtra.
6) Social-networking site Facebook
was hit with a major outage
globally on 27 January 2015 due to
which its users were not able to
access it for periods ranging from
45 minutes to 2 hours. On its part
Facebook claimed that an internal
 technical change affected its
configuration systems and denied
that it was hacked. However, a
group notorious for attention-
seeking antics online claimed
responsibility for this outage. What
is the name of this group? – Lizard
Squad
Explanation: Lizard Squad is a
notorious hacking group that was
established in August 2014 by
mounting an attack on popular
game „League of legends‟. It later
attacked servers of another major
game „Destiny‟ during November
2014 and on Xbox Live (1
December 2014). It also claimed
the attack on Malaysian Airlines
website on 26 January 2015. But it
was apparent that this outage was
caused by internal server problem
rather than an external attack as
Facebook‟s use of multiple data
centres meant an attack on one
would have affected one region but
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this outage was global.
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7) On 27 January 2015 Finnish
researchers claimed to have
developed a new search engine
that outperforms current
ones and helps people search
much more efficiently than search
engine behemoth Google. What is
the name of this search engine that
has been developed at the Helsinki
Institute for Information Technology
(HIIT)? – SciNet
Explanation: SciNet search engine
is different because it changes
internet searches into recognition
tasks by showing keywords related
to the user‟s search in topic radar.
People using SciNet would be able
to get relevant and diverse search
results faster, especially when they
do not know exactly what they are
looking for or how to formulate a
query to find it. Once initially
queried, SciNet displays a range of
keywords and topics in a topic
radar. With the help of the
directions on the radar, the engine
 displays how these topics are
January 30, 2015
1) India Ratings (Ind-Ra), a leading
rating agency of the county, on 28
January 2015 stated that the
revision in base year of India‟s
national accounts will increase the
size of the economy to Rs. 111.7
trillion in the financial year 2014-15.
With a view to present a more
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realistic picture of the economy, the
government is coming out with a
new series of Consumer Price
Index (CPI) with a new base year.
Which new base year is being used
for the same? – 2011-12
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related to each other.
Explanation: Year 2004-05 was
the base year for computing the
economic growth rate till now. The
base year of the national accounts
is changed periodically to take into
account the structural changes
which take place in the economy
and to depict a true picture of the
economy through macro
aggregates. From January 2015 the
Union Government will release the
data pertaining to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) with a
new base year of 2011-12. This
data will be released in February
2015. This new base year has been
chosen so as to present a more
realistic picture of the economy as it
would include more sectors. Ind-Ra
expects the size of the Indian
economy to increase 6%
to Rs. 111.7 trillion ($1.8 trillion) in
2014-15 from the earlier estimate
with the change of base to 2011-12.
 2) MMP Mobi Wallet Payment
Systems Limited (MMPL), a Tata
Teleservices subsidiary, launched
an open loop prepaid, Visa
powered, PAY Smart card on 28
January 2015. The card will provide
a platform for the users to move
away from traditional cash based
transactions into an easy, secure
and private mode of payment.
MMPL launched this card in
partnership with which private
bank? – RBL Bank (Ratnakar
Bank Limited)
Explanation: By obtaining a PAY
Smart card, mRUPEE customers
will be able to withdraw money from
Visa licensed ATMs and also pay
for goods and services at all
merchants that accept Visa
debit/credit cards nationally. The
minimum money value the PAY
Smart card would hold is 200
rupees with the maximum value
being 1 lakh rupees at any point in
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time. mRUPEE is a payment
gateway service and Mobile Money
Order & Semi Closed Wallet service
of MMPL. RBL Bank is one of
India‟s fastest growing scheduled
commercial banks with an
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expanding presence across the
country. It has currently grown to a
network of over 180 branches / 350
ATMs across 13 Indian States and
Union Territories.
3) Who was appointed the new
Chairman of Sangeet Natak
Akademi (SNA) by the Union
Government on 28 January 2015?
– Shekhar Sen
Explanation: Shekhar Sen is an
eminent singer, actor, theatre
director, composer and lyricist. He
was appointed for 5 years. The post
of SNA Chairman was vacant since
the resignation of Leela Samson in
September 2014. Sangeet Natak
Akademi is a national level
academy of performing arts that
was established by the Indian
Government on 31 May 1952. It has
its headquarters at New Delhi.
4) Which marching contingents
were jointly adjudged the best
marching contingents in the
Republic Day Parade of 2015 as
announced by the Ministry of
Defence on 29 January 2015? –
Sikh Regiment and Brigade of
Guards Regiment
 Explanation: In the category of She returned to the Supreme Court
Para-Military Forces and other on 29 January to a rousing
auxiliary marching contingents, welcome by her supporters.
Central Industrial Security Force Sirisena, who dramatically defeated
(CISF) contingent has been Rajapaksa in presidential elections
adjudged the best contingent. In the on 8 January, had vowed in his
tableaux category, the tableau from manifesto to restore
Maharashtra was considered the Bandaranayake.
best, followed by that of Jharkhand
(second) and Karnataka (third).

5) What is the name of the

impeached Sri Lankan Chief Justice
who was reinstated by the new
government led by President
Maithiripala Sirisena on 28 January 6) The US Air Force (USAF) on 28
2015? –Shirani Bhandaranayake January 2015 stated that it would
use Boeing Co‟s commercial 747-8
Explanation: Shirani
airliner to replace its current fleet of
Bhandaranayake was the 43rd Chief
two Air Force One presidential
Justice of Sri Lanka and the first
aircraft, which is one of the most
woman to hold this top judicial post
visible symbols of the United States
in May 2011. She was removed
worldwide. Which aircrafts are used
from her post in January 2013 after
presently in the Air Force One
being impeached on the
fleet? – Boeing 747-200Bs
recommendation of a parliamentary
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committee dominated by the then Explanation: USAF presently

President Mahinda Rajapaksa‟s operates two specially configured
supporters on charges of Boeing 747-200Bs for Air Force
corruption. However, President One. The 747-8 is the only four-
Maithripala Sirisena‟s office called engine commercial jet Boeing
her removal a “procedural” error makes, providing an extra margin of
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and reinstated her back to her post. flight safety over the more standard
 twin-engine planes. Boeing has
been building the aircrafts for U.S.
Presidents for over 50 years now.
7) Private sector IndusInd Bank
launched a co-branded credit card
for football fans on 29 January
2015. It has tied up with which
renowned English Premier League
(EPL) club for this card? – Chelsea
Football Club
Explanation: The card provides
attractive offers on dining,
entertainment, personal grooming,
travel and rewards proposition
depending on the spending pattern
of the customers. With this card, the
bank has tried to strengthen the
Chelsea affinity through two
specially designed card designs,
while further driving the football
fans‟ connect with the club through
offers, tie-ups and discounts on
merchandise and collectibles on
Chelsea‟s official online megastore.
87 CURRENT AFFAIRS
8) Global fast-food restaurant chain
McDonald‟s on 28 January 2015
announced replacing its President
and Chief Executive (CEO) Don
Thompson. This decision was taken
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apparently in view of company‟s
worst financial performances in
years. Who will replace Thomson?
– Steve Easterbrook
Explanation: Don Thompson‟s
retirement will come into effect on 1
March 2015 and he will be replaced
by Steve Easterbrook, the chain‟s
chief branding officer at present.
McDonald‟s, which is one of
America‟s biggest restaurant
brands, reported a sharp decline in
sales and earnings as stiff
competition and evolving consumer
tastes continued to take a toll on
the firm. Company‟s revenue in the
quarter ended December 2014 fell
7%, to $6.6 billion. Earnings
dropped 21%, to $1.1 billion from
$1.4 billion in the same period a
year ago.
9) Which country will host the ICC
T20 World Cup for 2016 as
announced by the International
Cricket Council (ICC) on 29
January 2015? – India
Explanation: The ICC T20 World
Cup 2016 will be held in India from
11 March to 3 April 2016. It will be
the 6th edition of T20 World Cup, the
 prior World Cup‟s being held in
2007 (South Africa), 2009
(England), 2010 (West Indies),
2012 (Sri Lanka) and 2014
(Bangladesh). This was announced
January 31, 2015
1) Union Govt. sold its 10% stake in
Coal India Limited (CIL) on 30
January 2015. This stake sale was
oversubscribed 1.05 times and
fetched about Rs. 22,600 crore.
This was the biggest ever share
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sale by any private or public sector
company in India. It exceeded the
previous record of over Rs. 15,000
crore by CIL itself. That record-
making stake sale was done by CIL
in which year? – 2010
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by ICC Board‟s first meeting of
2015 held at ICC headquarters in
Dubai. It was chaired by Chairman
N. Srinivasan.
Explanation: The government had
offered to sell 31.58 crore shares,
or 5% stake, in CIL through a public
offer, with an option to sell another
5%. At the floor price of Rs. 358
apiece, the public offering is
estimated to fetch Rs. 22,600 crore
to the exchequer. This will make up
for around half of the budgeted
disinvestment target that was
targetted by the Union Govt. for
2014-15. Prior to the Coal India
share sale, the government had
managed to raise just Rs 1,715
crore through selling stakes in steel
maker SAIL. Till date, the highest-
ever divestment collection in a year
was Rs 23,956 crore in 2012-13
and that record has been broken
now.
 2) India on 30 January 2015 revised
its economic growth (GDP) for fiscal
year 2013-14 from the previously
reported 4.7% to 6.9%. It also
revised its GDP for 2012-13 from
4.5% to 5.1%. What is the reason
for this upward revision? – A
change in the formula to
measure the economy by the
govt. and change in base year
Explanation: The new
measurement of gross domestic
product (GDP) includes under-
represented and informal economic
sectors as well as new items such
as smart phones and LED
television sets. This move will make
it easier for the government to meet
fiscal deficit goals. A change in
base year has been implemented
and the new base year is 2011-12
instead of 2004-05. The base year
is altered every five years and the
change in measure of GDP data is
to bring it in line with global
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standards.
3) Former union minister Jayanthi
Natarajan resigned from the
Congress party on 30 June 2015
after launching a scathing attack on
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Congress Vice-President for
interfering with decision making
during her tenure in the UPA II govt.
She held which post in this ministry
that came into this controversy? –
Environment and Forest Minister
Explanation: Jayanthi Natarajan
held the post of Environment and
Forest Minister from July 2011 to
December 2013. She accused
Rahul Gandhi of interference in the
Environment Ministry by sending
her specific requests on green
clearances for large projects which
she duly stopped to honour those
requests. She also alleged that she
was being made a scapegoat for
the economic policy paralysis
observed in the UPA-II government.
Specifically, she believed that while
she took decisions of halting certain
industrial and infrastructure projects
at the behest of Rahul Gandhi,
certain sections of the party spread
rumours that she was made to
resign due to her stance on these
projects.
4) Subhash Ghisingh, who passed
away on 29 January 2015 at the
age of 78, was the founder of which
party associated with Gorkhaland
movement of West Bengal? –
 Gorkha National Liberation Front
(GNLF)
Explanation: Subhash Ghisingh
was one of the most important
leaders of the Gorkhaland
movement of West Bengal. This
movement demanded separate
state for ethnic Gorkhas belonging
to Nepal. In 1980 he established
Gorkha National Liberation Front
(GNLF). GNLF led the movement of
separate Gorkhaland in West
Bengal which disrupted the
Darjeeling district with massive
violence between 1986 and 1988.
The issue was resolved temporarily
in 1988 with the establishment of
the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
(DGHC) within West Bengal. He
headed the DGHC as its first
Chairman from 1988 to 2008.
However, his one time associate
Bimal Gurung overthrew him from
the chairmanship of DGHC in 2008
and formed his own party Gorkha
90 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Janmukti Morcha (GJM). With this
GNLF lost its support to GJM.
5) Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
flagged off four Express trains
simultaneously from Bengaluru
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remotely through Telepresence
Service on 29 January 2015.
Telepresence Service is a more
efficient video conferencing service
developed by which public sector
undertaking (PSU) associated with
the rail sector? – RailTel
Corporation
Explanation: Telepresence Service
is a more engaging video
conference service developed by
the RailTel Corporation. Under it
parties involved feel the immersive
presence of being present at
different locations. The service is
designed to improve collaboration,
save executive time, reduce costs
and carbon footprint with no capital
investment and obsolescence risk.
RailTel Corporation is the largest
neutral telecom services providers
in the country owning a Pan-India
optic fiber network covering all
important towns & cities of the
country and several rural areas
covering 70% of India‟s population.
6) Sri Lanka‟s Kumar Sangakkara
broke the world record for the most
dismissals by a wicketkeeper in
one-day internationals (ODIs) on 29
January 2015. He achieved this feat
when he reached his 473 dismissal
 against New Zealand in an ODI. Zealand that was played at
Whose record he surpassed? – Wellington. Retired Australian
Adam Gilchrist (Australia) wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist had
held the record with 472 dismissals.
Explanation: Sangakkara achieved
Sangakkara‟s record 473
his 473rd dismissal in ODIs when he
dismissals comprise of 377 catches
caught Corey Anderson off the
and 96 stumpings.
bowling of Shaminda Eranga in the
seventh and final ODI against New
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