Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CONTENTS
Pvt. Ltd. VOL-13
ISSUE -09
Editor
N.K. Jain Interview 5
Advisors Core Banking - One Liner 6-9
Neeraj Chabra Spotlight 10
K.C.Gupta The People 11-21
Registered Office News Bites 23-62
Mahendra Publication Pvt. Ltd. PM's Visit to Israel 64-65
103, Pragatideep Building, Another Feather in ISRO's Cap : GSAT - 17 66
Plot No. 08, Laxminagar,
World Population Day 67
District Centre, New Delhi - 110092
TIN-09350038898 Prompt Corrective Action : Panacea to NPA 68-69
w.e.f. 12-06-2014 Wimbledon 2017 70
Branch Office Que Tm - General Awareness 71-84
Mahendra Publication Pvt. Ltd. SSC CGL MAINS - Model Paper 2017 85-101
E-42,43,44, Sector-7, Noida (U.P.)
RRB PO PRE (Model Paper 2017) 103-113
Dear Aspirants,
If we talk about youth, we observe that the period of youth is an age of aspirations and hopes.
We may consider that this is the time when the future of every aspirant comes before his eyes in the form of sweet dreams.
At this stage, no doubt to say that he makes programs and treasures grand ambitions in his heart.
However, sometimes it happens that an aspirant breaks down right during the time of his preparation for examinations.
So, the aspirant is never able to achieve his aspirations, even till the time he becomes old, if he follows the wrong path.
Here we provide the path with a zenith level of zeal, we present you again with the July issue of your favourite magazine
meticulously made for aspirants who want to be ahead of others in the field of competitive examination.
We take privilege to present you study material relevant for the competitive examination keeping in view the requirement
of our esteemed readers.
If you read the issue carefully like an eager-beaver, we assure you will be fully equipped in the battlefield of the competitive
examination.
In this issue, we are providing you with some of the imperative and substantial events, e.g. GSAT-17 launched by ISRO,
World Population Day, PM Narendra Modi’s Visit to Israel, Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) by RBI & Wimbledon 2017.
We always try to paint the demands, suggestions and propositions of our readers in our magazine.
We make all efforts to include them in the further issue of the magazine, it gives us great exhilaration that our readers
unanimously endorse our drudgery and skill nationally.
MICA gives you guidance, counselling and keeps ahead in every aspect of competition, because we believe in the quote-
Gratitude
Indian Scientist Prof. Ashutosh Sharma has been awarded with the UNESCO Award
Maharashtra Government to launch ‘My Plant’ app to create database on tree plantation
17 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
THE PEOPLE AWARDS/HONOURS
Audience Award at the annual London Indian Film Shenoy was awarded by Brands
Festival (LIFF) Academy, one of the most reputed
'A Billion Colour Story', produced branding companies in India.
by Bollywood filmmaker Satish The Award is given to recognise the
Kaushik and directed by Padmakumar achievements of personalities who have
Narasimhamurthy, won the Audience contributed towards building up the
Award at the annual London Indian Film reputation of the country.
Festival (LIFF). In addition to Preeti Shinoy, Kavita Krishnamurthy (singer),
"It's incredibly special for us that 'A Deepa Malik (Paralympic gold medalist) and Ranbir Barar
Billion Colour Story' resonates with (celebrity chef and TV host) were also honored.
audiences across countries and continents. It continues About Preeti Shenoy
to vindicate our faith that people and their hearts are the
same across cultures and horizons," the filmmakers said in ## Preeti Shenoy is one of India's top five highest selling
a statement. women authors.
Hollywood International Cinefest ## She has been consistently nominated for the Forbes List
of the 100 most influential celebrities in India since 2013.
An Assamese film about children growing
up in violence-hit places and witnessing ## India Today calls her 'the only woman in the highest-
brutality around them has won a top prize selling league,' alluding to the immense popularity of
at the Hollywood International Cinefest her books.
for its sensitive portrayal and a striking ## A few of her famous books are It's All in the Planets,
narrative style. Life Is What You Make It, It Happens For A Reason,
Bidyut Kotoky's "Xhoixoboite among others.
Dhemalite" (Rainbow Fields) was PM’s trophy for best Integrated Steel Plant
named the Best Foreign Film for "art truly transcending Tata Steel Ltd has bagged Prime Minister’s
geographical limits". trophy for ‘Best Performing Integrated Steel
The festival, held in Los Angeles from June 24-25, received Plant’ in the country for the performance
over 400 submissions and films from the US, the UK, years 2014-2015 and 2015- 16.
France, China, South Korea, Cambodia and Hong Kong Salient Facts For the third consecutive
besides India. 'After Ever After', made by another Indian year, Tata Steel has bagged the award.
director Rakesh Kumar and which is about a man struggling
with his nine-year-old daughter’s terminal sickness, won Overall, the company has been
the Best Feature award (English). recognised as the best integrated steel plant for 12 times
and has won the PM’s Trophy 10 times.
Great Immigrants Award
Golden Peacock environment management award
Indian-Americans, Adobe chief Shantanu
Narayen and former US Surgeon Climate and energy efficiency solutions
General Vivek Murthy, are among 38 company Danfoss India has been
immigrants to be honoured with the conferred with the ‘Golden Peacock
'Great Immigrants award' for their role Award’ for Environment Management.
in helping advance the country's society, The award was presented during the
culture and economy. 19th World Congress on Environment
Narayen and Murthy will be honoured Management’ in the presence of Supreme
with the prestigious Great Immigrants annual award on US Court Justice Kurien Joseph.
Independence Day on July 4. Acknowledging its commitment towards the environment,
Indian of the Year Award the company has been recognised for its LEED Platinum
rated constructed manufacturing facility in Chennai.
Writer Preeti Shenoy was honoured with the Indian of the
Year Award at a function organised in New Delhi. Ravichandran Purushothaman is the present President of
Danfoss India.
Travis Kalanick resigns as Uber CEO
Tendulkar displayed various aspects of He was also a former president of Sikkim Pradesh Congress
daily life through his cartoons. He was Committee.
socially active for the last several years Maryam Mirzakhani
and he had created awareness on traffic Maryam Mirzakhani of Iran, the first
issues through his cartoons. Some of his woman recipient of the Fields Medal for
cartoons were also used by the traffic mathematics, died. She was 40.
department.
Created in 1936, the Fields Medal,
He often used to stand on traffic signals and share popularly known as the "Nobel Prize
pamphlets in which he used to give passengers a message for Mathematics", is awarded every
for following traffic rules. Tendulkar wrote several books four years to a maximum of four
including 'Bhuichakra', 'Sunday Mood' and 'Kuni Papanto mathematicians under the age of 40.
Ajun Kalokh'.
In 2014, Mirzakhani became both the first woman and
Liu Xiaobo the first Iranian to receive the honour, in recognition of
China's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo died. He was "her outstanding contributions" in the area of complex
61. geometry.
Director General of Police Rajendran appointed as the Chief of the Tamil Nadu Police
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21 June 2017 he Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated
POWERGRID’s 400 Kilo Volt (kV) Lucknow –
Kanpur Direct Current (D/C) Transmission Line
with associated bays to the Nation in Lucknow.
Constructed as a part of “Northern Region Strengthening
Scheme-XXXII”, this transmission line will provide high
quality transmission infrastructure for ensuring reliable and
quality power supply in Uttar Pradesh especially in the areas
like Lucknow, Panki, Unnao and Kanpur. The transmission
line will also facilitate import of additional power to Uttar
M
Pradesh from power surplus Eastern Region/ North Eastern
inister for Science & Technology Dr. Region.
Harshvardhan has launched a Mobile App
“Celebrating Yoga”. Nearly three lakh perform yoga at one place,
The Mobile App has been developed by Department set world record, 21 June 2017
N
of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & early three
Technology on the occasion of International Yoga Day lakh people,
2017. led by
The aim of the app is to popularize Yoga and Ramdev, turned up at
encourage people to practice yoga for a scientifically GMDC ground here
healthy living. In 2015, the Department of Science on the International
& Technology (DST) had also launched a research Yoga Day to perform
programme “Science and Technology of Yoga and asanas, which the
Meditation (SATYAM)” under its Cognitive Science yoga guru claimed is a
Research Initiative (CSRI). world record.
The third edition of the International Yoga Day was held
ADB to provide $275 mn loan for water
under the guidance of Ramdev, who made the participants
supply project in MP, 21 June 2017 stretch their muscles in various yogic postures amid the
A
sian Development early morning drizzle at the ground.
Bank will provide USD
275 million loan for a
India's First Indigenously Built Floating Dock
piped water supply project for Goes on Stream, 21 June 2017
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rapidly urbanising small towns, he country's first
covering 3 lakh households, in indigenously built
Madhya Pradesh. floating dock
The state government will provide a USD 124 million FDN-2 for the Indian
counterpart support for the project which is estimated to Navy, was formally
be completed by June 2022. launched at the L&T
Ashok Jain became the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan
Cabinet OKs MoU between India, Portugal on After the adoption of the new social security legislation, the
Netherlands requested that India agree to revise the bilateral
governance reforms, 23 June 2017 SSA since such a revision would be necessary as per their
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he Union Cabinet national law.
approved a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) Cabinet approves MoU on cooperation in the
between India and Portugal on textiles, clothing and fashion sectors between
cooperation in the field of public India and Australia, 23 June 2017
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administration and governance
he Union Cabinet
reforms.
chaired by the Prime
The MoU will help in Minister Narendra Modi
understanding the system has approved the Memorandum
of customer oriented public service delivery in Portugal of Understanding (MoU) on
with reference to rapidly changing environments in the cooperation in the textiles,
area of public service management and processes in the clothing and fashion sectors
Indian public service delivery system, leading to improved between the Ministry of Textiles
delivery in the country. and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia.
India, Sri Lanka to ink pact for cooperation in The weavers including ancillary workers will be benefited
traditional systems, 23 June 2017 from activities to be taken under MOU.
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For overall development of handloom sector, the initiative
he Union cabinet aims to increase the handloom fabric production by way
approved signing of establishing market linkages, to encourage innovation
of an agreement in designs and techniques for improvement in design
between India and Sri capability, diversification of product lines and value
Lanka for cooperation addition, better access to domestic and export markets so
in areas of traditional that weavers are able to get continuous employment and
systems of medicine and improve their living standards.
homoeopathy.
The signing of the proposed MoU will enhance bilateral Government launches index to rank 116 cities
cooperation between the two countries in the areas of on quality of life, 24 June 2017
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traditional medicine and homoeopathy. This will be of
he Centre launched
immense importance to both countries considering their
a liveability index
shared cultural heritage.
which will rank the
Cabinet approves amendment to India-Netherlands country's 116 major cities
SSA, 23 June 2017 on the basis of the quality
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of life they offer.
he Cabinet approved amendment of the bilateral Launching the first
Social Security Agreement (SSA) between India and City Liveability Index, Urban Development Minister M
the Netherlands by incorporating the "Country of Venkaiah Naidu said, it will cover cities with population
Residence" principle into it. above one million, including the capital cities.
India to get C-17 Globemaster cargo ship from US
24 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
NEWS BITES NATIONAL
The first-of-its-kind index will enable the cities know where on the bourses platform. As per the memorandum of
they stand in terms of the quality of life and the interventions understanding (MoU), the AP government would facilitate
required to improve it. MSMEs to get listed on NSE Emerge, the platform for
The cities will be assessed on a comprehensive set of 79 small and medium enterprises, by supporting such firms
paratmeters, including availability of roads, education, financially or otherwise, in bearing the expenses related
healthcare, mobility, employment opportunities, emergency to listing.
response, grievance redressal, pollution, availability of open A fund is also being created by the Andhra Pradesh
and green spaces, cultural and entertainment opportunities. government to encourage investors to invest in the fast
The ranking will be released in 2018. growing SMEs in the state, on the exchange platform.
Meanwhile, Naidu disbursed Rs 500 crore as incentive to 16 The MoU was signed between AP governments industries,
states that performed well in implementing urban reforms commerce & export promotion Commissioner Siddhartha
during 2016-17. Jain and NSEs Chief Business Development Officer Ravi
Varanasi, at Vijaywada in AP.
Andhra Pradesh topped the list with the highest score
in implementing urban schemes, followed by Odisha, Indo-Thai joint military exercise from July 3
Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. in Himachal, 29 June 2017
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He also announced 30 new cities to be developed as smart
he armies
cities, taking the total pick to 90 under the Centres Smart
of India and
City Mission since its launch in June 2015.
Thailand will
Thiruvananthapuram tops list of 30 new smart begin the yearly joint
training exercise
cities, 24 June 2017 'Maitree 2017' from
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hiruvananthapuram July 3 to July 17 at
in Kerala, Bakloh in Himachal
Naya Raipur in Pradesh.
Chhattisgarh and Rajkot in Approximately 50 troops from Royal Thailand Army and
Gujarat figured in the new an equal number of Indian soldiers from the Northern
list of 30 cities announced Command will participate in the exercise.
for development under
the Centres Smart City As part of the exercise the two armies will jointly plan
Mission. and execute a series of drills for the neutralisation of
likely threats that may be encountered in counter terrorism
The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities environment.
selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under
the scheme. PM Modi releases special postal stamp,
Four cities in Tamil Nadu Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi commemorative coin to mark Shrimad Rajchandra's
and Tiruchirappalli, and three in Uttar Pradesh Jhansi, 150th birth anniversary, 30 June 2017
Allahabad and Aligarh also made it to the list.
An investment of Rs 57,393 crore has been proposed for
development of these 30 cities. Of the planned expenditure,
Rs 46,879 crore will be for core infrastructure and Rs
10,514 crore for technology-based solutions.
T P
op stock exchange
NSE inked a pact rime Minister Narendra Modi released a special postal
with Andhra Pradesh stamp and commemorative coin at the Sabarmati
government to help micro, Ashram Centenary on the occasion of the 150th birth
small and medium enterprises anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual guru Shrimad
(MSMEs) in the state to Rajchandra.
raise capital through listing Rajchandra was the spiritual guru of Mahatma Gandhi.
Narendra Kumar Sinha assumes charge as Secretary in I&B Ministry
C
H5N1) from 6 June, 2017 and notified the same to World
ISF security Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
services at the
Indira Gandhi India to join new global foreign exchange
International (IGI) airport committee, 09 July 2017
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has been adjudged as
the best security service ndia will soon
across the country by an get a seat on
independent body called the Global
the World Quality Congress (WQC). Foreign Exchange
Committee (GFXC),
The WQC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation and a newly-constituted
it will hand over the decoration to the CISF later this week forum of central
in Mumbai. bankers and experts
The award focuses on the contribution of individuals, working towards
organisation and technologies used at the airport. promotion of a robust and transparent forex market.
The committee has been set up under the guidance of the
India ranks 23rd among 165 nations in
Bank for International Settlements (BIS), an international
cybersecurity index, 07 July 2017 financial organisation owned by 60 member central banks,
I
ndia is ranked a representing countries from around the world.
high 23rd out of 165 In a progress report on reducing misconduct risks in
nations in a global the financial sector, the Financial Stability Board (FSB)
index that measures the informed the G20 Summit, attended by Prime Minister
commitment of nations Narendra Modi, here that actions to enhance conduct
across the world to standards and adherence in markets include a Global Code
cybersecurity. of Conduct for the Foreign Exchange Markets.
The second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) is released FSB is an international body for global financial system.
by the UN telecommunications agency International
Telecommunication Union (ITU). Ministries of urban development, housing and
India is ranked 23rd on the index with a score of 0.683 and urban poverty merged, 09 July 2017
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has been listed in the "maturing" category, which refers to he government
77 countries that have developed complex commitments to has merged
cybersecurity and engage in cybersecurity programmes and the ministries
initiatives. of urban
The index has been topped by Singapore with a 0.925 score. development, and
housing and urban
India declares itself free from bird flu, poverty alleviation
07 July 2017 -- involved in policy
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making in urban areas -- to form the Ministry of Housing
he government
and Urban Affairs.
declared the country
free from Avian The two ministries, headed by Union minister Venkaiah
Influenza, commonly called Naidu, have a long history of mergers and de-mergers.
as bird flu. In 1952, they were one ministry which was known as
The outbreak of bird flu, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply. They were
an infectious viral disease of birds, was reported at various demerged in 1999, merged the next year and bifurcated
epicentres in nine states and Union Territories during again in 2004.
October 2016 and February 2017. Officials in the ministry say the merger would help ensure
The surveillance has been completed in Delhi, Daman, cohesiveness in formulating policies related to urban issues
Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, and cut the flab in bureaucracy.
Gujarat, Odisha. The surveillance in the states showed no
Uber introduces food delivery service in Delhi-NCR
Government launches 4 digital initiatives to The new step is an effort by the Income Tax Department
(ITD) to directly communicate with the taxpayers, on a
push e-education, 09 July 2017 range of multiple informative and useful tax services aimed
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resident Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of Guru at providing tax information at their fingertips. The module
Purnima launched four major digital initiatives in to compiles various tax tools, live chat facility, dynamic
push e-education. updates, and important links to various processes within
the Income Tax Department in a single module. The tax
They are Swayam, Swayam Prabha, National Academic
payers will also be able to receive regular updates regarding
Depository and National Digital Library.
important tax dates, forms and notifications on mobile
All these digital initiatives are operational under Union numbers registered with the ITD.
Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
All taxpayers who wish to receive such SMS alerts are
Key Facts advised to register their mobile numbers in the Aaykar Setu
Swayam: It an indigenously designed massive open online module.
course (MOOC), It will host all the courses, taught in
classrooms from 9th class till post-graduation and can be
India to host 8th Theatre Olympics next year,
accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time. It aims to bridge 13 July 2017
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the digital divide for students in e-education. ndia, for the first
Swayam Prabha: It will provide high quality educational time, will be host to
contents, developed by experts, through 32 DTH (direct to the Theatre Olympics
home) Television Channels with an aim to bring uniformity since the events inception
in standards of education. in 1993, the Ministry of
Culture in association
It will cover diverse disciplines of all levels of education
with National School of
in various languages. It will be available to all and will be
Drama (NSD) announced.
having new content of 4 hours to be telecasted 6 times a day.
Running from February 17 to April 8, the eighth edition
National Academic Depository: It is a digital depository
of the international event will see over 500 plays and 700
of academic awards for authenticating all certificates issued
ambience performances by artists from across the globe.
by institutions. NAD will directly integrate with Boards/
Universities which issue Certificates which will be verified, Celebrating the cultural and lingual diversity of the
authenticated, accessed and retrieved in a digital depository participating countries, the theatre event is expected to host
for purpose of employment, higher education, and loans. over 50 international and 150 Indian theatre groups over the
span of two months.
National Digital Library: It is a large online library
containing 6.5 million books. It provides free access to Ratan Thiyam, chairperson of NSD Society, informed that
many books in English and the Indian languages. the theme for the upcoming event will be Flag of Friendship.
FM launches a new tax payer service module Suresh Prabhu launches RailCloud for server
‘Aaykar Setu’, 11 July 2017 optimisation, 13 July 2017
A I
new tax payer n a significant
service module IT initiative, the
‘Aaykar Setu’, Railways launched
was launched by the 'RailCloud' - a virtual
Union Finance Minister, server with an inbuilt
Arun Jaitley. To enhance security system to
mobile access experience, optimise server usage
a mobile responsive and faster connectivity.
android version was also Cloud computing is the emerging technology for faster and
released along with the desktop version. Jaitley stressed on-demand commensurate deployment of server resources
on the Government’s commitment towards continuously which result in reduced costs.
upgrading tax payer services. He said that this e-initiative
Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with EESL
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he Centre approved
the signing of
a pact between
India and Palestine for
cooperation in the field of
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health and medicine. aipur's Swami Vivekananda Airport has been ranked
Several pacts and first in customer satisfaction in a survey carried out
proposals were approved by the AAI across 49 airports in the country.
ex-post facto at a meeting The airport in the Chhattisgarh capital was followed by
of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra those at Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun, according to a
Modi, including a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) signed statement issued by Airports Authority of India (AAI).
between India and Germany on cooperation in the field of
health. The survey, which was carried out by an independent agency
appointed by AAI, covers a wide range of parameters like
The cabinet approved to enhance the age of superannuation transportation, parking, passenger facilities and cleanliness,
of general duty medical officers of the Central Armed Police among others.
Forces and Assam Rifles from 60 to 65 years.
The integrated terminal building of Raipur, built at a cost
It also gave an ex-post facto approval to enhance the age of of approximately Rs 150 crore, was inaugurated in 2012 by
superannuation of specialist medical officers of the Central President Pranab Mukherjee.
Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles of the Ministry of
Home Affairs from 60 to 65 years. Indian Railways launches first solar-powered
Under the pact, the two countries will cooperate with each diesel electrical multiple unit train,
other in capacity building of the health staff, prevention 15 July 2017
I
and control of communicable diseases, physiotherapy
and rehabilitation, drugs, pharmaceuticals and medical ndian Railways
equipment among others. launched first solar-
powered DEMU
Book on Modi Marching with a Billion released, (diesel electrical multiple
14 July 2017 unit) train from the
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Safdarjung railway station
he Governor in Delhi. The train will
of Maharashtra run from Sarai Rohilla
and Tamil Nadu in Delhi to Farukh Nagar in Haryana. A total of 16 solar
CH Vidyasagar Rao panels, each producing 300 Wp, are fitted in six coaches.
and Chief Minister of
The cost of these solar panels, manufactured under 'Make
Maharashtra Devendra
in India' initiative, is Rs 54 lakh. This is the first time in the
Fadnavis released the
world that solar panels are being used as grid in railways.
book 'Marching with
a Billion', analysing The train has a power back-up and can run on battery for at
Narendra Modi's Government At Midterm. least 72 hours.
The release event took place at the Raj Bhavan in south In last year's railway budget, Railway Minister Suresh
Mumbai on 13th July 2017. Prabhu had announced that railways would generate 1,000
MW of solar energy in the next five years. Solar-powered
The book, authored by senior journalist Uday Mahurkar,
DEMU trains are part of this plan. "Indian Railways is
analyses the performance of the Modi government's three
committed to promote clean and renewable energy," Prabhu
years in office.
said during the launch of the train.
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Minister of Mines.
ailway Minister
Suresh Prabhu Vigilance Commissioner honoured by Madras
launched an University, 18 July 2017
integrated mobile
application 'Rail Saarthi'
to cater to various
passenger requirements,
including ticket booking,
inquiry, on-board cleaning and ordering meal on a single
platform.
Currently there are multiple mobile app by the Railways. To
use different services, users need to search and download
each application separately.
In order to provide better customer experience, there was a
need for an integrated application which could give a single
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window interface for these services.
The Rail SAARTHI (synergised advanced application rail .M. Bhasin, Vigilance Commissioner in the Central
travel help and information) such as safety for women, Vigilance Commission, has received a Doctorate
Degree Certificate from the University of Madras for
complaint facility and suggestion for improvement, he
his research work on the "Impact of Banking on Inclusive
said.
Growth".
One can also book air ticket through the app and give
The Doctorate Degree was conferred on him by Tamil Nadu
feedback. Prabhu also announced a quota facility for
Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao at the Annual Convocation
differently- abled people in 3AC coach and extending the
function in the University.
advance booking period for foreigners to 365 days from
present 120 days. At the end of the research and submission of thesis, a
presentation of 25 suggestions was made to the Department
Now a lower berth in a 3AC coach will be reserved for of Financial Services by Bhasin in 2014 as Chairman of
physically-challenged people and the middle for the the Indian Banks Association. This became an integral part
individual accompanying them. However, there will be only of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana under which 28
one such berth in the 3AC coach of a train. crore savings bank accounts have been opened by all banks
across the country.
Venkaiah Naidu resigns: Smriti Irani gets I&B,
Narendra Tomar Urban Ministry, 18 July 2017 LK Advani receives Lifetime Achievement
W
ith Union Award for contributions in Lok Sabha,
Minister 20 July 2017
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Venkaiah
eteran BJP
Naidu resigning
leader Lal
from Prime Minister
Krishna (LK)
Narendra Modi’s
Advani received the
Cabinet, Smriti
Lifetime Achievement
Irani was given
Award for his
additional charge
contributions as a
of the Information
Parliamentarian in the
& Broadcast Ministry and Narendra Tomar was made the
Lok Sabha.
Minister for Urban Development.
He received the award
Tomar is currently the Union Minister for Rural
from Vice President
Development and Panchayati Raj and Irani is the incumbent
Hamid Ansari at a function organised by the Lokmat Media
Minister for Textiles. In a Cabinet reshuffle in 2016, both
Group to honour distinguished Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
the Union Ministers lost their portfolios. Irani was replaced
members.
by Prakash Javedekar as the HRD Minister and Piyush
The United States and Qatar signed an agreement aimed at combating the financing of terrorism
STATE
Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Arena, one of the most advanced
Burning Topics of the Month
integrated multi-purpose stadiums. It is a public-private
partnership between the government of Gujarat and
1. The Arena by Trans Stadia inaugurated TransStadia.
by PM.
Foundation stone of country's biggest Global
2. Foundation stone of country's biggest Skill Park laid in Bhopal, 03 July 2017
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Global Skill Park laid in Bhopal. nion Minister of
State for Skill
3. UP to get Rs 1,950 crore ADB loan from Development and
improving roads. Entrepreneurship Rajeev
Pratap Rudi and Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister
Haryana village dedicated to US president Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Donald Trump, 24 June 2017 laid the foundation stone of the country’s biggest Global
A
Skill Park in Bhopal.
head of Prime
Minister Narendra 37 acre land has been allotted in Narela Shankari area
Modi's trip to the of Bhopal for the Global Skill Park. The park will be
US, a village in Mewat constructed at a cost of 645 crore rupees.
region of Haryana has been
dedicated to President
Badal lays foundation stone of maize-based
Donald Trump. food park in Punjab, 08 July 2017
F
Now onwards, the village will be known as Trump Sulabh ood Processing
Village. In a symbolic gesture to promote the Indo-US Minister Harsimrat
relations, Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak formally Kaur Badal laid
launched various projects for the all-round development the foundation stone of
of Marora panchayat under Mewat region in Haryana. a Rs 123.7 crore mega
food park with focus
UP to get Rs 1,950 crore ADB loan from on maize processing in
improving roads, 28 June 2017 Kapurthala district, Punjab. Earlier, the permission to set
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up a mega food park was denied because the district was
he Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an declared a dark zone because of slow desertification and
agreement with the Uttar Pradesh government for over-exploitation of water due to cash crops.
a road improvement project in the state. The pact
was inked in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Special efforts been made to get the necessary approval
Yogi Adityanath and ADB president Takehiko Nakao. from the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation. The park is being developed by
As per the agreement, 70 per cent finances amounting Sukhjit Mega Food Park and Infra Limited at village Rehana
to Rs 1,950 crore will be provided by the ADB as loan, Jattan. It will boost job opportunities and environment
while the state government will bear 30 per cent cost of conservation.
the project which comes to Rs 832 crore.
Badal said that the project will leverage an additional
The project, which will start from 2017 and end in 2024, investment of about Rs 250 crore in 25-30 food processing
will cover over 430 km roads in 12 districts. units in the park and generate turnover of Rs 450-500
The Arena by Trans Stadia inaugurated by crore annually. The park will provide direct and indirect
employment to 5,000 persons and benefit about 25,000
PM, 01 July 2017 farmers.
I
n the presence of Set up in an area of 55 acres, the first maize-based park
some of India’s finest is being built with an investment of Rs 123.7 crore with a
athletes, Prime Minister grant of Rs 50 crore by Union Food Processing Industries
Narendra Modi inaugurated Ministry for multipurpose cold storage of 3,000 metric
'The Arena', one of the tonnes, Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) and Deep Freezer
most advanced integrated 1 metric tonne/hour capacity, sorting and grading yard of
multi-purpose stadiums in 2,000 sqm and Food Testing Lab.
Central Government inaugurated Swastha Sarthi campaign
30 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
NEWS BITES STATE
Besides, the promoter is also setting up an Anchor Unit with President inaugurates Satya Bharti School in
an investment of Rs 105 crore for maize processing with an Bengal, 15 July 2017
installed grinding capacity of 500 tonnes a day.
T
o strengthen the blood
transfusion services
in West Bengal
and the surrounding areas,
the Union health ministry
joined hands with the state
government for setting up
a centre for transfusion
medicine at Kolkata.
P
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed resident Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Satya
between the Ministry and the state government, under which Bharti School that aims to provide quality education
Rs 200 crore would allocated by the Centre for equipment, to students with main focus on girls belonging to
manpower and running costs while state will provide land weaker sections of society.
free of cost, an official statement said. Speaking on the occasion, the president appreciated the
Mehbooba inaugurates several key projects in Satya Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti
Enterprises, for establishing schools in rural areas to cater
Jammu, 11 July 2017 to educational needs of local children. Mukherjee said
children eagerly want to get admission in these schools to
receive quality education. There are Satya Bharti schools
across the country.
The Satya Bharti School Programme was started in 2009 in
nine villages of Murshidabad district. Over the past eight
years, the schools have been providing quality education to
more than 1,900 students in the state, 57 per cent of them
being girls. On the occasion, the president also launched a
J
special compendium capturing the dreams and aspirations
ammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba of an ideal schooling experience as expressed by the
Mufti inaugurated several key development projects students under various education programmes being run by
including an Entrepreneurship Development Institute the foundation across the country.
and upgraded a traffic system.
The Jammu campus of EDI will be constructed at the Bari Patnaik dedicates to nation Odisha's longest
Brahmna Industrial Estate (BBIE). To be built over a cost bridge, 19 July 2017
O
of Rs 82.89 crore, the campus would be completed in four disha Chief
years and have facilities like incubation centres, hostels and Minister Naveen
libraries for budding entrepreneurs. Patnaik dedicated
She also inaugurated the Intelligent Traffic System for to the nation the state's
Jammu city which would regulate and sensitise traffic longest bridge and named
movement in the winter capital through an automated it after Netaji Subhas
system, giving much relief from frequent congestions to the Chandra Bose.
commuters. The chief minister inaugurated the upgraded The 2.88 km bridge
SIDCO (State Industrial Development Corporation) over the river Kathajodi will connect the state capital of
complex, being developed at a cost of Rs 35.90 crore. Bhubaneswar with Cuttack reducing the distance between
It includes improved road connectivity within the industrial the two cities by 12 km.
estate, street lighting, upgraded facilities for unit holders Patnaik said he was delighted to name the state's longest
and visitors and other facilities. bridge after Netaji who was born and brought up in Cuttack.
Vivo got IPL sponsorship for five years
INTERNATIONAL
This Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) has been
Burning Topics of the Month
developed by China's CRRC Zhuzhou Institute. It is a part of
China's attempts to develop an ‘intelligent rail express system’.
1. Malaysia to host conferences on Ayurveda The company also makes key parts for high-speed railways.
and Siddha medicines. Special features
2. China's fastest bullet train makes its ## The 30-metre long train at present has three carriages
and can carry around 300 passengers.
debut run.
## It has rubber wheels, which can be automatically guided
3. India, Israel launch 5-yr tech fund to
without rails.
further biz ties.
## The train is also non-polluting and environment
friendly, as it is battery powered.
Afghan president inaugurates first air corridor
with India, 21 June 2017 ## While it can travel a distance of 25 km by just charging
A
for 10 minutes, on a full charge, it can travel for
fghan President Ashraf distances up to 40 km.
Ghani inaugurated the
## It is capable of moving at a maximum speed of 70 km/hr.
first Afghanistan-India
air corridor during a ceremony ## It will be launched out for public use in 2018 in the
at the Kabul International Chinese city of Zhuzhou to help deal with the traffic
Airport - a direct route that in the area.
bypasses Pakistan and is meant
to improve commerce. Malaysia to host conferences on Ayurveda and
Siddha medicines, 22 June 2017
The aim of the route is to create
A
more opportunities and make Afghanistan an exporter conference on alternate
country. medicines, herbals
and green plants,
India and Portugal Sign a Historical agreement and Siddha medicines which
to promote Cooperation in The Field of originates from South India will
Archives, 21 June 2017 be held in Malaysia next month.
A
The Tradalth Convention will
Protocol of take place from August 18-20 and its main focus will be on
Cooperation was Ayurveda and Siddha medicines and therapists.
signed between the
National Archives of India The foundation aims to establish a training programme in
and the Minister of Culture Malaysia through a tie-up with SVYASA Yoga University
of the Portuguese Republic of Bangalore.
in the field of archives in
KSIDC signs Letter of Intent with Cornell
Lisbon, Portugal. As a first
step under this agreement, University, 24 June 2017
T
the Torre do Tombo (National Archives of Portugal) handed he Kerala State
over to the National Archives of India digital copies of 62 Industrial Development
volumes of the collection known as 'Moncoes do Reino' Corporation (KSIDC),
(Monsoon correspondence). nodal investment promotion
agency of the Government of
China unveils World’s first train that runs on Kerala, has inked a Letter of
Virtual Tracks, 22 June 2017 Intent (LoI) with US-based Cornell University, for channelling
C
hina has unveiled expertise for Life Sciences-based projects in the state.
the world's first The letter was inked on June 20, the opening day of Bio
‘railless train’ that 2017, the largest annual global event for the biotechnology
runs on a virtual track industry at San Diego.
making use of a sensor KSIDC is representing Government of Kerala in the three-
technology instead of metal day long event.
rails.
Central Cabinet gave in-principle approval to disinvestment in Air India
T
he US has
cleared the sale
T
of predator he National Sugar Institute (NSI) has entered into
Guardian drones to an agreement with Ethiopia for setting up 10 new
India, as President sugar factories, besides a sugar institute, in the East
Donald Trump and African state.
Prime Minister
The NSI will assist Ethiopian Sugar Corporation (ESC)
Narendra Modi pledged
in setting up 10 new sugar factories and raise the existing
to deepen their defence and security cooperation.
sugar production there.
The US and India look forward to working together on
At present, there are only seven sugar factories in Ethiopia
advanced defence equipment and technology at a level
which produce about 3.60 lakh tonne of sugar annually.
commensurate with that of America's closest allies and
partners. After the new factories come up, the total sugar production
in Ethiopia will shoot up to 46 lakh tonnes a year.
Resolving to expand their maritime security cooperation,
they announced their intention to build on the implementation The NSI will also provide academic and technical assistance
of their "White Shipping" data sharing arrangement, which to ESC in setting up a hi-tech sugar institute, he said.
enhances collaboration on the maritime domain awareness.
China commissions biggest new generation
Trump welcomed Modi's strong support for the US to join
naval destroyer, 28 June 2017
C
as an Observer in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.
Noting the importance of the upcoming MALABAR naval hina's Navy
exercise (involving the US, Japan and India), the leaders launched its
determined to expand their engagements on shared maritime biggest new
objectives and to explore new exercises. generation destroyer
weighing 10,000 tonnes
China's fastest bullet train makes its debut as part of a massive
run, 27 June 2017 expansion to become a
C
global naval power.
hina launched
The vessel is the first of Chinas new generation of destroyers.
its first self-
It is equipped with new air defence, anti-missile, anti-ship
developed 'next-
and anti-submarine weapons.
generation' bullet train
'Fuxing' with a maximum The biggest naval destroyer was an addition to two aircraft
speed of 400kmh. carriers which China is in the process of deploying to
compete with other naval powers liked the US and India,
The train was launched
especially in the India Ocean.
on one of the country’s busiest lines -Beijing-Shanghai line.
With the launch, Beijing aims to capture global high-speed Trump picks Indiana health commissioner for
rail market.
Surgeon General, 30 June 2017
U
Main Highlights
S President
## The first run happened simultaneously from two Donald Trump has
stations-Beijing and Shanghai. nominated Indiana's
## The model train on the way to Shanghai took about five health commissioner Jerome
hours and 45 minutes to reach its destination. Adams to serve as the next
US surgeon general.
## Also, China has the world's longest railway network
with 22,000 kilometres by the end of last year, about 60 Adams was appointed
percent of the world's total. by Pence, then Indiana's
governor, to serve as the state's health commissioner in
India to assist Ethiopia in setting up 10 new 2014 and was reappointed earlier this year by Governor
sugar factories, 28 June 2017 Eric Holcomb.
T
in April after helping during the transition between the
two administrations. Adams would also serve as medical he Malabar naval exercise involving Indian,
director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service. American and Japanese navies will kick start on
July 10 in the Bay of Bengal, amid China's growing
The appointment is for five years.
military assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.
Trump nominates former Texas senator as A sizeable number of aircraft, naval ships and nuclear
NATO ambassador, 30 June 2017 submarines of the navies of the three countries will be part
P
of the annual exercise, considered a major war game in the
resident Donald region.
Trump has
nominated Kay The exercise is taking place in the backdrop of a major
Bailey Hutchison, a military standoff between armies of India and China in the
former Republican Sikkim section and Beijing ramping up its naval presence in
senator from Texas, to the South China Sea.
be the US ambassador The aim of the Malabar exercise is to achieve deeper
to NATO. military ties and greater interoperability among the three
Hutchison, who is 73, won a runoff special election to fill a navies in the strategically-important Indo-Pacific region.
vacant Senate seat in 1993 and served three full terms. India and the US have regularly conducted the annual
exercise since 1992.
India contributes USD 500,000 to UN
Beijing has been suspicious about the purpose of Malabar
Peacebuilding Fund, 01 July 2017 exercises as it feels that the annual war game is an effort to
I
ndia has contributed contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
USD 500,000 to the
UN Peacebuilding India, Israel launch 5-yr tech fund to further
Fund, expressing hope biz ties, 06 July 2017
I
that more funding by
ndia and Israel launched
nations will boost efforts
a five-year technology
by the world body to
fund, reminiscent of a
build and sustain peace.
fund that boosted the Jewish
India has been a member of the Peacebuilding Commission state's ties with US over
since its inception in December 2005 and has so far four decades, and agreed to
contributed USD 5 million to the Peacebuilding Fund. holds talks for an investment
The fresh contribution of USD 500,000 to the fund will be protection treaty in a bid to
effected over the coming days. boost trade and business ties.
The fund was launched to support activities, actions, The two nations agreed to put USD 4 million a year for five
programmes and organisations that seek to build a lasting years into the Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund, or I4F,
peace in countries emerging from conflict. said the statement issued after Modi's talks with his Israeli
counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Indian-American student wins top original
Besides getting Israeli technology firms to invest in India,
orator contest in US, 05 July 2017 the fund aims to spur Indian firms to open development
A
n Indian-American centres in the Jewish state and invest in their technology
student in the US ecosystem.
has won this year’s Modi and Netanyahu "underlined the need to boost bilateral
National Speech and Debate cooperation in innovation and entrepreneurship and called
Tournament, considered to for greater collaboration in the field of start-ups," it said.
be the most prestigious high
school competition in the The Israel-US Binational Industrial Research and
country. Development Fund, the model for I4F, has invested in
almost 1,000 projects since 1977, helping generate USD 10
J J Kapur, a Sikh, composed his own persuasive speech billion in indirect and direct revenue.
titled Lets Dance addressing a social issue.
PM Modi inaugurated filling of Aji Dam at Rajkot by Narmada water
I
Enforcement Cooperation (Keyrong) Joint Action Centre
ndia and Israel signed was signed by Chief District Officer of Rasuwa Chomendra
seven agreements to Neupane and Local Security Officer of Zilong County of
increase cooperation China Colonel Gao Huihai.
in key sectors like space,
agriculture and water The aim of establishing the centre is to cooperate each
conservation after Prime other on the border security management and to curb
Minister Narendra Modi border related crimes, while respecting each other’s
held in-depth talks with his sovereignty. Keyrong is a border town in China close to the
Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Nepalese city of Rasuwa.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for US, Qatar sign agreement on combating
setting up of USD 40 million worth India-Israel Industrial terrorism financing, 12 July 2017
T
Research and Development (R&D) and Technical
Innovation Fund. In the water sector, two agreements were he United States and Qatar signed an agreement
signed to increase cooperation on water conservation and aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, as US
state water utility reform in India. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Doha to try
In the agriculture sector, the two countries have agreed for to end a month-long rift between Western-allied Arab states.
India-Israel Development Cooperation - a three-year work Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt
programme in agriculture from 2018 to 2020. imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of
They also agreed for cooperation regarding cooperation financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab
in atomic clocks. Besides, separate MoUs were signed on states' arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies.
cooperation in GEO-LEO optical link and cooperation in
US conducts successful missile intercept system
Electric Propulsion for small satellites.
amid N Korea test launch, 12 July 2017
India slips to be 4th largest investor into UK,
07 July 2017
I
ndia has slipped by
one spot to become
the fourth-largest
foreign investor into the
UK.
The US remains on the top,
investing in 577 projects
in the UK, with China
(including Hong Kong) remaining in second place with 160
T
projects. India set up 127 new projects in Britain last year and he US military has conducted a successful test of a
safeguarded 7,645 existing jobs as a result and created 3,999 missile intercept system, as tensions soar following
new jobs in 2016-17. North Korea's test launch of an intercontinental
However, it lost its position as the third largest investor in ballistic missile that could potentially reach Alaska.
the UK to France which set up 131 projects last year. The test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
(THAAD) system saw a ballistic missile target air-launched
Nepal, China ink border security deal,
from an Air Force C-17 over the Pacific Ocean north of
08 July 2017 Hawaii.
N
epal and China "A THAAD weapon system located at (Pacific Spaceport
have signed an Complex Alaska) in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and
agreement to set up intercepted the target," the US Missile Defense Agency said
a border law enforcement in a statement.
centre to manage and curb
THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short-,
border related crimes while
medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during
respecting each other’s
their final phase of flight.
sovereignty.
Vijay Keshav Gokhale appointed economic relations secretary in MEA
A
houses, a multi-purpose community building, internal
merican President water supply system and renovation of monk’s quarters
Donald Trump nominated
& library.
experienced diplomat
and former Utah governor Jon The project is in line with Government of Sri Lanka’s
Huntsman Jr. as country's new policy of rehabilitation of rural villages for economic
ambassador to Russia. development. It will benefit 153 families residing in the
America's top think-tank village.
Atlantic Council chief Huntsman has previously been the
Trump Nominates Raytheon Lobbyist for
US Ambassador to China and Singapore.
Army Secretary, 20 July 2017
U
Huntsman has been Deputy Representative of the US
Department of Commerce for trade, deputy assistant .S. President
minister of Eastern Asia and Pacific affairs, and has been Donald Trump
the Deputy Labour Assistant for Business Development. has nominated
Raytheon lobbyist Mark
Indians win gold and bronze at first global Esper as secretary of the
robotics Olympiad, 19 July 2017 Army.
A
group of Esper is the third person
seven Indian nominated to be the
students has Army's top civilian
bagged two awards leader and, if confirmed, would become the latest high-
at the first global ranking addition to the Pentagon with a background
robotics Olympiad as a major defense contractor. The first two nominees
in the US where 157 dropped out — one over financial vetting issues and the
countries participated. other amid a backlash over controversial comments on
LGBT issues.
The students, who hail from Mumbai, won gold for Zhang
Heng Engineering Design Award and bronze for Global IIT-K signs MoU with Buffalo University for
Challenge Match at the international robotics challenge research projects, 20 July 2017
T
organised by FIRST Global in Washington.
he Indian
The Indian team was led by 15-year-old Rahesh, the
Institute of
youngest member of the group. Others were Aadiv Shah,
Technology
team spokesperson; Harsh Bhatt, alliance strategist; Vatsin,
in Kanpur has
alliance analyst; Adhyyan, robot tactician; Tejas, robot
controller and Raghav, robot driver. signed an MoU with
Buffalo University
Mexico City would host the competition next year. in the US to promote
The Afghan team won the Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli joint research in
award for courageous achievement. cyber security and
environment related
India & Sri Lanka sign MoU to develop village issues.
in Anuradhapura District, 19 July 2017
I
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed
ndia and Sri between Buffalo University president Satish Tripathi
Lanka signed a and IIT Kanpur (IIT-K) director Indranil Manna. It
Memorandum of is the first ever academic agreement between the two
Understanding (MoU) institutes.
to develop a village in
Anuradhapura District The two institutes will focus on cyber security and
(in Sri Lanka) at a cost environment-related research projects of global interest
of 30 crores Sri Lankan and students will also have the option to research in other
rupees. fields.
Adi Godrej, Andrew Liveris awarded with the USIBC Global Leadership Awards
ECONOMY
The project aims at improving predictability and
Burning Topics of the Month transparency in budget execution and efficiency in tax
administration in Assam.
1. Reliance Defence to partner with France's
Daher for aerospace components. NCAER pegs FY18 GDP growth at 7.6 pc on
2. EPF members to get housing subsidy of Rs normal monsoon, 22 June 2017
E
2.67L via HUDCO tie-up. conomic think-
3. Tata Motors develops first bio-methane tank NCAER
has revised up
bus. its projection for the
Thales and Reliance Defence Ltd seal deal for country’s economic
growth to 7.6 per cent
JV, 21 June 2017 for the current fiscal,
F
rench defence compared with the earlier prediction of 7.3 per cent on
firm Thales and forecast of normal monsoon.
Reliance Defence The agency has also revised upward its forecast of GVA
Limited sealed a deal for (Gross Value Added at Basic Prices) growth at 7.3 per cent
setting up a joint venture for 2017-18 from its February estimate of 7 per cent.
(JV) with a shareholding
of 49 per cent and 51 per The economy grew 7.1 per cent in 2016-17, lower than 7.6
cent respectively. per cent against 8 per cent a year ago.
The JV is being set up to develop Indian capabilities The World Bank has forecast growth to be 7.2 per cent
to integrate and maintain radars and manufacture high during 2017-18.
performance airborne electronics, leveraging Thales offset Reliance Defence to partner with France's
commitment as part of the deal for the supply of 36 Rafale
fighter aircraft to Indian Air Force. Daher for aerospace components, 23 June 2017
R
Thales is a leading supplier of radars, electronic warfare eliance Defence
solutions and software to Dassault Aviation that Limited said
manufactures Rafale jets. it has entered
into a Memorandum of
The JV would develop skills and activity in the
Understanding (MOU) with
Special Economic Zone of Mihan-Nagpur together
Daher Aerospace, France for manufacture of aerospace
with an Indian supply chain for the manufacturing of
components.
microwave technologies and high performance airborne
electronics. According to the fully-owned subsidiary of Reliance
Infrastructure, the MoU was signed at the Paris Air Show.
India in September last year had inked a Euro 7.87 billion
(approx Rs 59,000 crore) deal with France for the purchase Daher Aerospace is tier-one manufacturer in aero
of 36 Rafale fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear structures segment comprising fuselage sections and
weapons and equipped with latest missiles. fairings made of composites as well as conventional
metals for Dassault Aviation and other leading global
World Bank sanctions 44 million dollars for aircraft manufacturers.
ASPIRe, 22 June 2017
India signs loan agreement with World Bank
W
orld Bank's Board of and AIIB for electrification projects in Andhra
Executive Directors
Pradesh, 23 June 2017
P
has approved a loan
assistance of 44 million dollars for roject cost is US$ 570 million of which US$ 240
the Assam State Public Finance million is from World Bank and US$ 160 million
Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) from AIIB.
Project. A Loan Agreement for part funding of US$ 240 million
The loan was sanction by World Bank (International Bank from the World Bank (IBRD) and US$ 160 Million from
for Reconstruction and Development) in its meeting held AIIB (60:40 ratio) for 24X7 Power for All in Andhra
on June 15 at Washington DC, USA. Pradesh Project was signed.
India’s first blood bank for Cattle to come up in Odisha
T
million from AIIB. The rest will be counterpart funding
from GoAP. elecom operator Bharti
Airtel announced
The objective of the project is to increase the delivery of
the launch of *121#
electricity to customers and to improve the operational
Digital Care platform in 11
efficiency and system reliability in distribution of electricity
Indian languages, including
in selected areas in Andhra Pradesh.
Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil.
EPF members to get housing subsidy of Rs Customers simply need to dial *121# from their mobile
2.67L via HUDCO tie-up, 23 June 2017 phones and access an easy to navigate menu on their mobile
R
screens to get their account related information in a matter
etirement fund of seconds. No need to wait to speak to a customer care
body EPFO executive or visit an Airtel retail store for basic queries.
joined hands
with Housing and This support will be available in Kannada, Bangla, Odia
Urban Development and Assamese as well.
Corp (HUDCO) to
World Bank clears $250-mn loan to train
enable its members avail credit-linked subsidy of up to Rs
2.67 lakh for buying affordable homes under PMAY. India's job seekers, 26 June 2017
T
The Memorandum of Understanding was inked by he World Bank
Employees Provident Fund Organizations Central Provident has cleared a USD
Fund Commissioner V P Joy and HUDCO CMD M Ravi 250-million loan
Kanth. for making Indian youth
more employable through
The MoU will club the benefits of the Housing Scheme
reskilling, in a move that
introduced by the EPFO for its subscribers and the Pradhan
is seen to aid the Skill
Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
India mission.
Under the housing scheme, the Employees Provident
Under the programme, adults in 15-59 years of age,
Fund Organisation (EPFO) allows its subscribers from
underemployed or unemployed, will get the skill training.
societies for withdrawing up to 90 per cent of their EPF
accumulations to buy homes. The programme has a mandate to provide placement and
entrepreneurship opportunities to women and increase their
Under the PMAY, the beneficiaries are provided credit
exposure to skill training.
linked subsidy based on their income levels so that the
dream of housing for all can be realised by 2022. The Washington-headquartered World Bank's SIMO is a
six- year programme in support of the Indian government's
Reliance Industries pips TCS on market cap, National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
takes Rs 1,450 cr lead, 24 June 2017 (2017-23).
A
fter a gap of SIMO will be implemented through the National Skill
2-months, Development Mission and will specifically target labour
Reliance market entrants.
Industries Ltd (RIL)
SAP India partners with MSME Ministry for
regained the status
of the country's Bharat ERP, 28 June 2017
T
most valued firm, echnology major SAP
overtaking Tata India has partnered
Group's TCS in terms with the Ministry of
of market valuation. Micro, Small and Medium
So far this year, shares of RIL have gained nearly 33 per Enterprises (MSME) to
cent, while TCS is trading flat, down 0.05 per cent. jointly launch Bharat ERP, a
programme aimed at digital
On April 24, RIL had managed to close the trading session
empowerment of small
as the most valued firm.
businesses in the country.
Vidya Balan named ambassador of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM)
N
It will also provide MSMEs with access to technology from
ational Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE),
SAP to help them streamline and integrate key processes
India’s first demutualised online national multi-
like financials, sales and inventory with a single business
commodities exchange will merge with Indian
software.
Commodity Exchange (ICEX). The merged entity will
Bharti Airtel's deals with Videocon, Aircel create India’s third biggest commodity exchange. The largest
commodity exchange by volume is the Multi Commodity
approved: CCI, 01 July 2017
T
Exchange (MCX) followed by National Commodity and
he Competition Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).
Commission has In the merged entity, the ICEX will hold a 62.8% stake,
given approval while NMCE shareholders will own the rest.
for telecom major Bharti
Airtel's spectrum deals It will also offer the world’s first diamond futures contract,
with Videocon and Aircel which has already received in-principle approval from the
announced last year. marker regulator SEBI.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has Wipro, Ramot at Tel Aviv University partner
cleared Bharti Airtel’s acquisition of Aircel’s "right to use for joint research, 05 July 2017
S
of spectrum in 2300 MHz band".
oftware major
The regulator said that it "approves acquisition by Airtel of
Wipro Limited
Videocon’s Right to Use of Spectrum in 1800 MHz band".
and Ramot, the
RBI sees economy clipping at 7.3% in current Business Engagement
Centre at Tel Aviv
fiscal, 01 July 2017
T
University, announced
he Reserve Bank said a partnership for joint
the ongoing accelerated research in emerging
reform initiatives technologies.
like GST and continuing The partnership envisages the creation of joint research
political stability will push the capability at TAU, supported by Wipro to pursue core as
economic growth scale to 7.3 well as applied research in fast-developing technologies in
per cent in terms of GVA in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space.
the current fiscal year.
The Financial Stability Report 2017, bases its optimism to AIIB approves USD 329 mn loan to build roads
the lower fiscal deficit at 3.2 per cent for this year down in Gujarat, 05 July 2017
C
from 3.5 per cent in 2016-17. On inflation, it paints a rosy
hina-led Asian
picture and projects CPI inflation to be in the range of 2-3.5
Infrastructure
per cent in the first half of the year and 3.5-4.5 per cent in
Investment
the second half.
Bank (AIIB) said its
ADB pledges USD 220mn for improving road board has approved
USD 329 million loan
connectivity in Rajasthan, 04 July 2017
A
to build access roads
sian Development Bank (ADB) committed USD to 4,000 villages in
220 million for improving road connectivity as well Gujarat.
as transport efficiency and safety on state highways The board of directors of the AIIB approved a loan of USD
of Rajasthan. 329 million to build access roads to approximately 4,000
The loan is the first tranche of the USD 500 million Rajasthan villages in all 33 districts of Gujarat, India.
State Highways Investment Programme, approved by the This project will construct and upgrade district and
ADB Board in May this year that will upgrade about 2,000 farm-to-market roads for the villagers and provide
kilometers of state highways and major district roads to approaches to educational institutions, schools and
two- lane or intermediate-lane standards to meet road safety hospitals.
requirements.
Sun Pharma enters into $55.5-mn deal with Samsung BioLogics
W
The economy to continue to recover over the coming
ipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) and
quarters. We are forecasting real GDP growth to come in at
Israel's largest aerospace and defence firm Israel
6.9 per cent in 2017-18.
Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced a strategic
alliance for manufacturing composite aero structure parts The Fitch Group company, noted that the negative effects
and assemblies. from the demonetisation measure is already wearing off,
and the Indian economy will likely benefit from positive
WIN, part of Wipro Enterprises (P) Ltd, will set up a
demographic trends, greater external stability (due to
manufacturing facility in India in partnership with IAI to
improved terms of trade from low oil prices), and continued
meet the requirements of global aircraft OEMs and Tier-1
reforms that should help to improve the country's admittedly
suppliers.
poor business environment.
The facility will make composite structures in India
The report, however, noted that the public banking sector
for global markets and address the compliance
is still weak and plagued with mounting non-performing
requirements of IAI, other OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers
assets, and it is likely to weigh on India's growth potential.
to meet Defense Offset Guidelines detailed by the
Ministry of Defence. Despite the Reserve Bank of India's efforts to clean up these
bad loans, these will likely take some time to be worked
GWRL inks pact with Israel’s Aero-T to make through the system, and therefore, credit allocation to the
aerostats, 06 July 2017 productive sectors of the economy is likely to be negatively
affected.
P
rivate life insurance
company Canara
HSBC Oriental Bank
of Commerce Life Insurance
entered into a tie-up with
Kerala-based Dhanlaxmi
Bank.
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echnical textile manufacturer Garware-Wall Ropes According to the agreement
Ltd (GWRL) has signed an agreement with Israel’s signed, all e life insurance
Aero-T to manufacture and supply advanced products of Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life
aerostats for Indian Defence. Insurance would be made available to customers of Dhanlaxmi
The intended cooperation will entail GWRL establishing Bank and would be sold by licensed staff of the bank.
an aerostat envelop production facility and Aero-T As part of the agreement, the bank will be a Corporate
providing the technology for aerostat development and Agent for three years. However, both aim to continue this
production. relationship for long term.
Aerostats are tethered balloons and are capable of operating
at an altitude of 15,000 feet. Augmented with radars, Israel's IAI inks defence pact with Kalyani
aerostats have proved very effective for low-level ground Group, 07 July 2017
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surveillance. srael Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Kalyani Strategic
India likely to clock GDP growth of 6.9 pc this Systems Ltd (KSSL) signed a deal for setting up a facility
in Hyderabad for maintenance of advanced air defence
fiscal, 06 July 2017 systems. The two companies have also agreed on expanding
I
ndian economy is expected to recover in the coming their joint operations for development, manufacturing and
quarters and the country is expected to clock a real GDP marketing of precise ammunition systems.
growth of 6.9 per cent in this financial year. In February 2017, IAI had inked an MoU with Kalyani
According to a report by BMI Research, India's growth is Strategic Systems to set up a joint venture to manufacture
expected to pick up following the negative ramifications air defence systems for the Indian Air Force.
Sanjay Gupta appointed as the Chairman of the Society and Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Management, Amritsar
A
Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) will act on
ll India Council for behalf of Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Technical Education
(AICTE) has entered This Partnership will accelerate trade relations between
into a Memorandum of India and the South American continent.
Understanding (MoU) with
HAL sets revenue target for 2017-18 at Rs
Telecom Sector Skill Council
(TCSS) for complementing 17,900 crore, 12 July 2017
H
the skills imparted by the vocational system and its affiliated industan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) inked a pact
institutions and colleges in order to match the need of Prime with the defence ministry for production of a range
Minister’s ‘Skill India Mission’. of aircraft for the armed forces in the current fiscal,
Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) is an industry led apex and set a revenue target of Rs 17,900 crore for the year.
body and committed to ensure adequate skilled manpower The annual Memorandum of Understanding was signed
to boost growth and productivity in Telecom sector. between Secretary, Defence Production, Ashok Kumar
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with a Gupta and HAL chairman and managing director T Suvarna
view to the proper planning and coordinated development Raju.
of the technical education system throughout the country. The MoU outlines targets on various performance
parameters for the company during the financial year. The
Tata Steel's Noamundi first iron ore mine with revenue from operations has been targeted at Rs 17,900
solar plant, 11 July 2017 crore, the highest ever.
T
ata Steel's Noamundi It said the company has also laid specific emphasis on
mine became the capacity building, modernisation and aimed to achieve
country's first iron-ore capital expenditure of Rs 1,300 crore in 2017-18.
mine to have solar plant for The ministry said HALs focus in the year will be on
reducing carbon footprint. production of Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40), Light Combat
With due consideration Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).
towards Tata Steel’s
initiatives towards reducing Paytm buys majority stake in ticketing
carbon footprint, a three MW solar photovoltaic(PV) power platform Insider.in, 13 July 2017
I
plant has been commissioned at Noamundi and this is the
ndia’s largest
first solar power plant in any iron-ore mine in the country.
digital payments
The project, executed by Tata Power Solar will help in startup Paytm
reducing carbon emission by about 3,000 tonnes per annum. has acquired a
Noamundi mines is open cast iron-ore mine of Tata Steel majority stake in
and located in Jharkhand. online ticket booking
platform Insider.in as
Axis Bank ties up with IIC, 12 July 2017 it looks to take on the country’s largest events and movie
A
ticket booking service, BookMyShow.
xis Bank has
entered into a This partnership would enable its 218 million registered
collaboration with customers to discover a wide range of events and book
Inter-American Investment them instantly. The financials of the deal or Paytm’s overall
Corporation (IIC) to holding in Insider.in were not disclosed.
facilitate trade with Latin
America and the Caribbean. Gartner cuts 2017 global IT spend growth
estimate to 2.4%, 13 July 2017
G
It is the first Indian bank to participate in the Trade Finance
Facilitation Programme as a confirming bank. lobal IT research firm Gartner further lowered its 2017
IIC, a member of the Inter-American Development Bank global IT spending growth estimate to 2.4 per cent
Group, is a multilateral development bank committed from the 2.7 per cent earlier on worries on digitisation.
Novak Djokovic won the Eastbourne International Men's Singles title
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ata Motors and global auto component major Tata Motors develops first bio-methane bus,
MAHLE have joined hands to develop a prototype
18 July 2017
Secondary Loop Mobile Air Conditioning System
(SL-MAC) using environment-friendly refrigerants.
MAHLE and Tata Motors, along with the Institute for
Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD), which
is coordinating the project, received funding for developing
SL-MAC system from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition
to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC).
T
ata Steel has entered into long-term tariff contract
(LTTC) with railways, becoming the first company
in the steel sector to sign such pact.
A
LTTC has been introduced by Indian Railways to establish uto major Tata Motors rolled out the country's first
long-term contracts with customers with guaranteed bio-CNG (bio-methane) bus.
incremental revenue for Indian Railways, the statement The company said the bio-methane engines (5.7
said, adding that the contract can be for a duration of three SGI & 3.8 SGI) will be available on light and medium
to five years. buses.
Patanjali, Reliance Jio among top 10 most The company displayed three models, including the lead
influential brands, 15 July 2017 model Tata LPO 1613 with 5.7 SGI NA BS-IV IOBD-II
A
compliant bus. The buses were showcased at the Urja Utsav
ccording to the
organised by oil ministry.
global research
firm Ipsos, According to Girish Wagh, head of commercial vehicles
Patanjali Ayurveda has business at Tata Motors, said the use of bio-CNG will
been featured among the contribute in a positive manner to the smart cities to
top 10 most influential keep them clean and is a good option for wet garbage
brand in India along management.
with electronic major
Samsung and Reliance Jio. Besides, Google has been SBI launches SBI Realty portal for home
ranked at the top slot while Microsoft and Facebook were buyers, 18 July 2017
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ranked at number two and three, respectively.
ndia's largest commercial bank SBI said it has launched
Interestingly, Patanjali and Reliance Jio made an impressive a dedicated portal SBI Realty that will help home buyers
entry as they did not figure in the previous edition of the to choose flats from its 3,000 approved projects across
study. the country.
Madhya Pradesh sets record with plantation of 6 cr saplings in day
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eliance Communications'
Unlimit announced
a strategic alliance
with Chinese telecom gear
maker Fibocom to design
and manufacture modules for
wireless communications and
develop internet of things (IoT)
solutions.
Unlimit said the number of connected devices in India is
projected to rise from 200 million today to 3 billion by 2020,
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and nearly every part of the economy will be positively he Unique Identification Authority of India
impacted by IoT. (UIDAI) launched the mAadhaar app for
Unlimit is an independent company of Reliance group syncing Aadhaar data on the mobile phone, a
set- up to focus solely on providing IoT solutions to move that will negate the need to carry the Aadhaar
enterprises. card in wallets.
At present, the mAadhaar app is only available on
Cabinet nod for ONGC buying government’s Android phones and can be downloaded on the Google
51% stake in HPCL, 20 July 2017 Play Store.
How does the mAadhaar app work?
## Once you register in mAadhar app, your Aadhaar card
profile including phone number, address and other
details get stored on the app.
## The app let users share their Aadhaar profile and data
with third-party applications through NFC, QR codes,
Barcodes or even through email.
## In order to share details, there is a sharing of QR code
and eKYC data by Aadhaar Number holder system.
## In the app, there is a biometric locking and unlocking
system. This feature allows users to secure biometric
T
authentication by locking biometrics data.
he Cabinet approved sale of governments 51.11 per
cent stake in oil refiner HPCL to Indias largest oil ## Another feature of this app is Time-based One-Time
producer ONGC for a potential Rs 26,000 crore to Password (TOTP) that will be automatically generated
Rs 30,000 crore. as a temporary password and can be used instead of the
usual SMS based OTP.
Hyderabad-based TS Vineeth Bhatt conferred with the 'best astrologer of world' award
P
Event, 22 June 2017
I
akistan jumped
two places to ndia's women's softball
sixth in the ICC team won the silver
ODI team rankings medal at the Asia
following their Pacific Middle East Little
title triumph at the League (Senior Division)
Champions Trophy Softball Championship.
while the finalists India lost the final to Philippines after beating hosts Singapore
India remained at in the semi-final.
number three.
Pakistan leapfrogged Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to move Yashaswini wins gold in ISSF Junior World
closer to direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup, for Championship, 26 June 2017
Y
which host England and the next seven highest-ranked sides ashaswini Singh
as on 30 September will get straight entries. Deswal won
There were no other changes in the teams standings led by a gold at the
South Africa, although India, England and Bangladesh have women's 10m air pistol
all lost a point each. event to help India
consolidate their second
Sarfraz named captain of ICC Team of position in the medals
Champions Trophy, 21 June 2017 tally at the end of day two
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of the ISSF Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Suhl,
hree Indians,
Germany.
including
skipper Virat Srikanth beats Olympic champ Chen Long to
Kohli, were named
win maiden Australian Open title, 26 June 2017
in the ICC Team
I
of the Champions ndian shuttler
Trophy 2017, with Kidambi Srikanth
Pakistan’s Sarfraz clinched his fourth
Ahmed named Super Series title with
its captain, a day an incredible straight-
after his side’s game triumph over
triumphant campaign. The side includes seven players from reigning Olympic and
the two finalists - India and Pakistan. world champion Chen
Long in the Australian Open final.
Mumbai girl Ahana wins bronze at junior
The world no.11 Srikanth won against the world no.6 Chinese,
chess meet in UK, 21 June 2017 who is also a two-time All-England champion.
M
umbai girl Ahana Shah has won a bronze medal The triumph is his second successive after clinching the
with a score of 4 points out of 5 in the Under-7 Indonesia Open Super Series Premier title.
category of the 2017 Kenilworth Junior Open Rapid
Nandan Nilekani, Sanjeev Aggarwal launch $100 million start-up fund
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team bronze in the 25m pistol junior women's event to shore
he Sports Journalists up their tally on the fourth and final day of competitions.
Federation of India,
at its annual general Telangana woman selected for US cricket team,
meeting, decided to confer 28 June 2017
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the best Sportsperson of
the Year Award on the ace elangana's Sindhuja
shuttler and Rio Olympics Reddy has been
silver medallist P V Sindhu. selected as a member
of the US women's national
The Best Team of the Year award was bagged by the Indian cricket team, which has
junior hockey squad which won the World Cup in Lucknow recently been recognized by
last December. the ICC.
Both the awards would be presented at the 40th convention of The wicketkeeper-batswoman, who had played for Hyderabad
the SJFI to be held in Indore in September. in Ranji Trophy, is hoping to be a member of the US team in
the ICC World Cup in 2020.
India win team bronze in 25m rapid fire pistol
in Jr WC, 27 June 2017 Virat Kohli retains top spot in T20I rankings,
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ndia shooters won a Jasprit Bumrah rises to second, 28 June 2017
I
bronze medal in men's ndia pacer Jasprit
25m rapid fire pistol team Bumrah has risen to
event at the ISSF Junior World second in the latest ICC
Championship Rifle/Pistol in Twenty20 rankings while
Suhl, Germany. skipper Virat Kohli has
The trio of Anish, Anhad retained the top spot in the
Jawanda and Shivam Shukla batsmen's list.
notched up a combined score of 1711 to claim third place and There is no change in the top three of the all-rounders' table
take India's overall tally from the competition to two gold, which is headed by Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.
one silver and one bronze medal.
Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy-winning side's member
Latvia's Sevastova wins Mallorca Open tennis, Imad Wasim has become the number-one ranked T20 bowler
27 June 2017 after South Africa's Imran Tahir lost ground following the
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conclusion of the series against England. In the batting table,
atvia's Anastasija Kohli, Aaron Finch of Australia and Kane Williamson of
Sevastova defeated New Zealand have retained the top three positions.
Germany's Julie
Goerges to win the Mallorca Malinga gets suspended one-year ban,
Open. 28 June 2017
L
This is the second final asith Malinga
Sevastova has played in received a suspended
Mallorca, and the first title one-year cricket
she has won in seven years. ban after the fast bowler
pleaded guilty to a charge
India finish second in Junior Shooting World
of speaking to the media
Championship, 28 June 2017 without permission, Sri
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he Indian shooting squad finished a creditable second Lanka's cricket board said.
at the ISSF Junior World Championship with three The sanction is suspended for six months and Malinga will
gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Suhl, also be fined 50 percent of the match fee from his next one-
Germany. day international, Sri Lanka Cricket said. The charge against
China topped the tally in the rifle/pistol tournament with 19 Malinga came from his response to criticism by Sri Lanka's
medals, including eight gold. sports minister over the team's fitness levels.
FINO Payments Bank commenced operations as a payments bank
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9-11) to enter the last four round.
ehan Daruvala of
Sahara Force India Pankaj Advani-led India beat Pakistan to win
Academy created Asian Snooker Championship, 06 July 2017
I
history by becoming
the first Indian to win ndia's leading
in the FIA F3 European cueist Pankaj
Championship. Advani teamed up
with Laxman Rawat
Jehan's victory in race 3 comes 18 years after Naren to demolish Pakistan
Karthikeyan won in the British F3 Championship. in the final of the
Asian Team Snooker
Soaked Loew hails Germany's rising Confed
Championship.
Cup stars, 03 July 2017
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Advani drew first blood by putting on a sterling performance
oachim Loew has against Mohammad Bilal.
hailed Germany's
India's fate was going to be determined by Advani's partner
next generation of
Rawat's form and he did not disappoint.
stars after beating Chile in
Confederations Cup final He rose to the occasion to head towards what was to be his
but says the challenge is first major international title with a clinical 73 break to win
to defend the World Cup the frame without allowing his opponent, Babar Masih to
next year. score a single point.
Lars Stindl's simple tap-in was enough to seal Germany's India rise to 96 in FIFA rankings, best in two
victory in final in St Petersburg as the youthful world
decades, 06 July 2017
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champions lifted the Confed Cup for the first time.
Germany's captain Julian Draxler was voted the Confed Cup's he Indian football team rose to the 96th spot in the
player of the tournament and striker Timo Werner finished as latest FIFA rankings, its best- ever in the last two
the top scorer in Russia with three goals and two assists. decades and the second best overall.
As far as Asia is concerned, India are the 12th highest
Ceat named title sponsor for Ultimate Table ranked team in the continent, while Iran lead the chart at
Tennis League, 05 July 2017 the 23rd spot.
T
yre manufacturing company Ceat has come on board India's best-ever FIFA ranking till date stays 94, which was
for Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) competition as title attained in February 1996, while 99 was India's second-
sponsor. best, achieved in November 1993.
The tournament consisting 24 Indian and 24 International Virat Kohli breaks Sachin Tendulkar's record
paddlers will start from July 13 and the semi-finals and final
of most centuries in chases, 07 July 2017
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will be held here from July 26.
Each club in the meet will have eight players -- four men irat Kohli surpassed
and four women with an equal mix of overseas and Indian Sachin Tendulkar's
players, apart from a foreign and an Indian coach. record for most
hundreds in chases during
Suthirta-Pooja duo wins bronze in Australian the fifth and final One-Day
Open TT, 05 July 2017 International against West
I
Indies in Jamaica.
ndia paddlers continued
While The Little Master
their good run and won a
took 232 innings to score 17 hundreds, he has taken just
bronze medal for the country
102 innings to score 18 ODI tons while batting second.
when Sutirtha Mukherjee and
Pooja Sahasrabudhe lost in the Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan and West Indies' Chris
women’s doubles semifinals at Gayle are joint third with 11 tons each while Pakistan's
the Seamaster 2017 Australian Open at Gold Coast. Saeed Anwar and Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya have 10
Cisco India President Dinesh Malkani quits
I
so far from 189 matches.
ndian captain Mithali
Harinder Sandhu wins South Australian Open Raj created a world
title, 08 July 2017 record by becoming
I
the first player to cross
ndia's Harinder Pal Sandhu beat 6000 runs in the history
Rhys Dowling of Australia in the of women's ODI during
final to lift South Australian Open the ICC World Cup match
squash title. against Australia.
Sandhu was down 1-7 after winning The Indian team now have two current world record holders
the first game comfortably as the with pacer Jhulan Goswami being the leading wicket-taker
Australian fought back strongly. in 50-over cricket. Against Australia, Mithali surpassed
He had upset top-seed Piedro Schweertman of the former England captain Charlotte Edwards's 5992 runs
Netherlands in the semifinal of the PSA World Tour event. when she reached 34, thereby becoming the highest scorer
It was Sandhu's eighth title at the PSA level. in ODIs. Mithali now has 6028 runs from 183 games.
India creates history, tops medal tally at Asian Damneet wins a silver in World U-18 Athletics,
Athletics, 09 July 2017 15 July 2017
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n a stunning show amneet Singh
of dominance, India grabbed a
clinched five gold to silver in boys'
top the medal tally for hammer throw event
first time in the history to give India their
of Asian Athletics first medal on the
Championships, pushing third day of the IAAF
China to second spot, in their most successful campaign in World U-18 Athletics
the continental flagship event. Championships.
With 5 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze, India ended the four-day Damneet sent the 5kg chain and iron ball to a best distance
championships on top with their highest ever medal haul of of 74.20m, which he came up in his first attempt. This was
29 medals (12 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze). his personal best effort. Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine
China ended this edition on second position with 8 gold, 7 won the gold with a best throw of 82.31m while Raphael
silver and 5 bronze. Winkelvoss of Germany took the bronze by clearing a
distance of 71.78m.
Shastri is head coach, Zaheer bowling coach,
Sundar Singh Gurjar bags India's first gold at
Dravid consultant, 12 July 2017
World Para Athletics Championships,
F
ormer cricketer Ravi 15 July 2017
S
Shastri has been
appointed the head undar Singh Gurjar has
coach of the Indian cricket opened India's account at
team. Along with this, Zaheer the World Para Athletics
Khan has been appointed as Championships by clinching gold
the bowling coach and Rahul in the men's javelin throw event. In
Dravid as the batting consultant for specific overseas tours. the F46 category, Sundar recorded
his personal best effort of 60.36m on
Shastri replaced Anil Kumble, who exited after a much
the very first night of the tournament
publicised difference of opinion with Captain Virat Kohli.
and took the top honour.
Making for a star-studded coaching team, former speedster
Dinesh Priyantha Herath of Sri Lanka emerged second with
Zaheer Khan took over as the bowling coach while Rahul
57.93m, followed by defending champion China's Guo
Dravid was handed over additional responsibility of a
Chunliang with a season best of 56.14m.
batting consultant on specific overseas tours.
IGNOU will provide free education for transgender students
K
succeeding Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won
arnataka's Manudev in 1976.
defeated Alok Kumar
However, the Swiss superstar's 11th Wimbledon final, and
of PSPB by four
29th at the majors, will also be remembered for the moving
frames to one in the final
sight of the popular Cilic breaking down in tears after
to win the title in the first
slipping 3-0 behind in the second set.
National Masters snooker
tournament. Federer became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1976
to win Wimbledon without dropping a set in the entire
Kumar, a former national
tournament.
men's champion, had been in fine form coming into the
summit clash, but found Manudev a tough proposition. Lewis Hamilton wins fourth straight British
Indian judokas bag 3 medals in Asian Cadet Grand Prix, 17 July 2017
M
Championships, 16 July 2017 ercedes driver
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Lewis Hamilton
ndia bagged three medals, including a gold in the just-
won the
concluded Asian Cadet Judo Championship in Bishkek,
consecutive fourth British
Kyrgyzstan. Thangjam Tababi Devi of Manipur won
Grand Prix.
the yellow metal for India in the girl's below 44kg weight
category, while Haryana's Simran clinched a bronze in the With this victory, Hamilton
girl's below 40kg division. India's other bronze medal was has made the difference
bagged by Paramjeet of Haryana in the boy's below 90kg between the top-ranked Vettel and him to just one point.
category. In a dramatic race packed with incident, Vettel suffered a
late puncture and finished seventh for Ferrari after his team-
Harinder Pal Sandhu wins Victorian Open mate Kimi Raikkonen also pitted with a similar problem in
title, 16 July 2017 the closing stages.
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ndia's Harinder Hamilton's victory, a record-equalling fifth in his home
Pal Sandhu event and the 57th of his career, rebooted his title challenge
continued his as he came home ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who
fine run by winning started ninth, in a dominant Mercedes one-two finish.
a second title in two
weeks, beating top- Kubot-Melo, Makarova-Vesnina win doubles
seed Rex Hedrick titles at Wimbledon, 17 July 2017
F
of Australia in a
77-minute final of Victorian Open squash, a PSA Tour irst there
event, in Melbourne. was one of
the longest
Third-seeded Sandhu, who had won the South Australian doubles finals
Open last week, stepped up to win the second game 11-3 in Wimbledon
using an attacking game to keep his rival at bay. He had history. And then
beaten Piedro Schweertman of the Netherlands to reach the there was one of
final. the shortest.
Federer beats Cilic in straight sets to win 8th The men's final
Wimbledon, 19th Grand Slam, 17 July 2017 was the first match on Centre Court following the women's
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singles championship. Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo
oger Federer beat Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic in a match that lasted
defeated Marin 4 hours, 40 minutes — only 21 minutes shorter than the
Cilic to win a longest men's doubles final in history.
record eighth Wimbledon
That was followed by the women's doubles final, which
men's singles title and
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won over Chan
became the tournament's
Hao-ching and Monica Niculescu.
oldest champion.
National Book Trust launched Har Haath Ek Kitaab Campaign
G
arbine Muguruza
defeated Venus
Williams to
win her first her first
Wimbledon women's
singles title.
It is 14th seed Muguruza's
second Grand Slam title
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after her French Open triumph over Serena Williams in
2016. he International Swimming Federation (FINA)
announced that the Russian city of Kazan and
She is also the first woman to beat both Williams sisters in Hungarian city Budapest have been chosen to host
Grand Slam finals. the 2022, 2024 Short Course Swimming Championships
respectively.
Amit Kumar wins silver in World Para
Athletics Championships, 18 July 2017 FINA took the decision about the host cities for both events
I
in a meeting at Budapest, the venue of the 2017 World
ndia's Amit Kumar Aquatics Championships.
Saroha clinched a silver
On the other hand, the Chinese city of Hangzhou is set to
in men's club throw F51
host the Short Course Swimming Championships in 2018,
competition in World Para
while Abu Dhabi will be the venue in 2020.
Athletics Championships.
About International Swimming Federation
Saroha's best throw of
30.25m, which came in his ## The International Swimming Federation is the
third attempt, fetched him a silver medal. In the process, international federation recognized by the International
the para-athlete from Haryana set a new Asian record in this Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering
event. Serbia's Zeljko Dimitrijevic retained his title with a international competition in water sports.
world record throw of 31.99m. ## It is one of several international federations, which
The 32-year-old Saroha had also won a silver in this event administer a given sport/discipline for the IOC and/or
in the last edition of the biennial championships in Doha in international community.
2015. He also had won a gold medal in this event in the 2014 ## It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Incheon Asian Para Games. Earlier, Sundar Singh Gurjar had
## The Federation currently oversees competition in
won a gold in men's javelin throw F46 on July 14.
five aquatics sports: swimming, diving, synchronized
Mumbai teens Joshi, Ananya win Dutch Open, swimming, water polo, and open water swimming.
18 July 2017 Bharat Arun appointed as Team India’s new
M
umbai's bowling coach, 19 July 2017
B
Neel Joshi
harat Arun was
and Ananya
appointed as the
Dabke bagged the
new bowling coach
under-15 boys and girls
of Team India by the Board
titles respectively in
of Control for Cricket in
the Dutch Open Junior
India (BCCI). The decision
Squash Championship
was announced during a
in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
DHFL General Insurance has appointed Vijay Sinha as its managing director and chief executive officer
I
contracts of the duo will be finalised by the BCCI officials. ndia spinner
Key Highlights Ravichandran
Ashwin slipped
## Arun has been handed a full-time role, as bowling
a place to take the
consultant Zaheer Khan will only be available for 150
third position in the
days a year.
latest ICC Player
## Sanjay Bangar will continue as the assistant batting Rankings for Test
coach of the team while R Sridhar will continue as the bowlers.
fielding coach of the team.
Sri Lanka spinner
## All the three appointments have been made for a two- Rangana Herath has climbed to second position after
year period. grabbing his eighth 10-wicket match haul and helping win
## Bharat Arun has been reappointed to the role he the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Colombo by four
fulfilled during Ravi Shastri's tenure as team director wickets.
from August 2014 to April 2016. Apart from defeating Ashwin to second place, Herath has
## The Indian cricket team did not have a bowling coach limited the difference between Ravindra Jadeja, who runs
since Arun's contract expired in 2016. himself and the top, to 32 points.
UNESCO adds German Caves with world's oldest known art to World heritage list
SCIENCE
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ndia's latest
Burning Topics of the Month communication
1. ISRO launches Cartosat-2 with 30 nano satellite GSAT-
17 was successfully
satellites.
launched by a heavy
2. Scientists develop world's sharpest laser duty rocket of
with a linewidth of only 10 mHz. Arianespace from the
spaceport of Kourou
3. ISRO develops ship borne transportable in French Guiana.
antenna terminal. The GSAT-17 with a
lift-off mass of about 3,477 kg carries payloads in Normal
ISRO launches Cartosat-2 with 30 nano C- band, Extended C-band and S-band to provide various
satellites, 23 June 2017 communication services.
T
he Indian It also carries equipment for meteorological data relay and
Space Research satellite based search and rescue services being provided by
Organisation (ISRO) earlier INSAT satellites.
has successfully launched GSAT-17 that will strengthen ISRO's current fleet of
earth observation satellite 17 telecommunications satellites was launched into a
Cartosat-2 series weighing Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
712 kg and 30 co-passenger
satellites (29 foreign, one This will be third satellite launch by ISRO this month, the
Indian) with its rocket Polar other two being first developmental flight of GSLV MkIII
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). and PSLV C-38 missions -- both from Sriharikota spaceport.
The 30 satellites will together weigh 243 kg and the total GSLV MkIII successfully launched GSAT-19 satellite on
weight of all the 31 satellites, including Cartosat, is about June 5 while PSLV-C38 orbited Cartosat-2 Series satellite
955 kg. along with 30 co-passenger satellites on June 23 from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The rocket will sling the satellites into a 505 km polar sun
synchronous orbit (SSO). ISRO, which has been dependent on Ariane-5 rocket for
carrying its heavier satellites, is developing GSLV Mk III
The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 nano satellites for this purpose.
from 14 countries - Austria, Belgium, Britain, Chile,
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Scientists develop world's sharpest laser with a
Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the US as well as one linewidth of only 10 mHz, 04 July 2017
A
Indian nano satellite.
team of scientists have developed
The Indian nano satellite 15 kg NIUSAT belongs to
the world’s sharpest laser costing
Nooral Islam University, Tamil Nadu. The satellite
44 million euros. Named as 'Super
will provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural
Laser', it is 10 times more powerful than
crop monitoring and disaster management support
any other on the planet and has the potential
applications.
to revolutionize engineering in aeronautics,
PSLV-C38 was launched from the First Launch Pad of power and automotive industries.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
This laser was developed within the scope of a nearly
According to ISRO, the images sent by Cartosat 10-year-long joint project with researchers from Physikalisch
satellite would be useful for cartographic, urban, rural, Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and JILA, a joint institute
coastal land use, utility management like road network of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and
monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use the University of Colorado Boulder in the US.
maps, change detection to bring out geographical and
Key Highlights
man-made features and various other land information
systems and geographical information system ## Theoretically, laser light has only one colour, frequency
applications. or wavelength. However, there is always a certain
linewidth. This laser with a linewidth of only 10
Communication satellite GSAT-17 launched miliHertz (mHz) is closer to the ideal laser than ever
from French Guiana, 29 June 2017 before.
Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in 70 years
51 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
NEWS BITES SCIENCE
## It has an average power output of 1000 watts which Pakistan Army has conducted a series of training launches
is a benchmark in sustained high energy pulses and is and tests during the current week for validation of new
far greater than the world’s other high-power beams in technical parameters of NASR with enhanced range from
Osaka and Texas. 60-70 kilometres and flight maneuverability.
## This laser, with record-breaking precision, can help Cold Start is a military doctrine developed by the Indian
make optical atomic clocks more precise as well as can Armed Forces for use in a likely war with Pakistan.
test Einstein’s theory of relativity.
CERN Physicists Find a Particle with a Double
India successfully test-fires short range surface- Dose of Charm, 07 July 2017
P
to-air missile, 04 July 2017
I
hysicists have discovered a particle that is doubly
ndia successfully test-fired indigenously developed charming. Researchers reported that in debris flying
quick reaction surface-to-air missile (QR-SAM) off the out from the collisions of protons at the CERN
Odisha coast. This short range missile with a strike range particle physics laboratory outside Geneva, they had spotted
of 25 to 30 km was test fired from a truck-mounted canister a particle that has long been predicted but not detected until
launcher from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur. now.
It was the second developmental trial of the state-of-the-art The new particle, awkwardly known as Xi-cc++
missile with an aerial target. The first developmental trial of (pronounced ka-sigh-see-see-plus-plus), could provide new
the missile was carried out on 4 June 2017 from the same insight into how tiny, whimsically named particles known
base. Designed to be a quick reaction missile, it is capable as quarks, the building blocks of protons and neutrons,
of engaging multiple targets and involves an all-weather interact with each other.
weapon system capable of tracking and firing.
ISRO develops ship borne transportable
It was developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and other establishments. antenna terminal, 12 July 2017
S
pace agency ISRO’s
North Korea confirms successful test-firing of Telemetry, Tracking
ballistic missile, 04 July 2017 and Command
N
orth Korea claimed that it successfully test-fired Network ISTRAC has
its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) designed and developed a
'Hwasong -14'. Ship Borne Transportable
(SBT) Antenna Terminal
The Hwasong-14 missile was fired from North Pyongan to meet the launch vehicle
province and it reached an altitude of 2,802 km and flew telemetry tracking and command requirements.
933 km for about 40 minutes before hitting a target in
the East Sea. The US military characterised it as a "land- The 4.6 meter Ship Borne Antenna System has been built
based, intermediate-range" missile. The North American indigenously, fulfilling all specifications and has established
Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) assessed that the in-house capability for meeting future requirements.
missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to It has also improved the operational reliability due to
North America. in-house know-how of the system engineering, besides
reducing the cost considerably.
Pak successfully test fires short-range ballistic
The city-based ISTRAC provides tracking support for all
missile Nasr, 06 July 2017 satellite and launch vehicle missions of ISRO and also
P
akistan successfully provides space operations support for Deep Space Missions.
test fired short-range
surface-to-surface Indian scientists discover new supercluster of
ballistic missile Nasr, which galaxies, call it Saraswati, 14 July 2017
A
army chief Gen Qamar Javed team of Indian astronomers
Bajwa said has put "cold has discovered an extremely
water" on Indian military’s large supercluster of galaxies
"Cold Start" doctrine. as big as 20 million billion suns
Nasr is a high-precision weapon system with the ability to which they have named Saraswati,
be deployed quickly, the army said. Pune-based Inter University Centre
for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) said.
FMCG major ITC became the fourth Indian company to cross market capitalisation of `4 trillion
S
This is one of the largest known structures in the cientists from
neighbourhood of the universe, 4,000 million light-years the Geological
away from Earth and roughly more than 10 billion years Survey of India
old, IUCAA said. (GSI) have discovered
Its mass extends over the scale of 600 million light years, the presence of
it said. Scientists of this institute were also involved in the millions of tonnes of
path-breaking discovery of gravitational waves last year. precious metals and
minerals deep under
US Navy tests world’s first Laser Weapons the waters within the
System, 19 July 2017 Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ) of peninsular India.
They have confirmed the presence of large amount of
lime mud, phosphate-rich and calcareous sediments,
hydrocarbons, metalliferous deposits and micronodules.
They believe that deeper and more extensive exploration
could lead to a larger treasure trove.
The presence of lime mud, phosphate-rich sediments was
discovered off Karwar, Mangaluru and Chennai coasts, gas
hydrate in the channel-levee system of Mannar Basin off
the Tamil Nadu coast, micro-manganese nodules around
Lakshadweep Sea and cobalt-bearing ferro-manganese
U
crust from the Andaman Sea.
nited States Navy successfully tested the world’s
first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS). Background
In the test, the LaWS deployed aboard the USS GSI for first time had identified huge presence of marine
Ponce amphibious transport ship was able to destroy a resources off Mangaluru, Mannar Basin, Chennai,
drone in flight and moving targets on the Persian Gulf. Andaman and Nicobar Islands and around Lakshadweep
USS Ponce is first ship in the world to be deployed with in early 2014. After three years of exploration, it had
such advanced weapons system. generated 181,025 square kilometres of high-resolution
The system has special materials that release photons at seabed morphological data and established the occurrence
the speed of light. It silently hits the target, burning it to of more than 10,000 million tonnes of lime mud within the
a temperature of thousands of degrees. It can even target a EEZ of India.
single component of an enemy target and disable or destroy GST had carried out the ‘High Resolution Seabed
it as necessary. Each strike of the system travels 50,000 Mapping and Natural Resource Evaluation’ using three
times the speed of an incoming ICBM (Intercontinental
state-of-the-art research vessels — Samudra Ratnakar,
Ballistic Missile).
Samudra Kaustabh and Samudra Saudikama. The main
GSI discovers millions of tonnes of precious objective of the survey was to identify potential zones of
metals and minerals in Indian waters, favourable mineralisation and evaluate marine mineral
20 July 2017 resources.
A
Capital. ctress Priyanka
Chopra will soon
3. Cash in Swiss banks: India drops to 88th
be seen endorsing
place post black money crackdown. government's flagship
Skill India campaign,
Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace hotel acquires with the National Skill
image trademark, 21 June 2017 Development Corporation
roping in the Bollywood
celebrity as an ambassador
for the initiative.
Priyanka will use her celebrity status to motivate youngsters
to hone their abilities through a media campaign.
Earlier, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, batting legend
Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actors Sidharth Malhotra and
Shabana Azmi and singer Mohit Chauhan had also become
goodwill envoys for Skill India.
T
India World 2017, 26 June 2017
T
he iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel in the city has
acquired an `image trademark, making it the first he 54th Femina
building in the country to get intellectual property Miss India World
rights protection for its architectural design. 2017 winner is
Manushi Chhillar from
It will ensure that commercial use of the image of its dome Haryana, while the first
and grand exterior can be made only with the consent of runner-up is Sana Dua
Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris. from Jammu and Kashmir
The hotel was opened on December 16, 1903. and the second runner-up
is Priyanka Kumari from
Mumbai most expensive for expatriates in Bihar.
India: Mercer, 21 June 2017 The event was held at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai.
M
umbai is the Besides, Vinali Bhatnagar won the Miss Active crown
most expensive whereas Vamika Nidhi won the special award of ‘Body
city for Beautiful’.
expatriates in India and is
ranked higher than major Two men from Maharashtra pedal to history,
global cities such as Paris, become 1st Indians, 26 June 2017
E
Canberra, Seattle and
Vienna. leven days, 18 hours
and 45 minutes
According to Mercer's 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey, after setting out
Mumbai is placed 57th on the list while New Delhi was from California, Srinivas
placed at 99. Chennai (135), Bangalore (166) and Kolkata Gokulnath created history
(184) were the other Indian cities on the list. by becoming the first
Luanda, the capital of Angola, was the costliest city, driven Indian to complete what is
by cost of goods and security, followed by Hong Kong and considered to be the toughest cycle race in the world the
Tokyo at the second and third places, respectively. 4,900-km Race across America (RAAM) in solo category.
Indian boxer Ankush Dahiya clinched a gold at the Ulaanbaatar Cup boxing tournament in Mongolia
U
a with zero preparation. In fact, he had never seen what a
ttarakhand was
typical paper looked like before taking it.
conferred with
the award of About Mensa
excellence at the 2nd ## Mensa is believed to be the largest and oldest high IQ
Global Skill Development society in the world.
Summit held in Paris for
## Its membership is open to anyone who can demonstrate
innovations and extensive
an IQ in the top 2 per cent of the population, measured
use of IT for skilling the
by a recognised or approved IQ testing process.
state’s youth.
## The society was founded in 1946 in Oxford by Lancelot
A new initiative is being taken to impart high quality
Lionel Ware, a scientist and lawyer, and Roland Berrill,
job oriented training to the states youth so that they
an Australian barrister.
could avail of employment opportunities in the tourism,
beauty and wellness, agriculture, health and security
PM releases photo book titled "President
sectors.
Pranab Mukherjee - A Statesman",
UNESCO names Sharjah as World Book 03 July 2017
P
Capital 2019, 29 June 2017 rime Minister
S
harjah has been Narendra Modi
crowned with the released a photo
prestigious 'the book titled 'President
World Book Capital' Pranab Mukherjee - A
for 2019 by UNESCO Statesman'. This book is
for the quality of its a compilation of pictures
literary and cultural and articles related
activities and for its to President Pranab
efforts to make books Mukherjee's tenure.
accessible to the entire population of the nation.
Cash in Swiss banks: India drops to 88th place
Sharjah has been chosen for the quality of its literary post black money crackdown, 03 July 2017
I
and cultural activities, and for its unfailing efforts to
make books accessible to the entire population of the ndia has slipped to 88th
nation. place in terms of money
parked by its citizens with
Sharjah is the 19th city to become World Book Capital.
Swiss banks, while the UK
Indian-origin boy Arnav Sharma gets 162 IQ remains on the top.
points, more than Einstein and Hawking, Also, the money officially
01 July 2017 held by Indians with banks in
A
Switzerland now accounts for a meagre 0.04 per cent of the
rnav Sharma, an 11-year-old Indian-origin boy in total funds kept by all foreign clients in the Swiss banking
the United Kingdom, secured the top possible score system, as per an analysis of the latest figures compiled by
of 162 on a Mensa IQ test. the SNB (Swiss National Bank) as on 2016-end.
A
countries in terms of holdings in Swiss banks till 2007. The
country was ranked highest at 37th place in the year 2004. wax statue of actor
Ranveer Singh
Signature Global ropes in Vidya Balan as was unveiled at
brand ambassador, 04 July 2017 the Grévin wax museum
R
in Paris.
ealty firm Signature Global, which is into
development of affordable homes, has roped Ranveer is the third
in Bollywood actress Vidya Balan as brand Bollywood celebrity after
ambassador. Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai to get a statue at the
museum. Wax statue has been unveiled on Ranveer Singh's
Signature Global has launched 9 affordable housing 32nd birthday.
projects, comprising about 9,300 units in a price range
of Rs 15-25 lakh, in Gurgaon in the last three years of A.R. Rahman shortlisted for World Soundtrack
operations. All projects are under the Haryana Affordable Awards, 08 July 2017
O
Housing scheme.
scar winning composer
In May, Signature Global received Rs 200 crore funding
A.R. Rahman is
from private equity player KKR, while it raised Rs 150
delighted that his music
crore from ICICI Prudential last year.
from the film "Viceroy's House"
SRK to continue as Hyundai brand ambassador has been shortlisted for the
World Soundtrack Awards, a
for 2 more years, 04 July 2017
H
public choice award.
yundai Motor India has extended its 19-year old All soundtrack and film music fans worldwide can cast their
association with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh personal vote for what they consider the best soundtrack of
Khan for another two years. the past 12 months. The soundtrack that gets the highest
The fresh mandate as the brand ambassador starts from number of votes will receive the World Soundtrack Public
April 21, 2017, till April 20, 2019. Choice Award 2017.
According to Hyundai, SRK is one of the first Hyundai Directed by Gurinder Chadha, a British filmmaker of
family members and has played a key role in the success of Sikh origin, "Viceroy's House" also stars Huma Qureshi,
Santro since our inception in India. "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville, Gillian Anderson
and late actor Om Puri. The film will release as "Partition:
Priyanka Chopra becomes Academy member, 1947" in India on August 18.
05 July 2017
P
Ranveer, Rajkummar among 50 Most
riyanka Chopra is
Influential Young Indians, 08 July 2017
B
one of the newest
members the Academy ollywood actor
of Motion Picture of Arts Ranveer Singh,
& Sciences (AMPAS) and Rajkummar Rao,
the actress has praised the badminton ace P.V. Sindhu
ongoing push for racial and and Paytm founder Vijay
gender equality. Shekhar Sharma have been
Following two years of sharp criticism and back-to-back named in a list of the 50
ceremonies with an all-white slate of acting nominees, Most Influential Young
AMPAS invited a record 774 new members from 57 Indians of 2017 by GQ India magazine.
countries around the world to join the organisation's ranks. The GQ Power List was celebrated with the announcement
Apart from Priyanka, other Indian stars who have been of 50 most influential Indians under the age of 40 from a
invited to join the Academy and vote in the Oscars include diverse range of backgrounds and professions – business
the likes of, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, and entrepreneurship, politics, fashion, design, media, food
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, filmmakers Goutam Ghose, and drink, entertainment, sports, and real estate to name a
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Salman Khan, Irrfan Khan and few.
Deepika Padukone.
Minister for Science & Technology Dr. Harshvardhan has launched a Mobile App named 'Celebrating Yoga' in New Delhi
WHO’S WHO
S.No. DESIGNATION NAME
1. Chairman, Rajya Sabha Mohd.Hamid Ansari
2. Chairperson of Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan
3. Chairman of NITI Ayog Narendra D Modi
4. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Gulam Nabi Azad
5. Leader of House in Lok Sabha Narendra D Modi
6. Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge
7. Chief Election Commissioner Achal kumar jyoti
8. Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat
9. Director General, ITBP RK Pachnanda
10. Chief Vigilance Commissioner K V chaudhary
11. Foreign Secretary Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
12. Comptroller & Auditor General of India Shashi Kant Sharma
13. Chairman, National Commission for Backward Classes Jus. Vangala Eswaraiah
14. Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India R. S Sharma
15. CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma
16. Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Nand Kumar Sai
17. Chairperson, National Commission for Minorities Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi
18. Chairman, UPSC David R. Syiemlieh
19. Director General, National Investigation Agency Sharad Kumar
20. Chairman, UGC Ved Prakash
21. Chairman, Space Commission and ISRO A S Kiran kumar
22. Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Sec. Deptt. of Atomic Energy Sekhar Basu
23. Chairman, SSC Ashim Khurana
24. Chairman,National Human Rights Commission Justice H.L. Dattu
25. Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Sailesh
26. Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes Sushil Chandra
27. Chairman, Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India T.S. Vijayan
28. Chairman, Securities & Exchange Board of India Ajay Tyagi
29. Chairperson, State Bank of India Arundhati Bhattacharya
30. Chairman, LIC V.K. Sharma
31. India’s permanent representative in UNO Syed Akbaruddin
32. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba
33. Chairperson of National Commission for Women Lalitha Kumaramanglam
34. Chairman, 14th Finance Commission Y.Venugopal Reddy
35. Chairman, Competition Commission of India Devendra Kumar Sikri
36. Chairperson,Central Board of Film Certification Pahlaj Nihalani
37. President, ASSOCHAM Sandeep Jajodia
38. Chairman, NASSCOM Raman Roy
39. New Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat
40. Director General, RAW Anil Dhasmana
41. Chairperson, Children Film Society of India Mukesh Khanna
42. Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas
43. President, CII Shobana Kamineni
44. President, FICCI Pankaj R. Patel
45. Chairman, National Knowledge Commission Sam Pitroda
46. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval
47. Chairperson, Prasar Bharati Dr. A. Surya Prakash
48. Chairman, Investment Commission Ratan Tata
49. Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa
50. Chairman, Indian Banks Association Rajeev Rishi
Data as on 20th July, 2017
Karnataka launched ‘Elevate 100’ scheme for start-ups
A
and will account for
hmedabad the biggest increase
became the in wheat production
first Indian globally.
city to get UNESCO
The OECD-FAO
World Heritage City
Agricultural Outlook
tag.
2017-2026 said the
The declaration of world’s population will increase from 7.3 to 8.2 billion over
six-hundred year the course of the next decade with India and Sub-Saharan
old Ahmedabad as a Africa accounting for 56 % of total population growth.
world heritage city by the UNESCO was hailed by Prime
India’s population will grow from 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion,
Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Gujarat
an increase of almost 150 million. India will overtake China
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
and is projected to be the most populous country in the
The decision was taken at UNESCO’s World Heritage world by 2026.
Committee Meeting at Krakow in Poland. The 600-year-
“Over the course of the outlook period alone, milk
old city has now joined the ranks of Paris, Vienna, Cairo,
production in India will grow 49 %; in 2026, India will be
Brussels, Rome and Edinburgh and put India on the world
the world’s largest milk producer, with an output one-third
heritage city map.
above that of the second largest producer, the European
Sulabh founder pens coffee table book on PM Union,” said the report by the UN and Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development.
Modi's journey, 11 July 2017
India ranks 116 out of 157 nations on SDG
index, 14 July 2017
A
ccording to the
'SDG Index and
Dashboards Report',
India is ranked 116 out of 157
nations on a global index that
assesses the performance of
countries towards achieving
the ambitious sustainable
development goals (SDGs).
This report has been
S
produced by the Sustainable
ulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak has
Development Solutions
compiled the journey of Prime Minister Narendra
Network (SDSN) and the
Modi into a coffee table book.
Bertelsmann Stiftung.
The book titled "The making of a legend" will be released
The report shows that world
by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on July 12.
leaders need to strengthen
The coffee table book has images and text depicting their joint efforts to realise
Modi's journey, his struggles and several initiatives taken the 17 global goals.
by him since he took oath as country’s prime minister in
India is ranked 116th on the index with a score of 58.1,
2014.
behind countries such as Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan
India to become largest milk producer in 2026: and China. Pakistan is ranked 122. Sweden leads the
list, followed by Denmark and Finland. Among the G7
Report, 11 July 2017
A
countries, only Germany and France can be found among
ccording to a report by United Nations and the top ten performers. The United States ranks 42nd on
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and the Index, while Russia and China rank 62nd and 71st
Development (OECD), India, projected to be the respectively.
most populous country over the next decade, will be the
US and South Korea conducted joint ballistic missile drill
I
the highest in the world.
ndia has the
The Canadian government headed by Prime Minister Justin
second highest
Trudeau, which has the confidence of 62 per cent citizens,
number of adults
comes second followed by Turkey, which witnessed a
planning to migrate
failed coup attempt in 2016, with 58 per cent of the citizens
to other countries
placing their trust in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
with the US and the
government.
UK among the most
favoured destinations, Greece, which had to bear the brunt of the Europe's
according to a report by the UN migration agency. migration crisis while struggling with a failing economy,
multiple elections, is at the bottom of the ranking with 13
The UN migration agency, the International Organisation for
per cent of the people's confidence.
Migration (IOM), in its report Measuring Global Migration
Potential 2010-2015, which analyses peoples migration Indians among top asylum-seekers, according
intentions globally for the period 2010-2015, noted that
to the International Migration Outlook 2017,
globally 1.3 per cent of the adult population or 66 million
people said they were planning to migrate permanently 19 July 2017
A
within the next 12 months. ccording to the
The most popular destination for those planning to migrate International Migration
is the US followed by the UK, Saudi Arabia, France, Outlook 2017 report
Canada, Germany and South Africa. on Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
At 4.8 million people, India has the highest number of adults
(OECD) member countries,
planning and preparing to migrate - 3.5 million people who
Indians are among top asylum-
are planning and 1.3 million who are preparing.
seekers in other countries such
For Nigeria, the number stands at 5.1 million people, Congo as New Zealand, Australia,
4.1 million, and China and Bangladesh at 2.7 million each. Finland, Japan, Latvia, Slovak
The findings by IOM’s Global Migration Data Centre Republic, United Kingdom and the United States of
(GMDAC) shows that less than half a per cent of adults America.
worldwide or 23 million people are actively making According to the report on OECD member-nations, top
preparations to migrate abroad. One in three adults surveyed asylum-seekers to New Zealand between 2012 and 2016
plans to migrate to a developing country.
were from China, India, Fiji, and Iraq.
West Africa, South Asia and North Africa are the regions
with the largest migration potential. The study is based on Among these, India and China were the largest source
international survey data by the Gallup World Poll. countries of asylum-seekers (11% and 9%), followed by Fiji
(8%), Iraq (7%) and Pakistan (6%).
With Support Of 73% Indians, PM Modi's
Actor Kamal Haasan to be brand ambassador
Government Most Trusted in World: Report,
of "Tamil Thalaivas"20 July 2017
T
14 July 2017
T
amil film actor
he citizens of Kamal Haasan has
India trust their been appointed
government and brand ambassador of Pro
the country is "at the very Kabaddi League franchise
'Tamil Thalaivas', co-
top of the governmental owned by India batting
confidence league", legend Sachin Tendulkar.
according to the
latest report by the The team will make its debut in season five of PKL.
Organisation for Haasan would launch the jersey of "Tamil Thalaivas" at
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). an event. Tendulkar would be present at the function along
The international organisation, which works with with Telugu film stars Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun and Ram
governments to understand their economic, social and Charan Teja.
SpaceX successfully launched heavy communications satellite Intelsat 35e
62 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
ETYMOLOGY
Editorial Word Examples of BOORISH in a Sentence
BOORISH John described his workplace where lines were regularly
crossed and boorish behaviour was tolerated.
Pronunciation
The comedian’s jokes were so boorish that the only ones
(booor′ĭsh)
left in the audience were those who were too drunk to take
Okay so let’s deal with this one ! umbrage.
It is formed with the root word boor with a suffix ish. Even though the Commander was boorish with his men, he
While boor can be pronounced like “pour”, door, was always courteous to the female captives.
“endure” and ish can be pronounced like shhhh….. so Ridan’s boorish behaviour in front of the judge earned him
all together it is pronounced like pour+shhh… …hence a night in jail for contempt of court.
boorish and bob’s your uncle … isn’t its pronunciation a After annoying all the cocktail waitresses for two hours, the
piece of cake? boorish drunkard was finally thrown out of the bar.
Definitions : Resembling or characteristics of a boor; rude Whenever I find out that my boorish neighbour is going to
and clumsy in behaviour. have a cookout, I think up excuses to be away from home.
Boorish behaviour, such as yelling for service in restaurants. Root Word
Synonyms : CHURLISH, LOUTISH, CLOWNISH BOOR (BARBARIAN (noun) + ISH (suffix)
Antonyms : POLITE, SOPHISTICATED, MANNERLY, First Known Use of Boorish
GENTLE 1562
NEW AND TRICKY
SUFFIX - DESCRIPTION PARTS OF SPEECH MADE FROM EXAMPLES
Ish (pronounced Similar to something. Adjective Noun or Adjective Redish, yellowish,
like -shhh) fiendish, loutish
Other Parts of Speech Test Yourself
Boorishly (adverb) Direction: In each of the following sentences there is a blank
space given. Below each five words have been denoted as
Antonyms : rudely, impolitely, insolently (A), (B), (C), (D)and (E). Find out which word can be filled
up in the blank to make the sentence meaningfully complete
Example Sentence
1. The ____ general was ruthless in battle and never gave
Skipper was in a foul mood as usual, and after boorishly and in to feelings of pity for his enemies.
audibly berating other sailors he started performing his arts. A. knavish B. frumpish C. brutish
D. garish E. donnish
Boorishness (uncountable noun)
2. Debra’s wedding ring is free of the slightest _____ ,
Antonyms : discourtesy, insolence, presumption which is why it cost James so much money.
Example Sentence A. ravish B. blemish C. knavish
D. ghoulish E. faddish
Finding herself in difficulties owing to the boorishness of 3. Rappers are known for wearing ____ accessories like
the people, he pointed to the peasants." giant gold chains.
Other Related Words With Same Suffix A. coltish B. bearish C. brutish
D. garish E. dampish
brutish(adj)-demonic bearish(adj)-brief 4. It was such a _____ movie nobody liked it.
blemish(noun)-flaw rakish(adj)-charming/dashing A. frumpish B. knavish C. feverish
D. garish E. ravish
coltish(adj)-cheerful dampish(adj)-soggy 5. Although the_____pirate was wanted by several
faddish(adj)-fashionable donnish(adj)-didactic governments, he eluded arrest because of his popularity
with the public.
ravish(v)-enchant garish(adj)-gaudy A. faddish B. ghoulish C. frumpish
impish(adj)-naughty feverish(adj)-excited D. rakish E. dampish
Answers
knavish(adj)-dishonest ghoulish(adj)-cruel
1- (C) 2- (B) 3- (D) 4- (A) 5- (B)
frumpish(adj)-boring KEEP LEARNING…!
Arunachal Pradesh celebrated ‘Dree festival’
63 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
PM's Visit to Israel ARTICLE
The two leaders also agreed on the establishment of a Joint
Working Group to steer this Partnership. The two Prime
Ministers noted the importance of realizing the full potential
of bilateral trade and investment.
They tasked the India-Israel CEO Forum to come up
with early recommendations in this regard. Both leaders
underlined the need to boost bilateral cooperation in
innovation and entrepreneurship and called for greater
collaboration in the field of start-ups.
Recognizing the importance of facilitating movement of
businessmen and women, India and Israel underlined their
expectation that the granting of multiple entry visas to
business people for up to five years will encourage greater
Marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of economic and commercial exchanges.
diplomatic relations between the two countries, Prime The two Prime Ministers agreed that negotiations would be
Minister Narendra Modi of India visited Israel from 4-6 conducted on an agreement for the Protection of Investments
July 2017 at the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin in order to encourage bilateral investments from both sides.
Netanyahu of Israel. This historic first-ever visit by an
The two Prime Ministers welcomed the conclusion of
Indian Prime Minister to Israel solidified the enduring
the Memorandum of Understanding for establishing the
friendship between their peoples and raised the bilateral
India-Israel Industrial R&D and Innovation Fund (I4F) by
relationship to that of a strategic partnership.
the Department of Science and Technology, India and the
Noting that they represent two cradles of civilizations that National Authority for Technological Innovation, Israel
have nurtured their respective heritages over the centuries, with a contribution of US$ 20 million from each side.
the two leaders affirmed their intention to build a broad-
This MoU will play a seminal role in enabling Indian and
based relationship that will realise the full potential of their
Israeli enterprises to undertake joint R&D projects leading
association. In doing so, they recognized that throughout
to development of innovative technologies and products
history, the Jewish Communities have always had a home in
that have potential for commercial application.
India and have been treated with warmth and respect.
Recognising the importance of fostering wide ranging
Reviewing the development of the relationship after a
knowledge-business partnership for industries, R&D
quarter century of diplomatic ties, the two leaders agreed
institutions and government agencies from both countries,
on initiatives and policies that would reflect the goals and
Israel warmly welcomed India’s offer to be the "Partner
aspirations of both nations and widen their collaborative
Country” for the annual Technology Summit to be held in
endeavours in a broad range of areas. They visualized
India in 2018.
that the two countries will become close partners in
development, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, Both leaders welcomed the ongoing cooperation between the
defence and security. Israel Space Agency (ISA) and the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO). They expressed satisfaction over the
Recognizing its centrality for development, India and Israel
signing of three MoUs and Plan of Cooperation in the areas
agreed to establish a "Strategic Partnership in Water and
of Cooperation in Atomic Clocks; GEO-LEO Optical Link;
Agriculture”. This will focus on water conservation, waste-
Academic collaboration and Electric propulsion for small
water treatment and its reuse for agriculture, desalination,
satellites which would further enhance cooperation between
water utility reforms, and the cleaning of the Ganges and
the two countries.
other rivers using advanced water technologies.
They also encouraged the two Space Agencies to further
It will also include the reinforcement and expansion of the
enhance the growing relationship for mutual benefit. The
existing Centres of Excellence (COE) under the stewardship
two leaders acknowledged that the recent launching by
of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV)
ISRO of an Israeli nano satellite is an important milestone
and the Ministry of Agriculture of India to promote
in this arena.
commercially viable business models involving Farmer
Producer Organizations (FPOs); the provision of quality The Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction that both sides
planting material; and the transfer of post-harvest technical have agreed to upgrade their scientific and technological
know-how and market linkages involving the private sector collaboration by supporting joint research and development
through PPP, B2B & other models. projects in the cutting edge areas, including ‘Big Data
Analytics in Health Care’.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated Know India Programme (KIP) for NRI and PIO youth
The 10th India-Jordan Morocco Trade and Economic Joint Committee (TEJC) Meeting held in New Delhi
Pradeep Kumar Rawat appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Indonesia
## Special Supervisory Monitoring Meetings (SSMMs) at ## Restrictions on increasing stake in subsidiaries and
quarterly or other identified frequency other group companies
Drummer John Blackwell Jr died
Capacity building of the Food Testing labs is also (B) Basic Food Testing labs will be set up in 1500
an important component of this scheme. In addition, hospitals/hostels across the country.
a School Food and Hygiene Programme has been (C) Basic Food Testing labs will be set up in 1500
envisaged under which basic Food Testing labs schools/dance academies across the country.
will be set up in 1500 schools/colleges across the (D) Basic Food Testing labs will be set up in 1500
country to promote a culture of safe and wholesome temples/colleges across the country.
food.
Q.6.10. Read the following passage carefully and answer
Q.1 What has the Food Safety and Standards Authority the given questions.
of India (FSSAI) rolled out?
Department of Sports has advised National Sports
(A) A major scheme for strengthening of Food Federations (NSFs) to identify medal prospects and
Testing Infrastructure in the country. their support staff for the 2020 Olympic Games by
(B) A major scheme to upgrade food testing November.
Machines. Department's release elaborated that this is to ensure
(C) A major scheme to induce power generations. that the core probable get support of dedicated world
class support staff on a continuing basis to be able to
Atthaya Thitikul became the youngest player to win on Ladies European Tour
There will be a six monthly review of the (A) Under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP)
performance of the athletes and support staff for Scheme.
inclusion/ exclusion in the list of core probable (B) Under the Target Olympic Parameters (TOP)
and their support staff. The department has advised Scheme.
the NSFs to carry out the exercise of selection and (C) Under the Transitional Olympic Podium (TOP)
review with total transparency and put up details Scheme.
of the same on their website as a part of suo moto
disclosure. In respect of the sports discipline(s) (D) Under the Target Olympic Pinnacle (TOP)
in which NSFs are suspended / not recognised Scheme.
by MYAS, this exercise is to be undertaken by Q.10 What has the department suggested the NSFs?
Sports Authority of India (SAI) namely Archery, (A) To carry out the exercise of selection
Gymnastics, Judo, Tennis.
(B) To review with total transparency
Q.6 What has the Department of Sports advised National
Sports Federations (NSFs)? (C) To put up details of the same on their website as
a part of suo moto disclosure.
(A) To identify medal prospects and their support
staff for the 2020 Olympic Games by (D) All of the above
November. Q.11.15. Read the following passage carefully and
(B) To identify the chief guest to inaugurate the answer the given questions.
2020 Olympic Games by November. We have become quite accustomed to brands in our
(C) To identify the leading playing who would bag lives. Companies such as Apple Inc., Google Inc.,
many medals for the 2020 Olympic Games by Coca-Cola Co., and Toyota Motor Corp. are four of
November. the most valuable brands in the worl(D) The most
successful companies spend considerable time,
(D) To identify the supporting staff for basic energy, and money managing their brands. Why do
services to the players for the 2020 Olympic they do so? Because it is economically beneficial
Games by November. for them.
Q.7 What did the Department's release elaborate about As they build their brand image in customers’
the core on a continuing basis? minds, they are able to have a more loyal customer
(A) That the core probable get support of dedicated base willing to pay extra for their products and/or
world class support staff. buy more of their products. They recognize that
(B) That the core probable get support of dedicated to maintain and grow their customer bases most
workers. effectively, they should carefully nurture positive
consumer perceptions of their products or services
(C) That the core probable get support of dedicated and correct negative misperceptions.
world class luxuries.
For many years, Google knew it had a great
(D) That the core probable get support of dedicated Internet search engine, yet never tried to manage
Olympics superstars. the bran(D) Only later did it realize that its brand
Q.8 What has the department further advised NSFs to was one of the most valuable assets. Users would
prepare? opt to do web searches on Google over other search
(A) The programme of training and exposures of engines simply because it was Google, never even
the medal prospects for the year 2017. exploring whether searches on Bing or Yahoo or
Baidu would yield better or faster results. They had
P V Sindhu bags ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ award
86 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
MODEL PAPER
SSC CGL MAINS 2017
become brand-loyal. This provides value for Google Q.16.20 Read the following passage carefully and answer
as it is able to very successfully sell its traffic to the given questions.
advertisers. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)
Similar to companies, nations have brand images has started conducting tests for its ambitious
of their own. Would nations’ economies similarly Chandrayaan-2 mission at its facility, where
prosper if they adopted similar “brand” strategies? simulated lunar craters have been created for
Branding consultancies have developed methods landing mission, Isro chairman said.
to estimate the value of global product brands According to Kumar, several craters, resembling
and regularly publish rankings based on those the terrain of the Moon, have been created on the
estimates. ground at the facility to test instruments and sensors
Q.11 How does brand loyality provide value for Google? on the lander of Chandrayaan-2. “We are doing
some tests with regard to the Moon landing mission
(A) As it is able to successfully sell its traffic to of Chandrayaan-2. For that, an aircraft carrying
advertisers. some of the instruments is being flown over this
(B) As it is able to successfully launch its schemes. simulated area at our facility in Challakere,” Kumar
(C) As it is able to successfully buy the images said.
which are there on its tab. “We have created some craters there. These tests are
(D) As it is able to successfully sell its creative part of our ‘hazard avoidance and landing’ exercise.
ideas to the Executives. The lander is supposed to come down and land We
have to make sure that it lands at a place which does
Q.12 Why have the branding consultancies developed not have too much of slope. Otherwise, one of the
methods? legs of the lander would stuck in a crater,” Kumar
(A) To estimate the value of global product brands. said.
(B) To estimate the value of international trading As per Isro website, Chandrayaan-2, India’s second
funds. mission to the Moon, is an advanced version of the
(C) To estimate the value of socio-economic strata. previous Chandrayaan-1 mission. It consists of an
orbiter, lander and rover configuration. The orbiter
(D) To estimate the value of local brands. with scientific payloads will orbit around the Moon.
Q.13 Who had become brand loyal? The lander will soft-land on the Moon at a specified
(A) Users (B) Brands site and deploy the rover. The scientific payloads
(C) Companies (D) Localities onboard the orbiter, lander and rover are expected
to perform mineralogical and elemental studies of
Q.14 Why do the most valuable brands build their brand the lunar surface.
image in customers’ minds?
In the recent past, Kumar had indicated that
(A) They are able to have a more loyal customer Chandrayaan-2 would be launched tentatively
base willing to pay extra for their products. between 2017 and 2018. “There will be instruments
(B) A more loyal customer buy more of their on the lander. To make sure that these instruments
products. work when it lands on the Moon, we are doing some
(C) Both (A) and (B) simulations and that is one of the activities going
on at Challakere” Kumar, who also serves as the
(D) None of the above Secretary in the Department of Space and Chairman
Q.15 How do the most valuable brands recognize to of Space Commission, said “Tests are also going on
maintain and grow their customer bases most to check the engines which provide required thrust
effectively? to the lander in order to bring down it’s velocity to
(A) They should carefully nurture positive consumer compensate the lunar gravity during the landing,”
perceptions of their products or services Kumar added He was in the city to attend a function
for giving away ‘Shri Hari Om Ashram Prerit Dr.
(B) They should carefully correct negative Vikram Sarabhai Research Awards-2015’ and ‘PRL
misperceptions Award-2015’.
(C) They should carefully sell their new themes Q.16 The ISRO has started conducting tests where-
throughout the world.
(A) Simulated lunar craters have been created for
(D) Both (A) and (B) landing mission.
TSSC and AICTE joins hands for Skill India Mission
Q.26 1. It is expected that every Burmese boy will Q.30 1. It is surprising to note that,
become a novice at a pagoda for a short time. P. AIDS and SARS may hog news headlines
P. My parents used to bring me breakfast in the Q. that kill the most
morning. R. but it is heart attacks
Q. My head was shaved and I put on the yellow S. people in India every year
robe.
6. This, is something to be noted.
R. Everyday I got up at five thirty.
(A) PRQS (B) RPSQ (C) QPSR (D) SPRQ
S. When I was eleven I went to a monastery near
my home. Q.31 1. All over Rome, there were young men from
6. That was a special privilege the novices had. P. Street side performers, or selling tacky souvenirs.
(A) SQRP (B) RQPS (C) RPSQ (D) PQRS Q. The Indian subcontinent earning
Q.27 1. On the face of it the Fifa World Cup is all about R. A precarious livelihood by being
quality football, S. Most were illegal immigrants,
P. Demonstrating their talent for close to 35 days 6. Keeping a wary eye out for the police.
to (A) QRPS (B) QPSR (C) SQPR (D) PRQS
Q. It involves the world's best footballers Q.32 1. A new report by the World Association of
R. Generally recognised as the greatest sporting Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN)
showpiece on earth. has strongly condemned "soft censorship" by
S. Win football’s most coveted trophy. governments
6. However, delve deeper and it is about a lot P. And regulators as a "very serious threat to
more. media independence and
(A) RQPS (B) PQSR (C) QPSR (D) SRPQ Q. Which is the umbrella organization of
newspapers representing more than 18,000
Q.28 1. Every sports event in recent times has met with publications and
protests.
Microsoft CIO Jim DuBois resigned
(A) SPRQ (B) SQPR (C) SQRP (D) PSRQ P. There is a need for scholarly work on its social
dimensions.
Q.34 1. Global corporations in 21st century are
complex and a volatile mix Q. In its social context. In their research, faculty
members examine S&T both in
P. As complexity increases, it becomes paramount
to R. The Department of Science & Technology
Studies is dedicated to
Q. Have effective managers who have strong
S. Research and teaching about scientific
R. Of cultures, processes and people from diverse knowledge and technology
backgrounds.
6. Contemporary societies and through historical
S. Knowledge of people, change, processes and investigations.
possess skills
(A) PRQS (B) PQSR (C) RPQS (D) PRSQ
6. To manage problems in innovative ways.
Q.39 1. The Defence Minister said 95 per cent of retired
(A) RPSQ (B) RPQS (C) PRQS (D) PQSR
P. The implementation of the One Rank,
Q.35 1. After ordering a judicial probe into the Bhopal
jailbreak and Q. Faced by the remaining 5 per cent will
P. Alleged encounter of eight SIMI activists, R. One Pension (OROP) scheme and problems
being
Q. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has put
S. Defence personnel have benefited from
R. On hold the cash rewards it had
6. Be resolved in the next two months.
S. Announced for the policemen who took part in
the operation, (A) PSQR (B) SPRQ (C) PRQS (D) RPQS
6. Throwing up questions about its veracity. Q.40 1. Questioning the dubbing of those demanding a
probe
(A) PRQS (B) QSPR (C) PQRS (D) PSRQ
P. Killing in Madhya Pradesh as anti-national,
Q.36 1. Almost anywhere you go in the world you will
find young Indian men, Q. Into the jailbreak by eight SIMI activists and
their
P. Keep out of reach of the long arm of the law,
R. Clear some doubts and
Q. On the fringe of the underworld, economic
refugees in an S. Former Union Minister said they only wanted to
S. Builds networks, conducts research, and (A) PSQR (B) RSPQ (C) QPSR (D) SRQP
6. and development of sustainable democracies. Q.46.65 In the following questions sentences are given
with blanks to be filled in with an appropriate
(A) QRSP (B) QPSR (C) QRPS (D) QSPR word(s). Four alternatives are suggested for each
Q.42 1. In 1900 the average life expectancy of humans question. Choose the correct alternative out of
across the world was 31 years, the four and mark your answer.
P. Can now be won over by medicines that did not Q.46 To keep the body in good health is a duty,
exist back then. __________we shall not be able to keep our mind
Q. And today it is about 68. This improvement is strong and clear.
largely (A) therefore (B) otherwise
R. Due to the fact that death-causing infection (C) lest (D) because
S. Health practices help in increasing our life Q.47 Where there is no strength of mind ___________
span. can be no strength of soul.
6. Proper nutrition, exercise and “good habits” are (A) his (B) their (C) there (D) one
known to do so. Q.48 We are not votaries of reservations ______the board.
(A) PQSR (B) QRPS (C) RPSQ (D) SPQR (A) on (B) across
Q.43 1. Mumbai-based researchers have identified two (C) throughout (D) for
microRNA biomarkers
Q.49 A strange and terrible irony united India and
P. Used for TB diagnosis and TB disease Pakistan_________.
prognosis.
(A) recently (B) current (C) special (D) hardly
Q. It could be used both for drug-sensitive
pulmonary TB and Q.50 The elections have witnessed an induction of more
__________150 million first-time voters.
R. Multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients.
(A) then (B) than (C) to (D) for
S. Present in serum samples that could potentially
be Q.51 Information is ___________bits of data.
6. The results were published in the journal (A) clearly (B) just (C) the (D) definitely
Tuberculosis. Q.52. God! give us wisdom as a father ______to his sons.
(A) PRSQ (B) SPRQ (C) RQPS (D) SPQR (A) plays (B) thinks (C) do (D) gives
Q.44 1. Google is experimenting with a simple, yet Q.53. He who lowers his mind to the dust of ______men's
useful feature feet, sees the name of God enshrined in every heart.
P. Approach already adopted by some of its (A) few (B) all (C) some (D) most
Q. Much more touch-friendly, and is an Q.54 Pakistani security officials say five more Indian
R. On Chrome for mobile, switching the diplomats have____________ to their country amid
navigation bar to the bottom. a deepening diplomatic row.
S. The new layout would make it (A) entered (B) left (C) returned (D) done
India's fast bowler Ishant Sharma launched App in collaboration with New York’s EscapeX
(D) English is taught here by the teacher. (B) I want a car to be bought.
Q.87 Who has invented the bulb? (C) A car is bought by me which I wanted.
(D) A car is bought by me.
(A) Who has the bulb been invented by?
Q.94 There is no game to play.
(B) By whom has the bulb invented?
(A) There is no game to be played.
(C) By who has the bulb been invented?
(B) A game to be played there.
(D) By whom has the bulb be invented?
(C) A game is to be played there.
Q.88 Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru is the first prime minister of
India. (D) There to play game is no one.
(A) The first prime minister of India is Pt. Jawahar Q.95 Don’t do it for me and for all.
Lal Nehru. (A) Let it not be done for I and for all.
(B) It should be said that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru is (B) Let it not been done for me and for all.
the first prime minister of India. (C) Let it not be done for me and for all.
(C) It is said that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru is the first (D) Let it not done for me and for all.
prime minister of India.
Q.96 Call the servant immediately.
(D) It was said that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru is the first
(A) Let the servant being called immediately.
prime minister of India.
(B) The servant should be called immediately.
Q.89 We decided to complete our task first today.
(C) The servant be called immediately.
(A) It is decided by us to complete our task first
today. (D) Let the servant be called immediately.
(B) It was decided to complete our task first today. Q.97 A book was being written by him.
(C) It decided that to complete our task first today. (A) He was being writing a book.
(D) It had been decided to complete our task first (B) He was writing a book.
today. (C) He was written a book.
Q.90 I am to sing a song for you in this grand party. (D) He had been writing a book.
Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin remain on top of ICC Test bowlers rankings
Q.105 Someone has cleaned the room. (C) I asked him when would he come back from
Japan.
(A) The room has been cleaned by him.
(D) I asked him when he would came back from
(B) The room have been cleaned.
Japan.
Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the head coach of Indian cricket team
(D) I advised him to not smoke. Q.131.135. In the questions given below, choose the word
most opposite in meaning to the given word and
Q.123 Sweety said, “What a beautiful child this is!” mark your answer.
(A) Sweety exclaimed that that child was very Q.131 rotund
beautiful.
(A) round (B) unimportant
(B) Sweety exclaimed that that child is very
(C) thin (D) dull
beautiful.
Q.132 expound
(C) Sweety said that that child was very beautiful.
(A) besmirch (B) confuse
(D) Sweety exclaimed that that child was greatly
beautiful. (C) confine (D) condemn
Q.124 The stranger said to me,” Have you ever been to Q.133 pique
Goa?” (A) value (B) gully (C) smooth (D) soothe
(A) The stranger asked me if I has ever been to Goa. Q.134 philistine
(B) The stranger asked me if I have ever been to (A) novice (B) cultured
Goa. (C) pious (D) debutante
(C) The stranger asked me if I had ever been to Q.135 rebuke
Goa.
(A) revile (B) praise
(D) The stranger asked me if had I ever been to (C) flamboyant (D) return
Goa.
Q.136.140. Which of the following best expresses the
Q.125 Her friend said to her, “Can you spend some time meaning of the given Idiom/phrases and mark
with me?” your answer.
(A) Her friend asked her if could she spend some Q.136 A penny for your thoughts
time with her.
(A) Thoughts not practical enough
(B) Her friend asked her if she can spend some time
(B) one to be penalised for thinking out of the
with her.
context
(C) Her friend asked her if she ought to spend some
(C) one to be paid for telling his thoughts
time with her.
(D) To ask a person what he is thinking
(D) Her friend asked her if she could spend some
time with her. Q.137 At the drop of a hat
Q.126.130 In the questions given below, choose the word (A) To do the job forcefully
most similar in meaning to the given word and (B) To do the job eventually
mark your answer. (C) To do the job instantly
Q.126 ramble (D) To do the job without any interest
Forensic expert Pakkiriswamy Chandra Sekharan passes away
(C) to kill (D) to start something new (A) had finished their soup
(C) to pre fix the things Q.169 Some people believe that the benefits of a healthy
dieting outweigh that of regular exercise.
(D) to get upset
(A) benefits of health dieting
Q.161.165. In questions below out of the four alternatives,
(B) benefits of a healthy diet
choose the one which can be substituted for the
given sentence and mark it as your answer. (C) beneficial of a healthy dieting
Q.161 One who is extremely stupid (D) No correction required
(A) moron (B) ludicrous Q.170 The players' helmets need to be repainted before
they are use in Sunday's game.
(C) short-sighted (D) simple
(A) useful in Sunday's game
Q.162 Leave or remove from a place considered dangerous
(B) utilized in Sunday game
(A) retrenchment (B) evacuate
(C) used in Sunday's game
(C) depart (D) displace
(D) No correction required
Q.163 Having a command of or composed in many Q.171.200. In the following passages from question Nos.
languages 171 to 200, some of the words have been left out.
(A) altruist (B) amoral First read the passage over and try to understand
what it is about. Then fill in the blanks with the
(C) antagonist (D) polyglot
help of the alternatives given.
Q.164 One who eats excessively and rapidly
Q.171.200.
(A) binger (B) foodie
Ankita Kothari was one year into a ___171____
(C) omnivorous (D) Irresistible career as a corporate banker __172__ Hyderabad
Q.165 A person of good understanding knowledge and when a devastating road accident ____173___
reasoning power her right leg, leaving her unable to walk. Doctors
told her she ___174__ need multiple surgeries.
(A) profound (B) intellectual Determined to avoid another operation, the 24-year-
(C) literate (D) connoisseur old IIM-Raipur graduate decided to adopt a positive
attitude and got ___175__ on her feet through sheer
Q.166.170. In questions given below, a part of the sentence
discipline and dedication. Here, she ___176__ her
is underlined Below are given alternatives to
journey back to health. On July 26, 2015, I was
the underlined part at (A), (B) and (C) which returning home on my two-wheeler from some
may improve the sentence. Choose the correct personal work. The car on my left was ___177___,
alternative. In case no improvement is needed trying to overtake me, and the road had ____178___
your answer is (D). divider. I moved slightly to my right and was hit
Q.166 He is known into me. by a car from the opposite direction. I was wearing
a helmet, which protected my head, but the femur,
(A) by (B) to
tibia and fibia ____179____ my right leg were
(C) for (D) No correction required broken. At the site of the accident there was one
Q.167 Many teachers choose to seek employment in the doctor. I asked her if I’d ever be able to walk again.
suburbs rather than faced low salaries in the city. She told me, “Ankita, you’ll not only walk, you’ll
run.” That was the moment I ___180____ no matter
(A) facing low salaries (B) facing low salaried what, I’m not going to cry. I’m just going to find a
(C) facing lower salary (D) No correction required solution.
Odisha to set up international standard sports city
Interchange the Alphabets to get step 1 as arrows
mention in the above figure. Q31. Which element comes in step-2 in the second
column of third row?
(1) LM7 (2) QR7 (3) W3
(4) XE3 (5) None of these
Q32. Which element comes in step-2 in the second
column of second row?
(1) W3 (2) NU2 (3) No One
Step -1 (4) BC8 (5) None of these
Former batsman and Coach Sandeep Patil became the brand ambassador of Indian Indoor Cricket Team
1
(1) 12 2 %
1
(2) 8 3 %
2
(3) 16 3 % (1) 20 km/hr. (2) 30 km/hr. (3) 40 km/hr.
Q.46-50. In each of the following questions two equations Q.54. The present age of Sheena is six times that of present
are given. You have to solve both the equation and age of Gita. After 10 years, the ratio between Sheena
find out the values of x and y and establish the correct and Riya is 2: 1. If Riya celebrated her 4th birthday 6
relationship between them. years before. Then what is the age of Gita after 8 years?
(1) 23 years (2) 5 years (3) 8 years
Give answer -
(4) 13 years (5) Can’t be determined
(1) If x > y (2) If x < y
Q.55. A train 450 meter long moving at a speed of 60 kmph
(3) If x > y (4) If x < y crosses a 325 meter long train coming from opposite
Twitter names ex-Goldman Sachs banker Ned Segal as new CFO
Iran appointed its first female CEO, Farzaneh Sharafbani to lead its national carrier 'Iran Air'
108 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
MODEL PAPER
RRB PO PRE 2017
Q.68. 19 20 ? 27 2.75 18.75 (1) 12 (2) 18 (3) 15 (4) 23 (5) 28
(1) 8 (2) 10 (3) 12 Q.76-80.What value will come in place of question mark
(4) 6 (5) None of these (?) in the questions given below?
J P Nadda launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22)
109 SEPTEMBER/2017/MASTER IN CURRENT AFFAIRS
MODEL PAPER
RRB PO PRE 2017
REASONING
Q.26.(5) B
Q.1.(1) R%P Q.27.(4) P=F
Q.28.(4) K
Q.29.(3) E
Q.30.(1) M
Q.2.(5) R&Q
Q.31-35.
Q.3.(5) J%R
Step 1
Q.4.(4) T%M
Step 2
Q.5.(2) Z$X
Q.6.(5) <,<,>,>,>
Q.7.(5) R=P
Q.8.(1) >
Q.9.(4) <, <, >, =, >, =
Q.10.(4) U< Z
Q.11.(3) South Step 3
Q.12.(2) North Q.31.(1) LM7
Q.13.(1) North - East Q.32.(3) No One
Q.14.(5) None of these Q.33.(3) NU2
Q.15.(3) South-East Q.34.(1) W3
Q.16.(4) None of these Q.35.(1) MN7
Q.17.(1) 5 Q.36 -38 .
Q.18.(3) 4 boys and 2 girls
Q.19.(3) 7
Q.20.(2) 5
Q.21.(4) 160
Q.22.(4) 290
Q.23.(2) 210
Q.36.(5) Can not be determined
Q.24.(2) 280
Q.25.(3) 200 Q.37.(4) None of these
Q.38.(3) Daughter in law
Q.39.(1) 4m East
Q.40.(1) 8m
Q.26-30.