Monthly Current Affairs

AUGUST 2015

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Daily GK Update: 1st August 2015

1. Indias first Harbour Defence System
commissioned in Kochi
i. Indias first Integrated Underwater
Harbour Defence and Surveillance System
(IUHDSS) was commissioned in Kochi,
Kerala.
ii. First of its kind system in the country is
part of initiatives to strengthen and beef
up coastal security in the western coastline.

iii. Designed by Israel Aerospace Industries

(IAI). Consists of advance sensors, coastal
surveillance radars and sound navigation
and ranging systems (SONAR).
iv. Capable of detecting, tracking,
identifying and generating warning for all
types of underwater and surface threats to
harbour security. The integrated system
can detect presence of divers and under
water threats with the help of this
automatic system.
2. Indias Prabhroop Sekhon wins two
golds in Special Olympics World Games
i. Indias 14 year old Prabhroop Sekhon
has won two gold medals in the Special
Olympics World Summer Games held at
Los Angeles, US. He won the medals in 300
metre and 500 metre Roller Skating event.

ii. Sekhon hails from Lucknow, Uttar

Pradesh. Earlier he was coached and
selected for various camps at State and
National level. He is an Autistic student
and is son of a serving Indian Air Force
Officer, Group Captain BS Sekhon.
iii. Special Olympics World Summer
Games are an international sporting
competition
organized
by
Special
Olympics for athletes with intellectual
disabilities. Special Olympics founded in
1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver to
celebrate the talents, perseverance and
achievements of those with intellectual
disabilities.
3. Thomas Cook (India) Ltd buys Sri
Lankan firm Luxe Asia Pvt. Ltd

i. Major tour operator Thomas Cook (India)

Ltd has acquired Sri Lanka based
destination management company Luxe
Asia Pvt. Ltd.
ii. The acquisition was done in undisclosed
deal was made through Thomas Cook
(India) Ltds wholly owned subsidiary
Thomas Cook Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. After this
deal, Luxe Asia will be operated as an
independent entity.
iii. This acquisition will help Thomas Cook
(India) Ltd to increase its significant
presence in Sri Lanka along with
destination management capabilities.
iv. Luxe Asia is primarily focussed on
inbound tourism from key global market. It
services both traveller segments and tour
operator across its 10 destinations in the
Indian Ocean region (IOR) and Asia.
4. Cyclone Komen makes landfall in
Bangladesh
i. Cyclone Komen made landfall in Coxs
Bazar in Bangladesh. The cyclone has
caused heavy rains that inundated vast
areas of the coastal towns of Bangladesh,
West Bengal and Odisha. Land affected
areas due Cyclone Komen include eastern
countries north in Bay of Bengal. They are
Bangladesh, Myanmar, East India and
Northeast India.

ii. Under the influence of cyclone, several

coastal districts of low-lying areas and
their offshore islands are likely to be
inundated with high tides.
iii. It was formed due to generation of
depression over the Northern Bay of
Bengal, which later turned into a cyclonic
storm. It is had attained the wind speed of
from 65 to 75 kmph.
iv. Indian Meteorological Department
(IMD) has forecasted that this cyclone will
bring very heavy rainfall along with it in
the Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha of
India. After making landfall in Bangladesh
it will further move west-north-westwards
and weaken gradually.

flying off the shelves, say book sellers, with

the former presidents autobiography,
Wings of Fire, emerging as the top seller
online.
ii. all the books authored by Kalam are in
demand, with eight of them on the top 20
bestsellers list on online retailer Amazon.
iii. After the peoples president passed
away on July 27 while addressing
management students in Shillong, there has
been an outpouring of grief nationwide.
iv. The shop which has only India 2020 in
stock now, is planning to add at least 50100 copies of his other books Ignited
Minds, Target 3 Billion and Turning Points
to cater to bulk orders, as it expects
more demand from schools in the coming
days.
6. Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin
presented with Arjuna Award
i. Union Government has conferred Arjuna
Award on Indian cricket team off-spinner
bowler Ravichandran Ashwin. With this
Ashwin became 48th cricketer to receive
the prestigious award.
ii. He was presented with award by Union
Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a
special function organised in New Delhi.
iii. The award was bestowed upon R
Ashwin in 2014, but he was not present
during the Award Ceremony held at
Rashtrapati Bhawan in August 2014.
During that time he was a part of the India
One Day International (ODI) team, which
was touring England.
iv. R Ashwin hails from southern Indian state
of Tamil Nadu. Till date in his international
cricket career he has taken 139 wickets in
99 ODIs, 124 wickets in 25 Tests and 26
wickets in 25 T20 internationals. He is the
fastest Indian bowler to reach the 100 and
50 wicket mark in International Test cricket
and 5th fastest bowler in Test history to
bag 100 wickets.
v. Arjuna Awards was instituted in 1961.
Given by Union Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports to sportsperson in recognition
of their outstanding achievement in
National sports.

5. Igniting minds: Kalams books fly off

the shelves
i. Even as the country continues to mourn his
passing, APJ Abdul Kalams books are

Page2

Daily GK Update: 2nd and 3rd August 2015

1. India to host 2nd Forum for IndiaPacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)
i. India will host second edition meeting of
Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation
(FIPIC) on 21 August 2015 in Jaipur,
Rajasthan.
ii. The meeting will be attended by the
heads of 14 island nations from IndoPacific oceanic region. It is seen as Indias
first step towards greater engagement
with the region, which is important from
geostrategic and economic standpoint.
iii. It could also help counter the growing

Chinese influence in this oceanic region. The

and tele-medicine. It will also include space

cooperation and climate change. Earlier in
November 2014, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi during his visit to Fiji had proposed
to hold FIPIC summits regularly to increase
ties among the participating nations.

FIPIC meeting will pave the way for

agreements in various potential areas
between India and these nations.
iv. It will include sectors such as agriculture,
fisheries, food processing, solar energy, enetworks for coordination in tele-education

2. Folger appointed MD, CEO of

Mercedes-Benz India
i. Mercedes-Benz on Monday said it has
appointed Roland S Folger as the
Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of its India operations, replacing

Eberhard Kern who will assume a new role

for the European market.

dignity and self-respect of the individual in

the borrowing process.
4. US country singer Lynn Anderson
passes away

ii. Under the leadership of Eberhard Kern

during the past three years, the growth
strategy of Mercedes-Benz India has been
enhanced including the expansion of
production capacity, as well as extension
of network and product portfolio, the
company said in a statement.
iii. After holding several positions in sales
department for Mercedes-Benz passenger
cars and commercial vehicles with
responsibility for the Southeast region, he
was appointed Vice-President for Sales,
Marketing and After Sales in Tuscaloosa
(US)
3. HDFC Banks new initiative

i. HDFC Bank has launched Dhanchayat,

an educational film to raise awareness on
the dangers of borrowing money from
unorganised sources.
ii. This film has been launched under the
aegis of Swachh Banking, the banks
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
initiative.
iii. As part of Swachh Banking, HDFC
Bank-branded Dhanchayat video vans will
travel across the country covering
thousands of villages.
iv. Through the film, the bank will showcase
to the rural population the importance of
transparency in dealings as also the

i. United States country singer Lynn

Anderson passed away after she suffered
a heart attack in Nashville, US. She was
67.
ii. She was best known for her 1971
worldwide hit I Never Promised You a from
Rose Garden. Lynn Anderson was born in
North Dakota and was raised in
Sacramento, California.
iii. She was daughter of two country
songwriters and started her career at the
age of 6. Her other US hits are How Can I
Unlove You?, Youre My Man and Top of
the World.
iv. She had won a Grammy award for
Rose Garden and in 1971, she was also
the Country Music Associations female
vocalist of the year. Alongside her singing
career, she had appeared in number of
television series.

ii. The card is aimed at getting Snapdeal's

customers, 70 per cent of whom are from
smaller cities and towns, to make online
payments instead of availing the cash on
delivery option.
iii. A customer can apply for the card from
Snapdeal's website, mobile site or mobile
application.
The
applicant's
credit
eligibility will be checked instantly.
iv. The move is aimed at tapping the rise in
ecommerce transactions with payments
companies like Paytm which gives discounts
to attract customers.
6. India womens team wins silver in
World Archery Championship
i. Indian womens recurve archery team has
won silver medal in World Archery
Championship held in Copenhagen,
Denmark.
ii. Indian womens team included trio of
Laxmirani Majhi, Deepika Kumari, and
Rimil Buriuly.
iii. In the final match of World
Championship they lost to Russia by 4-5
score.
iv. The winning Russian womens team
included trio of Ksenia Perova, Inna
Stepanova and Tuyana Dashidorzhieva.
v. Indian archer Rajat Chauhan has won
silver medal in the World Archery
Championships in the compound category.
It was Indias first-ever individual medal in
the World Archery Championships

5. HDFC Bank ties up with Snapdeal for

co-branded credit card
i. India's second largest private sector
lender, HDFC Bank and online marketplace
Snapdeal jointly launched co branded ecommerce credit card today.

Daily GK Update: 4th August 2015

Page3

1. Reserve Bank of India leaves door

open for more easing
i. Reserve Bank of India policy kept its
policy rate on hold at 7.25 percent on
Tuesday, as widely expected, while
leaving the door open to ease further
depending on the inflation outlook and
how swiftly banks lower their lending
rates.

ii. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also

said government economic reforms and the
timing of any increase in U.S. interest rates
would be key factors that will determine
whether the central bank cuts rates for a
fourth time this year.
iii. The RBI has reduced its policy rate by
three-quarters of a percentage point since
embarking on an easing cycle in January.

The last cut lowered the repo rate to 7.25

percent on June 2.
iv. The RBIs next policy review is set for
Sept. 29. That would be after the Feds
September meeting, and any increase in
U.S. rates is expected to suck money out of
emerging markets.
2. Union Government extends term of
Rajan S Katoch as Director of ED for 3rd
time
i. Union Government has extended term of
senior IAS officer Rajan S Katoch as the
Director of the Enforcement Directorate
(ED).

ii. In this regard, Apppointments Committee

of the Cabinet (ACC) presided by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi issued an order.
Thus, Mr. Katoch will have three months
additional tenure till October 31, 2015.

iii. Mr. Katoch is an IAS officer of 1979batch of Madhya Pradesh cadre. He was
appointed to top most post of Enforcement
Directorate (ED) in March 2012 for three
year term which was to end in January
2015.
iv. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a
law enforcement agency and economic
intelligence agency responsible for
enforcing economic laws and fighting
economic crime in India. It is part of and
operates under the aegis of Department of
Revenue of Union Ministry of Finance.
3. HSBC India plans to launch green
bonds

i. HSBC Indias chairman Naina Lal Kidwai

announced to launch green bonds in India
for raising funds for investments in
environmental projects. Announcement was

done by the HSBC chairman in a Ficci

event held on 3 August 2015.
ii. The total investment attracted by Green
Bonds in last two years is 37 million
dollars. HSBC is the fourth largest issuer in
the
world.
iii. Green Bonds in India was initially
launched by Axis Bank and Yes Bank in
February 2015 that attracted investment
of 1,000 crore rupees against the target
of
500
crore
rupees.
iv. Green bond is a debt instrument with
which a bond issuer gets capital while the
investors receive fixed income in the form
of interest. The issuer of green bond gets
capital from the investors only if the
investment is being raised to fund green
projects relating to renewable energy or
emission
reductions
etc.
4. Operation Muskaan helped Gurgaon
Police to trace over 1000 kids
i. Operation Muskaan, an initiative
launched by railway police to trace
missing and destitute children and reunite
them with parents, was in news in first
week of August 2015.

5. Airtel acquires
payment solutions

YTS

for

mobile

i. Indias largest telecom operator Bharti

Airtel has acquired YTS Solutions a mobile
payments solutions company for an
undisclosed
price.
ii. YTS Solutions will be integrated with the
operations of Airtel Money Services Ltd a
subsidiary
of
Airtel.
iii. This acquisition will help Airtel to
expand its footprint in the payments sector
by integrating business capabilities and
unique service delivery model of the YTS.
iv. In line with this acquisition the cofounder and MD of YTS Solutions, Manish
Khera, will be appointed as CEO of Airtel
M Commerce Services Ltd (AMSL) which
offer wallet service under the brand name
Airtel
Money.
6. NTPC inks agreement to form JV with
Jharkhand for Patratu Power Plant

ii. It came into news after Gurgaon Police

traced 1094 children in Haryana during
the
month-long
operation.
iii. Of the 1094 children traced under the
operation, 263 were living in shelter
homes, while 831 children were traced
from different places. Out of the 831
children, 809 have been reunited with their
parents, while the remaining 22 have been
lodged
in
shelter
homes.
iv. The Operation Muskaan was launched
by the railway police on 1 July 2015 from
Dindigul railway station of Tamil Nadu.
The operation was launched with an aim to
prevent child trafficking and rescue
children from persons who tried to engage
them in begging, sexual trade and other
antisocial
activities.

i. National Thermal Power Corporation

(NTPC) Limited has inked an agreement
with Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited
(JBVNL) to form a joint venture (JV)
company for Patratu Power Plant.
ii. The agreement will help optimise
utilisation of improve performance, assets
and expand capacity of Patratu Thermal
Power Station located in Ramgarh district
of Jharkhand.
iii. The JV company will have 74 per cent
share or stake of state-run NTPC while
JBVNL will have the rest 26 per cent stake.
iv. It will work to improve the performance
of the existing power stations in Jharkhand

in order to gradually provide more power

to the state.
7. Delhi's specially-abled athletes win 7
medals at Summer Games
i. A team of specially-abled athletes from
state-run Asha Kiran Home has brought
laurels to Delhi by winning seven medals,
including three gold, at the World Summer
Games 2015 in the United States.
ii. Phoolan Devi (17) won first gold for the
country in power lifting (bench press
category). She also clinched three bronze
medals in power lifting (all lifts, dead-lift
and squat lift).
iii. Two of the other gold winners at the
games, held between July 25 and August
2 in Los Angeles, were Mathru and Patto
who excelled in softball (team event) and
800 metres run respectively.
8. IOC gives Olympic Sport recognition
to Frisbee
i. International Olympic Committee (IOC)
has officially recognised Frisbee as an
Olympic sport.
ii. Decision in this regard was taken at the
128th IOC Session held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malayasia by giving official recognition to
World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF).
iii. It was included as Olympic sport after
WFDF had meet all the criteria including
having 62 national federations members
and gender equality.
iv. Olympic recognition to this sport now
opens the door to the some financial
support from the IOC and participation in
the Olympic Games. Frisbee is the sport of
flying disc which became popular in the
1960s and 70s. Presently, WFDF governs
several Frisbee events including Beach
Ultimate, Ultimate Frisbee and field events.

Daily GK Update: 5th August 2015

Page4

1. Asias biggest telescope MAST

inaugurated
at
Udaipur
Solar
Observatory in Rajasthan
i. Multi-Application Solar Telescope
(MAST), Asias biggest telescope was
inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar
Observatory in Rajasthan. It was
inaugurated by Professor U.R Rao,
Chairman of Physical Research Laboratory,
inaugurated.
ii. The telescope was installed under the
project undertaken by Union Ministry of
Science and Technology and was funded
by Department of Space (DoS). The
project will be monitored by Ahmedabad
based Physical Research Laboratory.
iii. MAST has a lens of 50 cm in diameter.
These lenses were developed on the basis
of optical and mechanical system of
Belgium. The rear part of MAS has been

developed by the observatory while its

front part was developed by the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
iv. It will provide 3 Dimensional (3D)
images of solar activities such as solar
blast and solar flares. It will also in vital
studies about other planetary movements
even in the day time.
v. MAST has been designed in 2004 and
its optical elements were added to it in
2008. In 2013, it was installed at the
Udaipur Solar Observatory.
2. Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna
wins 2015 Ramanujan Prize

i. Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna has

won the Ramanujan Prize for year 2015.
He has been bestowed with this award for
his outstanding contributions in the area of
algebraic cycles, algebraic K-theory and
the theory of motives.
ii. Presently, Dr. Krishna is mathematician
professor at the Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. He
hails from Bihar and had completed his
early college and schooling education
there.
iii. Ramanujan Prize was established in
2005. It is named after the noted Indian
mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. It
recognizes a researcher from a developing
country who has conducted outstanding
research in a developing country and is
less than 45 years of age.

iv. Dr. Krishna is the second Indian to win

this award. First was Sujatha Ramadorai
who had won it in 2006.
3. IDFC Bank to start operations from
October
i. IDFC Bank is set to start lending
operations from October 1.The stage is set
for this with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
granting IDFC Bank licence for undertaking
banking business, said IDFC in a
notification to bourses.

ii. According to the terms and conditions of

the bank licence, the transfer of business of
IDFC Ltd. to the proposed bank should
coincide with commencement of banking
business.
iii. The auditor certificate certifying
transfer of business as on date of
commencement of operations of the bank
should be submitted to the RBI, the
financial institution informed the bourses on
Tuesday.
iv. The board of directors of IDFC and
IDFC Bank, at their meetings held on July
30 and July 27, respectively, have
determined that the demerger scheme
could be effective only upon receipt of
requisite operational licences from the RBI
and IDFC Bank Ltd. will commence the
banking business from October 1.
4. NDDB wins award for geographical
info system

i. The National Dairy Development Board

(NDDB) on Tuesday said it has won the Esri
Special Achievement in GIS Award 2015
for
exemplary
work
in
Dairy
Geographical Information System.
ii. The award ceremony was held recently
at the annual Esri International User
Conference in San Diego and presided

over by Jack Dangermond, President and

Founder of Esri.
iii. With the advancement of Internetbased GIS technology, it is now possible to
integrate and quickly disseminate the
tremendous amount of attribute and
graphical data of villages into usable
information for decision-making by all
stakeholders of the dairy sector.
iv.
NDDBs
Internet-based
Dairy
Geographical Information System (i-DGIS)
application is the first of its kind in India,
where village-level integration of data has
been done, at such a large scale, for the
dairy sector.
5. Ministry of Rural Development
launches SAMANVAY portal for Gram
Panchayats
i. Union Ministry of Rural Development has
launched SAMANVAY web portal to
monitor progress and implementation of
the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)
for development of Gram Panchayats. It
was launched by Union Rural Development
Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh.

ii. SAMANVAY web portal consist a

compilation of all Government schemes of
both Centra and State governments for
Gram Panchayats.
iii. The purpose of this portal is to help
Member of Parliaments (MPs) to utilise
relevant schemes in the planning and
implementation of SAGY. It will act as a
database for compiled and mapped
information on various gram panchayat
related activities through various schemes
undertaken by the Centre and State
Governments. In SAMANVAY, around
1800 state schemes from across all states
have been documented.
iv. Apart from this, minister also launched a
magazine Panchayat Darpan to monitor
the progress of the SAGY. The magazine
will act as a mirror of all the development
activities by identifying 35 indicators
undertaken in the village panchayats
under SAGY.

6. Delhi Government decided to have

tram network in Old Delhi
i. Delhi government on 4 August 2015
decided to run trams in several walled city
areas including Lal Quila, Jama Masjid
and Old Delhi Railway Station. The
decision was taken to augment transport
infrastructure of the city.

ii. The tram network in Old Delhi will

comprise Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk,
Sheeshganj Gurudwara, Old Delhi Railway
Station and Fatehpuri Masjid. It will also
link New Delhi Railway Station and several
other localities.
iii. The government also decided to make
Shahjahanad Redevelopment Corporation,
set up to carry out infrastructure projects in
Old Delhi, on the lines of New Delhi
Municipal Council.
iv. As of 2014, the Kolkata tram in Kolkata
(formerly Calcutta) is the only public tram
system in the country.
7. Alibaba to invest INR 4000 crore in
Paytm
i. To tame the worlds e-commerce giant
Amazon, Alibaba is to invested 4000 crore
rupees in m-commerce giant Paytm.
Alibaba has picked up 25 per cent stake
in Paytms parent company One97 through
its subsidiary Ant Financial.
ii. Earlier it has done investments in
Snapdeal, FreeCharge and now Paytm
which is the largest mobile payments space
in India. Paytm has around 80 million
digital wallets and Alibaba is interested in
this major mobile commerce player in this
mobile-first market to topple the largest
global rival Amazon.
iii. Through the partnership with Alibaba
Indian e-commerce players now also has
access to Chinese market.
iv. It should be noted that the Indian
merchants are second biggest sellers on
Alibaba portal after the Chinese.

Page5

Daily GK Update: 6th August 2015

1. India, Mozambique ink MoU to boost
ties in New and Renewable Energy
sector
i. India and Mozambique agreed to
deepen cooperation in New and
Renewable Energy. In this regard both
sides inked Memorandum of understanding
(MoU) on expanding cooperation in
energy sector.
ii. It was signed after delegation level talks
between Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his counterpart Filipe Nyusi,
President of Mozambique who is on official
5 day visit to India.
iii. Apart from this, both nations also
agreed ways to intensify cooperation in

maritime security and ocean economy as

both
have
large
coastlines

and are linked by Indian Ocean.

iv. India and Mozambique share a history
of profitable trade relations and there
bilateral trade in 2014-15 valued at US
2.4 billion dollars. In last 5 years trade
between the two countries has multiplied
five times.

2. ILO, FICCI ink MoU to boost MSME

productivity
i. The International Labour Organisation
(ILO) and Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have
inked MoU to impart training to Micro,
Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to
make them competitive and boost
productivity.

ii. The MoU was signed as part of the

second phase of Sustaining Competitive
and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE)

Global Programme. The second phase

covers three years period from January
2014 to December 2017 wherein national
institutes will provide training to MSMEs.
iii. SCORE is a training programme which
seeks to empower employers and workers
and
increase
productivity
and
competitiveness of MSMEs. It is being
supported by the Norway Agency for
Development Cooperation (NADC) and the
Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs
(SSEA). Presently it is operational in eight
countries including India.
iv. It seeks to enable the FICCI to
effectively coordinate and manage SCORE
training services. Each phase under this
global programme will approximately
have year or more period and will be
governed by a technical partnership
agreement. The first phase was covered
between October 2009 and December
2013.
3. Union Cabinet approves proposal to
sign agreement with UNESCO
i. Union Cabinet gave its nod to a proposal
to sign an agreement with UNESCO for
establishment of a Centre for World
Natural Heritage Management and
Training for Asia-Pacific region.

ii. This centre will be established as a

category-2 centre (C2C) of the UN body
at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in
Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
iii. By signing this agreement WII Dehradun
will be first existing institute to be
accorded recognition by UNESC. It will be
also the first institute to get natural
heritage recognition by UNESCO as
currently there are 9 C2C institutes related
to cultural heritage.
this agreement has been mooted by the
Union Environment Ministry. While, Union
Government will provide capacity building
for establishing this centre in order to
support countries in the region for up
keeping of heritage and natural sites.

Page6

4. Union Cabinet gives nod to Direct

Release of Wages into bank accounts of
MNREGA workers
i. Union Cabinet has approved the
proposal of direct release of wages in to
the accounts of the workers engaged
under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Direct release of wages system under the
MNREGA aims to streamline the flow of
funds and to empower state governments
to deliver entitlements as per the objectives
of the Act.

ii. The wage component of MGNREGA will

be directly released to the workers
accounts based on a fund transfer order to
be generated by states implementing
agencies of government.
iii. The fund transfer order in case of
wages of workers from implementing
agencies will be based in accordance with
procedures prescribed by Union Rural
Development Ministry and the wage
component will be given to the State
Employment Guarantee Fund window for
further transferring it to beneficiaries.
iv. In the implementation of this scheme, the
gram panchayats will be empowered to
take up work according to the agreed
labour budget and without struggling for
release of funds.
5. Central Government liberalises singlebrand retail norms for non-resident
entities
i. Now non resident single-branded
retailers in India can operate their own
outlets, can franchise their stores and can
even opt for wholesale business as per
central governments new notification.

ii. These single-brand retailers can opt for

above said trading options only when they
do business through subsidiaries in India or
form a joint venture with Indian entity.
iii. Central government allowed singlebrand retailers because the proceeds from
franchise business will come into the current
account while proceeds from FDI will be
accounted in the capital account which
does not violates rules set for non resident
entities doing business in India.
iv. Central government norm of 30 percent
sourcing from Indian MSEs or cottage
industries may be relaxed for all nonresident entities who are involved in FDI
beyond 51 percent.

v. At present there is 100 per cent FDI

allowed in single-brand retail trading and
require prior approval from government
for the proposals beyond 49 per cent FDI
6. Murugappa Group to form new Joint
venture with Japan-based Organo
i. The water treatment engineering
company Polutech Limited of Murugappa
Group signed an agreement with Organo
Corp of Japan to set an industrial water
treatment requirement company in a Joint
venture.

ii. According to the agreement signed the

Murugappa Group will hold 51 per cent in
joint venture and the remaining portion will
be with the Organo Group. The estimated
new venture will deal in industrial water
treatment requirements services, which will
deal to meet growing demand of industries
for waste water management.
iii. Murugappa Groups Polutech is a key
player in the water treatment engineering
services in India; it manufactures equipment
and designs systems for water and waste
water treatment plants. Whereas, Japans
Organo is a key player in general water
treatment engineering. It provides water
treatment systems, management and
maintenance of delivered systems and also
deals in sales of standard products and
chemicals.
7. Airtel commercially Launches Indias
first 4G services across 290 cities
i. On 6 August 2015 Indias telecom giant
Airtel has commercially launched the highspeed 4G services across 296 towns across
India .
ii. In April 2012 Bharti Airtel had first
launched its 4G service in Kolkata and
from then conducted trials in 51 cities.
iii. For the 4G devices Airtel has join hands
with mobile handset maker Samsung to
develop and provide 4G-enabled
handsets in affordable price.
iv. It should be noted that it is Airtel who
has built first commercial 4G network in
India that has brought high speed mobile
broadband into reality.

Other Important Topic

Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC's)
About the term NBFC:
A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company
registered under the Companies Act, 1956 engaged in the
business
of
loans
and
advances,
acquisition
of
shares/stocks/bonds/debentures/securities issued by Government
or local authority or other marketable securities of a like nature,
leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit fund business.

less than 85%of its assets in the nature of qualifying assets which
satisfy the following criteria:
a. loan disbursed by an NBFC-MFI to a borrower with a rural
household annual income not exceeding Rs. 60,000 or urban and
semi-urban household income not exceeding Rs. 1,20,000.
b. tenure of the loan not to be less than 24 months for loan
amount in excess of Rs. 15,000 with prepayment without penalty;

Difference between BANK & NBFC:

NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are
akin to that of banks; however there are a few differences as
given below:
i. NBFC cannot accept demand deposits;
ii. NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system
and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself;
iii. deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit
Guarantee Corporation is not available to depositors of NBFCs,
unlike in case of banks.

vii. Non-Banking Financial Company Factors (NBFCFactors): NBFC-Factor is a non-deposit taking NBFC engaged in
the principal business of factoring. The financial assets in the
factoring business should constitute at least 75 percent of its total
assets and its income derived from factoring business should not
be less than 75 percent of its gross income.

Different types/categories of NBFCs registered with RBI:

NBFCs are categorized
a) In terms of the type of liabilities into Deposit and Non-Deposit
accepting NBFCs,
b) Non deposit taking NBFCs by their size into systemically
important and other non-deposit holding companies (NBFC-NDSI
and NBFC-ND) and
c) By the kind of activity they conduct.
Within this broad categorization the different types of NBFCs are
as follows:
i. Asset Finance Company(AFC) : An AFC is a company which is
a financial institution carrying on as its principal business the
financing of physical assets supporting productive/economic
activity, such as automobiles, tractors, lathe machines, generator
sets, earth moving and material handling equipments, moving on
own power and general purpose industrial machines.
ii. Investment Company (IC) : IC means any company which is a
financial institution carrying on as its principal business the
acquisition of securities.
iii. Loan Company (LC): LC means any company which is a
financial institution carrying on as its principal business the
providing of finance whether by making loans or advances or
otherwise for any activity other than its own but does not include
an Asset Finance Company.
iv. Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC): IFC is a non-banking
finance company
a) which deploys at least 75 per cent of its total assets in
infrastructure loans,
b) has a minimum Net Owned Funds of Rs. 300 crore,
c) has a minimum credit rating of A or equivalent d) and a CRAR
of 15%.
v. Infrastructure Debt Fund: Non- Banking Financial Company
(IDF-NBFC) : IDF-NBFC is a company registered as NBFC to
facilitate the flow of long term debt into infrastructure projects.
IDF-NBFC raise resources through issue of Rupee or Dollar
denominated bonds of minimum 5 year maturity. Only
Infrastructure Finance Companies (IFC) can sponsor IDF-NBFCs.

Page7

vi. Non-Banking Financial Company - Micro Finance Institution

(NBFC-MFI): NBFC-MFI is a non-deposit taking NBFC having not

Register with RBI:

A company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 and
desirous of commencing business of non-banking financial
institution as defined under Section 45 I(a) of the RBI Act, 1934
should comply with the following:
i. it should be a company registered under Section 3 of the
companies Act, 1954
ii. It should have a minimum net owned fund of Rs 200 lakh.
Deposits in NBFC:
a) Presently, the maximum rate of interest an NBFC can offer is
12.5%. The interest may be paid or compounded at rests not
shorter than monthly rests.
b) The NBFCs are allowed to accept/renew public deposits for a
minimum period of 12 months and maximum period of 60 months.
They cannot accept deposits repayable on demand.
c) The deposits with NBFCs are not insured.
d) The repayment of deposits by NBFCs is not guaranteed by RBI.
Brief about RNBC
a) Residuary Non-Banking Company is a class of NBFC which is a
company and has as its principal business the receiving of
deposits, under any scheme or arrangement or in any other
manner and not being Investment, Asset Financing, Loan
Company.
b) These companies are required to maintain investments as per
directions of RBI, in addition to liquid assets.
c) The amount payable by way of interest, premium, bonus or
other advantage, by whatever name called by a RNBC in respect
of deposits received shall not be less than the amount calculated
at the rate of 5% (to be compounded annually) on the amount
deposited in lump sum or at monthly or longer intervals; and at
the rate of 3.5% (to be compounded annually) on the amount
deposited under daily deposit scheme.
d) Further, a RNBC can accept deposits for a minimum period of
12 months and maximum period of 84 months from the date of
receipt of such deposit. They cannot accept deposits repayable on
demand.
Some other regulators:
Category of Companies
Chit Funds
Insurance companies
Housing Finance Companies
Venture Capital Fund /
Merchant Banking companies
Stock broking companies
Nidhi Companies

Regulator
Respective State Governments
IRDA
NHB
SEBI
SEBI
SEBI
Ministry of corporate affairs,
Government of India

A Brief on CURRENCY SYSTEM IN INDIA

Present Denomination of Bank Notes:
At present, banknotes in India are issued in the denomination of
Re.1, Rs.5 Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100, Rs.500 and Rs.1000. These
notes are called banknotes as they are issued by the Reserve
Bank of India (Reserve Bank).
Denomination of Bank Notes & Coins:
The Reserve Bank can also issue banknotes in the denominations of
five thousand rupees and ten thousand rupees, or any other
denomination that the Central Government may specify. There
cannot, though, be banknotes in denominations higher than
ten thousand rupees in terms of the current provisions of the
Reserve Bank of India of Act, 1934. Coins can be issued up to the
denomination of Rs.1000.
Role of Government of India in Currency System:
In terms of Section 25 of RBI Act, 1934 the design of banknotes is
required to be approved by the Central Government on the
recommendations of the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of
India. The responsibility for coinage vests with the Government of
India on the basis of the Coinage Act, 1906 as amended from
time to time. The Government of India also attends to the
designing and minting of coins in various denominations.
How much currency to be produced?
The Reserve Bank decides the volume and value of banknotes
except Re. 1 note to be printed each year. The quantum of
banknotes that needs to be printed, broadly depends on the
requirement for meeting the demand for banknotes due to
inflation, GDP growth, replacement of soiled banknotes and
reserve stock requirements.
Who decides the coins issue?
The Government of India decides the quantity of coins to be
minted on the basis of indents( official order) received from the
Reserve Bank.
How does the Reserve Bank estimate the demand for
banknotes?
The Reserve Bank estimates the demand for banknotes on the
basis of the growth rate of the economy, the replacement demand
and reserve stock requirements by using statistical
models/techniques.
What is a currency chest?
To facilitate the distribution of banknotes and rupee coins, the
Reserve Bank has authorized select branches of scheduled banks
to establish Currency Chests. These are actually storehouses where
banknotes and rupee coins are stocked on behalf of the Reserve
Bank.

What is a small coin depot?

Some bank branches are also authorized to establish Small Coin
Depots to stock small coins. The Small Coin Depots also distribute
small coins to other bank branches in their area of operation.
What are soiled, mutilated and imperfect banknotes?
(i) "soiled note:" means a note which, has become dirty due to
usage and also includes a two piece note pasted together wherein
both the pieces presented belong to the same note, and form the
entire note.
(ii) Mutilated banknote is a banknote, of which a portion is missing
or which is composed of more than two pieces.
(iii) Imperfect banknote means any banknote, which is wholly or
partially, obliterated, shrunk, washed, altered or indecipherable
but does not include a mutilated banknote.
Can soiled and mutilated banknotes be exchanged for value?
Yes. Such banknotes can be exchanged for value.
Clean Note Policy:
Reserve Bank of India has been continuously making efforts to
make good quality banknotes available to the members of
public. To help RBI and banking system, the members of public
are requested to ensure the following:
a) Not to staple the banknotes
b) Not to write / put rubber stamp or any other mark on the
banknotes
c) Store the banknotes safely to prevent any damage
Note:
1) Seeking to spread awareness among public about fake notes,
the Reserve Bank has launched a website explaining ways to
detect counterfeit notes. With a tagline 'Pehchano Paise Ki Boli,
Kyunki Paisa Bolta Hai', the website- www.paisaboltahai.rbi.org.in
-- gives visual presentation with pointers on currency notes of 10,
20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 rupee denominations.
2) MINIMUM RESERVE SYSTEM
The Reserve Bank has the sole right to issue currency notes, except
one rupee notes which are issued by the Ministry of Finance. The
RBI follows a minimum reserve system in the note issue. Initially, it
used to keep 40 per cent of gold reserves in its total assets. But,
since 1957, it has to maintain only Rs. 200 crores of gold and
foreign exchange reserves, of which gold reserves should be of
the value of Rs. 115 crores.
3) After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in
the country and it bears the signature of Finance Secretary Rajiv
Mehrishi. Incidentally, the note was released at Shrinathji temple
in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, on March 6 by Mehrishi.

A Brief on FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES

As it was in the news that, our country's foreign exchange
reserves rose by $321.7 million to $353.648 billion in the week to
July 24 on account of increase in foreign currency assets. The
country's gold reserves remained unchanged at $19.074 billion.
The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund
were up by $5.8 million to $4.024 billion in the week under
review, while the country's reserve position with the Fund also rose
by $1.8 million to $1.304 billion.
As on July 24, 2015

Page8

Components of Forex
Total Reserves
1.1 Foreign Currency Assets
1.2 Gold
1.3 SDRs
1.4 Reserve Position in the IMF

US$ Mn.
Bn.
1
2
22,551.8 353,648.1
20,995.3 329,245.4
1,216.1 19,074.3
257.1
4,024.2
83.3
1,304.3

Lets discuss What actually is FOREX?

Reserves are maintained by countries for meeting their
international payment obligations both short and long terms,
including sovereign and commercial debts, financing of imports,
for intervention in the foreign currency markets during periods of
volatility, besides helping to boost the confidence of the market in
the ability of a country to meet its external obligations and to
absorb any unforseen external shocks, contingencies or
unexpected capital movements.
India's foreign exchange reserves comprise foreign currency
assets, gold and special drawing rights allocated to it by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) in addition to the reserves it has
parked with the fund. Foreign exchange reserves are held and
managed by the RBI.
The Foreign currency assets are investment mainly in instruments
abroad which have the highest credit rating and which do not
pose any credit risk. These include sovereign bonds, treasury bills
and short-term deposits in top-rated global banks besides cash
accounts.

The Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an interest-bearing

international reserve asset created by the IMF in 1969 to
supplement other reserve assets of member countries. The SDR is
based on a basket of international currencies comprising the U.S.
dollar, Japanese yen, euro and pound sterling. It is not a currency,

nor a claim on the IMF, but is potentially a claim on freely usable

currencies of IMF members. It can be held and used by member
countries, the IMF, and certain designated official entities called
"prescribed holders"but it can not be held, for example, by
private entities or individuals.

CBS - Core Banking Solution

This word is more often used by bankers and now-a-days postal
officials are also using it. CBS is an acronym of Core Banking
Solutions. Again one will wonder what the meaning of core is, core
is also an acronym. It stands for "Centralized On-line Real-time
Exchange".
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
1.
Definition:Core Banking Solution (CBS) is networking of branches, which
enables
Customers to operate their accounts, and avail banking services
from any branch of the Bank on CBS network, regardless of where
he maintains his account. The customer is no more the customer of a
Branch. He becomes the Banks Customer.
Another interesting fact regarding CBS is that all CBS branches
are inter-connected with each other. Therefore, Customers of CBS
branches can avail various banking facilities from any other CBS
branch located anywhere in the world.

2.
What it offers to a customer?
It offers invariably all information that a bank's customer would
need if he/she visits a bank branch in person.
a)
These are as herein
follows:To make enquiries about the balance or debit or credit entries in
the account.
To obtain cash payment out of his account by tendering a
cheque.
To deposit a cheque for credit into his account.
To deposit cash into the account.
To deposit cheques / cash into account of some other person who
has account in a CBS branch.
To get statement of account.
To transfer funds from his account to some other account his
own or of third party, provided both accounts are in CBS
branches.
To obtain Demand Drafts or Bankers Cheques from any branch
on CBS amount shall be online debited to his account.
Customers can continue to use ATMs and other Delivery Channels,
which are also interfaced with CBS platform.
3.
Top CBS Application Software
Providers
1-Infosys Technologies Ltd. Finnacle is the universal banking
solution from Infosys.
2-I-flex solutions Ltd. since late 2005 it is owned by Oracle
3-TCS FNS (Financial Network Services Limited) is an Australian
developer and supplier of banking application software,
operating in world markets. Now owned and managed by TCS.
Thus, CBS is a step towards enhancing customer convenience
through anywhere and anytime banking.

SOME FINANCIAL TERMS

1) Type of assets
The assets portfolio of the banks is required to be classified as
(1) standard assets(2) sub-standard assets(3) doubtful assets
and(4) loss assets.Standard asset is one that does not disclose any
problems and which does not carry more than normal risk
attached to the business .An asset which has been classified as
NPA for a period not exceeding 12 months is considered as substandard asset.Doubtful asset is one which has remained NPA for
a period exceeding 12 months.An asset which is considered
uncollectible and loss has been identified by the bank or internal
or external auditors or the RBI inspection and the loss has not been
written off is regarded as loss asset.

2-The bank (Drawee) - on whom the cheque is drawn (i.e. the

bank with whom the account is maintained by the drawer)
3- Payee Payee is the person whose name is mentioned on the
cheque to whom or to whose order the money is directed to be
paid.

2) Core Banking Solutions (CBS)

Core Banking Solutions is a buzz word in Indian banking at
present, where branches of the bank are connected to a central
host and the customers of connected branches can do banking at
any breach with core banking facility.

6) Negotiated Dealing System

The Negotiated Dealing System (NDS) for electronic dealing and
reporting of transactions in government securities was introduced
in February 2002. It facilitates the members to submit
electronically, bids or applications for primary issuance of
Government Securities when auctions are conducted. NDS also
provides an interface to the Securities Settlement System (SSS) of
the Public Debt Office, RBI, Mumbai thereby facilitating settlement
of transactions in Government Securities (both outright and repos)
conducted in the secondary market.

Page9

3) Prime Lending Rate

The minimum short-term interest rate charged by
commercial banks to their most creditworthy clients. It is a
reference interest rate used by banks for its lending purposes.
4) Parties of a Cheque:
There are three parties to the cheque
1-Drawer or Maker

5) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)

It is a reserve asset (known as Paper Gold) created within the
framework of the International Monetary Fund in an attempt to
increase international liquidity, and now forming a part of
countries official forex reserves along with gold, reserve positions
in the IMF and convertible foreign currencies.

7) NDS OM (Order Match)

In August, 2005, RBI introduced an anonymous screen based order
matching module on NDS, called NDS-OM. This is an order driven
electronic system, where the participants can trade anonymously
by placing their orders on the system or accepting the orders

already placed by other participants. NDS-OM is operated by

the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL) on behalf of the RBI.
8) What is Asset Management Companies?
A company that invests its clients' pooled fund into securities that
match its declared financial objectives. Asset management
companies provide investors with more diversification and
investing options than they would have by themselves. Mutual
funds, hedge funds and pension plans are all run by asset
management companies. These companies earn income by
charging service fees to their clients.

usage and also includes a two piece note pasted together wherein
both the pieces presented belong to the same note, and form the
entire note.
(ii) Mutilated banknote is a banknote, of which a portion is
missing or which is composed of more than two pieces.
10) Imperfect banknote means any banknote, which is wholly or
partially, obliterated, shrunk, washed, altered or indecipherable
but does not include a mutilated banknote.

9) "Soiled Note:" means a note which has become dirty due to

FINANCIAL INCLUSION
It is the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to vast
sections of disadvantaged and low income groups
Financial inclusion involves
1) Give formal banking services to poor people in urban & rural
areas.
2) Promote habit of money-savings, insurance, pension-investment
among poor-people.
3) Help them get loans at reasonable rates from normal banks. So
they dont become victims in the hands of local moneylender.
Some Important initiatives for financial inclusion:
1) Lead banking scheme (LBS).
2) No frills account.
3) BSBDA
4) Business Correspondents (BC) system.
5) Swabhiman Campaign
6) PMJDY
Lead Bank Scheme
The Lead Bank Scheme, introduced towards the end of 1969,
envisages assignment of lead roles to individual banks (both in
public sector and private sector) for the districts allotted to them.
A bank having a relatively large network of branches in the rural
areas of a given district and endowed with adequate financial
and manpower resources has generally been entrusted with the
lead responsibility for that district. Accordingly, all the districts in
the country have been allotted to various banks. The lead bank
acts as a leader for coordinating the efforts of all credit
institutions in the allotted districts to increase the flow of credit to
agriculture, small-scale industries and other economic activities
included in the priority sector in the rural and semi-urban areas,
with the district being the basic unit in terms of geographical area.
No Frill Account
'No Frills 'account is a basic banking account. Such account
requires either nil minimum balance or very low minimum balance.
Charges applicable to such accounts are low. Services available
to such account is limited. In what can be described as a
watershed Annual Policy Statement, the RBI in 2005-06 called
upon Indian banks to design a no frills account a no
precondition, low minimum balance maintenance account with
simplified KYC (Know Your Customer) norms. But All the existing
No-frills accounts opened were converted into BSBDA in
compliance with the guidelines issued by RBI in 2012 .

following minimum common facilities to all their customers. These

guidelines includes:(a) This account shall not have the requirement of any minimum
balance.
(b) The services available in the account will include deposit and
withdrawal of cash at bank branch as well as ATMs;
receipt/credit of money through electronic payment channels or
by means of deposit/collection of cheques drawn by
Central/State Government agencies and departments;
(c ) While there will be no limit on the number of deposits that can
be made in a month, account holders will be allowed a maximum
of four withdrawals in a month, including ATM withdrawals; and
(d) Facility of ATM card or ATM-cum-Debit Card.
Business Correspondent
Business correspondents are bank representatives. They personally
goes to the area allotted to them and carry out banking.
They help villagers to open bank accounts.
They help villagers in banking transactions. (deposit money,
take money out of savings account, loans etc.)
The Business Correspondent carries a mobile device.
The villager gives his thumb impression or electronic
signature, and get the money.
Business Correspondents get commission from bank for every
new account opened, every transaction made via them, every
loan-application processed etc.
Recently on Financial Inclusion
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a committee with
the objective of working out a medium-term (five-year)
measurable action plan for financial inclusion. The terms of
reference will include reviewing the existing policy of financial
inclusion, including supportive payment system and customer
protection framework, taking into account the recommendations
made by various committees set up earlier.
It will also study the cross-country experience in financial inclusion
to identify key learnings, particularly in the area of technologybased delivery models, that could inform policies and practices.
The committee will also suggest a monitorable medium-term plan
for financial inclusion in terms of its various components like
payments, deposit, credit, social security transfers, pension and
insurance.
Deepak Mohanty, RBI executive director, will chair the committee.

BSBDA
RBI in 2012 came out with fresh guidelines and asked banks to
offer a Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account which will offer

TYPES OF MONEY

Page10

Commodity Money - Commodity money value is derived from

the commodity out of which it is made. The commodity itself
represents money, and the money is the commodity. For
instance, commodities that have been used a Medium of
exchange include gold, silver, copper, salt, peppercorns, rice,
large stones, etc.
Representative Money - is money that includes token coins, or
any other physical tokens like certificates, that can be

reliably exchanged for a fixed amount/quantity of a

commodity like gold or silver.
Fiat Money - Fiat money, also known as fiat currency is the
money whose value is not derived from any intrinsic value or
any guarantee that it can be converted into valuable
commodity (like gold). Instead, it derives value only based
On government order (fiat)

Commercial Bank Money - Commercial bank money or the

demand deposits are claims against financial institutions
which can be used for purchasing goods and services.

Reserve Money (M 0)
Currency in circulation + Bankers deposits with the RBI + Other
deposits with the RBI = Net RBI credit to the Government + RBI
credit to the commercial sector + RBI's claims on banks + RBI's net
is foreign assets + Govemments currency liabilities to the public RBI's net non-monetary liabilities.
M1
Currency with the public + Demand deposits with the banking
system + 'Other' deposits with the RBI

M3
M1+ Time deposits with the banking system
= Net bank credit to the Government + Bank credit to the
Commercial sector + Net foreign assets of the banking sector +
Goveinments currency liabilities to the public - Net non-monetary
liabilities of the banking sector.
M4
M3 +All deposits with post office savings banks (excluding
National Savings Certificates)
Bhartiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL)
The Reserve Bank established BRBNMPL in February 1995 as a
wholly-owned subsidiary to augment the production of bank notes
in India and to enable bridging of the gap between supply and
demand for bank notes in the country.

M2
M1 + Savings deposits of ofce savings banks.

Forbes List
Fortune /Forbes / World /Asiapacific/Britain -2015
World Billioniers list 2015 tops
CHINA
FORBES 50 power full women list
india women 6 people
Arundhati bahattchary(SBI)
CHANDA KOCHAR(ICICI)
AKHILA SRINIVASAN (SHRIRAM
CAPITAL)
Kiran mazumdar shah(biocoin)
Shikashama(AXIS)
Ushasnagwan(LIC)
FORBES most powerful person 2015
Modi- 15
FORBES -Bussiness person of year
2014 LARRY PAGE
FORTUNE -500 india biggest
company IOC
Fortune Magazines 40 under 40
2014
Fortune Magazines 40 under 40 2014
Travis Kalanick-Uber
Brian CheskyAirbnb
Mark ZuckerbergFacebook
#Wealth-X list-2015 under 40 age
billioners
Top__Arun Pudur (INDIA) cel frame

Page11

# FORTUNE_The 100 Best Workplaces

for Millennials in 2015 Top-5
Power home remodelling group
David weekly homes
Allied wallet
Pinnacle finance partner
Acuity
#Fortune 500 companies _ 2015
Wall mart
Exxon mobile
Chevron
Bershire hathway
Apple
#FORTUNE
WORLDS
LEADERS-2015

GREATEST

TIM COOK
MARIO DRAGHI
XIJIPING
POPE FRANCIS
NARENDRA MODI

# FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work

For.*Top -5
Google
The boston consulting group
ACUITY
SAS instutite
Robert.w.baird
Top countries with number of Forbes
Global 2000 companies in 2015
Rank country no of companies TOP
company
United States 579
Berkshire
Hathaway
China
232
ICBC
Japan
218
Toyota
Motor
UK
94
HSBC
South Korea 66
Samsung
Electronics
France
61
AXA
India
56
Reliance
Industries
Canada
52
Royal Bank
of Canada
Taiwan
47
Hon Hai
Precision
Germany
45
Volkswagen
Group
#FORTUNE MISCELLANEOUS
Forbes Global 2000 companies in
2015USA
FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to
Work For GOOGLE
FORTUNE WORLDS GREATEST
LEADERS-2015TIM COOK
FORTUNE Worlds Billonier list 2015
tops CHINA
Fortune 500 companies _ 2015wall
mart

FORTUNE_The 100 Best Workplaces

for Millennials in 2015_ power home
remodelling group
Fortune Magazines 40 under 40
2015 __Travis Kalanick-Uber

#FORBES MISCELLENOUS
Richest person on the planet_2015
BILL GATES
Richest Women In The World 2015
Christy Walton(WALMART)
The Worlds Richest BILLIONIER 2015
BILL GATES
The Worlds Youngest Billionaires
under 402015 Evan Spiegel &
Bobby MurphySnapchat cofounders
The Worlds Highest-Paid Superstars
Of 2015Floyd Mayweather
FORBES ASIA RICHEST PERSON 2015 Wang Jianlin, chairman of
the Dalian Wanda Group
The Worlds Highest-Paid Athletes
2015 Floyd Mayweather
Asias 50 Power Businesswomen
2015Lucy Peng(ALIBABA)
FORBES india rich list 2015 Dilip
sangavi
Top 20 Richest Indian Celebrity in
2015salman khan
TIMES
Richest woman in Britain 2015Kirsty
Bertarelli
TIMESBritain richest sportsperson
2015 Lewis hamilton
Wealth-X list-2015 under 40 age
billionersArun Pudur (INDIA) cel
frame
luxury publishing group Huran
Report world rischest countries
USA,CHINA,INDIA
Most 5 influential medicine makers 2015
ANTHONY FACUIUSA
KIRAN AMZUMDAR SHAH-INDIA
SIR ANDREW WITTYUK
ARTHUR D.LEWISONUSA
HEATHER BRESCHUSA

The top 10 most expensive cities in 2015

by WEALTH -X REPORT
Luanda, Angola
Hong Kong
Zurich, Switzerland
Singapore
Geneva, Switzerland
Shanghai, China
Beijing, China

Seoul, South Korea

Bern, Switzerland
NDjamena, Chad

Least expensive cities in 2015

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Windhoek, Namibia
Karachi, Pakistan
Tunis, Tunisia

Skopje, Macedonia
Banjul, Gambia
Minsk, Belarus
Cape Town, South Africa
Managua, Nicaragua
Tbilisi, Georgia

Countries and and their Currencies - Shortcut to Learn

The Euro is the currency used by the
Institution of the European Union and is the
official currency of the Euro zone, which
consist of 19 of the 28 member states of
the European union:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

4 countries which are not member of EU

but they use EURO currency and made
formal agreements with the EU and
changed their currency to EURO
1.
2.
3.
4.

Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
The Netherlands
Portugal
Solvakia
Solvenia
Spain

Country which have Dollar as currency1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Australia
Canada
Hong Kong
Singapore
USA
Zimbabwe

Countries which has 'Rupee' as currency1.

2.
3.
4.

The 9 countries which are member of the

EU but don't use EURO as a currency are1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Andora
Monaco
San Marino
Vatican City

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

1.
2.
3.

Egypt
Syria
United Kingdom (UK)
Cambodia (Riel)
Brazil (Real)
Iran (Rial)
South Africa (Rand)
Indonesia (Rupiah)
Maldives (Rupiyaa)
Saudi Arabia (Riyal)
Qatar (Riyal)
Russia (Ruble)
'Krone' - Denmark, Norway
'Won' - South Korea, North Korea

India
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

Countries which has 'Peso' as currency-

United Kingdom
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Hungary
Poland
Romania
Sweden

Countries which has 'Pound' as currency-

Argentina
Mexico
Chile
Philippines
Cuba

Afghanistan - Afghan Afghani

Bangladesh - Taka
Bhutan - Nguttrum
China - Yuan
Indonesia - rupiah
IMF - Special Drawing Rights
Iraq - Dinar
Japan - Yen
Malaysia - Ringgit
Myanmar - Kyat
Kuwait - Dinar
Switzerland - Franc
Thailand - Baht
Turkey - Mryunia
UAE - Dirham

International Summits in 2015

G 20
G8
BRICS

SAARC
ASEAN-EAS
IBSA

Page12

G 20 Summit

BIMSTEC
NATO
Nuclear Security

Suresh
Prabhu
appointed as PM
Narendra Modis
Sherpa ( a senior
official responsible
for preparing the
agenda for leaders
to be considered

during the summit.) for the Group of 20 annual Summit 2014.

G20 Leaders Summit (2015) will be held in Antalya, (Turkey).
G-20 meeting (2015) of Finance ministers and central bank governors will be held in Peru
(Lima).
G-20 Labour and Employment Ministerial meet will be held in Ankara (Turkey)
14th G-20 Summit 2015 Australia
16th G-20 Summit 2016 China

About G-20 Summit 2014

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.

G-20 Summit 2014 was held in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland,Australia lie on
15-16 Nov , 2014 .
It was focused on Economic concerns, highlights plans to increase trade and reduce
poverty.
It should be noted that the G-20 membership comprises a mix of world's largest
advanced and emerging economies representing about two-thirds of the world's
population, 85% of global Gross Domestic Product and over 75% of global trade.
It's members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada , China, France, Germany, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
Turkey, The United Kingdom, The United States and the European Union.
Raising the pitch on the Black Money issue, Mr. Modi in his intervention at the summit of
the Group of 20, he called for close global co-ordination to address the challenge
posed by it.The new standard would be instrumental in getting information relating to
unaccounted money hoarded abroad and enable its eventual repatriation, Mr. Modi
said, utilising the forum of G20, which accounts for 85% per cent of world's GDP.
Vladimir Putin's early exit from the G20 summit in Australia after an icy reception from
world leaders may further stoke Russia-West tensions and lead to renewed fighting in
Ukraine.

G 8 Summit

It was the first time that the EU hosted a G7 summit.

40th G8(G7) summit held at Brussels which does not include Russia, because of the
Crimean. These 7 leaders came together to figure out how to deal with Russia who had
just exerted power to annex Crimea from Ukraine and how they are going to coerce or
persuade Russia to stop Expanding.
G-8 Countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and the US

BRICS Summit

7th BRICS Summit (2015) held in Ufa,Russia

BRCIS stands for Brazil,Russia,India,China and South-Africa
Ufa is the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, and the industrial,
economic, scientific and cultural centre of the republic.

ASEAN-EAS Summit 2014

The 25th ASEAN(Association of South-East Asian Nations) summit was held in Nay Pyi Taw,
capital of Myanmar on Nov 11-12, 2014 and the East Asia Summit was held at the same
venue on November 13,2014.

East Asia Summit

Page13

The 9th East Asia Summit (EAS) was held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on 13 Nov 2014.
The Summit was chaired by Myanmar's President U Thein Sein, President of the Republic
of the Union of Myanmar and attended by the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN
Member States, Australia, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, Japan ,
the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States of
America.

IBSA Summit 2015

India host the summit of IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) in New Delhi in 2015.

SAARC

The two-day 18th South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit
held at Kathmandu from 26th Nov to 27th Nov with an agenda to improve connectivity
among member states for boosting trade, collectively fighting the poverty and illiteracy.
The SAARC has eight members : Afganistan, bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri-Lanka with permanent headquarters at Kathmandu,Nepal.
The eight members signed the SAARC Framework on Energy (Electricity) Co-operation to
facilitate inter country trading of electricity.
Theme : 'Deeper Regional Integration for Peace and Prosperity'
New Chairman of SAARC : Mr. Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal.
The 19th SAARC summit will be held in 2016 in Islamabad,Pakistan.

Five Proposals by India at SAARC

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

SAARC Business traveler card for all member countries

Easy visa for medical treatment visits
Online courses and e library for South Asian students
To provide five - in - one vaccine for children and support
for polio free all countries
To provide funds for TB-HIV laboratory

BIMSTEC Summit

Page14

BIMSTECH (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Countries )
It has 8 members Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal
BIMSTECH Summit 2014 was held in Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar)
4th BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Nepal.

NATO Summit

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has 28 member with the purpose to
safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.
Head Office - Brussels, Belgium, Chief or Secretary General : Jens Stoltenberg
It was the first NATO summit since Chicago in 2012,(Britain last hosted the summit in
1990, when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister )

Nuclear Summit 2014

The Neitherland hosted the 3rd Nuclear Summit in the Hague with an aim of summit to
reducing the amount of dangerous and improving the security for nuclear material and
radio active source.
The first Nuclear Summit was held in Washington.
4th Nuclear Summit 2016 will held in United States.

NAM Summit

16th NAM(Non-Aligned Movement) Summit 2012 was held in Tehran,Iran.

It has 120+2 (Two nations namely Azerbaijan Republic and Fiji) members.
17th summit 2015 will be held in Caracas, Venezulea .

Nuclear Power Plants in India List

Name of the Power Station

Location

District

State

Tarapur Atomic Power Station

Tarapur

Thane

Maharashtra

Kakrapar Atomic Power Station

Kakrapar

Surat

Gujarat

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant

Kudankulam

Tirunelveli

Tamil Nadu

Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant

Kaiga

Uttara Kannada

Karnataka

Narora Atomic Power Station

Narora

Bulandshahr

Uttar Pradesh

Gorakhpur Atomic Power Station

Fatehabad

Fatehabad

Haryana

Rajasthan Atomic Power Project

Chhitorgarh

Chhitorgarh

Rajasthan

Madras Atomic Power Station

Kalpakkam

Kanchipuram

Tamil Nadu

Page15

Rivers in India
NAME OF RIVERS

TOUCHING STATES

LENGTH

1.

GANGA

Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal

AROUND 2,525 K.M.

2.

YAMUNA

Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana

1,376 K.M.

3.

BRAHMAPUTRA

Assam, Arunachal,Tibet

2,900 K.M.

4.

MAHANADI

Chhattisgarh, Odisha

858 K.M.

5.

GODAVARI

Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry

1,465 K.M.

6.

KRISHNA

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

1,400 K.M.

7.

NARMADA

Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat

1,315 K.M.

8.

TAPTI

Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat

724 K.M.

9.

GOMTI

Lucknow

900 K.M.

10.

GANDAK

Bihar

320 K.M.

11.

KOSI

Bihar

720 K.M.

12.

SON

Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar

784 K.M.

13.

BETWA

Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh

590 K.M.

14.

CHAMBAL

Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan

960 K.M.

15.

SUTLEJ

Panjab

1,500 K.M.

16.

RAVI

Himachal, Panjab

720 K.M.

17.

BEAS

Himachal, Panjab

470 K.M.

18.

CHENAB

Himachal, Panjab

960 K.M.

19.

JEHLAM

Panjab

725 K.M.

20.

KAVERI

Tamil Nadu

765 K.M.

21.

MAHANADI

Odisha

858 K.M.

S. NO.

DAMS

POWER GENERATION CAPACITY (in MW)

HEIGHT

STATE

1.

Bhakra Dam

1,325 MW

740 Ft.

Himachal Pradesh

2.

Baglihar Dam

900 MW

472 Ft.

Jammu & Kashmir

3.

Tehri Dam

2,400 MW

855 Ft.

Uttarakhand

4.

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

816 MW

407 Ft.

Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

5.

Bansagar Dam

425 MW

220 Ft.

Madhya Pradesh

6.

Hirakud Dam

347.5 MW

200 Ft.

Orissa

7.

Sardar Sarovar Dam

1,450 MW

535 Ft.

Gujarat

8.

Indirasagar Dam

1,000 MW

302 Ft.

Madhya Pradesh

9.

Bhavanisagar Dam

1,920 MW

105 Ft.

Tamil Nadu

10.

Idukki Dam

780 MW

554 Ft.

Kerala

11.

Mettur Dam

840 MW

120 Ft.

Tamil Nadu

12.

Srisailam Dam

1,670 MW

476 Ft.

Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

13.

Koyna Dam

1,960 MW

339 Ft.

Maharashtra

14.

Tungabhadra Dam

72 MW

162 Ft.

Karnataka

15.

Mullaperiyar Dam

175 MW

176 Ft.

Tamil Nadu

16.

Pong Dam

396 MW

436 Ft.

Himachal Pradesh

17.

Nathpa Dam

1,500 MW

205 Ft.

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

18.

Rana Pratap Sagar Dam

172 MW

177 Ft.

Rajasthan

Chamera Dam

1071 MW

First Phase

540 MW

Second Phase

300 MW

741 Ft.

Himachal Pradesh

Third Phase

231 MW

Rangit Dam

60 MW

148 Ft.

Sikkim

List of Important Dams in India

Page16

19.

20.

Important Parliamentary Acts related to Banking sector in India

Vital Parliamentary Acts pertinent to BFSI sector
Herein below table provides edifying information about some consequential acts in regards to the BFSI sector and various tax related
amendment
Year of
Name of the Act
Promulgation
Societies' Registration Act

1860

Negotiable Instruments Act

1881

Co-operative Societies Act

1912

Provident Funds Act

1925

Reserve Bank of India Act

1934

Insurance Act

1938

Central Excise Act

1944

Public Debt Act

1944

International Monetary Fund and Bank Act

1945

Employees State Insurance Act

1948

Banking Regulation Act

1949

Chartered Accountants Act

1949

Contingency Fund of India Act

1950

Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act

1952

State Bank of India Act

1955

Life Insurance Corporation Act

Securities Contract Act
Companies Act

1956

Central Sales Tax Act

Page17

State Bank of Hyderabad Act

State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act

1959

Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act

1961

Customs Act

1962

Unit Trust of India Act

1963

Nationalization of Banks Act (But government decided to nationalize 14 major commercial banks on 19th July,
1969.)

1964

Banking Laws (Application to Co-operative Societies) Act

1965

PPF Act

1968

General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act

1972

Regional Rural Banks Act

1976

Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banning) Act

1978

Export-Import Bank of India Act

1981

NABARD Act

1981

Chit Funds Act

1982

General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Amendment Act

1985

Securities and Exchange Board of India Act

1992

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act

1999

Foreign Exchange Management Act

1999

Prevention of Money Laundering Act

2002

Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act

2002

Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act.
(Colloquially, SARFAESI Act)

2002

Government Securities Act

2006

Securities Laws (Amendment) Act

2014

The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Act-Diluted the sharing pattern by limiting the composite share of

2014

central govt. and sponsor bank to 51%

The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Act- Pushed FDI limit to 49%

2015

Daily GK Update: 7th August 2015

1. PM Modi declares August 7 as
National Handloom Day to mark
Swadeshi movement.
i. To commemorate the 1905 Swadeshi
movement the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi announced August 7 as National
Handloom Day at the function held in
Chennai.
ii. At the event PM Modi also launched the
India Handloom brand to help weavers
with brand for global markets.

iii. The day 7 August was selected to

commemorate the 110 year old Swadeshi
Movement, which promoted use of
domestic products over British products.
iv. The motto behind observing National
Handloom Day is to honour the handloom
weavers and to carter an impetus to Indias
handloom industry. Whereas launching of
India Handloom brand aims to promote
handloom of India in the global markets as
a genuine good quality international
product.
2.
Indian-American
Atul
Keshap
confirmed Ambassador to Sri Lanka.
i. Indian-American Atul Keshap has been
confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri
Lanka and Maldives, becoming the second
Indian-origin diplomat to be posted to the
region after Richard Rahul Verma.

Page18

ii. Mr. Keshap (44), a former official at the

US Embassy in India, was on Wednesday
confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the
countrys envoy which would be his first
Ambassadorial posting.
iii. He is currently working as Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State in South and
Central Asian Affairs Bureau of State
Department. He joined the Foreign Service
in 1994.
iv. Mr. Keshap also served as special
assistant for the Middle East, North Africa,
and South Asia for the under-secretary of
state for political affairs.
3. Colonel Harwant Singh (Retd), World
War-II hero passes away.
i. Retired Colonel Harwant Singh, a World
War-II veteran and hero passed away in
Patiala, Punjab. He was 95.

ii. He was commissioned in 2nd battalion of

the Sikh Regiment of then British Army in
September 1941. During the World War
(WW)-II he had served in Palestine, North
Africa, Iraq, Cyprus and Italy for the British
Army.
iii. In 1944, he was awarded with the
Military Cross (highest award of the British
Army) for gallantry during an offensive
against the German forces on the Gothic
Line in Italy.
iv. During the first Independence Day
celebration of 1947, he was officer in
charge of the flag-hoisting ceremony held
at Princess Park on August 15 and Red Fort
on August 16.
4. Rajasthan signs MoUs for Rs 2,452-cr
investments at the investment meet in
New Delhi.
i. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara
Raje
signed
memorandums
of
understanding (MoUs) worth 2,452 crore
rupees at an investor event organised in
New Delhi.

ii. The event was organised in association

with the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) by the Bureau of Industry Promotion in
Rajasthan.
iii. Investment pacts were signed between
the state government and several private
companies that plan to set up industrial
units in Rajasthan.
iv. These investments are expected to
generate over 7000 direct and more than
thousand indirect jobs.
5. IS seizes central Syrian town of
Qaryatain.
i. The radical militants of Sunni Islamist
militant group Islamic State (IS) have
seized Qaryatain, a key town in central
Syria. It was seized following heavy
clashes with Syrian forces.
ii. It is ISs biggest advance after it had
captured the historic town of Palmyra in
May 2015.

iii. The town of Qaryatain lies southwest of

Palmyra and it is heavily populated town
with a mixed population of around 40,000
Sunni Muslims and Christians, as well as
thousands or internally displaced people.
iv. Qaryatain lies midway between the
cities of Palmyra, Homs and Damascus and
is home to towering Roman ruins. Its

capture gives the IS group strategic link up

to areas under its control around and in
Palmyra with areas in the eastern
countryside of Qalamoun in Damascus
province of Syria.
6. Egypt launches Suez Canal expansion.
i. Egypt has launched a major expansion of
the Suez Canal. It was inaugurated by
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in
a lavish ceremony held at port city of
Ismailiya ( located on west bank of canal).

ii. The project was started in August 2014

for the expansion of the Ballah Bypass
from 61 metres to 312 metres. The project
was dubbed as the New Suez Canal.
iii. Expansion aims to increase the traffic
handled by the canal in order to boost
Egypts economy and global standing by
turning the Suez Canal zone into a global
logistics and trade center.
iv. Completed in one year span with an
estimated cost of US 8 billion dollars. It
comprises 72km of new channel and
bypasses which has deepened the main
waterway.
7. Snapdeal appoints Amitava Ghosh as
VP-engineering.
i. Ghosh, who has over 17 years of
experience in building web-based
products and platforms, will lead the
development of intuitive technology
solutions at the Delhi-based online
marketplace.
ii. Prior to this, Ghosh was the chief
technology officer at TaxiForSure before
Ola Cabs acquired the company. He
headed the India engineering team of
Tribune Digital Ventures earlier.
iii. Snapdeal said in a press release that
under Ghosh's leadership the company has
launched Newsbeat, a mobile application
which provides personalised audio streams
of news stories.
iv. For almost a decade, Ghosh was
associated with Yahoo, where he was
responsible for building platforms and user
experiences for listings, media verticals,
communities and social products. He holds
an MTech degree in biochemical
engineering and biotechnology from Indian
Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Daily GK Update: 8th August 2015

1. Accenture India appoints Rekha
Menon as chairman, Anindya Basu as
MD.
i. Global technology and consultancy giant
Accenture on Friday said it will elevate
Rekha M Menon as chairman of its India
operations.
ii. It has also roped in Anindya Basu as the
country managing director (MD) in India.

iii. Menon is currently MD, human resources,

for company's growth markets and has
been leading HR strategy for Asia Pacific,
Middle East, Africa, Russia, Turkey and
Latin America.
iv. Basu will be responsible for driving
Accenture's domestic business in India and
building relationships with key clients by
leveraging the company's capabilities in
strategy, consulting, digital, technology
and operations, it said.
2. Thomas Cook (India) Ltd acquires
zurich Kuonis travel business in India
and Hong Kong
i. Billionaire investor Prem Watsa-backed
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has acquired
Kuoni Groups travel businesses in India
and Hong Kong for 535 crore.

Page19

ii. The deal includes outbound travel brand

SOTC and destination management brand
SITA. It does not include VFS Global, which
is Kuonis outsourcing and technology
services subsidiary for governments and
diplomatic missions.
iii. Kuoni entered India in 1996 by
acquiring travel brand SOTC and
destination management brand SITA. The
acquisition includes these two units of
Kuoni.
iv. The deal does not include Kuonis
outsourcing and technology services
subsidiary VFS Global which provides
technology services to governments and
diplomatic missions.
v. Over 1,800 employees of Kuonis
business unit in India and Hong Kong tour
operations will now work for Thomas Cook.
After this deal Kuoni will operate its
business activities as an independent entity.
3. Boost for 'Make in India': Foxconn to
invest $5 billion in Maharashtra.
i. Global electronic manufacturing giant
Foxconn has announced it will invest $5
billion over the next five years in
Maharashtra, which has given the Taiwanbased company 1,500 acres of land for its
plant.

Financial, Inc of the US, and is the asset

management company for Pramerica
Mutual Fund here.
iv. Ravneet Gill, Chief Executive Officer,
Deutsche Bank Group India.

ii. Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said the

facility in Maharashtra will focus on
research and development as well as
manufacturing, and the company has
chosen the state for being a financial
centre, availability of quality talent and
software-hardware integration facilities.
iii. Foxconn will look for tie-ups with local
partners for its presence in this state, he
said, while adding that this MoU with the
Maharashtra government was different
from the already announced JV with the
Adani group.
iv. At an event organised to announce the
investment and a Memorandum of
Understanding in this regard between the
company and the state government,
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis said Foxconn will be given 1,500
acres of land.
4. Maharashtra government declares
Thane creek area as Flamingo
Sanctuary
i. Maharashtra government has declared
the area along Thane Creek as Flamingo
Sanctuary.

ii. In this regard State Revenue and Forest

Department has issued notification to
declare northern part of the creek as a
wildlife sanctuary as per provisions of
Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection Act),
1972.
iii. It should be noted that this Sanctuary is
Maharashtras second Marine sanctuary
after Malvan (marine) Wildlife Sanctuary
which was declared in 1987.
5. Pramerica buys Deutsche Banks
mutual fund business in India.
i. Mutual fund house Pramerica has agreed
to buy the asset management business of
Deutsche Bank in India. While neither party
disclosed the size of the deal, industry
sources estimate it to be 300-400 crore.

ii. As of June 30, 2015, Deutsche AMC had

assets of around 20,720 crore, while
Pramerica managed assets worth 2,125
crore. Both fund houses are focussed on
liquid and fixed income funds.
iii. Pramerica Asset Managers Pvt Ltd is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential

6. ESIC extends health insurance scheme

to
Arunachal
Pradesh,
Mizoram,
Manipur.
i. Employees State Insurance Corporation
(ESIC) has decided to implement its health
insurance scheme to Arunachal Pradesh,
Mizoram and Manipur in a bid to cover all
states in the country.

ii. It has decided to extend the benefit of

its health insurance scheme to Andaman &
Nicobar Islands, a union territory,
according to an official release.
iii. ESIC already covers union territories of
Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli,
Daman and Diu, National Capital Territory
of Delhi and Puducherry under the ambit
of its health insurance scheme.
iv. ESIC, an arm of Labour Ministry, has a
direct subscriber base of 1.95 crore,
covering a population of around eight
crore people under its cover.The ESIC
board, headed by Labour Minister
Bandaru Dattatreya, has also decided to
extend the reach of ESI Scheme to 393
districts in the country by 1st April, 2016.
7. Ram Nath Kovind, Acharya Dev Vrat
appointed as Governors of Bihar, HP.

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has

appointed Acharya Dev Vrat and Ram
Nath Kovind as the governors of Himachal
Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
ii. Mr. Kovind will succeed Keshri Nath
Tripathi (Governor of West Bengal) who
was holding additional charge of Bihar. He
had been a two-time Rajya Sabha
member between 1994-2000 and 200006.
iii. He hails from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
and is a lawyer by profession. He was a
senior BJP leader and had severed as
chief of BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha.
iv. Acharya Dev Vrat will succeed Kalyan
Singh (Governor of Rajasthan) who was
holding the additional charge of Himachal
Pradesh.

Daily GK Update - 9th & 10th August 2015

Union Government launched School
Nursery Yojana to bring students closer
to nature
i. The Yojana seeks to engage class VI to
IX in raising of saplings in nurseries created
in schools. The Yojana was launched by
Union Environment Minister Prakash
Javadekar in New Delhi.
ii. Theme of the Yojana is to plant a tree
for sustainable future and to make the
nation clean and green.

About School Nursery Yojana

The Yojana in its first phase

would cover 1000 schools and would be
extended to 5000 schools in 2016 and
10000 schools the following year.

Under the Yojana, students will

grow saplings as part of practical exercise
for biology classes and extra-curriculum
activities.

Each school will initially receive

first time financial grant of 25,000 rupees
for creation of the nursery with essential
facilities.
Global satellite to be named after Abdul
Kalam
i. A global satellite for earth observation
and disaster risk reduction GlobalSat
for DRR proposed under the UN
framework is to be dedicated to A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam as a tribute to the vision of
the celebrated rocket scientist and former
Indian president who died July 27.
ii. This has been stated by Milind
Pimprikar,
Chairman
of
CANEUS
(CANada-Europe-US-ASia) Organization
on Space Technologies for Societal
Applications headquartered in Montreal,
Canada.
iii. Founded in 1999, CANEUS serves to
develop a common platform for space
technology solutions for natural and manmade
disaster
management.
The
GlobalSat for DRR is a UN-driven global
initiative on sharing space technology for
disaster risk reduction, Mr. Pimprikar told
IANS.

Page20

Param Tyag Chakra Initiative launched

to honour families of martyrs

i. The Param Tyag Chakra was launched

by the Alumni Association of Rajagiri
School of Engineering and Technology to
honour family members of brave military
men, who sacrificed their lives for the
nation.
ii. For this initiative, the Alumni Association
of Rajagiri School of Engineering and
Technology in association with the
management and students launched a web
platform aimed at collecting the details of
these family members.
iii. Everyone including the general public,
the government, corporates, the media can
join this initiative in multiple ways like by
identifying and referring such families or
by channeling the support required for
them etc.
Suraksha Bandhan drive launched to
facilitate enrolment under Social Security
Schemes
i. Union Government launched Suraksha
Bandhan drive in a Mission Mode through
participating
banks
and
insurance
companies to facilitate enrolment under
social security schemes.
ii. The drive launched in the back drop of
Raksha Bandhan aims at taking forward
the Governments objective of creating a
universal social security system in the
country, targeted especially at the poor
and the under-privileged.
iii. The drive will be supported through the
Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheques, which will
be available for purchase for 351 rupees
in Bank branches by persons wishing to gift
them to facilitate one year payment of
premium for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti
Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha
Bima Yojana by the recipient.

It is highest civilian award of

Germany awarded to Germans as well as
to foreigners.

It recognizes person for their

outstanding achievements in the fields of
political, cultural, economy, intellectual and
volunteering.
Goa
Tourism
Minister
Parulekar
conferred with PATWA 2015 Award
i. Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar
received the Pacific Area Travel Writers
Association (PATWA) - Safari India South
Asia Travel Award 2015.
ii. Parulekar is the first tourism minister of
Goa to receive this prestigious award.
iii. Pacific Area Travel Writers Association
(PATWA) found in 1998 at the Pacific
Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference
in Colombo, Sri Lank, is a professional
organization of travel writers.
10th August: World Bio-Fuel Day
i. Every year 10th August is observed as
World Bio-Fuel Day in a bid to create
awareness about non fossil-fuels (Green
Fuels).
ii. On this day in 1893, Sir Rudalph Diesel
(inventor of the diesel engine) for the first
time successfully ran mechanical engine
with Peanut Oil. His research experiment
had predicted that vegetable oil is going
to replace the fossil fuels in the next
century to fuel different mechanical
engines. Thus to mark this extraordinary
achievement, World Biofuel Day is
observed every year on 10th August.

Raghavendra Gadagkar awarded with

Germany's Cross of Order of the Merit

i. Indian
sociobiologist
Raghavendra
Gadagkar was awarded with the
Germany's highest civilian honour Cross of
Order of the Merit at the German
Consulate in Bengaluru.
ii. He was bestowed with the honour for his
contribution in the field of behavioural
ecology and sociobiology and for
strengthening
research
corporation
between India and Germany.
iii. His first book, Survival Strategies, has
been translated into Chinese and Korean.
He was also the founding Chair person of
the Centre for Contemporary Studies,
established at IISc in 2004.
About Cross of Order of the Merit

Established in 1951 by the first

President of the Federal Republic of
Germany Theodor Heuss.

Xiaomi ties up with Foxconn to set up

facility in Andhra Pradesh through "
Make in India" Initiative
i. China-based Smartphone maker Xiaomi
Inc has tied up with Taiwan-based Foxconn
to set first Assembly line in Andhra Pradesh
under Make in India initiative.
ii. These two Smartphone manufacturer
giants has forayed together into Indian
electronics market to roll out Xiaomis first
locally made Smartphone, the Redmi2
Prime as it seeks to expand its market
share in India.

iii. The size of the investment made in

setting up the assembly line was not
disclosed.

Telecom Minister launches mobile app

"Disha" to aid digital literacy in Bihar
i. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
has launched a new mobile app Disha to
aid digital literacy in Bihar. The app was
launched in Bihar that aims to help people

learn about computers and Internet through

self learning modules.
ii. The app envisages offering digital
literacy to tribal and Dalit women in the
State which is free and available on
Google app store. This initiative was taken
by Ministry to spread out digital literacy in
women from tribal and Dalit background in
Bihar.
iii. To promote digital literacy government
has initiated training program under
Digital Saksharta Abhiyan in all states.

away at Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district

of Karnataka. He was 101.
ii. He was an author, poet, journalist and
Indian independence activist. About
Kayyar Kinhanna Rai He was born on 8
June 1915 in Kasaragod in then Madras
Presidency of British India.
iii. He had started his career as a
secondary school teacher and later delved
into journalism and contributed his writings
to various newspapers.

Poet, freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna

Rai passes away
i. Eminent Kannada poet and freedom
fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai passed

Daily GK Update - 11th August 2015

1. ISRO commissions Titanium Sponge
Plant in Kerala
i. Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on 10 August has fully commissioned
and started commercial production at the
first indigenous Titanium Sponge Plant at
Chavara in Kerala.
ii. The initiative was taken by ISROs
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre to establish
Titanium Sponge Plant (TSP) a dedicated
500 MT per annum plant at M/s Kerala
Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML), Chavara
in Kollam district, Kerala.

iii. It is the only integrated plant in the

world that undertakes all activities right
from mining of Ti minerals to manufacturing
of aerospace grade Ti sponge under one
roof.
iv. It is a Titanium (Ti) alloy products
produced by conversion of raw titanium
through Kroll process which is subjected to
leaching or heated vacuum distillation to
remove impurities and gaining the purest
form (99.7 per cent) of Titanium Sponge.
India has become the seventh country in the
world
producing
Titanium
sponge
commercially.

Page21

2. ICICI Bank launches Saral-Rural

Housing Loan Scheme for weaker
sections
i. Indias largest private sector lender
Industrial
Credit
and
Investment
Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has
launched ICICI Bank Saral-Rural Housing
Loan Scheme for weaker sections of
society.
ii. The scheme is new home loan proposition
of the bank with special interest rate to
cater people from rural areas including
women borrowers as well as from weaker
sections.

iii. Housing loan will be provided at the

ICICI Bank Base Rate (known as I-Base)
which is currently at 9.70%. An eligible
customer can avail of loan to purchase,
construction or renovation of a home in the
rural areas.

iv. The loan will range from five to fifteen

lakh rupees for a period of 320 years
and the loan can be up to 90 per cent of
the property value.
v. With the launch of this scheme, the
private bank seeks to support the socioeconomic development of a larger section
of the society especially economically
deprived sections.
3. Kerala government announces State
film awards 2014
i. Kerala government announced State film
awards 2014 in various categories. The list
of awardees was declared by State
Minister
for
Cinema
Thiruvanchoor
Radhakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala.

Winners :

Best actor award: Nivin Pauly

(Bangalore Days and 1983) and Sudev
Nair (My Life Partner).

Best actress: Nasriya Naseem for

her performance in the films Om Shanthi
Hosana and Bangalore Days.

Best Director: Sanalkumar

Sasidharan for his film OraalPokkam.
4. Google unveils restructuring under
new parent company Alphabet Inc
i. Search engine giant Google Inc has
announced formation of a new holding or
parent company called Alphabet Inc to
encompass its search engine unit and all
other subsidiaries.

ii. The new parent company was formed as

part of Googles new organisational
structure which will help the company to
keep
tremendous
focus
on
the
extraordinary opportunities and products.
iii. Now Google will be replaced by
Alphabet Inc as the publicly-traded entity
and all its shares will automatically
converted into the of shares of new parent

entity with same rights. Under the new

structural arrangement all subsidiaries of
Google will be brought under the control
of Alphabet Inc which will come into effect
later 2015.
iv. The new company will be led by Cofounder and current CEO of Google Larry
Page while Sergey Brin, the other cofounder will serve as the President and Eric
Schmidt will be executive Chairman.
Googles Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Ruth Porat will become CFO of Alphabet
and current directors of the company will
become directors of Alphabet Inc.
v. Chennai born Sundar Pichai has been
appointed of as CEO of new Google
(subsidiary of Alphabet).
5. Kochi first to join World Tourism Cities
Federation (WTCF) Council
i. Kochi becomes first Indian city to be a
member of Beijing headquartered, World
Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council
and join its league of leading tourism cities
across the world. The invitation to be the
member of the council was sent to Kerala
Tourism Department by WTCF which was
formally accepted the state Tourism
Department on 10 August 2015.

ii. The membership acceptance document

was handed over to Chinese Ambassador
to India Le Yucheng by the Kochi Mayor
Tony Chammany in the presence of Chief
Minister Oommen Chandy at the function
held in Kochi.
iii. Kochi was invited to be the member of
the council on ground of its partnerships in
culture, sports and tourism. In case of Kochi
its cuisine, martial arts and snake and
dragon boat races fulfils the set ground
for membership.
iv. The WTCF, headquartered at Beijing is
a
non-profit,
non-governmental
international
organisation
voluntarily
formed by tourism cities like Los Angeles,
Berlin, Barcelona and many other world
famous tourism cities and tourism-related
institutions.

6. Indias social security pact with

Canada comes into force

i. The social security pact between India

and Canada which was approved by
Union Cabinet in 2013 comes into force
after two years of long waiting. According
to the pact the employees posted by
Indian entities in Canada are not required
to contribute towards Canadas social
security schemes for period of 60 months
and similarly the Canadian employees
posted in India would enjoy the same
benefit.
ii. The employees on both the countries will
be able to enjoy this benefit only when
they produce a certificate of coverage
that specifies that they are contributing
towards social security schemes such as PF
and pension in their home country.
iii. This pact was sign to enable Indian as
well as Canadian employees to avoid
double social security contribution and to
enhance competitiveness of their services
and products.
iv. Government has authorised Employment
Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to
implement social security agreements in
India and to issue certificate of coverage
to the employees posted by Indian entities
to Canada.

7. Sania Mirza to be conferred Rajiv

Gandhi Khel Ratna
i. Sania Mirza on Tuesday became only the
second tennis player to be recommended
for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna, while star cricketer Rohit Sharma
and ace shooter Jitu Rai were among the
17 sportspersons picked for this year's
Arjuna awards.

ii. Sania, currently ranked world number

one in women's doubles, scripted history by
becoming the first Indian to clinch a
women's doubles Grand Slam when she
partnered Swiss great Martina Hingis for
the Wimbledon trophy earlier this year.
iii. Sania is only the second tennis player
after Leander Paes to be named for the
top award. Paes had been bestowed the
honour way back in 1996 after his bronze
medal in the Atlanta Olympics.
iv. The 28-year-old, who has won three
mixed doubles Grand Slams in her career,
beat competition from squash player
Deepika Pallikal, discus thrower Vikas
Gowda, track and field star Tintu Luka,
rising shuttler P V Sindhu, and hockey
captain Sardar Singh for the coveted
honour.

8. 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 7 Bronze: India

top Asian Youth Chess Championship
with 17 medals
i. India impressed with a rich haul of 17
medals to be declared overall winners in
the Asian Youth Chess Championship that
concluded here today.
Bagging 5 Gold, 5 Silver and 7 Bronze out
of the available 36 medals, Indian juniors
made their presence felt in the event
organised by Korea Chess Federation.
ii. Iran took four gold, two silver and one
bronze for a tally of seven medals.
Vietnam won four medals, one gold, two
silver and one bronze, while strong
contender China could win just two medals
in one gold and one silver.
iii. Players like Divya Deshmukh (Girls
Under-10) of Nagpur, R Vaishali (Girls U14) of Chennai have won both Asian and
World Age Group competitions. Vaishali
won by the widest of margins.
iv. Champions Bharath Subramaniyam
(Open U-8), Aakanksha (Girls U-16) and
Krishna Teja (Open U-18) are a few
names we are going to read more in the
future.

Daily GK Update - 12th August 2015

Page22

1. NABARD accredited by UNs Green

Climate Fund as National Implementing
Entity
i. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) got accredited by
the Green Climate Fund as a national
implementing entity for undertaking
climate change related projects in India.

ii. In 2010 the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
had set Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help
developing countries to finance clean
energy projects other mitigation efforts
and adaptation to climate change.
iii. Accordingly NABARD is the only
national implementing entity in the country
for undertaking climate change projects.
NABARD will get funds in the form of
concessional loan or in form of grant or
through other modalities approved by the
GCF Board.
iv. In line of this NABARD has submitted a
proposal to GCF for financial support on
Mitigating climate change and enhancing
adaption for farmers through agroforestry project set by Haryana
Government.
2. Facebook awarded $21 million to
Indian app developers under FbStart
initiative

i. On 11 August the social network giant

Facebook doled out 21 million US dollar to
Indian app developers under its FbStart
initiative.

ii. With an aim to attract next billion

Internet users towards social networking,
last year Facebook launched FbStart an
initiative to promote and help new mobile
app developers around the world. The two
Indian entrants Hyderabad-based Samosa
and Delhis Cardback received the 21
billion US dollars under this initiative.
iii. The Hyderabad-based Samosa had
developed an app that offers a curated
collection of clips from popular movies that
people can share with friends. The Delhibased Cardback developed an app that
helps cardholders and wallet users identify
the best ways to pay and maximise their
rewards and savings for every transaction
they make.
3. India signs Financing Agreement with
World Bank for NCRMP Projects
i. On 11 August 2015 Government of India
and the World Bank signed the Financing
Agreement for the assistance of National
Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project- I & II
(NCRMP- I & II) for $ 104.00 Million and $
308.40 Million respectively.

ii. The two separate financing agreements

were signed for NCRMP- I & II under a
common objective for coastal states to
mitigate vulnerability to the cyclone and
hazards prone coastal communities.
NCRMP-I covers States of Andhra Pradesh
and Odisha. NCRMP-II covers States of
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka,
Kerala, and West Bengal.
iii. The agreement for the project with
respect to these state were signed by the
representatives of the respective State
Governments.
iv. It proposes to reduce vulnerability to
cyclone and other hydro-meteorological
hazards of coastal communities in the
respective States through; Establishing
Early Warning Dissemination System
(EWDS) and Capacity building for coastal
communities.
v. Establishing Cyclone Risk Mitigation
Infrastructure and early warning systems
benefitting coastal communities in the
target states. Financing technical assistance
for strengthening of multi-hazard risk
management at the national level.
4. Libya chaos deepens as PM resigns
i. The future of Libya's internationally
recognised government was uncertain

Wednesday after Prime Minister Abdullah

al-Thani said he would resign, as fraught
peace talks were set to enter a second
day.

ii. It was unclear whether Thani planned to

follow through on his resignation vow,
made during an emotional live television
appearance where he faced a barrage of
angry questions from citizens.
iii. The move added to the political chaos
in Libya, as the country's rival factions
were to meet for a second day of UNsponsored peace talks in Geneva.
iv. The prime minister, who escaped an
assassination attempt in May when gunmen
opened fire on his car after a parliament
meeting, was also hit with accusations of
corruption against his government in the
television interview.
5. Sanjay Jalona appointed as MD and
CEO for L&T Infotech
i. Larsen and Toubro has appointed former
Infosys executive Sanjay Jalona as the
Managing Director and CEO of its
subsidiary L&T Infotech, IT arm of L&T.

ii. The new CEO Sanjay Jalona will run L&T

Infotech from its New Jersey office in order
to add thrust to its profitable growth.
Company aims to boost growth and
strengthen its presence in the United States,
Europe, Gulf Cooperation Council countries
and the East countries.
iii. Before joining the L&T Infotech countrys
sixth largest IT services firm he was
working as an executive vice-president
and
global
head
of
High-Tech
Manufacturing and Engineering Services
for Infosys.
iv. He was with Infosys for fifteen years
and had held senior leadership positions
across the Europe, India and US.
6. President Pranab Mukherjee presented
Saraswati Sammaan to Dr. M Veerappa
Moily
i. President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on
10 August 2015 presented the 24th
Saraswati Sammaan for the year 2014 to
Dr. M Veerappa Moily, Member of
Parliament (Lok Sabha) in New Delhi. He
received the award for his epic Sri
Ramayana Mahanveshanam written in
Kannada.

ii. Divided into five volumes, Ramayana

Mahanveshanam was first published in

2007 in Kannada. Later the poem was

translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and
Tamil.
iii. Moilys work was selected for the
award in March 2015 by a 13-member
panel of scholars and writers headed by
former Chief Justice of India RC Lahoti.
iv. 75-year-old Moily a senior Congress
leader from Karnataka is an established
writer in Kannada. He has authored four
novels, three collections of poetry, a
number of plays and numerous essays.
7. Pankaj Advani bags 13th World
Snooker Championship
i. Indias poster boy of cue sports Pankaj
Advani on Wednesday clinched his 13th
world title after winning the World 6-Red
Snooker Championship in a convincing
manner.
ii. Defending champion Advani outplayed
Chinese Yan Bingtao 6-2, stamping his
authority on the green baize in the final.
The final started off with a bang with the
Bangalore cueist racing to a rapid 3-0
lead in the best-of-11 final. But the
Chinese found his form and ran away with
the next two frames with the aid of a 66
break.
iii. In no mood to give anything away,
Advani did not allow his opponent to score
a single point in the next two. He fired in a
massive 71 break in the seventh frame to
be one frame away from defending his
title which he won in Egypt last year.

Daily GK Update - 13th August 2015

Page23

1. Union Cabinet approves MoU between

India, Nepal for construction of
petroleum pipeline
i. The Union Cabinet has approved a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between India and Nepal for construction
of petroleum products pipeline from
Raxaul (Bihar) in India to Amlekhgunj in
Nepal.
ii. The MoU seeks to promote bilateral
cooperation in the oil and gas sector
between both neighbouring countries and
secure long term supply of petroleum
products to Nepal.

iii. In the first phase it will be constructed

by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on behalf
of Indian Government at a cost of 200
crore rupees. IOC will be also engaged in
re-engineering and construction of the
Amlekhgunj Depot and allied facilities.
iv. The Union Cabinet also gave its expost-facto approval to MoU between India
and Mongolia to establish cooperative
institutional relationship and to promote
and
encourage
technical
bilateral
cooperation on new and renewable
energy between both countries.
v. The Union Cabinet also gave ex-postfacto approval to a MoU signed between

India and France to establish cooperative

institutional relationship to promote and
encourage technical bilateral cooperation
on new and renewable energy issues
between both countries.
2. Indian Railways ink 4 MoUs with
Union Power Ministry to save power,
improve efficiency
i. Union Railway Ministry has signed 4
Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)
with Union Power and New & Renewable
Energy Ministry for energy conservation,
transmission and solarisation.
ii. These MoUs seek to boost cooperation
between both parties in the areas of
electricity transmission, promotion of
renewable
energy
and
energy
conservation in a time bound manner.

iii. First MoU seeks to boost knowledge

sharing in the field of energy and
electricity conservation to reduce the cost
of electricity for the Railways. Second MoU
was signed to promote solar energy usage
and provide a framework for providing
future energy solutions.
iv. Third MoU it was signed between India
Railways and Bureau of Energy Efficiency
(BEE) to identify technologies to improve

energy utilisation. Fourth MoU was signed

between Railway Energy Management
Company (REMC) and Energy Efficiency
Services (EES) Ltd for implementation of
energy efficient systems and conservation
of energy projects for the Railways.
v. These agreements will help Indian
Railways in increasing savings on the
power as it the largest power consumer in
the country by providing future solutions
(switching to renewable energy) in the
power sector.
3. Coca-cola India signs Sourav Ganguly
for 3-years as social ambassador
i. Beverage maker Coca-Cola India has
roped in cricketerturned-commentator
Sourav Ganguly as its social ambassador
for a three-year deal ending in 2017,
replacing Sachin Tendulkar, the country's
most famous cricketer, whose contract
ended last year.

ii. Besides the cricket association, Ganguly

will lead Coca-Cola's football programmes
and run various grassroots football
activities. Ganguly has also volunteered to
be a part of the Coca-Cola Support My

School movement - a programme that

promotes the cause of healthy schools
iii. Establishing an association with sports
resonates well for cola companies, which
often face flak for promoting sugary
drinks. Rival Pepsi-Co, too, has cricketers
MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli as the faces of
its brands.
4.
Amitabh
Bachchan
is
Maharashtra's Tiger ambassador

now

i. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan

has accepted the proposal of Maharashtra
Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, to be
the tiger ambassador of the state.
ii. To promote eco-tourism, especially tiger
tourism in Maharashtra, Mungantiwar had
requested Amitabh Bachchan to represent
the state as its tiger ambassador.
iii.
The
72-year-old
actor
has
communicated his consent to Mungantiwar
on Monday through a letter.
iv. Mungantiwar had written letter to
Bachchan on July 29 on the occasion of
World Tiger Day.
5. Acharya Dev Vrat sworn-in as 27th
Governor of Himachal Pradesh
i. Acharya Dev Vrat was sworn in as the
Governor of Himachal Pradesh at oath
taking ceremony held in Raj Bhawan,
Shimla.
ii. He is 27th Governor and 18th regular
Governor of the Himachal Pradesh, since it
was granted full statehood in 1971.

iii. Vrat took his oath of office in Sanskrit

and it was administered by Chief Justice of
the Himachal High Court, Justice Mansoor

Ahmad Mir as per provisions of Article

159 of Constitution.
iv. Acharya Dev Vrat is an eminent
educationist and hails from Haryana. He
was born on 18 January 1959. He holds
double post-graduate in History and Hindi
from the Punjab and Kurukshetra
University, respectively. He also has
studied Naturopathy and Yogic Science.
v. He has also authored several books
including
Gurukul
Kurukshetra
ka
Gauravshali Itihaas, Swasthya ka Anmol
Marg Prakritik Chikitsa (Hindi and
English editions) besides, editing various
magazines and translation works.
6. Uninor signed worth Rs 1,200 cr
contract with Huawei for modernising its
network
i. Uninor a subsidiary of Norways telecom
major Telenor has inked an agreement
worth 1,200 crore rupees with Chinese firm
Huawei for modernising and managing its
network across six circles in the country.

ii. The advancement of payment will be

done in phase manner for three years. As
per the partnership Huawei will modernise
and manage Uninors network by making it
future ready for 4G network and internet
service.
iii. Accordingly Huawei India will
modernise its entire telecom network across
all six operating telecom circles in Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, UP (East),
UP (West), Bihar (including Jharkhand),
which as of now has 24,000 base stations.
iv. Huawei has announced that the network
modernisation will be done in environmentfriendly green solutions that would lower
power consumption by almost 30 per cent
and increase spectral efficiency.
7. Government sanctioned 1,500-MW
ultra mega solar power park for Andhra
Pradesh.

i. The Ministry for New and Renewable

Energy sanctioned a 1,500-MW ultra
mega solar power park for Andhra
Pradesh. The 1,500 MW ultra mega solar
park will be developed in Kadapa district
by NTPC, which will the third mega park of
over 1,000 MW to be taken up by the
state.
ii. Earlier two mega parks of 1,000 MW
each were executed by NTPC at
Anantapur
and
Kurnool
districts,
respectively.
iii. Part from the above projects the state
utility Andhra Pradesh Genco has
approved a move to set up a 500 MW
(2502) solar park in Anantapur.
iv. Andhra Pradesh Government has set
target to develop over 9,000 MW energy
from renewable sources by 2019, which
includes 5,000 MW of solar and 4,000
MW of wind capacity.
8. Union Cabinet approves Spectrum
Sharing Guidelines
i. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to
the spectrum sharing guidelines based on
the recommendations of the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
ii. The decision is part of Union
Governments commitment to improve
spectral efficiency and quality of telecom
service across the country.
iii. Spectrum sharing will be allowed only
for the access service providers in the first
instance in a Licensed Service Area (LSA).
In this case both spectrum license holders
should have spectrum in the same band
and have paid market price for it.
iv. Access of all spectrums including traded
spectrums will be sharable provided that
both license holders having spectrum in the
same band.

Daily GK Update - 14th August 2015

Page24

1. Axis Bank launched the First MultiCurrency Contactless Card service in

India
i. Indias third largest private sector lender,
Axis Bank has launched the first Contactless
Debit, Credit and Multi-Currency Forex
Card in association with VISA payWave in
the country.
ii. Axis Bank will offer a contactless
debit/credit cards to its 1.7 million
premium customers which also enables
withdrawal of 15 currencies via MultiCurrency Forex facility.

iii. To facilitate contactless cards

operations bank will upgrade 50,000, of
its point of sale (PoS) machines across the
country.

iv. Axis Bank Contactless cards contain a

chip and an antenna (based on radio
frequency) that facilitates seamless, faster
and hassle free payments.
v. The customer has to enter the purchase
amount in the contactless PoS terminal and
then simply has to tap the card on the
terminal to complete his/her payment
wirelessly and in a secure manner.
2. IRDAI allows Banks to tie up with
insurers
i. The Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has
allowed banks to tie up with insurers.
ii. This decision was taken as part of the
IRDAIs
new
Bancassurance
model
guidelines which will be notified soon. Prior
to this decision, banks were not allowed to
have insurance agency tie-ups with more
than one insurer.

iii. As per new decision banks can tie up

with nine insurers from three segments viz.
life, nonlife and standalone health. It will
not be binding on banks and they are free
to take their call.
iv. Earlier, IRDAI had constituted a 7
member committee to study the reviewing
of the existing architecture of the
Banacassurance model.
v. Bancassurance is a French term referred
as selling of insurance through a banks.
Thus it can be said that Bancassurance=
Banks as Insurance Agents. In this case,
selling insurance means distribution of

insurance and other financial products of

insurance companies through Banks.
3. Government approves MoU between
India and America to establish
PACEsetter Fund
i. The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post-facto
approval for the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between American
and India to establish the PACEsetter Fund.

ii. The PACEsetter Fund is a fund that

supports the Promoting Energy Access
through Clean Energy (PEACE) an initiative
between US and India through Partnership
to Advance Clean Energy (PACE).
iii. Accordingly both the countries has
raised corpus of about 8 million US dollars
(Rs. 50 crore) on a 50:50 sharing basis.
iv. PACE is a flagship initiative initiated
between the U.S. and India in 2009, to
work jointly on energy security and clean
energy, which primly focuses on
accelerating the transition to highperforming, low emissions, and energysecure economies.
v. It endeavours to boost joint efforts to
demonstrate the viability of existing clean
energy technologies as well as identify
new technologies that can increase energy
access and security.
4. PAHAL scheme enters into Guinness
Book of world records
i.
Union
Governments
ambitious
Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh (PAHAL)
scheme has been acknowledged as the
worlds largest cash transfer program
(households) by the Guinness Book of
World Records.
ii. The scheme was formally launched as
Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for LPG
subsidy in 2013 in 291 districts under the
aegis of Union Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Gas.

Page25

iii. It was modified and christened as PaHal

in November 2014 and was launched in
54 districts. Later it was extended
nationwide on 1 January 2015.
iv. Under the scheme, subsidized liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders are sold at
market rates and consumers are entitled to
receive LPG subsidy directly into their
bank accounts.
v. It is done either through bank account or
Aadhaar linkage. Currently it covers more
than 9.75 crore LPG consumers across the
country. The scheme aims at eliminating
duplication or bogus LPG connections and
its diversion. It also seeks to meet
substantive savings in LPG subsidy.
5. President appoints Om Prakash Rawat
as Election Commissioner
i. President Pranab Mukherjee has
appointed former IAS officer Om Prakash

Rawat as an Election Commissioner (EC) in

the Election Commission of India (ECI). He
will have tenure of more than three years
which will end in December, 2018 i.e. till
he attains the age of 65 years.

ii. Rawat was born on 2 December 1953

and is a 1977 batch IAS officer from
Madhya Pradesh cadre. During his long
bureaucratic career, he had served at
various important portfolios at Centre and
state level.
iii. In 1993, he had served as a Director in
the Defence Ministry. He has also served
as Principal Secretary to then Chief
Minister of Madhya Pradesh to Babu Lal
Gaur from 2004 and 2006.
iv. He also had served as Secretary at
Department of Public Enterprises in the
Ministry of Heavy Industries from 2012 till
December 2014 when he retired. With
Rawats appointment, the sole vacancy in
the three-member ECI has been filled.
Other two members are Nasim Zaidi (Chief
Election Commissioner) and A K Joti (EC).
6. NTPC signed two MoUs for Skill
Development
i. National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC) has signed two Memorandum of
Understanding (MoUs) with National Skill
Development Fund (NSDF) and National
Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for
skill development training in eastern states
and Bihar.

ii. As per the MoU NTPC will provide skill

training to 5000 youth and women across
22 locations with special focus on the
eastern states. The MoU is for two years
with a project cost of Rs 6.5 Crore.
iii. As per second MoU NTPC will train over
25000 candidates in services and
manufacturing sectors across under-served
locations in Bihar. The MoU is for five
years with a project cost of Rs 30 crore.
Both the projects will be funded by NTPC
and executed by NSDC through its
Training Partners.
iv. The National Skill Development
Corporation India (NSDC) is a Public
Private Partnership Company with the
primary mandate of promotion of the skills
landscape in India. It aims to proactively
catalyse creation of large, quality
vocational training institutions by providing
grants and equity.
7. Odisha Cabinet gave nod to new
Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) 2015
i. Odisha cabinet approved the much
awaited Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)
2015 after several rounds of consultation
with different administrative departments
and industry associations.
ii. The IPR 2015 lays focus on various
sectors for the next five years which
includes infrastructure development, auto &

auto components, agro and food

processing, IT and ESDM (electronic system
design & manufacturing), tourism, civil
aviation, manufacturing, pharma sector,
handicrafts and textiles and petroleum &
petro chemicals.

iii. State Cabinet further cleared the State

Capital Region Improvement of Power
System (SCRIPS) scheme and 650.64 km
ambitious Biju Expressway.
iv. SCRIPS is a scheme with an outlay of Rs
1,500 crore that aims to avail quality and
uninterrupted power to the consumers in
the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and
Cuttack. This scheme will be implemented
entirely out of states own finances from
2015-16 to 2019-20, which would have
different components like underground
cabling of important lines, smart grid and
SCADA (supervisory control and data
acquisition).
v. Biju Expressway Project is an ambitious
650.64 km four-lane economic corridor
stretching from Rourkela to Jagdalpur
(Chhattisgarh) that aims to upgrade road
connectivity in Naxal infested regions. The
project got Central government nod and
accordingly out of 650.64 km the state
government would develop 307.44 km of
roads into four-lane at an estimated cost
of Rs 3,630 crore.
8. The founder of Hero Cycle Om
Prakash Munjal passes away
i. The founder of Hero Cycle and a
leading industrialist Om Prakash Munjal
breathed his last in the DMC Hero Heart
Centre, Ludhiana on 13 August. He was
87.
ii. On Prakash was born on 26 August
1928 in Kamalia, Punjab (then British
India). He moved with his family to
Amritsar in 1944 to start a bicycle spare
parts business with his three brothers.
iii. The complete manufacturing of bicycle
was started in 1956 under brand name
Hero. This unit became the first bicycle
manufacturing unit in India which produced
639 bicycles in that first year.
iv. Yesterday the Hero Cycles Limited is the
worlds
largest
integrated
bicycle
manufacturing company that manufacture
7.5 million cycles per year.
v. Om Prakash has received the Udyog
Rattan Award from Punjab Government,
Punjab Rattna award, The Samman Patra
award towards for the contribution to
exchequer of the Punjab state government
and The Indira Gandhi National Unity
award to recognize his social contribution.

Daily GK Update: 15th & 16th August, 2015

PM Narendra Modi announced a new
campaign " Start-up India; Stand up
India"
i. On the eve of celebration of 69th
Independence Day at Red Fort Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced a new
campaign Start-up India; Stand up India
an initiative to promote bank finance for
Start-ups (an entrepreneurial venture).
ii. The campaign was announced with an
aim to boost entrepreneurship among the
youth and to create employment in India.
As per the initiative PM urged 1.25 lakh
bank branches to provide finance to at
least one Dalit or Adivasi and at least one
woman entrepreneur.
iii. The initiative is expected to open a new
dimension to entrepreneurship and to set
up a network of start-ups in the country. It
also aims to make India a number one
country in Start-ups.

Page26

Other announcements:

Government will rename the

present Agriculture Ministry as Agriculture
and Farmers Welfare Ministry.

He announced to replace the

current practice of interview-based
selections with online merit based recruiting
for low-skilled government jobs.

Under the Skill India and Digital

India initiative government to provide
package of incentives to manufacturing
units.

To provide houses and access to

basic services to all and to make India a
developed nation by 2022.

Set deadline of 1000 days to

connect 18,500 villages with electricity.
Union Government unveils Indradhanush
Mission for PSBs
i. Union Government has launched a seven
pronged plan called Indradhanush Mission
to revamp functioning of public sector
banks (PSBs). It was launched by Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.
Facts about Indradhanush Mission

The
seven
shades
of
Indradhanush mission include appointments,
de-stressing
PSBs,
capitalisation,
empowerment,
framework
of
accountability and governance reforms.

It seeks to achieve the objective

of economic growth revival through
improving credit and minimising the
political interference in the functioning of
PSBs.

Appointments: Selection of nonexecutive chairman in remaining 6 state

owned PSBs till November 2015.
Appointing MD & CEO of two PSBs as
early as possible.

Bank Board Bureau (BBB): It will

be a body of eminent professionals to be
selected within 6 months i.e. February
2015. It will become functional from

Financial year 2016-17 i.e. form 1st April

2016.

Capitalisation: Infuse
25,000
crore rupees of capital into debt-laden
banks in this fiscal in phased manner. Out
of this 20,000 crore rupees would be
injected in August 2015. Rest 5,000 crore
rupees will be performance based
allocation to be allocated in the last
quarter of 2016.

De-stressing PSBs: To develop

vibrant debt market for PSBs in order to
reduce lending pressure on banks.
Strengthen
asset
reconstruction
of
companies.

Empowerment: Provide greater

flexibility in hiring of manpower in PSBs.

Framework of accountability: It
will seek to streamline vigilance process for
quick action in case major frauds and also
include connivance of staff.

Governance
reforms
in
PSBs: Next Gyan Sangam (also known as
the Bankers Retreat) will be held from 14
to 16 January 2016. Employee Stock
Option Plan (ESOP) will be initiated for
top management.

Union Government to form Bank Board

Bureau
i. Union Government has decided to set up
a Bank Board Bureau (BBB) to monitor key
performance indicators of two dozen
public sector banks (PSBs). It was
announced by Union Finance Minister Arun
Jailtley as part of a seven-pronged
revamp plan for PSBs dubbed as
Indradhanush (rainbow) plan.
Facts about Bank Board Bureau

Bank Board Bureau (BBB) will

start the functioning from next financial
year i.e. from 1st April 2015 and the
selection of its member will start in the next
six months.

It will replace existing system

Appointments Board in which appointments
for top level jobs at PSBs are made by an
appointments committee led by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor.

Composition: The BBB will be a

body of eminent professionals and shall
consist of only one government official. It
will be six members body with at least 3
former bankers, 2 professionals and
secretary, department of financial services
representing government.

Functions: Give
recommendations for appointment of fulltime Directors as well as non-Executive
Chairman of PSBs.

Give advice to PSBs in

developing differentiated strategies for
raising funds through innovative financial

methods and instruments and to deal with

issues of stressed assets.

Guide banks on mergers and

consolidations.
Gujarat Govt declares ban on use of
Plastic
i. Gujarat Government has declared ban
on the use of plastic in the State for the
first time. It was announced by Gujarats
first women Chief Minister Anandiben Patel
after unfurling the National Flag at the
Independence Day ceremony in Mahisagar
district of Gujarat.
ii. This decision was taken keeping in view
protection of environment, cleanliness and
cattle health. It should be several municipal
bodies in the state already have banned
use of plastic bags thinner than 40
microns.
iii. Apart from plastic ban decision, she
also announced that 159 towns and 8 cities
in the state now have 100 per cent inhouse toilets and nearly 8 lakh toilets have
been built in rural areas.

Kerala Govt declares state as "Digital

State"
i. Kerala Government has declared state
totally digital, thus becoming first state in
the country to achieve it. It was announced
by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy
during his Independence Day speech held
in the capital Thiruvananthapuram.
ii. This declaration was made considering
the rapid digital strides of the state which
has achieved 100 percent mobile
connectivity, maximum digital banking, 75
percent e-literacy, broadband connectivity
upto the Panchayat level, linking bank
accounts with Aadhar cards and e-district
plan in all districts.
Abhishek Verma wins gold medal in
Archery World Cup
i. Ace Indian Archer Abhishek Verma has
won gold medal in Archery World Cup in
the stage 3 in the compound mens
individual section.
ii. In the individual final held in Wroclaw in
Poland he defeated Esmaeil Ebadi of Iran
by 148-145 score in the five round match.
In the summit clash, Verma had shot 13
perfect 10s pointers, including five arrows
closest to the centre from the total 15
arrows.
iii. It should be noted that Verma is
currently ranked 18 in the world in the
mens individual Archery. He hails from
Delhi and earlier had won silver medal in
the Asian Games.

Daily GK Update - 17th August 2015

1. Taj Mahal becomes first monument in
world to have Twitter account
i. The iconic Mughal monument Taj Mahal
became the first historical monuments in the
world to have a Twitter account of its own.
ii. The monuments official Twitter handle
@TajMahal was launched by Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on
eve of 69th Independence Day in Lucknow.

iii. Taj Mahal is a 17th century white

marble mausoleum located on the southern
bank of Yamuna River in the present city of
Agra. Then Mughal emperor Shah Jahan
(reigned 16281658) had commissioned
the monument in 1632 to house the tomb of
his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
iv. It is based on Mughal architectural style
and was constructed under guidance of
chief architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
v. In 1983, UNESCO had accorded World
Heritage Site status on it. It is one of the
worlds most celebrated structures and a
symbol of Indias rich history. Presently it
plays important role in Indias tourism
industry and attracts around 3 million
visitors every year.

Page27

2. HDFC to sell its 9 percent stake in

HDFC life to JV partner Standard Life for
Rs. 1700 Crore
i. HDFC has announced to sell its 9 per cent
stake in HDFC Life Insurance to its British
joint venture partner Standard Life for sum
of 1,700 crore rupees. Prior this
agreement HDFC had 70.65 per cent
stake while Standard life had 26 per cent
stakes which will be change to 61.65 per
cent and 35 per cent respectively.

ii. This move was taken in line to increase

the role of its foreign partner which
followed the Centres approval to hike FDI
to 49 per cent from 26 per cent in
Insurance sector. As per the agreement
HDFC will issue 17.5 crore shares at the
rate of Rs. 95 per share to Standard life.
iii. There are over 52 insurance companies
in India out of which 24 are in life
insurance business and 28 are non-life
insurers. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) is
the sole public sector company among Life
Insurance Company and there are six
public sector insurers among non-life
insurers.
iv. Apart from that there is sole national
re-insurer
the
General
Insurance
Corporation of India (GIC). The market
size of Indias Insurance sector is 70 billion
US dollars. Kotak Mahindra Bank is the

first bank to set wholly-owned non-life

insurance company.
v. As per Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
even the Zero balance account opened
prior to August 28, 2014 get Rs 1,00,000
insurance cover.
3. Birla Corp to acquire Lafarges two
Indian units for Rs. 5000 crore
i. Birla Corporation has signed an
agreement with French-based Lafarge
Group to acquire its Jojobera unit in
Jharhkand and Sonadih in Chattisgarh for
sum of Rs. 5000 crore.

ii. The Lafarge disinvested these two units

in order fulfil the directions given by
Competition Commission of India (CCI) as a
part to conclude its mega global merger
with Swiss-based Holcim Ltd and its
operations in Indian, the merger took place
on 15 July 2015.
iii. As per the acquisition deal Birla Corp
will acquire these cement units along its
brands Concreto and PSC and also its
management team. These two plants have
total cement capacity of 5.15 million
tonnes per annum (mtpa) and have
adequate reserves of limestone.
iv. After the disinvestment by JafargeHolcim group, its cement capacity will
come around 68 million tonnes in India. The
local cement companies ACC cement and
Ambuja Cement are part of this group.
4. Ajit Seth to head Public Enterprises
Selection Board

i. Former Cabinet Secretary, Ajit Seth, will

take charge as the Chairman of the Public
Enterprises Selection Board. Seth, an IAS
officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre of the
1974 batch, will be in charge of the post
till the age of 65 or for three years,
whichever is earlier.
ii. Seth will replace Atul Chaturvedi, who
was also an IAS officer from the Uttar
Pradesh cadre of the 1974 batch.
iii. The decision was announced in a
statement
from
the
Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet on Monday.
5. Hero Cycles acquires leading UKbased Avocet Sports
i. Worlds largest bicycle manufacturer
Hero Cycles acquired majority stake in UKbased Avocet Sports for an undisclosed
amount. It is the first overseas acquisition of

Hero Cycle with an aim to enter into highend bicycle market in Europe.
ii. Manchester-based Avocet is among top
three players in bicycles, e-bikes, bicycle
parts and accessories in the UK and with
Hero Cycles it aims to capture high-end
bicycle market in UK and Germany.

iii. With the experience of 20 years in

high-end bicycles market Avocet has Tieups with leading retailers around the globe
which includes Tesco, ASDA, Halfords,
Amazon.com, Shop Direct, and Hero
Cycles.
iv. It is a part of Hero Group that has its
foot prints in sectors like bicycle
components,
automotive,
automotive
components, IT, services, Hospitality, Home
Decor etc. Hero Cycles manufactures over
7.5 million bicycles per year from its
manufacturing units in Bihta (Bihar),
Ludhiana (Punjab) & Ghaziabad (UP)
6. India, Bangladesh ink MoU to fight
fake currency
i. India and Bangladesh have inked a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) for
full cooperation to tackle the menace of
fake Indian currency notes (FICN)
smuggling. The MoU was signed at a
maiden meeting of the Joint Task Force on
Fake Currency Notes (JTFFC) in Dhaka held
on 12 and 13 August, 2015.

ii. Both countries have agreed to share

intelligence inputs on operatives engaged
in circulating FICN on real time basis in
order to curb
iii. India will provide Advance note sorting
machines to Bangladesh to detect FICN
circulation at international airports,
immigration points, integrated crossing
points, banks and financial institutions in
Bangladesh.
iv. India will establish State-of-the-art
facilities for examination of fake currency
notes in Bangladesh. It will facilitate
maintaining a digital record of analysis
and seizures of fake notes which will
include creation of a database on
smugglers for use by both countries.
v. India will help Bangladesh to set up
Forensic
Science
Laboratory
for
examination of fake notes and maintaining
a digital depository of forensic reports. As
part of the MoU, both countries in future
will organise capacity building training
programmes in future and the next Joint
Task Force meeting will be held again in
November 2015.

7. MHA to setup pan-India National

Fingerprint Database
i. Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
has decided to establish a pan-India
National fingerprint database to aid in the
speedy identification of criminals and
investigation of crimes across the country.
ii. The database will have fingerprint
records of nearly 28 lakh convicts from all
the states including of those who were
arrested for criminal offences.

iii. The National Informatics Centre (NIC)

will be nodal agency for creating this
cloud based national record by linking
finger print database of all States and
Union Territories bureaus. The integration
of all fingerprint databases will help
police from any part of the country to

furnish criminal finger prints record on real

time basis.
iv. Presently, the Delhi-based Central
Finger Print Bureau (CPFB) has digitized
data of over 9.7 lakh finger print records
of convicted or arrested persons. While
Gujarat has the biggest database of
fingerprints with nearly 12 lakh records
followed by Andhra Pradesh which has 5.3
lakh records and Madhya Pradesh 3 lakh
records.
8. Badminton World Championship 2015:
Saina Nehwal wins silver medal
i. Defending champion Carolina Marin
Martin of Spain has won the prestigious
World Badminton Championship 2015 in
womens single category.
ii. In the final match she defeated Indias
Saina Nehwal by two set score of 16-21
and 19-21. This second time Carolina
Marin had won this championship. Earlier
she had won it in 2014 becoming first

Spanish women player to win this

prestigious title.
iii. It should be noted that Saina Nehwal is
first Indian women badminton player to
reach finals of Badminton World
Championship. In the semifinal match she
had defeated Indonesians Lindaweni
Fanetria in straight-game by two set score
of 21-17 and 21-17.
iv. Indias PV Sindhu had won the bronze
medal twice in World Badminton
Championship in 2013 and 2014. Jwala
Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the
bronze in womens doubles in 2011.
Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to
win a bronze in 1983.

Daily GK Update - 18th August 2015

RBI suspended licence of seven nonbanking finance companies (NBFCs)
i. On 17 August the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) suspends licence of seven non-banking
finance companies (NBFCs). The seven
NBFCs whose licences were suspended are
Religare Finance, Artisans Micro Finance,
Eden Trade & Commerce, RCS Parivar
Finance, Nott Investments, Dewra Stocks &
Securities, Swetasree Finance.
ii. Being a dormant entity, Religare Finance
licence was suspended by RBI as it did not
conducted lending operation for long
period of time.

Page28

iii. A Non-Banking Financial Company

(NBFC) is a company registered under the
Companies Act, 1956, whose principal
business is lending, investments and
receiving deposits. At present there are
around 12,000 NBFCs in India. NBFC does
not include any institution whose principal
business is agricultural activity, trading
activity,
industrial
activity
or
sale/purchase/construction of immovable
property.
iv. RBI has power under RBI Act 1934 to
register, regulate, lay down policy, inspect,
issue directions, supervise and exercise
surveillance over NBFCs that meet the 5050 criteria of principal business. Any
NBFCs that does not carry out its principal
business according to the directions or
orders issued by RBI under RBI Act is
eligible for penal action that can also
result in cancelling the Certificate of
Registration issued to the NBFC.
IDBI appointed Kishor Piraji Kharat as its
MD and CEO
i. Industrial Development Bank of India
(IDBI) has appointed Kishor Piraji Kharat as
its new Managing Director & Chief

Executive Officer. Kishor Kharat is a

graduate in commerce and law who is also
a certified associate of the Indian Institute
of Bankers. He had earlier assumed post
of executive director of Union Bank of
India and before that he had served Bank
of Baroda for three decades.

ii. He has wide exposure across various

verticals of banking, international business,
including credit, information technology
and general administration in India as well
as overseas.
iii. IDBI was constituted on 1 July 1964
under IDBI Act 1964 based on the model
of Developmental Bank of Canada with a
motive to provide direct and indirect
finance to Industries. Government of India
took over the controls of IDBI in 1975 and
then transformed into independent
autonomous statutory organisation.
iv. It was regarded as a Public Financial
Institution and continued to serve as a DFI
for 40 years and was formally
transformed into a Bank on 28 September
2004. It thus became 28th Public Sector
Bank. IDBI Bank was earlier known as IDBI
Ltd which was change to its existing name
IDBI Bank Ltd on 7 May 2008.
Sachin Tendulkar to be Maharashtras
Tiger ambassador
i. Maharashtra government has roped
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as its new
ambassador for the Tiger Conservation
Project. His association will help state
government to raise awareness about
saving the tigers in the state.

ii. In this regard Mr. Tendulkar has

accepted an offer which was forwarded
by
state
Forest
Minister
Sudhir
Mungantiwar on July 29, 2015 on the eve
of World Tiger Day.
iii. State government had forwarded this
proposal to Mr. Tendulkar after Tiger
Protection Foundation approved a
proposal of his appointment along with
superstar
Amitabh
Bachchan
as
ambassador to promote the Save Tiger
campaign in July 2015. Earlier Mr.
Amitabh Bachchan had accepted the
request from the government and met the
minister to discuss details of his role and
involvement in the project.
iv. Currently, Maharashtra state has six
tiger reserves viz. Tadoba, Melghat, Pench,
Nagzira, Sahyadri and Bor. It should be
noted that except Sahyadri tiger reserve
(located in Kokan region) remaining 5 are
located in Vidharbha region of state.
v. Maharashtra has recorded around 190
tigers as per the 2014 Tiger census
(usually conducted every four years). Tiger
population has recorded a steady rise
from 103 in 2006 to 169 in 2010. The
increase population of Tigers in state has
been attributed to the successful
implementation of various conservation
efforts.
Union Government appoints two private
sector professionals to head BoB, Canara
Bank
i. Union government has appointed two
private sector banking professionals as
Mangling Director (MD) and Chief
Executive Officer of Bank of Baroda (BoB)
and Canara Bank. This is the first time that
Union government has appointed the two
candidates from the private sector to head
the Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

ii. P S jayakumar: MD and CEO of Bank of

Baroda (BoB). Rakesh Sharma: MD and
CEO of Canara Bank.
iii. Apart from these appointments, Union
Government also appointed MD and CEO
of other three PSBs who are serving
government officials. They are MO Rego:
MD and CEO of Bank of India (BoI).
Kishore Kharat Piraji: MD and CEO IDBI
Bank. Usha Ananthasubramanian: MD and
CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB).
iv. Union government appointment nonexecutive chairman for 5 PSUs namely
Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of
Baroda, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank. It
should be noted that these appointments
were made by Union Finance Ministry as
part seven pronged plan called
Indradhanush
Mission
to
revamp
functioning of PSBs.
Telangana Government launched Grama
Jyothi Scheme across the state
i.
Telangana
Chief
Minister
K.
Chandrasekhar Rao on 17 August 2015
launched a flagship programme Grama
Jyothi across the state. The scheme is
aimed at comprehensive development of
rural areas allowing planning and
execution of works by villages themselves.

ii. For the successful implementation of the

scheme, the state government has decided
to invest 25000 crore rupees to empower
villages. The scheme will focus on
improving the Human Development Index
(HDI) by addressing core issues such as
drinking water and sanitation, health and
nutrition, education, infrastructure, natural
resources management, agriculture, social
security and poverty reduction.
iii. The Grama Jyothi programme aims to
empower
gram
panchayats.
The
programme introduces a participatory
approach
in
preparing
village
development
plans
involving
the
panchayats, self help groups, people and
all interested in the holistic development of
the village.

iv. Grama Jyothi programme will be a

game-changer to inclusive and holistic
development of backward villages of
Telangana. The government will also
incentivise villages that achieve 100
percent targets in the areas of sanitation,
immunisation, nutrition, literacy and green
cover.
ICICI Bank launched locker facility
named Smart Vault
i. ICICI Bank on 18 August 2015 launched
Smart Vault, a first-of-its-kind locker
facility by a bank in India with latest
robotic technology. The facility was
launched by Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO
of ICICI Bank at the Defence Colony
branch of Delhi.

ii. The Smart Vault uses robotic technology

to access the lockers from the safe vault
and enables customers to conveniently
access their lockers at any time of their
preference, in the comfort of a secure
lounge where the locker automatically
comes up to the customer.
iii. Smart Vault locker is equipped with
multi-layer security system, including
biometric and PIN authentication and debit
cards, among others. Customers can access
it without any intervention by the branch
staff.
iv. The lockers are of two-three different
sizes and the charges of availing this
facility would depend on their size. Also,
the locker charges in a city would vary
depending on the real estate cost.
State Bank of India launches mobile
wallet app 'Buddy'
i. Country's largest lender State Bank of
India today launched a mobile wallet app,
SBI Buddy, in collaboration with Accenture
and Mastercard. The service will be
available to existing as well as non-SBI
customers.
ii. The app was launched by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley along with Jayant
Sinha, Minister of State for Finance and
Hasmukh Adhia, Secretary, Department of
Financial Services.

iii. The mobile wallet app can be used to

send money to new and registered
customers, book for movies, flights, hotels
as well as for shopping. It also has
features like reminders to settle dues,
recharge and pay bills instantly.
iv. State Bank of India also launched SBI
Foundation, which will be the implementing
agency for corporate social responsibility
(CSR) activities of the lender. The Finance
Minister unveiled the logo and website of
SBI Foundation. The foundation will
promote, encourage, develop causes
related to education, environment, women
empowerment, children welfare and
manage all the CSR activities of the SBI
Group.
Andy Murray wins Rogers Cup Masters
Tournament 2015
i. Andy Murray of Great Britain has won
Rogers Cup Masters Tournament 2015 also
known as the Canada Masters. In the final
match played at Montreal, Canada he
defeated world number one Novak
Djokovic of Serbia by 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 score.
ii. It was Murrays overall 11th Masters
Title and first victory against the world
number 1 since Wimbledon final of 2013.
iii. 18-year old Belinda Bencic of
Switzerland won maiden Canadian Open
Masters title in womens single category. In
the final match she defeated world number
two Simona Halep by 7-6, 6-7, 3-0 score.
It was Belindas overall second career title.
iv. French-Slovenian team of Caroline
Garcia and Katarina Srebotnik. Garcia
and Srebotnik won Canadian Open
Masters title in womens double category.
In the final match they defeated top
seeded American-Czech team of Bethanie
Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.

Daily GK Update - 19th August 2015

Page29

Kochi airport becomes worlds first to

operate on solar power
i. Scripting a new chapter, the Cochin
International Airport on Tuesday became
the first in the world to operate completely
on solar power. Kerala Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy inaugurated the 12
MWp solar power plant, comprising
46,150 solar panels laid across 45 acres
near the cargo complex, at a function at
the airport this morning.

ii. With this, the airport will have 50000 to

60000 units of electricity per day to be
consumed for all its operational functions,
which technically makes the airport
absolutely power neutral, Cochin
International Airport Limited (CIAL) said in
a release, adding, it is the first airport in
the world to operate completely on solar
power.
iii. CIAL had ventured into the Solar PV
sector during March 2013, by installing a
100 kWp solar PV Plant on the roof top of
the Arrival Terminal Block. This was a
trendsetter in the field of grid-connected
solar PV in Kerala.
iv. A total of 400 polycrystalline modules
of 250Wp with five numbers of 20kW

capacity Refu-sol make string inverters

were used in this plant. It is a grid
connected system without any battery
storage.
v. After the successful commissioning of this
plant, CIAL installed a 1 MWp solar PV
power plant partly on the roof top and
partly on the ground in the Aircraft
Maintenance Hangar facility within the
airport premises.
Tata Trusts to develop 264 villages in
Vijayawada under Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana(SAGY) initiative
i. Tata Trust to develop 264 villages in
Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency of
Andhra Pradesh under Sansad Adarsh

Gram Yojana(SAGY) initiative. This is fruit

of the labor of existing MP of Vijayawada
Srinivas Kesineni, who had approached
Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata
Sons seeking his collaboration to develop
model villages in his constituency under
SAGY initiative.
ii. This initiative by the Tata Trusts is first of
its kind where a Trust had planned to bring
about grass-root level changes and to
develop model village under SAGY
initiative.

iii. Tata Trusts has come forward with an

objective to build self sustainable and self
driven villages with a focus on the wellbeing and happiness of the poor in 264
villages.
iv. The project has excluded the
Vijayawada city and other urban areas in
the constituency. Andhra Pradesh has
endorsed the idea and will support the
project by providing Rs 600 crore-Rs 700
crore funds under the governmental
schemes.
v. For this project Tata Trust has recruited
over 1,400 volunteers from these villages
who will also get training for the job.

Page30

Finance Minister launches two funds for

promoting MSMEs and Start-ups
i. On 18 August Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley launched two funds the India
Aspiration Fund (IAF) and SIDBI Make in
India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) under
Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI) in line to carter funding for startups and to aid small enterprises in India.

ii. SIDBI under the first fund India

Aspiration Fund (IAF) would invest in
venture capital funds for meeting the
equity requirement of MSME start-ups and
for this the initial corpus of Rs. 2,000 crore
has been set. Life Insurance Corp. of India
(LIC) will be a partner and co-investor in
this fund.
iii. Under second fund the SIDBI Make in
India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) is a
debt-fund which will carter soft term loans
to MSMEs to meet debt-to-equity norms
and pursue growth opportunities, SIDBI has
set Initial corpus of Rs. 10, 000 crore under
SMILE fund. Finance Ministry has launched
these funds under SIDBI to boost MSME
and start-ups under Make in India initiative
and expects to create employment for
over one lakh person for four to five years.
iv. Ministry also intend to move people
from overstaffed agriculture sector to
areas such as services and manufacturing
through MSMEs and start-up which fund
their
own
business
and
creates
employment.
LIC launches maiden
insurance plan (ULIP)

unit

linked

i. State run insurer, Life Insurance

Corporation of India (LIC) has launched its
maiden unit linked insurance plan (ULIP)
product across the country. The ULIP which
is also called as New Endowment Plus
offers investment-cum-insurance provision
during the term policy providing dual
benefit for the policy holder.

ii. It provides dual benefits of risk cover

and investment opportunity in market to
the policy holder and also provides option
of partial withdrawal under this plan.
iii. ULIP provides four fund options to
policy holders in form of bond fund,
balance fund, secured fund, and growth
fund to which policy holder can switch over
according to their conveniences. Policy
holders can switch over among the fund
options for four times in a given policy for
free of charge.
iv. ULIP provides double death benefit .i.e.
it gives assured amount equal to the higher
of basic sum assured or policy holders
fund value on death before or after the
date of commencement of risk. It also
provides accident death benefit to rider
which provides for an additional amount
equal to accident death benefit sum
assured on death due to accident.
v. The basic sum assured under ULIP is
higher by 10 times the annualised premium
and 105% of the total premiums paid. The
minimum lock-in period for ULIP plan is for
five years and if surrender before that an
additional charge is levied.
BSE sets up new system for reporting
suspicious trades
i. Bombay Stock Exchange has instituted
new system Suspicious Transaction Reports
(STRs) for reporting suspicious trades in
order to check money laundering through
stock markets.
ii. The national stock exchange has asked
its members to report details of the STRs
submitted to the governments Financial
Intelligence Unit (FIU) on a monthly basis.
As per new rules

iii. Trading members are required to

submit the data through a specific FIU-STR
module on the BSE Electronic Filing System
(EFS), an online gateway along with Cash
Transaction reports (CTRs).
iv. In this data members should provide
details of their registration with the FIU
along with the information regarding the
principal officers and the designated
directors for the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA) compliance.
v. The new system was initiated in line with
regulators and Governments financial
intelligence agencies move to enhance their
vigil recently on entities trying to misuse the

stock market platform for black money

laundering and to evade taxes.
The Kumbh Mela: Mapping the
Ephemeral Megacity authored by Tarun
Khanna released by Akhilesh yadav

i. Book titled The Kumbh Mela: Mapping

the Ephemeral Megacity authored by
Tarun Khanna was released by Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on
17 August 2015. The book, a product of
Harvard University, is edited by Rahul
Mehrotra, Felipe Vera and Diana Eck.
ii. The book which is a kind of research
work of the University tells the story of the
Kumbh Mela, the largest celebration on
earth that depends on the positions of
Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon. It also
narrates that people mostly Hindus travel
certain places along holy rivers, like
Ganga, to take bath and cleanse
themselves from sin.
iii. In 2013, a team from Harvard
University monitored the large-scale event
from its preparation through to the actual
celebration, investigating and documenting
the prototypes for flexible urban planning
and offering organizers advice on issues
around environmental protection.
iv. This substantial hardcover presents their
comprehensive research findings along
with city maps, aerial images and
photographs of this most fascinating feat
of urban planning.
Meet the White Houses first transgender
staffer
i. The White House has appointed its first
openly transgender staff member. Raffi
Freedman-Gurspan has been hired as an
outreach and recruitment director for
presidential personnel in the White House
Office of Presidential Personnel, LGBT
groups and the White House said Tuesday.

ii. Freedman-Gurspan "demonstrates the

kind of leadership this administration
champions, Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser
to President Obama, said in an e-mailed
statement confirming the appointment. "Her
commitment to bettering the lives of
transgender Americans -- particularly
transgender people of color and those in
poverty -- reflects the values of this
administration."
iii. ational Center for Transgender Equality
Executive Director Mara Keisling said:
"President Obama has long said he wants

his administration to look like the American

people. I have understood this to include
transgender Americans. A transgender
person was inevitably going to work in the
White House.
iv. Freedman-Gurspan's previous job was
at the National Center for Transgender
Equality, where she worked as a policy
adviser for the Racial and Economic Justice
Initiative. In that role, she also urged the
government to release undocumented
transgender immigrants who cannot be
adequately protected from sexual violence
in detention.
Happy World Photography Day to all
shutterburgs
i. The World Photography Day is annually
observed on Aug 19 across the world. Be it
a professional or amateur photographers,
all of them celebrate the day with equal
zest. One of the most important thing is to
know about the origin of photography.

ii. The Daguerreotype photographic

processes was invented by Frenchmen
Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis
Daguerre in 1837. William Fox is said to
be the inventor of Calotype photo process.
iii. Homai Vyarawalla is the first lady
press photographer from Navasari,
Gujarat. She was born in a middle class
family in 1913. Her work captured the last
day of the British Empire in India and the
emergence of a new country.
iv. The one behind the famous photograph
of Jawaharlal Nehru and the wife of the
then British Deputy High Commission
lighting up a cigarette together,
Vyarawalla shot to fame from there.
Bangladesh lifted South Asian Football
Federation U-16 title

i. Bangladesh Under-16 team on 18

August 2015 won their first-ever South
Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-16
title. In the title clash at the Sylhet District
Stadium of Bangladesh, the hosts defeated
defending champions India 4-2 in
penalties.
ii. Bangladesh got the lead through Fahim
Murshed when he found the net in the 46th
minute. India equalised the score after the
hour mark through Amay Morajkar's leftfooter. The match went into penalties after
both sides failed to score the second goal.
iii. In the shoot out, Bangladesh did not miss
any of their penalties, while India failed to
score its second and fourth helping the
home side clinch the title for the first time.
Earlier, Bangladesh had beaten India in
the group stage as well.
iv. Besides India and Bangladesh, the
tournament was participated by Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Afghanistan and the Maldives.
New IAAF president Sebastian Coe
promises independent doping unit
i. Sebastian Coe has described his election
as president of the world athletics
governing body as the pinnacle of his
career and vowed to introduce an
independent doping commission to address
perceived conflicts and loopholes.

ii. Lord Coe, the double Olympic gold

medallist who led the organising committee
for the London 2012 Games, said beating
the Ukrainian former pole vaulter Sergey
Bubka to the presidency was a bigger
moment than any of his previous successes.
iii. Victory for a visibly relieved Coe, who
defeated Bubka by 115 votes to 92,
prompted an outpouring of support from
British athletes and sports administrators
who said he was the man to repair the
battered image of the sport in the wake of

a slew of doping and corruption

allegations.
iv. The new IAAF president, who will begin
work following the impending world
championships in Beijing, said athletics had
played a lead role in tackling doping. But
he admitted: We do have to recognise
there is too broad a view that this
something whether real or perceived
that there are conflicts and loopholes.
AFI chief Sumariwalla elected IAAF
Council member
i. Athletics Federation of India President
Adille Sumariwalla was today elected as
one of the members of the prestigious
Council of the IAAF, the global governing
body of the sport, in its polls held here.
ii. Sumariwalla, an Olympian 100m runner,
was elected as one of the nine individual
members of the all-powerful IAAF Council
at the 50th Congress of the world athletics
body held a day ahead of the start of the
World Athletics Championships.
iii. Sumariwalla is the first Indian to be
elected in the IAAF Council. He got 61
votes in the second round to get elected.
Former AFI and Indian Olympic Association
President Suresh Kalmadi was also earlier
a member of the IAAF Council from 2001
to 2013 but by virtue of his being the chief
of the Asian Athletics Association and not
through an election.
iv. The Commonwealth Games scamtainted Kalmadi lost his seat as an
ordinary member after he was defeated in
the AAA presidential elections to Dahlan
Al-Hamad of Qatar in Pune in 2013.

Daily GK Update - 20th August 2015

Page31

Payments banks: With India Post getting

RBI nod, Indias biggest bank for poor is
in the making
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
chosen just 11 out of 41 applicants to set
up payments banks in the country.
Payments banks are institutions that will
offer most of the banking services except
loans and credit card products to retail
customers. Customers can deposit money
up to Rs 1 lakh in these banks, transfer
money, make payments and buy financial
products such as insurance and mutual
funds.

ii. The 11 names include Indias postal

department, two telecom players (Airtel
and Vodafone), three large corporate
houses (Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Aditya

Birla Nuvo and Tech Mahindra), two

financial services firms (Fino Paytech and
Cholamandalam),
two
individual
entrepreneurs (Dilip Sahnghvi and Vijay
Sharma)
and
National
Securities
Depository Ltd, a surprise winner.
iii. The names that are absent in the list are
equally notable. These include Kishore
Biyani of Big Bazaar, George Muthoot of
Muthoot Financial Services, prepaid
payment instrument issuers (PPIs) such as
Oxigen and Itz cash and few other mobile
payment services such as My mobile
payments, Pay Point and One MobiKwik
Systems.
iv. The postal department, which failed to
get into the list of full service banks when
the RBI gave permits to IDFC and Bandhan
in April 2014, has been trying for long to
get into the banking business. The
department has begun to set up ATMs and
connect its offices through core banking
solution network. The post expects to

connect about 25,000 branches under CBS

in next one year.
v. Since payments banks do not require
huge amount of capital (the initial capital
requirement set by the RBI for these banks
is Rs 100 crore as against Rs 500 crore for
full-service banks), India Post will not have
to struggle much to seek the capital
assistance from the finance ministry, which,
in the past, had opposed India Posts plan
to become a full-service banks citing higher
capital requirement and lack of
experience in offering credit. But, this time,
capital shouldnt be an issue.
Ashwani Lohani, a tourism veteran, to
steer Air India as CMD
i. Ashwani Lohani has been featured in the
Limca Book of Records in 2007 for holding
four different engineering degrees. With
his appointment as the chairman and
managing director of Air India succeeding

Rohit Nandan, he may well get to create

some new records in the aviation industry.

ii. The Appointments Committee of the

Cabinet on Thursday announced Lohani's
name and is it widely expected that
outgoing CMD Nandan will remain for
another month till he gets a posting as a
secretary to the government of India. So
Lohani will perhaps join only next month.
iii. With the appointment of Lohani, the
government has made it clear that it still
cannot come around to tasking an aviation
professional with the job of turning around
an ailing airline. Lohani has enough
experience in the tourism industry and in
the railways but remains a career
bureaucrat, much like the outgoing
Nandan.
iv. Nandan was at the helm for three-anda-half years and is credited with getting
Air India to post an operational profit for
the first time after the erstwhile Air India
and Indian Airlines merged in 2007. Also,
Air India finally entered prestigious airline
grouping Star Alliance during Nandan's
tenure after several botched attempts
earlier.
v. Ashwani Lohani belongs to the Indian
Railways Services Mechanical Engineering
1980 batch and is presently working as
the chief administrative officer of the
Indian Railway Organization for Alternate
Fuels, a subordinate organization of the
Railway Board.

Page32

Government approves pact between

India and Seychelles to curb black
money
i. With an intention of curbing black money
generation the government approved
signing and ratification of the Tax
information
exchange
agreements
between India and Seychelles. According
to the agreement both the nations will
exchange information with each other
regarding taxes so as to curb tax evasion
and avoidance by its citizens.

ii. As per the agreement the information

provided by each nation will be treated as
confidential and may be disclosed only to
persons or concern authorities (Judiciary)
who in relation to taxes covered under the
agreement.
iii. Due to this agreement the competent
authorities of both the countries will get
relevant information for administration and
enforcement of the domestic laws of two
countries concerning taxes.

iv. The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign

Income and Asset) and Imposition of Tax
Act, 2015 was passed by the parliament in
May 2015. It makes people mandatory to
disclose their foreign income and assets
and pay 30 per cent of it as tax and if fail
to pay in given time limit then extra 90 per
cent is levied.
v. India and United States have signed
inter-governmental
agreement
to
implement the Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act (FATCA) under which both
the nations exchange a wide range of
financial information among themselves
automatically and periodically. In June
2015, India has joined the Multilateral
Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA)
on Automatic Exchange of Financial
Account Information (AEOI) which includes
Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia
and New Zealand.
Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) compliant
vehicles though out the country from 1
April 2017: Ministry of Road Transport &
Highways
i. In order to reduce air pollution due to
vehicles the Ministry of Road Transport &
Highways issued a notification to introduce
Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) compliant four
wheeler vehicles though out the country
from 1 April 2017. As per the notification
from 1 April 2017 all newly manufactured
four-wheeled vehicle that are complaint
with the BS-IV standards will be allowed to
registered and move on roads.

ii. From 1 April, 2010 vehicles in few cities

of NCR, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai,
Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad
including Secunderabad, Kanpur, Pune,
Surat, Agra, Lucknow and Sholapur were
already running with BS IV complaint
engine. More 50 cities were added till 1
April 2015.
iii. Bharat stage emission standards also
known as Bharat Stage are emission
standards instituted by the Government of
India in accordance with European
regulation standard Euro norms to
regulate the output of air pollutants that
vehicles emits.
iv. India adopted Barat stage in
accordance with Euro norms from year
2000 and stage wise introduced Bharat
Stage compatible fuel and ungraded and
modified vehicles throughout the country.
Each stage specifies a certain limit on the
pollutants released, Higher the Bharat
Stage goes lesser it emits pollutants.
v. The BS-IV complaint vehicles release less
pollutants {Carbon Mono-oxide (CO),
Hydrocarbon (HC), Oxides of Nitrogen
(NOx) and Sulphur (SOx)} i.e. 0.025
Respirable suspended particulate matter
(RSPM) as compared to its preceding
Bharat Stage complaint vehicles.
Hindustan
Unilever
Sun
Pharma
Industries and Tata Consultancy Services

(TCS) among the worlds top 100

innovative Companies: Forbes
i. Three Indian companies Hindustan
Unilever Sun Pharma Industries and Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS) and have been
named among the worlds 100 most
innovative companies by Forbes.

ii. Hindustan Unilever the FMCG has been

ranked 41 on the list whereas TCS stood at
number 64 and Sun Pharma at 71 in the
Forbes list of The Worlds Most Innovative
Companies. Key findings
iii. California-Based Tesla Motors has
topped the list whose market capitalization
is of $25.5 billion. Tesla Motors has also
won the Apples creative crown.
Salesforce.com, Alexion Pharmaceuticals,
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and ARM
Holdings and among the top five
companies on the list.
iv. TCS, Indias largest IT Company with a
market cap of $80.3 billion has appeared
on the list for the eighth time. Sun Pharma,
Indias largest drug company with a
market cap $39 billion appears on the list
for the fourth straight time.
v. Forbes has ranked these companies
based on their innovation premium this is
the difference between their market
capitalisation and a net present value of
cash flows from existing businesses. Forbes
included only those industries that are
known to invest in innovation and has seven
years of public financial data and $10
billion in market cap.
Historian
Babasaheb
Purandare
conferred with Maharashtra Bhushan
Award 2015
i. Eminent Historian writer Babasaheb
Purandare has been conferred with
Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015. He
was bestowed this award in literature
category by Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao
in presence of Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis at a function held in Raj Bhava,
Mumbai.

ii. Babasaheb Purandare was born as

Balwant Moreshwar Purandare on 29 July,
1922. He is famously entitled as Shiv
Shahir i.e. Shivajis poet. He is being
credited with writing the first historical
work on 16th century Great Maratha king
Chattrapati Shivaji. He is best known for
his book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati and
popular play Janata Raja.
iii. His book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati has
more than 16 editions and widely read
across the state. It is estimated that over 5
lakh copies of this book have been sold.
Janata Raja play has been performed

more than 850 times in last three decades

after it was first staged in 1985. It has
been staged in all over Maharashtra,
Delhi, Bhopal, Agra and United States.
iv. Maharashtra Bhushan Award is a
highest civilian award of Maharashtra
state presented annually by the state
government.
US launches biggest NATO airborne
drills since Cold War in Europe
i. The US military has launched the largest
NATO airborne drills dubbed as Swift
Response 15 since the end of the Cold
War to enhance security and stability in
the European region. Swift Response 15
will be month long simultaneous
multinational airborne operations drill in
which around 5,000 soldiers from 11
NATO member states will participate.

ii.
11
NATO
member
courtiers
participating are: Bulgaria, Germany,
France, Greece, Portugal, Netherlands,
Italy, Poland, Britain Spain, and United
States. These airborne drills aim to help
high-readiness NATO forces in order to act
as one single force and to demonstrate its
alliances capacity to operate and rapidly
deploy forces in support to maintaining a
strong and secure Europe.
iii. In these drills allied warplanes led by
US will drop more than one thousand
paratroopers and warfare equipment to
Hohenfels training area in Germany.
Similar air drop drill will also take place
the same day at the Novo Selo training
area in Bulgaria.

Anupam
Kher
Unlocks
Another
Achievement, Named Advocate For UN's
Gender Equality Campaign
i. Critically acclaimed Bollywood actor
Anupam Kher has another achievement to
his credit now. Kher has been named an
advocate for the United Nations campaign
on gender equality, and is collaboration
with the UN will call on men and boys to
stand up against inequalities against
women and girls, further helping in ending
the discrimination and violence against
them.

ii. N Women Deputy Executive Director

Lakshmi Puri declared and honored
Anupam Kher as an advocate for the
HeForShe Champion at a ceremony that
was held last evening. Kher was honored
to be named the HeForShe advocate and
he has promised full support for the UN's
effort.
iii. Lakhsmi Puri revealed that UN Women
were highly keen on working with Kher
because of his past records and
achievements. Apart from being a
renowned actor, filmmaker, motivational
speaker and philanthropist, there wouldn't
have been any person more apt to play a
role challenging gender stereotypes,
harmful practices, discriminatory social
norms and traditions that further enhance
gender inequality and violence against
women.
iv. Kher has worked in over 100 plays and
nearly 450 films, clearly proving how huge
his contribution has been. Apart from being
an actor, Kher was also involved in
philanthropy and established The Anupam

Kher Foundation to spread education

among less privileged children and to
provide palliative care to people with lifelimiting diseases. He was also awarded the
Dalai Lama Award for his work with
underprivileged children.
Australian government appoints Adam
Gilchrist ambassador to India - for
education
i. In a move set to further strengthen
education ties with India, the Australian
government on Thursday appointed former
cricketer Adam Gilchrist as nation's
inaugural ambassador to the region on
education.
ii. The announcment was made by the
Minister for Education and Training
Christopher Pyne prior to attending the
Annual Ministerial Dialogue and third
Australia-India Education Council meeting
in New Delhi on August 24.
iii. Adam will play an important part in
supporting the growth in the strong
bilateral education relationship between
Australia and India, to help ensure that
Australia continues to be seen as a high
quality provider of education.
iv. The Indian people recognise Adam as
one of cricket's greats, and the values he
espouses both on and off the field
excellence and integrity are precisely
those with which Australia aligns its
reputation for high-quality education,
training and research, Pyne added.

Page33

Sports Stadiums in India

S. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

STADIUM NAME
Wankhede Stadium
HPCA Stadium
Feroz Shah Kotla Ground
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium
Eden Gardens
Gymkhana Ground
Jsca Stadium
Khanderi Cricket Stadium
Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium
Dr. D.Y. Patil Stadium
New Vca Stadium
Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium
Apca-Vdca Stadium
Indira Gandhi Stadium
Barkatullah Khan Stadium
Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium
IPCL Sport Complex
K.D. Singh Babu Stadium
Fatorda Stadium
Maulana Azad Stadium
Indira Priyadarshini Stadium
Roop Singh Stadium
Nahar Singh Stadium
Madhav Rao SC India Ground

LOCATION
Mumbai, Maharashtra
DHARAMSHALA, HIMACHAL PRADESH
Delhi
Chennai , Tamil Nadu
Kolkata , West Bengal
Mumbai , Maharashtra
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Rajkot , Gujarat
Pune , Maharashtra
Navi Mumbai , Maharashtra
Nagpur, Maharashtra
Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Hyderabad , Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam , Andhra Pradesh
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Kochi, Kerala
Vadodara, Gujarat
Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh
Margao, Goa
Jammu , Jammu & Kashmir
Visakhapatnam , Andhra Pradesh
Gwalior , Madhya Pradesh
Faridabad, Haryana
Rajkot, Gujarat

SPORT GAME ATTACHED

Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Football And Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Mostly Used For Cricket
Multipurpose
Cricket
Multipurpose
Football & Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket

26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

Sector 16 Stadium
Nehru Stadium
University Stadium
Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium
Keenan Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium
Moti Bagh Stadium
Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium
Sawai Mani Singh Stadium
Gandhi Sports Complex Ground
Barabati Stadium
M. Chinnasawami Stadium
Vca Ground
Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium
Green Park Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
Guru Gobind Singh Stadium
Fort Maidan
Dilip Tirkey Stadium
Birsa Munda Stadium
Kalinga Stadium
Mahindra Stadium
Dhyan Chand Astroturf
Dadaji Kondadev Stadium
Guru Nanak Stadium

Chandigarh
Pune, Maharashtra
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Delhi
Jamshedpur , Jharkhand
Ahmedabad , Gujarat
Vadodara , Gujarat
Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
Jaipur , Rajasthan
Amritsar , Punjab
Cuttack, Orissa
Bangalore , Karnataka
Nagpur , Maharashtra
Hyderabad , Andhra Pradesh
Kanpur , Uttar Pradesh
Mumbai , Maharashtra
Nanded, Maharashtra
Palakkad, Kerala
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Bhuvaneshwar, Odisha
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Thane, Maharashtra
Ludhiana, Punjab

Cricket
Cricket (Multipurpose)
Football (Multipurpose)
Multipurpose
Cricket And Football
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Currently Used For Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Football
Hockey
Hockey
Hockey
Hockey
Hockey
Football
Football

International Organizations - Headquarters, Chiefs and Purpose

Name

Headquarters

Heads

Foundation
Year

International Criminal
Police Organization
(INTERPOL)
World Bank

Lyon, France

Mrs. Ballestrazzi

7 September,
1923

Washington D.C.
(U.S.A.)
Washington D.C.
(U.S.A.)
Washington D.C.
(U.S.A.)

Jim Yong Kim

July, 1944

Jim Yong Kim

1944

Jim Yong Kim

159

Washington D.C.
(U.S.A.)

Jim Yong Kim

1957 (But
operating starts
in 1966)
24 July, 1956

Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency
(MIGA)
World Trade
Organization (WTO)
International Monetary
Fund (IMF)
Bank for International
Settlements (BIS)
Asian Development
Bank (ADB)
World Intellectual
Property Organization
(WIPO)

Washington D.C.
(U.S.A.)

Jim Yong Kim

1988

181

Geneva,
Switzerland
Washington D.C.
(U.S.A.)
Basel,
Switzerland
Metro Manila,
Philippines
Geneva
Switzerland

Roberto Azevedo

1 January, 1995

161

Christine Lagarde

188

Jaime Caruana

27 December,
1945
17 May, 1930

Takehiko Nakao

22 August, 1966

60 Central
Banks
67

Francis Gurry

14 July, 1967

148

World Health
Organization (WHO)
International Labour
Organization (ILO)
International Fund for
Agricultural
Development (IFAD)
UNICEF

Geneva
Switzerland
Geneva
Switzerland
Rome, Italy

Margaret Chan

7 April, 1948

194

Guy Ryder

1919

186

Kanayo F.
Nwanze

1977

Enabling the Rural Poor

to Overcome Poverty

New York

Anthony Lake

11-Dec-1946

UN International

Geneva

Sally Fegan-

1963

To provide food and

healthcare to children of
those countries which
devastated by world
war II.
To achieve the major

IBRD

Page34

ICSID (International
Centre for Settlement of
Investment Disputes)
International Finance
Corporation (IFC)

Number of
Members
Countries
190

Purpose

188 (IBRD), 172

(IDA)
188

Crediting, Working for a

world free of Poverty
Development Assistance,
Poverty Reduction
International Arbitration

184

Connecting Police for a

safer world

Private Sector
Development, Poverty
Reduction
Political Risk Insurance,
Foreign Direct Investment
Regulate International
Trade
To promotes international
economic cooperation
Central Bank
Cooperation
Crediting
To promote the
protection of intellectual
property throughout the
world
Health For All

Training and Research

Center (UNITAR)
UN Environmental
Program (UNEP)
UN Development
Program (UNDP)
UN Capital
Development Fund
(UNCDF)

Switzerland

Wyles

Nairobi, Kenya

Achim Steiner

5 June, 1972

New York

Helen Clark

1965

166

1966

For 48 least
developed
countries

International Cricket
Council
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
(NATO)

Dubai, United
Arab Emirates
Brussels, Belgium

Zaheer Abbas

15 June, 1909

105

Philip M.
Breedlove

4 April, 1949

28

New York

objectives of UN through
training and research
Protect our environment
and conserve our future
Overall development
Eradicate extreme
hunger poverty, Promotes
equality, Ensures
Environment
Sustainability
Great Sport, Great Spirit
A mind unfettered in
deliberation

Major Types of Soils found in India

List of 8 major types of soils found in India.
1.
Alluvial Soils
2.
Black Soils
3.
Red Soils
4.
Laterite Soils
5.
Mountain Soils
6.
Saline and Alkaline Soil
7.
Desert Soils
8.
Peaty and Marshy Soil
4.
1. Alluvial Soil

Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram,

Tripura, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh.

Red Soil is best for crops like - Cotton, Wheat,

Pulses, Tobacco, Jowar, Linseed, Millet, Potatoes and Some
Fruits etc.
7.

4. Laterite Soil

Alluvial Soil is found in plenty in the states - Uttar

Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana and
Brahmaputra Valley in Assam etc. of India.

Alluvial Soil is best for crops like - Wheat, Rice,

Cotton, Jute, Barley, Corn, Oilseed, Coffee, Potatoes, Chili,
Cloves etc.
5.

Major areas of laterite soil in India is Maharashtra,

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Meghalaya, West
Bengal .

Laterite soils is best for crops like Tea, Coffee,

Coconuts, Rice, Wheat, Cotton, Maize, Sugarcane, Jute Oil
Seeds, Millets, Pulses etc.
8.

5. Mountain Soil

2. Black Soil

Black Soil is found in plenty in the states Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan,
Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh.

Black Soil is best for crops like - Mulberry Cotton

Plant Ground Nut, Chili, Cotton, Tobacco, Chili, Oil Seeds,
Jowar, Ragi, Maize, Castor, Sugarcane, Safflower etc.

Page35

6.

Major areas of mountain soils in India are - Jammu &

Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam.

Mountain Soil is best for crops like Coffee, Tea,

Wheat, Maize, Blueberries, Saffron etc.
9.

3. Red Soil

6. Saline and Alkaline Soil

Major areas of Red soil in India is - Andhra Pradesh,

Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Puducherry,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, MS, Gujarat, Goa, Arunachal

Major ares of Saline and Alkaline soils in India are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab,
Maharashtra etc.

The soil is best for crops like Seem, Rice, Sugarcane,

Fruits, Spices etc.

10.

7. Desert Soil

Major ares of Desert soils in India are -Rajasthan,

Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab

The soil is best for crops like Xerophytes only.

11.

8. Peaty and Marshy Soil

Major areas of Peaty and Marshy soils are - Kerala,

Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttaranchal.

The soils is best for crops like Rice, Oilseeds, Citrus,

Tobacco, Sugarcane etc.

Power Plants in India list

S.No.

Name

1.
2.

MUNDRA POWER PLANT

VINDHYACHAL THERMAL POWER STATION,
MADHYA PRADESH

3.
4.

MUNDRA ULTRA MEGA POWER PLANT

TALCHER SUPER THERMAL POWER STATION,
ODISHA
SIPAT THERMAL POWER PLANT, CHHATTISGARH
NTPC DADRI, UTTAR PRADESH

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

NTPC RAMAGUNDAM, ANDHRA PRADESH

KORBA SUPER THERMAL POWER PLANT,
CHATTISGARH
RIHAND THERMAL POWER STATION, UTTAR
PRADESH
JHARSUGUDA THERMAL POWER PLANT, ODISHA

Electricity Generation Capacity (

in KW)
4,620 MW
4,760 MW

Location

4,000 MW
3,000 MW

GUJARAT
ODISHA

2,980 MW
1,820 MW (COAL)
AND 817 MW (GAS)
2,600 MW
2,600 MW

CHHATTISGARH
UTTAR PRADESH

3,000 MW

UTTAR PRADESH

2,400 MW

ODISHA

GUJARAT
MADHYA PRADESH

TELANGANA
CHHATTISGARH

Most Popular Zoos in India

India is a big country with plenty of species
of mammals, reptiles and fauna. Today I
am going to share most Popular Zoos in
India.
1. NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Hyenas, Macaques, Jaguars, Bengal

Tigers, Indian Rhinoceros, Swamp
Deer, Asiatic Lion, Brow Antlered
Deer and Red Jungle Fowl etc.
2. JAIPUR ZOO

3. PATNA ZOO

Page36

The zoo is also known as Delhi

Zoo situated near Old Fort in Delhi.
The zoo was opened in 1959.
Area occupied by zoo is 176 Acres.
1347 Animals of 127 Species are
kept in the zoo.
Incident - A man name Maqsood fell
in
the White
Tiger's
Cage accidentally.
The
people
started throwing stones at the Tiger.
The man was carried away and
mouled by enraged tiger after some
minutes.
Different animals and Birds are kept
in the zoo for public attraction like Chimpanzees, Hippopotamus, Spider
Monkey, African Wild Buffaloes,
Giraffes, Gir Lion, Zebras, Peafowl,

The zoo was opened in 1877.

The zoo is located in Jaipur,
Rajasthan.
Jaipur zoo is located near Albert Hall
Museum.
Area occupied by zoo is 35 acres.
550 animals are kept in zoo.
Endangered animals like
Large
Indian Civet, Black Panther, Flamingo,
Guineafow etc. can be seen easily.
Which are attractions for public at
large.
The zoo also provide shelter to many
different
Mammals,Birds
and
Reptiles.

The zoo is also known as Sanjay

Gandhi Jaivik Udyan or Sanjay
Gandhi
Botanical
and
Zoological Garden.
The park was first established
as Botanical Garden in 1969.
The zoo is located in Patna,
Bihar.
The park was open to public as
zoo in 1973.
Area occupied by zoo is 152.95
acres.
800 animals of 110 speciesare
kept in the zoo.
Species of animals are 70, Fish 35, Snakes - 5.
Animals like Tiger, Leopard,
Clouded
Leopard,
Hippopotamus,
Crocodile,
Elephants, Himalayan Black

Bear, Jackal, Black Bucks,

Spotted Deer, Peafowl, Hill
Myna, Gharial, Phython, Indian
Rhinoceros, Giraffe, Zebra, Emu,
White Peacock etc. take shelter
under this zoo.

Breed of these species are successful

such as Swamp Deer, Black Buck, Hog
Deer and Barking Deer, White Tiger,
Indian Wolf and several pheasants.
6. ALIPORE ZOO

4. KANPUR ZOO

The zoo was opened in 1977.

The Royal Bengal Tiger is pride of
Chattbir Zoo.
The zoo is open every day Except
Mondays.
Lion Safari is also major attraction for
visitors.
Hundreds of different Mammals,
Birds, Reptiles are kept in the zoo.
9. MAHARAJBAGH ZOO

The zoo is also known as Allen

Forest Zoo located at Uttar
Pradesh.
The zoo was opened in 1974.
Area
occupied
by
zoo
is 190 acres.
Mammals in the zoo include
White Asian Tigers, Cheetah,
Leopard, Jaguar, Hyena, Black
Bear, Grizzly Bear, Sloth
Rhinoceros,
Hippopotamus,
Monkeys, Langur, Baboons, Musk
Deer, Deer and Antelope,
Chimpanzees, Orangutans etc.
A rainwater lake is attraction at
zoo.
Life size Dinosaur Sculpture also
attract people.

The zoo is also known as Alipore

Zoological Garden or Calcutta Zoo.
The garden was opened as zoo
since 1876.
The zoo is situated at Kokata, West
Bengal.
Area occupied by zoo is 46.5 acres.
1,266 animals are kept in the zoo
and number of species are 108.
Rare Species also get shelter under
this zoo like - Banteng, Great Indian
One horned Rhinoceros, Crowned
Crane, Lion Tailed Macaque, southern
Cassowary, Wild Yak, Giant Eland,
Slow Loris, Echidna etc.
The zoo set a record when around
75,000 people visited the zoo on 1
January, 2015.

The
zoo
is
situated
in Nagpur, Maharasthra.
Formerly it was known as Bhosala
Dynasty.
The zoo was established in 1894.
The
zoo
is
one
of
the smallest but famous zoo in India.
About 600
species of
different
animals are kept in the zoo.
Leopards, Lions, Tigers, Peacock etc.
are major attractions for public.
Sculptures also increases its beauty.
10. VANDALUR ZOO

7. THRISSUR ZOO

5. LUCKNOW ZOO

Page37

The zoo is also known as Prince of

Wales Zoological Garden or
Lucknow Zoological Garden.
The zoo was established in 1921.
It is located in the heart city of Uttar
Pradesh.
Area occupied by zoo is 71.6 acres.
911 animals are kept in the zoo.
102 species are available in the zoo.
Only Kanpur Zoo and Lucknow
Zoo has Orangutans in all over
India.
The
Zoo
is
home
to 463
mammals, 298
birds,
and 72
reptilesrepresenting 97 species.
Kind
of species includesRoyal
Bengal Tiger, White Tiger, Lion, Wolf,
Hoolock Gibbon, Himalayan Black
Bear, Indian Rhinoceros, Black buck,
Swamp Deer, Barking Deer, Hog
Deer, Asiatic Elephant, Giraffe,
Zebra, Common Otters, Hill Mynahs,
Giant Squirrels, Great Pied Hornbill,
Golden Pheasant, Silver Pheasant
etc.

Formerly
known
as TRICHUR
ZOO situated at Thrissur city of
Kerala.
The zoo was opened in 1885.
Area occupied by zoo is 13.5 acres.
The zoo has Botanical Garden,
Zoological Garden, Art Museum and
Natural
History
Museum
in
its compound.
The zoo providing shelter to Lions,
Tigers, Deer, Sloth Bears, Monkeys,
Hippopotamus,
Camels,
Cobras,
Kraits, Vipers, Rat, Snakes, Pink
Flamingos, Mithun of north-eastern
hills and Lion tailed Macaques.
Special building is maintained only
for snakes known as Snakes House.

8. CHATTBIR ZOO

The zoo is also known as 'Mahendra

Chaudhary Zoological Parklocated
near Zirakpur in Chandigarh.

Vandaur
Zoo is
also
known
as Arignar
Anna
Zoological
Parklocated
at Chennai, Tamil
Nadu.
The zoo was opened on 24 July,
1985.
The
zoo
is
located
within
the Vandalur Forest Reserve Area.
Total area of park is 1,490 acres and
zoo area is of 1,300 acres.
It is Largest Zoological Garden in
India.
Total number of animals in zoo
are 1,657 of 163 species.
Major attraction of animals in zoo are
- Tiger, Leopard, Lion, Wild Dog, Lion
Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur,
Hyena, Jackal, Black bucks, Indian
Bison, Barking Deer, Sambhar,
Spotted Deer, Crocodiles, Snakes,
Water Birds etc.
As on 2010, there were about 47
species of mammals, 63 species of
birds, 31 species of reptiles, 5
species of amphibians, 25 species
of fishes and 10 species of insects.

11. GUWAHATI ZOO

13. RAJIV GANDHI ZOO

156 animals are kept in the zoo.

The zoo is successful to take
conservation of endangered species
likeSnow
Leopards,
Red
Pandas which is big attraction of the
zoo.
16. NEHRU ZOOLOGICAL PARK

Assam State Zoo cum Botanical

Garden popularly
known
asGuwahati Zoo.
The zoo is located in the Guwahati,
Assam.
Area occupied by zoo is 432 acres.
The zoo is largest in north -east
regjon.
The
zoo
is
located
within
the Hengrabari
Reserve
Forest,
Guwahati in Assam.
The zoo is home to 895 animals,
birds
and
reptiles representing
almost113 species of animals and
birds from around the world.
Animals
of
attraction
are
Chimpanzees, White Rhinos, Black
Rhinos, Zebras, Ostriches, Giraffes
of Africa, Puma, Jaguar, Liama
of South America and Kangaroos
of Australia.

The another name of zoo is Rajiv

Gandhi Zoological Park.
The zoo is located in the city of Pune,
Maharashtra.
The zoo was opened on 14 March,
1999.
Area occupied by zoo is 130 acres.
The zoo is managed by Pune
Municipal Corporation.
362 animals are kept in the zoo.
Reptiles includes Indian Rock Python,
Cobra, Snakes, Vipers, Indian
Crocodiles,
White Tiger and Bengal Tiger is also
a big attraction for public.
22 species of Snakes are available.

14. SAKKARBAUG ZOO

Another names of zoo are Hyderabad

Zoo
or
Zoo
Park located
inHyderabad, Telangana.
The zoo was established on 26
October, 1959 but opened to public
on 6 October, 1963.
Area occupied by zoo is 380 acres.
1100 animals of 100 species are
kept in the zoo.
Animals like Indian Rhinos, Asiatic Lion,
Bengal Tiger, Panther, Gaur, Indian
Elephants, Slender Loris, Python, Deer,
Antelopes, Birds etc. are big
attraction for public.
17. MARBLE PALACE ZOO

12. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ZOO

The zoo is also known as Trivandrum

Zoo located
in Trivandrum,
the
capital of Kerala.
Area occupied by zoo is 55 acres.
The zoo was open to general public
in 1857.
Woodlands, Lakes, Lawns etc.
increases its beauty.
82 species of different animals are
available in the zoo.
Major attractions of animals includes Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur,
Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Royal
Bengal
Tiger,
White
Tiger,
Leopard, Nine Asian Elephants etc.
The zoo has also kept African
animals like - Giraffes, Hippos,
Zebras, Cape Buffaloes etc.

15. PADMAJA NAIDU HIMALAYAN

ZOO

Page38

Sakkarbaug Zoo is also known

as Junagadh
Zoo located
atJunagadh City of Gujarat.
The zoo was established in 1863.
Area occupied by zoo is 490 acres.
1,223 animals are kept in the zoo.
In 2008, zoo was providing home to
525 Mammals, 597 Birds and 111
Reptiles.

The zoo is also known as Darjeeling

Zoo located in Darjeeling City of
West Bengal.
The zoo was established on 14
August, 1958.
Area occupied by zoo is 67.56 acres.

The zoo is located at Kolkata, West

Bengal.
The zoo was built by Raja Rajendra
Mullick in 1835.
The zoo was opened in 1854.
It is famous for Marble Walls, Floors,
Antiques, Paintings, Marble Statues,
Floor to Ceiling Mirrors, Collection
of rare birds.
Attractions to general public in the
zoo are Peacocks, Toucans, Storks,
Cranes etc.
18. INDIRA GANDHI ZOOLOGICAL
PARK

The zoo was opened to general

public on 19 May, 1977 located
atVisakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

The zoo name is kept on the name

of former Indian Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi.
Area occupied by zoo is 625 acres.
The zoo is surrounded by Eastern
Ghats from three sides and by Bay
of Bengal from Fourth Side.
850 animals of 75 species are kept
in the zoo.
Biosphere Learning center and
Library is available nearCanteen in
the zoo.
80 species of Animals, Birds and
Reptiles are kept in the zoo for public
attraction.
Some kinds of species are like Love
Birds, Painted Storks, Peafowls,
Spotted Doves, Bonnet Monkey,
Rhesus Monkey, Common Languor,
Ring tailed Remur, Hippopotamus,
Baboons, Bengal Tiger, Leucistic,
Asiatic Lions, Leopards, Puma, Jaguar,
Striped
Hyenas,
Sloth
Bear,
Himalayan Black Bear, Pythons,
Snakes, Land Tortoise, Water Monitor
Lizards, Mugger Crocodile, Owls,
Porcupines, Civets etc. are very much
attract the people far and near.
19. NANDANKANAN ZOO

The zoo was opened on 29

December,
1960 in Bhubaneswar,
Odisha.
But zoo was opened to general public
in 1979.
It is first zoo which has joined World
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
in 2009.
Area occupied by zoo is 990 Acres.
1580 animals of 120 species are
kept in the zoo.
Major attraction of zoo is Butterfly
Park, Orchid House, Lion Safari,
White Tiger Safari etc.
Animals and Birds like Mouse Deer,
Leopard Cat, Flying Squirrel, Racket
Tailed Drongo, Hornbill, Mynah,
Mongoose etc are big attraction for
public.
Endangered Species like Asiatic Lions,
Indian Crocodiles, Sangal Lion Tailed
Macaque, Nulgiri Languor, Indian
Pangolin, Mouse Deer and many
Fishes, Reptiles, Birds are kept
successfully.
34 Aquariums are also available
where numbers of Fresh Water Fishes
are kept.
About 130 species of Orchids are
also available.

20. MYSORE ZOO

\
Mysore Zoo is located in Karnataka.
Sri Chamarajendra Zoological
Gardens is another name of Mysore
Zoo. Sri Chamaraja Wodeyar was
the king on whose name zoo is
established.
Area occupied by zoo is 157 acres.
Mysore Zoo was originally created
in 1892 on 10 acres but open to
general public in 1902.
Currently Zoo is provided home
to Ten Elephants. It has more
elephants than any other zoo in
India.
In year 1956, Rhinos were added to
Zoo.
1,320 animals of 168 species are
kept in zoo.
Species of zoo includes Swan,
American White Pelican,
Zebras,Giraffes, Hamadryas Baboon
etc.
India is a big country with plenty of reptile,
mammals, flora and fauna species. There
are plenty of zoos spread all across the
country. Today I am going to list 20
popular zoos in India.

CRUDE OIL MARKET FLUCTUATIONS AND PLUMMETS:

Page39

The worlds oil supply is outpacing demand in the most

uncomfortable way for the oil industry. Some blame OPEC or
Saudi Arabia specifically, for not slowing production. But as the
analysis shows, its really Americas relentless oil boom thats
flooded this market.
THE oil price has fallen by more than 40% since June, when it was
$115 a barrel. It is now below $70 and has now fallen to $50
barrel.
Factors which effect oil prices :
-The oil price is partly determined by actual supply and demand,
and partly by expectation.
- Demand for energy is closely related to economic activity. It also
spikes in the winter in the northern hemisphere, and during
summers in countries which use air conditioning.
-Supply can be affected by weather (which prevents tankers
loading) and by geopolitical upsets. -If producers think the price is
staying high, they invest, which after a lag boosts supply.
Similarly, low prices lead to an investment drought.
-OPECs decisions shape expectations: if it curbs supply sharply, it
can send prices spiking. Saudi Arabia produces nearly 10m
barrels a daya third of the OPEC total. Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries controls nearly 40% of the world
market.
Much of the new oil coming online is more expensive to develop.
At the current price of oil, many of those projects no longer make
economic sense. Projects are typically not cancelled immediately,

but if prices remain low for an extended period of time, many

higher-cost projects will be shelved. Supposedly, too, many recent
projects have depended on heavy debt financing. Lenders are
less likely to lend aggressively if prices remain low. Lower prices
hurt all producers over the short term. But the Saudis may think
they will have a much stronger long-term position if lower prices
slow the development of new projects. That gives the Saudi
Arabia significant incentive to allow, if not engineer, a large drop
in oil prices.
Hence the Saudis and their Gulf allies have decided not to
sacrifice their own market share to restore the price(what this
means is that they are not willing to cut their supply order to help
the prices to rise). This is because The Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries is dominated by Gulf producers, notably
Saudi Arabia. They have huge reserves to cushion the impact of
low prices. They also hope that the slump will eventually shut down
high-cost production, tightening the market again. They could curb
production sharply
Other factors effecting the oil market are:.
- Demand is low because of weak economic activity, increased
efficiency, and a growing switch away from oil to other fuels.
- Second, turmoil in Iraq and Libyatwo big oil producers with
nearly 4m barrels a day combinedhas not affected their output.
The market is more sanguine about geopolitical risk.
-Thirdly, America has become the worlds largest oil producer.
Though it does not export crude oil, it now imports much less,
creating a lot of spare supply.

- Finally, but the main benefits would go to countries they detest

such as Iran and Russia. Saudi Arabia can tolerate lower oil prices
quite easily.
The main effect of this is on the riskiest and most vulnerable bits of
the oil industry. These include American frackers who have
borrowed heavily on the expectation of continuing high prices.
They also include Western oil companies with high-cost projects
involving drilling in deep water or in the Arctic, or dealing with
maturing and increasingly expensive fields such as the North Sea.
But the greatest pain is in countries where the regimes are
dependent on a high oil price to pay for costly foreign adventures
and expensive social programmes. These include Russia (which is
already hit by Western sanctions following its meddling in
Ukraine) and Iran (which is paying to keep the Assad regime
afloat in Syria). Optimists think economic pain may make these
countries more amenable to international pressure. Pessimists fear
that when cornered, they may lash out in desperation
Will low prices continue?
It looks like it. Some high-cost production is closing, but once wells
are drilled, it usually makes sense to keep pumping, even at a
loss. It is better to make a little money rather than none. And the
shale revolution is marching on.
How low can the price go?
It is something that cannot be predicted, but much below $40 will
sharply increase bankruptcies, and the pressure on OPEC to curb
production. Cheap energy also leads to higher demand

Who benefits from low prices?

Winners necessarily outnumber losers (imagine a world in which
energy was free). Consumers have more cash in their pockets;
industry enjoys lower energy costs, makes bigger profits, and
pays more taxes. And it is a great time for companies with strong
balance-sheets to make acquisitions.
And who suffers?
The oil industrys immediate reaction is to squeeze costs out of its
supply chain. So wages and margins are falling fast. Highly
indebted companies are going bust, with knock-on effects on
investors. But lower costs help the industry adapt and increase
efficiency.
For now OPECs wishes of pushing competition out of the market
may seem to be coming true over the next year. But adversity will
eventually make shale stronger. It will prompt a new round of
innovation, from cutting drilling costs through standardization to
new techniques that increase output. Dan Eberhart, the boss of
Canary, a Denver-based oil-services firm, says the industry has
already pressed fast forward on saving costs.
And if and when prices recover, new wells can be brought on
stream in weeks, not years. Americas capital markets will roar
back into life, forgiving all previous sins. There is always a new
set of investors, says the boss of a one of the worlds biggest
natural-resources

Start-up India, Stand up India Campaign Launched by Modi

On the auspicious occasion of 69th Independence Day, PM Modi
launches new campaign 'START UP INDIA, STAND UP INDIA'. Lets
know about this campaign.

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Salient Features of campaign:o To promote bank financing for start - ups and offer incentives
to boost entrepreneurship and job creation.

Prime Minister Narender Modi said," We are looking at

systems for enabling start-ups. We must be number one in
start - ups...Start up India; Stand up India."
Encourage entrepreneurship among the youth of India.
Each of the 1.25 Lakh bank branches should encourage at
least one Dalit or Tribal entrepreneur and at least one
woman entrepreneur.
Loans would also be given to help people.
Set up a network of start-ups in the country.
The Prime Minister also said that new changes will be done
for current practice of interview-based selections for lowskilled government jobs.
Package of incentives will be given to manufacturing units
for generating jobs.
Union Agriculture Ministry will be renamed as the 'Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmers'.
Prime Minister said that recruitment process should be online
and transparent.
17 Crore Bank accounts were opened through Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna. Approximately Rs. 20,000
Crore has been deposited by people in it. Reflecting
the "Richness of India's Poor".

AXIS Bank released Contactless Multi-currency FOREX Card

o
o

Page40

CONTACT LESS MULTI CURRENCY FOREX CARDS

o Axis Bank is India's Third largest private sector lender.
o It launched the first Contact less Debit, Credit and Multi
Currency Forex Card in association with VISA the payments
gateway company in the country.

o
o

Axis Bank's Contact less cards contain chip and an antenna

(based on Radio Frequency) that is designed to make
payments quicker, seamless and hassle free.
The bank will offer a contact less debit/credit cards to its 1.7
Million Premium customers, which also enables
withdrawal of 15 currencies via Multi - Currency Forex
Facility.
Once the merchant enters the purchase amount in the contact
less POS terminal, then customer simply has to tap the card
on the terminal and the payment is processed wirelessly in a
secure manner. The customer will alert through SMS and Email.
The use of this card is very easy.
The symbol )))) on your card and on such machine will be
same. It means you can get benefit of contact less card on
that machine.

o
o
o

This card has a facility that you have to not to enter your
password (up to Rs. 2000) at billing counter where contact
less terminal is kept.
This card benefits you because you have no need to carry
more cash.
Example - If your billing or purchasing amount is more than
Rs. 2,000then you will have to use it like simple credit or
debit card and to enter your PIN while swiping your card
near machine.

o
o

There is no limit on value of goods that you can

purchase. Below Rs. 2,000 on every transaction no PIN is
required. PIN is required only if amount is more than Rs.
2,000.
If you want any thing ONLINE then this card works as
your normal credit or debit card because contact less
features works at that place where such machine is installed.
This Contact less card benefits in INDIA only because each
country has different rules regarding contact less card. For
example - In India, no need to enter your PIN on this cards is
Rs. 2000 but in another country, it may be different.

List of power stations in India

The total installed capacity as on 31 March 2015 is 271,722.17 MW with sector wise & type wise break up as given below.
Sector

Coal

Gas

Diesel

Total

Nuclear

Hydro

RES

Grand Total (MW)

Central
State
Private
All India

48130.00
58100.50
58405.38
164635.88

7519.73
6974.42
8568.00
23062.15

0
602.61
597.14
1199.75

55649.73
65677.53
67570.52
188897.78

5780.00
0
0
5780.00

11091.43
27482.00
2694.00
41267.43

0
3803.67
31973.29
35776.96

72521.16
96963.20
102237.81
271722.17

The breakup of RES is small hydro (4055.36 MW), wind power (23444.00 MW), Bio mass power & gasification (1410.20 MW),
Bagasse cogeneration (3008.35 MW), Waste to power (115.08 MW) and Solar power (3743.97 MW).
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant with first unit (1,000 MW) commissioned in the year 2013. With initial capacity of 2,000 MW,
this station will be expanded to 6,800 MW capacity.
The following lists name many of the power stations in India-

Non-renewable

A.
B.

Nuclear Energy
Thermal Power
1.
Coal
2.
Gas or Liquid Fuel Based
3.

I.

Renewable
A.
B.
C.

Hydroelectric
Solar
Wind power

Diesel Based

Non-renewable

A. Nuclear Energy
Twenty nuclear power reactors operated at seven sites by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India has an installed capacity of
4,780 MW, 2.9% of total installed base.

Power station

Operator

Establishment Date

Location

District

State

Tarapur Atomic Power Station

Rajasthan Atomic Power Station
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station

NPCIL
NPCIL
NPCIL

October 28, 1969

December 16, 1973
May 6, 1993

Tarapur
Rawatbhata
Kakrapar

Thane
Chittogarh
Surat

Maharashtra
Rajasthan
Gujarat

NPCIL
NPCIL
NPCIL

October 22, 2013

November 16, 2000
January 24, 1984

Kudankulam
Kaiga
Kalpakkam

Tirunelveli
Uttara Kannada
Kancheepuram

NPCIL
NPCIL

January 1, 1991

Narora
Fatehabad

Bulandshahr
Fatehabad

Western
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant
Madras Atomic Power Station

Southern
Narora Atomic Power Station
Gorakhpur Atomic Power Station

Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu

3
Uttar Pradesh
Haryana

TOTAL

Page41

Northern

B. Thermal Power

Thermal power is the "largest" source of power in India. There are different types of Thermal power plants based on the fuel used
to generate the steam such as coal, gas, Dieseletc. About 65% of electricity consumed in India are generated by thermal power
plants.

Coal
More than 51% of India's commercial energy demand is met through the country's vast coal reserves. Public sector
undertaking NTPC and several other state level power generating companies are engaged in operating coal based Thermal
Power Plants. Apart from NTPC and other state level operators, some private companies are also operating the power plants. Here
is some list of currently operating coal based thermal power plants in India.

Name

Operator

Location

District

State

Sector

Region

Mundra Thermal Power Station

Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project
Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power
Station
Tirora Thermal Power Station
Amravati Thermal Power Plant
Korba Super Thermal Power Plant
Sant Singaji Thermal Power Plant

Adani Power
Tata Power
NTPC

Mundra
Mundra
Vindhya Nagar

Kutch
Kutch
Singrauli

Private
Private
Central

Western
Western
Western

Adani Power
Indiabulls
NTPC
MPPGC

Tirora
Nandgaonpeth
Jamani Palli
Dogaliya, Mundi

Gondia
Amravati
Korba
East Nimar

Private
Private
Central
State

Western
Western
Western
Western

Chandrapur Super Thermal Power

Station
Sipat Thermal Power Plant
Dada Dhuniwale Thermal Power Plant

MAHAGENC
O
NTPC
MPPGC

Urjanagar

State

Western

Sipat
Guyda, Mundi

Chandrapu
r
Bilaspur
East Nimar

Gujarat
Gujarat
Madhya
Pradesh
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Chhattisgarh
Madhya
Pradesh
Maharastra

Central
State

Western
Western

Wanakbori Thermal Power Station

Trombay Thermal Power Station
Khaperkheda Thermal Power Station

Wanakbori
Trombay
Kaparkheda

Kheda
Mumbai
Nagpur

State
Private
State

Western
Western
Western

Sanjay Gandhi Thermal Power Station

GSECL
Tata
MAHAGENC
O
MPPGCL

Chhattisgarh
Madhya
Pradesh
Gujarat
Maharastra
Maharastra

Birsinghpur

Umaria

State

Western

Essar Power Gujarat Ltd.

Essar Power

Jamnagar

Salaya

Madhya
Pradesh
Gujarat

Western

Satpura Thermal Power Station

MPPGCL

Sarni

Betul

Private
IPP
State

Parli Thermal Power Station

MAHAGENC
O
Jindal
GSECL

Parli-Vaijnath

Beed

State

Western

Tamnar
Gandhinagar

Chhattisgarh
Gujarat

Private
State

Western
Western

GSECL
CSPGCL
MAHAGENC
O
MAHAGENC
O
Lanco
CSPGCL

Ukai dam
Nashik

Raigarh
Gandhinag
ar
Tapi
Korba
Nashik

Gujarat
Chhattisgarh
Maharastra

State
State
State

Western
Western
Western

Koradi

Nagpur

Maharastra

State

Western

Pathadi

Korba
Korba

Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh

Private
State

Western
Western

Reliance
Infrastructure
MAHAGENC
O
NTPC-SAIL
Power
Company
Limited (JV)
Gujarat
Industries
Power
Company
Ltd.
MPPGCL

Dahanu

Thane

Maharastra

Private

Western

Vidyutnagar

Akola

Maharastra

State

Western

Bhilai

Durg

Chhattisgarh

Central

Western

Nani Naroli

Surat

Gujarat

State

Western

Chachai

Anuppur

State

Western

Deepnagar

Korba
Jalgaon

Madhya
Pradesh
Chhattisgarh
Maharastra

State
State

Western
Western

Gujarat

Private

Western

Maharastra

Private

Western

Gujarat

State

Western

Jindal Megha Power Plant

Gandhinagar Thermal Power Station
Ukai Thermal Power Station
Hasdeo Thermal Power Station
Nashik Thermal Power Station
Koradi Thermal Power Station
Lanco Amarkantak Power Plant
Dr Shyama Prasad Mukharjee Thermal
Power Station
Dahanu Thermal Power Station
Paras Thermal Power Station
Bhilai Expansion Power Plant

Surat Thermal Power Station

Amarkantak Thermal Power Station

Page42

Bhawnendra Singh Deo Power Plant

Bhusawal Thermal Power Station
Sabarmati Thermal Power Station
CESC Chandrapur Thermal Power
Station[17][18][19]
Kutch Thermal Power Station

CSPGCL
MAHAGENC
O
Torrent
Power
CESC
GSECL

Ahmedabad
Chandrapur
Panandhro

Chandrapu
r
Kutch

Madhya
Pradesh
Maharastra

Western

Akrimota Thermal Power Station

Sikka Thermal Power Station
Dhuvaran Thermal Power Station
Wardha Warora Power Plant

GMDC
GSECL
GSECL
KSK Energy
Ventures

Chher Nani
Jamnagar
Khambhat
Warora

Kutch
Jamnagar
Anand
Chandrapu
r

Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Maharastra

State
State
State
Private

Western
Western
Western
Western

Talcher Super Thermal Power Station

NTPC

Kaniha

Angul

Odisha

Central

Sterlite Jharsuguda Power Station

Vedanta Jharsuguda Captive Power
Plant
Angul Thermal Power Station

Vedanta
Vedanta

Jharsuguda
Jharsuguda

Jharsuguda
Jharsuguda

Odisha
Odisha

Private
Private

Eastern,
Southern
Eastern
Eastern

Jindal Steel
and Power
NALCO

Angul

Angul

Odisha

Private

Eastern

Angul

Angul

Odisha

State

Eastern

GMR Group
OPGCL
NTPC
Hindalco
Industries
NTPC
DVC
NTPC

Dhenkanal
Banharpali
Talcher
Hirakud

Dhenkanal
Jharsuguda
Angul
Sambalpur

Odisha
Odisha
Odisha
Odisha

Eastern
Eastern
Eastern
Eastern

Barh
Durlavpur
Kahalgaon

Patna
Bankura
Bhagalpur

Bihar
West Bengal
Bihar

State
State
Central
Private
CPP
Central
Central
Central

NTPC

Farakka

West Bengal

Central

Eastern

Nabinagar Super Thermal Power

Project
Kolaghat Thermal Power Station

NTPC

Nabhinagar

Bihar

Central

Eastern

WBPDCL

Mecheda

West Bengal

State

Eastern

Chandrapura Thermal Power Station

Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station
Durgapur Steel Thermal Power Station
Koderma Thermal Power Station
Barauni Thermal Power Station
Patratu Thermal Power Station
Budge Budge Thermal Power Plant

DVC
WBPDCL
DVC
DVC
NTPC
JSEB
CESC

Chandrapura
Suri
Durgapur
Kodarma
Barauni
Patratu
Budge Budge

Jharkhand
West Bengal
West Bengal
Jharkhand
Bihar
Jharkhand
West Bengal

Central
State
Central
Central
State
State
Private

Eastern
Eastern
Eastern
Eastern
Eastern
Eastern
Eastern

Santaldih Thermal Power Station

ONGC Tripura Power Company

WBPDCL
ONGC

West Bengal
Tripura

State
Central

Eastern
Eastern

Durgapur Thermal Power Station

Bokaro Thermal Power Station
Kanti Thermal Power Station

DVC
DVC
NTPC

Santaldih
PalatanaUdaipur
Durgapur
Bokaro
Kanti

Murshidab
ad
Aurangaba
d
East
Midnapore
Bokaro
Birbhum
Bardhaman
Koderma
Begusarai
Jaisalmer
South 24
Paraganas
Purulia
Gomati

West Bengal
Jharkhand
Bihar

State
Central
State

Eastern
Eastern
Eastern

Sagardighi Thermal Power Station

WBPDCL

Monigram

West Bengal

State

Eastern

Bandel Thermal Power Station

Jojobera Thermal Power Plant

WBPDCL
Tata

Bandel
Jojobera

Bardhaman
Bokaro
Muzaffarp
ur
Murshidab
ad
Hooghly
East
Singhbhum

West Bengal
Jharkhand

State
Private

Eastern
Eastern

Tenughat Thermal Power Station

Durgapur Thermal Power Station
Titagarh Thermal Power Station

TVNL
DVC
CESC

Durgapur
Titagarh

Jharkhand
West Bengal
West Bengal

State
Central
Private

Eastern
Eastern
Eastern

CESC Southern Generating Station

New Cossipore Generating Station

CESC
CESC

Kolkata
Cossipore

West Bengal
West Bengal

Private
Private

Eastern
Eastern

Rihand Thermal Power Station

NTPC

Rihand Nagar

Central

Northern

Singrauli Super Thermal Power Station

NTPC

Shaktinagar

Central

Northern

NTPC Dadri

NTPC

Vidyutnagar

Uttar
Pradesh
Uttar
Pradesh
Uttar
Pradesh

Central

Northern

Anpara Thermal Power Station

UPRVUNL

Anpara

Uttar
Pradesh

State

Northern

Western

National Aluminium Company Captive

Power Plant
Kamalanga Thermal Power Plant
Ib Thermal Power Station
Talcher Thermal Power Station
Hirakud Captive Power Plant
Barh Super Thermal Power Station
Mejia Thermal Power Station
Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power
Station
Farakka Super Thermal Power Station

39

Bardhaman
North 24
Paraganas
Kolkata
Kolkata

Page43

Eastern

Eastern
Eastern
Eastern

35
Sonebhadr
a
Sonebhadr
a
Gautam
Budh
Nagar
Sonebhadr
a

Suratgarh Super Thermal Power Plant

RVUNL

Suratgarh

Rajasthan

State

Northern

Haryana
Haryana

State
State

Northern
Northern

Uttar
Pradesh
Punjab

State

Northern

Ghanauli

Sri
Ganganag
ar
Panipat
Yamuna
Nagar
Sonebhadr
a
Rupnagar

Panipat Thermal Power Station

Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal
Power Station
Obra Thermal Power Station

HPGCL
HPGCL

Assan
Yamuna Nagar

UPRVUNL

Obra

Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal

Power Plant
Kota Super Thermal Power Plant
Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project

PSPCL

State

Northern

RVUNL
Reliance
Infrastructure
Reliance
Power
Limited
JSW Energy
NTPC

Kota
Sasan

Kota
Singrauli

State
Private

Northern
Western

Rosa

Shahjahan
pur

Rajasthan
Madhya
Pradesh
Uttar
Pradesh

Private

Northern

Barmer
Unchahar

Barmer
Raebareli

Private
Central

Northern
Northern

PSPCL
NTPC
UPRVUNL

Lehra Mohabbat
Badarpur
Parichha

Bathinda
New Delhi
Jhansi

State
Central
State

Northern
Northern
Northern

Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Station

Chhabra Thermal Power Plant
Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant
Tanda Thermal Power Plant

HPGCL
RVUNL
PSPCL
NTPC

Khedar
Mothipura
Bathinda
Vidyutnagar

State
State
State
Central

Northern
Northern
Northern
Northern

Barsingsar Thermal Power Station

Giral Lignite Power Plant
Harduaganj Thermal Power Station

NLC
RVUNL
UPRVUNL

Barsingsar
Thumbli
Harduaganj

Hisar
Baran
Bathinda
Ambedkar
Nagar
Bikaner
Barmer
Aligarh

Central
State
State

Northern
Northern
Northern

Panki Thermal Power Station

UPRVUNL

Panki

Kanpur

State

Northern

Rajghat Power Station

VS Lignite Power Plant

IPGCL
KSK Energy
Ventures
HPGCL

Rajghat
Gurha

New Delhi
Bikaner

Rajasthan
Uttar
Pradesh
Punjab
Delhi
Uttar
Pradesh
Haryana
Rajasthan
Punjab
Uttar
Pradesh
Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Uttar
Pradesh
Uttar
Pradesh
Delhi
Rajasthan

State
Private

Northern
Northern

Faridabad

Faridabad

Haryana

State

Northern

Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station[21]

APGENCO

Kadapa

Kadapa

State

Southern

Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant

NTPC

Visakhapatnam

Central

Southern

Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal

Power Station

Krishnapattana
m

State

Southern

Simhapuri Thermal Power Station

Andhra
Pradesh
Power
Development
Co Ltd
SPL

Visakhapat
nam
Nellore

Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh

Private

Southern

Meenakshi Thermal Power Station

MEPL

Private

Southern

Pynampuram Power Station

TPCIL

Private

Southern

Dr Narla Tatarao TPS

Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Karnataka
Telangana
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Telangana

State

Southern

State
State
Central
State
Central
Private
State
Central

Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern

Tamil Nadu

State

Southern

Rosa Thermal Power Plant

Raj West Lignite Power Plant
Feroj Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power
Plant
Guru Hargobind TP
Badarpur Thermal Power Station
Parichha Thermal Power Station

Faridabad Thermal Power Station

Page44

Northern

26

Nellore

APGENCO

Krishnapattana
m
Krishnapattana
m
Krishnapattana
m
Ibrahimpatnam

Raichur Thermal Power Station

Kothagudem Thermal Power Station
Neyveli Thermal Power Station II
Tuticorin Thermal Power Station
Neyveli Thermal Power Station I
JSW Vijayanagar Power Station
Mettur Thermal Power Station
NTPC Ramagundam

KPCL
TSGENCO
NLC
TNEB
NLC
JSW Energy
TNEB
NTPC

Raichur
Paloncha
Neyveli
Tuticorin
Neyveli
Vijayanagar
Mettur
Jyothi Nagar

North Chennai Thermal Power Station

TNEB

Athipattu

Raichur
Khammam
Cuddalore
Tuticorin
Cuddalore
Bellary
Salem
Karimnaga
r
Thiruvallor
e

Nellore
Nellore
Krishna

Udupi Thermal Power Plant

Kakatiya Thermal Power Station
Bellary Thermal Power station
Ennore Thermal Power Station
Neyveli Zero Lignite Power Station
Ramagundam B Thermal Power Station

Adani
Power[22]
TSGENCO
KPCL
TNEB
TAQA
TSGENCO

Nandikoor

Udupi

Karnataka

Private

Southern

Chelpur
Kudatini
Ennore
Neyveli
Ramagundam

Warangal
Bellary
Chennai
Cuddalore
Karimnaga
r

Telangana
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Telangana

State
State
State
Private
State

Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern

Southern

19

TOTAL

116

Gas or Liquid Fuel

As on April 30, 2015, and as per the Central Electricity Authority the total installed capacity of gas and liquid fuel based gas
turbine power plants in India, is nearly 23,008 MW. Here is a list of plants presently operating and waiting for natural gas to start
operations.

Power station

Operator

Location

District

State

Sector

Region

Dabhol Power Station

SUGEN Combined Cycle Power Plant
Uran Gas Turbine Power Station
GPEC Combined Cycle Power Plant

RGPPL
Torrent
MAHAGENCO
CLP
Group#India
NTPC
NTPC
Essar Power
Limited
GSECL
GIPCL
GSECL
Tata
GSEG
Torrent Power
GSPC

Akhakhol
Akhakhol
Bokadvira
Paguthan

Ratnagiri
Surat
Raigarh
Bharuch

Maharastra
Gujarat
Maharastra
Gujarat

Central
Private
State
Private

Western
Western
Western
Western

Urjanagar
Adityanagar
Hazira

Bharuch
Surat
Surat

Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat

Central
Central
Private

Western
Western
Western

Utran
Vadodara
Khambhat
Trombay
Hazira
Vatva
Pipavav
Hazira

Surat
Vadodara
Anand
Mumbai
Surat
Ahamadabad
Amreli
Surat

Torrent
RSPCL

Dahej
Zuarinagar

Goa

Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Maharastra
Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat
Goa

State
State
State
Private
Private
Private
state
State
Private
Private
Private
Private

Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western
Western

Pragati Gas Power Station

Pragati-III Combined Cycle Power
Plant
Rithala GT
National Capital TPP

PPCL
PPCL

Bawana
Bawana

New Delhi
New Delhi

Delhi
Delhi

State
State

Northern
Northern

NDPL
NTPC

Rohini
Vidyutnagar

Northern
Northern

NTPC

Dibiyapur

Central

Northern

Faridabad Thermal Power Plant

Anta Thermal Power Station
Dholpur Combined Cycle Power
Station
IPGCL Gas Turbine Power Station
Pampore Gas Turbine Station

NTPC
NTPC
RVUNL

Mujedi
Anta
Purani Chaoni

Faridabad
Baran
Dholpur

Delhi
Uttar
Pradesh
Uttar
Pradesh
Haryana
Rajasthan
Rajasthan

State
Central

Auraiya Thermal Power Station

New Delhi
Gautam Budh
Nagar
Auraiya

Central
Central
State

Northern
Northern
Northern

IPGCL
J&K Govt

New Delhi
Pampore

New Delhi
Pulwama

State
State

Northern
Northern

Ramgarh Gas Thermal Power Station

RVUNL

Delhi
Jammu &
Kashmir
Rajasthan

State

Northern

Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh

Joint

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Jhanor-Gandhar TPS
Kawas TPS
Essar Combined Cycle Power Plant
Utran Gas Based Power Station
Vadodara Gas Based CCPP
Dhuvaran Gas Based CCPP
Trombay Gas Power Station
GSEG Combined Cycle Power Plant
Vatva Combined Cycle Power Plant
Pipavav Combined Cycle Power Plant
Hazira CCPP
D-Gen Mega
G - IPCL
Unosugen CCPP
Goa Gas Power Station

Western

19

Ramgarh

Page45

Northern

11

APGPCL Plant

APGPCL

Vijjeswaram

W Godavari

Lanco Kondapalli Power Plant

Lanco Infratech

Kondapalli

Krishna

Gautami Combined Cycle Power

Plant
Konaseema Combined Cycle Power
Plant

GVK

Peddapuram

E Godavari

konaseema Gas
Power Limited

Ravulapalem

E Godavari

(KGPL)
GMR

Vemagiri

E Godavari

GMR

Vemagiri

E Godavari

Reliance

Samarlakota

E Godavari

GVK

Jegurupadu

E Godavari

Spectrum

Kakinada

Easr Godavari

GMR

Kakinada

East Godavari

Kusalava power plant, GMK Formly

Triveni

Gollapallem

E Godavari

Kochi Combined Cycle Power Station

Rajiv Gandhi CCPP
Valathur Gas Turbine Power Station
Basin Bridge Gas Turbine Power
Station
Aban Combined Cycle Power Plant
Kovikalpal Gas Turbine Power Station
Kuttalam Gas Turbine Power Station
PPN Combined Cycle Power Plant

BSES
NTPC
TNEB
TNEB

Kochi
Kayamkulam
Valathur
Chennai

Ernakulam
Alappuzha
Thanjavur
Chennai

Lanco Infratech
TNEB
TNEB

Tanjore
Thiruvarur
Nagapattinam
Nagapattinam
district

Valantarvy Power Station

Poineer Gas
Power Ltd
PPCL

Karuppur
Thirumakkottai
Maruthur
Pillai Perumal
Nallur
Valantarvy
Karaikal

Karaikal

Vemagiri Combined Cycle Power

Plant
GMR Rajamundry Combined Cycle
Power Plant[24]
Samarlakota Combined Cycle Power
Plant
Jegurupadu Combined Cycle Power
Plant
Spectrum Combined Cycle Power
Plant
GMR (barge monted) Power Plant

Karaikal Gas Turbine Power Station

Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Andhra
Pradesh
Kerala
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private

Southern

Private
Central
State
State

Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern

Tamil nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu

Private
State
State
Private

Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern

Tamil Nadu

Private

Southern

Puducherry

State

Southern

West
Bengal
West
Bengal
West
Bengal

State

Eastern

State

Eastern

Private

Eastern

Southern
Maithan GT

20
DVC

Haldia GT

Maithan
Haldia

Kasba Peak Load Power Generating

Station

CESC

Kasba

Kolkata

Lakwa Thermal Power Station

APGCL

Maibella

Sivasagar

Assam

State

Namrup Thermal Power Station

APGCL

Dibrugarh

Assam

State

Khathalguri CCPP

Neepco

Khathalguri

Assam

State

Agartala GT

Neepco

Tripura

State

Monarchak CCPP

Neepco

Tripura

State

Tripura CCPP

ONGC

Tripura

State

Tripura

State

Tripura

State

Eastern

Agartala

Tripura

Rokia GT

Bhishalgarh

Baramura GT

Baramura

West Tripura

North Eastern

North
Eastern
North
Eastern
North
Eastern
North
Eastern
North
Eastern
North
Eastern
North
Eastern
North
Eastern

TOTAL

61
Diesel Based

Page46

As on April 30, 2015 and as per the Central Electricity Authority the total installed capacity of major grid connected Diesel based
power plants in India, is 1,026.09 MW. However the installed capacity of captive power DG sets is nearly 90,000 MW. Here is
the part list of grid connected plants.

Power station

Operator

Location

District

State

Sector

Region

GMR Vasavi Diesel Power Plant

Kozhikode Diesel Power Station
Yelahanka Diesel Power Station
Belgaum Diesel Power Station

GMR
KSEB
KPCL

Basin Bridge
Kozhikode
Yelahanka
Yelahanka

Chennai
Kozhikode
Bangalore
Belgaum

Tamil Nadu
Kerala
Karnataka
Karnataka

Private
State
State
Private

Southern
Southern
Southern
Southern

Brahmapuram Diesel Power Station

KSEB

Brahmapuram

LVS Power Station

Greenko

Vishakhapatnam

Samalpatti Diesel Power Station

Samayanallur Diesel Power Station
Bellary Power Station

Kerala
Andhra
Pradesh
Tamilnadu
Tamilnadu
Karnataka

Samalpatti
Samayanallur
Bellary

State

Southern

Private

Southern

Private
Private
Private

Southern
Southern
Southern
9

Private

Islands

Southern
Suryachakra Diesel Power Station

SPCL

Andaman &
Nicobar

A&N

Islands

1
Jammu &
Kashmir
Jammu &
Kashmir

Bemina Diesel Power Station

J&K Govt

Bemina

Srinagar

Leh Diesel Power Station

J&K Govt

Leh

Leh

Ambala Diesel Power Station

Haryana
Govt

Ambala

Ambala

Haryana

Upper Sindh Diesel Power Station

J&K Govt

Keylong Diesel Power Station

HP Govt

Lahaul
and Spiti

Kamah Diesel Power Station

J&K Govt

Jammu &
Kashmir
Himachal
Pradesh
Jammu &
Kashmir

Keylong

State

Northern

State

Northern

State

Northern

State

Northern

State

Northern

State

Northern

Northern

6
Sikkim
Govt
Sikkim
Govt

Gangtok Diesel Power Station

Ranipool Diesel Power Station

Gangtok
Ranipool

East
Sikkim
East
Sikkim

Sikkim

State

Eastern

Sikkim

State

Eastern

State

2
North
Eastern
1

Eastern
Leimakhong Diesel Power Station

Leimakhong

Manipur

North Eastern
Total

II.

19

Renewable

Page47

A. Hydroelectric
Station

Operator

District

AD Hydro Power Ltd.

ADHPL

Kullu

Tehri Dam
Koteshwar dam
Baspa-II
Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric
Plant
Nathpa Jhakri
Dehar Power House
Pong
Bhakra Dam
Chamera Dam
Salal Hydroelectric Power Station
Uri Hydroelectric Project
Dulhasti
Dhauliganga-I
Baira Suil
Tanakpur
Sewa
Nimmo-Bazgo
Chutak
Parbati Hydroelectric Project
Kishanganga Hydroelectric
Project

THDC
THDC
JHPL

Northern

JHPL
SJVNL
BBMB
BBMB
BBMB
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC
NHPC

Kinnaur

State
Manali, Himachal
Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Himachal Pradesh

Generator
units
2 x 96
4 x 250, 4 x 250#
4 x 100
3 x 100

Himachal Pradesh

4 x 250

Chamba
Udhampur
Baramulla
Doda
Pithoragarh
Chamba
Champawat
Kathua
Leh
Kargil
Kullu

Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Punjab
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir
Uttarakhand
Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir
Himachal Pradesh

6 x 250
6 x 165
6 x 66
5 x 108, 5 x 157
3 x 180, 3 x 100, 3 x 77
6 x 115
4 x 120, 4 x 60
3 x 130
4 x 70
3 x 60
3 x 40
3 x 40
3 x 15
4 x 11
4 x 200, 4 x 130

Baramulla

Jammu & Kashmir

3 x 110

Mandi

106

Srisailam Dam

APGenco,TSGENC
O

Andhra
Pradesh,Telangana

Sharavathi

KPCL

Karnataka

Kalinadi

KPCL

Karnataka

Nagarjuna Sagar
Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond
power house
Idukki
Mettur Dam
Linganamakki Dam
Kadamparai pumped storage
Jurala Project
Lower Jurala Hydro Electric
Project[32]
Pulichinthala Project

APGenco,TSGENC
O
APGenco,TSGENC
O
KSEB
TNEB

AP, TS

2 x 25
6 x 130
4 x 50

TNEB
TSGENCO

Chintharevula

Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
Telangana

TSGENCO

Atmakur

Telangana

6 x 40

AP, TS

4 x 30

APGenco,TSGENC
O

Indira Sagar
Omkareshwar
Bansagar Dam
Ghatghar Pumped Storage
Mulshi Dam
Bargi Dam
Madikheda Dam
Jayakwadi Dam
Kadana Dam
Ujjain

Sardar Sarovar
Narmada Nigam
NHPC
NHPC
MahaGenco
Tata Power

satara

Khadwa
Khandwa
Pune

Maharashtra

4 x 70, 4 x 80, 2 x 20, 4 x

80, 4 x 250#

Gujarat

6 x 200#, 5 x 50

Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh

8 x 125
8 x 65

Western
Indravati Power Station
Balimela Power Station
Hirakud Dam
Upper Kolab Power Station
Sindol Complex Power Station
Potteru Hydro Electric Project
Jalaput Dam

Page48

Rengali Dam
Teesta-V
Teesta Low Dam
Purulia pumped storage
Penchat
Loktak
Rangit
Chuzachen Hydroelectric Power
Plant
Kambang Project
Sippi Project
Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric
Power Project
Khuga Dam
Umiam-Umtru Hydroelectric
Power Project

4 x 100#
4 x 39

76
MahaGenco

Sardar Sarovar

10 x 103.5, 2 x 27.5, 4 x
60, 4 x 13.2, 4 x 21.6
2 x 50, 1 x 135, 5 x 150, 3
x 50, 3 x 40
1 x 110, 7 x 100.8#, 2 x
30, 3 x 30

AP, TS

Southern
Koyna

6 x 150#, 7 x 110

2 x 125#
6 x 25, 1 x 150#
1 X 12#
2 x 60#, 2 x 60
1 x 12#

53
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
Odisha Hydro
Power Corporation
NHPC
NHPC
WBSEB
DVC
NHPC
NHPC
GIPL

Kalahandi

Odisha

4 x 150

Malkangiri

Odisha

6 x 60, 2 x 75

Sambalpur

Odisha

2 x 49.5, 2 x 32, 3 x 37.5,

3 x 24

Koraput

Odisha

4 x 80

Sambalpur

Odisha

5 x 18, 5 x 20, 6 x 20

Koraput

Odisha

2x3

Koraput

Odisha

3 x 23, 3 x 17

Angul

Odisha

5 x 50

East Sikkim
Darjeeling
Purulia
South Sikkim

Sikkim
West Bengal
West Bengal
Jharkhand
Manipur
Sikkim

3 x 170
4 x 33, 4 x 40
4 x 225#
1 x 40#
3 x 35
3 x 20

East Sikkim

Sikkim

2 x 55

Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh

3x2
2x2

Arunachal Pradesh

8 x 250

NHPC
NHPC
NHPC

Lower
Subansiri

MECL

East Khasi
Hills

Manipur
Meghalaya

6 x 9, 4 x 30

Eastern

52

TOTAL

275

Page49

B. Solar
Name

Location

State

Charanka Solar Park

Charanka village,Patan
district
Bhagwanpur,Neemuch
Manamunda

Welspun Solar MP project

Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd
(GEDCOL)
Welspun Energy Rajasthan Solar Project[37]
Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd
(GEDCOL)[38]
Bitta Solar Power Plant (Adani Power)
Dhirubhai Ambani Solar Park
Moser Baer - Patan
Mithapur Solar Power Plant (Tata Power) Mithapur
Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd
(GEDCOL)[39]
Sunark Solar
NTPC Limited
Raajratna Energy Holdings - Bolangir Solar
Power Project
Azure Power - Sabarkantha, Khadoda village
Green Infra Solar Enerdfdfsdfsdfgy Limited
Waa Solar Power Plant (Madhav Power) Surendranagar
S N Mohanty
Skygen Infrabuild
Konark Kranti Energy
Mahindra & Mahindra Solar Plant, Jodhpur
Sivaganga Photovoltaic Plant
Citra and Sepset Power Plants
Sunark Solar
Abacus Holdings
Orion Solar
Skygen Infrabuild
IIT Bombay - Gwal Pahari, Haryana
Itnal Photovoltaic Plant, Belgaum
Kolar Photovoltaic Plant, Yalesandra, Kolar
District
Tata Power - Mulshi, Maharashtra
Azure Power - Ahwan Photovoltaic Plant
Jamuria Photovoltaic Plant
TAL Solar Power Plant - Barabanki, Uttar
Pradesh
M G M Minerals
Raajratna Energy Holdings
Tata Power
Amruth Solar Power Plant - Kadiri, Andhra
Pradesh
B&G Solar Pvt Ltd - Mayiladuthurai
Gandhinagar Solar Plant,
NDPC Photovoltaic Plant
Numeric Power Systems, Coimbatore
Rasna Marketing Services LLP,Ahmedabad
Solid Solar by Gautam Polymers, Delhi,
Haryana, UP
Tata Power - Osmanabad, Maharastra
Thyagaraj stadium Plant - Delhi
Zynergy, Vannankulam village, Peraiyur,
Madurai district

Commissioned

Gujarat

Capacity
(MW)
221

Madhya Pradesh
Odisha

151
50

2014
2014

Phalodhi

Rajasthan
Odisha

50
48

2013
2014

Bitta, Kutch District

Pokhran

Gujarat
Rajasthan
Gujarat
Gujarat

40
40
30
25

2012
2012
2011
2012

Rengali

Odisha

20

2014

Khurda
Kaniha
Balangir

Odisha
Odisha
Odisha

10
10
10

2011
2014
2011

Rajkot

Gujarat
Gujarat
Gujarat

10
10
10

2011
2011
2011

Odisha
Odisha
Odisha
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
Maharashtra
Odisha
Odisha
Odisha
Odisha

9
5
5
5
5
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

2012
2011
2011
2012
2010
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2010
2010

3
2
2
2

2011
2009
2009
2012

Odisha
Odisha
Odisha

1
1
1
1

2010
2011
2011
2012

Tamil Nadu
Gujarat
Delhi
Tamil Nadu
Gujarat
NCR-Delhi

1
1
1
1
1
1

2011
2011
2010
2012
2011
?

Tamil Nadu

1
1

2011
2010
2012

Patapur
Khurda
Dhenkanal
Katol
Khurda
Ganjam
Cuttack
Khurda

Karnataka
Karnataka
Punjab
West Bengal
Tangi
Sadeipali
Patapur

2012

Chandraleela Power Energy - Narnaul,Haryana

Telangana Power Generation
Corporation(TSGENCO Solar plant)

Jurala Project

Telangana

0.8
1

2012
2011

C. Wind power
India has the world's fifth largest wind power industry, with an installed wind power capacity of 9,587 MW.
India's Largest Wind power production facilities (10MW and greater)
Power Plant
Producer
Location
State
Total Capacity
(MWe)
Vankusawade Wind Park,
Suzlon Energy Ltd.
Satara
Maharashtra
259
Vankusawade, Tal:Patan
Dist.
Sipla
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd
Jaisalmer
Rajasthan
102
Samana
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd
Jamnagar
Gujarat
101
Damanjodi Wind Power Plant
Suzlon Energy Ltd.
Damanjodi Odisha
99
Theni
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd
Tamil Nadu
99
Saundatti
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd
Belgaum
Karnataka
84
Khandke
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd
Ahmednag Maharashtra
50
ar
Narmada
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd
Nallakond
Andhra
50
a
Pradesh
Harapanahalli
CLP Wind Farms (India) Private Ltd. Davanager Karnatka
40
e
Nuziveedu Seeds
NSL Renewable Power Pvt Ltd.
Bhimasamu Karnataka
50.4
dra
Kayathar Subhash
Subhash Ltd.
Kayathar
Tamil Nadu
30
Ramakkalmedu
Subhash Ltd.
Ramakkal
Kerala
25
medu
Muppandal Wind
Muppandal Wind Farm
Muppanda Tamil Nadu
22
l
Gudimangalam
Gudimangalam Wind Farm
Gudimang Tamil Nadu
21
alam
Puthlur RCI
Wescare (India) Ltd.
Puthlur
Andhra
20
Pradesh
Lamda Danida
Danida India Ltd.
Lamda
Gujarat
15
Chennai Mohan
Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd.
Chennai
Tamil Nadu
15
Jamgudrani MP
MP Windfarms Ltd.
Dewas
Madhya
14
Pradesh
Jogmatti BSES
BSES Ltd.
Chitradurg Karnataka
14
a Dist
Perungudi Newam
Newam Power Company Ltd.
Perungudi
Tamil Nadu
12
Kethanur Wind Farm
Kethanur Wind Farm
Kethanur
Tamil Nadu
11
Hyderabad APSRTC
Andhra Pradesh State Road
Hyderaba Telangana
10
Transport Corp.
d
Muppandal Madras
The Ramco Cements Ltd.
Muppanda Tamil Nadu
10
l
Poolavadi Chettinad
Chettinad Cement Corp. Ltd.
Poolavadi
Tamil Nadu
10
Shalivahana Wind
Shalivahana Green Energy. Ltd.
Tirupur
Tamil Nadu
20.4

Page50

STATE
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jharkhand
Jammu & Kashmir
Karnataka
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra

NAME OF THE DANCE

Kuchipudi, Kolattam, Dhimsa, Veeranatyam
Bardo Chham
Bihu, Jumar, Bagurumba, Ali Ai Ligang
Paika, Kajari, Bidesia, Jhijhian
Panthi, Raut Nacha
Raas, tippani, Padhar, Garba
Dhamal, Daph, Phag, Ghoomar, Jhumar, Loor
Kinnauri Nati, Namgen
Karma
Kud, Dumhal, Rouf, Bhand Pather, Bachha Nagma, Hafiza Dance, Bhand Jashan, Wuegi-Nachun
Yakshagna, Bayalata, Dollu Kunitha, Veeragaase dance
Mohiniattam, Kathakali, Padayani
Tertali, Charkula, Jawara, Matki dance, Phulpati dance, Maanch, Gaur Maria, Grida
Pavri Nach, Lavani, Dangi, Koli

Manipur
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Telangana
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Goa
Meghalaya
West Bengal

Thang Ta, Dhol Cholom

Cheraw Dance
Chang Lo or Sua Lua
Ghumura, Chau, Goti Pua, Nacni, Odissi, Dhap, Dalkhai, Baag Naach
Bhangra, Jhumar, Karthi, Kikkli, Malwai Giddha, Sammi, Jindua
Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Bhavai, Chirami, Gair, Tera Tali
Singh Chaam
Bharata Natyam, Devarattam, Kamandi, Kummi, Karagattam, Mayil Attam, Paampu attam, Oyilattam
Perini Thandavam, Lambadi, Dappu, Tappeta Gullu, Burra Katha, Pagati Vesham
Hojagiri
Charkula, Kathak, Karma, Dadra
Barada Nati, Botiya, Cancheri, Chhapelia, Choliya, Jagars, Jhora, Romala
Dekhnni, Fugdi, Corridinho, Dashavatara
Nongkrem, Shad Suk mynsiem, Behdienkhalm, Lahoo
Gambhira, Kalikapatadi, Nanci, Alkap, Domni

Important Crops in India

NAME OF CROP
Rice
Wheat
Tea
Oil Seeds
Sugarcane
Maize
Pulses
Coffee
Bajra and Jowar
Potatoes
Onions

STATES
(in which plenty of these crops are produced)
West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil, Nadu,
Odisha, Bihar etc.
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh etc.
Assam, Best Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura,
Kerala, Karnataka etc.
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, West Bengal,
Himachal Pradesh etc.
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana etc.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh etc.
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Rajasthan etc.
Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Assam etc.
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra etc.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab
etc.
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh &
Telangana, Bihar, Gujarat etc.

Tomatoes

Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Orrisa, Andhra Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal etc.

Cotton
Jute
Vegetables

Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra etc.

Best Bengal, Bihar, Assam etc.
West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh
& Telangana, Gujarat etc.

Suitable soil for these Crops

Alluvial, Laterite, Saline and
Alkaline, Peaty and Marshy
Alluvial, Red Soil,
Laterite Soil, Mountain Soil
Laterite, Mountain Soil
Alluvial, Black Soil, Peaty and
Marshy Soils, Laterite Soil
Black Soil, Laterite, Peaty and
Marshy Soils, Saline and Alkaline
Mountain, Laterite
Red Soil, Laterite
Laterite, Mountain
Black Soil, Red Soil
All types of Soil Except Saline &
Alkaline Soils and Desert Soils
All types of Soil Except Sandy Soils,
Desert Soils and Saline & Alkaline
Soils
All types of Soil Except Sandy Soils,
Desert Soils and Saline & Alkaline
Soils
All types of Soil Except Sandy Soils,
Desert Soils and Saline & Alkaline
Soils

Page51

List of Arjuna Award Winners 2015

Arjuna Awards were started from 1961. It is one of the highest award given to recognize outstanding achievement in National
Sports. Lets know more about it.
o
Arjuna Awards were constituted in 1961. These awards are given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports,
Government of India.
o
Cash Prize of Rs. 5,00,000 is given to awardee.
o
Recently, Government has revised the scheme(guidelines) of Arjuna Award. According to revised scheme To be eligible
for the Award, a sportsperson should not only have good performance consistently for the last three previous years at
the international level with excellence for the year for which the Award is recommended but should also have
the qualities like Sense of Discipline, Leadership and Sportsmanship.
o
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2015 award won by Sania Mirza for Tennis.
o
Below is the list of nomination of Arjuna Awards 2015.
Arjuna Awards 2015 (NOMINATION)

S. No.

Name of the sportsperson

Discipline

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17

Naib Subedar Sandeep Kumar

Ms. M.R. Poovamma
Mr. Kidambi Srikanth Nammalwar
Mr. Mandeep Jangra
Mr. Rohit Sharma
Ms. Dipa Karmakar
Mr. Sreejesh P.R.
Mr. Manjeet Chhillar
Ms. Abhilasha Shashikant Mhatre
Mr. Sawarn Singh
Mr. Anup Kumar Yama
Mr. Jitu Rai
Shri S. Sathish Kumar
Mr. Bajrang
Ms. Babita Kumari
Ms. Yumnam Sanathoi Devi
Mr. Sharath M. Gayakwad

Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Boxing
Cricket
Gymnastic
Hockey
Kabaddi
Kabaddi
Rowing
Roller Skating
Shooting
Weightlifting
Wrestling
Wrestling
Wushu
Para-Swim

A New Era Has Dawned - Private Sector Executives Enter PS Banks - Appointment of New
MDs & CEOs And Non Executive Chairmen Announced

Page52

It was on 14th August 2015, on the eve of Independence Day 2015, that a list of fresh appointments for the posts of MD & CEO
and Non Executive Chairman were announced after a long period of speculations. These have been announced alongwith some
other critical announcements for the reforms in the banking industry in India. Interestingly, some of these notification of appointment
of these posts indicates that these appointments are subject to the outcome of the Writ Petition (C) No 445 of 2015 in the Supreme
Court in the matter of All India Bank Officers' Confederation Vs Union of India and Others. On the other hand some of these are
subject to the outcome of Writ Petition (C) No 225 of 2015 in the Supreme Court in the matter of K D Khera Vs Union of India &
Others.
We know that earlier the Government had separated the post of Chairman and Managing Director by prescribing that in the
subsequent vacancies to be filled up the CEO will get the designation of MD & CEO and there would be another person who would
be appointed as non-Executive Chairman of PSBs.
Govt has claimed that this approach is based on global best practices and as per the guidelines in the Companies Act so as to
ensure appropriate checks and balances in day to day functioning of these banks. The selection process for both these positions
has been transparent and meritocratic.
The entire process of selection for MD & CEO was revamped. Private sector candidates were also allowed to apply for the
position of MD & CEO of the five top banks i.e. Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, IDBI Bank and Canara Bank.
Three stage screening was done for the MDs position culminating into final interview by three different panels.
Five MD & CEOs were appointed earlier. Appointments of MD & CEOs of five more banks - Bank of Baroda, Bank of India,
Canara Bank, IDBI Bank and Punjab National Bank and Non-executive Chairman of 5 banks were announced now on 14th August
2015. Each of these appointments is likely to be for three years subject to certain other conditions.

Name of the
Bank

Appointments As on 14th August 2015

Now
Present
Name of New Appointee
Appointed as
Age

Bank of Baroda

P S Jayakumar

MD & CEO

53 yrs

Bank of India
Canara Bank

M.O. Rego
Rakesh Sharma

MD & CEO
MD & CEO

56 yrs
57 yrs

IDBI Bank Ltd

Kishore Kharat Piraji

MD & CEO

56 yrs

Punjab National
Bank

Smt. Usha Ananthasubramanian

MD & CEO

56 yrs

CMD, Bhartiya Mahila Bank

Bank of Baroda

Ravi Venkatesan

51 yrs

Independent Director, Infosys

Bank of India

G Padmananbhan

60 yrs

Retired ED of Reserve Bank of India

Canara Bank

T N Manoharan

59 yrs

Director, Tech Mahindra, Public Health

Foundation

Vijaya Bank

G Narayanan

66 yrs

Retired ED, Indian Overseas Bank

Indian Bank

T C V Subramainian

66 yrs

Retired CMD, Exim Bank

Non Executive
Chairman
Non Executive
Chairman
Non Executive
Chairman
Non Executive
Chairman
Non Executive
Chairman

Present Position
MD & CEO of VBHC Value Homes Pvt
Ltd.
Deputy Managing Director, IDBI Bank
MD & CEO, The Laxmi Vilas Bank Ltd
Executive Director, Union Bank of
India

NOTE : The selection of non-executive Chairman in the remaining six PSBs will also be completed in next three months. Also the
appointment of MD & CEO in two other banks will also be done as early as possible

Page53

These appointments have sent lot of heart burning among General Managers and Executive Directors of Public Sector Banks, as till
date they were the only immediate / future claimants for these posts. Disguised petitions seems to have been filed by these
disgruntled executives, some of whom, have reached to this level purely on account of dubious means. It was a well known fact that
under the previous government the top posts were frequently filled up on considerations other than merit.
Another highlight of these appointments is that some of these posts have been given to executives from private sector. Most of the
Non Executive Chairman are either 60+ or they will become above that age during their tenure itself.
All these are likely to generate a lot of hot talks among the bankers. Only time will tell as to how good this change will prove.
However, it is expected that this trend of bifurcation of top posts and selection from wider range will help to reduce corruption as
these appointments were slowly considered as den of corruption.
We will discuss about other issues announced on 14th August in the next articles.
We give below the profile of these new appointees, which will help the readers to know more about these new executives.
S No
Name
Career Profile
1

Ravi Venkatesan

Ravi Venkatesan is a Director on the Board of Infosys, and a Fellow of the Center for
Higher Ambition Leadership, Boston. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of
Bunge Ltd., the Global Alumni Board of Harvard Business School, and of Marico
Innovation Foundation. Between 2004 and 2011, he was the Chairman of Microsoft
India, which, under his leadership, became Microsoft's second largest and one of its
fastest growing geographies. Prior to Microsoft, he spent sixteen years with Cummins
Inc. as Chairman of Cummins India Limited, he oversaw the companys transformation
into a leading provider of power solutions and automotive engines in India. He holds a
bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Bombay; a masters in engineering from Purdue University; and a Master of Business
Administration from Harvard Business School.
T.N. Manoharan served as the President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of
India (ICAI) during 2006-07 and was instrumental in charting the road map for several
accounting reforms in the Indian System and pioneered proactive amendments to the
Chartered Accountants Act, 1949. Shri Manoharan was the Chairman of ICAI of
Accounting Research Foundation. He was on the Board of the Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority (IRDA) and on the committees constituted by Reserve Bank of
India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Comptroller and Auditor
General of India (C&AG) and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) during 2006-07.
Shri Manoharan was nominated by the Government of India to the Board of Satyam
Computer Services Ltd. He made significant contribution towards the revival of the
erstwhile Mahindra Satyam within a short span of time. The Government of India
conferred him the "Padma Shri" award in 2010.
G. Narayanan served as Executive Director of Indian Overseas Bank, during the period
spanning over 38 years in the Indian Banking Sector. He was earlier General Manager
of Bank of India heading treasury operations. Shri Narayanan also served as
Managing Director of Centrum Capital Ltd. and Managing Director of Securities
Trading Corporation of India Ltd. He was Director of Clearing Corporation Of India
Limited. He served as Director of IL&FS Investment Managers Limited and Securities
Trading Corporation of India Ltd. Shri Narayanan holds a Diploma in Corporate Law.
He also completed Management Accountant (MAC-1). He has B.Com form Madras
University.

T.N. Manoharan

G. Narayanan

T.C. Venkat Subramanian

T.C.Venkat Subramanian served as Managing Director and CEO of EXIM Bank. He has
diverse experience in industrial and export financing. He joined EXIM Bank in 1982
when it was set up and served as its CEO till 2009. He actively participated in the
setting up of EXIM Bank as a model public sector organization with a professional work
culture. Prior to EXIM bank, he worked at the Bank of India and IDBI. He holds a BE,
CAIIB and ICWAI (Inter).

G Padmanabhan

Shri G. Padmanabhan served as Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of ndia. As

Executive Director, Shri Padmanabhan looked after Department of Information and
Technology, Department of Payment and Settlement Systems and Foreign Exchange
Department. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, Shri Padmanabhan was
heading the Department of Payment & Settlement Systems in the Bank since March
2005.He is a post graduate in Economics (First Class- First) from the University of
Kerala and an MBA (International Banking and Finance) from the Birmingham
University, UK.

K.P. Kharat

Shri Kishor Kharat is Executive Director of Union Bank of India. In his banking career, in
Bank of Baroda, spanning over more than three decades, Shri Kharat has got varied
exposure which includes Credit Administration, Foreign Business, Information Technology
and general administration in India as well as overseas. Shri. Kharat has established
and headed a foreign subsidiary of Bank of Baroda in Trinidad & Tobago, West
Indies. His other foreign assignment was at Sharjah (UAE). In his last posting Shri Kharat
was heading Financial Inclusion Vertical as General Manager of Bank of Baroda,
wherein he had been a key driver for implementation of major Financial Inclusion
initiatives. Shri Kharat is a graduate in Commerce, CAIIB and Law. He also holds an
Executive Diploma in Management.

Usha Ananthasubramanian

Smt. Usha Ananthasubramanian is the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharatiya

Mahila Bank Ltd. Prior to taking over as CMD of the Bank, she was the Executive
Director of Punjab National Bank for over two years. She started her career with LIC.
She joined the banking industry in February 1982 as a Specialist Officer in the
Planning Stream of Bank of Baroda and rose to the rank of General Manager. In a
career spanning over three decades, she has worked in various positions in the banking
and allied areas. Key assignments held include General Manager South Zone, Bank of
Baroda and Life Insurance Joint Venture Formation. She was closely associated with the
transformation project of Bank of Baroda including rebranding and innovative HR
initiatives.She holds a Masters degree in Statistics from the University of Madras and a
Masters degree in Ancient Indian Culture from the University of Mumbai.

3.

M.O. Rego

4.

Rakesh Sharma

Shri M.O. Rego is the Deputy Managing Director of IDBI Bank. In his banking career of
31 years since 1984 when he joined IDBI, he has had extensive exposure in all areas
of Core Banking and his forte lies in International Banking and Treasury. He took the
lead in the area of foreign currency derivatives for liability management and as a
result IDBI Bank was pioneer among all the Indian banks in the derivative market. He
was MD & CEO of IDBI Home finance Ltd. which under his leadership grew from a
fledgling company to become the fourth largest housing finance company. He holds
B.Com from University of Pune and M.B.A (Finance) from Symbiosis Institute of Business
Management, Pune.
Mr. Rakesh Sharma, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Lakshmi Vilas
Bank was earlier with State Bank of India where his last assignment was that of Chief
General Manager. Mr. Sharma has served SBI for over 33 years, heading different
departments both domestic as well as internationally. His expertise lies in retail and
wholesale banking, asset liability management, loan syndication, trade finance and
personnel development. During his stint in SBI, Mr. Sharma also administered banking
operations for International Banking Group (IBG) encompassing consolidation of
balance sheets for all the foreign offices of the bank. While posted at Tokyo, he was in
charge of overall functioning of SBI branches in Japan. Shri Sharma holds a B.Com
degree and Masters in Economics.

5.

P.S. Jayakumar

Shri P. S. Jayakumar, serves as the Managing Director of Value and Budget Housing
Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Jayakumar served as Head of Balance Sheet Optimisation Treasury in Asia-Pacific at Citigroup Inc. since May 2008. Mr. Jayakumar started his
career with Citibank in 1986 and has held many senior management positions there,
including being Country Head for Consumer Business in India and Asia Pacific and
Head for Consumer Lending Business in Asia Pacific. During his banking career,
spanning 24 years, Mr. Jayakumar has contributed significantly to the development of
the retail banking industry in India. Mr. Jayakumar served as Region Head of AsiaPacific (Consumer Finance) at Citigroup Inc. He serves as a Director of Home First
Finance Company India Private Limited and Value and Budget Housing Corporation
Pvt. Ltd. He is a Gurukul Chevening Scholar from the London School of Economics and
Political Science on Globalization. He holds a Master's Degree in Management from
XLRI, Jamshedpur and a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from the University of Madras.

Page54

Indradhanush: A New Framework for Indian PS Banks

It was on the eve of Indias Independence Day 2015 that Government announced Indradhanush for Indian PS Banks. Modi loves to
give new slogans which can have some impact on the memory of the listeners / readers. By using the word Indradhanush, the
bureaucrats in Finance Minister have tried to please Modi as this indicates 7 colours (steps) and A2G for PS Banks. With this single
word, they have tried to paint a beautiful picture which we see in the sky after dark clouds and rains. Before we analyse these in
next article, let me try to explain briefly and simple words what is there in the document called Indradhanush.
The said documents contains seven broad heads which we can also call as A2G of Indradhanush. These are
1) Appointments ;
2) Bank Board Bureau ;
3) Capitalization ;
4) De-stressing PSBs;
5) Empowerment ;

6) Framework of Accountability ;
7) Governance Reforms
A) Appointments :
Government had already announced that the post of Chairman and Managing Director in Public Sector Banks to be split into (a)
MD and CEO; and (b) Non-Executive Chairman. As per Govt claims this approach is based on global best practices and as per
the guidelines in the Companies Act so as to ensure appropriate checks and balances in day to day functioning of these banks. The
selection process for both these positions has been made more transparent and meritocratic.
Under the new process of selection for MD & CEO, even Private sector candidates were also allowed to apply for the position of
MD & CEO of the five top banks i.e. Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, IDBI Bank and Canara Bank. Three
stage screening was done for the MDs position culminating into final interview by three different panels.
Five MD & CEOs were appointed earlier. Appointments of MD & CEOs of five more banks - Bank of Baroda, Bank of India,
Canara Bank, IDBI Bank and Punjab National Bank and Non-executive Chairman of 5 banks were announced now on 14th August
2015. Each of these appointments is likely to be for three years subject to certain other conditions.
The details of this aspect have already been covered by us under an article (Click to open the link)
A New Era Has Dawned - Private Sector Executives Enter PS Banks - Appointment of New MDs & CEOs And Non Executive
Chairmen Announced
B)Bank Board Bureau :
We are aware that announcement for Bank Board Bureau (BBB) was made in Budget speech for the year 2015-16. Now further
details have been issued.
BBB will be a body of eminent professionals and officials, which will replace the Appointments Board for appointment of Wholetime Directors as well as non-Executive Chairman of PSBs. The BBB would broadly follow the selection methodology as approved in
relevant ACC guidelines.
They will also constantly engage with the Board of Directors of all the PSBs to formulate appropriate strategies for their gr owth
and development.
BBB will comprise of a Chairman and six more members of which three will be officials and three experts (of which two would
necessarily be from the banking sector). The Search Committee for members of the BBB would comprise of the Governor, RBI and
Secretary (FS) and Secretary (DoPT) as members. The members will be selected in the next six months and the BBB will start
functioning from the 01st April, 2016.

Page55

C) Capitalization:
Although PSBs have been under stress, but they are still adequately capitalized and meeting all the Basel III and RBI norms.
Now, the Government of India has shown its intent to adequately capitalize all the PS banks to have a safe buffer over and
above the minimum norms of Basel III during the next few years.
Therefore, GoI has made an exercise to estimate the capital requirements based on credit growth rate of 12% for the current
year and 12 to 15% for the next three years depending on the size of the bank and their growth ability. It has been presumed
that the emphasis on PSBs financing will reduce over the years by development of vibrant corporate debt market and by greater
participation of Private Sector Banks. Based on this exercise, it is estimated that as to how much capital will be required this year
and in the next three years till FY 2019.
After excluding the internal profit generation which is going to be available to PSBs (based on the estimate of average profit of
the last three years), the capital requirement of extra capital for the next four years up to FY 2019 is likely to be about huge
amount of Rs.1,80,000 crore.
Out of the total requirement, the Government of India proposes to make available Rs.70,000 crores out of budgetary allocations
for four years as per the figures given below:
(i)
Financial Year 2015 -16 - Rs. 25,000 crore
(ii)

Financial Year 2016-17

Rs. 25,000 crore

(iii)

Financial Year 2017-18

Rs. 10,000 crore

(iv)

Financial Year 2018-19

Rs. 10,000 crore

Total

Rs. 70,000 crore

We estimate that PSBs market valuations will improve significantly due to (i) far-reaching governance reforms; (ii) tight NPA
management and risk controls; (iii) significant operating improvements; and (iv) capital allocation from the government. Improved
valuations coupled with value unlocking from non-core assets as well as improvements in capital productivity, will enable PSBs to
raise the remaining Rs. 1,10,000 crore from the market. Moreover, the government is committed to making extra budgetary
provisions in FY 18 and FY 19, to ensure that PSBs remain adequately capitalized to support economic growth.
The details of how these amounts will be provided to different banks during the current Financial Year (2014-15) have also been
provided in the document. [We have excluded these as the details can be referred to in the original document by those who want
to work on such figures]
The Banks can also raise capital from the capital markets.
.
D) De-Stressing :

Page56

a) De-stressing PSBs :
The infrastructure sector and core sector have been the major recipient of PSBs funding during the past decades. But due to
several factors, projects are increasingly stalled/stressed thus leading to NPA burden on banks. In a recent review, problems
causing stress in the power, steel and road sectors were examined. It was observed that the major reasons affecting these projects
were delay in obtaining permits / approvals from various governmental and regulatory agencies, and land acquisition, delaying
Commercial Operation Date (COD); lack of availability of fuel, both coal and gas; cancellation of coal blocks; closure of Iron Ore
mines affecting project viability; lack of transmission capacity; limited off-take of power by Discoms given their reducing
purchasing capacity; funding gap faced by limited capacity of promoters to raise additional equity and reluctance on part of
banks to increase their exposure given the high leverage ratio; inability of banks to restructure projects even when found viable
due to regulatory constraints. In case of steel sector the prevailing market conditions, viz. global over-capacity coupled with
reduction in demand led to substantial reduction in global prices, and softening in domestic prices added to the woes.
A meeting was held on 28th April, 2015 at Mumbai first with all the banks and concerned Ministries to understand the problems
for each sector. Subsequently, meetings were held with project promoters of steel, power and road sectors at various levels to
understand further the pain points of each and every sector. Some of the actions proposed / undertaken after these meetings are
as follows:(i) Project Monitoring Group (Cab. Sectt.) / Respective Ministries will pursue with concerned agencies to
facilitate issue of pending approval/permits expeditiously.
(ii) Pending policy decisions to facilitate project implementation/operation would be taken up by respective
Ministries/Departments.
(iii)Ministry of Coal/PNG will evolve policies to address long-term availability of fuel for these projects.
(iv) Respective Discoms will be provided hand-holding towards enabling early reforms.
(v) Promoters will be asked to bring in additional equity in an attempt to address the worsening leverage ratio of
these projects. Wherever the promoters are unable to meet this requirement, the Banks would consider viable options
for substitution or taking over management control.
(vi) The possibility of changing the extant duty regime without adversely impacting the downstream user industry
would be considered by the Government. The decision to increase import duty on steel has already been taken.
(vii) RBI has been requested to consider the proposal of the Banks for granting further flexibility in restructuring of
existing loans wherever the Banks find viability.
b) Strengthening Risk Control measures and NPA Disclosures
Besides the recovery efforts under the DRT & SARFASI mechanism the following additional steps have been taken to address the
issue of NPAs:
i. RBI has released guidelines dated 30 January, 2014 for Early Recognition of Financial Distress, Prompt Steps
for Resolution and Fair Recovery for Lenders: Framework for Revitalizing Distressed Assets in the Economy suggesting various steps
for quicker recognition and resolution of stressed assets:
Creation of a Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) by RBI to collect, store, and
disseminate credit data to banks on credit exposures of Rs. 5 crore and above,
Formation of Joint Lenders Forum (JLF), Corrective Action Plan (CAP), and sale of assets. - The Framework
outlines formation of JLF and corrective action plan that will incentivise early identification of problem cases, timely restructuring of
accounts which are considered to be viable, and taking prompt steps by banks for recovery or sale of unviable
accounts
ii. Flexible Structuring of Loan Term Project Loans to Infrastructure and Core Industries RBI issued guidelines on
July 15, 2014 and December 15, 2014
Long term financing for infrastructure has been a major constraint in encouraging larger private sector
participation in this sector. On the asset side, banks will be encouraged to extend long term loans to infrastructure sector with
flexible structuring to absorb potential adverse contingencies,(also known as the 5/25 structure).
iii. Wilful Default/Non-Cooperative Borrowers:
RBI has now came out with new category of borrower called Non-Cooperative borrower. A non-cooperative borrower is a
borrower who does not provide information on its finances to the banks. Banks will have to do higher provisioning if they give fresh
loan to such a borrower.
Fresh exposure to a borrower reported as non-cooperative will necessitate higher provisioning. Banks/FIs are required to make
higher provisioning as applicable to substandard assets in respect of new loans sanctioned to such borrowers as also new loans
sanctioned to any other company that has on its board of directors any of the whole time directors/promoters of a non-cooperative
borrowing company or any firm in which such a non-cooperative borrower is in charge of management of the affairs.
iv. Asset Reconstruction Companies:
Taking further steps in the area, RBI has tightened the norms for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs), vide guidelines dated
August 5, 2014, where the minimum investment in Security Receipts should be 15% which was earlier 5%. This step will increase the
cash stake of ARCs in the assets purchased by them. Further, by having more cash up front, the banks will have better incentive to
clean their balance sheet.
v. Establishment of six New DRTs:
Government has decided to establish six new Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRT) (at Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Ernakulum, Dehradun,
Siliguri, Hyderabad) to speed up the recovery of bad loans of the banking sector
E) Empowerment:
The Government has issued a circular that there will be no interference from Government and Banks are encouraged to take their
decision independently keeping the commercial interest of the organisation in mind. A cleaner distinction between interference and
intervention has been made. With autonomy comes accountability, accordingly Banks have been asked to build robust Grievances
Redressal Mechanism for customers as well as staff so that concerns of the affected are addressed effectively in time bound

manner.
The Government intends to provide greater flexibility in hiring manpower to Banks. The Government is committed to provide
required professionals as NoDs to the Board so that well-informed and well-discussed decisions are taken.
F) Framework of Accountability:
(a) The present system for the measurement of banks performance was a system called SoI Statement of Intent. Based on
certain criteria decided by Ministry of Finance, the banks used to come up with their annual target figures which was discussed
between the Ministry and banks and finalized. The entire exercise took very long and sometimes the targets for banks used to be
finalized only towards the end of the year which is not a desirable thing to do. There are two changes we are making in
this:
(i) A new framework of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to be measured for performance of PSBs is being
announced. It is divided into four sections totaling up to 100 marks. 25 marks each are allotted to indicators relating to efficiency
of capital use anddiversification of business/processes and 15 marks each are allotted for specific indicators under the category
of NPA management and financial inclusion. The total marks to be allotted for quantifiable, measurable criteria is 80.
(ii) The remaining 20 marks are reserved for measurement of qualitative criteria which
includes strategic initiatives taken to improve asset quality, efforts made to conserve capital, HR initiatives and improvement in
external credit rating. The qualitative performance would be assessed based on a presentation to be made by banks to a
committee chaired by Secretary, Department of Financial Services.
The new framework for KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) have been given by us in a separate article under the heading (click to
view the article) :
New Key Performance Indicators For Public Sector Banks
(a)Operating performance evaluated through the KPI framework will be linked to the performance bonus to be paid to the MD &
CEOs of banks by the Government. The quantum of performance bonus is also proposed to be revised shortly to make it more
attractive. We are also considering ESOPs for top management of PSBs.
(b) DFS has issued a circular to PSBs laying down strict timelines for filing of complaints of fraud cases with CBI as well as for
monitoring each and every case almost on a day-to-day basis.
(c) Streamlining vigilance process for quick action for major frauds including connivance of staff. RBI has issued guidelines in May,
2015 to streamline the framework for dealing with the loan frauds. Under the new guidelines, a timeframe of six months, red
flagging of accounts, constitution of a Risk Management Group (RMG) in banks to monitor pre-sanction and disbursement, nodal
officer for filing complaints with CBI, provisioning in four quarters and creation of Central Fraud Registry have been laid down.
Department of Financial Services (DFS) has directed PSBs to make CVO as the nodal officer for fraud exceeding Rs 50 crore, in
consortium lending the lead bank will file the FIR for all banks and CBI has designated one officer for reviewing and monitoring
progress of banks fraud cases.
G) Governance Reforms:
The process of governance reforms started with Gyan Sangam - a conclave of PSBs and FIs organized at the beginning of 2015
in Pune which was attended by all stake-holders including Prime Minister, Finance Minister, MoS (Finance), Governor, RBI and CMDs
of all PSBs and FIs. There was focus group discussion on six different topics which resulted in specific decisions on optimizing
capital, digitizing processes, strengthening risk management, improving managerial performance and financial inclusion. The
decision to set up a Bank Board Bureau which was subsequently announced in the Budget Speech of Honble Finance Minister, came
out of the recommendations of Gyan Sangam. Also, at this conclave, Honble Prime Minister made a significant promise to the
bankers that there would be no interference from any Government functionary in the matter of their commercial decisions.
This promise of Honble Prime Minister was immediately translated into a circular issued to all banks assuring them of no
interference policy, but at the same time asking them to have robust grievance redressal mechanism for borrowers, depositors as
well as staff. The Gyan Sangam recommendations includedstrengthening of risk management practices. Each bank agreed to
nominate a senior officer as Chief Risk Officer of the bank. A special training programme for Chief Risk Officers was recently
organized by Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (CAFRAL).
The Government has been constantly engaging with the Banks through review meeting and sessions for strategic reviews etc. The
focus is on improving HR management practices and removing barriers so that the Banks can share and work together on common
resources. Various steps have been taken to empower Banks Boards.
Continuing with this years Gyan Sangam, next Gyan Sangam will be held between 14-16.01.2016 to discuss strategy with top
level officials. Further, scheme of ESOPs for top management is under formulation. Other strategic initiatives such as consolidation
etc. need to be discussed.
The Indradhanush framework for transforming the PSBs represents the most comprehensive reform effort undertaken since banking
nationalisation in the year 1970. Our PSBs are now ready to compete and flourish in a fast-evolving financial services landscape.

Page57

Wildlife sanctuaries of India

India has 515 animal sanctuaries referred to as wildlife sanctuaries category IV protected areas. Among these, the 48 tiger reserves are
governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance in the conservation of the tiger. Some wildlife sanctuaries are specifically named bird
sanctuary, e.g., Keoladeo National Park before attaining National Park status. Many National Parks were initially wildlife sanctuaries.The
conservative measures taken by the Indian Government for the conservation of Tigers was awarded by a 30% rise in the number of tigers in
2015.
Wildlife sanctuaries are of national importance to conservation, usually due to some flagship faunal species, are named National Wildlife
Sanctuary, like the tri-state National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary for conserving the gharial.
Year
Name
State
Area (km)

Page58

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1987

Landfall Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

29.48

1987

Defence Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

10.49

1987

Cinque Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

9.51

1987

Flat Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

9.36

1987

Buchaan Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

9.33

1987

Kyd Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1987

Shearme Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

7.85

1987

Paget Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

7.36

1987

West Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

6.4

1987

East Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

6.11

1987

Ranger Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

4.26

1987

Swamp Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

4.09

1987

East (Tingling) Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

3.55

1987

Benett Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

3.46

1987

Talabaicha Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

3.21

1987

Point Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

3.07

1987

Bondoville Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

2.55

1987

Table (Delgarno) Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

2.29

1987

James Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

2.1

1987

Reef Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.74

1987

Table (Excelsior) Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.69

1987

Sandy Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.58

1987

Roper Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.46

1987

Pitman Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.37

1987

South Brother Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.24

1987

South Reef Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.17

1987

Bluff Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.14

1987

Sir Huge Rose Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.06

1987

Temple Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.04

1987

Ross Island (Andaman)

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.01

1985

Interview Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

133

1985

Tilanchang Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

6.83

1985

Battimalve Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

2.23

1983

Lohabarrack Salt Water Crocodile Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

22.21

1977

Barren Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

8.1

1977

Narcondum Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

6.81

1977

North Reef Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

3.48

1977

South Sentinel Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1.61

Spike Island Wildlife Sanctuary

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

211.7

1990

Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

357

1989

Sri Venkateswara National Park

Andhra Pradesh

353

1988

Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

614

1978

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

Andhra Pradesh

3568

1978

Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary[2]

Andhra Pradesh

591

1978

Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

235.79

1976

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

327.33

1972

Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

71

1970

Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

4040

Page59

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1963

Kolleru Lake

Andhra Pradesh

673

ND

Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

1194

ND

Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

464.42

ND

Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

194.81

ND

Lanjamadugu Wildlife Sanctuary

Andhra Pradesh

ND

1991

Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

4149

1991

Kane Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

55

1989

Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

783

1989

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

217

1989

Sessa Orchid Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

100

1980

Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

281.5

1978

D'ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

190

1978

Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

140.3

1977

Pakhui Tiger Reserve

Arunachal Pradesh

861.95

ND

Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Arunachal Pradesh

337

1997

Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

Assam

2098.62

1989

Dipor Bil

Assam

40

1987

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

Assam

38.83

1985

Nameri National Park

Assam

137.07

1985

Orang National Park

Assam

72.6

1980

Bornadi Wildlife

Sanctuary[3]

Assam

26.22

1979

Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary

Assam

70.14

1934

Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary

Assam

175

1928

Manas National Park

Assam

391

1905

Kaziranga National Park

Assam

430

ND

Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary

Assam

6.05

ND

Pabha Wildlife Sanctuary

Assam

49

1997

Barela Salim Ali Zubba Saheni Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

1.96

1990

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary

Bihar

50

1989

Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary

Bihar

63.11

1987

Nagi Dam Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

7.91

1985

Nakti Dam Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

206.4

1978

Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

1342.22

1978

Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

35.84

1978

Udaypur Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

8.74

1978

Valmikinagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

880

1976

Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

681.9

1976

Gautam Budha Wildlife Sanctuary

Bihar

259.48

ND

Sukhna

Chandigarh

25.42

1983

Bhairamgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Chhattisgarh

138.95

1983

Pamed Wildlife Sanctuary

Chhattisgarh

262

1978

Semarsot Wildlife Sanctuary[6]

Chhattisgarh

430.36

1978

Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary

Chhattisgarh

608.55

1976

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary[4]

Chhattisgarh

244.66

1975

Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary

Chhattisgarh

557.55

1975

Badalkohl Wildlife Sanctuary

Chhattisgarh

104.35

1974

Sitanadi Wildlife

Sanctuary[7]

Chhattisgarh

556

1972

Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary[5]

Chhattisgarh

232

Page60

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1972

Gomarda Reserve Forest

Chhattisgarh

277.82

ND

Indira Priyadarshini

Delhi

13.2

1979

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

Goa

1.8

1972

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

Goa

1967

Bhagwan Mahavir

Goa

148.52

1990

Purna

Gujarat

160.84

1990

Jambughoda

Gujarat

130.38

1989

Balaram-Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary

Gujarat

542.08

1989

Paniya

Gujarat

39.63

1988

Rampura

Gujarat

15.01

1988

Thol Bird Sanctuary

Gujarat

153

1986

Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary

Gujarat

7506.22

1982

Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

Gujarat

607.7

1982

Ratanmahal

Gujarat

55.65

1982

Khijadiya

Gujarat

ND

1981

Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary

Gujarat

765.79

1980

Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch

Gujarat

293.03

1979

Barda Wildlife Sanctuary

Gujarat

192.31

1978

Jessore

Gujarat

180.66

1973

Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary

Gujarat

4953.7

1969

Nal Sarovar

Gujarat

120.82

1965

Gir Forest National Park

Gujarat

1153.42

ND

Dhumkhal

Gujarat

ND

1987

Chautala

Haryana

113.96

1978

Bir Shikargarh

Haryana

10.93

1985

Churdhar

Himachal Pradesh

56.59

1983

Pong Dam Sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

322.7

1982

Rupi Bhabha Sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

354.14

1976

Chail

Himachal Pradesh

110.04

1976

Tirthan

Himachal Pradesh

68.25

1962

Sechu Tuan Nala Wildlife Sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

655.32

1962

Tundah Wildlife Sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

419.48

1962

Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

330

1962

Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

243.13

1962

Bandli

Himachal Pradesh

239.47

1962

Gobind Sagar & Naina Devi

Himachal Pradesh

120.67

1962

Darlaghat

Himachal Pradesh

98.71

1962

Shikari Devi

Himachal Pradesh

71.19

1962

Raksham Chitkul

Himachal Pradesh

38.27

1962

Naina Devi

Himachal Pradesh

37.19

1962

Talra

Himachal Pradesh

36.16

1962

Majathal

Himachal Pradesh

31.64

1962

Lippa Asrang

Himachal Pradesh

29.53

1962

Daranghati

Himachal Pradesh

27.01

1958

Simbalbara

Himachal Pradesh

17.2

1954

Kanawar

Himachal Pradesh

61.57

1954

Manali sanctuary

Himachal Pradesh

31.27

1954

Khokhan

Himachal Pradesh

17.6

Page61

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1954

Kais

Himachal Pradesh

12.2

1949

Gamgul Siahbehi

Himachal Pradesh

105.46

1949

Kalatop & Khajjiar

Himachal Pradesh

30.69

ND

Renuka

Himachal Pradesh

ND

ND

Shilli

Himachal Pradesh

ND

2008

Achabal

Jammu and Kashmir

ND

1988

Kanji Wildlife Sanctuary

Jammu and Kashmir

250

1987

Lachipora

Jammu and Kashmir

800

1987

Overa-Aru

Jammu and Kashmir

425

1987

Gulmarg

Jammu and Kashmir

186

1987

Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary

Jammu and Kashmir

341

1987

Limber

Jammu and Kashmir

26

1987

Baltal

Jammu and Kashmir

1987

Changtang Wildlife Sanctuary

Jammu and Kashmir

4000

1981

Surinsar-Mansar

Jammu and Kashmir

39.58

1981

Nandini

Jammu and Kashmir

33.72

1981

Ramnagar

Jammu and Kashmir

12.9

ND

Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary

Jammu and Kashmir

1800

ND

Tongri

Jammu and Kashmir

20

ND

Hokarsar

Jammu and Kashmir

10

1990

Palkot Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

182.83

1985

Koderma Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

177.95

1984

Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

49.33

1978

Lawalong Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

211.03

1978

Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

12.82

1978

Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary

Jharkhand

5.65

1977

Gautam Budha Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

121.14

1977

Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

186.25

1976

Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

193.22

1976

Mahuadand Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

63.26

1976

Palamau Wildlife Sanctuary

Jharkhand

752.94

2011

Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

190.42

1987

Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

539.58

1987

Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

510.51

1987

Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

834.16

1987

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

102.59

1987

Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

105

1985

Arabithittu Wildlife Sanctuary[8]

Karnataka

13.5

Karnataka

0.88

Sanctuary[9]

1985

Adichunchanagiri Wildlife

1974

Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

247

1974

Melkote Temple

Karnataka

49.82

1974

Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

30.32

1974

Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary

Karnataka

29.78

1974

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

492.46

1974

Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

181.29

1974

Melukote Temple Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

45.82

1974

Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary

Karnataka

119

1974

Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

395.6

Page62

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1974

Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

88.4

1972

Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Karnataka

413.23

1940

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Karnataka

0.67

ND

Gudavi Bird Sanctuary

Karnataka

0.74

ND

Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary

Karnataka

0.005

2010

Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary[10]

Kerala

74.21

1984

Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary

Kerala

105

1984

Shenduruny

Kerala

100.32

1984

Chinnar

Kerala

90.44

1984

Aralam

Kerala

55

1983

Peppara

Kerala

53

1983

Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary

Kerala

25

1976

Idukki

Kerala

77

1973

Waynad

Kerala

344.44

1973

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary

Kerala

285

1958

Neyyar

Kerala

128

1958

Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary

Kerala

125

1950

Periyar National Park

Kerala

472

ND

Kumarakom

Kerala

ND

1983

Phen Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

110.24

1983

Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

245.84

1983

Sardarpur Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

348.12

1981

Ghatigaon Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

512

1981

Karera Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

202.21

1981

Ken Ghariyal Sanctuary[11]

Madhya Pradesh

45

1981

Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

344.68

Madhya Pradesh

41.8

Sanctuary[12]

1981

Son Ghariyal

1978

Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

478.9

1978

National Chambal Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

320

1977

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

518.25

1977

Pachmarhi Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

461.85

1976

Ratapani Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh

688.79

1976

Singhori Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

287.91

1975

Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

1034.52

1975

Snajay-Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

364.69

1974

Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

368.62

1974

Narsinghgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

57.19

1955

Kheoni Sanctuary

Madhya Pradesh

134.778

1988

Katepurna

Maharashtra

73.69

1987

Malvan Marine

Maharashtra

29.12

1986

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project

Maharashtra

625.4

1986

Kalsubai Harishchandra

Maharashtra

361.71

1986

Jaikwadi

Maharashtra

341.05

1986

Painganga

Maharashtra

324.62

1986

Gautala Autramghat Sanctuary

Maharashtra

260.61

1986

Chaprala

Maharashtra

134.78

1986

Nandpur Madmeshwar

Maharashtra

100.12

1986

Aner Dam

Maharashtra

82.94

Page63

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1986

Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary

Maharashtra

69.79

1985

Melghat

Maharashtra

597.23

1985

Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary

Maharashtra

423.55

1985

Chandoli National Park

Maharashtra

308.97

1985

Bhimashankar

Maharashtra

130.78

1985

Sagershwar

Maharashtra

10.87

1979

Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary

Maharashtra

8496.44

1970

Nagzira

Maharashtra

152.81

1970

Bor

Maharashtra

61.1

1970

Tansa

Maharashtra

30.41

1969

Yawal

Maharashtra

177.52

1958

Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary

Maharashtra

371.88

ND

Dhakna Kolkaz

Maharashtra

ND

ND

Gandhari

Maharashtra

ND

Maharashtra

22.37

Ghat[13]

ND

Yedshi Ramling

ND

Wainganga

Maharashtra

ND

1989

Yagoupokpi Lokchao

Manipur

184.8

1981

Nongkhyllem

Meghalaya

29

ND

Bhagmara

Meghalaya

ND

ND

Siju

Meghalaya

ND

1991

Khawnglung

Mizoram

41

1991

Ngengpui

Mizoram

150

1985

Dampa Tiger Reserve

Mizoram

550

1975

Intanki

Nagaland

202.02

ND

Fakim

Nagaland

ND

ND

Pulebatze

Nagaland

ND

1992

Karlapat

Odisha

147.66

1988

Badrama Sanctuary

Odisha

304.03

1987

Chilika Bird Sanctuary

Odisha

1100

1987

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary

Odisha

1100

1986

Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha

600

1985

Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha

346.91

1985

Lakhari Valley

Odisha

185.87

1984

Balukhand Konark

Odisha

71.72

1984

Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary[14]

Odisha

300

1982

Chandaka Dampara

Odisha

175.79

1982

Khalasuni

Odisha

116

1981

Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha

168.35

1981

Kotgarh

Odisha

399.05

1979

Simlipal National Park

Odisha

845.7

1978

Hadgarh

Odisha

191.06

1976

Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary

Odisha

795.52

1975

Bhitarkanika

Odisha

70

1962

Ushakothi

Odisha

ND

1982

Harike Lake

Punjab

43

1975

Abohar

Punjab

188.24

ND

Bir Motibagh

Punjab

ND

ND

Bir Bunnerheri

Punjab

ND

Page64

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

ND

Bir Gurdialpura

Punjab

ND

1985

Baretha

Rajasthan

192.76

1984

Sawai Mansingh

Rajasthan

103.25

1983

Bhensrodgarh

Rajasthan

229.14

1983

Chambal

Rajasthan

280

1983

Keladevi Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

676

1983

Phulwari Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

511.41

1983

Shergarh

Rajasthan

98.71

1983

Todgarh Rawali Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

495.27

1982

Jamwa Ramgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

300

1982

Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

307

1980

Jawahar Sagar

Rajasthan

100

1980

Nahargarh

Rajasthan

50

1979

Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

422.94

1971

Kumbhalgarh

Rajasthan

578.26

1960

Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

288.84

1956

Jaisamand

Rajasthan

52

1955

Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary[15]

Rajasthan

ND

1955

Jaswant Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

ND

1955

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Rajasthan

866

1955

Van Vihar

Rajasthan

59.93

ND

Bassi

Rajasthan

ND

ND

Garhial

Rajasthan

ND

ND

Sundha Mata

Rajasthan

107

ND

Tal Chhapar Sanctuary

Rajasthan

ND

1987

Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary

Sikkim

35.34

1984

Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary

Sikkim

51.76

1984

Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary

Sikkim

51.76

1984

Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary

Sikkim

51.76

1984

Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary

Sikkim

32.5

1977

Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary

Sikkim

ND

2008

Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary

Tamil Nadu

1411.6

1989

Shenbagathoppu Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary

Tamil Nadu

480

1988

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Tamil Nadu

895

1967

Point Calimere

Tamil Nadu

17.26

1940

Mudumalai National Park

Tamil Nadu

321.55

1936

Vedantangal

Tamil Nadu

0.3

ND

Kalakkadu

Tamil Nadu

223.58

ND

Karikili

Tamil Nadu

ND

ND

Mukkurthi

Tamil Nadu

78.46

ND

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary

Tamil Nadu

153.67

ND

Vallanadu

Tamil Nadu

16.41

ND

Vettangudi

Tamil Nadu

ND

1980

Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

136.02

1978

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

Telangana

3568

1978

Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

20

1978

Shivaram Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

36.29

1977

Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

655.41

Page65

Year

Name

State

Area (km)

1965

Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

893

1953

Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

803

1952

Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

879.3

1952

Pocharam Forest & Wildlife Sanctuary

Telangana

130

1988

Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary[16]

Tripura

389.54

1987

Sepahijala

Tripura

18.53

1987

Trishna

Tripura

170.56

ND

Charilam

Tripura

ND

1990

Sandi Bird Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

3.09

1989

Okhla Bird Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

4.00

1987

Sohagi Barwa Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

428.2

1986

Hastinapur Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

2073

1982

Kaimoor Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

500.75

1979

National Chambal Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

635

1977

Ranipur Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

230.31

1976

Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

400

1972

Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

227.12

1957

Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary

Uttar Pradesh

78

ND

Asan Bradge Bird Watching

Uttar Pradesh

ND

ND

Chilla

Uttar Pradesh

ND

ND

Mahavir Swamy

Uttar Pradesh

ND

ND

Nawabganj

Uttar Pradesh

ND

ND

Samaspur

Uttar Pradesh

ND

2015

Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve

Uttarakhand

599.93

1988

Binsar

Uttarakhand

45.59

1986

Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary

Uttarakhand

599.93

1972

Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary

Uttarakhand

975.24

1954

Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary

Uttarakhand

481.04

1987

Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary

Uttarakhand[17]

301.18

1998

Chapramari

West Bengal

ND

1986

Buxa Tiger Reserve

West Bengal

251.89

1985

Raiganj

West Bengal

ND

1980

Bethudahari

West Bengal

ND

1977

Ballabhpur

West Bengal

ND

1976

Singalila National Park

West Bengal

362.4

1976

Murti Wildlife

West Bengal

127.22

1976

Senchal

West Bengal

38.88

1976

Lothian Island

West Bengal

38

1976

Haliday Island

West Bengal

5.95

1964

Bibhutibhushan

West Bengal

ND

1959

Mahananda

West Bengal

159

1949

Gorumara

West Bengal

ND

ND

Jore Pokhri

West Bengal

ND

ND

Parnadhan

West Bengal

ND

ND

Ramnabagan

West Bengal

ND

List of national parks of India

Page66

National parks in India are IUCN category II protected areas. India's first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now
known as Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. By 1970, India only had five national parks. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection
Act and Project Tiger to safeguard the habitats of conservation reliant species. Further federal legislation strengthening protections for wildlife
was introduced in the 1980s. As of April 2012, there were 112 national parks. All national park lands then encompassed a total
39,919 km2(15,413 sq mi) , comprising 1.21% of India's total surface area.
A total of 166 national parks have been authorized. Plans are underway to establish the remaining scheduled parks. All of India's national parks
are listed below alongside their home state or territory, area and the date that they were established. See Protected areas of India for an
overview of all Indian protected.
Name

State

Established

Area(in km)

Campbell Bay National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1992

426.23

Galathea National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1992

110

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1983

281.50

Middle Button Island National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1987

0.64

Mount Harriet National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

North Button Island National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1979

144

Rani Jhansi Marine National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1996

256.14

Saddle Peak National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1979

32.55

South Button Island National Park

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Papikonda National Park

Andhra Pradesh

2008

1012.85

Sri Venkateswara National Park

Andhra Pradesh

1989

353

Mouling National Park

Arunachal Pradesh

1986

483

Namdapha National Park

Arunachal Pradesh

1974

1985.24

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

Assam

1999

340

Kaziranga National Park

Assam

1905

471.71

Indian
rhinoceros, UNESCO World
Heritage Site

Manas National Park

Assam

1990

500

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Nameri National Park

Assam

1978

137.07

Orang National Park

Assam

1999

78.81

Valmiki National Park

Bihar

1976

898.45

Indravati National Park

Chhattisgarh

1981

1258.37

Kanger Ghati National Park

Chhattisgarh

1982

200

Mollem National Park

Goa

1978

107

46.62

Notability

important bird area as

attributed by BirdLife
International, new species frog
named Rana CharlesDarwini

Dugong, Dolphin, Water Monitor

Lizard, Blue Whale

Wild Asian Buffalo, Tiger

Reserve, Hill Mynas

Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar

Gujarat

1976

34.08

hunting cheetahsBlackbuck
Lodge,the endangered Indian
Grey Wolf, the nocturnal Striped
Hyena, Indian Fox, Golden
Jackal, Jungle Cat and many
small mammals like hare, gerbil,
field mice, mongoose and
hedgehog

Gir Forest National Park

Gujarat

1965

258.71

Asiatic lion

Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch

Gujarat

1980

162.89

Vansda National Park

Gujarat

1979

23.99

Kalesar National Park

Haryana

2003

100.88

Sultanpur National Park

Haryana

1989

1.43

Pin Valley National Park

Himachal Pradesh

1987

807.36

Great Himalayan National Park

Himachal Pradesh,

1984

754.40

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Page67

Name

State

Established

Area(in km)

Notability

Dachigam National Park

Jammu and Kashmir

1981

141

Only area where Kashmir stag is

found[1]

Hemis National Park

Jammu and Kashmir

1981

4400

Kishtwar National Park

Jammu and Kashmir

1981

400

Salim Ali National Park

Jammu and Kashmir

Betla National Park

Jharkhand

1986

231.67

Hazaribagh National Park

Jharkhand

1954

183.89

9.07
Tiger, Sloth
Bear, Peacock, Elephant, Sambar
deer, mouse deer and other
animals.

Bandipur National Park

Karnataka

1974

874.20

chital, gray langurs, Indian giant

squirrel, Gaur, leopard, Sambar
deer,indian elephants, honey
buzzard, red-headed
vulture and other animals.

Bannerghatta National
Park (Bannerghatta Biological Park)

Karnataka

1974

106.27

White Tiger, Royal Bengal

Tiger, Bear, other animals

Kudremukh National Park

Karnataka

1987

600.32

Nagarhole National Park

Karnataka

1988

643.39

Eravikulam National Park

Kerala

1978

97

Mathikettan Shola National Park

Kerala

2003

12.82

Periyar National Park

Kerala

1982

305

Silent Valley National Park

Kerala

1980

237

Bandhavgarh National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1968

446

Kanha National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1955

940

Madhav National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1959

375.22

Mandla Plant Fossils National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1983

0.27

Panna National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1981

542.67

Pench National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1977

758

Sanjay National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1981

466.7

Satpura National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1981

524

Van Vihar National Park

Madhya Pradesh

1983

4.45

Chandoli National Park

Maharashtra

2004

317.67

Gugamal National Park

Maharashtra

1987

361.28

Navegaon National Park

Maharashtra

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Maharashtra

1969

104

Tadoba National Park

Maharashtra

1955

625

Keibul Lamjao National Park

Manipur

1977

40

Sirohi National Park

Manipur

1982

41.30

133.88

220

47.48

UNESCO World Biosphere

Reserve

Meghalaya

Nokrek National Park

Meghalaya

Murlen National Park

Mizoram

Phawngpui Blue Mountain National Park

Mizoram

1992

50

Ntangki National Park

Nagaland

1993

202.02

Odisha

2013

only floating park in the world

wild water buffalo, red panda,
elephant and eight cat species,
including the tiger and marbled
cat

Balphakram National Park

Bhitarkanika National Park

highest known Tiger population

in India, White Tiger, 1336
species of endemic plants

200

1988

145

Mangroves, Saltwater crocodile,

white crocodile, Indian python,
black ibis, wild pigs, rhesus
monkeys, chital and other

Name

State

Established

Area(in km)

Notability
animals

Nandankanan Zoological Park

Odisha

1960

4.006

Simlipal National Park

Odisha

1980

845.70

Harike Wetland

Punjab

1987

86

Darrah National Park

Rajasthan

2004

250

Desert National Park

Rajasthan

1980

3162

Keoladeo National Park

Rajasthan

1981

28.73

Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary

Rajasthan

1960

288.84

Ranthambore National Park

Rajasthan

1981

392

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Rajasthan

1955

866

Khangchendzonga National Park

Sikkim

1977

1784

Guindy National Park

Tamil Nadu

1976

2.82

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

Tamil Nadu

1980

6.23

Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and

National Park

Tamil Nadu

1989

117.10

Mudumalai National Park

Tamil Nadu

1940

321.55

Mukurthi National Park

Tamil Nadu

2001

78.46

Palani Hills National Park

Tamil Nadu

Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park

Telangana

1994

1.42

Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park

Telangana

1994

14.59

Mrugavani National Park

Telangana

Dudhwa National Park

Uttar Pradesh

1977

490.29

Gangotri National Park

Uttarakhand

1989

1552.73

Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary

Uttarakhand

1990

472.08

Jim Corbett National Park

Uttarakhand

1936

1318.5

Nanda Devi National Park

Uttarakhand

1982

630.33

Rajaji National Park

Uttarakhand

1983

820

Valley of Flowers National Park

Uttarakhand

1982

87.50

Buxa Tiger Reserve

West Bengal

1992

760

Gorumara National Park

West Bengal

1994

79.45

Jaldapara National Park

West Bengal

2012

216

Neora Valley National Park

West Bengal

1986

88

Singalila National Park

West Bengal

1986

78.60

Sundarbans National Park

West Bengal

1984

1330.12

Tiger, Leopard, Asian elephant,

Sambar, Barking deer, Gaur,
Jungle cat, Wild boar, and other
animals.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Nilgiri Tahr

736.87

9.1

UNESCO World Heritage Site

indian one horned rhinoceros

UNESCO World Heritage Site

PM Modi launched "Accessible India" Campaign

Page68

PM Modi Recently launched "Accessible India Campaign". Lets

know about it

Accessible India Campaign is also known as

'Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan'.

Persons with Disabilities (Equal

Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full

Participation) Act, 1995 under section 44, 45,

46 provides non - discrimination in Transport, non discrimination on theroad and non - discrimination in
built environment respectfully toPersons with
Disabilities (PwD).

The main motive of campaign is to

provide equal
opportunities andindependence to persons with
disabilities (Pwd) and provide them best platform
full in all aspects of life in an inclusive society.

The Department of Empowerment of Persons

with Disabilities and Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment has decided to Launch the"Accessible

India Campaign" (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) to

achieve universal accessibility for PwDs.

It is the vision of the Government to have an

inclusive society in which equal opportunities are also
provided to Person with Disabilities (PwD).

Accessibility Professionals and Experts are

working in this field for betterment of Persons with
Disabilities.

IAF and SMILE Funds Launched by Arun Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched two funds India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and SIDBI Make in India Loan for
Small Enterprises (SMILE). Lets know about it.

Page69

New funds IAF and SMILE launched by

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Arun Jaitley launched two funds by SIDBI

(Small Industries Development Bank of India), one for
providing funds to Start ups in India and Another to
aid small enterprises.

IAF is for Start ups and SMILE is for MSME.

SMILE was announced in union budget

in February.

Budget of Rs. 10,000 Crore has been kept by

government for SMILE to development of Micro,Small
and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.

The loan of Rs. 10,000 to SMILE will focus

on 25 sectors under government's 'Make in
India' program with emphasis on MSME.

The Indian Government as part of 'Make in

India' initiative has launchedRs. 2,000 Crore for India
Aspiration Fund (IAF) also.

Main aims of IAF are - To, catalyse tens of

thousands of crores of equity investment into start
ups and MSMEs, To create employment forlakhs of
person, mostly educated youth, over the next four to
five years, IAF would invest in venture capital
funds for meeting the equity requirement of MSME
start ups.

LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) will be co investor and partnerin the fund.

Daily GK Update - 21th August 2015

Minority
Ministry
Launches
Online
Application Management System (OAMS)
for "Nai Roshni"
i. Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister for
Minority Affairs Launched Online Application
Management System (OAMS) for Nai Roshni.
Speaking on the occasion she said the system
brings the scheme in to public domain and
will facilitate transparency and quick
delivery.

ii. The Ministry has developed an Online

Application Management System (OAMS) for
Nai Roshni scheme. The procedures involved
and benefits of the system include:

Submission of online application and

generation of an application ID with
date.

Online screening of applications.

Online receipt of documents.

No loss of documents due to postal or

human negligence.

Curtailment of procedural delays.

Minimized paper work.

Time saving.

The applicant can check the status of

their applications with their ID.

Online project approval, sanctions and

release of funds.

Online monitoring of projects.

Reports on trained women, location of

projects etc. available in public domain.
iii. The Ministry of Minority Affairs
implements Nai Roshni a scheme for
Leadership Development of Minority Women
since 2012-13, to empower and instill
confidence in women by providing
knowledge, tools and techniques for
interacting with Government systems, banks
and intermediaries at all levels.
iv. The scheme is implemented through Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil
Societies, Trust etc. The scheme provides one
week training programmes followed by
Handholding for one year. The training is
provided on various Training modules cover
issues relating to women viz. Leadership of
Women through participation in decision
making, Educational Programmes for women,
Health and Hygiene, Legal rights of women,
Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, Swachch
Bharat, Life Skills and Advocacy for Social
and Behavioural change.

Page70

Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Prime

Minister of Sri Lanka
i. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He was
administered the oath of office by President
Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential
Secretariat in Colombo.

ii. Wickremesinghe, a lawmaker since 1977,

had served the country as its Prime Minister

on three occasions. He held the post from

1993-94, 2002-2004 and since January
2015.
iii. Apart from this, immediately after the
swearing-in, the General Secretaries of the
two main parties in the country, the Sri Lanka
Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United
National Party (UNP) signed a Memorandum
of Understanding to work together in the
parliament
and
form
a
National
Government.
iv. Earlier on 18
August 2015,
Wickremesinghes United National Party won
106 seats, seven short of a majority in the
225-member parliament. This agreement
between the UNP and Sirisenas SLFP will
enable Wickremesighe to secure a majority
in Parliament.
Himachal Pradesh Government launched
RISHTA project
i. Himachal Pradesh Government on 20
August 2015 launched the Rajiv Gandhi
Illuminating
Scheme
for
Hill
Town
Advancement (RISHTA) project, an efficient
smart LED based street lighting project. With
this, Himachal Pradesh became the first state
in North India to do so.

ii. The scheme is also known as Centralized

Control and Monitoring System (CCMS)
Smart Street Lighting Scheme for Urban
Local bodies which implements LED based
street lighting project. This project is being
implemented by collaboration of state Urban
Development Department and EESL.
iii. EESL (Energy Efficient Services Limited) is
a joint venture company formed by four
power sectors i.e. National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation
of India (PGCIL), Power Finance Corporation
Ltd. (PFC) and Rural Electrification
Corporation (REC).
iv. For this project, EESL will invest all the
capital upfront for implementation of Project.
Municipalities will pay back this investment to
EESL over a period of 7 years from energy
and cost savings that will accrue as a result
of installation of energy efficient LED lights.
v. In this project, a total of 63484 street
lights will be replaced with LEDs in all the
Urban Local Bodies to achieve 45 to 55
percent energy savings. The total savings
within a year in terms of operation and
maintenance will be 6.5 crore rupees.
Government launched education loan
portal for students seeking loans
i. On 20 August 2015, Government launched
a web-based portal www.vidyalakshmi.co.in
for the students seeking educational loans. In
order to ensure that no student misses out on
higher education due to lack of funds,
finance minister in the Union Budget for
2015-16 had proposed to set a fully ITbased Student Financial Aid Authority.

ii. In line with this proposal this portal was

launched with an aim to administer and
monitor scholarship as well as educational
loan schemes under the Pradhan Mantri
Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram (PMVLK). The
launch of this portal also aims to bring all
banks providing educational loans under one
roof.
iii. The portal has been developed and
maintained
by
NSDL
e-Governance
Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) under
the guidance of Ministry of Finance,
Department of Higher Education, Ministry of
Human Resource Development and Indian
Banks Association (IBA).
iv. It is a first of its kind portal that provides
access to information and makes application
for educational loans provided by banks and
also government scholarships under a single
window.
v. The portal also has a provision to apply to
multiple banks for educational loans and
facility for banks to download students loan
applications among others.
Narendra Modi-Barack Obama hotline
becomes operational
i. The hotlines or secure lines of
communication between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and US President Barack
Obama and their national security advisers
have recently become operational, though it
has not been put to use during its short
lifespan so far.

ii. This is a secure line between two very very

close partners so that they can exchange
views at the heads of state level...exchange
views and co-ordinate approaches to solving
real problems, said the top White House
official.
iii. With this India becomes only the fourth
country- after Russia, Great Britain and
China - with which the US has a hotline. For
India this is the first hotline at the level of
head of state.
iv. The establishment of hotline or secure line
of communication between leaders of the
two largest democracies of the world is part
of efforts of Obama and Modi to increase
the frequency of level of communication and
frequent discussion between them on key
bilateral, regional and global issues.
YouTube announces partnership with
Whistling Woods to set up YouTube
Space in Mumbai
i. Video sharing portal YouTube has
announced to set up a new YouTube Space
in Mumbai with Asias largest and most
renowned film schools the Whistling Woods
International (WWI). The YouTube Space at
WWI will provide production facility for

YouTube video creators as well as the

students of WWI where they can learn video
production.

ii. This facility at WWI will be set up at

Filmcity which is a major film and television
production hub in Mumbai and is expected to
open at end of the year. You Tube had
launched first You Tube Space in 2012 the
facility at Mumbai is the seventh other six
are in Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, New
York, Brazil, and recently launched in Berlin.
iii. At Mumbai facility the video creators can
produce original digital video content right
from the start of an idea through to filming,
editing, and uploading to YouTube with the
help cutting edge audio, visual, and editing
equipments at the WWI. Both WWI and
YouTube at this facility will also develop
original courses to train the next generation

of Indian filmmakers to succeed in digital

and online media.
iv. To facilitate You Tube operations WWI
has include content creation, audience
development and monetisation in its degree
and diploma programs. This new facility at
WWI is set up by You Tube with an idea to
support the incredible wave of creative
Indian YouTube creator community.
Rajasthan Govt Join Hands With Future
Group To Mordernise Public Distribution
System
i. The Rajasthan government on Thursday
entered into an agreement with Future
Consumer Enterprise Ltd. (FCEL) to modernise
the public distribution system (PDS) by
providing multi-brand consumer goods at
competitive prices to public through fair price
shops.
ii. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje launched
the initiative, Annapurna Bhandar Yojna, a
public private partnership (PPP) scheme

touted as the first of its kind in the country

after Rajasthan State Food and Civil
Supplies Corporation and FCEL signed an
agreement at the chief ministers office here.
iii. Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said:
We are committed to take the benefits of
modern retail through the fair prices shops to
the common people of Rajasthan.
iv. Annapurna Bhandar Yojna would
strengthen governments effort in bringing
about a positive change and bettering the
daily lives of the people of Rajasthan, Raje
said in a statement, adding she hoped that
this would become Indias biggest
entrepreneurship drive with 5,000 FPS
dealers turning into entrepreneurs.

Daily GK Update - 22th August 2015

1. Government Issues Norms for Selection
of CEOs and MDs of Smaller PSU Banks
i. After the irk raised due to appointment of
two private sector bankers to head Bank of
Baroda and Canara Bank the government
has issued norms for selection of MDs and
CEOs in Mid and Small Public Sector Banks
(PSBs) on 20 August 2015.
ii. After the irk raised due to appointment of
two private sector bankers to head Bank of
Baroda
and
Canara
Bank
the
government has issued norms for selection of
MDs and CEOs in Mid and Small Public
Sector Banks (PSBs) on 20 August 2015.

Page71

iii. The top post in the PSBs would be filled

from the existing pool of executive directors
(EDs) or deputy managing directors (DMDs)
in state-owned banks with a remaining
service period of 2 years. Henceforth the
private sector executives would not be the
part of the selection process of top
management in the public sector banking
space.
iv. The section will be done by the interaction
of the candidates with three panels of the
sub-committee of the Appointments Board,
where the candidates will be rated out of
100 marks.
v. 50 marks to be awarded for Annual
Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of
five years and 50 marks assigned on the
basis of performance during interaction with
the sub-committee.
2. Union Government to sell 10 per cent
stake in IOC
i. Union government has announced to sell 10
per cent stake in state owned Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC). This disinvestment drive
on the stock market through an offer for sale
(OFS) will fetch Union Government about
9,500 crore rupees to the exchequer. The 10
per cent stake in IOC comprises 24.27 crore
shares.

percent results in urban areas and 90

percent results in rural areas in plus-two
board examinations.
ii. Presently, Union government holds around
68.57 per cent shares in IOC which is the
biggest oil refining and marketing company
in the country.
iii. Stake sale of IOC will mark the fourth
round of disinvestment drive of Union
Government in year 2015.
iv. Other three rounds of disinvestment are
being in carried in Power Finance
Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification
Corporation
(REC)
and
Dredging
Corporation of India (DCI). So far from these
disinvestment drives government has earned
around 3,300 crore rupees.
3. Puducherry CM N Rangasamy launched
Free Laptop Scheme
i. Puducherry Chief Minister (CM) N
Rangasamy on 21 August 2015 launched the
much awaited Free Laptop Scheme. The
scheme envisages to provide free laptops to
all students who have passed Plus Two from
Government Higher Secondary Schools in the
last two academic years that is 2013-14 and
2014-15.

ii. The state will give free laptops to 11

thousand odd students by incurring an
expense of 20 Crore rupees. While
launching the scheme, Rangasamy gave
away laptops to 180 students who topped in
Plus Two Examinations in their respective
schools.
iii. The scheme was launched on the occasion
of Student's Day in Puducherry. During the
launching ceremony, Rangasamy also
distributed 5000 rupees each to 10 students
who excelled in the National Talent Search
Examination.
iv. The cash award was also given to
government schools which achieved 100

4. Uber Cabs tied-up with Bharti Airtel to

set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs
i. Bharti Airtel Limited on 21 August 2015
tied-up with the Uber Cabs, allowing Uber
riders to pay using Airtels mobile wallet
service Airtel Money. With this partnership,
Uber will set up WiFi hotspots in each of its
cabs. Uber will pay Airtel for the bandwidth
consumed.

ii. As part of this partnership, Uber riders

across India can now pay for their trips using
Airtel's mobile wallet service Airtel Money.
Mumbai will be the first city in India to enjoy
free high-speed internet from Uber,
powered by Airtel 4G. The service will soon
be rolled out for Uber riders pan-India.
iii. Under the terms, Bharti Airtel will offer its
4G MiFi (mobile WiFi) devices to Uber
vehicles, while drivers will get subsidised
mobile devices and data plans. While, Uber
will offer discounts to Airtel customers,
including 500 rupees off on their first ride
using Airtel Money.
iv. Uber has its operations in more than 60
countries and about 330 cities, of which 18
are in India. The company had launched
operations in India less than two years ago
and now has about 150000 driver partners.
5. Far left splits from Tsipras as Greece
heads to poll
i. Rebels opposed to Greeces international
bailout walked out of the leftist Syriza party
on Friday, formalising a split after its leader
Alexis Tsipras resigned as prime minister and
paved the way for early elections.

ii. Tsipras is hoping to strengthen his hold on

power in a snap election after seven months
in office in which he fought Greeces
creditors for a better bailout deal but had to
cave in and accept more onerous terms.
iii. One day after money began flowing
from Greeces third bailout programme, a
much-needed period of political and
economic certainty remained as elusive as
ever, drawing concerned calls from the Euro
Zone that Athens must stick to commitments
given under the rescue deal.
iv. The walk-out may allow Tsipras to move
Syriza a little closer to the political centre
and broaden his appeal among voters, which
remains strong despite Greeces near-brush
with financial collapse under his premiership.
6. Government frames policy for emarketing of handloom products
i. Government today said it has established
a policy framework to promote e-marketing
of handloom products through approved ecommerce entities, aiming to popularize the
"India Handloom" brand and boost sales of
handloom products.

ii. Under the policy framework, application

of any e-commerce entity interested in online
marketing of handloom products will be
processed by a within three weeks time by a
panel.

iii. Any e-commerce entity willing to work for

promotion of online marketing of handloom
products in collaboration with the Office of
DC (Handlooms) may apply for the same.
The application will be scrutinized by a
specially constituted Committee.
iv. An e-commerce entity approved by the
Office would be required to make priority
display of handloom products on its home
page, leading to an exclusive section for
certified/branded
handloom
products
carrying either 'India Handloom' brand or
Handloom mark.

i. It was double delight for Saina Nehwal on

Thursday. The World Championships silver
medallist regained the No. 1 rank - surging
2,180 points ahead of Carolina Marin and
also struck a landmark deal with
management company IOS Sports &
Entertainment.
ii. Saina's deal is worth Rs 25 crore over two
years. IOS also manages top sportspersons
like Suresh Raina, MC Mary Kom, Sushil
Kumar and Vijender Singh.
iii. The shuttler was also excited to be back
on the top of the world rankings. She secured
the No. 1 rank for the first time on April 2
but remained there only for five weeks.
However, this time round, the Indian will
enjoy a longer reign. With 82,792 points,
Saina is 2,180 points ahead of world
champion Carolina Marin. Third placed Tzu
Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei is over 12,000
points behind the Indian.

7. Back as world No. 1, Saina Nehwal

signs Rs 25 crore deal

Daily GK Update - 23th August 2015

R Gandhi committee of RBI recommends
conversion of UCBs into regular banks
i. A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee
has recommended conversion of Urban
Cooperative Banks (UCBs) with business size
of 20,000 crore rupees or more into regular
banks.
ii. This recommendation was given by the
High Powered Committee on UCBs headed
by RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi in its
report.

Page72

Recommendations

Conversion of UCBs will not be

compulsory for large UCBs and they
can continue the way they operate
currently in terms of asset size and
balance sheet.

Large UCBs can convert themselves into

commercial banks in order to minimise
the systemic risk.

For conversion, smaller UCBs with

business size of less than 20,000 crore
rupees who are willing to convert to
Small Finance Banks can apply to the
RBI.

Licenses for conversion to operate as

UCBs will be issued to well-managed
and financially sound cooperative credit
societies having a minimum track record
of 5-years.

With the conversion, UCBs will be

allowed to grow and proliferate further
to meet the objective of financial
inclusion.
A P Shah Committee recommends MAT
relief to FIIs

i. Union
Finance
Ministry
appointed
committee chaired by retired SC judge A P
Shah has recommended that Minimum
Alternate Tax (MAT) should not be imposed
on FIIs retrospectively for the period
preceding 1st April 2015.
ii. This recommendation is considered as a
big relief to FIIs as government had
exempted them from MAT starting April 1,
2015 in the Union Budget for 2015-16 but
had not made the clarification retrospective
imposition.
iii. In its report committee has mention that
there is no legal basis for levying 20 per
cent MAT on past capital gains of FIIs.
Background
a. Union Finance Ministry had appointed this
3 member Committee on the issue of levying
MAT on capital gains made by FIIs
retrospectively.
b. Members of Committee:

A P Shah (Chairman),

Dr. Girish Ahuja

Dr. Ashok Lahiri.

c. The committee was constituted after the
tax department had sent legal notices to 68
FIIs demanding around six hundred crore
rupees as MAT dues of previous years. This
had raked up a MAT controversy within FIIs
and they had moved to court challenging this
tax imposition.
Eminent Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist NR
Varhadpande passed away
i. Varhadpande was famously known for his
book titled Aryan Invasion: A Myth that
exposes fallacy of Aryan invasion and is
considered as one of the most profound
works in changing the course of ancient
Indian history.
ii. An ardent student of Psychology,
Varhadpande worked as the Chief
Psychologist with the Ministry of Defence and

was instrumental in devising various

Psychological tests for the armed forces
personnel.

Noted academician Amitabh Mattoo

appointed as Advisor to J&K CM Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed
i. Noted academician and former ViceChancellor of the Jammu University Amitabh
Mattoo was on 21 August 2015 appointed
as Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed. Mattoo will have the status of a
Cabinet Minister.
ii. Born in Srinagar, Mattoo has been the
Chief Executive Officer and inaugural
Director of the Australia India Institute and
Professor of International Relations at the
University of Melbourne in Australia.
Golfer Aditi Ashok first Indian to win
Ladies
British
amateur
stroke-play
Championship

i. Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok won the

prestigious Ladies British amateur stroke-play
Championship 2015 at Leeds, United
Kingdom.
ii. With this victory she became first woman
and youngest player from India to win this
Championship.
iii. In her wining game, Aditi shot a four-day
total of 11-under 285 (comprising 71, 73,
70, 71) at the par 74 at the Moortown Golf
Club, Leeds.

iv. The 17-year-old Bengaluru based golfer

earlier had won the prestigious St. Rule
Trophy in July 2015. She also had finished
second in the 2015 European Womens
Amateur Championship. She also had
claimed the overall title called The Nicholls
Trophy and Dinwiddy Trophy which are
given for the under-18 golfer with lowest
score.

Former Australian Cricketer Arthur Morris

passes
away
i. Former Australian Cricketer Arthur Morris
passed away. He was aged 93.
ii. He was an opener and is regarded as one
of Australias greatest left-handed batsmen.
Morris is best known as member of Don
Bradmans 1948 Invincibles team which
made an undefeated tour of England.
iii. He had retired from international cricket
at
the
age
of
33.

iv. Morris was the first Australian batsman to

score centuries in both innings of his first-class
debut at the age of 18 years. He was born
in Sydney on 19 January 1922.

Daily GK Update - 24th August 2015

1. Bandhan Financial Services started
operations as Scheduled Commercial Bank
i. Bandhan Financial Services, a Micro
Financial Institution (MFI), on 23 August 2015
started operations as a Scheduled
Commercial Bank (SCB). Henceforth it will be
called as Bandhan Bank. The banking
services were inaugurated by the Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Kolkata.
ii. With this, Bandhan became the first micro
finance company in the country to start
operations as a full-fledged commercial
bank. It is also the first commercial bank from
Eastern India to get RBI clearance since
independence.

iii. Bandhan along with IDFC (Infrastructure

Development Finance Company) were
granted banking licenses in 2014 by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The move was
aimed at deepening financial services reach
in the country by utilizing the services of the
existing players in the market.
iv. Bandhan started as a Non Banking
Finance Company in 2001 and focused on
the lower strata of the especially
unorganized sector workers. On the
inaugural day, the bank started operations
with 501 branches in 24 states across the
country with 1.43 crore accounts. Chandra
Sekhar Ghosh, the Managing Director and
Founder of the Bank.

Page73

2. DJB commissioned 1st ever Hydropower plant at Chilla

i. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on 23 August 2015

commissioned the first ever Hydro-power
plant in the city. The power plant set up at
Chilla area of east Delhi will be run through
the Hydraulic Turbine propelled by treated
effluents coming out of a Sewerage
Treatment Plant.
ii. An official release said that the treated
effluents will fall through the height of 4.8m
and create pressure and velocity that will
propel rotation of the turbine thereby
generating power. It is a Pilot Project which
has been set up free of cost and will produce
20000 KWH of electricity per year.
iii. The release also termed the technology as
pollution free, as no fossil fuel is being used
in the generation of the power.

3. UNFCCC, MSSRF to work for

conservation of coastal resources of
Andhra Pradesh

i. United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Chennaibased MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
(MSSRF) in third week of August 2015
agreed to work together for the conservation
of coastal resources in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. The UNFCCC has sanctioned 3.8 crore
rupees for the potential adaptation strategy
of MSSRF in Krishna district through an
adaptation fund.
iii. The objective of the adaptation initiative
is to overcome the consequences of sea level
rise and seawater inundation following
cyclones.

Restoration of the Sorlagondi mangrove

forest covers in Krishna district.

A roadmap to improve the mangrove

forest cover in 200 acres and fish
cultivation in around 50 acres of
mangrove forest has been prepared,
and it will be executed by the end
August 2015.

The abandoned land will be brought

under fish cultivation, while landless
families will be involved in cage
cultivation in three villages-Sorlagondi
and Nali in Nagayalanka mandal and
Basavanipalem in Koduru mandal.

Cage cultivation would be encouraged

in brackish water by setting up as many
as 10 cages in the three villages
adopted by Swaminathan Research
Foundation.
iv. The UNFCCC will release the adaptation
fund through the National Bank for
Agriculture
and
Rural
Development
(NABARD).
4. Syrian woman Journalist Zaina Erhaim
wins 2015 Peter Mackler Award
i. A Syria-based woman journalist Zaina
Erhaim has won the prestigious 2015 Peter
Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical
Journalism.

ii. She was bestowed with this award for her

efforts to train citizen reporters in her warravaged country. She has trained about 100
citizen reporters (third of them are women)
from inside Syria over the last two years.
She also has helped in establishing new,
independent newspapers and magazines in
the war-torn country.
iii. Presently, Erhaim lives and works in
Aleppo, Syria and will be presented with this
award at a ceremony to be held at the
National Press Club in Washington in late
October 2015. It should be noted that since
2011, the media rights group has listed
Syria as the deadliest country for journalists.
iv. The award has been named in the
memory of late Agence France-Presse (AFP)
journalist Peter Mackler. It was instituted in
2008 to honour the memory of Mackler, who
had died of a heart attack in the same year
at the age of 58.
5. India has forex reserves to stabilise
currency volatility: RBI
i. As the rupee hit a new low and the stock
market took a tumble, Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan said on
Monday that India has sufficient foreign
exchange reserves to prevent volatility in the
currency market.

ii. India has foreign exchange reserves of

around $380 billion and these would be
used if needed to subdue the volatility in the
currency market, he said on the sidelines of a
banking conference here.
iii. Speaking at the conference, Rajan
referred to his earlier comments that the
central bank was not a cheerleader for the
economy and said it was not for the RBI to
lift sentiments unduly to deliver booster shots
to the stock markets.
iv. According to Rajan, companies in some
sectors were in real distress and some could
survive with government help while others
were unviable, for which too much help to
unviable firms could also cause distress to
spread to healthy firms.
6. Amol Palekar appointed chairman of
Indias Oscar jury

i. Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar has

been appointed as chairman of Indias Oscar
jury, which will select the countrys official
entry in the best foreign film category of the
88th
Academy
Awards.
ii. The Gol Maal star, 70, whose film
Paheli was Indias official entry for the
Academy Awards in 2005, will be heading
the 17-member jury.

iii. An elated Palekar said the process of

selecting the film to represent India at Oscars
2016 is yet to begin. I am happy that I
have been appointed as the chairman of
Indias Oscar jury. We havent decided on
any criteria for selecting a film for Oscars.
iv. Last year, Liars Dice, a road drama
starring Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin
Siddiqui in lead roles, was selected as Indias
official entry to the best foreign film
category after beating Shahid, Queen,
Mardaani, Marathi films Yellow and
Fandry and Bengali films Jatishwar and
Apur Panchali.
7. Serena Williams won Cincinnati Masters
Womens Singles title for second time and
Roger Federer won Cincinnati Masters
Mens Singles tennis title for record seventh
time
i. World number one ranking Serena
Williams on 23 August 2015 won the
Cincinnati Masters Womens Singles title by
defeating the third seeded Simona Halep of
Romania.
ii. Roger Federer of Switzerland on 23
August 2015 won the Cincinnati Masters

Mens Singles title by defeating Novak

Djokovic of Serbia. The final match was held
at Cincinnati in Ohio State of the USA.

iii. In the Womens category, the title is

considered only next to the four Grand slam
titles.
iv. He won in all his appearances in the finals
held in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012,
2014 and 2015 out of which he defeated
Djokovic in 2009 and 2012. For Djokovic, it
is the fifth appearance in the finals and so
far he did not win a single title.
v. With Serena Williams and Roger Federer
of Switzerland winning, it was the first time
both the men and women champions have
successfully defended their titles since Bobby
Riggs and Virginia Hollinger in 1937 and
1938.
8. Usain Bolt wins world 100m title at
World Athletics Championships
i. Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt has won world
100 metre title in the World Athletics
Championships held in Beijing, China. With
this victory he retained his 100 metre title
which was won earlier in 2009.

ii. In the blue riband event, Bolt ran a

seasons best of 9.79 seconds winning gold
medal. While Justin Gatlin of United States
finished at the second spot in 9.80sec, taking
silver medal.

iii. Usain Bolt is regarded as the fastest

person in the world. He is the first athlete to
hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres
world records. He is Olympic gold medallist
and has won medal in 2008 Beijing and
2012 London Olympic games in 100 metres.
iv. He is also the first to achieve a double
double by winning 100 m and 200 m titles
at consecutive Olympics (2008 and 2012).
9. Pro Kabaddi League 2015: U Mumba
crowned champions after thrilling win over
Bengaluru Bulls in final
i. U Mumba overcame a fighting Bengaluru
Bulls 36-30 in a thrilling summit clash to lift
the second Star Sports Pro Kabaddi crown at
a packed NSCI Stadium in Mumbai on
Sunday. Starting the game as slight
favourites, the Mumbai outfit had to stretch
every sinew to get the better of their rivals
from Bengaluru who fought tooth and nail
but fell short at the end.
ii. U Mumba came up with some magical
play when the occasion demanded,
especially in the closing stages of both
sessions, to run out victors and take home the
top prize of Rs one crore. The Bulls got Rs 50
lakh.
iii. In the final match, U Mumba were held in
check by the Bulls determined defence for
the first 15 minutes of the opening half
before they took control in both attack and
tackling to take a 16-8 lead.
iv. In attack, Titans were led by Rahul
Chaudhari (10 raid points, including nine
touch points) and K Prashant Rai with six
points that included five touch points while
all-rounder Deepak Hudda secured five
points in offence and defense combined.

Daily GK Update - 25th August 2015

Page74

1. NITI Aayog decided to set up expert

group to draft Model Land Leasing Law
i. NITI Aayog on 24 August 2015 decided to
set up an experts committee to prepare a
model land leasing law, which can be
adopted by states as per their local needs.
ii. The decision on the matter was taken at a
meeting of Chief Secretaries and Principal
Secretaries of Revenue and Land, which was
chaired by Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog
Arvind Panagariya.
iii. The representatives of the states
generally agreed that land leasing,
updating of land records and land titling
would be win-win steps for all affected
parties and expressed keen interest in
making progress on them in the months to
come.

iv. It was agreed that the NITI Aayog ViceChairperson will appoint a committee of
experts to prepare a model land leasing law
that the states can adopt to suit their local
needs.
v. The NITI Aayog in consultation with the
Department of Land Resources will assist the
interested states in moving forward with
updating and digitising land records in
accordance with the best practices. Land

related issues such as land leasing, updating

and digitisation of land records and land
titling are important state issues in need of a
fresh look and possible actions by the states.
2. Govt, Apollo Hospitals partner to launch
new health service
i. The Government on Tuesday launched a
health service called SEHAT (Social
Endeavour for Health And Telemedicine)
along with Apollo Hospitals, which will
connect 60,000 Common Service Centres
(CSCs) across the country to a common
network.

ii. This will provide healthcare access to

millions
of
citizens
irrespective
of
geographical location or connectivity through
the CSCs. The Minister for Communications
and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad, who
inaugurated the service, said quality and
affordable healthcare is one of the
emerging needs of citizens in rural areas.
iii. CSC SPV and Apollo have come together
to address this issue and design a workable
solution. CSC has been delivering teleconsultation services with support from Apollo
and Medanta in some areas and now with

this initiative the tele-consultation services are

being extended to 60,000 CSCs across the
country.
iv. CSCs will also provide diagnostic services
and promote sale of generic drugs through
collaboration with the Ministry of Health by
setting up of the Jan Aasudhi Stores.
v. Through our Prime Ministers Digital India
initiative more Indians shall get access to eservices and we are delighted to be a
partner with the GoI in this path-breaking
endeavour to link SEHAT to 60,000 CSCs.
3. Union Government released Postal
stamp on Ashoka

i. Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar

Prasad on 24 August 2015 released a
commemorative postal stamp on emperor
Ashoka. The postal stamp of 5 rupees will be
available for sale in the post offices.
ii. Prasad announced to release the postal
stamp during a Bharatiya Janata Party
function to celebrate the birth anniversary of
Ashoka.
iii. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka
reigned over a realm that stretched from the

Hindu Kush Mountains in the west to Bengal in

the East and covered the entire Indian
subcontinent except parts of present-day
Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
iv. The empire's capital was Pataliputra (in
Magadha,
present-day
Bihar),
with
provincial capitals at Taxila and Ujjain.
4. Justice M L Tahaliyani sworn in as
Lokayukta of Maharashtra
i. Justice Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani
has sworn-in as the new Lokayukta of
Maharashtra. He was administered the oath
of office by the Governor Vidyasagar Rao
at the oath taking ceremony held in Raj
Bhavan in Mumbai.

ii. Justice Tahaliyani will succeed Justice PB

Gaikwad whose term as Lokayukta had
ended on July 2014. He is a retired judge
of the Bombay High Court.
iii. Justice Tahaliyani was born on 23
December, 1953 at Sardar Shahar in
Rajasthan. He was often called a green
judge due to his passion for nature. He had
started his legal practising career Gondia
and Chandrapur in Maharashtra after
obtaining law degree from Nagpur in 1977.
iv. He was appointed as Assistant Public
Prosecutor at Gadchiroli in 1979 and had
worked in that capacity at Gadchiroli,
Desaiganj, Sironcha and Warora. He also
has served as Chief Metropolitan Magistrate
of Mumbai in 1997. He was elevated as
High Court Judge in 2011.

5. Tata Trusts ink MoU with Andhra

Pradesh Government to develop 264 Smart
Villages
i. Tata Trusts has inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra
Pradesh Government to develop 264
villages. Under this initiative, all 264 villages
in the Vijayawada constituency will be
developed in order to transform them into
smart villages.

ii. The project has been jointly undertaken by

local Lok Sabha MP Kesineni Srinivas and the
Tata Trust as part of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) of Tata Group. It should
be noted that this is the first of its kind of
project undertaken by Tata Trust in the
country to develop all villages of a single
Parliamentary constituency.
iii. As part of this initiative, the trusts will
work in the areas of education, drinking
water, health and nutrition, self-employment
for the youth, bamboo cultivation, fisheries
etc. by developing each village. Around 2.5
lakh households in all villages of this
constituency will benefit from this ambitious
project.
iv. The identified activities which will be
under taken in this initiative are based on
comprehensive household survey in all
villages which was conducted by Tata Trust.
6. RBI okays re-appointment of Rana
Kapoor as YES Bank MD, CEO

i. YES Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor has got

approval from the Reserve Bank of India for
his re-appointment as MD and CEO of the
bank for 3 years.
ii. This will be with effect from September 1,
2015.
iii. With reference to above, pursuant to the
approval of the board of directors and the
approval of shareholders at the 11th AGM
held on June 6 2015, YES BANK has
received approval from the Reserve Bank of
India for re-appointment of Mr Rana Kapoor
as MD & CEO for a period of three (3)
years.
7. Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser retained
Womens 100 meters gold at World
Championships in Athletics
i. Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser on 24
August 2015 retained Womens 100 meters
gold at the 2015 World Championships in
Athletics by finishing the race in 10.76
seconds.
ii. The silver medal was won by Dafne
Schippers (10.81) of Netherlands and the
Bronze went to Tori Bowie (the USA) who
completed the race in 10.86 seconds.
iii. The biannual event was held at the Birds
Nest Stadium in the Chinese capital Beijing
where she won the gold in the same
category in 2008 Olympics. Her only other
Olympic gold was during the 2012 London
Olympics.
iv. Fraser-Pryce continued the Jamaican
sprint dominance at the event as Usain Bolt
won the title in the 100m event on 23 August
2015.

Daily GK Update - 26th August 2015

Page75

1. PM inaugurates birth centenary

celebrations of Rani Gaidinliu
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 August
2015
inaugurated
birth
centenary
celebrations of freedom fighter Rani
Gaidinliu. On this occasion he launched
commemorative coin of 100 rupees and
circulation coin of 5 rupees of Rani Gaidinliu
to mark her birth centenary celebrations.

ii. Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga political and

spiritual leader who had led a revolt against
British colonial rule in India.
iii. Her political struggle in present North east
India was based on Gandhian principles of
Satyagraha, non-violence, self-reliance. She
also had played an important role in Indias
wider freedom movement by spreading the
message of Gandhi ji in Manipur region.
iv. She had participated in the freedom
struggle at a very young age of 13 after she

came under the influence Heraka religious

movement.
v. Union Government has instituted one of five
Stree Shakti Puruskar in honour her in 2000. In
2010, state owned Hindustan shipyard Ltd.
had launched an in-shore patrol vessel for the
Indian coast guard named as Rani Gaidinliu.
2. Rajasthan Government approved Arogya
Rajasthan campaign
i. Rajasthan State Cabinet chaired by Chief
Minister Vasundhara Raje on 25 August 2015
approved the launch of Arogya Rajasthan
campaign. The campaign will be held from
December 2015 to March 2016.

ii. The three-month campaign will help in

collection and compilation of health data of
the rural population in the state. During the
campaign, the rural residents would be issued
health cards based on spot diagnoses. The
cards would be used for further treatment and
follow-up of patients.
iii. The cabinet also approved a drive to
collect health information of citizens to build

an online datatbase, which will be held

between 15 September and 31 October
2015. The campaign Health camps will be
organised at gram panchayat level and every
citizen will be issued a Health Card.
3. India, Australia ink MoU on Cooperation
in the Fields of Education, Training and
Research
i. India and Australia have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
cooperation in the fields of education,
research and training. The MoU was signed by
Union
Minister
of
Human
Resource
Development (HRD) Smriti Irani and her
counterpart Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for
Education and Training of Australia.

ii. It was signed after the 3rd meeting of the

Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) which
was held in New Delhi. The MoU seeks to
intensify existing partnerships between both
countries in higher education & research,
including professional and technical education,
vocational education, schools and training. It

also seeks to open up new and innovative

areas of cooperation.
iii. It is a bi-national body established in
2011. It was established as per commitment
given by the Education Ministers of India and
Australia to guide the strategic direction of
the education, research and training
partnership between the two countries.
iv. The AIEC is co-chaired by Education
Ministers on both sides and consists of
academia, industry and government. It meets
in conjunction with the annual Australia-India
Ministerial
Dialogue
on
Education
Cooperation.
4. UK to fund Kolkata's climate action
programme
i. The United Kingdom will fund a capacity
building programme for making Kolkata a
low carbon city.
ii. Ahead of implementation of the UK-Kolkata
Municipal Corporation joint programme, the
UK Minister of State for International
Development, Desmond Swayne, was present
on Sunday at an workshop for sensitising the
Councillors of the city's 16 boroughs.
iii. The UK Minister said the programme would
cover over 20 multi-sectoral projects, including
rooftop solar plant, a mobility plan, a master
plan for energy-efficient street lighting, a
disaster management plan and a green city
business and investment plan.
iv. With the launch of the roadmap later this
year, Kolkata will be one of the first mega
cities in India to have a comprehensive
strategy to address climate change through a
sustainable urban development model
5. MCX, Gift ink pact for trading platform
i. Multi Commodity Exchange has signed a
memorandum of understanding with Gift
Special Economic Zone, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Gujarat International Finance
Tec-City, for setting up an electronic platform
to facilitate trading in different asset classes
for international investors.

ii. The MCX agreement is in line with similar

commitment provided by BSE, NSE and
Ncdex. MCX will set up a facility for clearing
and settlement of securities, commodities,
interest rates, currencies, other classes of
assets and derivatives to international

investors at the one-of-a-kind financial centre

being developed at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
iii. Parveen Kumar Singhal, Joint Managing
Director, MCX, said given the consistent
leadership position and strong technological
backbone, the exchanges international
platform will not only fulfil the Centres vision
to develop an international financial service
facility but also create tangible benefits by
way of economic linkages.
iv. Earlier, MCX had tied up with US-based
CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) Group to
study opportunities in the SEZ.
6. India to implement Sendai framework for
Disaster Reduction 2015-2030
i. Union Government has announced it plans to
implement the Sendai framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in letter and spirit.
It was announced by Union Minister of State
(MoS) for Home Kiren Rijiju after inaugurating
a workshop on Enhancing Private Sector
Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction in New
Delhi.

ii. It was adopted during the third UN World

Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in
Sendai, Japan in March 2015. Its adaptation
involves adopting integrated and inclusive
institutional measures in order to work towards
preventing vulnerability to disaster.
iii. It also seeks to increase preparedness for
response and recovery and strengthen
resilience in case of disaster. It opts for
considering the experience gained through
international
and
the
regional
strategies/institutions and plans for disaster
risk reduction.
7. War museums at Jaisalmer, Laungewala
stations inaugurated
i. War museums, built recently at the military
stations of Jaisalmer and Yuddhsthal at
Laungewala to showcase the traditional
bravery of the Indian Army, were inaugurated
on Monday by Lt Gen Ashok Singh, general
officer,
commanding-in-chief,
Southern
Command.

ii. A large number of service officers and civil

dignitaries graced the functions, held at the
two military stations.
iii. The Jaisalmer War Museum is located 10
km from Jaisalmer on the Jodhpur highway.
The museum has two large information display
halls, an audio visual room, a well stocked
souvenir shop and a cafeteria.
iv. The war museum at Loungewala has been
set up at the site where Pakistan faced a
humiliating defeat in 1971. The memorial has
a state of the art audio-visual theatre for
screening the movie on the Battle of
Laungewala.
8. Government announces Dronacharya,
Dhyan Chand, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan
Puruskar awards 2015
i. Union Government has announced names of
recipients of Dronacharya Awards, Dhyan
Chand Awards and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan
Puruskar for year the 2015.
Dronacharya Award 2015

Naval Singh- Athletics Para-sports coach

Anoop Singh Wrestling coach

Harbans Singh- Athletics coach

Swatantar Raj Singh- Boxing coach

Nihar Ameen- Swimming coach.

Dhyan Chand Award 2015

Romeo James Hockey

Shiv Prakash Mishra- Tennis

P.P Nair Volleyball.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2015

Directorate General of Military Training

(DGMT) for identifying and nurturing of
young talent in sports

Coal India Limited (CIL) for

encouraging sports through Corporate
Social Responsibility

Haryana State Police- For employing

sportspersons and sports welfare
measures

Sports Coaching Foundation (SCF)- For

development of sports.
ii. The awardees will receive the awards from
the President Pranab Mukherjee at a special
function at Rashtrapati Bhawan to be held on
29 August 2015.

Page76

Daily GK Update - 27th August 2015

1. ISRO successfully launches GSLV-D6
carrying GSAT-6 satellite
i. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
(GSLV-D6) has successfully blasted off from
the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in
Sriharikota, near Chennai.
ii. This is the third time the indigenously
developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) is
being carried onboard during a GSLV flight.

iii. It may be noted the second mission of

GSLV during the last five years after two such
rockets failed in 2010. One of the GSLV
rockets flew with Indian cryogenic engine and
the other one with a Russian engine.
iv. GSAT-6 will join the group of India's other
operational geostationary satellites and it will
provide communication through five spot

beams in S-band and a national beam in Cband for strategic users.

v. The S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of six metre
diameter is one of the advanced features of
GSAT-6 satellite.
vi. This is the largest satellite antenna realised
by ISRO and it is utilised for five spot beams
over the Indian main land
vii. Spot beams exploit the frequency reuse
scheme to increase frequency spectrum
utilisation efficiency.
2. Novak Djokovic new UNICEF goodwill
ambassador

i. Reigning world tennis champion Novak

Djokovic became a new goodwill ambassador
for the UN Fund for Children, joining a roster
of athletes and celebrities to hold the post.

ii. The 28-year-old Serbian, who grew up

during the Balkans war, has already worked
to help vulnerable children through his role as
UNICEF Serbia ambassador.
iii. Djokovic, who was born in Belgrade in
1987 shortly before the Balkans war broke
out, spent much of his childhood in Serbia.
iv. Djokovic, who was born in Belgrade in
1987 shortly before the Balkans war broke
out, spent much of his childhood in Serbia. He
has said on past occasions that tennis was a
blessing.
3. Airtel acquires Augere to strengthen 4G
footprint
i. Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it has
agreed to acquire Augere Wireless
Broadband India (Augere) in a deal that will
allow it to take its 4G operations to nine
circles.

ii. Augere holds 20 MHz of broadband

wireless access (BWA) spectrum in the telecom
circles of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
iii. The company did not disclose the deal size
but sources said it could be in the range of Rs.
130-150 crore. Augere had won the spectrum
in 2010 for Rs. 122 crore. The acquisition
would enhance the companys strength in 4G,
which it had launched recently.
iv. The government had sold 4G spectrum in
the 2300 MHz band which at that time looked
lucrative due to a lower reserve price
compared to the 3G spectrum.
4. Union Cabinet cleared 4 months
extension for 7th Pay Commission
i. Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 26 August 2015 gave 4
months extension (up to 31 December 2015)
to the 7th Central Pay Commission. Justice
Ashok Kumar Mathur is the Chairman of the
Commission.

ii. The extension was approved after the

commission sought extension of 4 months due
to volume of work and intensive stake-holders
consultations. The Commission constituted by
the Central Government in February 2014

was mandated to submit its recommendations

by 27 August 2015.
iii. The Sixth Pay Commission headed by
Justice BN Srikrishna was implemented with
effect from 1 January 2006, the fifth from 1
January 1996 and the fourth from 1 January
1986.
iv. In another decision it also approved
amendments in the Central List of Other
Backward Classes (OBCs) in respect of
Gujarat and Uttarakhand. It has been done as
per the advices received from the National
Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
5. Govt releases smart cities list: 13 cities
from UP, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Bihar
included
i. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA
government on Thursday unveiled the list of
98 cities that will be part of its ambitious
Smart Cities project. Union Minister of Urban
Development Venkaiah Naidu released the list
of 98 cities, including 13 cities from Uttar
Pradesh and 12 from Tamil Nadu.

ii. Other cities include 10 from Maharashtra, 7

from Madhya Pradesh ,3 each from Bihar &
Andhra Pradesh.
iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
launched the criteria and guidelines for 100
Smart Cities to be selected through city
challenge competition in June 25.
iv. Barring Jammu and Kashmir, all states have
finalised the names of proposed Smart Cities
through competition.
v. Central government proposes to give
financial support to Mission to the extent of Rs
48,000 crores over 5 years.
6. Kazakhstan To Host First Nuclear Fuel
Bank

i. The International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) and Kazakhstan have signed an
agreement to create the world's first
internationally-controlled bank of lowenriched uranium in the ex-Soviet nation to
ensure fuel supplies for power stations and
prevent nuclear proliferation.
ii. The agreement on establishing the bank
was signed by Yukiya Amano, director
general of the UN nuclear watchdog, and
Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov on
August 27 in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

iii. The storage facility, set to become fully

operational in 2017, is intended to provide
IAEA member states with a steady and
predictable supply of fuel even if other routes
are disrupted.
iv. Backers also argue it will dissuade countries
from building enrichment facilities that might
be misused to purify uranium to weaponsgrade levels - an issue that bedeviled
relations between Iran and the West for more
than a decade.
7. Dilip Vengsarkar elected president of
cricket statisticians body

i. Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has

been elected unopposed as the president of
the Association of Indian Statisticians and
scorers of India at its AGM.
ii. Vengsarkar is also the vice president of the
Mumbai Cricket Association.
iii. Elected members: President - Dilip
Vengsarkar;
Vice-presidents
Dara
Pochkhanawalla and Ganesh Iyer; Secretary Theo Braganza (Mumbai); Joint secretary Deepak Joshi (Mumbai); Treasurer - Ajit Datar
(Mumbai); Managing committee members Prakash Dahatonde, Harish Thakkar (both
Mumbai), Kanti Sutar, Tushar Trivedi (both
from Gujarat Dilip Singh Upring (from
Vidarbha); Co-opted members - Hari Makhija
and Ajay Kavitkar (both from Maharashtra)
8. Vikas Gowda enters discus final at World
Athletics Championships
i. Two-time Asian Championships gold
medallist Vikas Gowda expectedly reached
the discus throw final with a best attempt of
63.86 metres in the qualifiers at the World
Athletics Championships on Thursday.
ii. Taking part in Group A of the qualifiers,
Gowda threw 63.84m in his second attempt,
0.02m short of the first, while his third
opportunity was disqualified.
iii. Seven discus throwers qualified for the
final from Group A while five from Group B
out of a total of 31 participants.
iv. Gowda's personal best throw of 66.28m is
also the Indian national record which he
achieved in 2012 at Norman, United States.
v. Gowda was the only Indian in action on
Thursday at the world meet.

Page77

Daily GK Update - 28th August 2015

1. Greece's caretaker government sworn in
with first female prime minister
i. Greeces new caretaker government was
sworn in on Friday as the country prepares
early elections next month, the third time
Greeks will go to the polls this year.

ii. Vassiliki Thanou, a top judge and the

countrys first female prime minister, will lead
the country until the election, which is expected
to take place on 20 September.
iii. Her predecessor, Alexis Tsipras, stepped
down last week following a rebellion by
members of his leftwing Syriza party who
objected to the conditions of Greeces third
international bailout.

iv. The first major opinion poll since the

election was called, published in the leftleaning Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper
on Friday, found little support for his move.
2. NDMC decides to rename Aurangzeb
road as APJ Abdul Kalam road
i. Aurangzeb road one of the most important
addresses in Lutyen's Delhi will be renamed as
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam road.

ii. According to East Delhi MP Maheish Girri,

who belongs to the BJP, the New Delhi
Municipal Council or NDMC has decided to
change the name from Aurangzeb road to
Abdul Kalam road.
iii. Aurangzeb road begins at the Taj
Mansingh hotel near India Gate and joins
Safdarjang Road near the official residence
of the Prime Minister.
iv. One of the finest heritage hotels in Delhi,
The Claridges is also located on the same
road.Maheish Girri had led the campaign
demanding name change.
3. Union Government gives nod to 6 new
SEZ proposals

i. Union Government has approved six new

proposals 6 Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
proposals including four from Information
Technology and IT enabled Service (ITeS)
sector. This decision was taken by the Board
of Approval (BoA) for SEZ (under the aegis of
Union Commerce Ministry) chaired by
Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia.
ii. The approved SEZ proposals are

HCL IT City Lucknow- set up IT/ITeS

zones in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Loma IT Park Developer- set up

IT/ITeS zones in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

North Mumbai International

Commodity Township- It is proposed free
trade warehousing zone in Thane,
Maharashtra.
iii. It should be noted that SEZs account for
about 25 per cent of the Indias total exports.
In 2013-14, exports from these zones had
rose to 4.94 lakh crore rupees from 22,840
crore rupees in 2005-06.
4. Scientist Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta to
receive inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize
i. Noted Indian agricultural scientist Dr
Modadugu Vijay Gupta has been chosen for
the inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize. He will
receive the first Sunhak Peace Prize in South
Korean Capital city of Seoul along with
President of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong.

Page78

ii. Dr. M. V. Gupta has been selected for this

award for his pioneering work in the blue
revolution. He has invested his entire life to
developing sustainable aquaculture as an
alternative solution to the future food crisis.

Anote Tong has been chosen for this award

for creating global awareness on the severity
of climate change issue and sought for action
by the international community for its solution.
iii. Anote Tong has been chosen for this award
for creating global awareness on the severity
of climate change issue and sought for action
by the international community for its solution.
iv. Dr. M. V. Gupta hails from Bapatla district
of Andhra Pradesh and was born on 17
August 1939. He is recipient of the World
Food Prize in 2005 for development and
dissemination of low-cost techniques for
freshwater fish farming by using tilapia
species for the rural poor.
5. Union Government launches E-Payment
Module to deposit compensatory levies into
CAMPA Funds
i. Union Government has launched an epayment module to make the payment of
compensatory levies into the Compensatory
Afforestation Management Planning Authority
(CAMPA) Funds.
ii. It was launched by Union Environment
Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi in
order to make these payments for diversion of
forest land quicker and more transparent. The
e-payment module has a designated account
for the payment purpose, depending on the
States in which the forest land is proposed to
be diverted.
iii. Initially, the payments will be allowed
through two modes viz. online challan mode
through RTGS and NEFT and offline challan
mode. The deposit of compensatory levies
through the e-portal will be optional till
August 31, 2015 and will be accepted only
through the e-module from 1 September
2015.
iv. With the launch of the e-payment portal,
henceforth no payments will be accepted
other than through the portal or unless
specifically ordered guidelines issued by Adhoc CAMPA.
6. Introducing Fortune's Change the World
list: Companies that are doing well by doing
good
i. The economic system that won the great
ideological battle of the 20th century is facing
a renewed challenge in the 21st. You can hear
it in the passionate rhetoric of Pope Francis in
Bolivia and see it in the crowds cheering
socialist Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire.

ii. To take on the worlds toughest challenges

in a sustainable way, companies are turning to
something familiar: the profit motive. Here, the
true and best meaning of return on investment.
iii. Fortunes new Change the World list is our
contribution to this trend. It is meant to shine a
spotlight on companies that have made
significant progress in addressing major social
problems as a part of their core business
strategy.

iv. The list includes some of the most thoughtful

leaders we know in the corporate and
nonprofit realms, as well as a number of
scholars who bring both perspective and
insight to the public discourse on business.
7. Barcelona's Lionel Messi wins UEFA Best
Player in Europe award
i. Lionel Messi added another individual
trophy to his collection Thursday, being voted
UEFA's Best Player in Europe for last season.

ii. The Barcelona star beat Luis Suarez, his

teammate at the Champions League winner,
and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo in a
Europe-wide poll of journalists.
iii. Messi, the four-time FIFA world player of
the year, got the UEFA honor after a seasonlong duel with Ronaldo for the Champions
League scoring record. Both resume this
season on 77 goals.
iv. Suarez, who scored the decisive second
goal in the 3-1 final win over Juventus in June,
reached the shortlist despite starting his
season in late-October. The Uruguay forward
served a FIFA ban for biting at the 2014
World Cup.
v. Launched in 2011, the UEFA award
previously went to Messi, Andres Iniesta,
Franck Ribery and Ronaldo. Celia Sasic, the
German star forward of Women's Champions
League winner Frankfurt, received the
women's award from UEFA President Michel
Platini.
8. Usain Bolt beats Justin Gatlin in World
Championships 200m final
i. Usain Bolt won the rematch and 200m gold
as he ran a wonderful bend to once again
leave rival Justin Gatlin chasing silver and
fresh air.
ii. On a sweaty, sticky night in the Bird's Nest,
Bolt was out of the blocks quicker and opened
up an unassailable lead over the first 100m
before coming away down the straight and
jabbing his thumbs at his chest as he crossed
the line.
iii. His 19.55 seconds was the fastest in the
world this year, his speed and peerless
championship class too good for American
Gatlin, whose 19.74 was well outside his
season's best.
iv. For much of this season Bolt, 29, has been a
struggling shadow of the man who has
dominated both sprinting and his sport for the
past seven years.Coming into these
championships he had raced only one 200m
all summer, and that a lacklustre 20.13 in
May.

Daily GK Update - 29th August 2015

1. NTPC sets a record in single-day power
generation

i. Indias largest power generator National

Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited

has achieved a record of highest single-day

electricity generation of over 733 million units.

ii. The record generation of electricity on

August 27, 2015 was achieved from NTPCs
18 coal-based power plants, and 8 solar and
hydro power stations and 7 gas-based units.
On the record day, the Declared Cumulative
Capability (DCC) of the stations was 91.10
per cent and Plant Load Factor (PLF) was of
86.34 per cent.

iii. NTPC limited is a Central Public Sector

Undertaking (CPSU), operational under the
aegis of Union Ministry of Power.
iv. During financial year 2014-15, NTPC had
contributed 25 per cent of total electricity
generated in the country and accounted for
16 per cent share of countrys total installed
capacity of 45,548 MW (including 6,196
MW through its joint ventures).
2. India losses solar case against US at WTO
i. India has lost solar case against United
States at the World Trade Organisation
(WTO).

ii. Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of WTO has

ruled that, Indias requirement of only
domestic solar equipments for its ambitious
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
(JNNSM) is inconsistent with the international
trade norms.
iii. In 2014, US had dragged India in DSB of
WTO against its JNNSM which favoured only
to use locally manufactured solar equipment.
US in its appeal had alleged that, the state
sponsored programme of India has
discriminated importation of solar equipment
manufactured in US.
iv. US companies manufacturing solar
equipment are looking JNNSM which has set
an ambitious target of generating 20,000
Mega Watts (MW) solar power by 2022 as a
big business potential.
3. India womens hockey team books 2016
Rio Olympics berth
i. Indian womens hockey team will return to
the Olympics after a long gap of 36 years as
it has qualified on Saturday for next years

Rio Games, courtesy England making it to the

final
of
the
ongoing
EuroHockey
Championships in London.

extended best wishes to all sports enthusiasts

across the country on the occasion of the
National Sports Day.

ii. Englands semifinal victory over Spain,

coming after the Netherlands win over
Germany in the other semifinal in the
European Championships freed one quota
place as both the finalists have already
qualified for the Olympic Games.
iii. India took the quota place on the basis of
its fifth-place finish in the womens Hockey
World League Semifinals in Antwerp, Belgium
last month. International Hockey Federation
(FIH) confirmed that Indian womens team has
qualified for the Rio Games.
iv. Indian womens team now join nine other
teams, who have already qualified for 2016
Rio Games Korea as Asian Games
champions, Argentina as Pan Am Games
champions and Great Britain, China,
Germany, Netherlands, Australia, New
Zealand and the USA through the Hockey
World League Semi-Finals.

ii. A few sportspersons and coaches will be

honoured with the National Sports Awards at
Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Saturday.
National Sports Day is celebrated on August
29.
iii. Dhyan Chand, born on August 29, 1905
was an Indian field hockey player, who is
widely considered the greatest hockey player
of all time. The legendary hockey player won
gold medals for India at the 1928, 1932 and
1936 Olympics.
iv. Known as "The Wizard" for his superb ball
control, Dhyan Chand played his final
international match in 1948. He scored over
400 goals during his international career.

4.

Gillette India appoints Al Rajwani as

managing director

i. FMCG firm Gillette India on Saturday said it

has appointed Al Rajwani as its managing
director for a period of five years, effective
on Saturday.
ii. "Al Rajwani has been appointed as
managing director of the company for a
period of five years with effect from August
29, 2015," Gillette India said in a BSE filing.
iii. Besides, Narendra P Sarda has also been
appointed as an independent director of the
company, it added.

6. Tennis player Sania Mirza gets Rajiv

Gandhi Khel Ratna award
i. Tennis star Sania Mirza, who won the
Wimbledon women's doubles title recently,
was on Saturday conferred with the Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
ii. Mirza became the second tennis player to
receive the country's highest sporting honour
after Leander Paes.
iii. Currently ranked the World No. 1 tennis
doubles player in the women's category,
Mirza on Friday expressed her happiness at
receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and
dedicated it to her family and to India.
iv. The World No. 1 also extended her
gratitude to the Indian government and the
sports ministry for nominating her for the
award. Mirza received a medal, certificate
and cash prize of Rs. 7.5 lakh. She had flown
in just to receive the award ahead of the US
Open starting in New York on Monday.

5. PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Dhyan

Chand on National Sports Day
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday
paid tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan
Chand on his 110th birth anniversary and

Daily GK Update - 30th August 2015

Page79

1. National Sports Awards for 2014-15

presented
i. Top sportspersons from various disciplines
and eminent coaches were honoured by
President Pranab Mukherjee at the 2014
National Sports Adventure Awards function at
the Durbar Hall, Rashtrapati Bhawan.
ii. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: Sania
Mirza In recognition of her outstanding
achievements in game of Tennis. Presently she
is ranked no 1 womens player in Womens
Double category.

iii. Arjuna award: Sandeep Kumar- Archery,

M R Poovamma- Athletics (4X400 metres

relay),
Kidambi
SrikanthBadminton,
Mandeep Jangra- Boxing, Rohit SharmaCricket, Dipa Karmakar- Gymnastics, Sreejesh
P R- Hockey, Manjeet Chhillar- Kabaddi,
Abhilasha Mhatre- Kabaddi, Swaran SinghRowing, Anup Kumar Yama- Roller Skating,
Jitu
RaiShooting,
Sathish
KumarWeightlifting, Bajrang- Wrestling, Babita
Kumari- Wrestling, Y Sanathoi Devi- Wushu,
Sharath M Gayakwad- Para-Swimming.
iv. Dronacharya award: Naval Singh- Athletics
(Javelin throw) Para-sports coach, Anoop
Singh- Wrestling coach, Harbans SinghAthletics coach, Swatantar Raj Singh- Boxing
coach, Nihar Ameen- Swimming coach.
v. Dhyan Chand award: Romeo JamesHockey, Shiv Prakash Mishra- Tennis, P NairVolleyball.

2. 51,000 sisters get insurance as Rakhi

gift in PMs constituency
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (an
accidental insurance scheme) to 51,000
'sisters' of his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi
on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on
Saturday.
ii. To kickstart the initiative, Union minister of
state for power and coal Piyush Goyal
handed over the certificates to 14 of these
women and girls from poor families on behalf
of the PM at a function at Bhagwandas
Vidyalaya in Meerapur Bisahi village here.

iii. Jaisha registered a time of two hours, 34

minutes and 43 seconds to set a new national
record and claim the 18th place on the final
day of the biennial extravaganza.
iii. he said Without insuring every family,
development of the nation is not possible,
Goyal said at the function. "An accident cover
of Rs 2 lakh will be provided at a premium of
Rs 12 per year only."
iv. Extending Raksha Bandhan greetings on
behalf of the PM, he added that the scheme
would be provided free of cost as the BJP
workers of the Kashi region would pay the
premium.
3. 21st edition of Delhi Book Fair begins
i. The 21st edition of the Delhi Book Fair has
been launched at the Pragati Maidan in New
Delhi.

ii. The book fair has been organised by the

Federation of Indian Publishers in association
with India Trade Promotion Organisation. It
will be held till 6th September 2015.
iii. The theme of the book fair is Skill
development. This edition of fair will largely
focus on inculcating the idea of skill-based
professions and career interests of the youth.
iv. Books solely focusing on skill development
i.e. hard and soft skills will be available at the
fair for all age groups. A section of the book
fair theme is also devoted to former president
Dr. A.P.J.Kalams books.
4. OP Jaisha sets new marathon national
record at World Athletics Championships,
ensures 2016 Rio Olympic spot
i. Indians gave a good account of themselves
in the women's marathon at the World
Athletics Championships as O.P. Jaisha
registered a time of two hours, 34 minutes
and 43 seconds to set a new national record.
ii. O.P. Jaisha and Sudha Singh finished 18th
and 19th respectively in the women's
marathon
at
the
World
Athletics
Championships in Beijing.

iv. Sudha, who clocked 2:35:35, also did

better than the previous national mark of
2:37:29 set by Jaisha at the Mumbai
marathon earlier this year.
v. The result means that both Jaisha and
Sudha are well within the qualifying standard
for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
5. 2015 World Athletics Championships:
Bolt, Jamaica triumph in 4x100m final.
i. Usain Bolt surged to a third gold medal in
under a week at the 2015 World Athletics
Championships Saturday, anchoring Jamaica
to victory in the men's 4x100 meter relay
final.

ii. The winning Jamaican time of 37.36

seconds was the best of any nation this year
and another exposition of the country's
supremacy in short distance events.
iii. China was confirmed to have taken silver
as a result of the USA slip-up in a time of
38.01 seconds, to the delight of the Beijing
crowd, while bronze was awarded to Canada
which finished in 38.13.
iv. The win marks the fourth straight occasion
Jamaica has taken 4x100m gold at the
World Championships.
v. And as for Bolt himself? He has now won a
record 11 gold medals at athletics' premier
event -- including two last Sunday and
Thursday in the dramatic 100m and 200m
final's respectively.
6. SEBI to review surveillance systems; fasttrack enforcements
i. To further tighten its noose on manipulators
and black money launderers in the stock
markets, regulator SEBI will undertake a
comprehensive review of its surveillance
systems including with help from independent
experts and also fast-track its enforcement
actions.
ii. The regulator is also pitching for a greater
coordination among various watchdogs and
enforcement agencies to bring to book the
rogue elements that misuse the stock market
platform, a senior official said.

iii. SEBI would soon discuss with the

government the details regarding the existing
safeguards against this menace, as also the
proposed new measures, after which same
would be communicated to the SIT, he added.
iv. In one typical modus operandi, certain
entities seeking Long Term Capital Gain
(LTCG) were misusing the stock exchange
mechanism, while the second one involves
Offshore Derivative Instrument (ODI) holders
trading on the basis of Unpublished Price
Sensitive Information.
v. While SEBIs existing surveillance systems
are already generating over 100 alerts a
day to facilitate detection of market
manipulation, it has been felt there is a
constant need to enhance capabilities of
surveillance both in terms of systems and skill
sets so as to address challenges emerging out
of extremely dynamic Indian securities market.
7. Pakistan bans Islamic State militant
group.
i. Pakistan has banned the Islamic State (IS)
militant group which has undertaken vast
stretches of Iraq and Syria in its control.
ii. This decision was taken Pakistan
Government on the recommendation of the
Foreign Office, which regularly updates it
about international militant groups banned by
the United Nations (UN).
iii. Union Government already has banned
brutal terror group Islamic State under the
provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act, 1967 and following the provisions of
section two of the United Nations (Security
Council) Act, 1947.
iv. India took this decision in December 2014
after UN has banned it under its sanctions
regime of the Prevention and Suppression of
Terrorism (Implementation of Security Council
Resolutions) Order, 2007.

Daily GK Update - 31th August 2015

Page80

1. India to remain fastest growing major

economy for second straight quarter
i. For investors worried about the health of
emerging economies, India's gross domestic
product data for April-June should supply
some cheer on Monday - the country is
expected to remain the fastest growing major
economy for a second straight quarter.

ii. The median estimate from a Reuters poll of

economists put GDP annual growth at 7.4

percent in the quarter, just below 7.5 percent

in January-March.
iii. India's fiscal deficit was 3.85 trillion rupees
($57.93 billion) during April-July, or 69.3
percent of the full-year target, government
data showed on Monday.
iv. The deficit was 61.2 percent during the
same period a year ago. Net tax receipts
were at 1.54 trillion rupees in the first four
months of the current fiscal year that ends in
March 2016.
v. with an economy only one-fifth the size of
China's, India is in no position to support the
global economy as its northern neighbour has.
Blessed with a huge domestic market and a
large cheap workforce, Asia's third-largest

economy has an opportunity to get more

investment.
2. HDFC Bank throws gauntlet, cuts base
rate by 0.35%

i. HDFC Bank, the country's second-largest

private-sector lender, slashed its base rate the
minimum rate at which it lends by 0.35
percent to 9.35 percent, effective tomorrow.

ii. The move comes after the Reserve Bank of

India cut its benchmark repo rate thrice this
year (by a total 0.75 percent), and urged
banks to follow through with cuts on their
lending rates.
iii. The move by the retail customer-focused
HDFC Bank's will put pressure on other large
lenders such as ICICI, SBI and Axis to follow
through with rate cuts of their own.
iv. At 9.35 percent, HDFC Bank's base rate is
the lowest among banks. Peers SBI and ICICI
Bank are at 9.7 percent but may move soon.
3. Housing For All: Centre identifies 305
cities, towns
i. The housing ministry has identified 305
cities and towns across nine states to start
building houses for the poor in urban areas.
The government has set the target to provide
houses to two crore families belonging to the
economically weaker section (EWS) in urban
areas by 2022.

ii. The states that are likely to gain are

Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, J&K, Jharkhand,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan
and Telangana. Moreover, six other states
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Mizoram,
Nagaland and Uttarakhand have agreed
to implement six key reforms relating to
clearances and approval for housing projects
to accelerate their construction.
iii. The Housing for All (Pradhan Mantri Aawas
Yojna) was launched on June 25. "Getting
states to agree to the condition and signing of
agreements with the Centre are also
encouraging indications. Fifteen states have
signed the agreement," a housing ministry
spokesperson said.
iv. The mandatory reforms that form part of
the MoAs including the doing away with the
requirement of separate non-agricultural
permission in case land falls in the residential
zone earmarked in any city master plan and
amending plans earmarking land for
affordable housing. Another major reform is
to do away with approvals below certain built
up area or plot size for EWS and low income
groups.

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4. PM Modi released digitally restored

recordings of epic Ramcharitmanas

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 August

2015 released digital recordings of epic
Ramcharitmanas, as a set of digital CDs
produced by All India Radio (AIR).
ii. Digital recordings of the epic is a part of
AIRs attempt to go digital in a big way so
that the public broadcaster can reach
audiences globally.
iii. The recordings of Goswami Tulsidas work,
sung by leading singers of Bhopal gharana,
have been done by the AIR over several
years and are regularly broadcast especially
in the Hindi heartland.

iv. The Ramcharitmanas was composed and

recorded for the first time in 1980 at
Akashvani Bhopal.
5. Indian Bank launches IndPay mobile app
service

i. State-owned financial services lender Indian

Bank has launched IndPay mobile app service
to enables its customers to operate bank
accounts anytime from anywhere.
ii. It was formally unveiled by the Indian Bank
MD and CEO M K Jain and it aims at helping
banks customers to access their bank accounts
from any corner of the country.
iii. It can be operated through smartphones
compatible with Android, iOS and Windows
mobile operating systems. It will help
customers to do transactions like enquiries,
transferring funds to any account and getting
mini statements.
6. Union Government launches SAHAJ
scheme for online release of new LPG
connections
i. Union Government has launched SAHAJ
scheme for online release of new LPG
connections for the consumers as parts of its
consumer friendly initiative. It was launched by
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan at a function held in
New Delhi.

ii. Under the scheme, people can apply online

for new LPG connection and they need not
visit to the LPG distributors for it. SAHAJ
facility will enable the customers to post online
request for a new connection by filing Know
Your Customer (KYC) form by uploading bank
account details and photographs.
iii. After submitting the details, customer will
receive the registration number to know the
new connection status. Later, customer can opt
for offline or online mode of payment for the
new connection.
iv. Once payment is done, electronic
subscription voucher will be mailed to the new
customer. Later distributor will do physical
delivery of the Gas cylinder, regulator with
hose pipe. Initially, the scheme has been
launched in twelve cities across the country. In
near future, this scheme will be extended to
other parts of the country.
v.
Twelve
cities
are
Ahmedabad,
Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai,
Chandigarh, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow,
Patna, Mumbai and Pune.
7. SC stays Rajasthan HC verdict declaring
Santhara illegal

i. The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the

order passed by Rajasthan High Court

declaring Santhara as illegal. The High Court,

in a judgment on August 10, 2015, declared
the practice, which involves voluntary fastunto-death, illegal and an offence punishable
under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
ii. The Bench was hearing a batch of petitions
filed by various religious bodies of Jain
community members against the High Court
order on Santhara. The pleas had sought a
stay on the High Court judgment, claiming it
was passed without appreciating the basic
philosophy and tenets of Jain religion.
iii. Santhara is a Jain custom of embracing
voluntary death it involves practitioners
taking an oath to stop eating until they die of
starvation. According to Jains, this is a way to
purge oneself of bad 'karma' and attain
moksha.
8. Mountaineer Jot Singh awarded Tenzing
Norgay National Adventure award
i. Mountaineer Jot Singh of Indo-Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) has been honoured with
the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure
Award 2014-15. He was bestowed with the
award by President Pranab Mukherjee during
the national sports awards presentation
ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on
the eve of National Sports Day observed on
29 August.
ii. With this, Inspector Jot Singh became 11th
ITBP official to receive this honour. He is one
of the best mountaineers of ITBP and has been
undertaking expeditions. He also has scaled
the Mount Everest.
iii. ITBP is Indias mountain-trained armed
force and also known as special force for
mountaineering skills. Since 1962, it has been
deployed primarily to guard high altitude
Indo-China border.
iv. Ms. Arunima Sinha (Mountaineering), Wg.
Cdr. Paramveer Singh (Aqua Sport), Lt. Col
Satyendra Verma (Sky diving) and Col. Satish
Chander Sharma (Mountaineering).
v. Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
is named after Indian and Nepalese Sherpa
mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. It is an annual
award given by Union Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports.
9. Indias Anil wins gold medal in Cadet
Wrestling World Championships
i. Indian wrestler Anil has clinched gold medal
in Cadet Wrestling World Championships in
the 50 kg freestyle competitions. In the final
match played at Sarajevo, Bosnia he
defeated Erfan Aeini of Iran by 10-6 score.
ii. Earlier, Anil had defeated Tumentsogt Bold
of Mongolia in the semi-final bout and Ertugrul
Kahveci of Turkey in quarter-final bout.
iii. It was second medal for India in this
championship. Earlier female grappler Ankus
had won silver medal in the 38 kg women
freestyle competitions. This is second time Anil
has won gold medal at international level by
defeating Erfan Aeini.
iv. Earlier in 2014, he had won gold medal in
the 50 kg freestyle category at the 2014
Asian Championship by defeating Efan Aeini.

SEBI - FMC Merger - Next Generation Market Regulator

Big institutional changes in India often follow big crisis. The balance of payment crisis of 1990 paved the way for radical changes in the financial
system, including near autonomy to the central bank. Electronic stock exchanges, depositories and an independent regulator for the stock market,
the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) were all born in the aftermath of what became infamous as the 1992 Harshad Mehta scam.
The Rs 5,600-crore payment default that grounded the National Spot Exchange (NSEL) has now triggered the merger of the Forward Markets
Commission with Sebi, moving one step closer to a single regulator for all securities and derivatives.

Page82

The idea of a unified regulator has been debated within the government since the Asian currency crisis of 1997 but the actual decision finally
came without the fanfare that might have been expected with the first and biggest regulatory merger ever to happen in the country. On February
28, in the middle of his budget speech, finance minister Arun Jaitley almost innocuously mentioned: "I also propose to merge the Forwards Markets
Commission with Sebi to strengthen regulation of commodity forward markets and reduce wild speculation. Enabling legislation, amending the
Government Securities Act and the RBI Act is proposed in the Finance Bill, 2015." Sebi Chairman UK Sinha expects the merger to be completed by
end-September. A unified regulator, if it was in existence in 2014-15, would have overseen trade worth over Rs 103 lakh crore.
The SEBI board also approved draft amendments to the existing regulations following the government decision to repeal the Forward Contracts
Regulation Act, 1952, under which commodity markets were functioning so far. The draft amendments will be notified on September 28. The new
regulations will enable functioning of the commodities derivatives market and its brokers under SEBI norms and integration of commodities
derivatives and securities trading in an orderly manner, said SEBI. The market regulator has asked the three national commodity exchanges
MCX, NCDEX and NMCE to set up a separate clearing corporation by September 28, 2018. Till then, exchanges can continue with the current
arrangement for clearing trades by ensuring guarantee for settlement of trades, including good delivery. A standalone clearing corporation calls
for an investment of Rs. 300 crore to meet the minimum net worth criteria. While the three exchanges need to have a net worth of Rs. 100 crore
by May 5, 2017, the shareholding norms have to be complied by May 5, 2019.