Current Affairs Study PDF - January 2016

Current Affairs January 2016
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Current Affairs PDF: January 2016
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Contents
INDIAN AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ....................................................................................................................................... 31
BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................................................................. 49
BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 63
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 68
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS..................................................................................................................................... 87
SCHEMES .......................................................................................................................................................................... 98
MoUs ............................................................................................................................................................................... 102
COMMITTEES................................................................................................................................................................. 110
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS................................................................................................................................... 112
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 115
DEFENCE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 124
ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................................................... 126
SPORTS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 128
OBITUARY ...................................................................................................................................................................... 143
BOOKS & AUTHORS ...................................................................................................................................................... 154
IMPORTANT DAYS ........................................................................................................................................................ 157
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Rs 5,000-crore Subsidy for Rooftop Solar Power
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved an increase in the budget for
implementation of grid-connected solar rooftop systems to Rs. 5,000 crore from Rs.600 crore up
to the financial year 2019-2020.
This will support installation of 4,200 MW solar rooftop systems in the country in next 5
years.
Revised target
The government has revised the target of National Solar Mission (NSM) from 20,000 MW to 1,
00,000 MW by 2022. Of that, 40,000 MWp is to come through grid connected solar rooftop
systems.
Countrys first underwater tunnel to be come up in Andhra Pradesh
Purpose: To boost tourism in the new capital, Amaravati, the newest state capital in the country.
Highlights:
Amaravati will get Indias first ever underwater tunnel under the river Krishna.
3km long and will be used for vehicular traffic.
The tunnel is set to come up near Ibrahimpatnam on the outskirts of Vijayawada.
The backwaters of the Prakasam barrage in Vijayawada extend up to Ferry village near
Pakistans Singer Adnan Sami gets Indian Citizenship

Home ministry officials announced Adnan Sami will be granted citizenship.
The Indian citizenship was granted after he made a representation to the home ministry
requesting for it on humanitarian grounds.
Government decides to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with MEA

Government has decided to merge the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA) with the external
affairs ministry. It was put forth by Sushma Swaraj, the cabinet minister for both ministries.
Aim: To address the various complaints of Indian overseas workers in a more

effective manner and also help by doing away with the duplication of work. Another
objective is also minimising government and maximising governance.
Goa sets up Investment Promotion Board for fast approvals

Goa set up Investment Promotion Board (IPB) for fast approvals to industrial proposals and has
already cleared 62 proposals with investment of Rs 5,200 crore.
Benefit: It will enable invigorating the investment climate, which went through bad phase before
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2015.
The state wants to learn from counterparts like Gujarat where investment proposals are
cleared at much quicker pace.
Telangana become first state to accept e-motor insurance policies

Telangana becomes the first state in the country to legally accept Electronic motor insurance
policies. These policies can be stored and accessed on smart phones.
e-Vahan Bima: An electronic motor insurance policy issued in digital form with Quick Response
(QR) code.
Driving a vehicle without motor third party insurance is an offence under Motor Vehicle
Act 1988 as it pays for legal liability in case of any injury or damage to any third party life or
property caused by the use of vehicle in a public place.
Benefit: It will help the poor accident victims in the state and also ensure better compliance.
Alstom delivers Made in India coaches to Kochi Metro

Alstom the French transportation equipment maker rolled out the first set of railway coaches
for the Kochi Metro project. The Kochi coach order is the second rolling stock contract for Alstom in
the country, with Chennai metro the first.
Venue : Sri City in Andhra Pradesh.
Highlights :
The three indigenously-designed and manufactured coaches were flagged off by Union Minister
for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs, M. Venkaiah Naidu.
PM Modi inaugurated Indian Science Congress in Mysuru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 103rd Indian Science Congress in
Mysore,Karnataka. The event is being held at the University of Mysore from January 3 to 7.
Theme Science & Technology for Indigenous Development in India
The Indian Science Congress is being hosted in Karnataka after 13 years and in Mysuru
after 34 years.
As part of Indian Science Congress, the Children Science Congress inaugurated by Nobel
Laureate John B Gurdon (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012) at the amphitheatre,
Manasagangothri inside the Mysore university campus.
5 key bills assented by Prez Pranab Mukherjee

As per the provisions of Article 111 of the Constitution of India, President Pranab Mukherjee
has given assent to five key bills that were passed by both the houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha
and Rajya Sabha in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament.
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1. Atomic Energy (Amendment) Act - It will amend Atomic Energy Act 1962 to change the
definition of Government Company in the Act with a view to expand its scope.
2. Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015: Amendment It will amend Payment of
Bonus Act, 1965.
3. Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015: Amendment It will
amend Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
4. Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment
Act, 2015: It will amend Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989.
5. Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High

Courts Act: It is aimed at creating commercial benches in select high courts.
India-Nepal friendship bus service resumes after gap of 27 years
A friendship bus service between India and Nepal via Champawat in Uttarakhand resumed
after a gap of 27 years. These air-conditioned buses are painted with Indian and Nepalese flags.
The bus will runs between Kanchanpur in Nepal close to Banbasa border in Champavat
district of Uttarakh and and Anand Vihar in New Delhi.
Toilets made mandatory to contest Panchayat polls in Bihar

State election commissioner (SEC) Ashok Kumar Chauhan announced that toilets will be
mandatory requirement for eligibility to contest panchayat elections in Bihar.
Candidates have to give an undertaking regarding status of toilet by 1 January 2016 in their
home.
To ensure free and fair polling the elections will be held in 10 phases.
The decision is based on the legislation the Bihar Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2015
which brought some new provisions including making it mandatory for candidates contesting all
level of panchayat raj elections to have toilets at their individual home by 31 January 2016.
Women to constitute 33% of constables in paramilitary

With a view to enhance representation of women in Central Armed Police Forces, Home Minister
Rajnath Singh has approved 33% of constable-rank personnel in paramilitary Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and 15% in the border
guarding forces Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo Tibetan
Border Police (ITBP) for being filled up by women.
Gadkari announces Rs 41,000 cr road projects for Telangana

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced the road
projects worth Rs 41,000 crore for Telangana, including two Express Highways from the
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state capital Hyderabad to Bengaluru in Karnataka and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
He laid down the foundation stone of 4-lane of Yadgir and Warangal section of NH-202(new
NH-163) of length 99 km costing Rs 1,424 crore.
MDoNER Calender-2016 released with theme Rising North East

The Union Minister of State for Development of North-Eastern Region (MDoNER), Dr
Jitendra Singh has released MDoNER Calender-2016.
Theme Rising North East
The Calender-2016 is projecting various buildings and other developmental workscarried
out in each state of North Eastern Region with the assistance of Ministry of DoNER.
There are 12 photographs showing some of the infrastructure development activities in
North Eastern Region under the various schemes of MDoNER.
Odisha raises VAT on petrol and diesel by 3%

The Odisha government increased the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel by 3% each,
making the fuel dearer.
The finance department issued a notification stating that the VAT on petrol and diesel would
be 26% from earlier rate of 23%.
Foundation Stone Laid for an International Training Centre for Operational

Oceanography
The Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri. Y. S. Chowdary laid
Foundation for the building complex of the International Training Centre for Operational
Oceanography (ITCO-Ocean) at Hyderabad.
Ministry of Earth Sciences had signed a Memorandum of Agreement with IOC /

UNESCO to cooperate in capacity development programmes. This shows the confidence of
international community in Indias achievements, particularly in the field of oceanography.
BHEL commissioned 600 MW Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant Stage-II in Telangana

BHEL has commissioned 600 MW unit at Kakatiya Thermal Power Project, Telangana.
Commissioned at: Kakatiya Thermal Power Project (KTPP) at Chelpur in Warangal District of
Telangana. It is the highest rating unit in the state.
Earlier units: One coal-based unit of 500 MW commissioned by BHEL in 2010 is already
operational at KTPP.
Rs.1000 crores allocated to LWE affected states

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh approved the State wise allocation of Additional Central
Assistance (ACA) of Rs.1000 crores to 35 worst Left Wing Extremism (LWE)affected
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districts in 7 states.
Out of 35 districts, there are 16 affected districts in Jharkhand, 8 in Chhattisgarh, 6 in

Bihar, 2 in Odisha and one each in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first River Information System of India

Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the River
Information System (RIS) at a function in New Delhi.
It will facilitate safe and accurate navigation on National Waterway 1 on the Ganges
River.
RIS is being implemented under the overall responsibility of Inland Waterway Authority of
India.
Phase-II of the system from Farakka to Patna and Phase-III from Patna to Varanasi will
be undertaken on priority.
Government decides to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Emission norms

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has decided to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI
Emission norms directly by 01.04.2020 to address the issue of vehicular pollution.
A unanimous decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Minister of Road Transport &
Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari.
Cabinet approved AMRUT for Punjab and Uttarakhand for 2015-16

The Ministry of Urban Development has approved the Atal Mission plans for Punjab and
Uttarakhand for 2015-16.
(Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu)
Punjab will invest 720 cr in improving basic urban infrastructure in 16 cities.
Uttarakhand will spend 267 cr in 6 cities under action plans.
Central Assistance under State Annual Action Plans (SAAP)

Punjab Rs.319 cr
Uttarakhand Rs.134 cr
Kerala initiated Sampoorna Arogya Keralam project

Kerala has decided to implement the Sampoorna Arogya Keralam which is aimed at to bring
all major government health services under one umbrella. At least 42 lakh families are
expected to benefit under this scheme.
After its implementation, people of Kerala will not be required to visit multiple offices or
agencies for medical care.
The Chief Minister will head the Sampoorna Arogya Kerala Trust, which will monitor and
implement the project.
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Project oultay Rs.20 crore
Eligibility for project Families with annual income below Rs.3 lakh
QCI to make Report Card of Swachh Bharat Mission

To make a report on the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Urban Development has
commissioned Quality Council of India (QCI) which will rank 75 cities on sanitation and
cleanliness after an extensive survey.
The survey conducted by QCI dubbed Swachh Survekshan will cover all state
capitals and another 53 cities with a population above one million.
President promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016

President has promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016 to make
amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
Aim: To ensure that the enemy properties that have been vested in the Custodian remain so and
they do not revert back to the enemy subject or enemy firm.
Amendments
Once an enemy property is entrusted in the Custodian, it shall continue to be entrusted in

him as enemy property.
Law of succession does not apply to enemy property.
No transfer of any property vested in the Custodian by an enemy and that the Custodian
shall preserve the enemy property till it is disposed of.
Operation Green Hunt to hunt Maoists

Communist Party of India (Maoist) took the responsibility for killing 14 Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) personnel in Sukma district of south Chhattisgarh.
Reason behind Attack: According to them the attack was peoples reply to the expansionist
policies of the Narendra Modi Government(Centre) and Raman Singh(State). It was an
answer to the Operation Green Hunt.
To stop attacks on the people of Danda Karanya by CRPF and STF( Special Task Force)
personnel, rebels in association with the PLGA (Peoples Liberation Guerrilla
Army) fighters attacked on the CRPF.
Laman Diva is selected as Make in India Week logo

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled Laman Diva as the logo of the
first Make in India (MII) Week scheduled to be held in Mumbai between February 13 and 18,
which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is also the logo of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. The only added
elements are the cogs and parts of the Make in India Lion logo to signify the
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manufacturing potential of Maharashtra.
Govt approves electronics cluster in Raipur

Government has approved the set up of fifth Greenfield electronics manufacturing cluster in
Raipur, Chattisgarh worth Rs.89 crore and the central government will provide Rs.43.07 crore, for
manufacturing mobile phones, solar LEDs and consumer electronics products.
Department of Electronics and IT (Deity) has already given nod to 17 Greenfield EMCs and
approved four EMCs which include two in Madhya Pradesh, one each in Rajasthan and
Jharkhand.
It has approved only one Brownfield EMC which is located in Mysore while given nod to
three other brownfield EMCs.
International kite festival begins in Vadodara

International Kite Festival began at Surat and Rajkot in Gujarat. Kite-flyers from 31 countries set
to participate, which will travel across the state before concluding at the Sabaramati riverfront in
Ahmedabad on January 14.
Other Name: Uttarayana, marks the advent of summer.
Location: Vadodara, Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad city, Bhuj, Porbandar, Modhera and Khambhat
cities
Jointly organised by: Vadodara Municipal Corporation and GTCL.
43rd New Delhi World Book Fair opens

Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani unveiled the 43rd New Delhi World Book Fair. It is nine day
fair, publicized as the largest in Asia, is hosting about 30 countries.
Guest of honour: China
Programmes including panel discussions, dramas, classical and folk dances, workshops,
discussions, authors meets, conferences, seminars and cultural programmes will be held.
A special Navlekhan programme which work towards promoting and publishing young
authors under the age of 40 writing in Indian languages.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry launches an online initiative to engage LPG
consumers and citizens
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has launched an Online Initiative to engage the LPG
Consumers and Citizens of India. It is one of the many initiatives for observing 2016 as the Year of
LPG Consumers.
Objective: To provide efficient and citizen friendly services in LPG distribution.
Two online discussion forums have been launched and are available on myGov.in and
mylpg.in .
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Governors rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir
Governors rule was imposed in Jammu & Kashmir under Article 92 (1) of the Constitution of
Jammu and Kashmir
Reason: Because Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance will reportedly
take some time to form the government again following the death of Jammu & Kashmir
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Railways gets its first Make in India luxury coaches

Railway Board chairman AK Mittal inspected first luxury Make in India railway coaches at
Habibganj railwaystation(Bhopal). The coaches then sent to New Delhi and inspected by Railway
minister Suresh Prabhu.
Highlights:
Designed by: Bhopals coach rehabilitation workshop (CRWS), Nishatpura
Trial:Successful final test run of luxury coaches was completed between Bhopal to
GanjBasoda and back to Habibganj.
First to use these coaches:Jabalpur-HazratNizamuddinSamparkKranti Express
Habibganj Station will be the very first station of the country to be redeveloped
Minister of Railways inaugurates Implementation of E-enabled Track Management

System (TMS) & Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway and Track Inventory
Management System on Northern Railway
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated Implementation of E-enabled Track
Management System (TMS) & Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway and Track Inventory
Management System on Northern Railway at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi to bring efficiency and
effectiveness in management practices.
Management of track maintenance: It involves handling of volumes of data statistics

as well as dynamic analysis of various measurement and defects and planning,
deployment of large resources.
E-enablement of Track Management System (TMS): To promote e-working in civil

engineering department of Indian Railways. It is being implemented on all the 68
divisions of Indian Railways.
Telangana: First State to make gender education compulsory

With an introduction of bilingual textbook, Towards a World of Equals in engineering
colleges affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTUHyderabad),Telangana has become the introductory state in the country to make gender
education compulsory at the graduate level.
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The book edited by Susie Tharu and Dr.A.Suneetha has prescribed it as the textbook for
the newly introduced mandatory course on Gender Sensitization in JNTUH.
100% primary education feat achieved by Kerala

Kerala has become the first state in the country to achieve the status of 100% primary
education. It has been declared by Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
This feat has been achieved on the sidelines of states literacy mission Athulyam
Aksharotsavam.
What is Athulyam Aksharotsavam scheme?

The programme offers a chance to achieve the education qualification equivalent to fourth
standard for those who failed to get primary education due to various reasons.
CIRB Hisar becomes second institute to clone buffalo in India

Scientists at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar have successfully
produced a cloned buffalo offspring Cirb Gaurav.
The newborn cloned calf, weighed 40.4 kg at the time of birth has been produced under the
project entitled Cloning for conservation and multiplication of superior buffalo
germplasm.
20th National Youth Festival begins in Naya Raipur

The 20th National Youth Festival has commenced in capital city of Chhattisgarh, Naya Raipur.
(Chattisgarh CM Raman Singh)
Theme India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony
It is organised by Chhattisgarh Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Nehru Yuva

Kendra Sangthan and National Service Scheme.
The mascot for the event is the state animal of Chhattisgarh Wild Buffalo, in famous
dancing pose of Bastar tribals. It has been named as Sangi which means friend.
BHEL commissions 520 MW thermal power unit in Andhra Pradesh

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd has commissioned a 520MW coal-based thermal power unit in Andhra
Pradesh. Four 500 mw thermal sets supplied and executed by BHEL are in successful operation
at Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC.
Commissioned at: 2x520MW Vizag Thermal Power Project of Hinduja National Power
Company Limited (HNPCL), Visakhapatnam.
Affected by the Hudhud cyclone in 2014 while it was under construction.
DAC approves major changes in Defence Procurement Procedure

Defence Acquisition Council(DAC) led by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has approved
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major changes to the Defence Procurement Procedure(DPP).
New DPP will modernize defence acquisitions and give a big push to indigenisation through the
Make in India initiative.
Highlights
New category to promote domestic manufacturing, including government funding for

R & D and recognition of the MSME in technology development.
Funds up to 90 per cent of development costs to private companies to push research

and innovation
IMD: Changes made in Weather Forecasting Language

With an aim to make the interface more audience friendly and fill the communication with civil
administration, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has changed the languages and
also redefined many of its terms.
Following are some of the major changes introduced by the department:
Normal: 10 percent of the long period average (lpa).
Below normal: Rainfall lowers than 10% below average of the lpa.
Above normal: Rainfall greater than 10% above average of the lpa.
Deficient year: Rainfall deficit between 10 and 20% up to 40% of Indias spatial area.
Large deficient year: Rainfall deficit of over 10% across more than 40% of Indias area.
BSF starts Operation Cold along international border

Covering Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan Border Security Force
has launched Operation Cold along the international border. It will continue till January 30.
Aim: To contain any infiltration or intrusion from Pakistan in fog and cold wave weather
conditions in the western desert.
Highlights:
It was scheduled for January 17 has been preponed in view of the Pathankot terror attack
and the high security alert in the country ahead of the Republic Day.
14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in New Delhi

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conference 2016 that is an annual gathering of overseas Indians
held at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi.
Aim: To bring together Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian origin (PIOs) and
help shape stronger links between them and India. Also, Developing a new paradigm for
engagement with the diaspora over the next decade.
Organised by: External Affairs Ministry (MEA)
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Nitin Gadkari-led Road Ministry announces Rs 11,000 crore corpus to curb fatalities
Nitin Gadkari-led Road Ministry announced Rs 11,000 crore for a plan to reduce the number of road
fatalities and to fix 726 black spots on which people have lost their lives across the country
where frequent accidents occur due to road engineering faults.
Major Highlights:
A mobile application citizens will be able to upload photographs and details of black
spots
Proposal to impose penalties on companies and engineers responsible for faulty road
designs.
Good Samaritan policy will be revealed soon as part of which a crash fund will be set
up to help such victims that will be used for emergency medical care.
Sound device that can alert passersby and people around an accident site. The horn
automatically honks when a vehicle meets with an accident.
All two-wheelers in India need to have the automatic headlamps on (AHO) similar to
daytime running lamps in cars.
SC stays Centres notification lifting ban on Jallikattu

Supreme Court stayed the Centres notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport
Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu.
The Centres notification lifting ban on Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu was challenged in the Supreme
Court by AWBI, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalorebased NGO.
India becomes the member of IEA-OES

Union Cabinet gave its nod for India becomes a member country of International Energy
Agency Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) by signing the Implementing Agreement (IA).
The nodal agency for the membership would be Earth System Science Organisation
National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT) under the Ministry of Earth
Sciences.
Tendulkar launches 2 Mumbai Rail Police safety initiatives

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar launched two initiatives SAMEEP and B-Safe by Mumbai Railway
Police .
About SAMEEP :
SAMEEP(Safety Alert Messages Exclusively For Passengers) is an effort towards

instant communication with railway passengers in case of any eventuality.
Under this scheme, we invite commuters to give Missed Call on 7208015207 or SMS MH
RLY COP to 166 to get registered.
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About B-Safe :
B-Safe is a prolonged multi-media awareness campaign. It is for educating the public about
various precautions they should take for safe commuting.
Supreme Court suggested Parliament to enact separate law for child rape
The Supreme Court said rape of infants and children below 10 years of age is nothing but brutal
perversion and asked the Parliament to enact a separate law providing harsh punishment. This is
the first time that the apex court has distinguished infants and children below the age of 10 from
the general description of minors given by law to anyone below the age of 18.
A Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra said the Parliament had to separately define the word
child in terms of rape.
The court pointed out how Section 376 (2) (f) of the Indian Penal Code only talks of
rape of a woman below 12 years of age.
Sikkim crowned as Indias First Fully Organic State

Sikkim has turned out to be the Indias first fully organic state by implementing organic
practices. As per the guidelines laid down in National Programme for Organic
Production,75,000 hectares of agricultural land was gradually converted to certified organic
land by implementing organic principles.
The formal announcement regarding this will be made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
at sustainable agriculture conference in Gangtok on January 18.
IISER campus inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram

Union Human Resource Development Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the
permanent campus (Phase I) of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
(IISER) at Vithura near Thiruvananthapuram.
As a part of Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN), the Department of Higher

Education will allow the new IISER Centre to recruit five foreign faculties to improve
research and international exposure to the students.
Indias Grid-linked solar generation capacity crosses 5,000 MW mark

Indias grid-connected solar power generation capacity has crossed the 5,000 MW mark with total
grid-connected solar power generation capacity in the country is 5,129.81 MW.
Rajasthan (1,264.35 MW) has the maximum grid-connected capacity, followed by Gujarat
(1,024.15 MW) and Madhya Pradesh (678.58 MW).
The major states which are lagging behind are West Bengal (7.21 MW),Uttarakhand (5
MW) and Haryana (12.8 MW).
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Jharkhand to set up fast track courts for trial of witchcraft-related attacks
Jharkhand government is ready to set up fast track courts in five districts for speedy trial of
cases relating to witchcraft incidents.
The decision has been taken by Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar Das for setting up
of courts in Ranchi, Chaibasa, Khunti, Palamau and Simdega districts.
President gave nod to Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015

President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill,
2015, raising the ceiling of the impost from Rs 25 to Rs 200 per quintal, a measure that will
help sugarcane growers and cash-starved mills.
It will amend the Sugar Cess Act, 1982.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 inducted
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 with special provisions to
tackle child offenders in the age group of 16-18 years committing heinous offences, came into
force.
The act will replace Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
First Mahila Troop inducted for High-Altitude Posts of IC Border

The recently trained cohort of 500 women labor force has been positioned at high-altitude
posts along the India-China border.
The first Mahila troop was commissioned into the Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) in Panchkula, Haryana.
Countrys first water tourism to begin in Madhya Pradesh

The countrys first water tourism will begin in Madhya Pradesh on February 12 to February 21
in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam, one of Asias largest man-made water reservoirs with an
aim of attracting more tourists to the state.
The mega event will be inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan.
During event named as Jal Mahotsav, adventure sports will also be organised.
Govt sanctioned 791 crore rupees under NDRF for drought affected Telangana
The High Level Committee (HLC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
sanctioned 791 crore rupees to the drought affected Telangana.
The decision has been taken during HCL meeting, which was attended by Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
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Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate Hall of Nuclear Power in New Delhi
Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh
inaugurated the Hall of Nuclear Power in New Delhi.
This is Northern Indias first permanent exhibition on nuclear power, built in the
national capital which is going to be opened to the public at the National Science Centre
(NSC).
The exhibition, titled Hall of Nuclear Power Atoms Serving the Nation is spread over an
area of about 700 square metres with over 60 permanent exhibits, covering various aspects of
nuclear energy, with prime focus on nuclear power plant safety and applications for human welfare.
Worlds largest Tricolour to be hoisted in Ranchi

Jharkhand is all set to beat a record held by a flag in Faridabad, Haryana in March 2015 by getting
the worlds largest Tricolour flying atop the countrys tallest flagpole at the Pahari
temple in Ranchi.
The flag measuring 99 by 66 feet will be hoisted at a height of 293 feet.
For one week, the Tricolour will be up for a trial run.
President launches countrywide Pulse Polio Programme for 2016

The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio programme for
2016 by administering polio drops to children less than five years old, at the Rashtrapati
Bhawan.
Around 4 crore children of less than five years across the country will be given polio drops
as part of the drive of Government of India to sustain polio eradication from the country.
Union government released draft for the right of transgender person bill, 2015
The right of the transgender person bill, 2015 was released in the 2nd week of January 2016 by
the union government for the overall development and the welfare of the transgender persons over
the whole country.
Highlights of transgender person bill, 2015 :
Transgender person should be proclaim as the third gender and have choice to identify
themselves as either man or woman.
The state level authority of the respective state and authority should issue
the certificate for the identification of the transgender persons. This certificate is
acceptable to all the authority for the identification of the person for the official use
like birth certificate, ration card, aadhaar card etc.
900+ girls in sex ratio at birth recorded in Haryana

For the first time in 10 years, sex ratio in Haryana has shown a mounting crossing the 900
16 | P a g e

mark with 903 girls per 1,000 boys as compared to earlier 879 females per 1,000 males.
(Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar)
12 districts have recorded sex ratio above the 900 mark in which district Sirsa tops the
list with sex ratio of 999 girls per 1,000 boys.
Sirsa district, sex ratio at birth increased from 948 in October 2015 to 978 in
November and to 999 in December.
NITI Aayog collaborated with IDFC for Enterprise Survey of Manufacturing Firms
As part of ease of doing business enabler, NITI Aayog and IDFC Institute will jointly conduct
asurvey of manufacturing companies, including startups, across India.
The objective of the survey is to assess the business regulatory environment in each
state and union territory (UT).
The NITI Aayog-IDFC Institute Enterprise survey will complement the governments Make in
India initiative by taking stock of issues faced and providing impetus for state-level
reformsthat will make it easier to do business in India.
It will suggest measures needed to foster competitive and cooperative federalism.
BHEL commissions 660 MW supercritical thermal unit in UP

BHEL has commissioned the second 660 MW supercritical unit of Lalitpur Super Thermal
Power Project (STPP) in Uttar Pradesh.
About Lalitpur STPP :
Lalitpur STPP is being developed by Lalitpur Power Generation Company Limited (LPGCL)promoted by the Bajaj Hindustan group.
Besides, the balance 660 MW super-critical Units, two each at Lalitpur and Bara, BHEL is
also executing a 500 MW units at Anpara D TPS of Uttar Pradesh Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd
(UPRVUNL) in Uttar Pradesh.
Kalraj Mishra releases Laghu Udyog Samachar Magazine on Startup India theme in 13th
Meeting of the NBMSME
The Start-up issue of Laghu Udyog Samachar (January 2016) was released by Shri Kalraj
Mishra, Union Minister of MSME at the 13th Meeting of the National Board for Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises. Shri Giriraj Singh, MoS of Ministry of MSME was also present to address
the gathering.
National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, Farmers Welfare
The two-day National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was
chaired in Sikkim. The conference will be attended by state government representatives, scientists,
academicians, bankers, experts and practitioners.
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PM Narendra Modi was the chief guest at the plenary session of the conference.
Organic Farming Festival was also organized to give more impetus to Organic Farming.
The two day National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare deliberated upon
the challenges and identify initiatives to transform agriculture based on sustainable and
efficient use of resources like soil and water, remunerative prices on farm produce, risk
coverage and reduction of potential negative impact of climate change.
Provide access to answer sheets at Rs 2 per page: CIC
The Central Information Commission has ruled the Universities and examining bodies for not to
charge more than Rs 2 per page for providing copies of evaluated answer scripts to students.
Derivatives are issued to the University Grants Commission and Association of Indian
Universities, to circulate, publicise and insist on implementation of this order in all academic
and examining bodies.
IIT Kharagpur launches innovation centre
IIT-Kharagpur has launched an innovation centre
Target: To promote the culture of innovation among its undergraduate students right from their
first year.
M N Faruqui Innovations Centre was launched by ArjunMalhotra(Co-founder of HCL
Technologies) comprising a Design Facility and Tinkering Laboratory.
1. Design Facility supports a meeting, brainstorming and conferencing centre with
Computing and Information Technology
2. Tinkering Lab has collaborative conferencing tools, 3D printers, a mechanical workshop
with fabrication machinery, electronics workbenches, PCB fabrication set-ups, and
prototyping tools for embedded systems.
Health Ministry releases results from 1st phase of NFHS-4 survey

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the results from the first phase of the National
Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16. These are available on Ministrys website,
www.mohfw.gov.in.
Findings for the 13 States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and
two Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.
Results of the first phase of the NFHS-4 survey
Improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition.
Fewer children are dying in infancy and early childhood.
Better care for women during pregnancy and childbirth contributes to reduction of
maternal deaths and improved child survival.
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National Tariff Policy for Electricity gets nod from Cabinet
The Union Cabinet approved the National Tariff Policy for Electricity aimed at tightening
regulations for setting power rates and promotion of clean energy in a support to Swachh
Bharat programme.
(Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal)
The Central government had approved the National Tariff Policy under the provisions of
the Electricity Act in 2006, as in 2006, the central government had approved the National
Tariff Policy under the provisions of Electricity Act, 2003.
Project Green Ports launched to Reduce Pollution

Union Ministry of Shipping launched the Project Green Ports, which is aimed at reducing
the pollution levels at ports and managing the sewage treatment at ports.
The project has two verticals viz. Green Ports Initiative and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Green Port Initiative:

It comprises 12 time-bound sub-initiatives, which include acquiring dust suppression system,
setting up of sewage/waste water treatment plants and energy generation plans based on
the renewable energy resources.
It will also look at the shortfalls of oil spill response facilities, which will prohibit the
disposal of garbage at sea.
Gadkari to inaugurate 19th National Conference on e-Governance

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurate
dthe 19th National Conference on e-Governance held in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
The two-day conference (January 21-22, 2016) is being jointly organised by theDepartment
of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG),Department of Electronics
and Information Technology and Maharashtra government.
Key sessions of Conference:

The conference will have 6 plenary sessions including topics Governance with Accountability
Transparency and Innovation (GATI) for citizen-centric services, financial inclusion Jan
Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), urban governance in smart
cities.
The other sessions are on Decade of e-Governance Way Ahead and technology
enabled education and cyber security framework for citizen centric services.
Telangana to introduce Course Credits for students

Telangana Government is set to introduce Course Credits in Secondary education for
students to take part in certain programmes, from the next academic year. These will add up as
they move on to higher classes.
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Earlier, the State government signed an agreement with apex IT industry association
Nasscom for setting up Start-up Ware house at the T-Hub.
Bihar Government approves 35 per cent job reservation for women

Bihar Government has approved 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs in the
state including reserved and unreserved category.
Key Points about the Meeting
Cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Experts said that this is a result of several schemes initiated by Nitish Kumar for
womens empowerment.
At present state is providing 35 percent reservation for women in recruitment as police

constables and sub-inspectors and 50 percent reservation for women as primary
school teachers and in the Panchayati Raj system.
Cabinet approbated 50000 crore rupees for Infrastructure Projects in TN

Centre has consented Rs. 50,000 crore for infrastructure development projects in Tamil Nadu.
The announcement has been made by Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and
Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari during the foundation laying ceremony of 3 four-lane
National Highways projects in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Tirupur districts and 2
flyovers in Marthandam and Parvathipuram.
Policy on Promotion of City Compost assented by cabinet

Policy on Promotion of City Compost has got a stamp of approval by the Union Cabinet to
lower the maximum retail price of city compost for farmers.
As per policy, sale of city compost will be assisted by Rs 1,500 per tonne, which can be
utilized as organic fertiliser by farmers.
A joint contrivance will be organised by Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Urban

Development and Department of Agriculture to supervise and make adequate quantity of
City Compost available by having a mutual accord with compost manufacturers and Fertilizer
Marketing companies.
Targets will be assigned to Universities & Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) to raise
awareness about the usage of city compost.
Rs 4,918-crore approved for Highway Project in Bihar

For the widening of NH 2 stretch in Bihar and to expand its infrastructure, Cabinet has
assentedRs 4,918-crore.
The decision in this regard has been taken by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
20 | P a g e
(CCEA), which also approved 6-laning of Aurangabad Bihar/ Jharkhand Border

Barwa Adda section on NH 2 in Bihar and Jharkhand.
The highway with a stretch of 222 kms will diminish travelling time.
Infrastructure Status vouchsafed to Shipyard Industry

In a bid to ease financial stress, union government has granted infrastructure status to the
shipyard industry. This will enable shipyards to avail flexible long-term funding at lower
costs.
The shipyards undertaking will also get benefits under Income Tax Act, 1961 as well as
relaxed ECB norms and issuance of infrastructure bonds for meeting working capital
requirements.
Presently, this strategically important industry i.e. Indian shipyard has employed around 30,000
people.
CCEA approves 5000 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its nod for setting up over 5,000 MW of GridConnected Solar PV Power Projects on build, own and operate basis.
Under Batch-lV of Phase-ll of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), the
projects will be executed by solar Power Developers (SPDs) withViability Gap Funding
(VGF).
Outlay Rs 30,000 crore
The project will be set up in 4 trenches of 1,250 MW capacity of each viz. 2015-16, 2016-17,
2017-18 and 2018-19.
Andhra Pradesh Govt reestablished Commission for OBC

The state government of Andhra Pradesh has reestablished the Andhra Pradesh Commission
for Backward Classes by exercising the rights vested in the section 3 of Andhra Pradesh
Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
It has been re-initiated after the time gap of 4 years, as the previous commission term was
expired on 24 September 2011.
The reconstituted two member commission will be chaired by Justice K.L.Manjunath,

(Retd.) while the second member will be Member Secretary of APCBC.
The tenure of the chairman of A.P. Commission for Backward Classes is of 3 yearsfrom the
date of assumption of office in terms.
4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference held in New Delhi

4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference (IAHC) was held in New Delhi. 22 African
nations participate in the conference out of which nine were represented by their Ministers.
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Conference aimed at greater collaboration between India and African continent

towards Development Transmitting Partnership in Hydrocarbons field.
Deal permits India to enhance its energy security.
And encouraging Africas Hydrocarbons sector growth on several fronts like environmental
sustainability, human resource development and employment generation.
Indias first LGBT radio taxi service announced

Indias first radio taxi service for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) was flagged
off in Mumbai .
Taxi was launched by a mainstream travel company.
The Humsafar Trust has signed up to drive radio cabs.
This is an empowerment initiative.
The five members of the gay and transgender community will apply for a learners license, and
complete their training in getting the All India Drivers License under the pilot programme.
France returns head of Hindu statue taken 130 years ago

The head of a Hindu deitys statue is reattached to its body after 130 years. It was taken from
the Phnom Da temple in southern Takeo territory by French researchers in 1882-1883.
The head was reattached after a ceremony at the National Museum in Phnom Penh,
Cambodia.
The stone statue is of Harihara, an idol that combines aspects of Vishnu and Shiva.
Union Government notified stricter standards for Sugar Industry to minimize water
pollution
Union Ministry Environment, Forest and Climate Change had notified stricter environment
rules for sugar industries in various states of the country to minimize water pollution. The revised
norms will lead to improved operational performance of Sugar industry through accomplishment of
wastewater discharge and conservation standards and pollution control management protocol.
Key Highlights
These rules are to be implemented with instantaneous effect with aimed to minimize
water pollution.
Rules lead to improved operational performance of sugar industries through

implementation of wastewater discharge standards and waste water conservation and
pollution control management protocol.
Single outlet point from unit has been allowed to encourage operational efficiency
and treated effluent recycling practices.
Waste water discharge standards have been made stricter, by limiting the same to 200
liter per ton of crushed cane, as against the previous limit of 400 liter per ton.
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Google Launches First Public Wi-Fi Service in India
The first free Public Wi-Fi service has been launched by Indian Railways telecom wing
RailTel in partnership with Google at Mumbais central railway station. Minister of Railways
Mr. Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated the WiFi service.
Mumbai central railway station has become the first railway station to have free high-speed
Wi-Fi Internet facility in India.
Centre sanctions funds for Beating Retreat ceremony in Tripura

Union Tourism Ministry has consented fund under Swadesh Darshan scheme, to create
infrastructure for Beating Retreat ceremony at Agartala-Akhaura border with Bangladesh,
similar to that at Wagah in Punjab.
There were an oultay of Rs 99 crore for the development of tourist spots in Tripura, which
was funded by the government. Out of which Rs 18 crore was allocated to

create infrastructure at the Agartala-Akhaura border.
PM Modi publicized 100 secret files relating to Subhash Chandra Bose

On the 119th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, PM Modi publicized the 100
secret files on the freedom fighter for the first time whose disappearance 70 years ago remains
a mystery.
The public digital copies of the files were on the display at Delhis National Archives of
India (NAI).
Still there is not proved reason behind death or killing of Netaji. Here are some conclusions of the
inquiries:
Two commissions had concluded that Netaji died in a plane crash in Taipei on August
18, 1945.
According to another commission the leader fled to the Soviet Union to continue to fight
for Indias independence but was killed.
One more conclusion says that he returned to India as an ascetic, Gumnami Baba and
continued to live in Uttar Pradeshs Faizabad till 1985.
Maharashtras first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant commissioned

The first Solar Power operated Mini-Water Supply Plant has been commissioned in Hingna
village of Mouda Taluka in Nagpur district Maharashtra. Solar power is the conservation of
sun energy to usable electricity. Solar Power is a sustainable and renewable resource of energy.
The plant entirely run on solar power for which 1800 Watt panels have been installed.
Key highlights
The plant entirely run on solar power for which 1800 Watt panels have been installed.
It delivers 10,000 Liters of purified water every day.
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The nitrate content from water is completely removed so as to avoid the ill effects on the
health of villagers
This is an effective and environment-friendly cleaner technology.
This is the first solar power plant operated mini water supply in Maharashtra.
CRC to improve ease of doing business

In order to catalyze the company incorporation related services, corporate affairs ministry under
the initiative of Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) has initiated the Central
Registration Centre (CRC).
It will be formally operationalized from January 27, 2016.
CRC will improve ease of doing business in the country by ensuring uniformity in application
of rules and do away with discretion.
Objective To provide speedy incorporation-related services within stipulated

timeframes which are in line with international best practices.
New port development policy approved by Maharashtra

Maharashtra govt has given its consent to new maritime policy for port development to create
better facilities around 720 km coastal region of the state.
Policy covers Greenfield ports, jetties, coastal shipping and inland waterways, shipyards,
coastal economic zones and facilitation for maritime projects.
The state run Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) will be the nodal agency for all
approvals concerning the port development and related infrastructure.
Union Cabinet clears Presidents rule in Arunachal Pradesh

The union cabinet clears the Presidents Rule in Arunachal Pradesh.Union Government takes
the decision when the state assembly becomes unsuccessful to act in accordance with the
provisions of Article 174 of the Constitution.
The political crisis in the Arunachal Pradesh began in December 2015 as 21 out of 47
ruling Congress legislators in the 60-member house rebelled along with 11 BJP and
2 independent legislators and extended support to Kalikho Pul to form new government
Indias 67th Republic Day with Unique Traits

Today India commemorated and honoured the 67th birth anniversary of its Constitution as
Republic day. The main Republic Day celebration was held at the Rajpath in New Delhi. Along with
ceremonious parades as a tribute to India, there was something different to this years republic
day.
French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest of 67th Republic Day
24 | P a g e
This is President Hollandes 2nd State Visit to India and for the 5th time (earlier 1976,
1980, 1998 and 2008).
French Marching Contingent 76 member French Army contingent led by a

French military band comprised 48 musicians marched on Rajpath and presented a
ceremonial salute to the President of India.
Army Dog Squad After 26 long years, the Army had selected 36 dogs aged 2-5 years,
out of total 1,200 Labradors and German Shepherds for the event.
All Women Stunt Contingent For the first time, a women only stunt contingent
demonstrated their motorcycle riding skills. The contingent named Women Daredevils
CRPF was comprised of 120 soldiers.
Shorter time The celebration this year was 25 minute shorter than usual. The duration
was brought down to 90 minutes from 115 minutes, but the format remained the same.
Couple from the Bonda Tribe For the first time, Dhabalu Sisa (41) and Samari Sisa
(46) a couple from the Bonda community in Odisha attended the Republic Day function
as PM Narendra Modis guests. The Bondas are categorised as vulnerable tribal
community with only 7,000 of them alive.
Ex-servicemen tableau For the first time, the parade saw an ex-servicemen tableau
where Army veterans showcased their role in nation building.
Air Force tableau IAF tableau, with the theme Humanitarian Assistance and
Disaster Relief Operations by IAF: In Service of the Nation and
Beyondshowcased models of C-17 Globemaster, C-130 Hercules and MI-17V5 aircraft,
emphasizing its use in the Forces rescue and relief operations in Uttarakhand, Jammu
and Kashmir, Yemen and Nepal.
Indian Navys Tableau Theme Empowering India through Maritime security

and Indigenisation , tableau displayed flight deck operations on the new aircraft
carrierVikrant under construction at the Kochi Shipyard Ltd and the indigenously
constructed submarine Kalvari by Mazagaon Dock Ltd, Mumbai, having a Made in
India tag on them.
Bharat Parv To showcase Indias rich heritage, government has organised a Bharat
Parv at Red Fort from January 26-29. It has been exhibited so that people can see them
more closely.
Indian, Chinese troops meet on LAC, commit to cordial ties

Indian and Chinese troops meet on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh sector of Jammu
and Kashmir for the ceremonial Border Personal Meetings on the occasion of 67thRepublic day of
India. Both the troops express their commitment towards enhancing the friendly relations and
maintaining peace along boundary.
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Key Highlights of the Meeting
The military commanders of both sides Hoist the Flag and deliver speeches in which
kindness and a spirit of friendship was reflected.
Cultural Program showing the traditional culture of India was organized.
The troops from both the country also wanted to build the treaties and agreements signed
between the governments of the two sides to maintain peace and harmony along
the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
At the Chushul Moldo Meeting Point, the delegations were led by Brig R S Raman
and (Chinas) Senior Col Cheng Zheng Shan.
At the DBO-TWD Meeting Point, the delegations were led by Col B S Uppal and
(Chinas) Lt Col Duanyug Kang.
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment
Act came into force
The Central Government will enforce the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes
Prevention of Atrocities Amendment Act, 2015 for prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes with effect from January 26, 2016. The Lok Sabha on August
04, 2015 and Rajya Sabha on December 21, 2015, had already passed the Bill. After framing the
rules for performance, now it will be enforced by the Central Government with effect from
January 26, 2016.
Key features of the PoA Act 2015
To enable immediate and expeditious disposal of cases for the offence under the PoA
Act Exclusive special courts and Special Public Prosecutors are established.
To take direct cognizance of offence and completion of trial of the case within two
months, from the date of filing of the charge sheet.
IPC offences like hurt, grievous hurt, intimidation, kidnapping etc., attracting less than
ten years of imprisonment, committed against members of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled
Tribe, as offences punishable under the PoA Act.
Centre approved Rs 11,370 crore Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

Centre issued a fresh coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance to the ambitious 22 km Mumbai
Trans Harbour Link project.
Outlay Rs 11,370 crore
The proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project will be implemented by the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
It envisages construction of six lanes Road Bridge to ease congestion and reduce
pollution in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra government plans to complete the link by 2019.
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India gifted ambulances and buses to Nepal
In a bid to strengthen the education and health services in the Himalayan nation, India has
donated 40 ambulances and 8 buses to various hospitals, non-profit charitable organisations and
educational institutions in Nepal at a function at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu on 67thRepublic
day of India.
Other Highlights of Event:
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae hoisted the national flag in the embassy premises.
Bhu Puu (ex-army men) 2015 Magazine was unveiled, which is published by
theDefence Wing of the Embassy.
The widows and dependents of ex-servicemen and disabled ex-servicemen were handed
over cheques and blankets by the ambassador.
Books were donated to 52 libraries, educational and training institutions.
French President Francois Hollande visit to India An Overview

French President Francois Hollande was on 3 days visit to India. He was chief guest of the
Republic Day parade. This is President Hollandes 2nd State Visit to India and the 5th time (earlier
1976, 1980, 1998 and 2008) that a French Head of State has been invited as the Chief Guest on
Indias Republic Day celebrations.
Rock Garden Modi met Hollande at the Rock Garden and the two leaders took a tour of the
famous landmark created by Nek Chand using industrial and home waste and thrown-away items.
Government Museum and Art Gallery The dignitaries shown the fossil discovered from the
Shivalik Hills jointly by Society for Archaeological & Anthropological Research, India and
French National Museum of Natural History.
Capitol Complex The most spectacular work of French architect Charles-Edouard JeanneretGris aka Le Corbusier, the Capitol Complex comprises the Legislative Assembly, Punjab and
Haryana High Court and Secretariat. Here both leaders addressed the Business summit. There
were 16 agreements signed during summit:
Development of Smart cities
Smart city in Nagpur
b/w AFD (French Development Agency) and

Maharashtra
b/w AFD and Chandigarh
b/w AFD and Puducherry
Smart city in Chandigarh

Smart city in Puducherry
MoUs for Urban Sector Development
EPI Ltd-Dassault Systems, EPI-Egis, EPI-Schneider Electric, EPI-Schneider Electric, EPI-Thales,
EPI-EDF, EPI-Alstom, EPI-SA CAN, EPI-Lumiplan ITS India Pvt Ltd and EPI-POMA. (EPI
Engineering Projects India Limited)
Others
Solar Photovoltaic Projects
b/w CEA (French Alternative Energies and
Atomic Energy Commission) and Green
Ventures in the rural areas of Varanasi &Uttar
Pradesh.
Solar Photovoltaic Projects
b/w CEA and Crompton Greaves to explore
opportunities with storage function for Indian
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Strategic partnership for helicopters
airports.
Mahindra-Airbus cooperation to create the new
private strategic partner for helicopters within
the Make in India initiative.
Apart from above, both leaders also announced to work together on fighting
terror andenhancing their strategic partnership.
India, France sign Rafale fighter plane accord

India and France inked an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) on the sale of 36 French
fighterjets but financial details of the deal were yet to be worked out. The deal was estimated
of $9 billion worth.
India, France ink pacts for cooperation in space technology
India and France signed 2 pacts to strengthening their cooperation in the field of space technology
that will enable them in monitoring environment, weather and water resources.
International Solar Alliance Indias first international &inter-governmental
organization headquartered in India
NaMo and Hollande jointly laid the foundation stone of the International Solar Alliance
(ISA)headquarters and inaugurated the interim Secretariat of the ISA in National Institute of
Solar Energy (NISE) in Gwalpahari, Gurgaon.
India-France joint statement
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hollande expressed their commitment towards Strategic
Partnership Security, Defence, Nuclear energy, Climate Change Renewable Energies and energy
efficiency, Sustainable Development, Transport, Economic Co-operation, Heritage, Culture and
Sports.
Mr. Hollande Bollywood Meet Actors Aishwarya Rai & Shahrukh Khan, Designer Ritu
Beri & filmmaker Aditya Chopra
Aishwarya Rai, Shahrukh Khan, Ritu Beri & Aditya Chopra was invited by French President Francois
Hollande at a special luncheon hosted by French Ambassador Francois Richier in New Delhi.
Indias first blind friendly train flagged off

Indian Railway flagged off Indias first blind friendly train, from Mysuru to Varanasi. The train is
financed by Pratap Simha, Mysuru Member of Parliament (MP), from the MPLAD Fund. The
train was inaugurates by Mr Prtap Simha.
The Union Minister of Railways always tries to inauguration which helps the local people in
every situation.
Railway broadband to touch 500,000 homes in Digital India within 2 years

Railway broadband reaches 500,000 households through its Railwire network. In the next
two years the network is providing a host of services at the block level. Indian Railways is
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an Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government of India (GoI) through
the Ministry of Railways.
Key Points about Indian Railways
The Broadband Highway will involve a three-layer network
1. State capitals to district headquarters
2. District to sub-divisional and
3. Gram panchayats
This three-layer network of the Broadband Highway will be joined to the National Optic Fiber
Network (NOFN).
First list of 20 smart cities publicized with Bhubaneswar on Top

Bhubaneswar capital city of Odisha has outpaced all other rivalry cities of the nation by clinching
the top rank in Smart Cities contest, which had received proposals for 97 cities from state
governments.
Recently, Union Cabinet has publicized the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be
developed as smart cities including 5 capital cities.
Here is the list of 20 smart cities

Sr.
City
State
no
1
Bhubaneswar
Odisha
2
Pune
Maharashtra
3
Jaipur
Rajasthan
4
Surat
Gujarat
5
Kochi
Kerala
6
Ahmedabad
Gujarat
7
Jabalpur
Madhya Pradesh
8
Vishakapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
9
Sholapur
Maharashtra
10
Davangere
Karnataka
Sr. no
City
State
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Indore
NDMC
Coimbatore
Kakinada
Belagavi
Udaipur
Guwahati
Chennai
Ludhiana
Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi
Tamil Nadu
Andhra Pradesh
Karnataka
Rajasthan
Assam
Tamil Nadu
Punjab
Madhya Pradesh
CCEA Approves Hybrid Annuity Model for Highway Projects

In a bid to provide better connectivity and attract investment, Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs has given its stamp of approval to Hybrid Annuity Model for implementing the Highway
Projects.
The government will provide 40% of the project cost to the developer while the
remaining investment has to be made by the developer.
By adopting the Model as the mode of delivery will increase the comfort level of all major
stakeholders in the PPP arrangement including authority, lender and developer, resulting in
revival of the sector through renewed interest of private investors.
The former Planning Commission has developed the first version of the Model
Concession Agreement for roads in 2006.
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Union Cabinet approves raising of 17 Indian Reserve Battalions
Union Cabinet has approved the plan of rising 17 India Reserve Battalions (IR Bns)
inJammu & Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States.
It includes five Battalions in state of J&K, four in Chhattisgarh, three in Jharkhand, three in
Odisha and two IR Bns in Maharashtra.

Reason-To recruits the local youth if required as per the criteria
UP IPS Aparna Kumar scales Mount Vinson Massif: the highest peak in Antarctica
Aparna Kumar UP cadre IPS officer become the countrys first civil servant to scaled Mount
Vinson Massif, the highest peak in the Antarctica.
She is the first civil servant to mount the highest peak.
She joins Uttar Pradesh Police Service UP IPS in 2012 batch.
Madhya Pradesh to impose ban on polythene from January 2017

After reviewing the activities of Urban Development and Environment and Housing Department in
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced to impose
banon polythene in entire state from January 2017.
IRCTC announces new rule for online ticket booking

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced some
changes by replaced existing rules in the booking to prevent misuse.
You can book only two tickets per user-ID in a day from 8 am to 10 am
Only two tickets per user-ID in a day can book from 10 am to 12 noon
Maximum six tickets can be booked in a month using one user-ID
GOI to create Khadi Gramudyog network

Government of India (GOI) wants to create a network of Khadi Gramudyog across villages in
India on the 68th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and a book titled Nathuram Godse
The Story of an Assassin is also released on the occasion.
About Khadi Gramudyog
Khadi is a term used for hand-woven cloth and handspun from made out of cotton.
Khadi cloths are mainly made in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Book titled Nathuram Godse The Story of an Assassin released
The book titled Nathuram Godse The Story of an Assassin authored by Anup
Ashok Sardesai was released on 30 January 2016 that is the death Anniversary of MK
Gandhi.
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Kerala to initiate G-Taxi for transgenders
After Wings Rainbow in Mumbai now Kerala is all set to launch to G-Taxi (Gender Taxi)which
will be operated owned and operated by members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender) community. It is first of its kind in Kerala.
Objective To provide a better means for livelihood for the minority group and to ensure
them non-discriminatory treatment in society.
The initiative for G-taxi has been taken by state-run Gender Park, under the Department of
Social Justice.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
No UK financial aid to India from January 1 2016
India will no longer receive financial aid from the UK, from January 1, 2016.Decision was taken
by the British government in 2012 after a domestic outcry about Indias growing economic status.
Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI): Introduced in 2011 for promoting private
sector investment in eight low income states of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar,
West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, UP and Rajasthan,will continue.
New coins for 2016 to feature Shakespeare and Beatrix Potter

New coins featuring William Shakespeare, Beatrix Potter, the Army and the Great Fire of
London are set to be released in 2016.
Highlights:
Each coin bears the portrait of the Queen by Royal Mint engraver Jody Clark, first
introduced to UK coinage in 2015.
Histories, comedies and tragedies of William Shakespeare On 2 coins marking

400 years of the Bards literary legacy.
50p coin honours Beatrix Potter, the author and artist- On the 150th anniversary of
her birth.
Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Facilities List Exchange

India and Pakistan exchanged the list of their nuclear installations for the 25th consecutive
year under a bilateral agreement that bars them from attacking each others atomic facilities.
It was exchanged through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad.
The list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition
of Attack against Nuclear installations between India and Pakistan.
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Saudi Arabia-led coalition announces end of Yemen ceasefire
Saudi Arabia has announced the end ceasefire agreement with Yemens Houthi involve fighters and
their allies.
Both sides continued to engage militarily, with the Arab coalition launching air strikes
targeting Houthis and their allies, and the latter launching ballistic missiles into
Saudi territory.
IIM B School courses lead in Central Asia
As per the study of Paris-based international agency Eduniversal, which specialises in higher
education, 3 post-graduate courses of Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru have
been ranked top in Central Asia.
Three courses of the IIM-Bangalore:

Two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP)
One-year Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM)
One-year full-time Executive Post Graduate Programme (EPGP)
Forbes named 45 Indians in list of its achievers under 30

Forty five Indians and Indian- origin people have made it to Forbes annual list of achievers
under the age of 30 who are changing the rules of the game or creating entirely new playbooks
across varied fields.
Consumer tech segment -Ritesh Agarwal (22),Gagan Biyani (28) and Neeraj Berry and Karishma
Shah (25)
Hollywood and entertainment field -Lily Singh (27)
Area of Finance - Nila Das (Age 27) ,Divya Nettimi (29),Vikas Patel (29) and Neel Rai (29)
Venture Capital Segment -Vishal Lugani (26),Amit Mukherjee (27),Nisha Chittal (27) and Ashish
Patel (29)
Manufacturing Segment - Sampriti Bhattacharyya (28) and Saagar Govil (29)
Social Entrepreneurs - Anoop Jain (28)
Law & Policy Field-Ashish Kumbhat (26),Dipayan Ghosh (27) and Anisha Singh (28)
Field of Science - Sanjam Garg (29)
China admits first same sex marriage rights lawsuit

Chinas first lawsuit on same-sex marriage rights has been accepted by a court, marking a
milestone for gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
Court has accepted the suit of Plaintiff Sun Wenlin (name changed), a homosexualagainst
the civil affairs bureau in Changshas Furong district for not accepting his marriage
registration application.
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Saudi Arabia is Third Happiest Country
Saudi Arabia became third country for the worlds happiest countries in which almost no European.
It has only been cracked to top position by Fiji(beautiful islands) andColombia(suffers from drugrelated wars and corruption).
Saudi Arabia, the country arrests and imprisons critics, executes the Shia religious minority,
and does not adequately protect women in law from discrimination and sexual violence as per
Amnesty report.
Research: By WIN/Gallup International
Other Countires Ranks
Eighth: Mexico-despite the number of deaths in the country outpacing that of

Afghanistan and Iraq combined between 2007 and 2014 because of gang violence.
Ninth: Iceland and China
Tenth: France and Italy
Greece is the third most unhappy country
Nepal designated to UNICEFs executive board member

Nepal has been elected to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) executive board,
representing the group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.
Nepals ambassador and permanent representative to the UN Durga Prasad Bhattarai has
also been elected as vice-president to the bureau of the executive board.
Nepal recently completed its terms as a member of the UN economic and social council
(ECOSOC) for 2013-2015 and as vice-president from Asia-Pacific region at the executive
board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS for the year 2015.
Nepal had contributed to the UNICEF by remaining in the executive board in different times
including 1982 to 1985, 1992 to 1995 and 2002 to 2004.
Sri Lanka government proposes new constitution

Sri Lankas new government presented its plan for a new constitution aimed at devolving power
and preventing the sort of ethnic tensions that led to a long and bitter civil war that ended in
2009.
The move comes as reformist President Maithripala Sirisenas administration takes

some steps to promote post-conflict reconciliation and address alleged war crimes
committed during the 26-year conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Kenya published new Broadcast Regulations

Kenya has published new broadcast regulations to place strict limits on sexual content and ban
preachers from soliciting money on air.
Regulations:
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New rules apply to programmes as well as advertisements, programme listings and

promotions.
India leads the 2016 outsourcing index

According to a study published by London-based global management consulting firm, A T
Kearneys 2016 Global Services Location Index (GSLI), India become the worlds biggest
outsourcing destination in terms of financial attractiveness and business environment.
Other Countries in the list of top 10 following India includes China, Malaysia, Brazil,
Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, Mexico, Chile and Poland
As per the study of A T Kearney, India and Philippines are considered as the greatest priority
in case of outsourcing. Now the companies are hunting for new talent in tier-3 locations such
as Surat, Nagpur, and Lucknow in India and Bacolod and Iloilo City in the Philippines, which is
beyond these countries capitals and major cities.
China reshuffles military headquarters in major revamp

Chinese President Xi Jinping reorganised four army headquarters by replacing them with 15 new
agencies under the Central Military Commission(CMC) headed by him.
Reform includes five more divisions, administration, auditing, international cooperation,

reform, organisational structure and strategic planning.
Six new departments, joint staff, political work, logistical support, equipment development,
training, and national defence.
Currently China has four army headquarters staff, politics, logistics and armaments.
Part of major reforms initiated by Xi to revamp the 2.3 million-strong and the world largest
military, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).
First time integrated area commands looking after India and Pakistan.
US, Jordan signed JAP on cooperation to counter Nuclear Smuggling

United States and Jordan signed a Joint Action Plan (JAP) to improve efforts against nuclear and
radiological smuggling. The partnership will help in enhancing the efforts to combat nuclear
terrorism.
The JAP was signed by Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordans Foreign Minister Nasser
Judeh in Washington.
India has largest diaspora population: UN report

As per the report of survey on Trends in International Migrant Stock conducted by UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Indias diaspora population is the
largest in the world with 16 million people from India living outside their country in 2015.
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Taking a global sight, there is 41% increase in comparison with 2000 in the number of
international migrant persons living in a country other than where they were born, which
is reached at 244mn in 2015.
Nearly two thirds of international migrants live in Europe (76 million) or Asia (75 million).
Key Highlights of Report

The rise in the number of international migrants reflects the increasing importance of
international migration, which has become an integral part of our economies and societies
India has the largest diaspora in the world, followed by Mexico and Russia.
In 2015, 16 million people from India were living outside of their country, a growth from
6.7 million in 1990.
Mexicos diaspora population stood at 12 million.
Other countries with large diaspora

included Russia, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan andUkraine.
Of the 20 countries with the largest number of international migrants living abroad, 11
were in Asia, 6 in Europe, and one each in Africa, Latin
America, Caribbean andNorthern America.
2016 to be China India Tourism Year: China

The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) announced the beginning of China-India
Tourism Year on the sidelines of the decision taken jointly in 2014 by PM Narendra Modiand
Chinese President Xi Jinping to observe the India Tourism Year in China in 2015 andChina
Tourism Year in India in 2016.
The opening ceremony will be launched on January 14 at Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi.
Conference of QCG on Afghan Peace & Reconciliation held in Islamabad

Conference of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Afghan Peace and Reconciliation
process was held in Islamabad on 11 January 2016.
Purpose: To explore ways to create consensus for talks between the Taliban and Afghanistans
government.
Participants : Representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US.
4-member EPG suggested by Nepal to review accords with India

Ahead of Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli maiden visit to India next
month, the Nepal government has proposed formation of a four-member Eminent Persons
Group to review the existing bilateral agreements with India including the strategic Peace
and Friendship Treaty of 1950.
The names proposed to be included in EPG are Former finance minister and former Nepalese
Ambassador to India Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, former chief of the Commission for
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Investigation Authority Suyra Nath Upadhyaya, former UN assistant secretary general Kul
Chandra Gautam and CPN-UML lawmaker Rajan Bhattarai.
The next cabinet meeting will take a formal decision in this regard.
After 25 years, Saudi Embassy officially reopens in Baghdad

Saudi Arabia has reopened its embassy in Baghdad after a closure that lasted 25 years.
The kingdom closed the embassy in 1990, after Saddam Hussein ordered an invasion
of Saudi ally Kuwait.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari accepted the credentials of Ambassador Thamir alSabhan. Both diplomats underlined the necessity for their countries to boost bilateral relations
in all fields.
WHO declares worlds worst ever Ebola outbreak over

World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that the Ebola epidemic that has ravaged West
Africa for two years was over after Liberia, the last affected country, received the all-clear.
One of the most feared diseases in the world, Ebola killed more than 11,000
peopleacross West-Africa after it surfaced in Southern Guinea in December 2013.
Liberia, the country worst hit by the outbreak with 4,800 deaths, discharged its last two patients
from hospital, the father and younger brother of a 15-year-old victim.
UN demoted India GDP forecast for 2016 to 7.5%

Due to the slow progress in execution of reform policies, United Nations has reduced its GDP
growth forecast for India for 2016 to 7.5% from 8.2%.
According to a report by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific (ESCAP), the potential for even higher economic growth in some other major
economies in the region has been held back due to slow progress in implementing reform
policies.
As per ESCAP economists, Chinas growth also downgraded to 6.5% in 2016 from 6.8%
estimated earlier.
India marked as 2nd largest fruit producer in Global List

According to the handbook, published by the Oxford University, the upswing in fruit production
makes India the second largest global producer behind China. Though horticulture has seen
fruit production grow faster than vegetables but still latter constitute the largest segment of this
sector of agriculture.
Grapes occupy the premier position in exports with 107.3 thousand tonnes valued at Rs
1,086 crore in 2014-15. Other fruits which attained significant position in exports
are banana and mango.
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During the period of 2001-02 to 2014.15, area under horticulture crops globally from 16.5
mn hectares to 4 mn hectares.
The Toppers:
China tops the list of fruit production with 154.364 million tonnes (MT) in 2013 followed by
India (82.631 MT), Brazil (37.774 MT), USA (26.986 MT), Spain (17.699 MT), Mexico (17.553
MT), Italy (16.371 MT) and Indonesia (16.003 MT).
Toppers in India:
State-wise, Maharashtra topped the list followed by Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil
Nadu,Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Mainly Indias success in
horticulture lies in small towns and districts.
The handbook points out that significant progress has been made in increasing area under
horticulture resulting in higher production. Over the last decade, the area under
horticulture grew by about 2.7% per annum and annual production increased by 7%.
US lift nuclear sanctions on Iran

The United States removed a wide range of sanctions against Iran after International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Tehran has met its commitments to roll back itsnuclear
programme, under an agreement with China, France, Russia, UK, U.S and Germanyon July 14,
2015.
It was announced after the meeting of Secretary of State John Kerry with Iranian Foreign
Minister, Javad Zarif.
The removal of restrictions on Irans oil, petrochemicals, banking, natural gasand port
sectors will hugely benefit it and allow it to reenter the global market.
Now Iran has joined the UK, United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and the EU in the
field of peaceful users of nuclear energy.
India downgraded to 89th rank on GTCI

The annual Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTC) has downgraded India with 11 places
and landed it to 89th position.
The top position was held by the Switzerland followed Singapore,

Luxembourg,United States and Denmark.
GTCI 2015-16 focuses on the highly topical issue of international mobility and its impact
on talent competitiveness.
Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTC) was released by INSEAD business school in
partnership with Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of
Singapore.
Key Highlights:
India ranked worst among 5 BRICS countries while China leads the chart with a
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global rank of 48.
Challenge for countries such as China and India is to attract talent from abroad.
In terms of attracting talent China has a low performance and ranked

at 71st and Indiashows one of the worst scores with 103rd rank.
India and China remain a net exporter of talent.
Gap in terms of vocational skills, however, is not limited to BRICs and emerging
economies, it extends to a number of high-income countries, such as Ireland, Belgium
or Spain.
Mobility has become key to talent development and creative talent cannot be
developed if international mobility and brain circulation are not encouraged.
IBR: India stood as topper in Business Optimism

According to the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), Indian business
leaders have emerged as the most optimistic lot globally about economic recovery in 2016.
The report has been made on the basis of quarterly global survey of 2,580 business
leaders across 36 economies.
89% of the respondents in India expressed confidence in the stable government and
expect economic recovery.
India is followed by Ireland (88%) and Philippines (84%).
France declares economic emergency

French President Francois Hollande has declared a state of economic emergency by
announcing that its time to redefine Frances economic and social model.
The measures included a loosening of some worker-friendly measures to encourage

companies to hire, and new training for half a million workers.
Key reforms:
Creation of 500,000 vocational training schemes, additional subsidies for small

companies and a programme to boost apprenticeships.
With immediate effect, companies with fewer than 250 workers will receive a 2,000
payout for hiring youths and unemployed people on low salaries for contracts lasting
more than six months.
Temporary tax breaks, announced in 2014, will become permanent.
India, Israel to intensify counter terrorism coordination

India and Israel agreed to intensify coordination to deal with the menaceof terrorism and
discussed a wide-range of bilateral and regional issues.
Agreement:
Exchange of information (between the two countries) will continue in the future.
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India attaches the highest importance to the full development of bilateral ties with
Israel.
Two countries are intensifying their contacts and cooperation in fields such as science
and technology, cyber, defence and agriculture.
India among top 5 most promising markets globally: PwC survey

The top five markets considered as most important for overall growth are USA, China, Germany,
the UK and India. INDIA has emerged as one of the five most promising markets for businesses
globally as it offers one of the best opportunities for both domestic as well as global companies.
Key points about survey
India, which has continued to do well under Prime Minister Narendra Modis probusiness government, said the survey which covered 1,409 CEOs spread across 83
countries.
India is the fastest growing large economy in the world, it offers one of the best
opportunities for both Indian and global companies in a world that is still coming to terms
with a slower growth paradigm and increasing geopolitical uncertainty
As per the findings, CEOs are less optimistic about prospects this year and those who
think global growth would improve over the next 12 months have declined to 27 per
cent from 37 per cent seen in 2015.
Against this tide of pessimism, CEOs in India (64 per cent), Spain (54 per cent) and
Romania (50 per cent) stand out as more optimistic.
PwC India Chairman Deepak Kapoor said CEOs in India have given strong indication of
general uplift in sentiments by showing much more confidence than their global
counterparts when it comes to revenue growth for their companies.
Wealth Report: India accommodates 2.36 lakh millionaires

According to the Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report, by New World Wealth, India ranked
4thamong the top five Asia Pacific countries in terms of number of high net worth individuals
(HNWIs) with 2.36 lakh.
Japan has topped the list with 60 lakh people while China ranked
second with654,000 HNWIs and Australia was at the third place with 290,000.
India is among the top five Asia Pacific countries in terms of total private wealth held
but at the bottom in terms of per capita income.
HNWIs are defined as those with net assets of $1 million or more.
4 Indian Magnificoes among Worlds 62 Super-Rich

As per a report by UK-based charity Oxfam titled An Economy for the 1%, the wealthiest 62
people now own half of the worlds population (3.5 billion people), as the super-rich have grown
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richer and the poor poorer. The report highlighted the global inequality.
Among those affluent 62, there are four Indian names: Industrialist Mukesh Ambani, IT
titan Azim Premji, pharma boss Dilip Shanghvi and business magnates Hinduja Brothers.
The wealth of the richest 62 people has risen by 44% since 2010, while the wealth of the
poorest 3.5 billion fell 41%.
IMF retains India GDP forecast at 7.5% for 2016

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) kept Indias growth projection unchanged at
7.3% in the current fiscal and 7.5% in the next. India would continue to grow at a robust pace.
As for the world growth, IMF forecast 4% for 2016 and 3.6% for 2017.
Chinas growth would slow to 3% in 2016 and further to 6% in 2017.
World tourism numbers hit record 1.18 billion in 2015

As per Madrid headquartered United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the number of
international tourists rose by 4.4% worldwide in 2015 to hit a record 1.18 billion despite
concerns over terrorism.
Tourism arrivals were up by 5% in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas but fell
by8% in North Africa where nations like Tunisia were hit by terrorist attacks.
India, UK to cooperate in infrastructure financing, address tax evasion

India and the UK agreed to strengthen economic cooperation in various sectors including
infrastructure financing, addressing issues of cross-border tax evasion and avoidance.
Key points
Finance Minister, held talks with George Osborne as part of the 8th India-UK Economic
and Financial Dialogue
The possibility of their investing, either directly in projects or through the National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) were discussed.
The talks included senior representatives from Finance Ministries, Central Banks and key
regulators of both countries.
Ex-post-facto approval on the approach adopted by India at the 10th Ministerial

Conference
PM Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the approach adopted by India at the
10th Ministerial Conference of the WTO held in Nairobi, Kenya during 15-19 December 2015.
The outcomes of the Conference, referred to as the Nairobi Package include Ministerial
Decisions on agriculture, cotton and issues related to least developed countries (LDCs).
The Conference was chaired by Kenyas Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International
Trade, Amina Mohamed.
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UN signs up Lionel Messi to help beat poverty
United Nations has appointed Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi and pop sensation
Shakira to promote world bodys objective of eradication of poverty by 2030.
Shakira head a list of 17 well-known names recruited by the United Nations to promote
its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including the fight against climate change and
universal access to education and health.
Messi and Shakira are already goodwill ambassadors for UNICEF, the UN Childrens Fund.
India ranked 22nd among worlds best countries

India ranked 22nd among worlds best countries today India proved itself as the worlds fastest
growing economy. India ranked 22nd among worlds best countries, this report was released by
the World Economic Forum in the annual meeting. India that exports a wide range of advanced
products everything from jet engines to medicines to soybeans. Indias growth rate is expected to
rise to 7.5 per cent this year.
Highlights of Reports:
Top five countries are Germany, Canada, the UK, the USA and Sweden respectively
and China is ranked 17.
The survey was conducted among 16,200 business leaders and other high-fliers.
According to the report India faces its fair share of international and domestic challenges.
The report has been prepared by US News and World Report and New York-based brand
consultancy BAV Consulting and Wharton School of Business .
Details about the meeting
The meeting was held in Davos, Switzerland.
Theme: Mastering the fourth industrial Revolution.
The meeting brings together international political leaders, journalists, selected

intellectuals and business persons from the world.
In 4-day conference issues like growing terror threat, tumbling oil prices,
environmental issues and Chinas uncertain economic prospects.
India to be fastest growing economy at 7.3% in 2016: UN report

UN report said that India will be the fastest-growing large economy in the world. Indias Economy is
expected to grow by 7.3% in 2016 7.5% in 2017. India passes China to become fastest growing
economy.
This is the result of the recent policies of the Indian government. India is classified as a newly
industrialized country.
Denmark crowned as Worlds Best Country for Women

In accordance with the 2016 Best Countries ranking by US News and World Report, Denmark
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has made it to be at the top of the list of worlds best country for women to live in. It was
disclosed during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The survey was taken by the U.S. News & World Report, University of
PennsylvaniasWharton School and global brand consultants BAV Consulting.

The report was based on the survey, filled by more than 7,000 women on the traits consisting:care
about human rights, gender equality, income equality, safety and progressiveness.
Here is the list of Top 10 Worlds Best Countries for Women
Rank
Country
1
Denmark
2
Sweden
3
Canada
4
Netherlands
5
Australia
6
New Zealand
7
Germany
8
United Kingdom
9
Luxembourg
10
Austria
Algeria and Pakistan are the worst countries for females.
Sweden is not only the top 2nd best country for women but it also ranked 5th in the overall
best countries index. It is recognised as the most modern country, the best country to
raise kids and the No. 1 nation for green living.
Indias first BUR submitted to UNFCCC

Under the guidelines of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), India submitted
its first Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting the emission of 2,136.84 million tonnes of
CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases in 2010.
BUR has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change under its NATCOM project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) through
UNDP. Several studies were carried out by 17 national-level institutions involving more
than 60 researchers.
In Human Development, Sri Lanka leads South Asian Region

As per the Global Human Development Report (HDR) 2015 by UN Development Programme
(UNDP), Sri Lanka has stood at the top of the ladder in terms of human development.
In terms of annual human development index (HDI) growth rate during 1990-2014 it was
ranked at 73rd, lower than other South Asian countries.
The report was based on the study of 188 countries and territories by assessing their long-term
progress in 3 attributes a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard
of living.
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Ranks on the basis of annual human development index (HDI)
Ahead of Sri Lanka, Iran is ranked at 69th rank while Maldives stood at 104th.
India and Bhutan comes under the category of medium human development countries
India is ranked at 130th.
Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan come under the category of low human development
countries where Pakistan is positioned at 147th.
In lieu of growth rate during 1990-2014, South Asias figure was 38, the highest among
all regions.
Within the region of South Asia, Afghanistan tops the list with the value of 89 for 19902014 followed by Bangladesh (1.64), Nepal (1.49) and India (1.48). Sri Lankas
score was 0.83.
WEF elected Kim & Benioff to its Board of Trustees

World Economic Forum (WEF) has accredited World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to its Board of Trustees.
WEFs board, which acts as a guardian of its independence and impartiality, include
international business persons including Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and
PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi.
Indias Financial and National Capital listed in top Asia Pacific cities for millionaires
In accordance with the Asia Pacific 2016 Wealth Report, by New World Wealth, Indias
National capital New Delhi and Financial capital Mumbai have been listed among the top Asia
Pacific cities for HNIs (high net worth individuals).
The list has been topped by Tokyo for the ultra-rich with 2, 64,000 millionaires while
Mumbai has been ranked at 12th position with 41,200 millionaires and Delhi was positioned
at 20th with 20,600 millionaires.
High Net worth Individuals or HNWIs (millionaires) were defined as those individuals with net
assets of USD 1 million or more.
Key Highlights
In terms of millionaire growth in the cities of Asian pacific, Jakarta was the fastest
growing city followed by Hangzhou at second place and Tianjin at third place.
Mumbai and Delhi has also made it to be in top 5, Mumbai has registered a growth
of357% while Delhi has recorded 335% in the period between 2000 -2015.
It is expected that Mumbai and by will enroll their position in the top 3 cities of HNWI
growth while Jakarta will remain consistent to be at the 1st position.
Indian cities under emerging Asia Pacific cities

There were 6 Indian cities featured under this category including Kolkata with
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HNWIs,Hyderabad (7,800), Bangalore (6,700), Chennai (6,000), Pune (3,800)
and Ahmedabad(3,700).
India, Bahrain to strengthen ties in trade, counter-terror

India and Bahrain signed an agreement to strengthen their ties in key areas like trade and
counter-terrorism. The India-Arab League Cooperation Forum meeting was held in Bahrain.
The meeting was held between the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Bahrains
Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Japan lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran

Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga approved the lifting of sanctions on Iran. This
move will allow Japanese companies to pursue investment in Irans oil and gas industry.
The United Nations atomic energy agency confirmed the sanctions on 16 January
2016 that Tehran has fully taken steps to control its disputed nuclear programme.
Now Japanese business will also be to able make new investments in Irans oil and gas
sector.
After this sanction an investment agreement between Tehran and Tokyo is expected to be
signed.
India comes out to be the 3rd largest Steel Producer

Last 5 months of 2015 have pushed the steel production in India to 2.6% compared to output
of 87.3 mt in 2014 whereas the world steel output went down 2.8% in 2015 to 1.6 billion tonne.
With this rise in the steel production, India become the third largest steel producerin the
world after China and Japan with a production of 6 million tonne (mt) in 2015, according
to data released by the Brussels-based World Steel Association (WSA).
India aims to achieve a steel production of 300 million tonnes by 2025.
Three Indian B-schools in top 100 on FTs global MBA list

As per the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking for 2016 three of the Indias top business
schools are outline among the 100 best schools globally. Frances INSEAD is at the top of the list of
the Business (B)-schools is also known as the business school for the world
Top five business schools :
INSEAD, Harvard Business School, London Business School, the Wharton School, and Stanford
Graduate School of Business.
Nine new schools are included in the 2016 ranking, two of which appear for the first time.
Renmin University of China School of Business is at 43rd and is the best-ranked new
competitor,
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The Indian School of Business ISB has jumped four steps up to be ranked 29th. IIM,
Bangalore, has jumped at 62nd from 82nd.
Pakistan plans its first mega nuclear power plant

Pakistan is all set to initiate a countrys first mega nuclear power plant with power generation
capacity of 2,000 megawatts.
Pakistan faces about 5,000 MW energy shortages and the government has launched
several projects to bridge the gap.
Toyota leads the chart of Global Vehicle Sales 2015

Japanese automaker Toyota has been emerged as the worlds biggest automaker for the
4th straight year by selling 10.15 million vehicles in 2015.
Toyota outpaced its diesel dupe rivalry Volkswagen, who logged a sales of 93
million vehicles worldwide and ranks second in the global vehicle sales.
German automaker Volkswagen is followed by Detroit-based General Motors (GM) who
has sold 8 million vehicles.
Watchdog TI ranked India at 76 in CPI

Corruption Watchdog Transparency International (TI) has ranked India at 76th place in its
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2015 out of 168 countries with a score of 38 out of 100.
This indicated that the perceptions around the extent of corruption in the country are
improving as compared to 85th rank in 2014 and 94th rank in 2013.

The corruption watchdog uses data from institutions including the World Bank, the African
Development Bank and business school IMD to compile public sector corruption on scale.
The index grades a country on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).
Other Countries Rank
Denmark has topped the index for the second consecutive year. It scored 91 points
perceiving as the least corrupt country.
Top ranks from second to ninth were held by Finland, Sweden, New
Zealand,Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Singapore and Canada.
The UK has been placed at 10th place with a score of 81 that tied it with Germany and
Luxembourg.
The US has been ranked at 16th place with a score of 76, tying with Austria.
Brazil, Burkina Faso, Thailand, Tunisia and Zambia are sharing pace with India at76th
North Korea and Somalia remained the lowest scorers with just 8 point.
Danish Parliament approved Seizure of Migrant Assets

The Danish parliament has approved a controversial law allowing authorities to seize refugees
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cash and valuables and delay them being reunited with their families.
The policy would treat migrants and refugees in the same way as the countrys unemployed,
who must sell assets above a certain value before they can receive benefits.
The policy says that the police will be able to seize valuables worth more than 1340
euros (1000 Pound) from refugees to cover housing and food costs.
The bill has been criticized by UN chief Ban Ki-moon and human rights groups as refugees
deserved compassion.
IMF announces implementation of long due quota reforms

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced to implement long due quota
reforms. The US Congress has approved these reforms which give more voting rights to the
emerging economies India and China.
Key Highlights
These reforms are implemented to increase the financial strength of the IMF, by doubling
its permanent capital resources to SDR 477 billion
The IMF reforms extensively help to increase the core resources and enable our country
to react against the crises in more effective manner.
IMF quota reforms were lately approved in 2010 but due to some reasons were not
approved by the US congress and therefore unable to implement
These are implemented to ensure that the fund is able to meet and represent the needs
of its members in growth and in change in the situations of the economy.
The top 10 members are the US, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Brazil,
China, India, and Russia
The four promising market countries Brazil, China, India, and Russia will be among the
10 largest quota members of the IMF.
Indias share to vote in IMF is now 2.69% lastly that was 2.34.
Bill Gates topped the list of 50 Worlds Wealthiest People

As per the list released by wealth-tracking website Wealth-X in collaboration with Business
Insider, Co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, sat down again in the top slot of 50 wealthiest
people in the world list with a net worth of enormous $87.4 billion.
Bill Gates was followed by founding chairman of clothing retailer Inditex, Amancio Ortega of
Spain with net worth of $66.8 billion while Warrant Buffett listed at 3rdrank with net worth
of $60.7 billion.
There were only 4 female billionaires in the list, among them, Alice Walton, Walmart
heiress, was the wealthiest woman with a net worth of $33.2 billion and 15th
The oldest billionaire is LOreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt (93) with a net worth of $29
billion. She was ranked 17th.
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The youngest billionaire is Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (31) with a net worth of
USD 42.8 billion and was ranked 8th.

Here is the list of Top 10 Richest people in World
Rank
Name
Company
1
Bill Gates
Microsoft
2
Amancio Ortega
Inditex
3
Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway
4
Jeff Bezos
Amazon.com
5
David Koch
Koch Industries
6
Charles Koch
Koch Industries
7
Larry Ellison
Oracle Corporation
8
Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook
9
Michael
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg
10
Ingvar Kamprad
IKEA
Net Worth
$87.4 billion
$66.8 Billion
$60.7 Billion
$56.6 Billion
$47.4 Billion
$46.8 Billion
$45.3 Billion
$42.8 Billion
$42.1 Billion
$39.3 Billion
As per the list, the United States is home to 29 billionaires, only 4

billionaires from Chinaand 3 from India made the top 50.
31 countries signed MCAA to boost transparency in international tax matters

An agreement between 31 countries has signed named Multilateral Competent Authority
Agreement (MCAA) to increase the transparency in functioning of multinational
enterprises (MNEs) by giving permission to automatic exchange of Country-by-Country reports
by tax administrators.
Key Highlights about agreement
The agreement plays an important landmark for implementation of Organization for

Economic Co-operation and Development OECD/G20 BEPS Project and an
extraordinary increase in cross-border cooperation on tax matters.
It will help in implementation new reliable and fast transfer pricing reporting standards
developed under Action 13 of the BEPS Action Plan.
According to the OECD/G20 BEPS project 15 key actions are set out to reform the
international tax framework.
OECD/G20 BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) project is more significant for
the developing countries because they are deeply dependent on corporate income tax
especially from MNEs.
USAID extends funding for projects for TB-free India

US Agency for International Developments (USAID) has extends the funds for the TB-free
India project. India has the highest number of tuberculosis cases in the world. In India nearly2.2
million TB cases are annually reported.
Under the Tuberculosis Health Action Learning Initiative (THALI) project, the World
Health Partners (WHP) are has been awarded USD 7.5 million for implementing activities
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in Kolkata.
Key Highlights about the Project
Aim: To adopt and implement the best observe and improvement for the prevention,
detection, and treatment of TB, by raising awareness and to reduce the social stigma associated
with the disease, and empowering communities.
Under the Tuberculosis Health Action Learning Initiative (THALI) project, the World
Health Partners (WHP) are has been awarded USD 7.5 million for implementing activities in
Kolkata.
Similarly Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT) is also awarded with UDS 7.5 million
to for work in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune.
The projects will help to provide solutions and best practices for the successful diagnosis and
treatment of TB in country.
REACH (Resource Group for Education and Advocacy for Community Health) is awarded
by USD 6 million and signed to continue their help, and try to make TB-free India campaign
by the governments Call.
India ranks 4th in number of thinktanks, after US, China and UK

India ranks 4th on the list of nations with the most number of think tanks, with nearly
100 new taking the countrys totals to 280 in 2015. More than 6,800 thinktanks exist
worldwide.
Key Highlights
US top the list with 1,835 thinktanks for 2015
China ranks 2nd with 435 thinktanks and the United Kingdom ranks 3rd with 288.as
per the Global Go to Think Tank Index Report (GGTTI) 2015.
The US-based Brookings Institution on the top for the consecutive eighth year.
Six Indian thinktanks are in the global top 175.
Japan unveiled first stealth fighter aircraft X-2

Japan unveiled countrys first stealth fighter aircraft X-2, X-2 is likely to go through its first
test-flight in February 2016.
It costs 340 million US dollars and is smaller than a standard jet fighter.
It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd under the policy Mitsubishi Advanced
Technology Demonstrator-X.
Similar toF-22 of the USA it has two engines, and is 46 feet long- 30 feet wide and 15 feet
tall.
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BANKING & FINANCE

RBI asked the banks to open banks in villages with a population of more than 5000
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) banks to identify
villages with population above 5,000 without a bank branch of a scheduled commercial banki n
their state.
Identified villages may be selectedamong scheduled commercial banks for opening of

branches and should be completed by March 31, 2017.
SEBI rejects Sahara plea to restore portfolio manager licence

SEBI has rejected Sahara Asset Management Companys pleato reconsider an order cancelling
the portfolio manager licence of the company,
Reason: Not fit and proper for this business.
New listing norms for stock exchanges :
The exchanges would need to take steps for maintaining of 51 percentage of

shareholding of Public Category and ensuring that holding of trading members, associates
or agents does not exceed 49 per cent.
The depositories shall generate an alert when such holding exceeds 2 per cent and
monitor the same under intimation to Sebi.
The stock exchanges, both listed and where the securities are listed, and depositories will
have to ensure that such mechanism be in place latest by March 31, 2016.
Punjab National Bank launches host of digital banking solutions

Punjab National Bank has launched host of digital banking solutions including green PIN and
enrichment of its mobile app.
Motive: To enable the customer to locate PNB ATM with PNB ATM Assist
Android app: To use GPS and locate the nearest PNB ATM
Green PIN facility: Under this customer can obtain duplicate PIN for debit card instantly
through SMS request. It will provide customer SMS based facility to block and unblock
Internet banking and mobile banking.
Cash acceptor cum ATM at their Sansad Marg branch: Customers can deposit cash up to
Rs.2 lakh per transaction and can avail the ATM feature.
Indian Rupee among best of Asian currencies 2015

Among all Asian and BRICS currencies, Rupee turned out to be one of the best performers in
2015 excluding yen.
Indian currencys depreciation of 5% against the dollar was less than the losses of most
of its other Asian peers. It fared better in 2014, when it weakened by only 2%.
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Its Asian counterparts like the Indonesian rupiah weakened by 11.30 % and the Thai
baht depreciated 9.5% against the dollar. Only Chinese currency fared marginally better,
losing only 6%.
Jeevan Labh initiated by LIC

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) introduced a limited premium paying, non-linked
with-profits Endowment Assurance plan Jeevan Labh.
What is Jeevan Labh plan?
Jeevan Labh is a limited premium paying endowment plan which means premium paying shall be
less than the policy tenure and policyholders nominee will receive the maturity benefit together
with any other benefits at the end of the policy term or on the death of the policy holder, whichever
is earlier.
Key features of Jeevan Labh
Minimum Sum Assured
Maximum Sum Assured
Policy Term
Minimum Entry Age
Maximum Entry Age
Rs.2 lakh
No Limit
16 years / 21 years / 25 years
8 years
59 years for 16 years policy term
Premium Paying Term
10 years / 15 years / 16 years
Maximum Maturity Age
75 years
Premium Payment
Yearly, Half-Yearly, Quarterly or Monthly
In case of Death - If death of the life assured happens during the policy term, the death
benefit Sum Assured on Death and vested Simple Reversionary Bonuses and Final
Additional bonus, if any, shall be payable.
RBI imposes Rs 1 cr fine on State Bank of Travancore
RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on an SBI associate bank i.e. State Bank of Travancore
violating some of its instructions including report of data to Central Repository of Information
on Large Credits (CRILC) which was set up by to collect, store, and disseminate data on all
borrowers credit exposures.
IMPS launched by Andhra Bank

In association with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Hyderabad
headquartered Andhra Bank has launched Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) at all its
branches.
This multi-channel & multi-dimensional platform will makes payments possible within
fraction of seconds with all the standards maintained for security.
This facility of real time instant fund transfer system for inter-bank remittances will be
available round-the-clock.
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The maximum cap of transaction will be Rs. 2 lakh. The charges will be at the rate of Rs.5
per transaction.
India Index Services launches Private Sector Bank Index

NSE group company, India Index Services & Products (IISL) launched the Nifty Private Sector Bank
Index.
Objective: To track 10 largest private sector banks listed on the NSE.
Calculation of INDEX: It is calculated using free-float market capitalisation method, and

stock weights are limited at 25 per cent. Base date of the Index- April 1, 2005and Base
value 1,000. The index will be calculated on an end-of-day basis.
India to grow robust at 7.8% in 2016-17

According to the World Banks latest Global Economic Prospect (GEP) report, India will
continue to be the bright spot of the global economy and is projected to grow at a robust 7.8% in
fiscal 2016-17.
World Bank marginally reduced Indias growth rate 2% in 2015 and 0.1% in
both2016 and 2017 but still continues to be the bright spot of the global economy.
China is estimated to grow at 7% in 2016 and 6.5% each in 2017 and 2018.
Russia and Brazil are expected to remain in recession in 2016.
Bank of India allots shares worth Rs 264 crore to LIC

Mumbai headquartered Bank of India has allotted 2 crore shares to LIC valued at Rs 264.12
crore.
The bank has allotted 2 crore equity shares to Life Insurance Corporation of India
(LIC) on preferential basis at the price of Rs 132.06 per share.
Bajaj Allianz launches micro term insurance

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has launched micro term insurance plan Bajaj Allianz Bima
Dhan Suraksha Yojana with return of premium option.
It is targeted at the small income groups in rural parts of the country, minimum premium of
Bima Dhan Suraksha Yojana is capped at Rs 1,500 annually or Rs 200 monthly.
Kotak Life launches Premier Life Plan

Kotak Life launched Premier Life Plan as company was expecting reviving business in the present
fourth quarter. This is the tax savings season, about 35 to 40 per cent total business for life
insurance industry normally happens during these three months. A few group insurance products
will also be launched soon.
Kotak Premier Life Plan offers protection up to 99 years of age.
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Premium payments will be limited with the two bonus options of cash payout and paid up
additions
ICICI Bank partners with FINO PayTech for payments bank space
ICICI Bank partnered with FINO PayTech to venture into the payments bank space.
RBI Regulations:
It allows universal banks to invest up 30 per cent in payments banks but ICICI can
increase its stake if there is a requirement.
Payments banks are not allowed to lend. They are also not allowed to offer fixed deposits but
only savings and current account products are allowed.
Payments banks can hold a maximum balance of Rs.1lakh per individual
SBT to sponsor NeFMS under MGNREGA

Union cabinet has instigated an electronic fund management system for direct and faster
release of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
(MNREGA) scheme.
Centre has introduced this scheme in the country for the first time and picked up Kerala for
the pilot project.
Thiruvananthapuram headquartered State Bank of Travancore (SBT) is the sponsor

bank for this scheme.
Subscribers of New Pension System can now make payments online

Pension fund regulator PFRDA launched a platform for subscribers of New Pension System. With
this they can now make their payments online through net banking, credit or debit cards.
Directions:
A potential subscriber can register for NPS
Contribute to his/her Permanent Retirement Account
Subscribers who already have an NPS account can make contributions through eNPS directly.
HDFC targets fund size of Rs. 5000 crore for HCARE-1

HDFC Capital Advisors has been appointed as an investment manager for the HDFC Capital
Affordable Real Estate Fund-1 (HCARE-1).
HCARE-1: SEBI registered Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).
Objective: To primarily make medium to long term investments towards development of

mass housing where the residential units would be priced in a manner so as to cater to the
residential demand of the urban middle-income households.
Targeted fund size: Approximately Rs. 5,000 crore and the first close will be Rs. 2,700
crore.
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Tenure: 12Years
HDFC Standard Life sets up reinsurance arm at Dubai IFC

HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company set up a wholly-owned reinsurance company at the Dubai
International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The subsidiary HDFC International Life and Re Company Limited (HILRCL)has been set up
with an initial capital of USD 12.33 million.
Business: To offer reinsurance capacity to insurers and may also venture directly into
underwriting insurance contracts, subject to receipt of necessary approvals.
Indian Bank to raise Rs 1,100 crore from bonds

Chennai headquarters Indian Bank plans to raise Rs 1,100 crore from bonds to fund business
growth.
The bank plans to raise Basel III compliant Tier II Bonds for Rs 1,100 crore in one or
more tranches in the current or subsequent years based on the requirement, Indian Bank said
in a regulatory filing.
BOB pays Rs 95 cr as interest on Basel-III bonds

Mumbai headquartered Bank of Baroda has timely paid over Rs 95 crore as interest to the
beneficiaries of its additional tier-I Basel-III compliant bonds issue of Rs 1,000 crore.
Interest was paid at 48%, including two days of additional interest.
The payment was done through RTGS or NEFT to 75 beneficiaries.
BankBazaar.com launches One Loan Two Homes program

An online marketplace BankBazaar.com has launched a new One Loan Two Homes
programme to help the flood-affected citizens of Chennai.
Under this scheme, the company will contribute Rs 1000 to Habitat for Humanity India on
every home loan disbursed between 1 January to 31 March.
ADB to fund $840-m corridor between Vizag, Chennai

The Asian Development Bank will extend a $625 million loan to the proposed $840 million
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
Industrial corridor is meant to boost manufacturing activity and help economic growth of
the hinterland, will have four nodes: Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, GannavaramKankipadu and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti.
Housing and Urban Development Corporation would help build Andhra Pradeshs capital at
Amaravati with an assistance of Rs.7,500 crore. A metro rail was under consideration for
Visakhapatnam, while tenders would be invited for one in Vijayawada.
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MF exposure limits reduced by SEBI
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) tightened the rules on mutual fund
exposure to corporate bonds by capping the investment limit in debt securities issued by a
single company at 10% down from 15% of the net asset value of a scheme. The changes followed
the crisis at JP Morgan Mutual Fund because of its exposure to the debt securities of Amtek Auto.
The sector-specific exposure limit has also been reduced from the current 30% of the NAV
to 25%.
In the case of housing finance companies, the additional exposure cap has been cut
to 5% from 10%.
Import cover increases to 9.8 months: RBI

RBI announced in its Half Yearly Report on Management of Foreign Exchange Reserves which
were $350.4 billion as on September 2015, were able to support imports for 9.8 months. Import
cover was 8.1 per cent in September 2014.
Foreign exchange reserves were at $350.4 billion as on January 1, 2016, the same level seen
on September end.
Aim: Curbing volatility in the currency market ahead of the crucial US Fed meet which
eventually decided to increase interest rate for the first time almost in a decade as expected
by the market participants.
Import cover: Indicator of the stability of the currency
IndiaFirst Life enters pension space, launches retirement plan

IndiaFirst Life Insurance, a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and Legal
and General of the UK entered into pension sector with launch of a 9% guaranteed retirement plan.
For: Customers who are conscious to plan for their retirement and want to remain financially
young.
Offers: A customer can choose to pay one time, under the single premium mode, or pay for a
limited period of 5 to 10 years for a plan term of 10 to 35 years, or select a payment and
plan term of 10 years to anytime between 15 or 35 years.
The policyholder, who has option to receive the funds between 40-80 years.
ADB to fund $840-m corridor between Vizag, Chennai

Asian Development Bank will extend a $625 million loan to the proposed $840 million
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.
Industrial corridor: To boost manufacturing activity and help economic growth of the
hinterland
Four nodes: Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Gannavaram-Kankipadu, and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti.
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VCIC was fixed on nearly 800 km of National Highway 16, highly congested VCIC would be
part of the proposed East Coast Economic Corridor, from Kolkata in West Bengal to Tuticorin
in Tamil Nadu.
India (1945-2015): Largest recipient of loans from World Bank

As per the World Bank lending report, India is the largest recipient of loans from the World
Bank, amounting to $102.1 billion, between 1945 and 2015 (as on July 21, 2015). The World
Bank has been lending funds to India for rural and urban development projects related to
transport, water and irrigation, health, power and agriculture.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a part of the World
Bank group, has lent $52.7 billion, the International Development Association (IDA), a
multilateral concessional lender of World Bank, has loaned$49.4 billion to India over the last
70 years.
India is followed by Brazil ($58.8 billion), China ($55.6 billion), Mexico ($54
billion) and Indonesia ($50.5 billion).
SBI opens branch in Seoul, South Korea & launches dedicated branch for start-ups in
Bengaluru
Countrys largest lender SBI has opened a branch in Seoul, South Korea to predominantly finance
growing trade and investment relations between Korean and Indian companies.SBI is second Indian
bank after Indian Overseas Bank to have branch in South Korea.
Meanwhile, SBI has signed a Line of Credit with The Export-Import Bank of
Korea (K-EXIM) for $ 500 million (Rs 3,300 crore).
The agreement for credit line was signed by SBI Chairman Arundhati
Bhattacharya and K-EXIM chairman and President Duk Hoon Lee in New Delhi.
SBI launches dedicated branch for start-ups in Bengaluru

State Bank of India launched its wealth management offering and inaugurated a dedicated
branch for start-ups Bengaluru.
About Exclusif :
The wealth management service Exclusif is targeted at the fast-growing affluent segment in the
country, SBI InCube the branch for start-ups would offer advisory services to the budding
entrepreneurs under one roof.
Initially, SBI InCube would not be providing loans, but give start-ups financial
management services.
Bank of India acquires 49% stake from BSE in BOI Shareholding

Mumbai headquartered Bank of India (BOI) has acquired 49% stake from BSE Ltd in their joint
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venture BOI Shareholding Ltd for an undisclosed amount.
BOI Shareholding Ltd was established in 1989 as an independent full-fledged clearing house
of the exchange with the public lender having 51% stake.
RBI raises shareholding in NHB by pumping in Rs 1,000 crore

Reserve Bank has increased its shareholding in National Housing Bank by contributing Rs 1,000
crore towards the paid capital from Rs 450 crore to Rs 1,450 crore.
The move is aimed at facilitating NHB to expand financial operations given the
demand for housing in the country under the NHB Act, 1987.
GOI and WB sign agreement for Neeranchal National Watershed Project

Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Birender Singh signed a loan agreement with World
Bank for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project. The Neeranchal project was approved by
the cabinet in October last year with a total budget outlay of Rs.2142 crore with the Government
share of Rs.1071 crore and the rest 50% by the World Bank.
The project to be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development over a six-year period
(2016-21) will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in hydrology and water
management, agricultural production systems, capacity building and monitoring and
evaluation.
Shri Singh informed that 12% of the area which can be called as wasteland will be targeted
through this project to make about 336 lakh hectares of land arable.
Chinas Xi Jinping launches Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) in which India and 56 countries
have joined as founding members was formally opened by President Xi Jinping. The bank was
formally established in Beijing on December 25, 2015.
Chairman of the AIIB council: Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei Chinas First
AIIB president: Former Finance Minister, Jin Liqun
Authorised capital: $100 billion
Subscribed capital: $50 billion
In all 57 countries have joined as founding members while US and Japan stayed out. An Indian
delegation headed by Dinesh Sharma, additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance attended the
opening ceremony.
World Development Report 2016 dubbed Digital Dividends released

Washington D.C. headquartered World Bank released its annual World Development Report
(WDR) titled Digital Dividends with a focal point on the impact of the Internet, mobile
phones and communication technologies (ICTs) on economic development.
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The 350 plus page report by a 15 member team led by co-directors, Deepak
Mishra and Uwe Deichmann took two years for completion.
The WDR 2016 is an answer to two questions: why should we focus on promoting
digital technologies and how to achieve the digital dividends.
Highlights with reference to India:

Indians are using their digital IDs called Aadhaar to open bank accounts, monitor attendance of civil
servants and identify recipients of government subsidies.
Aadhaar has saved approximately USD 1 billion (Rs. 650 crores) a year by reducing
corruption and leakage for the Indian government. It is a help in fiscal budgeting.
In public health services, simple SMS messages have proven effective in reminding
people living with HIV to take their lifesaving drugs.
The number of internet users worldwide has more than tripled since 2005, 4 billion
people still lack access to the internet.
China has the largest number of internet users, followed by the US, with India,
Japan, and Brazil filling out the top five.
The worlds offline population is mainly in India and China, but more than 120
million people are still offline in North America.
Firms in India, Jamaica and Philippines have captured a share of global markets for
services ranging from traditional back-office services to long-distance online tutoring.
Banks to issue 2nd tranche of gold bond scheme

The banks will shortly issue the second tranche of sovereign gold bonds. Reserve Bank had
launched the first tranche of gold bond scheme in November. The subscription was for 915.95 kg
amounting to Rs. 246 crore.
The Reserve Bank has fixed the public issue price at 2,600 per gram for the sovereign gold
bonds.
The scheme is aimed at reducing the demand for gold in physical form by encouraging
people to buy the commodity in demat or paper form.
The Gold Bond scheme will have an annual cap of 500 grams per person and such bonds
would be issued for a period of five to seven years.
The gold bonds are issued in denominations of 5 grams, 10 grams, 50 grams and 100
grams for a term of five years to seven years with a rate of interest to be calculated on the
value of the metal at the time of investment.
World Bank to be anchor investor in Rail Development Fund

Union Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced that World Bank would be the anchor investor in
the new Railway Development Fund, which would be used to fund modernization of Indian
railways.
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It would be the largest ever provided by the World Bank to the Indian Railways.
Globally railways get 30-40% of their income from non-railway operations. In India it is
not even 2%.
World Bank to extend $20 million for reconstructing Visakhapatnam's IGZP

The World Bank is extending an assistance of USD 20 million to help reconstruct the Indira
Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP), which got devastated during cyclone Hudhud.
This is part of the USD 370 million Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project for which
the bank is extending assistance of USD 250 million from 2015-2020.
This unique one-of-its-kind push by the World Bank where it is providing assistance to an
Indian zoo will add value to the 100 Smart City initiatives.
Somnath Temple to invest in Gold Monetisation Scheme

The Somnath Temple is all set to become Gujarats first temple to deposit its idle gold in the
Gold Monetisation Scheme as its trustees
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have given their nod to invest the yellow metal reserves in
the scheme.
The trust has around 35 kg of gold and will deposit the gold which is not in day-to-day use of
the temple.
The management will segregate the pure gold from the whole lot to finalise the quantum of gold
which can be deposited.
BSE launches algo trading test facility

Bombay Stock Exchange has launched a new service for algorithm trading test environment
in partnership with Symphony Fintech Solutions Pvt Ltd.
The service will enable all market participants to test their trading algorithms in
equity, equity derivatives and currency derivatives segments free of cost.
The members will be able to test their trading strategies with live market data feed during
market hours and historical market data.
SBT launches online platform for KSEB bill payments

SBT (State Bank of Travancore) has tied up with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to
provide customers of the state utility online facility for remittance of electricity charges.
Features of the platform:
Immediate credit of remittance through the SBT internet banking platform free of any
additional charges
Enable consumers to pay their monthly bills without going to the KSEB offices. They will
get confirmation of the remittance from the bank as well as KSEB.
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The facility will be helpful for NRIs abroad who need not entertain worries of
disconnection due to default of bill payment.
Indo WB concord of US$ 250 mn for Bihar Kosi Basin Development

Bihar Kosi Basin Development Project got a financial succor of US$ 250 million from World
Bank after the accordment has been endorsed by the Government of India and the World Bank.
The Financing consensus was signed by the Raj Kumar (Joint Secretary, DEA) and Mr.
Onno Ruhl, Country Director in India (on behalf of WB) while the Project concordwas
signed by the Mr. Shishir Sinha, Development Commissioner.
Objective of Project To intensify flexibility to floods, to expand agricultural production and
productivity in the intended districts in the Kosi River Basin and to escalate Bihars potential
with riposte to crisis or emergency.
Implementation period 5 years
Implementing agency Bihar
ICICI Bank opens its first branch in South Africa

ICICI Bank inaugurated its first full service branch at Sandton in Johannesburg. This branch will
undertake banking activities only for corporates and offer trade finance and short term funding for
companies having trade links with India.
It is the first Indian private sector bank to open a branch in the African continent.
The branch was inaugurated by Vijay Chandok, President, ICICI Bank.
The branch is an authorized financial services provider in South Africa licensed by the
South African Reserve Bank.
RBI instructed banks to cease Rs 1,000 notes lacking Security Thread

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decreed banks to terminate the circulation of notes of Rs. 1,000
denomination without the security thread.
The decision in this regard was taken due to the complaint, that was received by RBI
regarding bank notes in the denomination of Rs 1,000 printed by Currency Note Press,
Nashik, on the paper (without the security thread) supplied by Security Paper
Mill (Hoshangabad).
The total value of the faulty notes is around Rs 5 lakh.
FreeCharge teamed up with MasterCard & Yes Bank to launch Virtual Card
In collaboration with Yes Bank and MasterCard, the wallet company FreeCharge launched a
FreeCharge Go, a virtual card that allows users to pay for goods and services at online shops
and offline retailers.
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This new virtual card would enable users to use money in their digital wallets on any
merchant site that accepts cards.
Currently, FreeCharge Go can be used to transact at certain offline stores such as

McDonalds and Shoppers Stop.
In 2015, FreeCharge was acquired by e-commerce giant Snapdeal while in In Dec 2015, its rival
Paytm launched prepaid cards in partnership with ICICI Bank.
Gold Monetisation Scheme gets Simplified

In a bid to help temple boards and bulk depositors, Reserve Bank of India has simplified the Gold
Monetisation Scheme (GMS).
It also allowed banks to sell Ashok Chakra embossed gold coins manufactured by
government owned MMTC under the India gold coin scheme.
Direct deposit of gold to refiner As per the GMS, Banks and refiners has to sign an
agreement for scheme. So in respect to this agreement, now banks can let the depositors to
deposit their gold directly with the refiners and depositor will get a deposit receipts from a
refinery.
About Choice of interest or gold during redemption
Short term The Gold deposits made by depositors as a short-term (1-3) would accrue interest
in gold units.
Medium & Long term In the case of medium (5-7 years) and long-term (12-15 years)gold
deposits (MLTGD), principal will be denominated in gold, and the interest will be calculated
in rupees with reference to the value of gold at the time of the deposit.
Deposits in Jan Dhan accounts cross Rs 30,000 Crore

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure
access to financial services, Like Banking Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit,
Insurance, and Pension in an affordable manner. The program PMJDY have crossed the Rs 30,000
Crore mark
Accounts had deposits of Rs 30,638.29 crore (about USD 4.5 billion).
Nearly 38 crore bank accounts were opened under the PMJDY.
The accounts open starts with zero balance.
Govt. mobilises 900 kg of gold under monetisation scheme

The government has announced that under the monetisation scheme, so far 900 kg of idle
household and temple gold has been mobilized.
Under the monetisation scheme, banks were authorised to collect gold for up to 15 years
to auction them off or lend to jewellers from time to time.
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Depositors will earn up to 50% interest per annum, a rate lower than savings bank
deposits.
Currently, there are 46 assaying and Hallmarking Centres which are qualified to act as
Collection and Purity Testing Centres (CPTC) for handling gold under the gold monetisation
scheme.
RBI seeks Rs 26k cr more for capital infusion by 2018

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sought an additional Rs 26,000 crore from the government
to be injected into state-run banks by 2018 as the current capital pledges are inadequate due
toinflated stressed assets.
RBI has informed the government about the additional capital that will be needed bystateowned banks until 2018 as part of implementing Basel-III standards.
In this fiscal, government has spent Rs 20,000 crore on bank capitalisation and will infuse another
Rs 5,000 crore before March. The government has pledged Rs 70,000 crore toward this end until
FY19; Rs 25,000 crore of this in the next fiscal year.
RBI shortlists 5 companies for audit and risk monitoring mechanism

Reserve Bank of India has shortlisted 5 companies for Audit and Risk Monitoring
Mechanism (AMRMS) for Central Bank from five potential shortlisted.
The objective of AMRMS is to enable paperless office environment in the banking

sector.
The five short-listed companies are:

1. Auditime Information Systems Pvt Ltd-Mumbai,
2. NCSSoft Solutions Pvt Ltd-Chennai,
3. PWC Pvt Ltd- Mumbai,
4. Quadrant 4 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd,Chennai
5. Thomson Reuters Pvt Ltd Mumbai.
Authorized Share Capital of NSFDC to Rs. 1200 crore
Government has given its stamp of approval to enhance the authorized share capital of the
National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) from Rs. 1000
crore to Rs. 1200 crore.
NSFDC is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) working under the aegis of the Union
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
ADB $80 Million assistance for urban reforms in Agartala & Aizwal
In a bid to improve the infrastructure of nations two north eastern capital cities, GOI has signed
loan concord of $80million with Manila, Philippines headquartered Asian Development Bank
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(ADB) as a part of North Eastern Region Capital cities Development Investment Program.
The accord was signed by Shri Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (DEA) and Ms Teresa Kho,
Country Director, ADBs India Resident Mission.
This newly succored loan is a third tranche of a $200 million financing facility under Eastern
capital cities Development Investment Program.
3rd tranche loan term 20 years

Completion of programme June 2019
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan joins WEF task force

RBI governor Raghuram Rajan joins World Economic Forum (WEF) task force to study the
global finance system. The 46th Annual Meeting of WEF was held in held in Davos, Switzerland.
WEF will work to identify, analyse and plan suggestions in response to major transformative
forces influence the future of global finance.
The main focus was the global financial system inclusion, technology-enabled improvement
and the economic cost-benefit of post-crisis regulatory reforms
Japans Central Bank adopts Negative Interest Rate policy

Tokyo headquartered Bank of Japan has imposed a negative interest rate of -0.1% on accounts
it holds for commercial banks. It will start to charge them for looking after their cash.
The decision in this regard has been taken to increase spending and investment rather
than pay a fee to keep it safe. It will help to counter Japans economic slump.
The charge does not directly apply to ordinary customers accounts.
SBI and BoB creating AML framework for overseas branches

On the sidelines of industry regulators warning, PSBs including Mumbai headquartered State Bank
of India and Bank of Baroda are creating stricter norms on anti-money laundering (AML)
framework for their branches outside India that can stop or detect cash and suspicious
transactions.
Priority areas for creating a separate and stronger anti-money laundering (AML) framework
are Europe, United States and high risk regions like Dubai, South
Africa,Mauritius and Singapore.
SBI has induced Deloitte HK to create an AML framework.
Govt revises down 2014/15 GDP growth to 7.2% y/y

The government revised down its annual economic growth for the fiscal year that ended in
March 2015 to 7.2% from 7.3%.
GDP growth rate for 2013-14 has also revised downwards to 6% from earlier estimate of
6.9%.
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RBI increases WMA for states to Rs 32,225 crore
The RBI has increased the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for all states to Rs 32,225
crore for the current and next financial years.
RBI provides financial help to the government to cope with the financial situations like
mismatches in the cash flow by the Ways and means advances(WMA) method.
WMA are proposed to provide mitigate to the states to carry on their important activities and
normal financial operations.
BUSINESS
Indias Petronet LNG ink revised contract with RasGas of Qatar
Indias biggest gas importer Petronet LNG has signed a revised contract with RasGas of Qatar
Motive: To import gas at a significantly lower price, as a reflection of falling global prices. It will
save downstream consumers in India around Rs 4,000 crore a year.
A penalty of Rs 12,000 crore imposed on Petronet for importing less gas in 2015than
was agreed in the previous contract has been renounced.
Need for re-negotiation: Petronet was overpaying for RasGas LNG under the previous
contract.
Petronet has agreed to purchase an additional 1 million tonnes under the revised contract.
January 1, 2016 is one year of PAHAL direct cash transfer scheme and has become
the worlds biggest digital public distribution system.
HAL to open helicopter factory in Tumakuru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque for the foundation stone of the new plant for the
construction of new helicopter manufacturing unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
in Tumkur district in Karnataka to serve soldiers stationed in distant locations.
About 4000 families will get livelihood due to this factory. The first helicopter built in
this unit is expected to take flight by 2018.
Oasis Group to invest Rs 500 crore for setting up ethanol plant

Oasis Group is planning to invest Rs 500 crore for establishing a wheat-based ethanol plant with
capacity of 5 lakh litres per day at Zira district, Ferozepur in Punjab.
At present, mostly sugar mills are producing ethanol in the country, which is being sold to the
petroleum companies.
The Centre has fixed the target of mixing up to 10% ethanol in petrol, but so far it has
achieved only 5% blending.
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Union Government abolishes export duty on iron ore pellets
To compete with other suppliers in global markets and make way for further excavation at mine
sites, Mineral exporters have urged the government to abolish export duty.
The government levied 5% export duty on pellets, 10% on bauxite and 30% on
chromite and iron ore.
Govt. decided to shut 3 HMT units

Government decided to shut three units of HMT including HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches
and HMT Bearings by offering an attractive voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to the
employees as per 2007 pay scales scales to mitigate the hardships being faced by the employees of
HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches and HMT Bearings and close their operations.
Decision by: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
BHEL commissions two substations in Afghanistan

Bhel has commissioned two 220/20kV substations in Afghanistan to expand its footprint in the
strife-torn nation.
Inaugurated by: CEO of the Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, along with Indian Ambassador
Amar Sinha
Commissioned at: Charikar, around 60 kms from Kabul and Doshi, around 150 kms from
Kabul.
PayPal ties-up with Shopmatic for cross-border transactions

Digital payments firm PayPal tied up with ecommerce platform solutions providerShopmatic
to enable its merchants to expand their sales globally. This is PayPals first tie-up with an
Indian partner.
In India, PayPal works only for cross-border transactions, a market that the company is
growing fast.
IndusInd Bank ties up with PayU India

IndusInd Bank has tied up with online payment solution firm payU India. This will help provide
customers the full suite of consumer banking products online as well as payment innovations.
Aim: To bridging the gap between conventional banking and new online payment systems.
The collaboration will help create co-branded digital consumer banking products that will
revolutionise the way digital banking and payments have shaped up and is expected to
attract new customers across demographies.
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Flipkart, M&M in tie-up for online bookings of KUV100
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has entered into an arrangement with Flipkart for online booking of
Mahindra KUV100.This is the first time that Mahindra has developed a petrol engine on its own.
KUV100 will compete with Maruti's Swift and DZire and Hyundai's i10 Grand.
The base model of the petrol KUV100 is priced at Rs 4.42 lakh (EX showroom Pune)
while the top end is priced at Rs 5.91 lakh ( EX showroom Pune).
HPCL gets green nod for Rs 18,400 cr Vizag refinery expansion

State-run HPCL has received the environmental clearance to expand its refinery at
Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh from 8.33 million tonne per annum to 15.0 MTPA.
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in
its meeting held last month cleared the Rs 18,400 crore expansion plan which was
earlier rejected in 2013, citing moratorium on industrial expansion in some of parts of
Visakhapatnam.
HPCL has two refineries, located in Mumbai (West coast) and Visakhapatnam (East coast),
with capacities of 7.5 MMTPA and 8.3 MMTPA, respectively.
Microsoft donates cloud computing worth $1 billion

Microsofts charity arm is set to donate $1 billion in cloud computing services over the course
of the next three years to non-profits worldwide.
The initiative was a part of the companys pledge to ensure that Microsoft Clouds
services can be used for public good.
Through the program, Microsoft aims to offer support for over 70,000 NGOs worldwide on its cloud
platforms such as Power BI, Office 365, Azure and CRM online in the coming three years.
India starts anti-dumping probe on rubber import from EU, South Korea
India has initiated a probe into alleged dumping of rubber variants used for leather goods by
the EU, South Korea and Thailand following complaints from Reliance Industries and Indian
Synthetic Rubber.
The move is aimed at protecting domestic players in the sector against cheap
imports and to ensure fair trading practices.
The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), an arm of the
Commerce Ministry, has begun investigating imports of Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)
of 1,500 series and 1,700 series from these three regions.
SoftBank invests Rs 100 cr more in Housing.com

Japan-based Softbank has invested a fresh round of Rs 100 crore funding in Mumbai-based
online real estate portal Housing.com.
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SoftBank is the largest shareholder of the company.
Recently, Housing.com has appointed cofounder Snehil Buxy as its new chief product
officer.
MRF becomes global partner for ICC

MRF Tyres and The International Cricket Council (ICC) becomes global partner by announcing
a four-year deal.
Headquartered of MRF is in Chennai, India.
The four events include this years ICC World Twenty20 in India, next years ICC
Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019.
The announcement was made at by ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson, MRF
Tyres Chairman and Managing Director, K M Mammen, former India captain and
MRF brand ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar, and other officials.
FDI flows into India nearly doubled in 2015: UNCTAD
Foreign Direct Investment flows into India nearly doubled in 2015 as per the annual report of
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), while the US emerged
as the top host country for FDI last year.
Country
US
Hong Kong
China
Netherlands
the UK
Singapore
India
Brazil
Canada
France
Top 10 FDI Host Economies of the World

Head
Capital
Currency
Barack Obama
Washington, D.C.
United States dollar
Victoria
Hong Kong dollar
Xi Jinping
Beijing
Renminbi
Mark Rutte
Amsterdam
Euro
David Cameron
London
British Pound
Lee Hsien Loong
Singapore dollar
Narinder Modi
New Delhi
rupee
Dilma Rousseff
Braslia
Brazilian real
Justin Trudeau
Ottawa
Canadian dollar
Manuel Valls
Paris
Euro, CFP franc
ONGC gets environmental clearance for project in Krishna-Godavari basin

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) gets environmental clearance for a project in
the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin.Now ONGC has been allowed to drill 45 development wells and
other related infrastructure in the KG basin in Andhra Pradesh.
The project will cost over 53,000 crore rupees.
The project will be implemented in the northern discovery area of NELP-I offshore
block KG-DW N-98/2.
This spot is known for the D-6 block where Reliance Industries discovered the biggest
natural gas reserves in India in 2002.
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Coca Cola launched dairy drinks in India
Beverages major Coca Cola has launched milk-based beverages under the brand name Vio.
As a part of pilot launch Coca Cola has tied up with Reliance Retail to make the brand
available at the latters 500 stores.

The company has tied up with Schreiber Dynamix Dairies Pvt Ltd which will manufacture
the product.
India surpassed Thailand as Worlds largest Rice exporter

As per the Bangkok based Thai Rice Exporters Association, India has outpaced Thailand as
the worlds largest rice exporter in 2015.
In 2015 India has shipped 23 million tonnes of rice while Thailand exported 9.8 million
tonnes of rice in 2015, a downgrade of 10.8%.
Vietnam is the third largest exporter of rice.
China is the number one importer of rice.
Ratan Tata invests in start-up Teabox

Ratan Naval Tata the Indian businessman and the Chairman of Emeritus Tata Sons have
invested in the start-up Teabox. Teabox is an e-commerce website which focuses on supplying
fresh tea to customers.
He has unrevealed the amount in Teabox.
The main location for the premium tea is Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris and Nepal.
ARAI to collaborate with Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

Pune based Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and Vikram Sarabhai Space
Centre (VSSC) are to collaborate to develop a battery for passenger cars using technology
which is used to make batteries for space vehicles.
The focus of the research will be to develop technology in electric and hybrid electric vehicles
(EV/HEV) applications for Indian automotive industry and facilitate promotion of green
mobility platform.
This will also promote import substitution and the governments mission of making in
India.
Apollo Munich ties up with Axis Bank

Health insurance company Apollo Munich joined hands with Mumbai headquartered Axis Bank for
offering bank customers a paperless customized insurance policies. This is the fourth
bancassurance tie-up of Apollo Munich.
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Earlier, Apollo Hospitals Group firm Apollo Energy Company announced selling of its3%
stake in Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company to its German partner Munich Re for Rs.
163.5 crore.
Dr Reddys gets USFDA nod for migraine injection

Dr Reddys Laboratories (DRL) has received an approval from the US Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA) for ZembraceSymTouch injection.
The injection is a drug device product proposed for the treatment of acute migraine,
in the American market.
Iran, Airbus signed deal to buy 118 Airbus planes

Iran, Airbus has signed a deal to buy 118 Airbus jets worth $27.The deal was signed
whenIranian President Hassan Rouhani visit by to France.
The deal included twelve A 380 super jumbos 73 wide body and 45 narrow body jets.
The main aim to buy A380 is to significantly boost for Airbus.
The deal depends mainly on Airbus winning US export licenses as maximum parts that is
nearly 10% of the jets are manufactured in United States
TCS, Infosys, Wipro join Obamas computer science for all plan
Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have joined US President Barack Obamas
ambitious computer science for all initiative as part of public-private collaboration which pledged
over $3 million in grants.
Computer Sciences for All emphasized on the need for teaching the subject as abasic
skill to all children across schools in the country in a changing economy.
Alibabas first Indian trade facility centre opens

Wholesale trading platform, Chinas Alibaba.com launched its first physical trade facility
centre in Jaipur and a Hindi portal, aimed at connecting small and medium businesses with
global buyers.
By providing information and services in Hindi, the site will enable Indian traders from small
cities and rural areas, to easily connect with merchants worldwide.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

eASIA award 2015 for trade facilitation conferred upon DAVA project
The DAVA (Drug Authentication and Verification Application) project has won the 2015
eASIA Award under Trade Facilitation category by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and
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Electronic Business (AFACT).
2015 Sangita Kalanidhi Award Bestowed upon Sanjay Subrahmanyam
Veteran South Indian classical vocalists Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been conferred with the2015
Sangita Kalanidhi award.
It was presented by the mathematician Manjul Bhargava at 89th annual conference of

the Madras Music Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
With this, Subrahmanyam became seventh artist to be conferred with this award before
completing 50 years of age including Ariyakudi Iyengar, Musiri Subramania Iyer,Maharajapuram
Viswanatha Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, GN Balasubramaniam, ML Vasanthakumari and M
Balamuralikrishna.
Delhi Police enters Limca Book of Records for solving Indias biggest cash heist case
Delhi Police entered into the Limca Book of Records for solving the biggest cash heist case of the
the country in November 2015.
On November 27, the driver of a cash transit van allegedly fled with Rs 22.50 crore,
following which the entire southeast district of Delhi Police was put into action.
In less than 10 hours, the police tracked down the driver and recovered the stolen
amount, except for Rs 10,500 which the accused driver had spent in food, alcohol and
some articles, said a senior police official.
3 NPCI Awards conferred upon Corporation Bank

Corporation Bank has bagged three awards at the National Payments Excellence Awards
2015 event recently. The function was organised by National Payments Corporation of India
(NPCI).
The award was presented by R Gandhi, Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
Corporation Bank received the winner award jointly with Indian Bank for Cheque
Truncation System under the mid-sized category. The bank also received two runner-up
awards for National Financial Switch for its performance in acquirer transactions
and Immediate Payment Service (IMPS).
Flipkart wins Website of the Year India 2015

Flipkart has been named the overall winner of the Website of the Year India 2015 in an online
poll which was conducted by marketing analytics company MetrixLab.
The winner was decided among over 185,000 votes on parameters of the content, navigation,
designs and recommendation intention. The polling took place among 252 websites for 21
categories.
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Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has won the Most Popular
Website of the Year India 2015 Award for a second time in a row in the leisure and travel
category.
Mt. Aconcagua conquered by Amputee mountaineer Arunima Sinha

After conquering Mount Everest, Amputee Mountaineer Arunima Sinha has added another
feather to her cap by conquering Mount Aconcagua, Argentina.
She started her mission on the morning of December 12 and hoisted the Indian tricolour on
December 25.
She has successfully completed the 5th summit of the Mission 7 Summits Mt.
Everest (Asia), Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mt. Elbrus (Europe), Mt.Kosizko(Australia)
and Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina).
Aconcagua (6,960.8 metres) is the highest mountain outside Asia and is also known as
second Everest.
Padma Shri awardee VVS Laxmans 281 awarded the Best Test Innings
Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxmans (41) masterly innings of 281 against Australia at the
Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 14 March 2001 has been voted the greatest Test performance of
the last 50 years by a 25-member panel of
cricketers, writers, broadcasters, historiansand statisticians assembled by the January issue
of ESPNs digital magazine the Cricket Monthly.
2015 Costa Novel Prize conferred on Kate Atkinsons A God in Ruins

British writer Kate Atkinson has won the Costa novel award for the second time in three years
for A God in Ruins. It is the companion novel to Life After Life.
With this award, she became the first author to receive Costa prize for three times God
in Ruins in 2016, Life After Life in 2013 and Behind the Scenes at the Museum in
1995.
Category
Costa First Novel Award
Costa Novel Award
Costa Poetry Award
Costa Children Book Award
Costa Biography Award
Author
Andrew Michael Hurley
Kate Atkinson
Don Paterson
Frances Hardinge
Andrea Wulf
Book
The Loney
A God in Ruins
40 Sonnets
The Lie Tree
The Invention of Nature: The
Adventures of Alexander Von
Humboldt, The Lost Hero of
Science
Harper Lees Go Set a Watchman topped 2015 US Bestseller List

The book Go Set a Watchman written by Harper Lee has been in lead in the 2015 US bestseller
list.
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Around 6 million copies of the book were sold in the USA since it was published in July 2015.
The second and third bestseller in the list was Jeff Kinneys Diary of Wimpy Kid
series (1.48 million copies) and British author EL James Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as
Told by Christian (1.4 million) respectively.
Pentagon award to recognise US drone operators

To recognise U.S. troops who have directly affected battles as drone pilots or in cyber operations,
the Defense Department has awarded them with Pentagon Award.
New award for drone pilots will be a letter R device to be affixed to existing service
medals.
Peoples Choice Award bestowed upon Priyanka Chopra for Quantico

The winner of Miss World pageant 2000, actress Priyanka Chopra (33) has won the Favourite
Actress in New TV series award at the 42nd Peoples Choice Awards 2016 for her leading
role in American TV thriller series Quantico.
She plays the role of an FBI agent named Alex Parish in the show.
With this, Priyanka becomes the first Indian actor to register a win at the Peoples Choice
Awards.
Central Banker of the Year Award 2016 bestowed upon Raghuram Rajan
The mastermind that stabilizes the Indian economy, Raghuram Rajan (Reserve Bank of India
Governor) has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia
Pacific) for 2016 by The Banker, a monthly publication of the Financial Times Group focusing
on banking.
In 2015, Indian GDP grew at 7.5% which was considered as the strongest among large
economies.
The rupee was one of the few stable emerging market currencies in 2015.
Ananth Kumar presented India Pharma Awards 2016

The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Ananth Kumar gave away the 1st
India Pharma awards during India Medical Expo 2016 in Bengaluru motivate Indian Pharma
and medical devices industries.
India Medical Expo 2016 was jointly organized by the Department of

Pharmaceuticals and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry from
7th-9th January, 2016 at Bangalore International Convention and Exhibition Centre,
Bangalore.
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Here is the list of Winners
Category
Overall India Pharma Excellence Award
India Pharma Leader Award
Company of the Year
Bulk Drug Company of the Year
Innovation of the Year
Research & Development Achievement
Corporate Social Responsibility Programme of
the Year
Medical Devices Company of the Year
Export Company of the Year
Bulk Drug Export Company of the Year
Medical Devices Export Company of the Year
Special Award: PSU Company of the Year
Winner
Cadila Healthcare Ltd
Shri Glenn Saldana, CMD, Glenmark
Pharmaceutical Ltd
Lupin Limited
SMS Pharmaceutical Ltd
Cadila Healthcare Ltd
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
Abbott India Ltd
Harsoria Healthcare Pvt Ltd
Campus Pharma Pvt Ltd
SMS Pharmaceutical Ltd
Scope Medical Devices Pvt Ltd
Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceutical
Ltd
Azim Premji the most generous Indian in Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015
Azim Premji has come out as the most generous Indian in the Hurun India Philanthropy List
2015 in a ranking of the most generous individuals from India.
Premji donated Rs 27,514 crore for education through The Azim Premji foundation,
works in 8 states and has more than 350,000 schools.
Author Balkrishna Garg awarded H K Devsare Baalsahitya award

Balkrishna Garg was awarded with the second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015
For collection of poems for children, titled BaalGeet
Cash Prize: Rs.75000
A shawl and a citation
Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust Chairman Baldeo
Bhai Sharma conferred the award.
Hem Bhatnagar and Yogendra Kumar were also felicitated for their contributions to childrens
literature.
Entrepreneur of the Year conferred upon Snapdeals Kunal Bahl

Co-founder and CEO of e-commerce giant Snapdeal Kunal Bahl has bagged the Entrepreneur of
the Year Award, 2015 for his splendid business acumen.
Kunal established Snapdeal in the year 2010 in partnership with his childhood friend Rohit
Bansal.
Documentary on Malal Yousafzai nominated for 2016 BAFTAs

EE British Academy Film Awards(BAFTA) has nominated He Named Me Malala, a documentary on
Malala Yousafzai(18) in the upcoming awards Documentary category for 2016.
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Directed by: American filmmaker Davis Guggenheim
Other nominations by BAFTAs: Amy, Cartel Land, Listen to Me and Sherpa.
Tata Steel bags PMs trophy
Tata Steel Limited bagged eighth time Prime Ministers Trophy for being the Best Performing
Integrated Steel Plant in the country for 2013 2014.
About Prime Ministers trophy: It was instituted in 1992-93.
Suggestion by: Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao
Primary objective: To generate a sense of competition among the steel plants so that they
continuously benchmark themselves with the best and improve their performances.
Mangaluru Airport conferred as best in the country

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has achieved the fifth rank in terms of customer
satisfaction and handling among the 53 two-tier airports in the country. The internal survey
was done by a private agency for the Airports Authority of India. The 53 airports had handled
upto 15 lakh passengers a year.
The rank was based on the customer satisfaction survey conducted during July to
December period 2015.
Golden Globe Awards 2016

The 73rd Golden Globe Awards held at Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California honoring
best in film and American television of 2015.
Here is the list of winners
Category
Winner
Picture
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Motion Picture (Drama)

Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Director
Animated Feature Film
Foreign Language Film
Television
Series (Drama)
Actor in a Television Series (Drama)
Actress in a Television Series (Drama)
Series (Musical or Comedy)
Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy)
Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy)
Miniseries
Actor in a Miniseries
Actress in a Miniseries
The Revenant
The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio
Brie Larson
Matt Damon
Jennifer Lawrence
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Inside Out
Son of Saul (Hungary)
Mr. Robot
Jon Hamm
Taraji P. Henson
Mozart in the Jungle
Gael Garcia Bernal
Rachel Bloom
Wolf Hall
Oscar Isaac
Lady Gaga
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Washington receives Cecil B DeMille Award
Denzel Washington(New York,US)received Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2016 Golden Globes.
*Other Golden Globes 2016 Winners
Best Motion Picture, Drama: The Revenant
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama: Brie Larson, Room
Best Motion Picture, Comedy: The Martian
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul, Hungary
2016 FIFA Ballon dOr award bagged by Lionel Messi

Argentinas professional footballer Lionel Messi has been conferred with the FIFA Ballon
dOr award for the world player of the year beating his greatest rivals Cristiano
Ronaldoand Neymar.
He has scooped the prestigious prize for a fifth time (previous wins between 2009 and 2012).
Womens player of the year Carli Lloyd
Man Coach of the Year Luis Enrique
Woman Coach of the year Jill Ellis
The Puskas Award Wendell Lira
Kullu folk dance in Guinness Book

The colourful Kullu folk dance Nati which saw participation of 20,000 dancers during Kullu
Dussehra festival on October 26 2015 has entered the Guinness book of world records.
In the Nati, 10,000 men and women attired in traditional Kullu dress performed at Dhalpur
Ground during Kullu Dussehra festival.
The jamboree of over 20,000 people danced to spread the message of Beti Hai
Anmol (Girl child is precious).
Amitabh Bachchan made honorary life member of Mohammedan Sporting

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan bestowed honorary life membership of Kolkatas
famed soccer outfit Mohammedan Sporting which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
National Award on e-Governance bestowed upon EPFO

Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has been conferred with National Award
on e-Governance 2015-16 for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN).
The award will be presented by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to
the EPFO in the 19th National Conference on e-governance to be held in Nagpur on
January 22.
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The EPFO won the gold award in the innovative use of technology in egovernance category and the retirement body will get a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.
PepsiCos CEO becomes most generous graduate of Yale B-School

The prestigious Yale School of Management is set to name its deanship in honour of PepsiCos
India-born CEO Indra Nooyi as she gifted an undisclosed amount to her alma mater. She becomes
the schools biggest alumni donor.
She is also the first woman to endow the deanship at a top business school.
Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award conferred upon David Beckham

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and retired football professional David Beckham has been bestowed
with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award at the 6th biennial UNICEF Ball in Los
Angeles for recognizing his tireless work to save and improve the lives of children around the
world.
He was presented with the award by Sir Elton John and David Furnish at the black-tie gala
event.
Subhashini Vasanth honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award

Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor presented the Neerja Bhanot Award to Bangalore-based
Subhashini Vasanth.
Subhashini Vasanth is the founder-trustee of Vasantharatna Foundation, which she

formed in memory of her late husband, Ashok Chakra Col. Vasanth V, in 2008, for his
sacrifice on the border while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian designer wins International Woolmark Prize

City-based fashion designer Suket Dhir won the Rs 48.5 lakh (A$100,000) worth prestigious
International Woolmark Prize.The announcement was made overnight in Florence by the
Organiser.
Dhir beat five other international designers, with a menswear collection that fused classic
western tailoring with traditional techniques, including Ikat (hand-tying and dyeing yarn)
and Kasui (traditional hand embroidery).
Rahul Mishra took the prize in the womenswear category two years ago.He was the first
Indian to won the Woolmark prize.
NaMo presented Times Now Amazing Indians Awards 2016

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi presented the Times Now Amazing Indians Awards
2016 in recognition of great achievements in the face of adversity.
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Here is the list of awardees
Category
Incredible Innovators
Young Indians, Big Achievements
Young Indians, Big Achievements
Ordinary Indians, Extraordinary
Achievements
Energising India
Indian at Heart
Global Indians
Grassroots Soldier
Grassroots soldier
Educators of India
Stree Shakthi
Unstoppable Indians
Winner
Chintakindi Mallesham
Damini Sen
Malavath Poorna
Murugan S
Mathews K Mathew
Timothy
Yashraj Khaitan
Late Kallen Pokkudan
Popatrao Pawar
Ruma Roka
Sunita Aralikar
S Ramakrishnan
Delhi-based writer Ankita Anand won the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for work on Khap
panchayats
Sensitive portrayal of life for young women facing the threat of the diktat of khap panchayats
in Haryana has earned Ankita Anand, a journalist-writer won the European Commissions
prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 (Asia-Pacific).
Anands experience and efforts were contained in a write-up No Country for the New Woman
was published in the summer number (April-June 2015) of the quarterly magazine The
Equator Line, which centred on the theme of womens freedom in India.
Amritsar in Guinness Book of World Records

An offbeat message against drugs delivered through largest bollywood dance performance of
students held at Khalsa College has earned Amritsar a place in Guinness Book of World
Records announced by Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat.
8,726 students from 40 schools danced to the popular Bollywood song India Wale
created a new record by beating the earlier feat by 4428 students in Mumbai in the year
2012.
The performance of students attired in the same dress, on October 3, 2015 for an anti-drugs
awareness campaign has added another feather to the cap of holy city.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange
Fellowship
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange
Fellowship in Singapore on January 13 for his contribution in development and international
harmony.
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2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature conferred upon Anuradha Roy
The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 has been conferred upon Anuradha Roy for
her novel Sleeping on Jupiter at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka.
Her novel sleeping on Jupiter, deals with violence against women with story revolving
around girl named Nomi and is set in Jarmuli, a city of temples.
US $50,000 DSC Prize and a trophy has been presented by Sri Lankan PM Ranil
Wickremesinghe to Anuradha Roy.
The jury panel was headed by journalist and writer Mark Tully.
61st Britannia Filmfare Awards 2015

The 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards 2015 were recently held to honor the best films of 2015
from the Hindi-language film industry in Mumbai.
Category
Best Film
Best Director
Best Actor in a Leading Role
(Male)
Best Actor in a Leading Role
(Female)
Best Actor in a Supporting
Role (Male)
Best Actor in a Supporting
Role (Female)
Best Playback Singer (Male)
Best Playback Singer (Female)
Best Costume
Best Choreography
Here is the list of Winners

Winner
Bajirao Mastani
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Ranveer Singh
For
Bajirao Mastani
Bajirao Mastani
Deepika Padukone
Piku
Anil Kapoor
Dil Dhadakne Do
Priyanka Chopra
Bajirao Mastani
Arijit Singh
Shreya Ghoshal
Sooraj dooba (Roy)

Deewani Mastani (Bajirao
Mastani)
Bajirao Mastani
Mohe rang do laal (Bajirao
Mastani)
Anju Modi and MaximaBasu

Pt Birju Maharaj
Critics Categories
Best Film
Best Actor (Male)
Best Actor (Female)
Lifetime Achievement Award
RD Burman Award
Best Debut (Male)
Best Debut (Female)
Best Debut Director
Piku
Amitabh Bachchan
Kangana Ranaut
Moushumi Chatterjee
Armaan Mallik
Debut Awards
Sooraj Pancholi
Bhumi Pednekar
Neeraj Ghaywan
Piku
Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Hero
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Masaan
Dr Jancy James selected for Prof MV Pylee Award

Dr Jancy James, the first woman Vice Chancellor of Kerala selected for the Prof MV Pylee
Award for the Distinguished Academician of India.
The award is given for excellence in teaching and research and contribution to academic
community. It carries an amount of 1 lakh rupees and a citation.
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Easterine Kire wins The Hindu Prize, 2015
Easterine Kire, poet, novelist and childrens writer from Nagaland, won The Hindu Prize, 2015,
for her novel When the River Sleeps, a book about a lone hunter seeking a faraway river, to take
from it a stone that will give him untold powers.
Kire was one of the six authors shortlisted from nearly 60 entries for the sixth edition of
the prize.
The Look of Silence won award at 9th Annual Cinema Eye Honours
Director Joshua Oppenheimer's "The Look of Silence", based on the examination of the
Indonesian genocide of the 1960s has won the Top Documentary Award at the 9th Annual
Cinema Eye Honours.
Chris King won his third Cinema Eye editing award for "Amy", making him the first
person to win three awards in the same category.
Other Awards :
Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin mountain-climbing film "Meru" won The latter award was
shared with "Cartel Land" cinematographers Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll.
Graphic Design Award: Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsing for for "Kurt Cobain:
Montage of Heck"
Outstanding Debut Award: Crystal Moselle for "The Wolfpack"
Short Film Award: "Hotel 22" by Elizabeth Lo and "Buffalo Juggalos" by Scott Cummings
National Bravery Awards 2015 to be conferred upon 25 Lion Hearts

25 children (3 girls and 22 boys) have been selected for the National Bravery Awards
2015,which give due recognition to the children who distinguish themselves by performing
outstanding deeds of bravery and meritorious service. They receive a medal, certificate
and cash.
This year, two of the Awards have been given posthumously.
The Awards presented by PM Narendra Modi on 24 January, 2016.
Here is the list of Brave Hearts

Category
Winner
Bharat Award (Highest of
Kawduji Sahastrabuddhe(15)
the National Bravery
awards)
Bharat Award
Shivansh Singh (13)
Geeta Chopra award
Shivampet Ruchitha (8)
For
Sacrificed his life while
saving his four friends
Sacrificed his life in a
valiant effort to save his
friend from drowning in
Saryu river
Girl from Telangana
displayed exemplary valour
in saving two lives when a
train hit her school bus.
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Sanjay Chopra Award
Arjun Singh (16)
Displayed outstanding
bravery in fighting a tiger to
save his mother.
Bapu Gaidhani Award
Ramdinthara (15)
Bapu Gaidhani Award
Rakeshbhai Shanabhai Patel (13)
Bapu Gaidhani Award
Aromal SM (12)
National Bravery Awards
Kashish Dhanani(Gujarat), Maurice

Yengkhom andChongtham Kuber
Meitei(Manipur), Angelica
Tynsong (Meghalaya), Sai Krishna
Akhil Kilambi(Telangana), Joena
Chakbraborty andSarwanand
Saha(Chhatisgarh), Dishant
Mehndiratta (Haryana),Beedhovan,
Nithin Philip Mathew, Abhijit KV,
Anandu Dillep, Muhammad
Shamnad (all from Kerala), Mohit
Mahdenrda Dalvi, Nilesh Revaram
Bhil, Vaibhav Ramesh
Ghangare (all from
Maharashtra),Abinash
Mishra (Odisha) and Bhimsen from
Uttar Pradesh.
Boy from Mizoram saved

two persons from
electrocution
Hailed from Gujarat, he
saved a boy who
accidentally fell into a deep
well
Hailed from Kerala, rescued
two ladies from drowning.
Govt inducted new category of award for Most Film Friendly State/UT
To promote the Indian film industry and Indias Soft Power, Govt has instituted a new award
category under the National Film Awards titled The Most Film Friendly State/UT.
This award will be conferred for the first time at the 63rd National Film Awards to be held
on 3rd May 2016 by President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.
The announcement in this regard has been made by Sunil Arora (Secretary I&B) during the
inaugural function for the Public screening of Indian Panorama-2015films at Siri Fort
Auditorium, New Delhi.
PM Modi becomes 2nd most followed Indian on Twitter

Prime Minister NarendraModi has become second most followed Indian on social media site Twitter
and pipped bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.
Modi had over 17,382,784 followers while Khan was being followed by 17,362,505 Twitter
members as on January 17.
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National Award for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals 2015-16 presented by
Ananth Kumar
The 6th National Awards for Technology in Innovation in Petrochemicals and downstream
Plastics Processing Industry has been bestowed by Union Minister of Chemicals and
Fertilizers, Shri Ananth Kumar in New Delhi to recognize outstanding contribution in R&D.
Out of 264 nominees for 2015-16, 17 have been chosen as winners & 14 as runner ups.
The scheme of these national awards implemented by Central Institute of Plastics

Engineering and Technology (CIPET), under Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
Here is the list of key winners

Category
Winner
Innovation in Polymeric Material
Industry
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd
Ester Industries Ltd
Academic and R&D Institution
IIT Guwahati
Innovation in Polymeric Products
Industry
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
Innovation of Polymer processing Machinery & Equipments
Industry
Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd
IIT Madras
Innovation in Polymer waste Management & recycling technology and green
polymeric material & products
Industry
Supreme Industries Ltd
Defence Institute of Advanced Technology
Polymers in Agriculture & Water Conservation
Mr. S Dinesh Kumar & Mr. MJ Giridharan
Polymers in Public Health Care
Industry
Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt Ltd
Research in the field of Polymer Science & Technology
Industry
Reliance R&D Centre
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd
Adeles Hello enters Guinness Book of World Records
Global superstar Adeles (UK) recent hit song Hello reached a staggering one billion views on
the popular video platform YouTube in mere 88 days.
It held a record for fastest time for a video to reach one billion views on YouTube
beating PSYs South Korean dance track Gangnam Style, which received one billion views
in 159 days.
Jodhpurs Umaid Bhawan Palace named as Worlds Best Hotel

Travel site TripAdvisor has listed Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan as the
worlds best hotel of 2016 in 25 best hotels list. It is one of the worlds largest private
residences is named after the Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner Gaj
Singh.
The other Indian hotel that was named in the list is Orange County Resorts
Kabini,Karnataka which was placed at 13th position.
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Here are the top 10 hotels of World
Rank
Hotel
1
Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur
2
Shinta Mani Resort
3
Bellevue Syrene
4
Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa
5
Achtis Hotel
6
Belmond Le Manoir aux QuatSaisons
7
Mirihi Island Resort
8
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts Aruba
9
Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel & Spa
10
Hotel Ritta Hoppner
Country
Jodhpur, India
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sorrento, Italy
Hanoi, Vietnam
Afitos, Greece
Great Milton, UK
Mirihi, Maldives
Palm-Eagle Beach, Aruba
Lance aux Epines, Grenada
Gramado, Brazil
Padma Awards 2016

The list of the Indias most prestigious and revered honours, Padma awards 2016 is out. 114
people will be bestowed with the Padma awards this year.
Here is the List of Padma Vibhushan awardees
Winner Name
Winners Field
Rajinikanth
Actor
Ramoji Rao
Media baron
Girija Devi
Classical vocalist
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Spiritual guru
V K Aatre
Former DRDO chief
Avinash Dixit
IndianAmerican economist
Jagmohan
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor
Yamini Krishnamurthi
Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dancer
Dr V Shanta
Cancer specialist and chairperson of Adyar Cancer
Institute
There are 19 eminent personalities which are chosen for Padma Bhushan awards.
Here is the list of Padma Bhushan awardees
Winner Name
Winners Field
Anupam Kher
Actor
Udit Narayan
Singer
Hafeez Contractor
Architect
Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry
Industrialist
Vinod Rai
Former CAG
Sania Mirza
Tennis Star
Ram Sutar
Indian sculptor
Saina Nehwal
Badminton star
Late Swami Dayanand
Spiritual leader
Saraswati
Swami Tejomayananda
Spiritual leaders
Heisnam Kanhailal
Theatre personality
R C Bhargava
Maruti Suzuki chairman
Indu Jain
Chairperson of Bennett, Coleman & Co
Robert Blackwill
Former US Ambassador to India
Barjinder Singh Hamdard
Ex-parliamentarian, editor of Punjabi
Newspaper
Prof N S Ramanuja
Sanskrit Scholar
Tatacharya
Prof D Nageshwar Reddy
Asian Institute of Gastroenterology
Venkata Rama Rao Alla
Drug technology
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Here are some Padma Shri awardees
Winner Name
Ujjwal Nikam
Saeed Jaffrey
(posthumous)
Priyanka Chopra
Ajay Devgn
SS Rajamouli
Winners Field
Senior lawyer
Actor
Actor
Actor
Filmmaker
Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards 2015

The President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee has consented to confer the Jeevan Raksha Padak
Series of Awards 2015 on 50 persons. The Award categories are Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha
Padak to 3 persons, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 9 and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 38
persons; 09 awards are posthumous.
Here is the list of Awardees
Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak
Winner
Place from winner belong
Ullas Unnikrishnan (Posthumous)
Kerela
Munna alias Ramdars Sisodiya(Posthumous)
Madhya Pradesh
Ankit Kumar Mishra (Posthumous)
Uttar Pradesh
Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak
Shivakumar R.
Karnataka
Laldinpuia
Mizoram
Shaitan Singh (Posthumous)
Rajasthan
Jitendra Kumar Soni
Rajasthan
Shourya Veer Singh (Posthumous)
Madhya Pradesh
Riya Chaudhary (Posthumous)
Uttar Pradesh
Monika alias Manisha (Posthumous)
Uttarakhand
Gaurav Kumar Bharti (Posthumous)
Uttar Pradesh
Ravindra Pal Singh (Posthumous)
Uttar Pradesh
Gallantry Awards 2016

On the eve of the 67th Republic Day Celebrations, President Pranab Mukherjee has approved365
gallantry and other defence awards to honour extraordinary bravery and courage as well as
distinguished service of the armed forces personnel and others. These awards were established in
1952.
Ashok Chakra
For 2016, it has been awarded posthumously to 13625566W Lance Naik Mohan Nath
Goswami of 9 Para (Special Forces)/6th Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles for his acts of most
conspicuous gallantry.
Kirti Chakra
It is second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards. Before 1967, the award was
known as the Ashoka Chakra, Class II.
Subedar Mahendra Singh
Sepoy Jagdish Chand (Posthumous)
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Shaurya Chakra
Following is the list of 8 awardees of 2016:
1. Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik (Posthumous)
2. Sepoy Dharma Ram (Posthumous)
3. Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj
4. Lieutenant Harjinder Singh
5. Naik Kheem Singh Mehra
6. Major Anurag Kumar
7. Major Sandip Yadav
8. Naik Satish Kumar
Order of Australia bestowed upon Kerala dentist Sajeev Koshy

Melbourne based Sajeev Koshy, a dentist by profession, has been honoured with the highest
civilian honour, the Order of Australia to recognise his services to dentistry in Victoria, Australia.
He hails from Kerala.
Actress Rekha conferred 2016 Yash Chopra Memorial Award

Veteran Bollywood actress Rekha was honored with the third Yash Chopra Memorial
Award in Mumbai. The award was presented by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Raofor
her talent and contribution to the film industry. The award function has been organization
by the TSR Foundation of T Subbarami Reddy in the memory of the producer-director.
Thakkar selected for 2016 S&T achievement Award

An Indian origin person Cottalango Leon hailing from Coimbatore has been selected for the2016
Technical Achievement Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Leon was conferred with this award to recognize his design, engineering and continuous
development of Sony Pictures Imageworks Itview. It is a tool used only within Sony
Imageworks.
Another Indian origin person, Rahul Thakkar was awarded for the groundbreakingdesign of
DreamWorks Animation Media Review System. He is a computer engineer graduate from
Mumbai University and currently the Vice-President at Brivo Systems.
Parrikar presented Rakshamantri Award for excellence for 2012-13 and 2013-14
Manohar Parrikar the Union Minister for Defense presented Rakshamantri Award for excellence
for year 2012-13 and 2013-14 in New Delhi. The awards were presented for three categories.
1. Institutional Award
2. Best Performing Division /Factory/ Shipyard Awards and
3. Group and Individual Award
These awards are presented in gratitude of excellent performance amongst Ordnance Factories and
the nine Defense Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).
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Awards given are as follow
For year 2012-13
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) won the award for Excellence performance,
Innovation and Indigenization.
Award for Best performance in Exports was given to BEML
For Best performing Shipyard award was given to GRSE
Best performing Factory of OFB was given to Ordnance Factory, Kanpur
Best Performing Division of DPSUs was given to BEL,(S&CS) Bengaluru
Award for Systems of IACCS Networks was given to BEL, Ghaziabad
Award for Indigenization of Special Tools Test Equipments & fixtures for Milan-2T
warhead to Milan Group, BDL Hyderabad
For year 2013-14
Award for Excellence in performance to BEL
Award for Best performance in Exports to BEL
Best Performing Division of DPSUs to HAL, Avionics Division Hyderabad
Best performing Factory of OFB to Ordnance Equipment Factory Kanpur
Best performing Shipyard to GRSE Kolkata
Award for EOFCS U1 for Control of Medium Calibre 76 mm Gun Mount and High Rate
of Fire AK 630 Gun Mount to D&E, FCS/SBU-NS (Radar & FCS) Group BEL Bengaluru.
Allan Border Medal 2016 presented to David Warner

Batsman David Warner has been conferred with Allan Border medal for 2016, becoming
the11th player to receive Australian crickets greatest individual honour.
The 29 years old from New South Wales also bestowed with Test Player of the Year honour.
Here is the list of other Awards & Awardees

Category
Winner
One Day International Player of the Year
Glenn Maxwell
Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year
Alex Ross
State Player of the Year
Adam Voges
Womens International Cricketer of the Year (Belinda Clark
Ellyse Perry
Award)
William E Colby award bestowed upon Midnights Furies A Book on Indias Partition
USD 5,000 William E Colby Award 2016 of US has been conferred upon book Midnights
Furies: The Deadly Legacy of Indias Partition authored by Nisid Hajari.
Midnights Furies, Hajaris first book, covers the 1947 partition of India that created Pakistan
as a separate state, the violence surrounding the partition and why thosetensions persist to
this day.
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V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award bestowed upon Wild life film maker Naresh
Bedi
Wildlife film maker & Padma Shri awardee Naresh Bedi has been honoured with V Shantaram
Life Time Achievement Award during the inauguration of 14th edition of Mumbai
International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films MIFF 2016.
The award was presented by Maharashta CM Devendra Fadnavis and MoS for Information &
Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore
The award is instituted in memory of legendary film maker V Shantaram, who was head of
the Films Division in the past. It is comprised of a trophy, shawl and a cash prize of Rs 5
lakhs.
Henri Tiphagne selected for Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2016
Indian activist and lawyer Henri Tiphagne has been selected for Amnesty International
Germanys human rights award 2016. The award will be present to him in April at the official
ceremony at the Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin.
Henri Tiphagne is Executive Director of Peoples Watch, one of the most notable
human rights organizations in India.
The Amnesty International Awards is a unique set of awards which give honor to the
best human rights journalism in the UK.
Abhinav Bindra honored by ISSF

Abhinav Singh Bindra the Indian shooter and the World Olympic champion have been
honored by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) with the Diploma of Honors and
Presidents Button for his contribution as an athlete.
Nitish Kumar first rated for the K Veeramani Award for Social Justice 2015
Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar has been selected for the K Veeramani Award for Social
Justice 2015 for his contribution towards social justice as Chief Minister.
The award will be presented by Periyar International, a Chicago-based voluntary

organisation at an award function, the venue of which is yet to be decided.
The award carries a plaque and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.
Morton Mower, Michael Marmot win 2015 Prince Mahidol Award

The most prestigious Prince Mahidol Awards has been awarded to Professor Morton M Mower
and Sir Michael Gideon Marmot.Morton M Mower is from the United States and he did his best
in the field of medicine, while Sir Michael Gideon Marmot from Britain gives his best in the field of
public health.
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The Mahidol award was first given by the King Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1992on the
occasion of the 100th birth Anniversary of Prince Mahidol the father of Rama.
Amlendu Tiwari & Om Nagar chosen for Jananpiths Navlekhan Award

New Hindi writers Amlendu Tiwari and Om Nagar have been selected for the 11th Navlekhan
award of the Bharatiya Jnanpith.
Amlendu Tiwari has been picked up for his novel Parityakt while Om Nagar is selected for
his non-fictional prose Nib Ke Cheere Se.
The decision has been taken by a selection panel headed by senior writer and
journalistMadhusudan Anand and Vishnu Nagar, Govind Prasad and Om Nischal were among
other members.
The prize includes Rs 50,000 cash along with a certificate of merit and an idol of Vagdevi. The
award is given to first time litterateurs.
Actress Waheeda Rehman honoured with special award

During 6th Yashwant International Film Festival 2016 in Mumbai, veteran actress Waheeda
Rehman has been honoured with a special award for her contribution to the film industry.
The Yashwant International Film Festival is a joint venture of Yashwantrao Chavan

Pratishthan and Pune Film Foundation.
Yashwantrao Chavan was the first chief minister of Maharashtra.
During festival 22 films were showcased in the category of Global Cinema, 14 in Kaleidoscope, 6 in
Latin America, 6 in Country Focus, 5 in Retrospective, 5 Marathi movies and 7 films of Hector
Beveko.
Russian Order of Friendship bestowed upon Ramayah Shanmuga Sundar

Director of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) construction site, Ramayah
Shanmuga Sundar has been conferred with Order of Friendship by Russia to recognize his
contribution towards the implementation of the NPP Kudankulam project.
Tom Hanks named Americas most popular movie star

Tom Hanks has been named Americas most popular movie star for the fifth time. The 59
year old Hanks also nab the title in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2013.
His latest film The Bridge of Spies has topped in the Oscar winning movies as per the
survey poll that surveyed more than 2,200 adults in the US.
He has been in the business for a remarkable 36 years.
Hanks had won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Forest Gump.
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APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Air Marshal Bhadauria takes over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (DCAS) of Indian Air
Force (IAF)
Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took over as Deputy Chief of the Air Staff of IAF.
Atul Sobti assumes charge as BHEL CMD
Atul Sobti assumed charge as chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bharat Heavy
Electricals Ltd(BHEL).In September last year the government had approved the appointment of
Sobti as CMD, BHEL for a period of 5 years.
Prior to this Sobti was Director on the Board of Bhel, heading two crucial portfolios of Power
and Finance.
Earlier he held additional charge of the post of Director (Engineering, R&D).
Javed Ahmed appointed DG of Police of Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh Government appointed Javed Ahmed as the new Director General of
Police(DGP). He will replace vacant Jagmohan Yadav who retired recently.
Ahmed, a 1984 batch Indian Police Service officer, had earlier served as the joint director of
the Central Bureau of Investigation during central deputation, was serving as the director
general (railways).He will retire in 2020 .
D K Hota is BEML new HR director

The Public Enterprises Selection Board has recommended D.K.Hota to be the new CMD of
defence PSU BEML Ltd .
Syngene appoints Jonathan Hunt as CEO-designate

Syngene International(contract research organization) has appointed Jonathan Hunt as CEOdesignate after the retirement of current CEO Peter Bains in March 2016.
He will be responsible to strengthen Syngenes relations with its present global

customers and building new relationships.
Wipro names Abidali Neemuchwala as its new CEO, TK Kurien to be vice chairman
Wipro, appointed Abidali Z Neemuchwala as chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding T K
Kurien( now executive vice-chairman).
Neemuchwala, who joined the Bengaluru-based company last year, would also join
the board as an executive director. He will have to deal with both secular headwinds
and company-specific issues
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Shekhar Saran assumes charge as CMD of CMPDI
Shekhar Saran assumed charge as Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Ranchi-based Central Mine
Planning & Design Institute Ltd (CMPDI). He served as the Director (Technical) of CMPDI.
Mary Barra First Woman to chair GM as CEO

After achieving the feat of becoming US automaker General Motors first female CEO, nowMary
Barra again created history by elected as its chairman.
She will succeed Tim Solso, who will remain on the board as lead independent director.
Only 11 companies in the S&P 500 have a woman in both the CEO and chairperson roles.
Sachin is brand ambassador for Novo Nordisks diabetes campaign

Novo Nordisk, Danish pharmaceutical company announced Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar
as brand ambassador for the disease awareness campaign Changing Diabetesinitiated by it in
India. It is the leading global insulin maker, is providing free diabetes treatment and education
to 4,000 children, who have been suffering from Type-2 diabetes in India.
Filippo Grandi designated as the UNHCR Chief

Filippo Grandi (58) an Italian UN official took over as the new High Commissioner for the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
He will succeed Antonio Guterres, a former Portugese Prime Minister, who retired on
December 31 after heading the Refugee Agency for 10 years.
LinkedIn names Akshay Kothari its India head

Networking website LinkedIn announced Akshay Kothari, its principal product manager to head
operations in India replacing Nishant Rao. India has one of the largest users for LinkedIn after the
US. Earlier, he was working from Mountain View, California headquarter of LinkedIn.
IAMAI appoints FreeCharge CEO Kunal Shah as Chairman

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has appointed Kunal Shah, as the new
chairman of the association replacing current chairman Nishant Rao, who recently moved to
Chennai from Gurgaon to join a startup called Freshdesk as its global Chief Operating Officer.
Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) HQ Mumbai
Vishal Suri is new MD of Kuoni India

Vishal Suri who was chief operating officer (leisure travel) in Thomas Cook has been
appointed as managing director of Kuoni India replacing Rajeev Wagle(Resigned).
Suri held the position of CEO Tour Operating in Kuoni India.
Thomas Cook concluded the acquisition of Swiss tour major Kuonis business in India.
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Sushil Agarwal becomes Aditya Birla group CFO
Aditya Birla Group has appointed Sushil Agarwal group CFO and Ashish Adukia as the deputy
CFO the groups telecom venture, Idea Cellular who was earlier the groups President of Corporate
Finance.
Earlier, Grasim Industries had announced merger of Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Ltd with
itself.
Vedanta appoints Cairie as head for Metals business in India

Vedanta Ltd appointed Samir Cairae as CEO of the Metals division in India.
New positions:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diversified Metals (India)
Member of the Vedanta Executive Committee team, the firm led by Anil Agarwal(NRI
billionaire).
Odisha Govt designated Sam Pitroda as its Technical Advisor

Telecom engineer and inventor Sam Pitroda has been designated as the Technical Advisor to
the Odisha Government. He will be responsible for the IT Enabled Services sectors of the
state.
With this appointment he will get the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He will play key
role in formulation Vision 2036 for Odisha@100, a vision document for 2036 to
celebrate the 100 years of states formation.
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) designated Sumathipala as its chief

Thilanga Sumathipala, who was recently elected as the President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC),
has also become the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
He will succeed Sri Lankan Jayantha Dharmadasa.
Amitabh Bachchan & Priyanka Chopra replaces Aamir Khan as Incredible India
ambassador
Governments famous Incredible India campaign to market the country to tourists abroad, has
appointed Bollywood veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan as its new spokesperson for a period of three
years.
He will succeed amir Khan.
A B Khare named CMD of Madras Fertilzers

Centre has appointed AB Khare as the Chairman and Managing Director of the state-run
Madras Fertilizers Ltd for a five-year term. His name was finalised after interviewing 7
shortlisted candidates.
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He will succeed I Vijay Kumar.
Khare was previously working with state owned fertiliser firm Rashtriya Chemicals and
Fertilizers as Chief General Manager (Commercial).
Achyuta Samanta appointed as General President of 105th ISC

Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been elected as the general president for the 105th Indian Science
Congress Association (ISCA) scheduled for 2017-18.
Samanta becomes the second person from Odisha to be elected as President of the ISC after
Prof Prana Krushna Parija (47th Session of ISC in 1960)
He is also currently serving as member of Executive Council of Indian Science Congress

Association (ISCA).
Pavan Kapoor to chair as Indias new ambassador to Israel

Pavan Kapoor, presently High Commissioner of lndia in Maputo, has been appointed as the
next Ambassador of lndia to lsrael.He will replace Jaideep Sarkar.
Gurbir Grewal designated as the top prosecutor in US County

A Sikh-American attorney Gurbir Grewal (42) has been appointed as the top prosecutor in New
Jersey, becoming the first South Asian to occupy the post in the state.
He was sworn in as acting Bergen County prosecutor by succeeding John Molinelli.
Grewal was also sworn in as an assistant attorney general in Trenton by acting state
Attorney General John Hoffman.
CCI appointed DK Sikri as its new Chairman

Devender Kumar Sikri (62), a former Gujarat cadre IAS officer, has been appointed chairmanof
the fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).
He will succeed Ashok Chawla.
Sikri will have tenure of about two-and-a-half years till he attains the age of 65 years.
Gajendra Chauhan appointed Chairman of FTII

Actor-filmmaker Gajendra Chauhan designated as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of
India (FTII) after vehemently opposed by enrolled students.
He will chair the FTII societys meeting in which members of Governing Council will be
selected.
While the 14-member Governing Council is responsible for governance, the 24-member
FTII society is considered as the apex body of the 50-year-old institute.
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Bhanumurthy is the new COO of Wipro
After the appointment of Abidali Neemuchwala as CEO of Indias third largest IT services
provider, Wipro has appointed Bhanumurthy B. M. as the President and Chief Operating
Officer and also appointed another senior leader G. K. Prasanna as the head of a newly formed
created unit, Marketing, Innovations and Technology (MIT).
Urjit Patel reappointed as RBI deputy governor for three more years
Government has re-appointed Urjit Patel as the deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India
for a three-year term. Patel is a doctorate from Yale University, also had a stint at IMF.
Patel, a close confidante of Rajan for shaping and implementing monetary policy was
earlier appointed as deputy governor for a period of three years from January 11, 2013.
Patel is the fourth deputy governor, the other three being HR Khan, R Gandhi andSS
Mundra.
Sailesh appointed as The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Senior IAS officer Sailesh as
Registrar General and Census Commissioner (RGCC) of India.
He has been appointed for a period till July 28, 2017.
He will succeed C Chandramouli after he completed his tenure.
Binny Bansal named Flipkart CEO

Indias largest e-commerce platform Flipkart.com named co-founders Binny Bansal as its new
chief executive officer (CEO). He will succeed Sachin Bansal.
Sachin Bansal will now take the position ofexecutive chairman with immediate effect.
Mukesh Bansal will continue to be head of the commerce platform at Flipkart &
chairman of Myntra and will now additionally run Flipkarts advertising business
Burkina Fasos president named Paul Kaba Thieba as Prime Minister

Economist Paul Kaba Thieba was named as the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso by the
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
The announcement was made a week after the president was sworn in as the countrys first
new leader in almost three decades following his election in November 2015.
VikasThapar appointed as Vice President of Micromax

Micromax has appointed VikasThapar as its new senior vice president for finance.
New Position: Building the companys asset and revenue base while leading external relationship
developments with all key partners including bankers, equity partners, investors and with the
government.
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Ashish Saraf appointed as Airbus Groups vice president
European aircraft maker Airbus Group designated Ashish Saraf as its Vice-President of
Industry Development, Strategic Partnerships and Offsets.
Saraf will look over the Groups existing Make in India initiatives and conceive new ones for
all the businesses of Airbus Group India with the aim to increase their industrial footprint
in the country.
Capgemini appoints Srinivas Kandula as CEO of India operation

French IT services firm Capgemini has appointed Srinivas Kandula as the CEO of its India
operations. He will succeed Aruna Jayanthi who has moved to a global role within the Group.
Kandula also joins the Capgemini Group Executive Committee.
DHL Express appoints new Asia Pacific CEO

Global logistics provider DHL Express has designated Ken Lee as its Chief Executive Officer
for Asia Pacific region.
He will succeed Jerry Hsu, who is retiring after an illustrious career with DHL Express
since 2001.
R Shivakumar appointed Chairman of Assocham Karnataka

R Shivakumar, Chairman of Kumar Group of companies, Bengaluru, has been appointed as the
Chairman of Assocham Karnataka Regional Council, the new regional outfit of Assocham, New
Delhi.
S Babu, Chairman of Ashwin Precision Products, has been appointed as Co-Chairman of

Assocham Karnataka Regional Council.
The new revamped regional council of Assocham in Karnataka is expected to play a

significant role in the development of industry and trade in the state.
Bhaskar Bhat takes over as new Vistara chairman

Bhaskar Bhat has taken over as the new chairman of Tata-SIA joint venture Vistara, the
airline .
Bhat was serving as the Managing Director of Titan Company Limited since 2002,
has replaced Prasad Menon, who retired from the airline on January 13.
Ronaldinho announced as Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club Football

Tournament
Brazilian star Ronaldinho was appointed as Brand Ambassador of Nagjee International Club
Football Tournament will be played in Kozhikode in February 5, 2016 to February 21, 2016.
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The Kozhikode District Football Association and Mondial Sports Management LLP have
joined hands to resume and revive the Sait Nagjee Trophy after a 21-year gap.
A premier football tournament in India and an event that was very popular in Kerala,
it will be renamed and relaunched as the Nagjee International Club Football Tournament.
Tsai Ing-wen chaired as the Taiwans first Female President

Taiwan has elected its first female president in a landmark election that could unsettle relations
with Beijing. Tsai Ing-wen defeated Eric Chu, the Nationalist Partys Presidential candidate for
Taiwans presidential election.
She will succeed Ma Ying jeou as President of Taiwan.
Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won the
presidency with 1% of the vote after eight years under the government of the pro-China
Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist Party.
HSBC appoints Ravi Menon as CEO of Indian asset mgmt arm

HSBC has appointed Ravi Menon as the chief executive of its asset management arm in the
country, after the elevation of Puneet Chaddha as business head for South East Asia.Menon's
appointment is effective from February 1
Indias Dinesh Sharma elected to board of directors of china backed AIIB

Dinesh Sharma, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Finance has been elected to the 12-member
board of directors of AIIB
India is one of the founding members of the AIIB has been elected to the board of directors of
the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which is expected to begin
loan approvals before the end of this year. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the designated
governor of the AIIB from India.
Tata Motors appoints Guenter Butschek as CEO & MD

Homegrown auto major Tata Motors announced appointment of ex-Airbus COO Guenter
Butschek as its Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director for two years after the death of its
former MD Karl Slym.
Jaguar Land Roverwould continue to be managed by its Chief Executive Officer and
Director, Ralf Speth, who is also on the Board of Tata Motors.Butschek is expected to join the
company by February, 15, 2016.
Ola appoints Raghuvesh Sarup as Chief Marketing Officer

Taxi aggregator Ola has appointed Raghuvesh Sarup as its chief marketing officer from
February. At Ola, Raghuvesh will lead marketing across the brand and P&L for all categories
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Prior to this, Sarup was marketing director at Microsoft India.
Sarup, who has experience in marketing, sales and brand management, has also worked
with Nokia, Yum! Brands (Pizza Hut) and Procter & Gamble.
For the 9th succession Lalu Prasad Yadav designated as RJD Chief
Former railway minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav (67) was elected as president of his party
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for the ninth consecutive term. He has been elected for the period
of 3 years.
The RJD won 80 of the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly to emerge as the single-largest
party after the November 2015 polls.
RJD is aimed to end the misrule of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
Mindtree appoints Ravanan as CEO, Natarajan as executive chairman

Mindtree(IT firm)appointed RostowRavanan as its CEO and Managing Director and current chief
KrishnakumarNatarajanmoved on to the role of Executive Chairman with co-founder Subroto
Bagchi stepping down from the position.
Served as the Head for Europe, Service Lines and Key Accounts and Chief Financial
Officer of Mindtree.
ICSI appointed Mamta Binani as its President

First CS to be bestowed with Bharat Nirman Awards in 2010 and a practicing as a CS from
19 years, Mamta Binani has been designated as the President of Institute of Company
Secretaries of India (ICSI). She will commence her job from January 19, 2016.
Sanjiv Ranjan appointed as the Indias Ambassador to Republic of Argentina

Shri Sanjiv Ranjan has been designated as the next Ambassador of lndia to Republic of
Argentina.
The 1993 batch lFS officer, presently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry.
Pavel Filip designated as the Prime Minister of Moldova

Parliament of Moldova has accredited Pavel Filip as the 3rd Prime Minister of European nation in
less than a year.
Moldova is a small and poorest of Europe.
It was in a political turmoil after the fraudulent disappearance of 1 billion US

dollars from the banking system and then government was brought down in a noconfidence vote in October 2015.
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10 new EDs appointed in public sector banks
10 new Executive Directors (EDs) were appointed to various public sector banks. The proposal of
the Department of Financial Services for the appointment of 10 new General Managers
(GMs) as Executive Directors (EDs) in the banks was approved by the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
New appointments are as follow:
Name
Previous Bank
Mayank K Mehta
Union Bank of India
Dina Bandhu Mohapatra
Bank of India
Vinod Kumar Kathuria
Punjab National Bank
R Subramania Kumar
Punjab National Bank
Rajkiran Rai G
Central Bank of India
Nageswaro Rao Y
Vijaya Bank
A S Rajeev
Indian Bank
Ramesh S Singh
Central Bank of India
G Subramaia Iyer
Canara Bank
Sunil Mehta
Allahabad Bank
Now
Bank Of Baroda
Canara Bank
Union Bank of India
Indian Bank
Oriental bank of Commerce
Vijaya Bank
Indian Bank
Dena Bank
UCO Bank
Corporation Bank
Greenpeace India accredited Ravi Chellam as its Executive Director

Noted environmentalist Ravi Chellam has been designated as the executive director of NGO
Greenpeace India. He will succeed Samit Aich.
He will be responsible to anchor the NGO which has been facing challenges from a number of
government agencies apart from renewing the organizations focus on campaigns for a clean
and safe future.
Earlier, Govt has suspended its licence for six months from receiving foreign funds after alleging
that it has prejudicially affected the countrys interests.
Atulesh Jindal designated as the new chairman of CBDT

Government has designated senior revenue service officer Atulesh Jindal as the Chairman,
Central Board of Direct Taxes. He will succeed Arun Kumar Jain.
His appointment was cleared by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC)chaired by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
1978 batch IRS officer and currently working as member (revenue) in the CBDT will have tenure
of six-months till i.e. July 2016.
Amit Shah re-elected BJP president

For a second term, Amit Shah (51) was elected as the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party
for full time tenure of three years. He received 17 proposals from 20 state units.
According to the partys constitution, at least 20 members each of the partys National
Council from five states need to propose the name of a presidential candidate.
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Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa elected as the President of Portugal
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa elected as President of Portugal by winning 52.4% of the votes against
nine rivals. He will succeed Anibal Cavaco Silva. The 67-year-old law professor has had a long
career in the public eye.
Earlier he served as a government minister and Member of Parliament, a law professor,
journalist and political analyst.
Alice Vaidyan, new CMD of GIC Re

Alice Vaidyan is the new Chairman and Managing Director of General Insurance Corporation of
India (GIC Re), the National Reinsurer.
First woman to head the reinsurer.
Lava International promotes Navin Chawla to COO

Lava International ltd has promoted Navin Chawla as chief operating officer (COO) of the
company. Lava is Mobile handset maker International Company. Lava International was
established in the year 2003.
He joined lava as the Head of sales
Now after being the COO he will lead both the sales and Service operations of the
company.
Lava International also appoints Gaurav Nigam as the new Head of product.
Sachin Tendulkar designated as Brand Ambassador of Pleasure Cruise

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar accredited as the brand ambassador of a newly-launched
pleasure cruise along with his former Australian opponents, Shane Warne and Brett Lee.
The cruise journey, starting in March will provides the guests an opportunity to mix with top
ex-cricketers and show business personalities.
It will include trips to destinations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.
Twitter Inc has appointed Leslie Berland as CMO

Chirping Twitter has designated Leslie Berland as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Earlier
she was working with American Express (AmEx) as executive vice-president of global
advertising, marketing and digital partnerships.
She also helped to create AmExs first social media strategies.
Gurdeep Singh designated as CMD of NTPC

Managing director of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSEC) Gurdeep Singh has
been appointed as chairman and managing director (CMD) of central PSU National Thermal
Power Corporation (NTPC) for the period of 5 years.
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Singh (51) will be the first person to be appointed to the top job at a Maharatna
company through a search committee route.
Justice Sanjay Mishra appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh

The Supreme Court of India has accredited Justice Sanjay Mishra, a former judge of the
Allahabad High Court, as the Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.
Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey appointed as Chief Commissioner for Persons with
Disabilities
Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Pandey is appointed as the Chief Commissioner for Persons with
Disabilities (CCPD) for three years by the Union Government.
Ten Non-Official Directors appointed in banks

Ten part-time Non-Official Directors (NODs) have been appointed by the government on the
board of various public sector banks.
Here is the list of appointees
Name of Appointee
Bank Name
Girish Kumar Ahuja &
Pushpendra Rai
State Bank of India
Bank
Headquarter
Mumbai
Amit Chatterjee & G

Gopalkrishna
Archana Ravindrarai
Dholakia
V V R Sastry & M
Bhagavantha Rao
Prof Radha R Sharma
Satyanarayana Dash
Dena Bank
Mumbai
With you all the way, Pure

Banking Nothing Else, The
Nations banks on us
Trusted Family Bank
Bank of Maharashtra
Pune
One family one bank
Vijaya Bank
Bangalore
A friend you can bank on
Allahabad Bank
NABARD
Kolkata
Mumbai
Atanu Sen
Punjab and Sind Bank
New Delhi
A Tradition of Trust
Revitalizing rural India
through urban Support
Where service is a way of
life
Bank Tagline
They have been appointed for three years.
J.S. Deepak new Telecom Secretary

Department of Telecommunications has designated J.S. Deepak as its Secretary. He will succeed
Rakesh Garg.
Other appointments
Name of Appointee
Rakesh Garg
Aruna Sharma
Krishan Kumar Jalan
Shobhana K. Pattanayak
Avinash K. Srivastava
Division
Secretary in Minority Affairs Ministry
Secretary, Department of electronics and information
technology
Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Secretary, Department of agriculture, cooperation and farmers
welfare
Secretary, Ministry of food processing
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Vinod Agrawal
Shyam S. Agarwal
Arun Jha
Secretary, Department of empowerment of persons with

disabilities
Secretary, Ministry of tribal affairs
Secretary of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)
Blue Star appoints Vir S Advani as MD

Air conditioning and refrigeration major Blue Star Ltd has designated Vir S Advani as its
Managing Director and B Thiagarajan as Joint Managing Director w.e.f. April 1, 2016.
Vir S Advani will replace Satish Jamdar who will be bowed out from his services on March 31,
2016.
Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mexico

A 1991-batch IFS officer Shri Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi has been appointed as the next
Ambassador of India to Mexico.
He is presently serving as the joint secretary in Ministry.
P. Harish appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
A 1991-batch IFS officer P. Harish has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
He is currently posted as Consul General in Houston, US.
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba Takes Over Western Naval Command

Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba has been designated as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of
Western Naval Command.
He is currently serving as the Southern Naval Command chief. He will succeed Vice-Admiral
SPS Cheema.
SCHEMES
DBT Scheme for Kerosene from April 1, 2016
The government will unveil Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for kerosene from 1st April
2016, where the users will buy the cooking fuel at market rate but will get financial support
directly in their bank accounts.
The scheme will be implemented in selected 26 districts of 8 states.
In this regard, states be given cash incentive of 75% of subsidy savings during the first
two years, 50% in the third year and 25% in the fourth year.
Eight States Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya

Pradesh,Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan
Jaya launches Amma seeds scheme for farmers

TN Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has launched the scheme Amma Seeds available through Amma
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Service Centres across the state, executing an announcement made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in
2014 for farmers welfare.
Aim: To provide quality seeds and to encourage farmers to use certified seeds.
Earlier schemes: Amma Canteens providing subsidised food and Amma mineral water.
Nodal Body: Tamil Nadu State Seeds Development Agency
Fund of Rs5.37 crore towards expanding a scheme for urban citizens to grow vegetables at home
to Tiruchirappalli and Madurai.
First Company of Ganga Task Force deployed Ganga Gram Yojana launched
The Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti
launched Ganga Gram Yojana at Village Puth in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh (UP).
Under the scheme, 1600 villages of UP situated along the banks of river Ganga will be
developed.
Highlights of the Ganga Gram Yojana
In the first phase of the progamme, 200 villages have been selected initially.
In these villages, open drains falling into river Ganga will be diverted and alternative
arrangements for sewage treatment will be made.

The villages will have toilets in every house hold.
It is proposed to incur the expenditure of 1 crore rupees on every village.
Stand Up India Scheme & Coversion of MUDRA Ltd approved

Union Cabinet has approved the Stand Up India Scheme to promote entrepreneurship
among SC/ST and Women entrepreneurs. Under this, the government aims to achieve the
target of at least 2.5 lakh approvals in three years from the launch of the scheme.
It envisages reaching out to under-served sectors of the population by facilitating bank loans
repayable up to 7 years and between 10 lakh to Rs. 1 crore for Greenfield enterprises in
the non-farm sector set up by such SC, ST and Women borrowers.
Key Highlights of Scheme
Refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)with

an initial amount of 10,000 crore.
The loan under the scheme would be appropriately secured and backed by a credit
guarantee through a credit guarantee scheme for which Department of Financial
Services would be the settler and National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd.
(NCGTC) would be the operating agency.
Handholding support for borrowers at the pre loan stage and during operations.
Margin money of the composite loan would be up to 25%.
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Mission Indradhanush added Four new vaccines
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda has announced that a set of
four new vaccines will be added soon under Mission Indradhanush.
As a part of Indias newborn action plan,inactivated polio vaccine, adult Japanese

Encephalitis vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine and Measles Rubella vaccine will be added.
Jayalalithaa launches Amma Call Centre for grievance redressal

Tamil Nadu Chief J Jayalalithaa launched a round-the-clock call centre for ensuring fast
response to grievances.
Aim: Ensuring quick response to peoples grievances wherein they can dial toll-free number 1100
at any point of time in the day.
Nai Manzil Scheme Launched in Jammu and Kashmir

Nai Manzil Scheme is an integrated Education and Livelihood Initiative for the Minority
Communities.
Key highlights
It was announced by the Union Budget 2015-16.
Girls from minority communities will be imparted three month skill development training
in seven identified sectors relevant to the region under the scheme.
These include training in saffron processing, food processing, embroidery,

computers IT, Tourism/hospitality, electronics and plumbing.
Union Government announced extension of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme in 61 more
districts
Union Government has decided to extend the Scheme Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao to 61 more
districts in 2016 to improve the declining girl child sex ratio.
Objectives of initiatives
Prevention of gender biased sex selective elimination.
Ensuring survival and protection of the girl child.
Ensuring education and participation of the Girl child.
The Scheme was launched in 100 districts with poor sex ratio across the country in January 2015.
SEEMA DARSHAN an initiative by the Ministry of Human Resource Development
SEEMA DARSHAN an initiative to provide an opportunity for the children to experience the border
environment and to encourage patriotism and nationalism among the students.
It aims to provide the students the experience of the current security environment in the
border areas.
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About the Program
The Ministry of Human Resource Development in association with the Ministry of
Defense and the Ministry of Home affairs is organizing the programme. This is a five days
program starting from 22nd January 2016.
Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya

Samitiwill took part in the program. This sort of programs boosts the morale of our
soldiers and develops felling of patriotism among the students.
Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme launched by AP Government

Andhra Pradesh Government has launched Giriputrika Kalyana Pathakam Scheme to support
the tribal women in their quest for livelihood. The scheme seeks to reduce rampant infant
mortality and child marriages among tribal people.
Highlights of Scheme:
The scheme is designed to provide a onetime financial assistance of 50,000

rupees to each tribal woman who gets married.
The amount will be directly disbursed to the bank accounts of the beneficiary through District
Tribal Welfare Office.
Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

In a bid to provide a social security to farmers, Union Cabinet has approved a new crop
insurance scheme, having premiums as low as 1.5% of the sum insured.
Dubbed as Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Ministers Crop Insurance
Scheme), it will charge a uniform premium 2% of the sum insured from farmers for all
kharif crops and 1.5% for rabi crops. For horticulture crops, the annual premium will
be 5% of the sum insured.
The balance premium would be paid by the government to the insurance companies. This
would be shared equally by the Centre and state governments.
PMFBY will replace the existing two schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme as well
as Modified NAIS which have had some inherent drawbacks.
Start up India, Stand up India instigated in Thane

The ambitious flagship programme, Start Up India, Stand Up India has been launched in
Thane by Deepak Ghaisas, who was the first Indian to receive the CFO Asia Award in 2001.
The programme was initiated at the campus of Vidya Prasarak Mandal, which is an eminent
city-based educational institution.
Ghaisas, currently serving as the Chairman of Gencoval Strategic Services.
About Start-up India, Stand up India:

To create a strong ecosystem for enhancing innovation and startups in India, Department of
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Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has organised Startup India, Standup India initiative
along with other key Indian startup ecosystem players. Here are some key features:
Financing & Incentives It is basically to promote bank financing for start-ups and
offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation. Government will set up a fund
with an initial corpus of Rs 2,500 crore and a total corpus of Rs 10,000 crore over a
period of 4 years.
Simplification A startup will be able to set up by just filling up a short form through
amobile app and online portal that will be launched in April.
Patent protection Patent applications of the startups shall be fast tracked for
examination and disposal. The government will make IPR procedure transparent for
startups.
Self-certification Start-ups can self-certify their compliance with environment and

labour laws. There will be no inspection for three years.
Patent rebate Startups will also be given 80% rebate in filing patents, however, this
is a pilot launch for one year.
Tax exemption Starting April 1, 2016, startups will be exempted from income-tax for
three years.
Capital gain tax exemption Exemptions shall be given in case capital gains are
invested in the fund of funds recognised by the government.
MoUs
Maharashtra government inks MoU with Pawan Hans to boost tourism
Maharashtra government has signed an MoU with private helicopter service company Pawan
Hans.
Objective: To boost tourism in Maharashtra.
Helicopter services will be available for: Elephanta Island, Ajanta and Ellora caves,
Ganpatipule (a small town located in Ratnagiri district on the Konkan coast), Tarkarli (a tourist
spot in Sindhudurg district) and Aamby Valley at a cheap rate.
First MOU on UDAY signed b/w GOI, Jharkhand & JBVNL

Government of India, Jharkhand and the JBVNL (Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam
Limited)signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for operational & financial turnaround of
Discoms under the Scheme UDAY Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana.
(Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das)
Inking of this MoU indicates the onset of major Distribution reforms in the country under UDAY
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Chhattisgarh Signs MOU on UDAY
GOI, Chhattisgarh and CSPDCL (Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company
Limited) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for operational & financial turnaround of
Discoms under the Scheme UDAY Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana.
(Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh)
First MOU on UDAY signed was signed between the GOI, Jharkhand and the JBVNL
(Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited) in start of Jan 2016.
Rajasthan Government inks MoU to join UDAY Scheme

Rajasthan government signed MoU with the Central Government of India to join Ujwal
DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme.
The electricity distribution utilities in Rajasthan are
1. Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd
2. Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd and
3. Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd.
Uttar Pradesh Joins Uday Scheme, Would Derive an Overall Net Benefit of Rs.33000
Crore through UDAY
The Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the
Scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) with the State of Uttar Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL).
Key Highlights about UDAY Scheme
It aims to supply adequate power at affordable rates and to ensure a sustainable permanent
solution of electricity problem.
Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have already signed the MoU under UDAY. Now
Uttar Pradesh has joined the list.
UDAY will help the UP government in improving their financial system.
The State Government and the DISCOMs makes efforts to improve the operational efficiency
of the DISCOMs, and thus reducing the cost of power supply.
The Central government will provide enticement to the State Government and to the
DISCOMs for improving the infrastructure of Power in the State and to help in lowering the
cost of power.
In the UDAY Scheme Uttar Pradesh will obtain an overall net benefit of approximately
Rs.33000 crore, by savings in interest cost, reduction in AT&C and transmission
losses, interventions in energy efficiency and coal reforms during the period of spin.
Union Cabinet gives nod to MoU with Bangladesh for operation of traditional haats
The Union cabinet has given its ex-post-facto approval to MoU with Bangladesh for Mode of
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Operation of Border haats on India-Bangladesh Border signed in 2010.
The Border Haats are common marketplace which will promote the well-being of thepeople
dwelling in remote areas across the borders of the two countries.
It intends to establish traditional system of marketing the local produce through local
markets in local currency or barter basis.
Cabinet apprised of the signing of protocol with Czech Republic on heavy industry
Union Cabinet has been apprised of the protocol signed earlier between India and Czech
Republic in the field of heavy industry, especially in industrial cooperation and facilities
construction.
The Protocol includes the intent for modernization of the existing facilities in India by the
Czech companies, including modernization of three plants of Heavy Engineering
Corporation, a Central Public Sector Enterprises under the Department of Heavy
Industries at Ranchi, set up with Czech support in the early 1960s.
India-Australia Social Security Agreement comes into operation

Social security agreement signed between India and Australia came into effect enabling people of
both nations to avail retirement benefits in each others country to boost bilateral business
linkages. The Agreement signed in November 2014 came into operation on January 1, 2016.
Benefits:
Freedom to move between Australia and India, knowing their pension rights will be recognised
and protected.
Australian residents living in India will be able to claim the Australian Age Pension without
having to return to Australia, while Indian residents living in Australia will have access to
Indian retirement pensions.
RDL inks MoU with AP Government to set up naval facility at Visakhapatnam

Reliance Defence Ltd has signed an MOU with Andhra Pradesh government to set up a naval facility
along the countrys eastern coast with an initial investment of Rs.5,000 crore. It will be located 70
km south of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Reliance Defence plans to build submarines and aircraft carriers as well as to provide
services including maintenance and refitting of ships at the facility.
Indian navy could spend nearly 20,000 crore annually over the next 15 years
Pakistan- Sri Lanka agree to expand FTA with 8 MoUs

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have agreed to expand their bilateral free trade agreement by inclusion
of services and investment. Apart from this 8 MoUs and defence deal has been signed between
both the nations during the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif official visit to Sri Lanka.
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This would help companies of the two nations to form joint ventures for exports to other
nations.
MoUs signed between the two countries
Health cooperation and Trade cooperation
Cultural cooperation and Agricultural cooperation
Sharing of statistical census data,Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
Cooperation between the Gem and Jewellery Research and Training Institute of Sri Lanka
and Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design
Cooperation in the exchange of financial intelligence related to money laundering and

terrorism financing
Defence Deal
Pakistan also signed a landmark defence deal to sell JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Sri Lanka.
Haryana signs 8 MoUs in China on smart-cities etc
Haryana Government signed eight momentum of understanding (MoUs) with top companies
of China to set up a USD 10 billion industrial park and smart cities in the state. These MoUs were
signed with top Chinese companies like Wanda Group, China Land Development Company
Private Limited, and ZTE Corporation.
Detail about Signed MoUs
MoU signed with ZTE Corporation for the development of smart cities in Haryana.
MoU was signed with Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin for development of a
World Class Comprehensive Industrial Park at Kharkhoda district in Sonipat.
MoU was signed with China Fortune Land Development Company Private
Limited(CFLD) for development of large format Industrial Parks in Haryana.
According to MoU Wanda Group will invest a total of USD 10 billion to developWanda
Industrial New City over an area of approximately 13 square kilometers.

MoU was signed with Inspur Group, which plans to invest USD 100 million in IDC,
CDN and cable-box manufacture plant.
NABARD, NRSC sign MoU for monitoring of watershed projects

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) for web-based monitoring of
watershed projects.
Projects places : Gujarat, Rajasthan and Telangana.
Highlights of MoU :
Hyderabad-based NRSC will create a separate page for NABARD on Bhuvan web-portal,
develop customised software tool and mobile application for real time monitoring, online
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comparison and visualisation with respect to activities implemented in the projects sanctioned
by Nabard.
RINL Inks MoU with Andhra Government Facilitating Investments in the State RINL to
Make an Investment of around Rs 38500 Crores
RINL, a corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant inked an MoU with the
Government of Andhra Pradesh during the 22nd CII Partnership Summit & 1st Sunrise
AP Investment Meet currently being held in Visakhapatnam.
Investment: Rs.38,500crores by RINL to take up various projects at Visakhapatnam with an
employment opportunity to around 3000 people.
MoU between India and Maldives for Health

The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives which was signed in
January, 2014 on cooperation in the field of Health.
The Memorandum of Understanding covers the following areas of cooperation:
Exchange & training of medical doctors, officials, other health professionals and
experts.
Assistance in development of human resources and setting up of health care facilities.
Medical and health research development.
Management of healthcare sector and public health services.
Procurement of generic and essential drugs and assistance in sourcing of drug supplies.
Health promotion and disease prevention.
Traditional and complementary Medicine
Telemedicine
Any other area of cooperation as may be mutually decided upon.
Loan Agreement signed between Government of India and JICA for Cleaning of MulaMutha River in Pune
The Government signed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA)
for pollution abatement of River Mula-Mutha under National River Conservation Plan(NRCP) in
the presence of Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar.
Loan amount : Loan of 19.064 billion Yen (about Rs. 1000 crore) at an interest rate of 0.30%
per annum.
Government of India and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in the ratio of 85:15
respectively. The project is scheduled to be completed by January, 2022.
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The major components proposed under the project include construction of 11 new
Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), laying of 113.6 kms of sewer lines and
renovation/rehabilitation of 4 existing intermediate pumping stations.
NHAI signs MoU with ISRO and NECTAR for use of spatial technology for monitoring and
managing National Highways
NHAI has signed Memorandum of Understanding with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)
under Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and North East Centre for Technology
Application and Research (NECTAR).
Objective : For use of spatial technology for monitoring and managing national highways.
Madhya Pradesh Government signed four MoUs with Singapore

Madhya Pradesh and the Singapore government have signed four MoUs during a business
seminar attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the third day of his visit to
Singapore.
MoUs signed between both Nations:
1,000-megawatt wind energy plant in western part of the state has been signed by
the Department of New & Renewable Energy with Singapore corporation
unit,Sembcorp Green Infra Ltd.
MoU on urban planning was signed between Madhya Pradeshs directorate of town
and country Planning and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise.
MoU on skill training between its department of technical education and skill
development and Singapores ITE Education Services.
MoU on food processing between Indias LT Food Ltd and Singapore-based DSM
Nutritional Products.
Exim Bank, Andhra Pradesh sign MoU to promote exports

Exim Bank of India and the Andhra Pradesh government have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) singed by Exim Bank chairman and managing director Yaduvendra Mathur
and Andhra Pradeshs industries secretary Shamsher Singh Rawat for promoting exports in the
state.
Maharashtra government inks MoU with Tata Trust for skill training of youth
The Maharashtra government and Tata Trust signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for
a skill training programme for the youth. The programme has been undertaken under the state
governments Kushal Maharashtra, Rojgaryukt Maharashtra initiative.
Key features of the programme
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Tata Trust will train around one lakh youths in the state to make them employable.
Set up skill development and vocational training centers in 10 districts across the state.
The Trust will also set up virtual classrooms in 100 Industrial Training Institutes
(ITIs) in Maharashtra.
ISRO-KISR MoU on cooperation in the area of outer space

Memorandum of Understanding has been inked between the Department of Space / Indian
Space Research Organization (DOS/ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research
(KISR) to cooperate & use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
Interest areas in respect to MoU:
Training
Building and launching of remote sensing and communication satellites on commercial

terms.
Use of data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites by KISR for initiating research
and application project.
Indian Bureau of Mines & NRSC inked MoU for monitoring mining activity
In a bid to monitor mining activity through satellite technology, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM)
inked MoU with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Department of Space.
As a part of MoU IBM would initiate remote sensing cell under the technical guidance of the
NRSC at its offices in Nagpur and Hyderabad.
The cell will utilise Bhuvan-based services for monitoring mining activities for development
of mobile app for field data collection.
The pilot project will be launched in Odisha and Hospet sector of Karnataka to demonstrate the
feasibility of using high resolution satellite imagery in monitoring the changes over a period of time
in select group of mines.
MSDE and DoT sign MoU for skill development in telecom sector
On the sidelines of PMs vision to make India the skill capital of the world, Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) inked MoU with Department of
Telecommunication (DoT) for the implementation of National Action Plan for Skill Development in
Telecom Sector.
The objective behind MoU is to fulfill skilled manpower requirement of telecom

sector and to provide quality opportunities for employment.
Indo-Armenia sign Double Taxation Avoidance Convention Amendment

GOI and Armenia has inked the protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance
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Convention that has been in existence since 9th September, 2004.
What Protocol amends?
It amends the Article on Exchange of Information for tax purposes on the sidelines of
updated provisions in the OECD Model.
It will enable both nations to exchange information related to financial and banking
transactions which will result in addressing tax evasion.
It also helps in strengthening of efforts to curb generation of black money.
Indo-Russia agreement on competitive research projects

Indian and Russian researchers have been signing an agreement for a period of six months in
the areas of basic and Exploratory Sciences.
The competition research projects are in the field of Mathematics, Computer & System
Science, Physics & Space Science, Chemistry & Material Science, Biology and Life
Science, Basic research for Medicine, Agricultural Science, Earth
Science and Engineering Science.
The validity period could be extended through mutual approval betweenDepartment of

Science and Technology (DST) and Russian Science Federation (RSF).
Cabinet approval for cyber security pacts signed with Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan
The Union Cabinet has recently settled an approval for cyber security pacts signed with
Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. These pacts have been signed by Indian Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT-In).
Aim: To promote and exchange knowledge and experience in recognition, declaration and
prevention of security related incidents between India and these countries.
Signed pacts are as follow; CET-In inked sealed MoUs with Malaysias Cyber Security
and Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team.
Signing of MoU between India and Singapore in the field of Civil Aviation
The Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between India and Singapore on cooperation in the field
of civil aviation.
The MoU was signed in November 2015 between the Airports Authority of India and
the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to
Singapore.
Objective To cooperate in the field of civil aviation.
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COMMITTEES
Government constitutes Committee for Holistic interpretation of the provisions of the
Cinematograph Act/ Rules
The government constituted a committee for holistic interpretation of the provisions of the
Cinematograph Act and Rules.
Headed by: Filmmaker ShyamBenegal
Other Members of the Committee:ShriRakeyshOmprakashMehra, ShriPiyushPandey, Ms.
BhawanaSomaaya , Ms. Nina Lath Gupta and Joint Secretary (Films) as Member Convenor.
Highlights: To suggest the paradigm for ensuring a cultural milieu and enable those tasked with
the work of certification of films to discharge their responsibilities keeping in view this framework.
Committee set up to Review Wage Structure of GraminDakSevaks
Government has formed a committee to review pay structure and social security benefits
provided to GraminDakSevaks.
Gramindaksevaks are extra-departmental agents recruited by the postal department to

serve in rural areas.
Demand: Pay and facilities at par with regular postal department employees.
Headed by:Retired Member of the Postal Services Board Kamlesh Chandra
Justice Lodha panel submits report to SC for reforms in BCCI
Justice R M Lodha panel, had recommended suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan
Royals due to their involvement in illegal betting and spot-fixing, submitted its report by advocate
Gopal Shankar Narayan to the Supreme Court registry. It will be considered by the bench headed
by Chief Justice T S Thakur.
Reason behind suspension:
It had suspended Chennai Super Kings(Dhoni led) which is the the most successful team of
IPL, and Rajasthan Royals for two years from the League in a clear-out of cricket in
2013 betting scam involving their top officials Gurunath Meiyappan (Son-in-law of
the then BCCI chief N Srinivasan) and Raj Kundra. They were suspended for life from
any matches conducted by BCCI.
Arvind Panagariya panel to fast-track bullet trains

To accelerate the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for bullet trains
between the two cities, Prime Ministers Office has constituted a committee the vice-chairman of
the NITI Aayog, Arvind Panagariya that will interact with the Japanese counterpart for taking
the next step in implementation.
The committee will comprise of Railway Board chairman, secretary in the department of
expenditure, foreign secretary and secretary (industrial policy).
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Govt sets up panel on 7th Pay panels advice
Government decided to set up a high-powered panel headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha to
process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the
remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
The implementation of the new pay scales is estimated to put an additional burden of Rs 1.02
lakh crore on the exchequer in 2016-17.
Kamal Haasan & Gautam Ghosh included in Shyam Benegal Committee

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Hassan and director Gautam Ghosh have been inducted in theShyam
Benegal committee that has been set up by the government to holistically look into the
functioning of controversy ridden Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Committee Members: Shyam Benegal Chairman, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Piyush

Pandey and Bhawana Somayaa.
On Jan 1, 2016 the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry set up the panel under the
chairmanship of Shyam Benegal to review the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and
recommend measures for the smooth run of CBFC.
R V Easwar Committees report to simplify Income-tax Act, 1961 released

Union Ministry of Finance has released the draft report of 10 member committee headed by
Justice R V Easwar (Retd) Committee to simplify the provisions of Income-tax Act, 1961.
The 78 page draft report contains 27 suggestions for amendments under the Income tax
Act, 1961 and 8 recommendations for reform through administrative instructions.
Nearly 65% of the personal income-tax collection in India was through tax deducted at source
(TDS).
Expert panel to review Specific Relief Act, 1963 constituted

Legislative Department of Union Law Ministry has initiated an expert committee to review
the Specific Relief Act, 1963.
The committee comprised of chairman and 5 members will have to submit its report within
a stipulated time of 3 monthse. till April 2016.
The committee will examine the scenario which includes public private partnerships, contract
based infrastructure development and other public projects involving enforceability of the contracts
and will also ensure ease of doing business.
Union Government forms technical group to monitor Zika virus situation

The Union Health Minister JP Nadda set up a Central monitoring team which constitutes a
technical group to monitor the Zika situation.
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The Mosquito-borne Zika virus has created a panic over thousands birth defects.
Babies with abnormal condition are born in the region due to the effect of the virus in
Latin America.
Zika virus, carried by the Aedes mosquito transmits dengue and chikunguniya
Committee on living conditions of nurses in private establishments

The Supreme Court instructed the Union Government to set up a committee to investigate the
living conditions and salary structure of over 3 lakh nurses employed in private hospitals and
nursing homes across the country.
The direction was given by three-judge Bench headed-by Justice Anil R Dave while
hearing a petition filed by the Trained Nurses Association of India.
The association contended that the nurses were underpaid and their working conditions were in
clear violation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which India is a signatory.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Airtel acquires 100 per cent stake in Augere Wireless
Telecom major Bharti Airtel has acquired the balance 26 per cent stake in Augere Wireless,
making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. Airtel had announced acquire 74 per cent
stake in Augere Wireless earlier.
According to sources, the deal size is estimated to be around Rs 150 crore.The company
directly won this spectrum in four service areas for Rs 3,314.36 crore.
Reliance capital gets CCI nod to acquire Goldman Sachs fund arm
Competition Commission of Indias (CCI) has given nod to Reliance Capital Asset Management
(RCAM) for the acquisition of Goldman Sachs onshore asset management business in India.
Earlier, RCAM had announced this acquisition for Rs.243 crore in cash.
About Reliance Capital: It is the financial services arm of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group. It is
present in insurance, brokerage and wealth management, among other areas.
Cabinet clears formation of JVs between Indian Railways and states
Union Cabinet approved a proposal for the formation of a joint venture companies between
Indian Railways and state governments.
Objective: To mobilise resources for executing rail infrastructure projects.
Initial paid-up capital: Rs 100 crore
Rail ministrys paid up capital: Rs 50 crore
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SBI to buy 4 Air India flats for Rs 90 crore
SBI is announced to buy four premium flats in the citys tony Peddar Road area from the lossmaking Air India
Outlay : Rs 90 crore.
The legal team of Air India is preparing a draft sale agreement which will then be given to
the counterparts from the State Bank of India.The government recently gave go-ahead to
state-owned Air India to sell the flats to SBI for about Rs 90 crore as part the airlines
asset monetisation plan.
Paytm acquires Shifu for $8mn to enrich customer experience

The mobile wallet and e-commerce platform Paytm announced the acquisition of Delhi-based
startup Shifu, a consumer behaviour prediction platform, for $8 million (Rs. 53.2 crore).
Shifu analyses the smartphone usage patterns of users and makes personalised and
relevant recommendations to them.
Nokia completed acquisition of Alca-Lucent for 15.6 billion euro

Nokia announced acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent(French firm) in an all-stock deal for 15.6 billion euros
i.e. USD 16.6 billion.
Outcome: With this it will create the worlds largest supplier of equipment that powers
mobile-phone networks, surpassing Ericsson and Huawei.
Deal: Nokia will give Alcatel-Lucent shareholders 0.55 shares in the combined company for
each of their old shares.
Zydus acquires select brands of leading animal health co Zoetis

Zydus Group announced acquisition of select brands and the manufacturing operations in
Haridwar of Zoetis which is a global animal health company.
Quikr to acquire Commonfloor

Quikr has finalised deal to acquire CommonFloor.com(real estate portal) for $200 million i.e.
Rs.1,300 crore to strengthen its newly launched vertical, QuikrHomes.
Reason: CommonFloor failed to raise additional capital to fund its business. So far, the firm
has raised $60 million.
CommonFloor reckons investors such as Accel, Google Capital and Tiger Global.
Abraaj Group to acquire majority stake in CARE Hospitals

Private equity investor the Abraaj Group is set to acquire a majority stake in Quality CARE India
Ltd, the entity behind Care Hospitals, from PE firm Advent International.
The Group will pick up the 72% held by Advent.
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The deal is estimated to be around 2,000 crore.
Abraaj and CAREs management team will focus on expanding CAREs integrated
healthcare delivery system, especially in the under-penetrated regions of India.
Godrej acquires majority stake in India Circus

Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has acquired major stake i.e. 51% in India Circus
Retail Pvt.
This merger aims to strengthen India Circus market position as a lifestyle brand that
offers home decor and personal accessories.
India Circus expects its market revenue to grow by 500% over the next two years.
HCL Technologies acquires UK firm and Promoter group company

IT major HCL Technologies Ltd announced acquisition of UKs Point to Point Ltd and Point to
Point Products Ltd for Rs 78 crore.
The company also fully acquired HCL Training and Staffing Services Private Ltd for Rs 35
crore to supplement its hiring of trained resources.
Cognizant acquires KBACE Technologies

US-based Cognizant has acquired KBACE Technologies, a global consulting and technology
services company for an undisclosed amount.
Airtel and Axiata to merge Bangladesh operations

Bharti Airtel and Malaysia based Axiata Group is all set to merge their operations in Bangladesh
with an estimated worth of $2 billion to form the second largest operator in that country.
An agreement has been signed to merge their respective telecom subsidiaries Robi
Axiata Ltd and Airtel Bangladesh Ltd in Bangladesh.
Apple takeover educational startup Learnsprout

Apple Inc. has acquired San Francisco-based education-technology startup LearnSprout, which
creates software for schools and teachers to track students performance.
Apple is working on education tools for the iPad, which will allow students to see
interactive lessons, track their progress and share tablet computers with peers.
LearnSprout software is used by over 2,500 school districts across the U.S. Its software can be
used to track patterns in categories like health and attendance.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

BSE launches web-based RTA portals for filing of disclosures
Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd launched a web-based portal for registrars and share transfer agents
(RTAs) to enable depositories as well as file disclosures.
The move follows the Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (SEBI) decision to initiate
a system involving stock exchanges, depositories and RTAs for generating system-based
disclosures required under takeover regulations and insider trading norms.
Sri Lanka Location to Worlds largest Blue Star Sapphire

The worlds largest blue star sapphire, weighing 1404.49 carats has been found in a mine in
the city of Ratnapura, in southern Sri Lanka, which is known as the City of Gems.
It has now been valued at $100 million with estimates that it could even be sold at auction
for $175 million.
The current record for a blue star sapphire is 1,395 carats.
The sapphire has been named The Star of Adam by its current owner, who wants to
remain anonymous.
Jharkhand Government inaugurated land bank web portal jharbhoom.nic.in

Raghubar Das, Jharkhand Chief Minister inaugurated the states land bank web portal
jharbhoom.Nic.In enabling the investors know land-related information. He asked to identify
land at the earliest for Food Processing Park.
Bengaluru to Get Indias First Space Park

As part of Make in India initiative, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decided to
open a 100 acre Space Park in Bengaluru where private industries would be allowed to take up
manufacturing of space system related components.
Also India will be the first country to have a high altitude polar landing of Chandrayaan
2 and it will have three components orbiter, Lander and rover to study the lunar surface.
The mission is scheduled to be launched 2017-18.
NASA discovers five superstars in other galaxies

For the first time, Five objects in other galaxies have founded which are parallel to Eta Carinae,the
most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light years of Earth and that using data
from NASAs Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes.
Highlights:
These stars produce and distribute large amounts of the chemical elements vital to life
and eventually explode as supernovae.
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The researchers found two candidate Eta twins in the galaxy M83
One each in NGC 6946, M101, and M51
7th row of Periodic Table completed with addition of 4 elements

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has officially confirmed the
permanent addition of four new elements to the periodic table.
The announcement has been made that all four elements with atomic number 113,
115, 117 and 118 have met the criteria for discovery.
The addition of these new elements also completes the seventh row of the
periodic table.
Riken Institute in Japan has been credited for the discovery of element 113 and it
becomes the first element to be named by researchers in Asia.
The four new elements will be named in the next few months but element 113 has been given a
placeholder name of ununtrium under IUPACs recommendation.
Mylan launches Hep C combination drug in India

Mylan Pharmaceuticals Private Limited has launched their generic Hepatitis C medicine under
brand name MyHep LVIR in India.
About Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir:
For the treatment of Hepatitis C infection and offers a treatment procedure that
eradicates the need for interferon injections and ribavirin tablets.
Single-tablet regimen and requires a therapy course of just 12 weeks, compared

with 24 to 48 weeks involving interferon and ribavirin.
Roughly 12 million people are infected with the virus in India.
Mylan President: Rajiv Malik
Chinas country code domain .cn becomes worlds largest

According to the data released by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC),Chinas
country code domain .cn has become worlds most commonly used in the internet with
16.36 million users, surpassing Germanys .de domain.
The .cn domain is also world leading in domain resolution service, security and the ratio
of benign uses.
Microsoft has launched the Surface Pro 4 in India

Microsoft has launched the Surface Pro 4 in India in three variants starting at Rs 89,990.
The Surface Pro 4 powered by Core i5 coupled with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD is priced
at Rs 89,990, Surface Pro 4 with Core i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD at Rs 1,20,990 and
the higher-end variant with Core i7, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD at Rs 1,44,990.
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Powerful ammo developed for Arjun Tank by DRDO
Two Pune based research labs of Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO)have developed new ammunition for Indias main battle tank Arjun.
More destructive than its predecessor, the new ammunition was successfully test fired at
Chandipur in Odisha.
Labs Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy
Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) did an extensive research on the
new Penetration-Cum Blast (PCB) and Thermobaric (TB) Ammunition which are
specially designed for Arjun.
Indian-American professor develops method to hunt dark matter

An international team of scientists led by an Indian-American professor has discovered a new
method that may help in detecting dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter and explain
ripples in the outer disk of the galaxy.
Sukanya Chakrabarti, assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, uses

waves in the galactic disk to map the interior structure and mass of galaxies.
This new method to characterise dark matter marks the first real application of the field
of galactoseismology.
Nissan successfully tested driverless car using at NASA Centre

With the help from NASA space technology, automaker Nissan has successfully test-driven its
all-electric, driverless car at NASAs Ames Research Centre in California that will help scientists
send self-driving vehicles on deeper space missions.
The Nissan LEAF vehicle is equipped with cameras, sensors and cellular data networking.
It uses robotics software originally developed for Ames K-10 and K-REX planetary rovers to
operate autonomously.
Viruses developed to protect Muga silkworm

Researchers at a university in Britain have developed viruses that could halt the decline
of Muga caterpillar in India which produces one of the finest silks in the world.
Muga caterpillars produce a highly valuable silk are dying from bacterial
infections in Assam.
Muga silk is produced only in the North East India as the silkworms form their cocoons. The
caterpillars have been in decline over the last few years because they are eating infected
leaves.
E-track management system initiated by Railway Ministry

To bring efficiency and effectiveness in management practices, Union Railway Minister Suresh
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Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated implementation of E-enabled Track Management System
(TMS) and Mobile Application of TMS on Indian Railway at Rail Bhawan, New Delhi.
Along with these two initiatives, the minister also inaugurated pilot implementation of Track
Inventory Management System on Northern Railway to track materials
inventory, construction and track machines organization in entire 225 units of Northern
Railway.
Illumina, Bill Gates & Jeff Bezos launched startup GRAIL

Illumina, the worlds largest DNA sequencing company announced the launch of the
startup named GRAIL to develop blood-based cancer tests.
The company was launched in association with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates,Amazon CEO
Jeff Bezos venture fund Bezos Expeditions and Arch Venture Partners.
M-Health Services launched to Strengthen Public Health Infrastructure

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda launched m-Health initiatives which
will make services cost effective. The services have been launched on the sidelines of
commitment to priorities public health and strengthen citizen-centric health services by leveraging
Indias expanding mobile phone penetration.
J P Nadda has launched 4 mobile health (mHealth) services Kilkari, Mobile Academy, MCessation and TB Missed Call initiative.
About newly launched Initiatives:

Kilkari means babys gurgle delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate 72 audio messages about
pregnancy, child birth and child care directly to familys mobile phones from the second trimester of
pregnancy until the child is one year old.
Mobile Academy - It is a free audio training course designed to expand knowledge base
of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)
M-Cessation -It aims at reaching out to those willing to quit tobacco use and support them
towards successful quitting through text messages.
TB Missed Call initiative -A helpline with a toll free number will provide information, counselling
and treatment support services for TB.
Other Initiative:As a part of Digital India, OPD registration at AIIMS, New Delhi has been
made online which has resulted in cutting down waiting time of a large section of people from
about six hours to nearly one hour.
NASAs Juno became the farthest travelled solar powered spacecraft

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has declared that its spacecraft
Juno has broken the previous record of travelling farthest distance set by Rosetta
spacecraft of the European Space Agency.
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NASAs Juno travelled 793 million kilometer to break this record. Before
this,Rosetta spacecraft of the European Space Agency travelled till 792 million kilometers.
Second largest black hole in the Milky Way discovered

A team of Japanese astronomers has discovered an enigmatic gas cloud just 200 light years
away from the centre of the Milky Way that can be the possible missing link in the black hole
evolution.This may be the first detection of an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH).
The mass of SMBH ranges from several million to billions of times the mass of the Sun.The
gas cloud named CO-0.40-0.22 unusual is its surprisingly wide velocity dispersion.
China to land probe on dark side of moon in 2018

China has begun preparations for a new lunar mission in 2018 when it plans to send a probe to
the dark side of the moon not explored by humans so far, in a bid to create a new landmark in
space exploration.
The Change-4 probe will be the first mission in human history to embark on this
expedition under Chinas State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry
for National Defence (SASTIND).
10K start up Prog & Telangana Govt launched start-up warehouse at T-Hub
The NASSCOM (The National Association of Software and Services Companies) 10K Start-up
Program in partnership with the Telangana government inaugurated the T-Hub
NASSCOM Start-up Warehouse in Hyderabad.
What is startup warehouse?
It is an incubator and co-working space for technology startups and early stage product
companies at a reasonable cost.
The warehouse allows them to work for 6-12 months.
During this time, these startups can give demos and pitch to investors, large
corporates, other accelerators/incubators and individual mentors.
The first startup warehouse was set up in Bangalore in 2013, followed by other cities
including Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Kochi and Gurgaon.
Zinnia: The first ever flower grown in space

Zinnia became the first flower that has finally bloomed in outer space. The flower was grown as
part of an experiment astronauts are conducting on how plants grow in microgravity.
The flowers were grown inside the Veggie lab aboard International Space Station
(ISS) which was installed in early May 2014.
With the success of this experiment, Zinnia has become the first flowering plant grown
outside Earths atmosphere.
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SPACEX Launching NASA Jason-3 Ocean Surveillance Satellite
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the planets newest oceanographic satellite,
NASA/NOAA/European Jason-3 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California into a polar orbit
around the Earth.
The satellite will provide oceanographic data for everything from tide forecast to continue
monitoring decadal variability in ocean heights.
Chinese scientists develop new bio-artificial liver

Scientists in China have developed a new bio artificial liver that can help recover patients liver
functions and prolong their lives so they can wait for suitable donor livers for a transplant.
Based on human liver cells, the bio artificial liver has been designed to be attached outside
a patients body.
The research was published in the new issue of international science magazine,Cell
Research.
Delhi government launches DVAT BILL app to boost tax collection

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Siodia launched DVAT BILL App to boost Delhi Governments tax
collection and bring in transparency and through this App, people can become a VAT
Inspectors.
Software developed by: Delhi Governments Trade and Taxes department
PSLV-C31 carrying IRNSS-1E launched successfully from SDSC

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched PSLV-C31 rocket successfully,
carrying 5th satellite (out of 7) of India Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS),
theIRNSS-1E from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, near Chennai,
PSLV-C31 for the 11th time used XL version of PSLV.
This was Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles 33rd flight ((PSLV-C31).
This is also the ISROs 50th orbital launch with the PSLV deploying the IRNSS navigation
satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
TranServ launches Indias first social mobile wallet Udio

Digital payment company, TranServ has launched Indias 1st Social Mobile Wallet, Udio,
which enables squaring of dues, sharing dinner bills or a cab ride a hassle free task
Udio Wallet integrates a social, community-driven aspect with anytime, anywhere accessibility
to digital P2P transactions via its secure and seamless payment structure.
Every Udio wallet comes with a VISA Pre-Paid Card linked that is powered by Ratnakar
Bank allowing Udio users to leverage the wallets payments facility with over1 lakh
merchants across the country.
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TranServ aims to boost mobile wallet usage for mobile users in its aim to make India a
cashless economy.
Largest Prime Number discovered: 274,207,281-1 dubbed M74207281

An effort to find a largest prime numbers dubbed The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search
(GIMPS) has become successful after the discovery of 274,207,281-1. It has over 22 million digits,
which come under the category of Mersenne Prime Number.
This newly discovered largest Prime Number is named as M74207281.
It was calculated by multiplying together 74,207,281 twos then subtracting one.
India to build satellite tracking station in Vietnam

India will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam that will give
Hanoi access to pictures from Indian earth observation satellites that cover the region, including
China and the South China Sea.
The move is set to deepen ties between India and Vietnam, who both have long-running
territorial disputes with China.
Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders

Union Government had launched Sahaj Scheme for online booking of LPG cylinders. The
booking can be done through the unified web portal www.mylpg.in which is available in 13
languages.
The facility will enable people to book the cylinder around the clock, which will help delivery
of the cylinders even in their absence because the payment is already done.
Government is targeting to add 10 crore new LPG connections by December 2018.
Mosquito-borne Zika virus creates panic over birth defects in Latin America
In Latin America countries the Mosquito-borne Zika virus has created a panic over thousands
birth defects. Babies with abnormal condition are born in the region due to the effect of the virus.
Virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti Mosquito. It is mainly transmitted by daytimeactive mosquitoes.
Protection against the mosquito bites and clearing stagnant water where mosquito breeds
is the only prevention.
AIR launches 247 classical music channel Raagam

On the occasion of 67th republic day Public Broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) launches a247
classical music channel Raagam from Bengaluru. The channel is launched by Prasar Bharati
chairman.
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The Channel will be streamed through one of Direct to Home -DTH, All India Radio Mobile
App for Windows, Android and iPhone (iOS) users and AIR website
allindiaradio.gov.in.
The channel will present classical music, Hindustani and Carnatic Classical Music, with
assistance from all famous regional stations.
Ariane 5 successfully lofted Boeings Intelsat 29e satellite

Communications satellite services provider Intelsats next generation satellite Intelsat 29e, which
is having most advanced digital payload, was successfully launched from French Guiana aboard
an Ariane 5 vehicle. The mission, designated VA228, successfully inserted the Intelsat
29e satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
Intelsat 29e replaces Intelsat 1R and will be placed into service at 310 east.
Intelsat 29e is the 56th Intelsat satellite launched by Arianespace.
It is the first satellite of Intelsats next generation, all digital EpicNG satellite platforms,
which combines wide beams and spot beams with frequency reuse technologyand the
sectors most advanced digital payload.
Astronomers discovered largest solar system

Astronomers of Royal Astronomical Society (RSA) have discovered the largest known solar
system in the form of gas giant located one trillion kilometres away.
This solar system has large planet known as 2MASS J2126-8140 that takes nearly a million
years to orbit its star.
The newly discovered solar system is 140 times wider than Plutos path around Sun and has
a mass between 12 and 15 times of Jupiter.
GOI launches National Job Portal for PwDs

In a bid to provide facilities to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), Social Justice and
Empowerment, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot initiated a job portal for them, which will enable
them to avail services like self-employment loan, education loan, skill training, link to
scholarships and information about jobs.
The portal disabilityjobs.gov.in has been developed by National Handicapped Finance and
Development Corporation (NHFDC).
UP launches helpline number for journalists

Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on launched a dedicated helpline for journalists with
number1880 help and assist the media persons.
It will be managed by the states Information and Public Relation Department.
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Apart from above, computerised file-tracking system to track the development of a file and
ensure its time-bound disposal and special supplement on eminent litterateur Amrit Lal Nagarwas
also launched by the minister.
Stockholm to get Worlds first 5G Network

Stockholm soon becomes the worlds first city to get the ultra high speed 5G mobile
network.
5G Network can easily support self-driving, battery operated cars, and artificial
intelligence enabled robots.
5G network will be roll out by Swedish-Finnish telecom operator

TeliaSonera, andSwedish telecommunications giant Ericsson jointly
at Stockholm and Tallinn.
Puducherry Lt Governor AK Singh launches MITRA app

MITRA (Mobile Initiated Tracking and Rescue application), a mobile application has been
launched by Puducherry Lt Governor AK Singh to ensure safety and security of women,
children and the elderly during emergency.
The MITRA is a smart phone based app that provides the facility to contact the police for
immediate help in emergency.
No internet connectivity is require and presently it is available only in smart phones
MITRA app has been developed by Puducherry Police department in association

withNational Informatics Centre.
Indian Customs Guide to Travellers app: A rulebook to people

Customs Department has initiated first-of-its-kind mobile application in the
world dubbedIndian Customs Guide to Travellers to inform people about all Indian
customs rules including those related to import of pets and goods.
It has been developed by IRS officer Sandeep Kumar Rawal, currently serving as oint
Director, Regional Training Institute of National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics
(NACEN), Bhopal
The app is able to work in offline mode provides contact details of customs officers at major
Indian airports.
A British woman Sue York became the first person in the world to have a pancreas
transplant
Sue York a British woman becomes the first person in the world to have a pancreas
transplant due to her severe needle phobia.
She has been suffering from type-1 diabetes since she was 7 years old.
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DEFENCE
N Korea conducted successful hydrogen bomb test
North Korea had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test marking a stunning step
forward in its nuclear development. This was the countrys fourth nuclear test since 2006, but
the first allegedly to involve a hydrogen weapon also known as thermonuclear device.
The regime in capital city Pyongyang detonated a hydrogen device at the Punggye-ri
underground test site in the far northeast.
UN Security Council prepares new sanctions as world leaders urge for strong actionto be
taken against Pyongyang following nuclear test which caused 1 magnitude earthquake.
Bombs which rely on nuclear fusion, release far more destructive power than other weapons
based on a fission reaction.
Sahayog Kaijin 2016: India and Japan joint Coast Guard exercise
The 15th edition of bilateral exercise between India and Japan titled Sahayog-Kaijin
2016has begun off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal.
The focus of bilateral training would be Anti-piracy procedures, search and rescue
operations and interoperability between the two forces and other areas of common
professional interest.
India-France military exercise Shakti-2016 began

Indian and French troops commenced their 8 days counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency
joint exercise at the Mahajan field firing range in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
The French contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured
Brigade, which had taken part in the Afghan war. It has been led by Maj Thibaut De Lacoste
Lareymondie.
IN-RNO joint naval exercise Naseem Al-Bahr kicked off

The 10th edition of the bilateral Indian Navy-Royal Omani Navy biennial exercise began on 22
Jan 2016 27 Jan 2016 in the Arabian Sea.
Initiated in 1993, the joint naval exercise aims to increase interoperability among the two
navies and develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security
operation.
As part of Indias strategy to develop relation with the countries in the region, an Indian Navy ship
had last year visited Oman in a goodwill visit.
INS Kadmatt, anti-submarine warfare corvette commissioned
INS Kadmatt, the second ship of Project 28 (P28) class anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
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corvettes has been inducted into the Eastern Naval Command of Indian Navy.
With the changing power dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region, INS Kadmatt will
augment the mobility, reach and flexibility of Indian Navy.
The ship is commanded by Commander Mahesh Chandra Moudgil.
Israel gets fifth German-made nuclear-capable submarine INS Rahav

Israel has marked the addition of a fifth German-made submarine to its fleet with a dedication
ceremony attended by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The INS Rahav was built in Kiel, Germany.
Israel already has 4 similar German-made submarines.
All the submarines are capable of carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
The ship cost nearly $500 million to build, with Berlin providing about a third of the funding.
Anti-tank missile Nag successful test fired
After the multipurpose exercises carried out for improving the system, the indigenously-built third
generation anti-tank missile, Nag successfully hit the target 4 km away during a night trial in
the Mahajan Field Firing Range, Rajasthan.
Thermal Target System (TTS) developed by a defence laboratory at Jodhpur was used
as target for the missile, which is in the final user configuration.
Indian Mi-25 helicopters set to join Afghan Air Force

Three Mi-25 gunship helicopters manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) were
supplied by India are officially join the Afghan Air Force. These helicopters are designed to take on
fortified enemy positions and counter heavy ground fire.
Recently Mohammad Hanif Atmar the National Security Advisor of Afghan visit New
Delhi for the deal.
Akash missile successfully test fired at Chandipuri in Odisha

Akash the medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile was successfully test fired from
complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipuri in Odisha.
About the Missile
Akash was developed by the Defense Research and Development

Organization(DRDO), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for Missile Systems, Ordnance
Factories Board and Bharat Electronics (BEL) for other Systems in India.
NASAs Kepler spacecraft finds 100 new alien planets orbiting other stars
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASAs) revamped planet-hunting
Kepler spacecraft has discovered more than 100 planets orbiting other stars.
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The Kepler spacecraft discovered these alien planets during its K2 mission by using
the transit method.
ENVIRONMENT
Global warming causes $1.5 trillion loss on middle-class
As per the Swiss financial services major UBS report, titled Climate change: A risk to the
global middle class, the climate change inflicted a USD 1.5 trillion loss on the middle-class
across the globe between 1980 and 2014 and another USD 32 billion in the first six months
of2015 which was the hottest year on record.
UBS arrived at the loss data after analysing the consumption of the middle-class in 215
cities and comparing consumption patterns to the level of climate change risks.
Worlds largest canyon spotted by Chinese scientists

The worlds largest canyon far larger than the Grand Canyon in the United States (in the picture)
has been spotted by Chinese scientists who took part in the countrys latest Antarctic expedition to
the South Pole.
About the canyon
The canyon, more than 1000 kilometers long, 1500 meters deep, and 26.5
kilometers wide at the top.
The largest canyon discovered on earth, state-run Xinhua quoted Chinese scientists who
took part in Chinas 32nd Antarctic expedition as saying.
Seven Ancient Buddhist Caves Discovered In Mumbai National Park

Seven Buddhist caves have been discovered at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivli (Mumbai)
in India, in January 2016. The caves are discovered in the north fringes of the city.
The caves are assumed to be at least 2,000-years old.
The caves are possibly dated between the 1stcentury B.C. and 5th -6th century A.D that
is before Kanheri Caves.
ISIS has destroyed Iraqs oldest Christian monastery

The oldest Christian monastery St Elijahs monastery in Iraq has been destroyed by the
jihadist group Islamic State (IS). The Associated Press published the satellite photographs on
Wednesday.
This news was confirmed by Iraqi officials and historians. But analysts said the
images, obtained by the Associated Press, recommended it had been demolished
in late 2014, soon after IS seized the city.
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A Catholic priest from Mosul warned that its Christian history was being barbarically
levelled.
New bird species Zoothera salimalii discovered in India

A team of scientists from India, Sweden, China, the US and Russia discovered a new bird species,
dubbed Himalayan Forest Thrush in northeastern India and adjacent parts of China.
The bird was biologically named as Zoothera salimalii as an honour to Salim Ali, who made
significant contributions to ornithology in India.
It was first discovered in May-June of 2009 and after a thorough observation it was realized that it
has similarities to other bird species Plain-backed Thrush (Zoothera mollissima) except song
type.
New tree frog genus named Frankixalus discovered in north-eastern India

Indian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju with his team has discovered a new genus of tree holebreeding frogs named Frankixalus in the forests of northeast India and bordering parts of
China.
Sathyabhama Das Biju is popularly known as the frogman of India.
The new genus has been named after Professor Franky Bossuyt of Brussel based
Vrije Universiteit for his contribution in amphibian research.
This genus lives in pools of water in the trunks of canopy trees especially in tree holes.
These frogs eat their mothers eggs for sustenance.
The species breeds from Sikkim and Darjeeling in India and extends into northwest
Yunnan in China.
This is found in rocky habitats and has longer bill, shorter wings and shorter legs.
Tea Board launches Plant Protection Code version 5, for tea industry
Tea Board of India has recently imposed an absolute law for safe usage of Plant Protection
Formulations (PPFs) in the tea plantations in India and launched the 5th version of its
ambitious Plant Protection Code for the Indian Tea industry.
Objective of Policy
To regulate the use of pesticides in tea.
To achieve sustainability through GAP, including IPM, promotion of alternative control.
To gradually reduce the dependency on chemicals.
Ocean Alert!! (Plastic > Fish) @2050

In accordance with the report by World Economic Forum (WEF) and Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, the oceans will contain more plastics than fish by 2050.
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The report was prepared as part of Project MainStream, which has been supported by
McKinsey & Company.

Highlights of Report
At Present, there are over 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean.
As per report, every year, minimum 8 mn tonnes of plastic dumbed into an ocean which is
equal to scrapping of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute.
In 2013, more than $260 billion of plastic packaging was released into the market thats
more than 85 million tons.
After first use, 95% of plastic packaging loses its material value which lead to an
annual economic loss of $80 billion to $120 billion.
Only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for reuse.
SPORTS
Ravichandran Ashwin entitled with No. 1 Test bowler and all-rounder
As per ICC ranking India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has ended 2015 as the number one
Test bowler and all-rounder.
Ashwin took 62 wickets in nine Tests of 2015 including 31 scalps in the four matches against
South Africa & became the first India bowler since Bishen Bedi in 1973 to achieve the
milestone of finishing the year on top.
Bishan Bedi, an ICC Hall of Famer, is the only India bowler to ever top the Test bowling
table, while Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble peaked at number-two
during their careers.
For the second time in three years, Ashwin has finished as the number-one ranked Test all-rounder.
Top-10 Test batsmen:
1.Steve Smith (Aus) 899 points
2.Kane Williamson (NZ) 889
3.Joe Root (Eng) 888
4.AB de Villiers (SA) 877
5.David Warner (Aus) 827
6.Younus Khan (Pak) 826
7.Angelo Mathews (SL) 808
8.Hashim Amla (SA) 774
9.Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak) 764
10.Alastair Cook (Eng) 764
Top-10 Test bowlers:
1.Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind) 871 points
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2.Dale Steyn (SA) 867
3.Stuart Broad (Eng) 859
4.Yasir Shah (Pak) 846
5.James Anderson (Eng) 838
6.Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) 789
7.Trent Boult (NZ) 787
8.Josh Hazlewood (Aus) 752
9.Vernon Philander (SA) 739
10.Tim Southee (NZ) 731
Top-5 Test all-rounders:
1. Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind) 406 points
2. Shakib Al Hasan (Ban) 384
3. Stuart Broad (Eng) 326
4. Vernon Philander (SA) 293
5. Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) 259
BajrangPunia, RituPhogatwin Gold at National Wrestling Championship
Indian wrestlers BajrangPunia and RituPhogat won gold medals in Mens 65kg and Womens
48kg Freestyle categories respectively on the first day of the Senior Nationals.
Gold: Jitender
Silver: Pardeep
Bronze: Manoj and Dinesh
Mens 65kg
First
Bajrang
Second
Rajneesh
Third
Manoj and Bhagat Singh
Mens 57kg
Gold
SandeepTomar
Silver
Ravinder
Womens 48kg
Gold
RituPhogat
Silver
AprnaBishni
Bronze
Pooja and Nirmal
Womens 58kg and 63kg, Sarita and Anita topped respectively.
Qatar Masters Open chess tournament title clinched by Magnus Carlsen
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the Qatar Masters Chess Open 2015 after
nine exciting rounds of chess & and secures the first place with 7 points.
Yu Yangyi, winner of the first edition of the tournament, finishes also with 7 points but he
lost the blitz tie-break against Carlsen.
Bronze goes to Vladimir Kramnik with 6.5 points.
Surya Shekhar Ganguly was the best-placed Indian at 10th place with 6 points.
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P. Sethuraman was another Indian to score 6points but he stood at 17th place.
2015 SAFF football championship clinched by India

The 2015 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championship has been clinched by India for
the record seventh time. The 2015 SAFF Championship was the 11th edition of mens football
championship of South Asia organized by SAFF.
Rajsamman wins P T Rajan Gold Cup

Rajsamman won the P.T Rajan Gold Cup. He is ridden by jockey Tanveer Alam and trained by
Fazal-Ul-Rehman.
The winner is owned by Fardeen A Malick and Meiyappan Masilamani.
Rank
1. Rajsamman (Tanveer Alam)
2. Crown Rule (Md. Hesnain)
3. Quick Enough (N. Rupa)
Pranav Dhanawade hits world record by scoring 1009 runs at school level tournament
Mumbai teenager Pranav Dhanawade scripted history by becoming the first cricketer ever to
notch up a four-figure score by smashing an unbeaten knock of 1,009 in an inter-school
tournament.
15-year-old cricketer Pranav Dhanawade created a world record by scoring 1009 runs (not
out) in 323 balls during HT Bhandari Cup, an under-16 inter-school tournament held in
Mumbai (Maharashtra).
He was representing KC Gandhi High School against Arya Gurukul.
Apurvi Chandela Clinched Gold with Record at Swedish Air-Rifle Championship

Young Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela (23) began her year on a high by winning the Gold with a
world record in the 10m Air Rifle at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix. For her outstanding
performance in the tournament, she was awarded a Walther rifle, besides being crowned thebest
shooter (men and women combined).
World No.7 Chandela had a tally of 211.2 which surpassed the feat of Chinese Olympic gold
medallist Yi Siling, who held the record with 211.
Silver and bronze medal has been clinched by the Swedish shooters Astrid
Steffensen (207.6) and Stine Nielsen (185.0) respectively.
ONGC won 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey tournament

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation won 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament and
defeated Indian Railways 3-0 on penalties at the Shivaji Stadium. Sumit deflecting a Diwakar
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Ram push off the teams first penalty corner.
Individual awards:
Top scorer: Diwakar Ram (ONGC)
Player of the tournament: Simrandeep Singh (Railways)
Upcoming player of the tournament: Ajit Pandey (Railways)
Outstanding performance in a match: Vivek Sharma (IOC)
Oxigen Wallet appointed as MCL Title sponsors

Oxigen Wallet, Indias leading mobile-wallet app has announced as the Title Sponsor for the
upcoming Masters Champions League (MCL). Inaugural season of MCL will be known as
theOxigen Masters Champions League is set to begin on January 28th with the final match to be
played on February 13.
Location: Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Siril Verma tops junior badminton rankings

Siril Verma occupied the number one spot in junior mens singles category in the Badminton World
Federation (BWF) rankings.
Mens Singles
First: Siril Verma(Indai)
Second:TomaJunior Popov(France)
Third: Chirag Sen(India)
Ninth: Kidambi Srikanth(India)
Other Indians in the list
Womens Singles
First: Carolina Marin(Spain)
Second: Saina Nehwal(India)
Third: Li Xuerei(China)
Twelfth: PV Sindhu(India)
Parupalli Kashyap is at the 15th spot ahead of H S Prannoy (20th) and Ajay Jayram (21st).
Jwala Gutta and Ashwinin Ponappa is at the 14th position in the womens doubles rankings,
while the mens doubles pair of Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddyoccupies the 17th spot.
India rise three places in FIFA rankings after SAFF Cup triumph
Indian National football team has climbed 3 steps above & reached at 163rd on the ladder of
FIFA world rankings.
India gained seven points after their recent SAFF Cup win over Afghanistan, who are now
ranked 153rd in the list.
Indias highest world ranking is the 94th position that they achieved in 1996 under the former
Uzbek coach Rustam Akramov.
India is looking forward to host the U-17 World Cup next year.
Other Nations ranking:
Bhutan is at 192nd spot and Nepal the lowest ranked SAFF team at 196th position in
the world rankings.
Belgium is the top of the table with 1494 points.
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Thailand is the biggest mover in the latest ranking updates by moving up twelve
spots to 121st.
Australia pulled out of U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh due to safety concerns
Australia have pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh starting on January 27 due
to threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh was as high as when the senior team had pulled
out of their tour last year and it is replaced by Ireland who were runners-up in the qualifying
tournament in Kuala Lumpur
Wayne Rooney named 2015 England Player of the Year

Professional footballer Wayne Rooney has been named England Player of the Year (POTY)for
2015, retaining the title for the second successive year.
The England captain became the Three Lions all-time top goal scorer with 37% of the
votes to claim the England POTY for a fourth time.
Tabuena wins Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month

Miguel Tabuena(21) from Philippines won the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month for
December. Tabuena became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008.
First: Miguel Tabuena
Second: Phachara Khongwatmai(Thailand)
Third: Himmat Rai(India)
Major winners:
Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson to finish sixth at the Thailand Golf Championship and
also earned a place as one of the four qualifiers for next years Open Championship.
Sania, Martina start off 2016 with Brisbane title

Sania Mirza(India) and Martina Hingis(Swiss) won their sixth title in line by lifting the WTA
Brisbane trophy defeating German wildcards Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic 7-5 6-1 in mere
69 minutes.
Qatar Open title bagged by Serbian Novak Djokovic

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated his rival Rafael Nadal by 6-1, 6-2 to win the Qatar Open
title.
He captured his sixth consecutive ATP World Tour title and 60th overall at the tour level.
He became just the 10th player in the Open Era to reach the 60-title milestone.
Final Tally
Category
Singles
Doubles
Winner
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Feliciano Lopez (Spain)
Runner up
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Philipp Petzschner (Germany)
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Marc Lopez (Spain)
Alexander Peya (Austria)
Australia won Hopman Cup 2016

Nick Kyrgios secured the Hopman Cup for Australia Green by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3
6-4 to give his team a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Perth.
Daria Gavrilova had earlier defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4 7-6 (8-6) in the womens rubber of
the mixed event.
Kyrgios, ranked 30th in the world, beat Britains world number two Andy Murray
Victoria Azarenka wins Brisbane International

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka won her first title since 2013 by beating Angelique
Kerber in the Brisbane International final.
The unseeded Belarusian, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, beat the fourthseeded German 6-3 6-1.
Sloane Stephens claims second WTA title in Auckland

Sloane Stephens has claimed her second WTA title after winning two matches in a day to
triumph at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
The 22-year-old defeated Julia Goerges by 7-5 6-2 in the final.
Stan Wawrinka wins 2016 Chennai Open title

World No. 4 Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland has won the 2016 Chennai Open title of
tennis. In the summit clash at Nungambakkam tennis stadium in Chennai, he defeated the Borna
Coric (World No. 33) of Croatia by 6-3, 7-5 score.
This was his third consecutive ATP Chennai Open title for Wawrinka (won in 2014, 2015
and 2016) and overall fourth, first won it in 2011.
With this win, Wawrinka pocketed US $ 75,700 and won 250 ranking points.
Sania topped while Bopanna 9th in doubles rankings

Sania and Martina, the world number one womens doubles team, have stitched a26-match
winning streak together, which has brought them six titles in a row at the S. Open,
Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, WTA Finals and Beijing International.
Man Double Ranking:The ranking is being headed by Marcelo Melo of Brazil, followed by Horia
Tecau of Romania and Netherlands Jean-Julien Rojer.
Mens Singles:Novak Djokovic of Serbia tops the chart ahead of Andy Murray of Great Britain
and Swiss Roger Federer.
Stephen Fleming named coach of Pune IPL team

The new IPL franchise, Pune appointed Stephen Fleming as their coach for the upcoming edition.
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MS Dhoni became the teams first pick in the IPL player draft as Dhoni and Fleminghave had
been the most successful team management pair having taken Chennai Super Kings to the
finals six times in eight years and winning the title twice. Super Kingsbanned for two years.
Queens Turf wins Queen Elizabeth Commemoration Cup

Queens Turf won the Queen Elizabeth Commemoration Cup, the main event of the races.
Trained by G Suresh and ridden by jockey Md.Hesnain
Suresh saddled four winners, while Hesnain rode three winners.

1. Queens Turf (Md. Hesnain)
2. Queen Of Queens (Rajendra Singh)
3. Starlight Heaven (Brisson)
4. King Dazzler (Tanveer Alam)
ICC announces MoneyGram as event partner

ICC and MoneyGram International announced an eight-year deal which confirms MoneyGram
as an event partner for ICC occasions from 2016-2023.
Recently, ICC and MoneyGram completed five-year partnership(2010-2015). In the current eightyear cycle the ICC will stage 17 tournaments, including six majors two ICC World Twenty20
tournaments, two editions of the ICC Champions Trophy and two ICC Cricket World Cups.
World Record by Sania-Martina as they win 29th match on trot
Indias Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis broke a 22 year old world record by
winning their 29th womens doubles match in a row en route to their entry into the womens
doubles final of the WTA Sydney International, in Sydney.
The World No 1 pair defeated the pair of Romanian Raluca Olaru and Kazakhstans
Yaroslava Shvedova by 4-6, 6-3 and 10-8.
They now surpassed the pair of Puerto Rican Gigi Fernandez and Belarus Natasha Zvereva,
who won 28 matches in 1994.
Colin Munro hits 2nd-fastest 50 in T-20

The Auckland Aces shot maker Colin Munro hit a 14-ball 50 to send the Black Caps to a
comfortable nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka. His knock was second in speed only to Indian Yuvraj
Singh, who took just 12 balls against England at Durban in 2007.
Munro, who has been elevated to No 3 in the absence of skipper Brendon McCullum, has
played 20 T20 internationals for the Black Caps at an average of 76 and a strike rate 153.33.
Murno has replaced New Zealands Martin Guptill (63 from 25 balls).
Rene Holten Poulsen named Denmarks sportsperson of 2015

The Sports Confederation of Denmark and Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper voted Rene
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Holten Poulsen the prize, which is known as Sports Name of the Year and is among the countrys
top sports prizes.
The 27-year-old kayaker from Maribo Kayak Club won a total of six medals in international
championships in 2015, including two World Cup medals, three European Championship
medals and one European Games bronze medal.
FIFA dismisses Secretary General Jerome Valcke

FIFAs emergency committee has dismissed Jerome Valcke from the position of FIFA Secretary
General with immediate effect.
The employment relationship between FIFA and Jerome Valcke has also been terminated.
Marat Safin Inducted Into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Former World No.1 tennis player Marat Safin of Russia has joined the International Tennis Hall
of Fame, the Russian Tennis Federation.
The official ceremony to induct the Russian tennis player has been scheduled for July 16,
2016.
Safin is the older brother of former world No. 1 WTA player, Dinara Safin.
Mesut Ozil named 2015 German Player of the Year

Mesut Ozil has been voted Germany national team player of the year for the fourth
time.The Arsenal playmaker was in outstanding form for his club during 2015 and has awarded for
his performances for the national team as well. The 27-year-old played a big part in ensuring the
world champions reached Euro 2016 and played in all but one international for his country.
First: zil received 51,000 votes (45.9%)
Second: Thomas Mller.
Third: FC Klns Jonas Hector
Sania & Hingis Win Sydney International Title 2016

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis are continued to lifted their second trophy of the season with
the WTA Apia International title after clinching their 30th win a row in Sydney .
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis defeated Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 16 7-5 10-5 win in one hour and 13 minutes.
It was the 11th title together for the Indo-Swiss pair as continuing the good show from
2015 when they won 9 titles including the year-end WTA finale.
Virat Kohli breaks De Villiers' record to reach 7000 ODI runs

Indian batsman Virat Kohli broke AB de Villiers record to become the fastest batsman to
reach 7000 runs in One Day Internationals.
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Kohli made history during India's third ODI against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket
Ground.
Kohli also registered his 24th ODI century on the day, thus becomes the quickest
batsman in the world to reach the milestone.
2016 Apia international title of tennis

The 2016 Apia International Sydney was a joint 2016 ATP World Tour and 2016 WTA Tour
tennis tournament, played on outdoor hard courts in Sydney, Australia. It was the 123rd
edition of the tournament.
Mens Singles Viktor Troicki of Serbia defeated Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria by 26,
61, 76.
Womens Singles Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia defeated Monica Puig of Puerto

Rico by 60, 62.
Mens Doubles Jamie Murray of UK/Bruno Soares of Brazil defeated Rohan

Bopanna of India/Florin Mergea of Romania by 63, 76.
Womens Doubles Martina Hingis of Switzerland/Sania Mirza of India defeated

Caroline Garcia of France/Kristina Mladenovic of France by 16, 75, 105.
India Regain Top Spot after Nearly Five Years

The Indian Test team led by Virat Kohli climbed to the top of the ICC Test Rankings after
South Africa crashed to a 0-2 series defeat against England in Johannesburg.
India now has 110 ranking points which followed by Australia with 109 points in their
kitty. South Africa is now third in the rankings.
As per the latest ranking chart, Pakistan listed at 4th place while New Zealand dropped down to
6th place. Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe maintained their seventh, eighth,
ninth and 10th place in the table respectively.
Popov claims 14th Delhi International Open chess title

Russias Ivan Popov has bagged the title 14th Parsvnath Delhi International Chess Festival
with prize money of Rs. three lakh. The event was held in New Delhi.
Hungarian Attila Czebe stood as runner up (2 lakh) and Ukraines Valeriy Neverov(Rs. 1
lakh) placed at third position.
M.R. Lalith Babu justified his presence in the event as the highest-rated Indian and defeated
Ukraines Yuri Solodovnichenko in 68 moves to be at the fourth spot with 7.5 points.
UKs Ronnie OSullivan bagged 2016 Dafabet Masters

Ronnie OSullivan won his 6th 200,000 Snooker Masters title after defeating Barry
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Hawkins by 10-1 in the final of professional non-ranking snooker tournament, 2016 Dafabet
Masters at the Alexandra Palace in London.
It was the 42nd staging of the tournament.
OSullivan, had previously won the event in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2014, equaling
the record set by Stephen Hendry.
Delhi Crowned Premier Badminton League Champion

Delhi Acers were crowned the champions of the inaugural edition of the Premier Badminton
League after they defeated the Mumbai Rockets 4-3 in the final at the DDA Badminton Stadium
in Delhi.
Mumbai was leading by a point after the fourth game but Delhis victory in the trump-called
matchup saw them clinch the title.
The 4-3 triumph for Delhi was worth 3 crore. Mumbai settled for Rs. 2 crore out of the
total prize fund of approximately Rs. 6.5 crore.
Life time ban imposed on IPL player Ajit Chandila by BCCI

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a life time ban on Haryana off-spinner
bowler Ajit Chandila due to his involvement in the IPL spot-fixing scandal 2013.
Ajit Chandila was found guilty of misconduct and corruption under the Articles 2.1.1, Article
2.1.2, Article 2.1.3, Article 2.1.4, Article 2.2.2, Article 2.2.3, and Article 2.4.1 of the
BCCI Anti-Corruption Code.
Stuart Broad become No. 1 test bowler

Stuart Broad has become the first England bowler since Steve Harminson in 2004 to top the
ICC player ranking for the test bowlers.
He has jumped to the peak of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers after his devastating spell
of 6 for 17 set up Englands seven-wicket win against South Africa in the Johannesburg Test.
Maiden win for young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala

Jehan Daruvala, Indian racer started his campaign 2016 by winning one of New Zealands most
prestigious events, the Lady Wigram Trophy, for his maiden victory in Formula cars.
Jehan Daruvala is the youngest Indian racer.
Chris Gayle Equals Yuvraj Singhs Fastest T20 Fifty Record

Chris Gayle, west India opener hit a 12-ball 50 for Melbourne Renegades against Adelaide
Strikers in a Big Bash League semifinal.
Gayle equals the Yuvraj Singhs record, set at the 2007 World
Twenty20against England in Durban.
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Gayle also smashed the Big Bash record for the fastest fifty, from 18 balls, jointly held
by Tim Ludeman and Chris Lynn.
UP won Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Syed Mushtaq Ali title has been bagged by the Suresh Raina-led Uttar Pradesh by defeating
Irfan Pathan-led Baroda with 38 runs in Mumbai.
This is Uttar Pradeshs first Syed Mushtaq Ali title.
Roger Federer Wins 300th Grand Slam Singles Match

World Number 3, Roger Federer (34) clinched his 300th win in grand slams after defeating his
Bulgarian challenger Grigor Dimitrov by 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the
Australian Open.
Only Martina Navratilova (306) stands in front of him.
ICC appoints Channel 2 Group as audio rights partner

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed the Channel 2 Group as its global audio
rights partner. Channel 2 acquired exclusive rights for all the ICC events from 2016 to
2023 through this Right.
Channel 2 Group will provide live audio commentary at the ICC World Twenty20, ICC
Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup under this right.
Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title bagged by P V Sindhu

Indian Shuttler P V Sindhu has clinched the $120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title
by defeating Scotlands Kristy Gilmour by 21-15 21-9 in a 32-minute clash.
The tournament was held at the SPICE Indoor Stadium in Penang, Malaysia from 1924
January 2016.
This is her second Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title. Earlier she won it in 2013.
Final Medal Tally

Category
Mens Singles
Womens Singles
Mens doubles
Womens doubles
Mixed doubles
Winner
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
P. V. Sindhu (India)
Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia) & Markus Fernaldi
Gideon (Indonesia)
Ayaka Takahashi (Japan) & Misaki Matsutomo (Japan)
Zheng Siwei (China) & Li Yinhui (China)
Chanderpaul ends 22-year international career

Shivnarine Chanderpaul Veteran West Indies batsman, the seventh highest Test match run
maker, announced his international retirement.
He is Former captain from Guyana.
He is a Coarse and stubborn left-handed batsman.
138 | P a g e
First test was against England in March 1994
Final Test was also against England in Barbados last May where the West Indies won by
five wickets.
He made 8,778 one-day international runs with 11 centuries and 11867 runs in test
He is currently the 7th highest run scorer.
Sourav Kothari pockets National Billiards title

Sourav Kothari from Kolkata defeated Siddharth Parekh by 5-2 in the final of the National
Billiards Championship in Indore.
He has won his 2nd National Billiards title. Earlier he had won it in 2014.
The finalists have booked their berth for the Asian Billiards in Colombo starting March 1.
Rohit Sharma claims career-best fifth spot in ICC batting chart

Rohit Sharma the 28-year-old Mumbai batsman claims a career-best 5th position in the ICC
batsman rankings in the recently finished series against top-ranked Australia. He becomes
Indias second highest-ranked batsman.
He registered 441 runs in the five matches of the series and become Man of the Series
He earned 59 points for his performances and he is now 64 points behind Virat Kohli.
India, after winning the Sydney ODI, has retained second position.
India won Blind T20 Asia Cup

India defeated Pakistan by 44 runs to win the first ever blind T20 Asia Cup at the Nehru Stadium,
Kochi.
India scored 208/5 in 20 overs while Pakistan was able to score only 164 runs.
In the category of group stages, Pakistan has won a victory over India.
Ayyaz Muhammad of Pakistan was named as the man of the match.
Izumo Takuto and Zhu Chengzhu won ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals
Japans Izumo Takuto and Hong Kongs Zhu Chengzhu became champions at the
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Circuit Finals in the boys and girls
categories, respectively.
2015 FIH Awards Netherland made Big Win

International Hockey Federation (FIH) has named Netherland players Robert Van der Horst
in Mens category and Lidewij Welten in womens category as the 2015 Players of the Year.
Since 1998, FIH Player of the Year Awards are awarded annually to the male and female field
hockey players to recognize their performances in the events, that are held in the
corresponding year, as best in the world.
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The winners of 2015 FIH Hockey Stars were decided by combining the results from online
votes and a peer vote from international athletes.
Category
Winner
Player of the Year (Men)
Robert
Van
der
Horst
Player of the Year (Women)
Lidewij Welten
Rising Star of the Year award (Men)
Chrisopher Ruhr
Rising Star of the Year award (Women) Lily Owsley
Goalkeeper of the Year award (Men)
David Harte
Goalkeeper of the Year award (Women) Joyce Sombroek
Country
Netherland
Netherland
Germany
Great Britain
Ireland
Netherland
Team India return to No.1 Test spot

Indian Test team return to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICCs) Test
Rankings after South Africa packed up to a 0-2 series beat against England in Johannesburg.
India lost its top ranking to England after losing by 0-4 since August 2011.
Now India has 110 ranking points.
Australia is at 2nd position with one point less than the Indian team;
England is at 3rd position while Pakistan got 4th
Heena secures Olympic quota with gold medal

Indias top pistol shooter Heena Sidhu secured an Olympic quota for the country by clinching gold
medal in womens 10-m air pistol at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers for Shooting.
Heena shot 199.4 ahead of Chinese Taipeis Tien Chia Chen (198.1) and Gim Yun Mi
(177.9) of Korea at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Delhi.
Ishika Shah bagged 12th Sub-Junior National Snooker championship

The National sub-junior snooker title has been clinched by Ishika Shah (14) by defeating Anushi
Seth with 50-2, 50-33. The championship was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The sub-junior billiards title was held as part of the 20 day long National Billiards &
Snooker Championship 2016 that began on 12 January 2016 in Indore.
Ishika Shah bagged 12th Sub-Junior National Snooker championshipThe National sub-junior
snooker title has been clinched by Ishika Shah (14) by defeating Anushi Seth with 50-2, 50-33.
The championship was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
BWF ranking elevated P V Sindhu to World No. 11

In the latest BWF ranking, Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold clincher P V Sindhus rank has
upgraded by one move to Worlds No. 11. On the other hand, shuttler Saina Nehwal remained
consistent and sat down again at 2nd position with 78482 points.
The duo of Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini
Ponnappa were placed at World No. 14.
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Female world ranking has been topped by Spanish Carolina Marin with 91192 points in
her kitty.
BWF Ranking Mens Singles
The only Indian player remained in top 10 is Kidambi Srikanth, who was ranked World No. 9with
57484 points.
H S Prannoy ranked at 20th position while Ajay Jayaram downgraded to World No.
25 spot.
Mens doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy were ranked at 17th position.
Male world ranking has been topped by Chinese Chen Long with 96,931 points.
Adam Lewis Panel set up to safeguard integrity in Tennis

Tenniss governing bodies has constituted an Independent Review Panel for safeguard
integrity in tennis that was headed by Adam Lewis.
The announcement was made by the Chairman and the CEOs of governing bodies of
International Tennis (IT).
Tennis Governing Bodies includes-Association of Tennis

Professionals (ATP),Womens Tennis Association (WTA), International Tennis
Federation (ITF) and the Grand Slam Board
The panel was formed against the corruption allegations in the international tennis.
Pakistan Cricketer Imran Farhat retired from International Cricket

Pakistans opening batsman Imran Farhat announced his retirement from International
cricket. He made his decision after getting a No-Objection Certificate to participate in theMasters
Champions League (MCL).
He is left-handed batsman and played 40Tests , 58 One Day Internationals seven

T20 International matches for Pakistan.
He had played 181 first class matches with score 12,669 runs.
Graham Xavier Ford accredited as chief coach of Sri Lanka

Graham Xavier Ford designated as the chief coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team for his second
stint. He will succeed Marvan Atapattu. Earlier he was appointed in January 2012.
About Graham Xavier Ford: 1960 born is a South African first class cricketer before turning his
career to be a cricket coach.
He is a qualified rugby union referee and worked as director of cricket at Kent County
Cricket Club, as head coach of Surrey County Cricket Club, as coach of Dolphins Cricket
team.
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Australian Open 2016 Overview
104th edition of $44,000,000 Australian Open 2016 was held at Melbourne in Australia from
January 18 to January 31 2016. It was the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Category
Mens Singles
Womens Singles
Mens Doubles
Womens Doubles
Mixed Doubles
Winner
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Jamie
Murray
(UK)/Bruno
Soares
(Brazil)
Martina
Hingis
(Switzerland)/Sania
Mirza (India)
Elena Vesnina (Russia)/Bruno Soares
(Brazil)
Runner up
Andy Murray (UK)
Serena Williams (US)
Daniel Nestor (Canada)/Radek
Stepanek (Czech Republic)
Andrea Hlavackova (Czech
Republic)/Lucie
Hradecka
(Czech Republic)
Coco Vandeweghe (US)/Horia
Tecau (Romania)
34th National Rowing Championship Overview

34th Senior National Rowing Championship was held at Hyderabad, Telangana from 25th to
31st January, 2016 which was organised by Rowing Federation of India. There were participants
from 20 states and the event was categorised under 10 heads.
There were total 27 medals including 9 Gold, 9 Silver and 9 Bronze.
Sr. no.
1
2
3
4
5
State
Punjab
All
India
Police
Odisha
Kerala
Chandigarh
Category
Open single sculls
Double sculls
Coxless fours
Pairs
Senior Men
Single sculls
Lt wt double sculls
Coxless four
Lt wt coxless fours
Pairs
Final Medal tally of top 5 states

Gold
Silver
Bronze
4
1
2
2
Total
5
4
2
1
2
4
3
1
3

Winner
Senior Women
Navneet Kaur (Pun)
Harpreet Kaur & Navneet Kaur (Pun)
Odisha (Pramila Prava Minz, Pratima Puhana, Sanjukta Dung,
Manjula Xess)
Sanjukta Dung & Manjula Xess (Odi)
Sandeep Kumar (All India Police)
G. Vishnu Prasad & Arjun B. Panicker (Ker)
Punjab (Lachhman Singh, Sushil Kumar, Robin Mangar, Rohit
Kumar)
All India Police (Dharmendra Choudhary, Nitesh Kumar Lall,
Ravinderjit Singh, Jagsir Singh)
Gurwinder Singh & Karamjeet Singh (Pun)
Suhr sets womens world indoor pole vault record

Reigning Olympic champion Jenn Suhr of the United States broke her own womens world indoor
pole vault record by clearing 5.03 meters at the Golden Eagle Invitational meet.
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Suhr set the record at Brockport State in suburban Rochester breaking the mark of
5.02m she established on March 2, 2013 at the US championships in Albuquerque, New
Mexico.
That effort made her the second woman in the world to crack the 5m. mark after Russias
Yelena Isinbayeva.
OBITUARY
Ian Fraser Lemmy Kilmister, founding member of metal band Motorhead died
Founding member and singer in the British heavy metal band Motorhead Ian Fraser Lemmy
Kilmister(70) passed away.He played furiously on platinum-selling Motorhead albums like Ace of
Spades, Overkill and Iron Fist.
About Ian Fraser Lemmy Kilmister :
He was born in December 1945 in Staffordshire, England and he joined the English psychrock band Hawkwind in 1971, but got kicked out for abusing amphetamines drug.
He formed Motorhead in 1975.It has released 22 studio albums with Lemmy as its only
constant member. His last album was Bad Magic in 2015.
Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole passed away

Natalie Cole, best known for the songs Unforgettable, Inseparable and This Will Be.She
was 65.
About Natalie Cole :
She began her career as an R and B singer, but later gravitated toward the smooth pop and
jazz standards that her father loved.
Coles greatest success came with her 1991 album, Unforgettable With Love, featuring
numerous standards sung by her father, sold 14 million copies.
The album reached the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on July 27, 1991. It featured a
duet with her father.
She recorded an album in Spanish, Natalie Cole in Espanol.
Awards :
Unforgettable With Love won multiple Grammys, including the 1992 Album of the
Year, Record of the Year, Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year,
Arrangement Accompanying Vocals and Producer of the Year.
She won another Grammy Award for 2008 album Still Unforgettable, which included
a variety of American standards.
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Veteran CPI leader AB Bardhan passes away
Veteran Communist Party of India leader A.B. Bardhan, 92, passed away after a long illness.
About AB Bardhan :
Mr. Bardhan took part in the freedom movement as a member of the All India Students
Federation and later associated himself with the trade union movement out of Nagpur.
He won an election just once to the Maharashtra Assembly in 1957 as an

Independent.
United Front (UF) government took over in 1996 and late CPI leader Indrajit Gupta
became Home Minister, he resigned as CPI general secretary and paved the way for Mr.
Bardhan.
AB Bardhan held the post of general secretary for over a record number of years
from1996 to 2012.
English cricketer Matthew Hobden passed away

Matthew Hobden(22), Sussex fast bowler has passed away.
About Hobden:
Born in Eastbourne, United Kingdom
His first-class debut for Sussex in 2014.
Hobden was tipped to become an England international. He was one of six players
currently selected to participate in the ECBs England Performance Programme (PEPP).
Former Wigan Athletic defender Steve Gohouri passed away

Former Wigan Athletic defender Steve Gohouri(34) passed away. His body found in the River
Rhine near Dusseldorf.
About Gohouri:
Joined Wigan from Borussia Monchengladbach in January 2010.
Part of the Ivory Coast 2010 World Cup squad, joined Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer
of 2012
At Skoda Xanthi in Greece before looking to finish his playing career in Germany.
Wigan Athletic Football Club: Nicknamed Latics, is an English professional football club based in
Wigan, Greater Manchester, who compete in League One, the third tier of English football.
Former Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia died

The 38th Chief Justice of India, Sarosh Homi Kapadia(68), died in Mumbai.
About Sarosh Homi Kapadia:
28-month as CJI
Started as a Class IV employee and described integrity as his only asset.
First Parsi Chief Justice of India on May 12, 2010
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Best known for his statistical acumen.
Most remembered for his verdict in the Vodafone tax verdict.
Current Chief Justice of India: T. S. Thakur (43rd)
First Muslim Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passes away

The 6th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away at All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi due to multiple organ failure. Sayeed (79) was
survived by his wife, three daughters including PDP President Mehbooba Mufti and a son.
The Union government has declared a day of national mourning following his death. National
flags across the country flown at half-mast.
Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a holiday and a seven-day mourning
period as a mark of respect to Sayeed.
Noted Gujarati writer Labshankar Thakar passes away

A renowned Gujarati author Labhshankar Thakar(80) passed away. He was a modernist poet,
playwright and story writer who was particularly influenced by bizarre theatre.
About Labhshankar:
Mainly wrote in Gujarati language
Poetries: Vahi Jati Pachhal Ramya Ghosha, Manasni Vaat, Mara Namne Darwaje , Pravahan,
Kalagranthi
Play: Asatyakumar Ekagrani Dharpakad.
Novels: Akasmat and Kon?
Biographical piece on his mothers life entitled Maari Ba
Awards
Sahitya Akademi award(1991) for Tolan Aawaz Ghunghat.
Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar(2002) by Gujarati Sahitya Akademi
Ranjitram Gold Medal(1980)-Highest literary award in Gujarati literature.
Phantasm star Angus Scrimm dies at 89

Angus Scrimm, the character actor who played the Tall Man in the 1979 horror movie Phantasm
and its four sequels, died at the age of 89.
Scrimm also had a recurring role on Alias and appeared in films including John Dies at the
End, I Sell the Dead and Chopping Mall. His last role was in the fifth and final
installment in the series, Phantasm: Ravager which has not yet been released.
Born Lawrence Rory Guy in Kansas City, Kansas, he studied theater at USC.
The first Phantasm film was recently restored with J.J. Abrams, a longtime fan of the series,
overseeing the restoration which will be released later this year.
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First female F1 driver Maria Teresa de Filippis passes away
Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to race in a Formula 1 grand prix has died at the age
of 89.
The Italian started three grand prix for the Maserati team in 1958 with a best finish of 10th
at Spa in Belgium.
The late Lella Lombardi, another Italian, who started 12 grand prix between 1974-76 is the
only other woman to start a Formula 1 race.
Noted Hindi writer and journalist RavindraKalia passes away

Noted Hindi writer and journalist RavindraKalia(78) passed away. He had been suffering from
liver cirrhosis.
About RavindraKalia:
He is Known for his works like NauSaalChottiPatni and GhalibChuttiSharab
BharatiyaJnanpith director was also the editor of several literary magazines, including
Rhythm and blues singer Otis Clay passed away

The one-time Grammy nominee Otis Clay inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013 died of a
heart attack. He was 73.
Rhythm and blues artist Otis Clay, a Blues Hall of Fame musician who also was a
community activist on Chicagos west Side.
He was a one-time Grammy nominee.
Clay was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.
Iconic singer David Bowie dies at 69

The iconic singer David Bowie died from liver cancer in New York. Bowies passing came just three
days after the release of a music video which featured chilling footage of the singer confined to a
hospital bed with his eyes covered by a bandage.
About David Browie
Born in south London
David Robert Jones known as David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter and actor.
Space Oddity became his first top five entry on the UK Singles Chart after its release
in July 1969.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996
Named a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2013.
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Celebrity General J.F.R. Jacob Passes Away
The Hero of 1971 war with Pakistan, Lieutenant-General J.F.R. Jacob passed away due to
prolonged illness in New Delhi. He was 92.
He was best known for the role he played as a then Major-General in Indias victory in
the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and the Liberation of Bangladesh.
British actor Alan Rickman passes away

British actor and Director Alan Rickman, a classically trained stage star and screen villain in the
Harry Potter saga and other films has died. He was 69.
About Alan Rickman :
Born on February 21, 1946 in a working class family. His first major role was as the impetuous
Tybalt in a BBC TV adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (1978) but came to viewers attention with
his brief appearance in the BBC adaptation of John le Carres Smileys People (1982) with Alec
Guinness and then as the odious, smarmy Reverend Obadiah Slope in the channel adaptation of
Anthony Trollopes ecclesiastical series Barchester Towers (1982).
In 2001, when Chris Columbuss film adaptation of JK Rowlings Harry Potter and the
Philosophers Stone hit the screens, Rickman was seen in the role of Professor Severus
Snape.
His distinctive voice was used for Marvin the Paranoid Android in a 2005 adaptation of
Douglas Adams cult classic The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and as the
Caterpillar in Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland (2010).
Awards :
He recieved the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away

Noted filmmaker Anil Ganguly passed away at his residence here after a brief illness.He was 82.
About Anil Ganguly :
Ganguly is a noted director and screenwriter, who worked in Hindi cinema from 1970s
to the 90s.
He is best known for Jaya Bhaduri starrer Kora Kagaz and Tapasya both of which
won National Award.
His other notable films are Saaheb, Trishna, Khandaan, Humkadam, Pyar Ke
Kabil, Balidan (Bolidan -1990, Bengali), Dushman Devta among others.
Rajesh Vivek, Lagan Actor passed away

Television actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay, who played the popular character of Guran in
Bollywood blockbuster, Lagaan passed away following a heart attack in Hyderabad. He was 66
years old.
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Rajesh was well-known for his role of an astrologer Guran in AamirKhan-starrer Lagaan,
and as a postman in Shah Rukh Khans Swades.
Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna Roy dead

Veteran journalist Gopal Krishna Roy passed away at the age of 82.
About Gopal Krishna Roy:
Roy worked with news agency UNI for several years.
Roy was known for his proximity to late legendary actress Suchitra Sen and journalists
would often fall back on him for information about her as she had lived in seclusion since
her last film in 1978.
Roy had also written a biographical book on Sen named "Suchitra-r kotha".
Former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama Rao passes away

Former Sikkim Governor and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ventrapragada Rama Rao died
at a private hospital at the age of 81.
About Ventrapragada Rama Rao:
Rama Rao was born in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh in 1935.
Rao was a lawyer and practised at the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
He was elected as MLC on four occasions in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh State Legislature.
While he served for three full terms in 1966, 1972 and 1978, the Legislative Council was
abolished during his fourth term after his election from Graduates Constituency in 1984.
During his last term, he served as party floor leader in the Council. He was also imprisoned
during Emergency.
Rao, who joined the Jan Sangh in 1956, was BJP national vice-president. He was twice State
unit chief in united Andhra Pradesh from 1992-96. He also was a member of the BJP national
executive and more recently a member of the core committee of the Telangana BJP.
He served as Sikkim Governor from October 25, 2002 to October 25, 2007.
Punjabi singer Manpreet Akhtar dies

Noted Punjabi folk singer Manpreet Akhtar passed away due to brain hemorrhage at a local
hospital in Patiala. She was 55.
About Manpreet Akhtar :
Manpreet was the sister of famous Punjabi singer Dilshad Akhtar.
Manpreet was known for her classical style of singing and she sang songs in Punjabi and
Hindi movies.
Some of her famous Punjabi songs were Beriye Ni, Nikdi sui and Bas Ek Gera
Gidhe Vich. She also sang Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aye in Bollywood movie Kuch Kuch
Hota Hai.
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Renowned Kannada filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya passes away
Noted Sandalwood film-maker and lyricist Geethapriya (84) passed away.
About Geethapriya:
Directed-about 40 Kannada movies, written- more than 250 songs
Nickname Geethapriya (meaning Song lover)
First film as a director-ManninaMaga (meaning Son of the Soil)- won a national

award for best Kannada film in 1968
KaadinaRahasya, Kannadas first Tarzan movie
Major films YaavaJanmadaMaithri (1972), BeluvaladaMadilalli (1975), Besuge (1976),

Hombisilu (1978), Putani Agent 123 (1979), PreethisiNodu (1981) and MounaGeethe
(1985)
Last movie in 2003:ShravanaSambhrama
Awards:Karnataka Rajyotsava award and PuttannaKanagalaward for lifetime

achievement
Yasutaro Koide, worlds oldest man, dies at 112

Yasutaro Koide, the worlds oldest man, a Japanese, died at the age of 112.
His secret to a long life: Say no to smoking, drinking or overdoing it
About Koide(pronounced Ko-ee-deh):
Born on March 13, 1903, died two months short of his 113th birthday
Worked as a tailor when he was younger
Recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worlds oldest man last
August(2015)
Japans oldest man now: Masamitsu Yoshida, a 111-year-old

Oldest is an American woman: 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York.
Music band Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey passed away
Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey has died at the age of 67.
About Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey
He was died in New York City from complications arising from rheumatoid arthritis,
colitis and pneumonia.
The Eagles were one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, with multiple hit singles,
including Hotel California in 1976.
Frey co-founded the Eagles in 1971 with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.
Senior journalist Aroon Tikekar passes away

Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar passed away at 72 due to breathing-related
complications.
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About Aroon Tikekar
He was the Editor of Loksatta, Marathi newspaper of the Indian Express Group
Newspaper, over a decade (1992-2002), and reference chief of the Times of India and
a senior assistant editor for Maharashtra Times.
Tikekar was a former Group Editor of Lokmat and Editor Director of Sakal group of
newspapers.
Recipient of several literary and journalism awards, and was an adjunct professor in the
Department of Journalism and Communications, University of Pune.
Noted danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai passed away

Noted danseuse and Padma Bhushan recipient Mrinalini Sarabhai passed at the age of 97. She
was trained in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattom.
She was married to the architect of Indias space programme, Dr Vikram Sarabhai.
Apart from classical dancer, she was a poet, writer and environmentalist and played a
leading role in the social and art scene in Ahmedabad.
She was one of the first classical dancer to turn to choreography.
Chairman of MTAR, Ravindra Reddy passed away

Ravindra Reddy, founder Chairman of MTAR, which supplies indigenously developed systems for
Indias space and nuclear programmes at the age of 77.
Under the mentorship of Mr. Reddy, MTAR manufactured rocket engines that powered
Mangalyaan).
The private company fabricated engines for the PSLV and GSLV launchers, which have put
numerous satellites into space.
About Ravindra Reddy:

A member of the National Academy of Engineers, he also served on the Board of Antrix Corporation
Ltd. He was also the Chairman of Rs. 1,500 crore Samuha Aerospace Park that is being set up in
Hyderabad.
Awards & recognitions:
In 2004, Defence Technology Absorption Award
In 2003, INS Industrial Excellence award
Italian film director Ettore Scola died

Oscar nominated Italian director Ettore Scola, has died at the age of 84. His movie A Special
Day was a 1977 Oscar- nominated movie.
He also wrote and directed We All Loved Each Other So Much a 1974 comedy-drama
about the post-war lives of three partisans fighting for the liberation of Italy.
He directed 41 films over nearly 40 years
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He was a former member of the Italian Communist Party and in 1989 he became minister of
culture.
Tabla maestro Shankar Ghosh dies at 80

Legendary tabla player Shankar Ghosh died at the age of 80 due to pneumonia, cardiac problems
and old age complications.
Recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award was the creator of the all-drum
orchestra Music of the Drums later called the Calcutta Drum Orchestra.
He was also conferred with ITC Sangeet Research Academy award and Ustad Hafiz Ali
Khan award.
Apart from India, he was also collaborated with international artists like Greg Ellis, Pete Lockett
and John Bergamo.
Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Nirmala Gajwani died

Ms Nirmala Gajwani the former Deputy speaker of Gujarat Assembly passed away in Rajkot,
Gujarat. She was a reputed social worker and one of the chief illuminations of the Sindhi
community in the state.
About Gajwani life
She was born on 28th December 1928 atRohari Sindh in Kewlani
Gajwani was the first lady Deputy Speaker of Gujarat legislative Assembly.
She was first woman MLA from Kutch district in Gujarat Assembly.
She was Chairperson of Sindhu Resettlement Corporation (SRC) which is

responsible for all the land development in the Gandhidham-Adipur metropolitan area.
She is a perfect example of how trying times are often a blessing in disguise.
She is the only person from the Kutch area to receive Best social worker Award from the
Central Social Welfare Board in 1975.
Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani passes away

Known for comic roles, Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani aka Kalpana passed away in
Hyderabad due to heart attack. She was a sister of actresses Urvashi and Kalaranjini.
She had acted in 300 odd films in South Indian languages.
In 2012, she was conferred with National Award for Best Supporting Actress for
Thanichala Njan.
In 1983, she made her debut in the film industry as a child artist.
Her Malayalam hits include Ennum Eppozhum, Karnavar, Dolphins, Bangalore Days and
Spirit. Kalpana also acted notable Tamil films like Kakki Sattai, Idhaya Thiruda, Sathi
Leelavathi and Chinna Veedu.
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Trailblazer of Artificial Intelligence passed away
Marvin Minsky, a mathematician, computer scientist and pioneer in the field of artificial
intelligence (AI) died due to cerebral hemorrhage. He was 88.
About Marvin Minsky:
1927 born Marvin Lee Minsky was an American cognitive scientist in the field of artificial intelligence
(AI), who held a degree of BA in mathematics from Harvard (1950) and a PhD in
mathematics from Princeton (1954).
From 1944-1945 he served in the US Navy.
In 1959 he and John McCarthy (who is credited with coining the term artificial
intelligence) founded the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Laboratory.
At the time of his death, he was the Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
and Professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
American actor Abe Vigoda passes away

American actor Abe Vigoda known for roles in The Godfather and Barney Miller, passed away
due to old age complications. He was 94.
1921 born Abraham Charles Vigoda has attended the Theater School of Dramatic Arts at
Carnegie Hall, New York.
He made acting appearances in very early television episodes of Suspense and Studio
One in 1949.
In 1965, he made his movie debut with Three Rooms in Manhattan
He got famous from the role of mobster Tessio in the Oscar-winning film The Godfather in 1972
and his role as cop Phil Fish in TV series Barney Miller in 1974.
Former India basketball captain Ranbir Chopra died

The first captain of the independent Indian basketball team Ranbir Chopra was died. He
was the captain of Indian team at the first Asian Games, in Delhi in 1951.
About Ranbir:
Ranbir was the coach of Indian team in 1962.
He worked as the secretary general of the Punjab Basketball Association from1958 to

1963 also worked as the Vice President of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI).
He won gold medal in National Basketball championship for Punjab in 1951 and silver
medal in 1952 and 1953.
TOI managing editor Arindam Sen Gupta

Arindam Sen Gupta (61), managing editor of The Times of India passed away due to the cancer.
152 | P a g e
Sengupta worked with publications like Probe magazine, The Patriot and The Sunday
Observer, before holding senior editorial positions at The Economic Timesand later The
Times of India.
After completing his MA from St Stephens College, Delhi University, Sengupta also taught at the
university before embarking on his journalistic journey.
Former minister and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug died

Former minister and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug passed away due to brief illness at the
district headquarter hospital in Odisha. He was 85.
He was minister for works and health during chief ministership of Nilamani
Routray in 1977.
He was twice elected as the Member of Legislative Assembly from Basta

constituency in Balasore district, Odisha in 1961 and 1977.
He was associated in many social organizations all along his life and was inspired by Ram
Manohar Lohia.
Former Army Chief Gen K V Krishna Rao passes away

The former Army Chief General and a former Governor of Jammu &
Kashmir, Nagaland,Manipur and Tripura, K.V. Krishna Rao died at military hospital in New
Delhi. He was 92.
About Gen K V Krishna Rao:
1923 born Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh
Liberation War. He started his career as an army officer during World War II, during which served
in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan.
He was the 14th Chief of the Army Staff.
Rao participated in the 1947-48 war against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
He was a founder Instructor of the National Defence Academy during 1949-51.
General Krishna Rao was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff on June 1, 1981.
He retired as Chief of the Army Staff in 1983 and was appointed Governor of Nagaland,
Manipur and Tripura in June 1984.
He was governor of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time from July 11, 1989 to
January 19, 1990 and then from March 13, 1993 till May 2, 1998.
Awards:
He was awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal for displaying outstanding leadership and
courage.
Books published
1991 Prepare or Perish: A Study of National Security (Lancer Publishers, New

Delhi)
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2001 In the Service of the Nation: Reminiscences (Penguin Books Ltd.)
2011- Invincibility, challenges and Leadership (Orient Black Swan Ltd.)
Jefferson Airplanes Paul Kantner dies at 74

Jefferson Airplane guitarist and co-founder Paul Kantner passed away due to organ failure.
He was 74.
Paul Lorin Kantner was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, known for cofounding Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era,
and its more commercial spin-off band Jefferson Starship. He was born in San Francisco,
California.
Senior journalist T.N. Gopakumar passes away

TN Gopakumar Editor-in-Chief of Asianet News and Veteran journalist at the age of 58
passes away due to cardiac arrest in Thiruvananthapuram. He was the receiver of the Kerala
Sahitya Akademi award for his book Suchindrum Rekhakal.
About TN Gopakumar
N. Gopakumarwas born in 1957 at Shuchindram Kanyakumari India.
He began his career with Indian Express.
He also evolved as a journalist through tenures in Mathrubhumi, News Time, Statesman,

BBC and The independent.
He was popularly known for his weekly show on the channel Kannaadi (mirror) which
he produced and anchored for more than two decades.
He receives several awards including the Kerala Sahithya Academy award.
He gives his best to the literature and cinema of Malayalam.
He was also a mimicry artist in Kerala.
Noted Telugu litterateur Nayani Krishnakumari passes away

Telugu litterateur Nayani Krishnakumari passed away due to ailing for some time Hyderabad. She
was 86.
She was the daughter of legendary writer Nayani Subbarao.She was an academic who
taught in Chennai, Osmania University and finally at the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Shatrughans biography Anything But Khamosh releases
Anything But Khamosh Shatrughan Sinhas biography released by BJP veteran LK Advaniat
New Delhis Claridges Hotel. It is one of the most honest biographies said author Bharthi S
154 | P a g e

Pradhan, who has written the book based on personal interviews spread over seven years
beginning November 2008.
Sinha was in the news recently for hailing fellow BJP MP Kirti Azad, who has been suspended
from the party for questioning the conduct of Union finance minister Arun Jailey in the affairs
of the DDCA, as a hero.
Book titled MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT released by PM

Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book titled MARU BHARAT SARU
BHARAT(My India Noble India) through a video conference in Mumbai.
Written by: Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj
Organised by: Sahitya Satkar Samiti of Ratnatrayee Trust
PM said that Rashtra Dharma is above every Dharma (religion). He urged the people to strive for
poverty alleviation, clean India and to harness the energy of millions of youth towards a strong
nation on the move.
Book titled Jawaharlal Nehru and The Indian Polity in Perspective released by Hamid
Ansari
Vice President Hamid Ansari released the book Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Polity In
Perspective at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
The book has been edited by former police officer P.J. Alexander. Mr. Ansari handed
over the first copy to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and brought out by the T.M.
Verghese Foundation.
3rd Version of the book titled Objective Railway Engineering-Track, Works & Others
released
The Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Manoj Sinha released a book titled Objective Railway
Engineering-Track, Works & Others authored by a well known Civil Engineer MM Agarwal in
New Delhi.
About Objective Railway Engineering-Track, Works & Others :
It was originally written in 2007.This is
the 3rd revised and enlarged edition of the book, which contains 37 updated
chapters which cover the entire spectrum of Railway Engineering.
The book is designed for all professionals of Railway, whether in the field or in the
office.
PM releases The Z Factor, a book written by Shri Subhash Chandra

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, released a book named The Z Factor written by
Shri Subhash Chandra.
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The book is published by Harper Collins
The autobiography of Dr. Subhash Chandra is titled as The Z Factor: My Journey as

the Wrong Man at the Right Time.
Dr Chandra, is referred as the head of Indian Media,
He revolutionized the television industry by launching the countrys first satellite Hindi
channel Zee TV in 1992 and later the first private news channel, Zee News.
PM releases unique illustrated version of Shri-Durga-Saptashati

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, released a unique, illustrated version of Shri-DurgaSaptashati an illustrated book of the glory of the Goddess.
The book has been compiled by Dr. Sandeep Joshi, a research scholar from Rajasthan.
Union Minister of Human Resource Development Launches Veer Gaatha Series of Books
on Param Veer Chakra Awardees
Veer Gaatha a series of books on Param Veer Chakra awardees was launched by the Union
Minister of Human Resource Development. The five books in the series of 21 Param Veer
Chakra Awardees were released.
The Union Minister congratulates and expressed her gratitude to the families of Param Veer
Chakra awardees for the sacrifices made by them for the country.
Mamata Banerjee released her book on tolerance

While inaugurating the 40th Kolkata International Book fair, West Bengal chief minister
Mamata Banerjee released ten books including a book on Tolerance which is penned by her.
Banerjee has dealt with religion in her book and explained that religion cannot be white or black.
Theme country for the Kolkata international book fair Bolivia
Apart from the book on tolerance, she wrote books on administrative efforts taken by her
government and a book on children. Her books include a collection of Urdu couplets too.
The Turbulent Years, Volume II of memoirs of President Pranab Mukherjee, released

Vice President Hamid Ansari released the second volume of memoirs of President Pranab
Mukherjee titled The Turbulent Years 1980-1996 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
In this book, he reminisced about crucial events of his political life including Indira
Gandhis assassination, Babri Masjid demolition, operation Blue Star and his ouster
from Rajiv Gandhis Cabinet.
The book sheds new light on every major political occurrence of the time from Rajiv Gandhis
ascendance as Prime Minister to the emergence of P V Narsimha Rao as leader of the nation.
The first volume of Presidents memoir titled The Dramatic Decade The Indira
Gandhi Years was released on 11 December 2014.
156 | P a g e
IMPORTANT DAYS
Jan 4 2015
Remember Day: World Braille Day(207th birth anniversary of Louis Braille)
Purpose : To recognize the efforts of Louis Braille. Louis Braille is credited with inventing the
Braille language which helps blind people to read as well as write.
Jan 10 2015
Remember Day: World Hindi Day
Purpose : To mark the day, 14 September 1949, on which the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi
written in Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union.
Organization: India
Jan 12 2015
Remember Day: National Youth Day
Purpose : To commemorate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, maker of the modern India.
Organization: India
Theme : Indian youth for development skill and harmony
Jan 15 2015
Remember Day: Indian Army Day
Purpose : Recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa's taking over as the first Commanderin-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-inChief of India, on 15 January 1949.
Organization: India
Jan 24 2015
Remember Day: National girl child day
Purpose : To increase the awareness among people about all the inequalities faced by the girl child
in the society
Organization: India
Jan 25 2015
Remember Day: National Voters Day
Purpose : To encourage more young voters to take part in the political process
Organization: India
Theme : Democracy and electroral participation
157 | P a g e

Remember Day: National Tourism Day
Purpose : To raise awareness of the importance of tourism for the country's economy.
Organization: India
Jan 26 2015
Remember Day: International Customs Day
Purpose : To recognizes the role of custom officials and agencies in maintaining border security.
Organization: World Customs Organization
Theme : Digital Customs: Progressive Engagement
Jan 26 2015
Remember Day: 67th Republic Day
Purpose : To honour the Constitution of India as it came into force on the same day in the year
1950
Organization: Government of India
Theme of Parade : Swachh Bharat' and 'Digital India
Jan 27 2015
Remember Day: International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust
Purpose : To commemorates when the Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration and death
camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland on January 27, 1945.
Organization: UN
Theme : From Words to Genocide: Antisemitic Propaganda and the Holocaust.
Jan 30 2015
Remember Day: Martyrs Day
Purpose : To honor of those who lost their lives defending the sovereignty of the nation and death
anniversary of Mahathma Gandhi

Organization: India
Jan 31 2015
Remember Day: World Leprosy Day
Purpose : To increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease
Organization: NGOs
158 | P a g e
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159 | P a g e

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Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

3km long and will be used for vehicular traffic.

The tunnel is set to come up near Ibrahimpatnam on the outskirts of Vijayawada.

Pakistans Singer Adnan Sami gets Indian Citizenship

Government decides to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with MEA

Aim: To address the various complaints of Indian overseas workers in a more

Goa sets up Investment Promotion Board for fast approvals

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

Telangana become first state to accept e-motor insurance policies

Alstom delivers Made in India coaches to Kochi Metro

PM Modi inaugurated Indian Science Congress in Mysuru

Theme Science & Technology for Indigenous Development in India

5 key bills assented by Prez Pranab Mukherjee

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

5. Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High

Toilets made mandatory to contest Panchayat polls in Bihar

Women to constitute 33% of constables in paramilitary

Gadkari announces Rs 41,000 cr road projects for Telangana

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

NH-163) of length 99 km costing Rs 1,424 crore.

MDoNER Calender-2016 released with theme Rising North East

North Eastern Region under the various schemes of MDoNER.

Odisha raises VAT on petrol and diesel by 3%

be 26% from earlier rate of 23%.

Foundation Stone Laid for an International Training Centre for Operational

Ministry of Earth Sciences had signed a Memorandum of Agreement with IOC /

BHEL commissioned 600 MW Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant Stage-II in Telangana

Rs.1000 crores allocated to LWE affected states

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

Out of 35 districts, there are 16 affected districts in Jharkhand, 8 in Chhattisgarh, 6 in

Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first River Information System of India

Government decides to directly shift from BS-IV to BS-VI Emission norms

Cabinet approved AMRUT for Punjab and Uttarakhand for 2015-16

Punjab will invest 720 cr in improving basic urban infrastructure in 16 cities.

Uttarakhand will spend 267 cr in 6 cities under action plans.

Central Assistance under State Annual Action Plans (SAAP)

Kerala initiated Sampoorna Arogya Keralam project

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

QCI to make Report Card of Swachh Bharat Mission

President promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016

Once an enemy property is entrusted in the Custodian, it shall continue to be entrusted in

Law of succession does not apply to enemy property.

Operation Green Hunt to hunt Maoists

Laman Diva is selected as Make in India Week logo

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

manufacturing potential of Maharashtra.

Govt approves electronics cluster in Raipur

International kite festival begins in Vadodara

Other Name: Uttarayana, marks the advent of summer.

Jointly organised by: Vadodara Municipal Corporation and GTCL.

43rd New Delhi World Book Fair opens

Guest of honour: China

Objective: To provide efficient and citizen friendly services in LPG distribution.

Current Affairs PDF: January 2016

Railways gets its first Make in India luxury coaches

Designed by: Bhopals coach rehabilitation workshop (CRWS), Nishatpura

First to use these coaches:Jabalpur-HazratNizamuddinSamparkKranti Express

Minister of Railways inaugurates Implementation of E-enabled Track Management

Management of track maintenance: It involves handling of volumes of data statistics

E-enablement of Track Management System (TMS): To promote e-working in civil